Cyclebreaker: Rise of the Martial Emperor

Chapter 16 – The assessment begins, and it is astonishing

With over thirty thousand silver taels in his pocket, Luo Xiu once again arrived at the shop selling formation devices.

Due to his recent days of hunting and fighting in Shuiwu Mountain, Luo Xiu's clothes were tattered in several places, making him stand out among the patrons dressed in embroidered finery who frequented this shop.

"Shopkeeper, give me a first-grade Spirit Gathering Array device," Luo Xiu said directly upon entering the shop.

The middle-aged shopkeeper behind the counter was slightly taken aback. "Are you sure you want to buy it, sir? A first-grade Spirit Gathering Array costs ten thousand silver taels."

Clearly, the shopkeeper didn't believe this raggedly dressed youth could afford it.

Without saying much, Luo Xiu took out a stack of silver notes and tossed them onto the counter.

Seeing the thick pile of silver notes, the shopkeeper's face lit up with a smile, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, sir, please wait a moment. I'll get it for you right away."

Before long, the shopkeeper returned with an exquisite round wooden box. "Sir, this is the first-grade Spirit Gathering Array you requested."

Opening the box revealed a disc with intricate engravings on it, a slot in the center, and a simple user guide on the lid.

"Does it require a Yuan Qi Stone to activate?" Luo Xiu frowned.

"Hehe, sir, you might not know, but most auxiliary formation devices need a Yuan Qi Stone to activate. Only some combat-type devices are different," the shopkeeper explained with a smile.

"Bang!"

Luo Xiu took out another ten thousand silver notes and tossed them onto the counter. "Do you have any Yuan Qi Stones here? Give me a few."

The shopkeeper was overjoyed, not expecting this unassuming youth to be so generous. He quickly ordered someone to fetch the Yuan Qi Stones.

Soon, another wooden box was brought over, containing twenty palm-sized, milky-white glowing stones.

Luo Xiu put away the items and was about to leave when two people walked into the shop.

One was a man in white, clearly a wealthy young master with an air of arrogance. The other was a woman in a blue dress, with bright eyes and white teeth, alluring red lips, a slender figure, and fair skin.

Seeing these two, Luo Xiu was slightly surprised. It was Liu Yuxin and Xu Fei.

"Luo Xiu?" Liu Yuxin was surprised to see him, knowing that with Luo Xiu's circumstances, he couldn't possibly afford anything in this shop.

"Hmph, with clothes as torn as that, how dare you come here and embarrass yourself?" Xu Fei sneered disdainfully.

However, Luo Xiu ignored Xu Fei, walked past them, and left the shop.

Seeing Luo Xiu dare to ignore him, Xu Fei's eyes turned cold. "Stop right there!"

"Do you need something?" Luo Xiu turned back, frowning impatiently.

"I was talking to you, didn't you hear?" Xu Fei said coldly.

"Why should I listen?" Luo Xiu chuckled dismissively and turned to leave.

"Bastard!" Xu Fei was furious, but Luo Xiu was already far away, clearly not intending to pay him any mind.

Xu Fei wanted to teach this insolent boy a lesson, but with Liu Yuxin present, he had to maintain his demeanor and could only endure.

"In half a month, it's the annual assessment. I want to see how you'll stand against Zhang Hai!"

...

After leaving the formation shop, Luo Xiu went to the weapon shop, selling Wang Yun's sword and Zhang Hun's bow and arrows, gaining over eight hundred more silver taels.

Next, Luo Xiu visited the pill shop, spending fifteen thousand silver taels on a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills.

However, Luo Xiu did not return to the Martial Hall but left Qingyun City and headed back to Shuiwu Mountain.

The mountains here were lush and verdant, making it a more suitable place for Luo Xiu to cultivate than the Martial Hall.

Finding a secluded spot, Luo Xiu sat cross-legged, first taking out the Spirit Gathering Array disc and placing a Yuan Qi Stone in the central slot. The engravings on the disc lit up, emitting a faint glow.

Luo Xiu could clearly sense the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi being drawn by a mysterious force, rapidly converging toward his location.

This was the marvel of the Spirit Gathering Array, able to concentrate Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, accelerating a martial artist's cultivation speed within a certain range.

Luo Xiu then took out a Qi Nourishing Pill, placed one in his mouth, and closed his eyes, circulating the Muscle and Bone Refining Art through his meridians and acupoints.

Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, the essence of plants and trees, and the pill's medicinal power converged into pure inner qi, transforming into Life and Death Extremes Qi, refining his five viscera and six bowels.

Unknowingly, the sky darkened, and Luo Xiu had been cultivating here for an entire day.

Luo Xiu could clearly feel his heart beating more powerfully, and the strength within him growing stronger.

Boom!

A surge of powerful energy erupted within him, and Luo Xiu opened his eyes with a joyful expression.

"Success, Body Refining level seven!"

By now, the sky was quite dark. Luo Xiu stood up, stretching his muscles and bones, feeling the significant increase in his strength.

Luo Xiu hadn't expected to break through the bottleneck of Body Refining level seven in just one day. From what he knew, others his age, especially those from prestigious families with better cultivation conditions, would take at least half a year, if not longer, to achieve this.

"It must be the Life and Death Pearl that improved my body, allowing my cultivation speed to increase exponentially," Luo Xiu thought.

This cultivation session consumed two Qi Nourishing Pills, two Yuan Qi Stones for the first-grade Spirit Gathering Array, and the essence of plants and trees. This amount of power would take others at least several months to refine.

But Luo Xiu could refine it in a very short time, which was why his cultivation could progress so quickly.

Of course, besides the Life and Death Pearl's effect on his body, his improved Muscle and Bone Refining Art was even more effective than third-grade internal cultivation techniques.

In the following days, Luo Xiu did not return to the Martial Hall, continuing to cultivate in Shuiwu Mountain, hunting during the day and honing himself through battles with demonic beasts, while focusing on cultivation at night.

Time passed quietly, and the annual assessment at Qingyun City's Martial Hall arrived.

Students aged fourteen in the beginner class and seventeen in the intermediate class had to undergo the assessment. Passing meant promotion, while failing meant leaving the Martial Hall.

On the vast Martial Practice Field, over a thousand Martial Hall students gathered in groups, discussing and buzzing with excitement.

On the three-meter-high dueling platform, a table was placed in the center with a crystal-like orb on it.

This crystal orb was a formation device used to test cultivation. By infusing inner qi into it, the orb would emit light, and the brightness would roughly indicate one's cultivation level.

Many students about to undergo the assessment were anxious, while those confident in their abilities remained calm.

Luo Xiu also returned from Shuiwu Mountain, first going to his residence to take a bath and change into clean clothes before heading to the assessment site.

Many Martial Hall students were familiar with Luo Xiu. It was said that over two months ago, he had already reached Body Refining level five and could defeat intermediate class students, so passing this assessment shouldn't be a problem.

However, the matter of Luo Xiu's duel with Zhang Hai had long been known to everyone. So when Luo Xiu arrived, many began to discuss.

"This Luo Xiu is really bold. Zhang Hai is a genius in the intermediate class, and I heard he recently reached Body Refining level eight after secluding himself!"

"Indeed, if Teacher Lu hadn't protected Luo Xiu back then, he would have been crippled by Zhang Hai."

"I heard Zhang Hai reached Body Refining level eight. He should have advanced to the advanced class, but he's not participating in this assessment to avenge his brother. He's waiting for Luo Xiu to advance to the intermediate class so he can teach him a lesson."

"This Luo Xiu has been missing for a long time. He must be scared and hiding."

Most people didn't believe Luo Xiu could be a match for Zhang Hai.

Luo Xiu, however, remained calm and composed in the face of the surrounding discussions, mockery, and doubts, making others curious. Didn't this guy know Zhang Hai was already at Body Refining level eight?

"Quiet!" Suddenly, a voice echoed from the Martial Practice Field.

Everyone looked toward the source of the voice, seeing a middle-aged man in a green robe standing on the dueling platform, scanning the surroundings. "Those participating in this year's assessment, step forward!"

The Martial Hall students stopped their discussions, and one by one, including Luo Xiu, stepped forward.

In the crowd behind, cold gazes were fixed on Luo Xiu's back.

"Brother, once he passes the assessment and becomes an intermediate class student, the Martial Hall teachers will have no reason to intervene in your duel with him. You must teach him a lesson for me!" Zhang Hao said through gritted teeth.

Every time he thought about being beaten by a poor boy he had always looked down on, Zhang Hao felt humiliated.

"Don't worry, I'd rather not advance to the advanced class this time, but I'll definitely avenge you!" Zhang Hai nodded.

Although reaching Body Refining level eight qualified him for the advanced class, Zhang Hai was only fifteen and not in a hurry. Even the benefits of the advanced class could be easily obtained with the Zhang family's background.

The Elder of the Martial Hall conducting the assessment held a list in his hand and said indifferently, "First, Yun Tong!"

"Yes!"

A girl from the beginner class stepped forward, ascended the dueling platform, and placed her hand on the crystal orb.

"Buzz!"

With a resonant vibration, the crystal orb emitted a brilliant light.

"Yun Tong, Body Refining level five, passed the assessment, can advance to the intermediate class!" The Elder conducting the assessment nodded with a smile.

Hearing the Elder's confirmation, the girl named Yun Tong breathed a sigh of relief, drawing envious looks from those unsure of passing the assessment.

Next, the Elder called out names one by one, with over ten people undergoing the assessment, both from the beginner and intermediate classes. However, only three passed, while the rest were eliminated and had to leave the Martial Hall within three days.

As more students failed the assessment, the atmosphere grew tense. Those who didn't pass wore dejected expressions, while the aristocratic students in their groups looked on with disdain, mockery, and schadenfreude.

"Next, Luo Xiu!" The Elder on the dueling platform called out.

Instantly, countless gazes focused on the black-clad youth.

Luo Xiu's name had been quite the sensation in the Martial Hall recently, with his rapid rise to Body Refining level five and even defeating intermediate class students.

Stepping onto the dueling platform, Luo Xiu glanced at the crowd below, spotting Zhang Hai and his brother Zhang Hao, with Lu Feng and others standing behind them, all looking at him with cold eyes.

Especially Zhang Hai, whose gaze was filled with arrogant disdain and indifference. For him, now at Body Refining level eight, Luo Xiu was destined to be crippled and expelled from the Martial Hall, even if he passed this assessment.

A cold smile appeared on Luo Xiu's lips. He was curious to see their reactions when they discovered his cultivation had reached Body Refining level seven.

He slowly raised his hand and placed it on the crystal orb, infusing it with Life and Death Extremes Qi.

"Buzz!..."

A dazzling light suddenly erupted, more brilliant and eye-catching than any before!