Translator: Noodletown Translated Editor: Noodletown Translated
“Third Uncle…” Hao Ren thought for a bit and replied, “He should be in this big exam area; I think I saw him in the written exam area.”
“Oh, really?” Zhao Guang brightened up.
“With his cultivation strength, Third Uncle will win the first few competitions for sure. It’ll be easy to find him by that time,” Hao Ren said.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Zhao Guang lowered his head and thought for a few seconds before turning his gaze to Hao Ren again. “I’ll go into the Dragon God Shrine. You can focus on the competition.”
“Dad! Don’t you want to watch Hao Ren compete?” Zhao Yanzi called out immediately.
“Hehe…” Zhao Guang smiled but didn’t answer.
Hao Ren immediately felt that Zhao Guang didn’t hold high hopes for him in the competition. His purpose for coming to the Dragon God Shrine was to look for Zhao Kuo and negotiate with the Dragon God Shrine.
“Elder Lu and Elder Sun, come with me,” Zhao Guang looked back at Lu Qing and Sun Yun and said.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The two elders followed Zhao Guang immediately.
Seeing them leave, Zhao Yanzi immediately grabbed onto Zhao Hongyu.
Zhao Hongyu looked down at Zhao Yanzi and smiled. “Ok, I’ll stay here and watch the competition with you.”
Zhao Yanzi was relieved since she thought Zhao Hongyu would also go to the Dragon God Shrine.
While Zhao Guang led two elders to the gate of the Dragon God Shrine, the participants and the dragon clan forces who were here recognized Zhao Guang.
“Isn’t he Zhao Guang from the East Ocean Dragon Palace? And behind him are two elders from the East Ocean. Why are they here?”
Instantly, questions rose in the mind of the people in the area.
From the gate of the Dragon God Shrine walked out two inspectors wearing robes embroidered with four-clawed golden dragons. They welcomed Zhao Guang and the two elders of the East Ocean into the palace.
Since its establishment hundreds of years ago, the Dragon God Shrine had never allowed any dragon cultivators except inspectors and criminals into the interior of the Dragon God Shrine, not even the dragon kings! Obviously, they made an exception for Zhao Guang.
The present dragon king of the East Ocean Dragon Palace brought only two elders into the Dragon God Shrine, and it brought all kinds of speculations to people’s minds.
Watching Zhao Guang disappear into the Dragon God Shrine, Hao Ren was also a bit worried as well.
However, on the second thought, he thought that Zhao Guang’s high-profiled entrance into the Dragon God Shrine was probably an act for Zhao Kuo’s sake as well.
If Zhao Kuo were around, he would undoubtedly know that Zhao Guang was also in the Dragon God Shrine. If he wanted to know the content of the negotiation between East Ocean and Dragon God Shrine, he would have to find Zhao Guang. It was Zhao Guang’s way of forcing Zhao Kuo to show himself.
“Ren Yin 101 and Ren Yin 102!” The inspector responsible for Hao Ren’s arena called out.
The two cultivators were ready, and they jumped into the arena simultaneously.
Hao Ren looked around at the other arenas and saw that competitions had begun.
Unlike the written exam, the combat exams were open to the public, and some elders stood around the arenas where participants from their respective forces were battling.
Almost ten thousand dragon cultivators gathered around the east area alone, not to mention the other three big areas. It showed that the general exams in the Dragon God Shrine was indeed a grand event for the Dragon Tribe.
These dragon clans came from different places on the land, and their elders who were responsible for internal business rarely had an opportunity to meet each other. The Dragon God Shrine’s general exams provided such a meeting place.
The cultivators who were recommended by different forces to enter the Dragon God Shrine’s general exams represented the highest cultivation strength of their generation in their dragon clan. According to their performances and rankings, the elders from different clans would determine their statuses in the entire dragon tribe and strategize for the near future: keep low or advance aggressively.
Bang! While Hao Ren was looking around, one cultivator fell from the Jing Zhe Arena.
The identity token hanging on the waist of the fallen cultivator automatically flew into the hand of the inspector before turning black immediately.
The Zhen-level cultivator who fell to the ground looked a bit upset. Standing up immediately, he brushed the dust off his robe and walked away.
No elders came to him, which meant this cultivator entered the test on his own, instead of being a “future star” of a dragon clan.
While Hao Ren was looking at the retreating back of this cultivator, another pair of rivals had stepped up into the arena. Bang! Bang… While cultivators fell from the 24 arenas, the elimination matches went on quickly.
“Ren Yin 245 versus Ren Yin 246!”
The inspector declared.
Hao Ren leaped into the arena.
His rival, the cultivator in his forties, kicked the ground lightly with his toes and jumped easily into the arena, too.
Wearing a brown robe with an embroidered silver dragon, Hao Ren immediately attracted people’s attention.
The eastern test area had about 10,000 cultivators around the 24 small arenas, and each of the arenas was a center of attention.
The arena was only one meter higher than the ground, but Hao Ren felt entirely different than he did when standing on the ground.
“Hao Ren! Go!” Xie Yujia clenched her fists and yelled.
Standing by Zhao Hongyu, Zhao Yanzi stared at Hao Ren with her big eyes.
Zhen Congming looked unconcerned, but he glanced at Hao Ren from the corner of his eye.
The hunch-backed Premier Xia stood straighter and looked up at Hao Ren’s dashing form in the arena.
“Gongzi, Go!” Lu Linlin and Lu Lili yelled at the same time, attracting the attention of the nearby young cultivators.
“After you…” The cultivator opposite Hao Ren bowed.
“After you!” Hao Ren stepped back half a step and made a stance, too.
Swoosh!
The cultivator in his forties released a long sword from his palm.
Natal dharma treasure!
His presence was also released!
Gen-level!
In a flash, this Gen-level cultivator rushed to Hao Ren’s side!
Standing below the arena, Zhao Yanzi gripped Zhao Hongyu’s hand.
Dang… Hao Ren lifted his right hand to block the sword.
Upon closer look, one could see a pale green light in Hao Ren’s palm!
His left foot took half a step forward, and his right hand pushed out onto the Gen Level cultivator’s shoulder. The push looked casual, but it sent the cultivator flying!
Bang! The Gen-level cultivator dropped below the arena, crashing onto some watching cultivators; he stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance.
“Thank you!” Hao Ren cupped his hands and said crisply.
His attack was quick and determined, blocking his rival’s attack and pushing him out of the arena in one move. More importantly, he maintained a calm expression like a master during the whole process!
Zhao Hongyu had expected Hao Ren would win, but she was surprised he had defeated his rival so quickly.
“Mom, uncle is awesome!” Seeing Hao Ren defeated his rival with one attack, Zhao Yanzi grabbed Zhao Hongyu’s arm and yelled in excitement.
Zhao Hongyu gave her a hard look, and Zhao Hongyu immediately changed her words, “Hao Ren is awesome…”
But her tone was not as excited as a moment ago.
Hao Ren jumped down out of the arena and looked up to watch the next competition.
Glancing at the calm expression on Hao Ren’s face, Zhao Hongyu admired his calmness, modesty, and brains, thinking that he could become a great figure one day.
He didn’t launch the Light Splitting Sword Shadow Scroll, so he could hide his technique. He injected nature energy into his palms to defeat his rival with boxing techniques to save most of his nature essence for future battles.
“Hao Ren is careless about minor things, but his clear thinking and careful strategy on major issues far surpass my expectation,” Zhao Hongyu thought.
Back on the ground, Hao Ren watched the next battle in the arena silently without blinking.
“Hey! Stinky Uncle!” At Hao Ren’s silence, Zhao Yanzi walked over and bumped into him.
Hao Ren had been watching the battle with all his attention and stumbled forward when Zhao Yanzi bumped into him.
“Zi!” Zhao Hongyu immediately scolded her.
Zhao Yanzi turned her head. She had never seen Zhao Hongyu had looked so sternly before. Immediately, she walked to Xie Yujia’s side.
“Ren’s assessing his potential opponents; don’t disturb him,” Zhao Hongyu continued.
Zhao Yanzi looked at Zhao Hongyu and then at Hao Ren.
At this moment, Hao Ren looked grim with intense eyes; he looked aloof but was more dashing this way.
After all, he was not watching for fun but watching to find out the cultivators’ technique and methods of defense and attack since anyone of them could become his future rival… Zhao Yanzi understood the situation instantly, and she stood obediently by Xie Yujia’s side.
Anyway, Hao Ren was representing the East Ocean Dragon Palace, and Zhao Yanzi hoped he would protect the honor of the East Ocean Dragon Palace with his excellent performance.
In the arena, Ren Yin 247 who was Hao Ren’s neighbor on his right during the writing exam lost in the competition shortly.
After half of the Ren Yin cultivators were eliminated, the second round began.
“Ren Yin 244 versus Ren Yin 246!”
Hao Ren got into the arena again, and this time he used two attacks before he sent the Zhen-level cultivator flying.
“Ren Yin 246 versus Ren Yin 249!”
“Ren Yin 210 versus Ren Yin 246!”
“Ren Yin 132 versus Ren Yin 246!”
With the calls of the inspector, Hao Ren went into arena and beat all his rivals out of the arena with crisp moves.
While she watched, Zhao Hongyu saw some clues.
She found Hao Ren was using the fundamental boxing techniques that were familiar to all the soldiers of the East Ocean Dragon Palace!
With Hao Ren’s winning streak, Zhao Yanzi got more and more excited; she almost cheered.
She suddenly felt like Hao Ren very powerful!
All the cultivators couldn’t last three rounds of attacks with Hao Ren.
“Good move!”
While Hao Ren won another match, cheers exploded in the audience around the Li Xia Arena, the fourth small arena to his left.
A brawny man with a black face and black beard stepped to one side in a stance and launched a punch, sending a Dui-level cultivator with yellow light around him flying more than ten meters out of the arena!
It was one of the fundamental boxing techniques of the East Ocean Dragon Palace!