Chapter 777 - Bright as the Day

When the ground cracked and shifted independently, a towering pillar pierced through the clouds. The pillar was covered with countless runes intertwining together and bulging like muscles, and its sheer appearance was impactful.

"This is the legendary Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar?!" Everyone had long heard tales of this pillar that stabilized the mountain range beneath the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy as its foundation. But hearing and seeing it was an entirely different experience.

The pillar was designed to measure innate talent while consolidating the mountain range as its foundation. A hint of surprise flickered across Liu Wuxie's eyes as he observed the towering structure. He murmured, "Combining an Array Divine Pillar with an Assessment Pillar—this academy is more mysterious than I expected."

The Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy had integrated the entire mountain range into a colossal spiritual array, with the true function of the pillar serving as its central control system. Judging by its placement, this platform was located in the academy's outermost region. Once activated, the spiritual array could extend its reach over tens of thousands of meters.

Most sects had defensive spiritual arrays, but they could only defend their core area. It was difficult for anyone to set up a spiritual array that would envelop the whole mountain range. However, the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy had achieved this.

The Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar was like an anchor, stabilizing the spiritual array's core. The runes consisted of dao and spiritual arrays, which had been perfectly combined.

There was no doubt the creator of this spiritual array was an expert.

When the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar appeared, a crystal orb the size of a basin appeared in Qu Su's hand. The crystal orb's function was to measure the physical attributes and purity of true essence.

The stronger one's attributes, the higher the chance of comprehending the dao of heaven and earth. This had nothing to do with cultivation levels, as each individual's body was unique, leading to varying degrees of innate talent.

"Everyone, form two lines!" Qu Su commanded, his voice resonating across the platform. "The first line will take the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar's test. Only those who achieve six stars or more will advance! The second line will test their innate talent, and only those who achieve six beams of light will move forward!"

This would accelerate the assessment, and Ning Hai was the first to approach the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar. Rolling up his sleeves, he channeled his true essence, his energy surging like a raging torrent. Letting out a thunderous roar, he struck the pillar with all his might.

A deafening collision resounded, shaking the ground beneath him. The sheer force of his punch, exceeding fifty thousand kilograms, sent tremors through the platform. However, even such overwhelming strength fell short of tearing through space.

The runes engraved on the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar began to light up individually.

One star...two stars...

As the runes flickered, Ning Hai lit up six stars in the blink of an eye. Then again, everyone had witnessed his talent, and his entry to the academy was practically guaranteed. No one was certain if he could obtain the first rank on this assessment. But unless Liu Wuxie were killed, Ning Hai would probably remain second.

It didn't take long before the runes stopped at the eighth star, achieving the same result as the Gate of Heart. This was enough to prove that he was a heavenly-blessed prodigy.

However, Ning Hai wasn't satisfied with his performance. He felt that he had underperformed, convinced he should have been able to light up the ninth star. But there was nothing he could do now except accept the result and move forward.

Logically, achieving eight stars was more than enough to prove his extraordinary talent. Yet, the shadow of Liu Wuxie lingered in his mind, making him feel inadequate. It was only natural to feel jealousy when confronted with someone superior—just as someone who could barely light up one star might envy those who couldn't even light up a single one.

On the other side, the crystal orb assessment had begun. Ma Tianming was the first to step forward. Placing his right hand on the floating orb, he channeled his true essence. Within moments, beams of light burst forth, and in the blink of an eye, eight beams shone brilliantly.

Like Ning Hai, he demonstrated an eight-star aptitude. This was an excellent start, as the first participants on both sides effortlessly passed the assessment.

After completing the divine pillar test, Ning Hai moved to the left to take the crystal orb test while Ma Tianming headed to the right for the divine pillar. Both fell into the back of their respective new queues, marking the seamless progression of the assessment.

Liu Wuxie was in the crystal orb's queue, while Liu Xin'er queued at the divine pillar.

"Six stars!"

"Seven stars!"

"Four stars!"

"Three stars!"

"Five stars!" Light began to shine on the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar. Some participants were thrilled by their success, and some left in dejection. The crystal orb's elimination rate exceeded the divine pillar's test.

By midday, it was finally Liu Wuxie's turn. As he stepped forward toward the crystal orb, all eyes fell on him, including those of the ten examiners. Miao Hanxuan's gaze, in particular, burned with murderous intent, the gleam in his eyes growing darker and more dangerous.

Liu Wuxie reached out with his right hand and injected his true essence into the crystal orb. He had also undergone similar tests before joining the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and was already familiar with the process.

The crystal orb was a tool for testing the purity of the true essence. The higher the purity, the stronger the radiance it would give off.

The orb's interior was embedded with countless spiritual arrays that activated when infused with true essence. The greater the purity, the stronger the fluctuations within the arrays, which would cause beams of light to emerge as a measurement of the true essence's quality.

Aside from gauging the purity of true essence, it also detected impurities in the body. True essence became impure as bodily impurities increased. Most cultivators failed to temper themselves after breakthroughs, leading to impure true essence, which the crystal orb easily exposed.

Over a third of the participants had been eliminated on the crystal orb test in just half a day.

Many people held their breath, curious if Liu Wuxie could create another miracle. Ma Tianming, the current record holder, lit up eight light beams.

Liu Wuxie didn't want to go too far; he only aimed to pass. Thus, he injected only some of his true essence into the crystal orb.

However, when everyone saw no reaction from the crystal orb after Liu Wuxie injected his true essence, they were instantly baffled.

"Hahaha! This brat has finally revealed his true colors! His true essence is so mediocre that he can't even activate the spiritual arrays in the orb," someone mocked, and the surrounding crowd burst into gloating laughter.

"I bet he'll be killed in one strike!" The Wang Clan's disciples jumped out, urging the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy's elders to kill Liu Wuxie according to the agreement.

"Stop standing there and get lost!" others jeered as they saw Liu Wuxie standing still, impatient due to the long queue behind him.

Liu Wuxie frowned, sensing that the true essence he had injected into the crystal orb had vanished as though it had been devoured. He had no choice but to inject more, and this time, his true essence surged into the orb like a raging tidal wave.

When everyone believed that Liu Wuxie had failed, the crystal orb released dazzling radiance like it was on fire. Its overwhelming brilliance turned the surroundings white despite the broad daylight.

It was said that darkness could be so dense that one couldn't see their fingers, but this was the first time anyone had seen brightness so blinding that they couldn't even make out their own hands. It was as if they had been submerged in an ocean of pure, burning light.

"What's happening? Why can't I see anything?" Yells echoed from the surroundings as countless beams suspended in the air like a bright sun, amplifying the brightness hundreds of times. So it was no wonder they couldn't see a thing.

It was like stepping into a snow-covered mountain, and it was easy for someone to become disoriented without any reference markings. The more they tried to focus, the blurrier their vision became, and they were all trapped in this state.

The beams lasted a full minute before dissipating, and the surroundings gradually recovered.

The ten examiners exchanged looks filled with shock and disbelief. They didn't know what to say.

"Flawless true essence! How is his true essence free of impurities!" One examiner exclaimed as it was something they couldn't achieve, not to mention someone in the Astral River Realm.

However, this was the reality of Liu Wuxie's power. His true essence was refined through the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, which converted spiritual energy into liquified spiritual energy of absolute purity before absorption. As a result, each strand of his true essence was exceptionally pure.

Liu Wuxie glanced into the air, unaware he had passed the test. Unlike others who produced visible beams of light, the light he had caused had illuminated the entire platform.

"Move along!" Qu Su waved his hand, signaling Liu Wuxie to move to the next queue, which meant he had passed the crystal orb test.

As Liu Wuxie calmly moved forward, the onlookers who had mocked him moments earlier could only stare in stunned silence. Their ridicule had transformed into bitter resentment, and the growing hatred toward him was palpable.

Liu Wuxie fell in line once again at the back of the queue.

It wasn't long before Ning Hai's turn came for the crystal orb test. When he injected his true essence, eight beams of light burst forth, their intensity noticeably stronger than Ma Tianming's, once again showcasing Ning Hai's exceptional talent.

Meanwhile, Ma Tianming had reached his turn on the divine pillar test and channeled his true essence before striking the pillar. The runes on the pillar began to flicker, and he instantly lit up eight stars.

In a direct comparison, Ning Hai held a slight advantage in the purity of his true essence.

As the assessment progressed, more people gathered on the crystal orb's side. This was because more participants failed the crystal orb test, so they didn't even have the opportunity to attempt the divine pillar test.

To pass the assessment, participants had to achieve at least six stars on both tests and excelling in just one wasn't enough.

In just half an hour, it was Liu Wuxie's turn again, and he took a deep breath when he stood before the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar. He didn't know how much energy this pillar could absorb, and this meant holding back wasn't an option; he had to give it his all.

The quality of aptitude test pillars varied, and the one in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was of low grade.

Liu Wuxie's turn to take the assessment always attracted everyone's attention. Liu Xiucheng and Liu Dashan watched him intently, their eyes never wavering. The most critical moment had finally arrived—if Liu Wuxie could achieve six stars, he would advance to the final assessment.

His true essence began to rumble, surging within him, raging to break free and tear through the heavens. He went into the Annihilation Fist's stance, and this seemingly casual stance caught the attention of Qu Su and others.

"What a unique fist technique," Qu Su murmured.

Liu Wuxie's punch was like a comet piercing through the sky, appearing before the Mountain Piercing Divine Pillar. When his fist landed on the pillar, the entire structure shook, and a massive shockwave erupted outward, accompanied by the deafening roar of thunder that felt like an earthquake had struck.