Chapter 318: Testing Skills? Xue Jing: You're not capable of that. (4K)

Chapter 318: Testing Skills? Xue Jing: You're not capable of that. (4K)



"Speaking of which, why is it called the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace?" Xue Jing asked with a hint of confusion.

The name felt a bit heavy in its implications.

"Could it be..."

Ning Yuante laughed heartily, "Your guess is correct. The name 'Supreme Martial Ascension Palace' is derived from the Supreme Martial King himself."

"Over a hundred years ago, not long after the Eternal Night War ended, the Supreme Martial King single-handedly dominated the 'Sun Pillar' in the Seventh Metropolitan Circle, claiming it as his territory."

"Later, many things happened... The Sun Pillar in the Seventh Metropolitan Circle gradually became a place for martial artists from all over the world to gather and exchange skills. The Supreme Martial King resided in the 'Celestial Palace' at the very top, and martial artists would climb layer by layer, challenging him. This process was called 'Ascension.'"

"Hence the name 'Supreme Martial Ascension Palace.'"

"Of course, for political reasons, this is a secret that cannot be publicly disclosed. Officially, the explanation for the name is that it means 'to pursue martial arts to the utmost.'"

"After all, the Supreme Martial King's deeds before entering the Cang Court..."

Ning Yuante paused, choosing his words carefully, "were not exactly socially favorable."

"Although several decades of information blockade have made it nearly impossible to find any information about the Supreme Martial King, and his existence is only known through word of mouth among a small group of people, the Cang Court had already set the tone for this matter and issued an official document. Now, they probably can't be bothered to change it..."

Xue Jing asked, "What about now? Is the Supreme Martial King still residing in the highest Celestial Palace?"

Ning Yuante shook his head, "After entering the Cang Court, the Supreme Martial King never returned to the Seventh Metropolitan Circle. The Celestial Palace has been vacant ever since. Those who are unaware of the Supreme Martial King's existence think that reaching the top layer is 'Ascension,' not knowing that even if they reach the top, they only gain the qualification to challenge the Supreme Martial King..."

"And no one has reached the Celestial Palace since the Supreme Martial King left, not for several decades."

Xue Jing, curious, asked, "Oh? Is it that difficult?"

The Supreme Martial King was an extreme master of martial arts, far surpassing countless other martial artists.

Xue Jing understood that obtaining the qualification to challenge him would be challenging, but for decades, no one had achieved it... This seemed a bit exaggerated.

With an absolute large number of talented individuals emerging over several decades, and it was only a matter of qualification to challenge... Could it be that no one had succeeded?

Ning Yuante explained, "Brother Xue, you may not know this, but the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace has 49,972 floors, and the top 72 floors, due to their extreme height, are no longer referred to by floor numbers but are called 'Heavens' instead."

"Each Heaven is guarded by a 'Sky Lord,' and these 72 Sky Lords are all formidable individuals who have held titles, with half of them being Eternal Title holders!"

"For those who intend to 'Ascend,' there are methods to skip layers in the first 40,000 floors, but in the final 72 floors, one must fight through each layer."

"Only the Sky Lord of the highest Heaven can enter the Celestial Palace... And unless he goes in, others must defeat him and become the new Sky Lord to gain entry."

"In these decades, the position of the 'Highest Sky Lord' has indeed changed hands several times... But at this level of cultivation, they understand the terror of the Supreme Martial King far more deeply than ordinary martial artists."

"From a frog in a well observing the moon to a mayfly gazing at the vast sky... All the Highest Sky Lords merely stood at the entrance of the Celestial Palace, shook their heads, and retreated."

Xue Jing nodded, realizing the truth, and exclaimed, "So that's how it is."

The Supreme Martial Ascension Palace, with its 72 Sky Lords, half of them being Eternal Title holders... What an impressive lineup.

It seemed like all the current Eternal Title holders were gathered there.

Calculating the average, even at the fastest theoretical speed, it would take five years to obtain seven Eternal Titles, and with the three major titles from the Far East, there would only be ten.

The Supreme Martial Ascension Palace had at least thirty Eternal Title holders, if not all of them. Even if not all current Eternal Title holders were there, it was still an impressive number.

"Besides the 72 Heavens, each of the 900 floors below also has a Floor Lord, and this is the current goal for most people climbing the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace... Becoming one of the Floor Lords of these 900 floors grants a substantial income and martial resources every month, as well as a renowned reputation."

"Brother Xue, shall we head to the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace first?"

Ning Yuante suggested.

"With your skills, reaching the 72 Heavens may be a bit early, but taking over one of the 900 floors should be no problem!"

Xue Jing shook his head upon hearing this, "No, let's go to Silver City first."

"He did intend to visit the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace, but not now.

Sch Jing was currently extremely cautious about the likelihood of running into trouble. If he went to the Supreme Martial Ascension Palace first, he'd probably suddenly encounter someone, get delayed, and end up neglecting his main task.

His purpose was clear: finish the main task first. After that, no matter what came his way, he'd face it without fear.

Danger and opportunity were always two sides of the same coin for him. Running into trouble meant there was a chance for gain, and at the very least, he could earn some skill experience, which he wasn't opposed to... as long as it didn't interfere with his main task.

...

The Seventh Metropolitan Circle, Inner Ring, Silver City.

An aircraft tore through the sky, leaving a trail of contrails, and arrived above this city.

Sch Jing looked down through the window.

This was an extremely large city, much larger than Yuan City, which Sch Jing had visited before. However, its overall development wasn't very advanced; it was even less developed than Yuan City, with fewer modern or futuristic skyscrapers.

The plane slowly descended towards the ground.

On the snow-covered streets, many local residents looked up.

'Hmm?'

Sch Jing slightly raised his eyebrows, noticing the goosebumps on his arm, and became thoughtful.

A faint sense of crisis flashed through his mind, then quickly disappeared.

Ning Yuante seemed to notice nothing and said to Sch Jing, "Brother Xue, let's land at the Zhi Ge Branch Base in Silver City first, then head to the Ninth Exam Hall."

Sch Jing leaned his elbow on the armrest, propped his chin, and looked out the window. "Alright then."

Ning Yuante looked at his inexplicably calm demeanor and secretly admired his coolness, smiling as he said, "Okay."

After about ten minutes...

In the northern part of Silver City, there was a massive square-shaped base surrounded by steel walls.

Two young men in tight tactical suits, revealing their muscular builds, looked up at the slowly descending aircraft.

One of them, with a heavy northern accent, said, "That's the Southern kid inside, right?"

"I recognize this plane. It belongs to the Commander. Wow, he's giving us quite the face."

The other man glanced at him and said, "What are you planning to do?"

"He's here to be an examiner. If I don't test his skills, what if he's not up to par and holds up the kids?"

"He's a top talent from outside the circle. Why do you have to butt in?"

The man crossed his arms and said, "You know about the outside circle too. Even the best seeds have to be nurtured there. None of those who left here have become anything great. It's not a good place; it can't nurture good people."

"No matter how much they praise the outside, I still want to see for myself."

The other man took out a cigarette, snapped his fingers twice near the tip, and a wisp of smoke touched the tip, lighting it.

He took a deep drag, quickly burning the entire cigarette, and after an epic lungful, he exhaled a massive cloud of smoke, saying faintly within the swirling smoke, "Be gentle, they're minors."

The man excitedly said, "If you agree, then when the Base Leader asks later..."

"It's not my problem. I don't know anything."

"Why are you so annoying?"

As they spoke, the plane had already landed.

The cabin door opened with a hiss.

Sch Jing stepped out and looked towards two people in tactical suits not far ahead.

Ning Yuante, a step behind, also exited and saw the two men, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Captain Yang Yingyu... and Deputy Captain Zhuang Qiu?"

"Do you know them?" Sch Jing asked casually.

Ning Yuante nodded. "These two are the captain and deputy captain of the Zhi Ge 65th Squadron. They're quite famous within our organization."

Within the Sixth Bureau, organizations like White Raven and Zhi Ge were divided into divisions, squadrons, and squads.

Divisions were prefixed with single-digit numbers, like the First Division and Second Division.

Squadrons were double-digit, with the first digit indicating the division they belonged to. For example, the 65th Squadron belonged to the Sixth Division.

Squads were triple-digit, like Xu Jian's 838 Squad, which was part of White Raven's Eighth Division, the eighth squad within the 83 Squadron.

"Captain Yang Yingyu is a well-known old martial limit-breaking master, and Deputy Captain Zhuang Qiu..."

"Kid, what are you muttering about over there?"

A man named Zhuang Qiu, who was walking towards them, interrupted Ning Yuante's words.

For once, not being called Young Master Ning, Ning Yuante scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward and unaccustomed.

"I'm Sch Jing... Captain Yang, Deputy Captain Zhuang, nice to meet you."

Sch Jing walked up to them and greeted them with a nod.

Although there's a custom of addressing the main and deputy leaders, when the main leader is present, it's still necessary to add the word "deputy" when addressing the deputy.

"Hello."

Yang Yingyu nodded in response and shook hands with Sch Jing, but quickly released his grip.

Next was Zhuang Qiu, and Sch Jing shook hands with him as well. Just as he was about to let go, the other man grabbed his hand.

"..." Zhuang, Deputy, is there something you'd like to teach me?"

Sch Jing tilted his head slightly and asked.

Zhuang Qiu opened his mouth, revealing a set of large white teeth:

"Teach... I wouldn't go that far."

"I heard that you, young man, are here to be an examiner for the martial arts exam, right?"

Sch Jing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Zhuang Qiu didn't seem to want him to respond, and as he held Sch Jing's hand, he gradually started to apply more force.

"I'm someone who respects the elderly and loves the young. I don't want the kids in the circle to be held back. Your reputation is big enough, but I doubt that outsiders will overpraise you, giving you an empty name. So, I want to test your skills."

"If I'm not satisfied, I'll directly report to the higher-ups and ask them to remove you from your position... You don't mind, do you?"

Zhuang Qiu's words were straightforward, without any beating around the bush.

Ning Yuante, standing nearby, listened with a dissatisfied look and was about to speak, but Sch Jing smiled and spoke first:

"Deputy Squad Leader Zhuang."

His expression remained unchanged, his tone calm and collected, as if he were speaking casually. But the words he spoke were sharp and piercing:

"You alone can't test me."

This 'wild statement,' contrasting with his elegant appearance and tone, startled everyone present.

Yang Yingyu's eyes lit up with a smile, and his previously indifferent gaze towards Sch Jing became a bit more friendly.

Ning Yuante rubbed his nose with his finger, lowered his head, and chuckled, looking rather proud.

This is our brother Xue, skilled with both his hands and his words, never at a disadvantage. Following him is like reading a thrilling novel, a truly comfortable feeling.

"You're quite the actor, young man."

Zhuang Qiu twitched the corner of his mouth and, with a sudden force, squeezed Sch Jing's hand!

"Puff—"

The air between their palms was squeezed out by a tremendous force, emitting a crisp sound. A visible ring of air waves spread out, blowing the clothes and hair of those around them backward.

This strike was sudden, leaving almost no time for preparation.

Zhuang Qiu thought that with his strength, he could bend steel as thick as his wrist into a needle, and that this show of force would be enough to teach the young man in front of him a lesson about not boasting.

However—

"Crack, crack—"

A strange sound of vibrating bones echoed, and Zhuang Qiu let out a soft exclamation, somewhat incredulous.

... Not a single movement.

It was as if the hand he was holding was not a human palm but a mountain compressed to the size of a palm, unyielding to any force, no matter how hard he tried.

"You can use more strength."

Sch Jing spoke calmly.

"With this level of force, what can you test?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Qiu clenched his teeth, his face turning red with effort, and his entire arm began to tremble slightly.

The concrete floor where they stood began to crack, and the fissures spread outward. The floor vibrated slightly.

As Zhuang Qiu exerted himself, his body gradually curled up from a normal standing position, and his originally tall stature shrunk to a head shorter than Sch Jing's.

Sch Jing looked down at him for a moment before speaking in an unperturbed tone: "Deputy Leader Zhuang, you've done your best."

As he spoke, Sch Jing's wrist twisted sharply.

By this day, his physical endurance had improved significantly. The Dragon Concealing Flow assassination move, Rolling Thunder Gale, which theoretically could infinitely compress strength, Sch Jing could now unleash with over six times the power of his usual state.

Combined with the twin-fold force of the twin defense and the Lion King's strength boost from the Nirvana Technique... Even though he still had a few methods to enhance his strength, he had already reached an extreme level of terror.

Sch Jing twisted Zhuang Qiu's hand, and starting from the palm, twisted spiral patterns appeared on his skin, moving up from the wrist to the forearm, upper arm, shoulder, and body... The sturdy tactical suit was torn to shreds, and in the end, Zhuang Qiu was left only with his underwear, spinning in the air like a fan.

A huge horizontal tornado formed out of thin air, sucking in dust, fallen leaves, and small objects like stones.

"Slap—!"

After spinning in the air for over twenty seconds, Zhuang Qiu finally fell to the ground, face down, with a loud slap. He lay there, motionless.

...

(Readers with monthly passes, hurry and vote! The live draw will be held in the group at 12:00 PM tonight.)

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end