The disciples who had survived the examination gradually recovered from their ordeal. Those who had been eliminated returned to their usual routines, the shock of the trial zone fading into simply another story to tell.
The elders, for their part, spent no small amount of time debating what exactly had unfolded inside that clearing.
And the Inner Court Examination, delayed as it had been, finally arrived regardless.
Deep within the formation, Mo Xuan's consciousness remained entirely absorbed in the strange transformation still unfolding inside his Sea of Consciousness, his breathing so faint it was nearly impossible to detect. Around his motionless body, Spiritual Energy circulated in slow, continuous loops. The black-and-white radiance that had blazed so violently during his battle with the Demon Tiger had long since faded from view, leaving no outward sign of the change still working itself out beneath the surface.
The morning sun rose bright over the enormous sect arena, and thousands of disciples packed the stands surrounding the examination platform, their whispers filling the air before the proceedings had even begun.
"Is Mo Xuan really still meditating?"
"Two moons have passed."
"Has he not awakened yet?"
"I heard the elders specifically ordered nobody to disturb him."
Another disciple lowered his voice to a near-whisper. "Then what happens to the Inner Court Examination?"
An elder standing at the edge of the platform silenced the chatter with a single sharp statement. "The examination will proceed. The disciples who qualified from the beast trial will participate."
The mood shifted instantly, curiosity and anticipation replacing the earlier confusion, because the first examiner had already stepped onto the platform, and the rules were laid out plainly enough for everyone to understand. Survive for the duration of one incense stick against an Inner Court senior. Admit defeat, and the match failed. Get defeated outright, and the result was the same.
One by one, the surviving disciples stepped forward to face their assigned opponents. Blades clashed. Soul Power erupted in bursts that shook the stone beneath the platform. Some disciples lasted only a handful of breaths before conceding or being driven back. Others managed to hold their ground considerably longer, drawing scattered cheers from the crowd.
Then a familiar figure stepped onto the platform, and the entire arena erupted into laughter almost on sight.
Jin Bao.
He looked around, visibly baffled by the reaction, clearly unable to work out what everyone found so amusing. Someone finally shouted the answer down from the stands. "Why are you dressed like you're heading off to war?"
Jin Bao's face lit up the moment he heard the question, and he puffed out his chest with obvious pride. "One can never be too over-prepared," he declared, loud enough for the whole arena to hear. "Don't you know every day is a war? We're cultivators — when are we not fighting some kind of war? We seize fortune from the heavens itself. Is that not a form of war in its own right?"
The crowd went quiet, stunned into silence by the sheer conviction behind the declaration. Even the officiating elder paused for a long moment, apparently unsure how to respond. Up in the stands, the Sect Master smiled to himself. "What an interesting child."
Han Long took a slow sip of his drink before offering his own verdict. "A genius, reduced to cowering behind talismans just to survive. A pity. A pity indeed."
For a moment, the entire arena stayed silent, and Jin Bao, mistaking that silence for awe rather than bewilderment, allowed himself a private moment of satisfaction. Just as those books said — sophistication in words can move mountains. Look at them. Everyone's moved.
The officiating elder recovered his composure quickly and reached over to smack Jin Bao lightly on the head. "Will you just enter the arena already? What sophistication? What mountains? Who exactly is moved?"
Jin Bao froze, staring at the elder with genuine shock. "Elder, can you read minds? You just said my exact thought out loud."
A female disciple in the crowd called out before the elder could respond. "Read your thoughts? You said all of that out loud yourself, just a few minutes ago. Everyone heard you."
The laughter that followed was louder than anything before it, and Jin Bao realised, with mounting embarrassment, that he'd gotten so lost in admiring his own eloquence that he'd apparently spoken the entire internal monologue aloud without noticing. He scratched the back of his head, cheeks reddening, and clenched his fists in a belated attempt to salvage some dignity.
"Just wait," he announced to the crowd at large. "I'll show all of you what true defensive power looks like."
When his turn finally came, Jin Bao took his position at the centre of the arena, and within moments he'd surrounded himself with a golden barrier and an entire fortress of shimmering talismans and treasures, each one hovering in careful formation around his body.
His opponent attacked first. Jin Bao didn't so much as shift his stance. A talisman floated up in front of him and flared to life.
Hum! A golden barrier bloomed into existence, and the attack slammed directly into it.
BOOM! The barrier shuddered under the impact but held firm.
The senior facing him frowned, clearly unimpressed, and attacked again. Another talisman activated in response — Golden Bell Shield, a translucent golden bell descending smoothly over Jin Bao's entire body. The attack struck it head-on.
CLANG! Jin Bao's robes fluttered from the force of the impact, but he remained completely untouched underneath, not even a hair out of place.
The audience erupted into a mix of outrage and disbelief. "Shameless!" "He's not even fighting!" "How many talismans does that fellow actually have?!"
Jin Bao glanced toward the stands, entirely unbothered by the criticism. "What's wrong with being prepared?"
Another attack came arcing toward him, and this time he simply raised a hand almost casually, sending a jade-colored talisman flying into the air above him. Jade Wall! A thick wall of condensed Spiritual Energy surged up from the ground to intercept the blow.
BOOM! The wall cracked under the impact; shockwaves ripped tiles loose from the arena's edge.
Dust rolled across the platform.
The audience leaned forward, holding their breath in anticipation.
But Jin Bao was already moving — activating another talisman to reinforce the wall, then another, then another... — a Flowing Light Array unfurling beneath his feet, a Void Reflection Seal blooming into existence behind him, until the various defensive formations had layered together into something that looked less like a battle stance and more like an entire fortress built around a single, unbothered teenager.
His opponent's expression darkened with every failed attack. He struck again. And again. And again. Each time his attack managed to punch through one layer of defence, another rose immediately to replace it, seamless and unrelenting.
Jin Bao simply stood inside his fortress, occasionally reaching out to adjust one of the talismans as though tending a garden rather than surviving an assault. "That one nearly got through," he muttered, inspecting a damaged formation with a critical eye. "I'll have to buy a better one next time."
The senior's face twitched visibly at the comment. The audience, meanwhile, had split cleanly between amusement and outright frustration. "He's a walking treasury!" "Those are Grade Four Talismans!" "How much spirit stone has he spent on all this?!" "Who cares? Just look at that defence!"
Jin Bao smiled, entirely too pleased with himself. "Money is meant to be spent."
Another attack crashed against the golden barrier, shaking it violently enough that Jin Bao's expression finally sobered, just slightly. He reached into his Storage Bag without hesitation, and the senior's eyes narrowed warily. Another treasure?
Jin Bao pulled out a fresh jade talisman, and the senior very nearly cursed out loud. "Again?!"
The moment Jin Bao activated it, a translucent layer of light spread evenly across the golden barrier, and the incoming attack dissolved harmlessly against it, neutralised before it could do any real damage.
Silence followed. The senior stood there, breathing heavily, sweat beading along his brow from the effort of throwing everything he had against a wall that simply refused to fall. Jin Bao, by contrast, looked entirely unbothered, barely winded.
The incense continued burning steadily behind them. A little more of it turned to ash. Then a little more. The senior glanced toward the incense stick, gauging how much time remained, then back at Jin Bao, then at the scattered ruin of shattered talismans littering the arena floor around them. His face flushed red with mounting frustration.
The crowd's laughter swelled. "He's going to lose to a wall!" "Not a wall!" "A fortress!"
Clenching his fists, the senior gathered every ounce of Soul Power he had left and launched one final, desperate attack, the force of it shaking the entire arena down to its foundations.
Jin Bao's expression shifted, just for a moment. "That's..." he started, before immediately activating everything he had left in rapid succession.
Golden Bell Shield! Jade Wall Script! Flowing Light Array! Void Reflection Seal!
The barrier hummed under unbearable pressure. Layer after layer of defensive power bloomed into existence around him in the span of a single breath, and the attack struck the combined fortress dead-on.
BOOOOOOM!
A violent shockwave tore across the arena, kicking up a thick wall of dust that swallowed the entire platform from view. The audience fell completely silent, waiting.
When the dust finally settled, Jin Bao was still standing exactly where he'd started, his hair slightly dishevelled, his robes coated in a fine layer of dust — but entirely unharmed.
Several meters away, the senior stood pale-faced, staring first at the incense stick, now reduced to little more than a sliver, and then at Jin Bao, his expression collapsing into something close to complete defeat. He let out a long breath. "I..." His fists clenched at his sides. "...concede."
The arena burst into laughter all over again. Jin Bao straightened his robes with theatrical care and looked around at the crowd, positively glowing with satisfaction. "See? I told you. Preparation is also a form of strength."