The first day of the Hundred Battles Assessment came to a close. In the Earth Spirit Zone, at least a dozen contestants had achieved consecutive victories, though the best record so far was three straight wins. Most, like Jiang Chen, had secured two consecutive victories.
Jiang Chen had voluntarily ceased his challenges, which kept his record from being particularly eye-catching — but it still placed him solidly within the top ten.
He had deliberately adjusted his strategy. In the afternoon's duel, where he was the one being challenged, he had even suppressed his strength and created numerous illusions on the Heavy Gravity Arena.
Yet even so, he had failed to escape Master Shuiyue's attention.
Master Shuiyue had always looked down on mortal martial artists. Ever since she had learned of the Guo Ren affair, she had held a strong prejudice against the champion of the Mystic Spirit Zone assessment.
Today, on the Blazing Fire Arena, this fellow's hostility toward the Purple Sun Sect had been unmistakable. Ouyang Jian might not have been a direct disciple of Master Shuiyue's lineage, but she clearly had no intention of watching a Purple Sun Sect disciple get killed on the arena. As a result, she had not hesitated to intervene under her authority as a presiding official.
Master Shuiyue had always been domineering in temperament — she was famously known as the fierce Tigress among the four great sects.
For someone named "beyond the mundane," she carried more fire in her than most. Now that she had taken a prodigy with an Innate Constitution as her disciple, that arrogant air of hers had swelled even further.
And Jiang Chen, a mere mortal-born martial artist, had openly questioned her authority on the arena. Though Jiang Chen's words had not completely torn off the pretense of civility, to Master Shuiyue, it was already an enormous offense.
Back in the examiners' quarters, Master Shuiyue pulled up today's battle recordings and reviewed them several times over.
She paid particular attention to the fight between Jiang Chen and Ouyang Jian, finding it deeply suspicious. She had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, but not being in the thick of it, she could never quite tell what had happened on the arena.
After studying the recordings through the expensive Recording Jewel, however, Master Shuiyue still came up empty.
"Ouyang Jian is no mediocre fighter. He was classified as a Grade-A martial artist in the Earth Spirit Zone and ranked twenty-third — that talent and cultivation are no empty reputation. What did he rely on? His innate Fire Meridian talent, and his two signature moves: the Raging Inferno Tide and the Sixteen Strikes of the Furious Flame Serpent Swordplay. And yet, in that fight, those two trump cards of his seemed completely useless against that mortal-born wretch?"
Master Shuiyue studied the recordings intently, trying to determine exactly what had happened.
Why had the Raging Inferno Tide stopped advancing the moment it reached within one zhang of the mortal-born martial artist? And why had a simple sweep of that fellow's sleeve caused all the flames to vanish without a trace?
It wasn't that Master Shuiyue couldn't do something similar. She was born with a Water Meridian talent — a single move of her Frost-Seal for a Thousand Miles could easily extinguish Ouyang Jian's Raging Inferno Tide.
But what was Master Shuiyue's level? She was a Heavenly Spirit Realm powerhouse, just one step away from its peak — one of the nine great pillars of the Purple Sun Sect.
For her, defeating an Ouyang Jian was naturally effortless.
But could a mortal-born martial artist be compared to her?
Master Shuiyue reviewed the recordings several more times, her still-elegant features clouded in deep thought. "This mortal-born wretch is arrogant and unruly, and he harbors immense enmity toward my Purple Sun Sect. If we cannot bring him to heel, we absolutely cannot let any other sect get their hands on him. Otherwise, he may well become a great catastrophe for the Purple Sun Sect someday."
Master Shuiyue was a woman of decisive, ruthless action. Once she identified the crux of the matter, numerous solutions immediately surfaced in her mind.
However, she decided it was best to first consult Patriarch Zhuiyang's opinion.
According to the rules, none of the four great patriarchs were permitted to enter the four assessment zones. As a result, Patriarch Zhuiyang, like the other three patriarchs, was stationed in an isolated area of the Immortal Indestructible Mountain.
Suddenly, Patriarch Zhuiyang's palm clenched as a Voice Transmission Talisman landed in his hand.
The firefly-like glow flickered, and Master Shuiyue's face appeared in his palm.
"Patriarch, a mortal-born prodigy has emerged in the Earth Spirit Zone — the very same champion of the initial Five Gates Trial. This individual has antagonized our Purple Sun Sect. Please advise on a course of action."
The Voice Transmission Talisman was remarkably clever — the moment the patriarch grasped it, it vanished.
"That Panshi prodigy again?" Patriarch Zhuiyang murmured. "Though the other three old monsters all say the Yuan Magnetic Golden Mountain's disappearance could never be related to this boy, why is it that I can't shake the gut feeling that its vanishing has everything to do with him?"
"Back then, I was perhaps too hasty and pressed him with a few questions. It seems he may have outwardly submitted but is still harboring a grudge deep down. Otherwise, why would he keep clashing with my Purple Sun Sect's disciples again and again?"
In truth, Patriarch Zhuiyang still held a measure of anticipation toward this initial trial champion.
After all, those trial results were nothing short of heaven-defying. Even first-rate disciples from the four great sects, if they had participated, would have been hard-pressed to do better.
But appreciation was one thing — it did not mean Patriarch Zhuiyang would unconditionally accommodate some lowly mortal-born martial artist.
"Opposing my Purple Sun Sect? Interesting." A flash of vicious intent crossed Patriarch Zhuiyang's face. "Mortal-born martial artists — they simply lack the depth of character to conceal their thoughts. To think he can stand out in this Grand Selection? It's easier said than done. Offending our Purple Sun Sect means he won't be able to take a single step forward. Hmm, let me test him a bit. If he truly has potential, I have my own ways to lure him into our Purple Sun Sect. And if he's nothing but an arrogant fool — even if he manages to survive the Earth Spirit Zone, once he reaches the Heavenly Spirit Zone, there will be no shortage of geniuses to snuff him out."
Having made up his mind, Patriarch Zhuiyang formed a hand seal and sent a voice transmission drifting toward the Earth Spirit Zone, vanishing in an instant.