Maiden Galaxy

Monk Seven Treasures appeared once again, putting his palms together for the five jinshi who passed the Question and Answer.

Everyone returned the salute.

Monk Seven Treasures raised one hand. A ray of light flashed in front of everyone. Then, warriors who met the forty-two point requirement to enter the fourth floor appeared on after another.

Of the more than hundred warriors who started the third floor, not even fifty of them were able to advance to the fourth floor. Their numbers were in steep decline. The Xi Siblings and Zongzheng Ying had insufficient cultivation, so their progress ended on the third floor.

The rankings in the court examination were updated once more. Everyone was astounded to see Fang Xi, Jiang Yanyu and Chen Mo all place in the top three thanks to consecutive full marks for a total of 62 points. Fourth place was taken by Cui Wumeng's 52 points. That Qu Kuo warrior passed three floors and placed fifth with 51 points. This made him a bit surprised.¹ 

Then, Monk Seven Treasures began to announce the details of the fourth floor's test. This test was known as "Classics Analysis." Altogether, there were "six difficults."² Each one was worth three points for a total of 18 points this floor. At least 54 points were required to enter the fifth floor.

When the conditions were announced, the faces of all the warriors promptly became very unsightly. A minimum of 54 points in order to enter the fifth floor; in other words, if the very minimum of 42 points was achieved to reach the fourth floor, then four difficults and 12 points were needed to be able to pass this floor.

But in the Question And Answer from before, the assessment grew unbearably difficult for the warriors starting with the third question. Now, the fourth floor's test would only be even more grueling. One could well imagine this condition.

The warriors ranked towards the end gathered together, whispering amongst themselves. Their gazes turned to Chen Mo from time to time. It was unclear what they were planning.

"It'll be fine." Chen Mo did not pay particular mind to these little bandits. If a warrior did not even have the qualifications to ascend to the fifth floor, then what qualifications did they have to hinder her.

"You look out for yourself. If you can pass three of the questions, you can go to the fifth floor." Qing Wan had forty-four points. She only needed to pass three to still have hope.

Qing Wan shook her head. To be able to reach the fourth floor with just Qi Flower Realm was already considered a stunning achievement in the Divine Warrior Examination. She did not even consider coming this far, even if defeat now was regrettable.

Monk Seven Treasures pointed into empty space and lit a long stick of incense.

When this incense was burnt out, the fourth floor's test was considered finished.

Everyone looked at the domed ceiling above them. In this assessment, a warrior was to do all that they could to break through before the incense burned out. At certain stages, they would receive one point until success or failure.

Following the ignition of the incense, the test began.

All of the warriors were like fishes leaping out of the water as they soared upwards. Cultivators who had entered Thunder Tribulation were able to fly with their swords, skyrocketing up. And those like Chen Mo, who were without magic energy, used every kind of escape technique. Then, the edges of the hall jut out to act as supports for the rest to advance upwards continuously.

Chen Mo looked at those arhat golden bodies along the edges, feeling these arhats and vajras had angry eyes and menacing expressions.

A scream suddenly came from above.

Chen Mo raised his head to look. When a warrior who rushed ahead had stepped on one of the asura golden bodies as a foothold, all of a sudden, the surrounding arhats' eyes glowed and seemed to come alive. An arhat golden body phantom appeared, its hand gripping a demon-subduing prod that it swung at the warrior.

The first difficult.

Born in a Buddha-age.³

All of the motionless arhat golden bodies began to obstruct the progress of the warriors. These arhats attacked with boundless power, demon-subduing prods, and evil-suppressing staffs that caught everyone off guard. Many of the warriors were beaten down by the staffs. 

However, Thunder Tribulation cultivators like Jiang Yanyu and Fang Xi faced no challenge at all. Their sword chants circled around them, and the first difficult's arhats basically were unable to approach.

Chen Mo brandished the Bagua punch-intent. It was not to be outdone compared to sword chants, so he broke through quite easily.

I wonder how Qing Wan is doing.

Chen Mo lowered his to look and suddenly saw that the girl had been surrounded by warriors.

"It's already a miracle that a Qi Flower warrior like you even reached this place, you'd better hurry and give up."

"Hmph, you seem close to Chen Mo. Then we'd better weed you out first."

These warriors sneered endlessly. They already had no hopes of entering the next floor, so they had the idea to drag her down with them. Since they could not obtain it, then naturally they could not let others have it easy. Qing Wan, with her Qi Flower Realm, could be said to be a crane among chickens when compared to all the other warriors. Never had a warrior reached this place with such a Realm.

Their hearts were full of envy. Naturally, they were unwilling to let Qing Wan get much farther than they did.

In this examination, all the warriors not only had to face the arhats' six difficults, they would also have to be on guard against the sneak attacks of other warriors.

"These sons of bitches." Chen Mo cursed. He struck down a phantom with a palm, then turned and escaped towards Qing Wan. No matter what, he could not let these people have their way.

Qing Wan coldly glared at the five warriors encircling her. Some of them were even jieyuan. Al of them were at a complete Three Flowers Gathered Overhead. "You are the heirs of influential noble houses. With such vile conduct, are you not afraid of suffering ridicule."

"Ridicule, when we get rid of you, who would ridicule us." A lanky, monkey-faced young man said with a shrill voice. As he said this, this youth slashed his fingers at her like a claw.

Qing Wan had just thought to dodge when another jieyuan widened his eyes and struck with Divine Intent, immobilizing the girl's body.

Qing Wan suffered this slash. Bloody gashes appeared on her arm.

"Yin Le, your Hawk Talon Art isn't anything special."

"Better let me play with her."

These people were all Three Flowers Gathered Overhead. In terms of cultivation and family background, they all far outmatched Qing Wan. Punching and scratching, they toyed with Qing Wan like how a cat might play with a rat.

The girl was trapped by them in an impossible situation, but she was not willing to concede defeat. Her hand twirled, and she summoned her family heirloom, the Green Snake Sword, and slashed. 

"Oh, Star Weapon."

"We have those, too."

One of the warrior took out a Three Star Serpent Spear, easily suppressing Qing Wan. "Your Snake Arts are a bit interesting. I wonder how they compare to the Zhang Family's ‘Serpent Spear Arts.'" 

The Serpent Spear's head was like a snake flicking its tongue. A poison-light shot out from the tip, stabbing straight into Qing Wan's kidney pressure point. Zen forbade the killing of living things. Once inside the Seven Treasures Pagoda's trial, there was a strict provision against the killing of other warriors. Otherwise, the violator would face strict punishment under the law.

His attack carried a mocking attitude.

Qing Wan's face paled. The Green Snake Sword in her hand could barely ward off the Three Flowers Gathered Overhead warrior's strike. Just as his murderous aura was about to stab her, all of a sudden at this moment, a boundless punch-intent bore down upon them. It struck the Serpent Spear, routing the killing intent.

Qing Wan's whole body stiffened. A man in white clothes landed beside her. When she looked at him, Qing Wan surprisingly felt a sense of comfort.

"A bunch of men are bullying a woman whose cultivation does not match their own. Not only are the warriors of the imperial family's faction so despicable, but they are also very incompetent, huh."

Chen Mo clicked his tongue.

The young men looked at Chen Mo then glanced at each other. Apparently, they were not the least bit surprised that he appeared.

"Your Highness Chen Mo, you really do have feelings about this woman, to actually not proceed with your trial and instead come save her."

"Ha, ha, this is truly admirable."

"His Highness Chen Mo is indeed affectionate and true, it moves us to tears."

The young men's sneers were peculiar. Chen Mo's performance was abnormal, but in the end, his cultivation was only Three Flowers Gathered Overhead. The group of them also had such profound cultivation. In a one against four, he did not necessarily stand a chance.

"Chen Mo, they are deliberately stalling you." Qing Wan said.

Chen Mo looked at her wounds, some of which were serious. He inwardly creased his brow and took out a bottle of Grade Five "Blood And Qi Replenishment Draught" for her. Chang'an Mansion had prepared high-quality healing items for him this time, and they would be very effective on wounds like these.

"They do not yet have the capability to stall me." Chen Mo said.

"Your Highness, you are too arrogant."

"We were waiting for you to come here."

The youths sneered. One of them, a tall man who had been stern and grave up until now, suddenly showed a fully-charged talisman that had been behind his back.

This talisman was somewhat unusual. It was glossy and limpid, like glass, and depicted a Holy Beast.

In a split second.

An array automatically activated in the surroundings.

"Talisman treasure?"

Chen Mo was taken aback.

A talisman treasure was a very particular type of treasure. Star World's talismans were a particular item Yin-Yang Masters⁴ refined that concentrated magic energy. Various types of spells were condensed into talismans, and they could be used just by releasing the talisman.

And talisman treasures were categorized as a special type of talisman. Concentrated inside them was some of the power of a magic treasure. Compared to the average talisman, they were far stronger, able to be used as a magic treasure. Of course, talisman treasures had a limited number of uses, but if a Three Flowers Gathered Overhead had a magic treasure as a trump card, then they would occupy an enormous advantage of warriors of the same level.

The talisman treasure that warrior used was not of ordinary background. The talisman treasure was known as the Four Symbols Bundling Immortal Talisman, passed down from generation to generation in the Ren Family. Ordinarily, it was used as an offering to the ancestral hall, never shown to others so easily.

This time, on orders of the emperor, the Ren Family made a consideration. If they were able to take down Chen Mo, their Ren Family would have brought honor to their ancestors in front of the emperor, and they would henceforth move up rapidly through the world.

Even a Holy Beast could be ensnared by the Four Symbols Bundling Immortal Talisman. A Thunder Tribulation cultivator, too, could not easily break free of its constriction. It was only natural that the Ren Family's young heir was fully confident it could restrain Chen Mo. After Chen Mo was restrained, the other three would use their strongest martial arts. Heavily injuring Chen Mo and forcing him out of the Divine Warrior Examination would then be very easy. 

But a certain amount of time was necessary in order for a Three Flowers warrior to use True Qi to control a talisman treasure. Everyone attacked Qing Wan together, allowing the Ren Family heir to sneakily exercise his True Qi to operate the talisman treasure. By the time Chen Mo played hero saves the beauty, he was nearly finished.

The talisman treasure activated. Powerful magic energy gushed forth. Qing Wan's whole body went rigid. Her face was ashen, and she was already unable to budge.

The Four Symbols Bundling Immortal Talisman released white light.

This light was like a whip or string, swirling with formidable and unrivalled magic energy. The young warriors smirked, their own techniques fully charged. They need only wait for the moment the talisman restrained Chen Mo's arms and legs to launch their attack. They were sure they could finish the fight in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, the other warriors were all moving towards the ceiling, and no one noticed the activity in this place. Jiang Yanyu actually sensed a surge of magic energy below, but she did not have the time for a closer look.

White light coiled in the air, wrapping around Chen Mo.

Chen Mo raised his hand and clenched his fist.

"Your Highness, unless you have cultivation on par with Lord Chang'an, your Zhangtian Seal will be completely useless." The Ren Family heir guffawed. His was but a High Grade Talisman Treasure, comparable to a High Grade Magic Treasure. It was capable of even tying down a Holy Beast. For a Three Flowers warrior, this would be a futile struggle.

A ray of white qi similarly emerged from Chen Mo's palm and struck the Bundling Immortal Talisman.

That Four Symbols Bundling Immortal's magic energy suddenly vanished. There was a beam of white light that was surprisingly gripped in Chen Mo's hand like a docile snake.

"This is a pretty good toy, I'll graciously accept it."

Chen Mo seized the Four Symbols Bundling Immortal Talisman and grinned.

"Impossible!!"

The four of them were shaken.

There was actually a warrior in the world who was capable of holding the power of a High Grade Magic Treasure in their hand; the common sense of those warriors immediately collapsed.

1. I thought failure to answer a question meant that the warrior automatically failed the whole thing? ↩
2. Taken from here. https://www2.buddhistdoor.net/dictionary/details/%E5%85%AD%E9%9B%A3 ↩
3. 佛世難遇 ↩
4. 陰陽師, JP readers will recognize this as "onmyouji." ↩

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