Cloudmount Port
Brilliant lights shone, making it look like a sleepless city in the heavens.
However, from the examinees’ perspective, everything changed completely in an instant.
One moment ago—
They were still in the bustling banquet hall, surrounded by a sea of people.
The next moment—
They were still in the banquet hall.
But all the attendants, elders, musicians, even the delicious food and drinks, and the dazzling lights that made the hall as bright as day—everything had vanished.
Darkness enveloped them, so thick they couldn’t see their hands before their eyes.
—The exam had begun!
Many immediately assumed defensive stances, while others sought out hidden corners.
As for Xiao Mengyu—
She had already seen the two characters Shen Ye had written on her palm.
“Dead man.”
Yes.
A dead man—Zhao Yibing.
She had been revived.
And perhaps that skinner had been revived too.
Zhao Yibing had also qualified for the exam. Though she hadn’t been seen in the banquet hall, she was definitely here!
At that moment—
Xiao Mengyu instantly regained her composure.
The moment the teleportation triggered and darkness took over, she was already prepared. She moved swiftly and decisively, breaking away from the crowd.
She pulled back from the masses, jumped with all her strength, and darted across a great distance. She landed outside the banquet hall, standing at the edge of this grand temple.
“Party up, Shen Ye.”
Before her voice had even faded, the playing card in her hand trembled slightly.
A line of small text appeared:
[The other party has not responded.]
No response?
Xiao Mengyu was taken aback.
Just then, she heard Shen Ye’s voice from afar:
“Jump!”
Standing at the temple’s edge, Xiao Mengyu looked down.
Cloudmount Port had completely vanished.
Below her was a massive floating island, shrouded in thick night, drifting in the endless winds and mist, like a silent beast lurking in the darkness.
—This was no longer Cloudmount Port.
The place she stood was hundreds of meters above the floating island below!
Was she really supposed to jump?
Clenching her teeth, Xiao Mengyu took a deep breath and jumped down.
At the same time—
Shen Ye stood in the temple’s outer plaza and called out:
“Come forth, Skeleton of Calamity! Fight with me against the enemy we failed to kill last time!”
He pressed his hand to the ground.
Boom—
A surge of sinister necrotic energy spread from his fingertips.
Something was about to descend.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
The deep voice of the great skeleton echoed in his mind:
“Hey, this is all the power I have left. Not a drop more!”
“It’s enough to intimidate them,” Shen Ye replied.
The great skeleton grumbled uneasily, “They’ll figure it out soon—”
Suddenly—
Shen Ye trembled.
Something thin and razor-sharp had pierced him.
But thanks to the power of “Flesh,” he could take at least three hits before dying in this exam.
Seizing the moment, Shen Ye shouted:
“Join party!”
Elsewhere—
Falling through the air, Xiao Mengyu felt something and flipped over her playing card.
Two lines of small text appeared:
[The other party has agreed to form a party.]
[Your party has been established. Your strength has doubled.]
Whoosh—
Shen Ye appeared beside her.
The party formation had succeeded!
Xiao Mengyu let out a breath of relief.
If she hadn’t formed a party, she would have only been able to use 30% of her strength!
“What now?” she asked in a low voice.
“Escape.” Shen Ye grabbed her hand, letting her cling to his back. Then, he pressed his palm into the void—
Vroom—
A ghostly motorcycle roared to life, sprouting small aerodynamic wings. It caught them midair and plunged downward at breakneck speed.
The bike streaked through the night, leaving behind a brilliant red trail.
It shot straight toward the massive floating island.
Up in the sky—
All the examinees’ playing cards trembled simultaneously.
[First exam task issued:]
[Find a way to reach the floating island below.]
[Passing means clearing the first stage.]
[Failure means immediate elimination.]
A stunned silence followed.
—Two people had already succeeded.
“That guy actually has a flying motorcycle? I remember those single-person flight machines are strictly regulated. Getting a license for one is nearly impossible.”
A trace of jealousy flickered in the eyes of a white-clad youth.
He sat on the ground, slowly recovering from his injuries.
A candle burned beside him, casting a small halo of light around him.
—Indeed, in this environment, without the flame of that candle, he would be utterly blind.
A few noble family disciples gathered around him, speaking in hushed voices.
“You have one too, don’t you?”
“My bike… can’t fly…” the white-clad youth admitted.
“Didn’t you say it could fly before?”
“Damn Kunlun stripped out the flight function.”
“What now?”
“We’ll have to find another way.”
Suddenly—
All discussions stopped.
A person stood up leisurely, holding a drink, yawning as he slowly walked outside.
Nangong Sirui!
The strongest among the new recruits of the Tower of Tarot’s deck!
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he strolled casually toward the edge of the temple as if taking a walk.
“Interesting, someone actually got ahead of me.”
“Looks like I have to work hard to keep my first place.”
As he spoke, shadows gradually appeared in the void.
The shadows merged into four graceful maidservants who stepped lightly ahead of him, waving their hands to summon a sedan chair.
“Young master, please board the sedan. We will escort you down.”
One of the maidservants bowed and said.
Nangong Sirui sat on the sedan chair.
The four maidservants lifted the sedan effortlessly, silently rising into the air, their figures walking across the void as they descended toward the floating island below.
“This is way too extravagant.”
Guo Yunye, who had been watching, couldn’t help but comment.
Zhang Xiaoyi was also filled with amazement.
Everyone knew the first place was strong.
But they didn’t expect him to be this strong.
—The exam strictly forbade external assistance and prohibited candidates from using powers outside the test.
Anyone caught violating this rule would be considered cheating.
In other words—
Those four maidservants were a manifestation of his power!
“What do we do now?” Zhang Xiaoyi asked.
“Look, there are so many tablecloths and curtains in the banquet hall. We can make a parachute,” Guo Yunye suggested.
“Great idea!” Zhang Xiaoyi’s eyes lit up. “Let’s each make one.”
“I don’t need one,” Guo Yunye said.
“Huh?”
“…I’ll help you make yours, but you have to carry me down.”
“Why not make two?”
“I… I’m not sure if these parachutes will even work. Once I activate my innate ability, you’ll have to take me with you.”
“Innate ability?”
“It’s nothing special, nowhere near as strong as Nangong Sirui’s—but you must help me, Xiaoyi!” Guo Yunye said seriously.
“Don’t worry, we’re brothers. Of course, I’ll help you!” Zhang Xiaoyi pounded his chest in assurance.
“Xiaoyi, you really are dependable. Then, I’ll begin—”
With a sudden shout, Guo Yunye let out a pa! and vanished before Zhang Xiaoyi’s eyes.
Zhang Xiaoyi was stunned.
Slowly, he lowered his head and looked at the figure on the ground, wagging its tail.
“What the—!”
His mouth fell open as he let out a cry of shock.
In another corner of the banquet hall…
Two ordinary-looking young men stood against the wall.
“He didn’t summon that undead from last time,” the older-looking one said.
“Yeah, even after taking a hit, the undead didn’t appear,” the handsome one replied.
They both looked down at the cards in their hands.
Lines of text surfaced:
“Exam Admission Ticket.”
“Performance: Mediocre. Has not joined the ‘Newcomer’ deck. No extra rewards granted.”
“As a candidate, you have received essential survival equipment for the exam:”
“Flame of the Candle.”
“Description: It is an eternal flame. With it, you can see your surroundings in the exam field.”
“—Please participate in this year’s Three Schools Joint Examination.”
The handsome young man curled his lips in disdain.
Suddenly, a blood-stained thread appeared in the void.
The young man stuck out his soft pink tongue and gently licked the thread.
“Ah…”
His eyes flickered with strange light, and he murmured softly:
“The power of an ancient malevolent spirit, accumulated over millions of years, has awakened in him… It’s him… No doubt about it.”
As he spoke, the young man’s body trembled slightly and transformed into a radiant young girl.
—Zhao Yibing.
“Master, shall we begin the hunt?” the plain-looking young man asked.
“Let’s begin,” the girl replied.
The two of them left the banquet hall, making their way to the edge of the floating temple, stepping off into the abyss.
Upon closer inspection, countless fine threads covered the void around them.
Their bodies drifted in the wind, like two kites, slowly descending toward the floating island.
On the floating island…
Shen Ye and Xiao Mengyu sped forward on the ghostly motorcycle.
“Shen Ye, have you awakened the Heavenly Eye?” Xiao Mengyu asked.
“I can see some hidden things, but is that what the Heavenly Eye is? What exactly is it?” Shen Ye asked.
“It’s said—just a rumor, mind you—that the forces governing the world’s creation, existence, destruction, and void reside in an unknowable realm beyond mortal sight. This realm forms a separate world, known as the Law Realm.”
“The Law Realm is the domain of the universe’s most fundamental powers.”
“Even deities must call upon the Law Realm’s power to perform miracles.”
“The Law Realm has many levels.”
“The first level holds the weakest power, while the second is much stronger—the higher the level, the deeper its secrets and the greater its might.”
“In truth, anyone who can wield the Law Realm’s power is doing things only gods can do.”
“To step into the Law Realm is to stand at a level beyond ordinary beings.”
“Moreover, within the Law Realm, some rare and special existences cannot be seen by ordinary beings.”
“—Unless they awaken the Heavenly Eye.”
“To awaken the Heavenly Eye means to be acknowledged by the higher levels of the Heavenly Realm, granting the ability to perceive these special entities. With proper cultivation, one might inherit those immense powers and become an overwhelmingly strong professional.”
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