Boom!
The translucent fist force hurtled toward the maple wood stakes thirty meters away. The other examinees watched with bated breath, while only Gao Han and the supervising elder let out soft sighs.
"For all its imposing appearance, this strike is scattered and unfocused upon closer inspection—all flash, no substance," Gao Han murmured to himself, silently judging the technique.
As a Fourth Layer True Essence cultivator, the supervising elder naturally perceived the flaw in the strike and held no hope for the young man's success.
Clang!
Sure enough, when the fist force struck the maple wood, it pierced only halfway through before dissipating into thin air.
"Huang Ming, you are disqualified," the elder declared without mercy.
The young man's face darkened instantly. "Elder! Grant me one more chance! I swear I shall succeed this time!"
The elder turned to him, speaking each word with deliberate gravity. "You have forfeited your eligibility. Leave at once."
Huang Ming opened his mouth to protest, but a voice cut through the tension.
"I suggest you take your leave quietly. Otherwise, you shall regret incurring Elder Bai's wrath."
At the sound of the voice, the elder sighed helplessly. "Guo Jingfeng, what brings you here? Should you not be in seclusion, lest that rascal Zheng Yunfeng surpass you?"
Two figures then entered the hall. Behind them was one of the true disciples who had stood guard outside; the man in front was a stranger to Gao Han.
"Heh, I wish I had a choice. The Peak Lord, newly returned to the sect, bade me come here to seek…" Guo Jingfeng's gaze swept across the crowd and settled on Gao Han.
"You must be Junior Brother Gao Han! The Peak Lord has sent me to invite you to join us. Your prowess renders the examination unnecessary—simply pledge yourself as a disciple of Drifting Peak!"
Gao Han understood at once. Li Changtian of Drifting Peak had dispatched a disciple to recruit him, eager to secure his loyalty.
"This cannot be permitted. No one may attain inner-sect status without undergoing the examination, save during the year-end promotions," the elder's expression hardened. Though astonished that Drifting Peak would extend an invitation to Gao Han, rules were rules.
Guo Jingfeng froze, then smiled wryly. "Ah, I ought to have mentioned this earlier. According to the Peak Lord's message, that 'rascal' you spoke of has been slain."
Ignoring the elder's stunned reaction, he turned back to Gao Han. "The one who killed him is none other than the Ice Hero standing before you—Gao Han."
Whoosh!
Everyone gasped in unison upon hearing the news. Zheng Yunfeng was a renowned prodigy of Drifting Peak; Li Changtian had publicly vowed to promote him to true disciple upon breaking through to the Third Layer of True Essence.
Word of his impending promotion had long spread, delayed only by Li Changtian's absence from the sect.
Yet on the very day Li Changtian returned, Zheng Yunfeng was dead.
"Wait—did this senior just say… Ice Hero? Gao Han?"
"Yes! A title! Has he earned himself a prestigious title?"
The elder was equally shocked. First, that Gao Han could slay a prodigy of Zheng Yunfeng's caliber—even he dared not claim certain victory over the young man.
Second, the title itself. Few knew better than he that Gao Han was merely sixteen years old. To reach the Third Layer of True Essence at that age already marked him as a peerless genius.
To have earned a title in the jianghu was another matter entirely. Only those at the Fourth Layer of True Essence or above could command such renown; lesser cultivators would be slain or humiliated by rivals contesting their claim.
Even if granted a title, weaker warriors dared not bear it openly.
Regaining his composure, the elder spoke sternly. "That changes nothing. Outside of the year-end ceremonies, all who seek inner-sect status must pass the examination. I shall abide by this rule even if the Sect Master himself commands otherwise. It is my duty."
Guo Jingfeng smiled helplessly. "You are as unyielding as ever. I am sorry, Gao Han—I can be of no further help."
Gao Han shrugged indifferently. "No matter. I shall take my turn now."
Before he could strike, hurried footsteps echoed from outside. The door swung open, and the leading figure was familiar to Gao Han.
"Nian Hua! What brings you here?" Gao Han asked in surprise.
Nian Hua laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Gao, I have come to cheer you on! And let me introduce Kang Bai, Elder Brother of Kang Le from Drifting Peak!"
Kang Bai bore a resemblance to Kang Le, though he wielded a long blade, marking him as a swordsman of the blade.
"Greetings. I am Kang Bai. Thank you for looking after my younger brother," he said courteously. From Kang Le's accounts, he knew Gao Han had won the Spirit Kingdom Grand Tournament, his strength surpassing even Wen Rensi of the Fire Palm and Nian Hua himself.
Nian Hua had not placed in the top five, and Kang Bai's power was on par with Nian Hua's. In this world where strength reigned supreme, respect for Gao Han was only natural.
Nian Hua and Kang Bai explained their purpose—much the same as Guo Jingfeng's, to recruit Gao Han to their respective peaks.
But at the sight of the supervising elder's expression, they knew their efforts would be in vain.
Elder Bai had overseen their own inner-sect examinations, a rigid traditionalist who yielded to no one, not even peak lords.
The true disciples standing behind them stared solemnly at Gao Han, realizing they had overlooked a genius capable of defeating opponents three realms above his own.
Gao Han turned back to face the maple wood stakes, extending a single finger. True essence surged through his fingertip, radiating a bitter frost that dropped the temperature of the entire chamber by several degrees.
"I must warn you—genius or Ice Hero, you have but one strike. Fail, and you shall be eliminated," the elder urged, frowning at Gao Han's seemingly casual stance.
Gao Han nodded slightly and uttered a silent command within his mind.
"Break!"
A frosty finger force materialized and shot forth. Before it even reached the stakes, the biting cold encased the maple wood in a thin layer of ice.
Thud!
The finger force struck the stake, piercing clean through it in an instant as if the hard wood were mere air.
Not only that—it left a finger-deep indentation in the metal wall behind.