The youth had a long scar from an old knife wound on his face. His name was Wang Mang and he was 18 years old. He had joined the Sky Fortune Kingdom’s army as a mercenary when he was 15, and had been sent to the frontier where he killed many people. On the border, he had been stabbed, and at the border, every day for three years he had lived on the edge of death – until he had finally reached the Third Stage of Body Transformation. He had rich combat experience and his strength was high. During the entrance examination, his fist strength at the Strength Trial had reached 2500 jins, and he had also reached the third floor of the Exquisite Pagoda.
“These juniors who got the top three spots really think they can surpass us with their strength. If it wasn’t for the Exquisite Pagoda deciding an opponent’s strength based on their skeletal age, I would have reached the fifth floor!” said a youth at Wang Mang’s side. His name was Li Tie, and he was Wang Mang’s ally. His had also tested his fist strength at 2500 jins and had reached the third floor of the Exquisite Pagoda.
Fist strength was not a domain in which mercenaries excelled. Fist strength mainly depended on one’s own talent and cultivation based on the skill manual they followed. These mercenaries’ skill manuals were very ordinary, and their strength could only be so strong. Their formidable aspects lay in their rich combat experience, skillful blade techniques, and sharp fighting instinct to surprise an enemy and kill them.
Therefore the dreadful nature of these two youths lay in actual combat, in particular life and death situations, and not tests.
“Wang Yanfeng, Lin Ming! These two kids are just little flowers that grew up in a greenhouse. Our fighting ability was learnt at the end of a knife’s blade while fighting for our lives, how could they even be our match?”
In the Exquisite Pagoda, they were restricted by their skeletal age and were stopped at the third floor. But the ranking war did not have this limit, and all participants were treated impartially! This was their turn to shine!
…
The Ten Thousand Killing Array that the Seven Profound Martial House used for the ranking war was in a mountain valley not too far from the Exquisite Pagoda. The mountain valley was covered in sharp bamboo, and the thick, angry bamboo leaves gave off a chilly, withering aura.
In the center of these layers upon layers of bamboo was a clearing, in which there was an ashlar square a thousand steps wide. At the center of the square was a ten by ten foot wide altar. The altar was engraved with a variety of luminescent runes and symbols; this altar was the Ten Thousand Killing Array which was used in the ranking war.
By the time Lin Ming’s group had arrived at the ashlar square, there were already many people gathered there.
Because the Ten Thousand Killing Array consumed a colossal number of true essence stones every time it was activated, it would only be opened once a month at an appointed time. At that time, all the martial artists of the Seven Profound Martial House could voluntarily participate in the ranking war, but they also needed to pay a fee of one true essence stone as collateral. If they their ranking was lower than 100 and they rose 5 spots, or if their ranking was higher than 100 and they rose three spots, they would be given back their true essence stone. Otherwise, the Seven Profound Martial House would keep it.
This sort of stipulation was so that disciples who hadn’t made any significant progress would not hold the viewpoint that they should come regardless of whether they advanced or not. It would just cause too many disciples to want to be tested, and there wasn’t enough time in a day to do that.
Hong Xi said, “New disciples who are participating for the first time in the ranking war do not need to pay a fee of a true essence stone. You only need to use the jade slip that you were issued to participate in the Ten Thousand Killing Array assessment. In the Ten Thousand Killing Array, your true body will not be injured. Once you die in the illusion, the assessment will end and your final ranking will be based upon the score you achieve from killing your enemies.”
Hong Xi said this and then dismissed the troop. Lin Ming entered the ashlar square, as he wanted to take a look at this Ten Thousand Killing Array altar. At the same time, he discovered two people he knew; these two people were Liu Mingxiang and Zhang Cang, who had come to provoke him just a few days ago.
Meanwhile, Zhang Cang also discovered Lin Ming. He looked at him with a hint of disdain in his smile.
“Lin Ming? I had forgotten, but it seems that the Ten Thousand Killing Array assessment also allows new disciples to participate. Heh heh, I am highly anticipating your performance. I hope you can enter in the top 180, otherwise it’s just too boring.”