I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 210 Appearance
When Yin Tianci arrived, Xue Xiang was sitting on a secluded stone step, his figure obscured by mountains and clouds.

The scene ahead was bustling with noise and the fighting spirit was palpable on the arena, but in this corner, no one paid any attention.

Yin Tianci strode forward, full of vigor, and with a flick of his long sleeves, he laughed loudly: "Xue Xiang, do you admit it or not? In the end, when will it be the case that those with strong fists are more popular than those who can talk a good game?"

Do you dare step onto this stage? Do you even deserve to step onto this stage? From this day forward, I will show you the vast difference between us…

He became increasingly unrestrained as he spoke, eager to see his anger burn across Xue Xiang's face.

However, Xue Xiang didn't even lift his eyelids from beginning to end. Suddenly, he broke off a thick tree branch from beside his feet.

The branch, about the thickness of a bowl, made a crisp "crack" sound when he casually twisted it.

This action was seen by Yin Tianci as Xue Xiang's incompetent rage.

He only regretted that Song Tingfang wasn't here and hadn't seen Xue Xiang's pathetic state.

"You surnamed Xue, remember this: I have now advanced to the Core Formation Realm. From now on, if you dare to be disrespectful to me again, I will enforce the rules of the Tongjiang School..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Xiang suddenly stood up, his left arm swelled up, and instantly draped over Yin Tianci's shoulder.

Yin Tianci felt as if a mountain had been placed on his shoulders. Just as he was about to retaliate, he heard a "crack" and his shoulder blade was crushed by Xue Xiang's five fingers.

A sharp pain exploded in his chest and back, and Yin Tianci's face instantly contorted.

He had barely opened his mouth, before he could even scream, when Xue Xiang flicked the broken branch in his hand and "poof," the branch pierced his mouth, reaching right up to his throat.

"Well."

Yin Tianci's scream was choked in his throat, tears streamed down his face, and he stood frozen in place.

Xue Xiang casually flicked his sleeve and walked away without looking back.

After a few steps, he had blended into the crowd of spectators and appeared beside Pei Wei, the master of Xinghe Temple.

Yin Tianci covered his mouth, staggered back a few steps, and knelt on the ground, covered in cold sweat from the pain.

He reached out and crushed the wood twig, spitting out a pile of wood chips. He took out a Rejuvenation Pill from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and with a gurgling sound, he finally managed to catch his breath.

The next instant, he charged at Xue Xiang like an angry lion.

Before he even got close, Pei Wei glared at him and said sternly, "What kind of trouble are you causing now? Don't think that just because you won a game you can do whatever you want."

Yin Tianci pointed at Xue Xiang, about to start criticizing, but suddenly stopped talking.

He suddenly realized that he couldn't talk about this, he absolutely couldn't say that he had been beaten by Xue Xiang.

He's a Core Formation cultivator, after all. If word gets out, he'll be in big trouble.

“I…he…you…”

Yin Tianci stammered and couldn't give a coherent explanation.

Pei Wei grew increasingly angry and waved him away.

Xue Xiang headed towards the arena on the left, where a battle he was concerned about was about to begin.

The reason for this was that the people who took the stage were Song Tingfang and Kuang Beiming.

He didn't know what level of strength Kuang Beiming possessed.

However, all the Berserkers had reached the peak of Core Formation, and the Berserkers themselves had boasted that Kuang Beiming and Wang Baxian were invincible in their supernatural powers.

Clearly, these two were at least at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

As for Song Tingfang's strength, Xue Xiang was not clear, but it should not be at the peak of the Core Formation stage.

What's more troublesome is that both of the Mad Brothers are bloodthirsty.

After a series of battles, only the Confucian scholar who fought against the berserker was seriously injured.

The confrontation between Song Tingfang and Kuang Beiming is extremely dangerous.

At this moment, the two stood on opposite sides of the arena, ten feet apart. One was as elegant as bamboo, and the other as sharp as a blade.

Kuang Beiming crossed his arms and sneered, "I, Kuang Beiming, never fight with women in my life. Canglan Academy can't send out any men?"
These words caused an uproar among the students of Canglan Academy.

"Kuang Beiming is too arrogant!"

"What do you mean you won't fight against women? I think you're just afraid!"

“Hey you, if you’re scared, get down here right now.”

The scholars of Canglan Academy were furious and shouted angrily.

In fact, Canglan Academy could no longer send anyone.

Only one person remains who can fight: Gu Jianchen.

Gu Jianchen was a trump card left behind by the Canglan Academy.

After all, Wang Baxian from the central camp has yet to make an appearance.

If Song Tingfang loses, the score will only be a 3-3 tie. If Gu Jianchen defeats Wang Baxian, it will be a decisive victory.

Therefore, whether Kuang Beiming likes it or not, his only opponent is Song Tingfang.

“Kuang Beiming, if you insist on not fighting, according to the rules, it will be considered as avoiding battle. Abbot Pei, have the scoreboard over there changed.”

Song Tingfang turned around, ready to leave the stage.

A ruthless glint flashed in Kuang Beiming's eyes. "Since you insist on courting death, I'll grant your wish."

Kuang Beiming let out a cold shout, his aura surging wildly.

Just then, someone from the central camp shouted, "Brother Beiming, don't underestimate the enemy. This Song Tingfang is no ordinary person."

She was the daughter of Liu Fengchi, a prominent figure of the Tongjiang School of Thought, and the Commissioner of the Guanfeng Division of Canglan Prefecture.

Even if she learned only one or two tenths of Liu Fengchi's supernatural abilities, she would still be extremely difficult to deal with.

Kuang Beiming's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "If that's the case, then this battle will have some merit."

“Song Sizun must also be careful. The people of the White Bone Secret Land cannot be regarded as ordinary cultivators.”

Xu Yifan also shouted loudly, "The White Bone Secret Land is most skilled in two major secret techniques."

First, there is a secret body-refining technique that uses ten thousand bones to build the body and temper the flesh and blood into gold, making the defense invincible and the strength boundless.
Secondly, they possess the divine skill of refining literary impurities. Thanks to the legacy of Confucian sages in their ancestors, they have the ability to transform literary elegance into something impure, breaking down the boundaries of poetry and prose and destroying the form of words.

When engaging him, one must be careful in using one's literary energy, otherwise one is easily attacked in return.

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

"So that's how it is. No wonder the White Bone Secret Land is ranked among the top 100 secret lands."

"Refining weapons with literary filth is an evil technique..."

"........."

Amid the commotion, Kuang Beiming arrogantly declared that he was willing to let Song Tingfang make three moves.

"Concession."

Song Tingfang was completely unpretentious, and made a hand seal with her slender fingers.

The literary energy surged forth from between his brows, gathering into the character "刀" (knife), which instantly materialized into a three-zhang-long (approximately 10 meters) long knife in the air.

The blade gleamed with golden light, its momentum like a long river surging backward, carrying a fierce aura as it slashed down directly at Kuang Beiming's left shoulder.

Before the longsword even arrived, the spiritual barrier of the arena trembled, and wherever the golden light passed, fine cracks were slashed in the air.

Kuang Beiming remained unmoved, his arms crossed, his bone patterns glowing, his blood energy surging, as if he were wearing a layer of white bone armor.

boom!
The golden blade slashed down, striking his shoulder squarely. A burst of light erupted, creating a tidal wave of energy and billowing smoke.

Everyone held their breath, and when the chaotic light dissipated, they saw that Kuang Beiming was still standing in the same place, his clothes on his shoulders torn, and only a bloodstain was visible on his skin covered with ancient patterns. He had not taken a single step back.

"This... he actually withstood the literary energy of the Word Realm with his physical body?"

"Are you crazy? That's a technique where literary energy can be transformed into military force!"

Exclamations came and went.

Song Tingfang frowned slightly. Although this move was just a test, Kuang Beiming's physical defense was far stronger than she had expected.

"Sir Song, this little bit of force isn't enough to loosen up my muscles."

Kuang Beiming remained standing in the same spot, shrugging his shoulders.

Song Tingfang's expression hardened, and her clothes billowed.

A light suddenly appeared between her brows, and spiritual radiance gathered, slowly giving rise to a seven-colored, golden, scholarly tree.

The tree was about ten feet tall, and its branches and leaves shimmered with seven colors of light: gold, green, blue, and purple.

Each leaf seems to contain a wonderful story; as the wind blows and the trees sway, radiance fills the entire arena.

"A Tree of Literary Talent!"

"No, it's the Seven Treasures Tree of Literary Energy!"

“There is a fundamental difference between the Literary Qi Treasure Tree and the Literary Qi Seven Treasure Tree. The latter is formed by a powerful being extracting the Literary Qi Treasure Tree from his own and planting it into the literary palace of another person! It is not surprising that Song Sizun has Mr. Liu as his father and forged the Literary Qi Seven Treasure Tree.”

One Confucian scholar sighed softly, “The Seven Treasure Tree of Literary Qi, imbued with literary energy, is ever-flowing and endlessly nourishing, truly a treasure coveted by those who cultivate the Way of Literature.”

Before the murmurs of the crowd had subsided, the branches and leaves of the Seven Treasures Tree trembled, and countless strands of literary energy poured down from between the leaves.

Song Tingfang raised his hand to activate his literary talent and wrote the character "arrow".

Whoosh! An arrow shot out, trailing a long tail of flame, almost teleporting in mid-air.

In an instant, it struck Kuang Beiming's shoulder blade.

This time, the long arrow, blessed by the Seven Treasures Tree of Literary Qi, was more than ten times more powerful, and it actually pierced flesh with a single shot.

The crowd cheered, but Song Tingfang's handsome brows were furrowed with worry. She could see clearly that the long arrow had only pierced the skin and probably hadn't even penetrated the flesh.

She had already used the Seven Treasures Tree of Literary Qi, which was clearly beyond her expectations.

"interesting."

Kuang Beiming grabbed the arrow with his large hand, turning it into smoke. He flicked the bloodstains off his chest and pointed at Song Tingfang, saying, "Two moves have passed. You have one last chance."

Song Tingfang's pretty face was frosty. Her fingers moved like a brush, and in an instant, a large amount of literary energy fell from the tree of literary talent, all of which were transformed into the character "arrow" under her brush.

In an instant, hundreds of long arrows flashed in the sky, and a terrifying pressure spread out without end.

"go with!"

Song Tingfang shouted.

In the void, the rain of arrows converged into a stream of light, shooting towards the raging Northern Darkness.

The immense pressure caused the array plate in the sky to shake violently. Kuang Beiming, who had been standing with his hands behind his back, finally changed his expression. He dared to take one arrow head-on, but he dared not take hundreds of arrows head-on.

Finally, he moved.

Then he let out a low roar, his blood energy surged suddenly, his crimson eyes flashed, and he reached out, conjuring a jet-black longsword in the void.

The blade resembles iron but is not iron; its texture is like bone, and it gleams with a pale yellow hue in its cold light.

"That...yellow...that's the aura of filth!"

"He actually used literary impurities to forge weapons? This is an evil technique that can even corrupt literary energy!"

Everyone gasped.

Kuang Beiming grinned maliciously and swept his blade horizontally.

Yellow light surged forth like waves.

That domineering aura shot out like a storm, shattering the rain of arrows in the sky. Golden rays exploded in mid-air, turning into countless fragments that scattered in all directions.

The arena shook, and the light screen flashed wildly.

The Seven Treasures Tree of Literary Qi above Song Tingfang's head shook violently, with Kuang Beiming standing proudly within it, his whole body surging with yellow light, like a Shura stepping out of a storm.

Song Tingfang let out a clear whistle, flicked his sleeves, and his aura suddenly rose.

She raised her hand and took out an ancient seal, its entire surface a vibrant gold, with the swastika script faintly engraved on its surface, radiating a calm and imposing aura.

She wrote swiftly with her fingers, leaving a powerful "印" character in the air.

As soon as that word was uttered, all the literary energy on the Literary Tree shook down and gathered in mid-air with a roar.

A colossal seal appeared in the void, towering like a mountain, with flowing runes and a solid aura, but it was not solid and looked like an illusion.

With a flick of his right hand, Song Tingfang sent the jade-gold seal in his hand flying up, transforming into a stream of light that hurtled straight into the void seal.

boom--

In an instant, the Void Seal solidified completely.

The golden patterns surged, the light was dazzling, and the giant seal rolled with the force of thunder and clouds, resembling a mountain falling from the sky, roaring down.

That aura seemed to crush both the arena and Kuang Beiming.

The spiritual curtain trembled, the spiritual stones on the viewing platform resonated, and everyone was forced to turn pale by that powerful aura.

"This, this is the Mountain-Turning Seal, a literary treasure that Liu Fengchi has refined for many years."

"It's a pity that Song Sizun hasn't entered the Jujutsu realm yet, so he can't unleash the true power of this literary treasure."

"Like a mountain falling, yet its power is not yet apparent?"

"This is nothing. If the Mountain-Turning Seal were to be used at full power, the protective array of the arena would be nothing but a joke."

Amidst the gasps and whispers of the crowd, Kuang Beiming looked up at the fallen seal, his blood surging, the blade in his hand trembling slightly, and his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

Kuang Beiming let out a low roar, which shook the arena.

His body boiled over in that instant, his joints cracked like drums, his muscles and bones swelled, and his blood vapor turned into mist.

In the blink of an eye, his figure had grown to over twelve feet tall, his body shimmering with a golden-iron color, and his aura was like a mountain collapsing.

"He—he can actually grow to enormous size with his physical body!"

"The White Bone Body Technique has been perfected! That's a forbidden technique from body-refining sects!"

There were exclamations.

Kuang Beiming's eyes blazed with bloodlust, and he raised his longsword high above his head. The yellow light on the blade suddenly surged, and the aura of corruption surged out, as if flames were igniting the void.

"break!"

He roared and slashed upwards with his sword.

boom--

That slash, carrying the foul light of burning flames, struck the great seal falling from the sky.

The giant seal was as imposing as a mountain, yet it was struck by the overwhelming sword energy, unleashing a deafening roar.

Light fragments flew everywhere, and the entire Yinshan Mountain was forcefully sent flying, crashing into the spiritual curtain in mid-air, and the starlight suddenly disappeared!
Taking advantage of the momentum, Kuang Beiming stepped forward and swung his sword again!
The blade's energy surged like a tidal wave, carrying a fierce and turbulent aura, and slashed directly at Song Tingfang.

"not good!"

Xue Xiang exclaimed in surprise and jumped up.

No sooner said than done, the blade struck Song Tingfang squarely, and instantly, auspicious light exploded around Song Tingfang, shattering a protective jade pendant.

The residual force of the blade's energy had not yet subsided, and it still struck Song Tingfang, sending her flying.

In mid-air, Song Tingfang vomited blood violently.

Caught up in the heat of battle, Kuang Beiming, his eyes bloodshot, swung his blade in another strike.

"Be bold!"

"Bastard!"

"stop!"

The entire venue erupted in shouts; bigwigs like Mu Qingniu and Ni Quanwen were all furious.

This is a competition of skills, and although it does not explicitly prohibit killing, this rule is generally accepted.

It was one thing for Kuang Beiming to defeat Song Tingfang, but to actually try to kill him in front of everyone was just plain stupid. He was treating these big shots like paper.

By the time the bigwigs shouted, it was too late to stop them.

Just as disaster was about to strike, a streak of green light flew over, moving like a phantom, and wrapped around Song Tingfang, taking her out of the arena.

It was Xue Xiang who made the move. He had long seen through the Kuang brothers; once they made a move, they would kill.

Just as Kuang Beiming swung his sword for the second time, he launched the attack first.

His physical body is now incredibly powerful. When his two fleshy feet touch the ground, he can transform into a shadow, moving with unparalleled speed, even surpassing the speed boost provided by the Gale Talisman.

While still in mid-air, Xue Xiang immediately grabbed two pills and fed them to Song Tingfang.

Her face was deathly pale, blood trickled from the corner of her lips, and her breath was weak.

Xue Xiang placed his large hand on her chest, secretly exhaling his inner energy to help her swallow the pill.

After more than ten breaths, Song Tingfang opened her eyes.

Xue Xiang quickly removed his hand, but Song Tingfang grabbed Xue Xiang's large hand with all her might, gasping for breath as if she couldn't catch her breath.

Xue Xiang had no choice but to place his hand on her body again to help her circulate her qi. In no time, her breathing became smooth and her face was flushed.

"It's alright, the medicine has dissipated, you'll feel better in a while."

Xue Xiang gently comforted him.

Song Tingfang's face was flushed, whether from blood or shyness, it was hard to tell, as if lovers had finally become a couple.

Xu Yifan, Yin Tianci, and Gu Jianchen were all heartbroken, as if a heartless person were witnessing it all.

Xu Yifan regretted not being one step ahead of Xue Xiang, but then he thought that with his own abilities, he definitely couldn't avoid that fierce blade aura.

Gu Jianchen was filled with regret. Had he known this would happen, he would have risked his life to rush into the formation and rescue Song Tingfang, perhaps turning a seemingly hopeless situation into a viable one.

Yin Tianci was filled with hatred. He hated himself for being too slow, and he hated Xue Xianghao even more for being shameless.

He hasn't even reached the Core Formation stage yet, but he dares to covet the princess of the Tongjiang School.

However, the prevailing sentiment at this moment was overwhelming anger towards Kuang Beiming.

Almost all the Confucian scholars at Canglan Academy shouted and cursed, and some from Jiannan Academy also chimed in.

But the most furious were Ni Quanwen and Mu Qingniu.

Song Tingfang was not only the only daughter of a prominent figure in the Tongjiang School of thought, but also the head of the Guanfeng Division, a true official appointed by the imperial court.

If someone were to be killed during this grand ceremony to view the monument, a storm destined to claim countless lives would be absolutely unavoidable.

Despite the crowd's rebukes, Kuang Beiming stood still, his blood energy still surging, but his gaze was as cold as water, and he remained silent.

Suddenly, a sound broke the silence, and Kuang Zhan leaped onto the arena, shouting, "Since it's a battle, it's inevitable that we'll get carried away! There was no agreement before the battle that we wouldn't let everyone have their fill of killing!"

"My lords, rather than saying my brother is wrong, it's more accurate to say—your rules are wrong!"

Ni Quanwen's face was ashen, his chest heaving, and he was so angry that his hands were trembling.

From a rule-based perspective, he really couldn't criticize Kuang Beiming.

Seeing that he had successfully protected Kuang Beiming, Kuang Zhan turned his gun on Xue Xiang, saying, "You, surnamed Xue, haven't even reached the Core Formation Realm yet, what makes you think you can step onto the arena and snatch someone?"

This battle wasn't just a loss for your Canglan Academy; Xue Xiang's interference in the arena battle—what should his punishment be?

"What crime do you think I should be charged with?"

Xue Xiang put down Song Tingfang, who had regained her mobility, gently patted her arm to indicate that she didn't need to worry, and strode onto the arena.

"Berserker, you don't like me, and I don't like you. Instead of holding back, let's have a fight."

Xue Xiang's voice boomed, "You've already taken the stage. According to the rules, you don't have another chance to go on stage."

How about this, we play a game, but it won't count towards the main competition, that way we won't break the rules.

As he spoke, Xue Xiangchong cupped his hands in greeting to Ni Quanwen, saying, "Ni Gongguan, is this not taboo?"

"No offense!"

Ni Quanwen was resolute.

The reason he was so eager to fight was that, in the midst of his frenzied battle, Xue Xiang had already sent a telepathic message to him and Wei Fan requesting permission to join the fight.

No matter how you look at it, Xue Xiang owes Song Tingfang a favor.

Kuang Beiming dared to kill Song Tingfang, and Kuang Zhan was like a leech, sticking to her whenever he had the chance to annoy her.

If these two are not eliminated, Xue Xiang feels that his thoughts will not be clear when he contemplates the Wen Dao Stele.

After he communicated with Ni Quanwen and Wei Fan telepathically, the two of them only cared about whether he had the ability to fight.

Xue Xiang didn't explain much, only saying, "The students' return of Zhongwu's remains cannot be entirely based on luck."

So Ni Quanwen and Wei Fan stopped asking questions and only promised that Xue Xiang should go ahead and do it, and that if things went wrong, they would fix it.

This led to Xue Xiang's grand entrance.

(End of this chapter)