Gasping for breath, Gao Han exhaled streams of frigid air with every heave, crystallizing the mist before him into wispy white trails.
Though the entire battle had unfolded in the blink of an eye, every strike had been unleashed at full force. Half his true essence was now depleted, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Weariness washed over him, stripping away his ability to conceal his cultivation. A powerful wave of cold erupted from his body, sweeping across the chamber.
The temperature in the underground hall plummeted by more than ten degrees. The frost solidified the air around him, shrouding his figure in a thin, swirling fog that made his form flicker in and out of view.
The clash had been so brief that Zhu Jin and the others had barely processed it. They stood frozen, staring at the mist-veiled Gao Han, unable to believe their eyes.
"What did I just witness? The aftershocks of his battle cracked the stone floor of this dungeon?"
For a century, the Misty Sect had held its examinations here. Countless prodigies had fought within these walls, yet none had left so much as a scratch on the stone—until Gao Han.
"Set aside the duels of the past century. That savage beast struck with lightning speed and ferocious power. Even I would need an hour of intense fighting to defeat it, and I would leave the battle gravely injured. And yet look at Gao Han…"
Zhu Jin could not contain his shock. Recalling the beast's rampage, he broke into a cold sweat despite the freezing chamber.
He knew full well that he would have sustained severe wounds facing that creature, especially its twin tails. One wrong move, and he might have been flailed to death.
Yet Gao Han had slowed the beast mid-assault, executing a dazzling sequence of maneuvers that left them all breathless.
"Excellent! Magnificent! Extraordinary!" Elder Bai snapped back to his senses, cheering loudly. The three exclamations laid bare his awe, excitement, and joy.
He hurried to the cage and undid all the chains. "Well done, lad! To defeat such a savage beast—you have set a new precedent in the history of these examinations!"
After resting for a short while, Gao Han regained a fraction of his strength. He steadied himself and stepped calmly out of the cage.
As for the beast, it would take a high-level cultivator to move it back into its cell—and even then, it would be no easy task.
For one thing, the creature had been turned into a frozen statue; it could only be pushed back into the chamber.
For another, though its exterior appeared unharmed, encased merely in ice, its life force had already been snuffed out by the frost. Even if the ice were shattered, only a corpse would remain.
Liang Qing's face shifted between pale and dark, his heart twisting with envy and rage. "Curse him! Not only did he survive, he stole all the glory! Just you wait—I will make you regret this someday!"
Only three candidates had passed the examination: Lin Lin, An Ruoxuan, and Gao Han. Of the dozen who had begun, so few had succeeded. The elimination rate left Gao Han stunned.
Back in the main examination hall, Elder Bai presented the three with inner-sect robes.
The garments were deep blue, embroidered with two white lines curling along the cuffs like wispy clouds in the sky.
After handing out the robes, Elder Bai produced three tablets and presented them to the trio.
The blue tokens were forged from an unknown material. Gao Han scraped a nail across its surface, yet could not leave the faintest mark—impressive, considering his strike carried Sword Momentum, enough to overwhelm even a First Layer True Essence cultivator.
On the front of the tablet, the characters "Misty Sect" were engraved in bold, beneath which two lifelike auspicious clouds curled gracefully.
Gao Han mused that the artisan who had carved the tablets must have been a master of profound cultivation; he himself was still far from such skill.
On the reverse side was a number: 3005. He glanced at the tablets of An Ruoxuan and Lin Lin, which bore 3004 and 3003 respectively.
Elder Bai explained that the numbers marked the order of inner-sect disciples, though the count was not entirely accurate, as many had perished in the outside world.
The number also designated a private courtyard. Each residence bore a plaque with its corresponding number.
Disciples simply needed to find their quarters by number—though the courtyards were useless to those who became apprentices of the five peaks, for they would dwell within the peaks themselves.
In truth, very few lived in the assigned courtyards. Of the over three thousand inner-sect disciples, barely a hundred resided there; the rest had joined one of the five peaks.
No sooner had the trio stepped out of the hall than they were surrounded by true disciples, each extolling the virtues of their peak and offering generous incentives.
Gao Han, in particular, was swarmed by representatives of three of the five peaks—all but Raindrift Peak and Flowerdrift Peak. He knew the leaders of the group well.
Nian Hua, Guo Jingfeng, and Kang Bai earnestly invited him to join their respective peaks, their sincerity palpable.
Zhu Jin and his companions watched this scene and shook their heads, sighing. A prodigy like Gao Han, it seemed, would never walk the same path as them.
Faced with their sincere gazes and earnest pleas, Gao Han smiled gently. "Brothers, I believe you have misunderstood. I have never, at any point, intended to join any of the five peaks."
The words struck Nian Hua and the others like a bolt of thunder. They stood dumbfounded, at a loss for words.
Everyone present was stunned, scarcely able to believe their ears. Gao Han was refusing the five peaks?
Zhu Jin and his allies were equally shocked. In their eyes, joining the five peaks meant abundant resources, guidance from renowned masters, and explosive growth in cultivation.
After a long silence, Guo Jingfeng stammered, "B-but the Peak Lord said that Junior Sister Gao Yang…"
Gao Han let out a bright laugh. "You mean Gao Yang is my younger sister?"
"Y-yes…"
Gao Han's smile remained warm. "Yet my sister is my sister, and I am I. If I do not pledge myself to Drifting Peak, will you separate us? Or mistreat my sister?"
Guo Jingfeng fell silent. What difference did it make if she resided at Drifting Peak? As the Peak Lord's personal disciple, no one would dare threaten or harm her.
Severing their blood bond? That was utterly unthinkable. Even the peak lord could not sunder such a familial tie.
A loud, hearty laugh rang out. Zhu Jin threw back his head and chuckled. "Splendid! Brother Gao, you are a man of true character! I count myself honored to call you a friend!"