Translator: AnubisTL
"Hahaha, spectacular, truly spectacular! This is the most thrilling scene I've ever witnessed in my life, absolutely breathtaking!"
"Did you see Hua Wenyue? She's covered in footprints and even lost one of her boots."
"Dugu Ao isn't faring much better. Someone kicked him, and now the corner of his mouth is swollen."
"The most pitiful is Duan Yansheng. A lock of his hair was torn out, and he looks utterly ridiculous."
"Where did Zong Shixuan's robe go? Could it have been stripped off by one of his admirers in the chaos?"
"Giggle, giggle, it's really tragic. Many even dropped their weapons."
"Chuckle, chuckle, trying to show off in front of our Sect Master? Don't they know he's the king of showing off?"
"..."
Looking at the disheveled million candidates, Chu Youhuan and the others were laughing hysterically, tears streaming down their faces, doubling over with laughter.
"Damn it, damn it—"
As for the Heaven's Chosen, they were furious. They had exhausted their strength, flaunting their Nurtured Spirit in front of Gu Feng, but he remained unmoved. With just one move, he effortlessly defused the situation, leaving them in a humiliating state, fleeing like headless flies.
Humiliation, absolute humiliation. After today, this incident will be known throughout the world.
Zong Shixuan, Hua Wenyue, Duan Yansheng, and other renowned Heaven's Chosen will become the talk of the town among cultivators.
People will say that they tried to show off but ended up being thoroughly trampled by Gu Feng.
Although this wasn't a physical suppression, the common folk won't care about the details. They'll only focus on the fact that the Heaven's Chosen were humiliated.
In the end, rumors might even spread that Gu Feng is invincible, capable of taking on a hundred Heaven's Chosen alone.
Damn it!
As long as Gu Feng is alive and they are not dead, such rumors will be frequently mentioned, becoming an indelible stain on their reputations.
"May the Thunder Tribulation strike this bastard dead!"
"What's the point of him dying? If he dies, we'll forever be overshadowed by him."
"Let him break through. Once he does, he'll have to enter the Nurtured Spirit exam, and then we can trample him back."
"..."
The heavens roared as if the world was ending!
The first few waves of the Thunder Tribulation posed no pressure for Gu Feng, and he passed through them with ease.
Soon, the seventh wave of the Thunder Tribulation arrived.
Countless divine thunders gathered together, manifesting into terrifying Thunder Beasts.
They seemed to have a life of their own, their deep, dark eyes fixed on Gu Feng. In the next moment, they all roared towards the sky, their terrifying aura sweeping in all directions as they charged at Gu Feng.
"Come and fight!"
Before Zhu Qingyan fell into a deep sleep, he had already inquired about the next two Thunder Tribulations, and everything was within his expectations.
Gu Feng took a step forward, directly confronting the Thunder Beasts. With a single punch, the mountain range below trembled.
The ferocious punch, carrying an invincible belief, actually blasted half of a four-legged Thunder Beast's body apart.
"So strong! The strength of this Thunder Beast is probably close to the third level of Nurtured Spirit, yet Gu Feng killed it with a single punch!"
"Impressive! Based on his current combat power, even if his realm remains at the peak of the Innate Realm, he wouldn't fear most second-level Nurtured Spirit cultivators!"
"So many Thunder Beasts! Is the Heavenly Dao continuously evolving, determined to kill him?"
"He is a supreme Heaven's Chosen. If not for his low realm, he would be no weaker than anyone present!"
"I feel like I can't even move. The pressure from those Thunder Beasts is overwhelming!"
"..."
Watching the fearless Gu Feng battling the Thunder Beast, some cultivators were filled with awe and reverence for the man bathed in the Thunder Tribulation.
"Thank goodness, that guy almost wiped us all out!" Ouyang Qi said with a bitter laugh.
"Gu Feng gave us enough time to escape. If he had warned us any later, the consequences would have been unimaginable!" one examiner said, still shaken.
Gu Feng was simply too strong, so strong it was terrifying.
He killed the Thunder Beasts with a single punch each, his stamina seemingly endless, and his aura growing increasingly ferocious.
His combat prowess was astonishing, leaving the Heaven's Chosen deep in thought.
Roar—
A Thunder Dragon emerged, coiling and twisting; a Thunder Tiger descended from the sky, its presence awe-inspiring; a Thunder Bird darted through the heavens, its speed beyond the naked eye's perception.
Eight or nine layers of Thunder Tribulation descended simultaneously, and hundreds of Thunder Beasts caused the heavens and earth to boil.
Gu Feng's punches were like dragons, unleashing dazzling attacks against the massive beasts charging from all directions.
His fist techniques were simple and unadorned, yet filled with a heart-pounding sense of power.
The mountains below collapsed, and the ground was torn apart by countless terrifying fissures, from which scorching red magma erupted.
"Retreat... retreat another three kilometers!" Under the guidance of hundreds of examiners, millions of examinees withdrew in an orderly manner.
Thick smoke billowed, sand and gravel flew everywhere, and massive boulders tumbled through the air like sheets of paper. Spiritual Power hurricanes, resembling tornadoes, rose into the sky.
Gu Feng's figure flickered in and out of sight as he was engulfed by the Thunder Beasts.
All that could be heard were low growls and the mournful wails echoing through the heavens and earth.
"Shan Feier, what are you doing? You can't get any closer!"
Determined to become the number one in the Great Chu Dynasty, Shan Feier held two Image Stones, recording every moment of Gu Feng's battle. Her excitement had reached its peak.
In her eagerness to see Gu Feng's current state, she kept moving closer to the Thunder Tribulation, only to be caught and pulled back by Chu Youhuan.
"It's fine, this angle is perfect, no danger here!" Shan Feier smiled innocently, only for a stray bolt of lightning to strike right beside her feet.
"Get back here—"
...
As time passed, the Thunder Tribulation no longer raged as violently as before. Everyone understood that Gu Feng was about to overcome the Spirit Nurturing Tribulation.
"His Nurtured Spirit is about to appear!"
"The Myriad Tribulations Physique is rare. I'm curious to see what his Nurtured Spirit will be!"
"There's no point in comparing. Even within the same physique, the Nurtured Spirits can differ!"
"..."
Now, the only remaining mystery was Gu Feng's Nurtured Spirit.
The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and sunlight returned to the world. Gu Feng's figure reappeared.
At this moment, his body was enveloped in a strange radiance, more vivid and brilliant than that of an ordinary Spirit Nurturing Realm cultivator.
After half an hour of intense combat, there wasn't a single trace of blood on him, nor even a wrinkle in his robe.
He stood quietly in the sky, sensing the changes in his sea of consciousness. He was both puzzled and confused, unsure whether he had truly succeeded in nurturing his spirit.
"Gu Feng, you've turned this place into a mess. Show us your Nurtured Spirit as a treat for everyone!" Ouyang Qi said with curiosity.
Normally, the moment a cultivator successfully nurtures their spirit, the being they've nurtured would appear outside their body. However, Gu Feng was an exception, and this didn't happen. Everyone simply attributed it to the uniqueness of the Myriad Tribulations Physique.
"Alright," Gu Feng nodded lightly, and with a thought, he activated his Nurtured Spirit.
In an instant, everyone felt a black, gas-like sphere appear above Gu Feng's head.
The moment this sphere appeared, the sky seemed to darken slightly.
It was incredibly black, surpassing any black object in the world—a darkness that was indescribable.
The Heaven's Chosen immediately sensed it but could detect no trace of life energy.
"Is this a lifeless object?" one examiner asked in astonishment.
"It seems so, there's no life energy," Gu Feng replied honestly.
"What exactly does it do?" someone else inquired, driven by curiosity, though they failed to realize they were treading into personal territory.
Gu Feng was quite open about it, shrugging his shoulders. "It doesn't seem to have any special function, it's just really heavy!"
"Mind if I give it a try?" one examiner asked with a smile.
"Sure!"
Gu Feng tossed the black sphere toward the examiner, kindly reminding him, "It's really heavy, be careful not to hurt your arm!"
"How heavy can it be? I'm a peak Sea Condensation cultivator!" the examiner said dismissively, extending his hand and opening his palm.
The moment his hand touched the sphere, his expression changed drastically, and his body plummeted straight down, crashing heavily into the mountain below.
After a few breaths, he reappeared in the air, holding the black sphere with both hands, exclaiming in shock, "What the hell is this thing? It's so heavy!"
"Give it back to him!" Ouyang Qi glared at the examiner and said calmly.
Examining someone else's Nurtured Spirit was already an intrusion, and pressing further was crossing the line.
Seeing that Gu Feng's Nurtured Spirit indeed had no special qualities, the Heaven's Chosen collectively breathed a sigh of relief, their earlier gloom dissipating as confidence returned to their faces.
It was as if Gu Feng's Nurtured Spirit had given them a unique sense of superiority.
"It's about time, let's enter the examination hall!" Ouyang Qi announced loudly, then glanced at Gu Feng. "You're now a Spirit Nurturing Realm cultivator, so according to the rules, you can only enter the Spirit Nurturing First Examination Hall."
"What?!" Gu Feng exclaimed in surprise. "Then I might as well just get directly admitted into Grand Harmony Academy!"
In truth, he was just making a casual remark to annoy the Heaven's Chosen who had been humiliated by him.
Sure enough, after Gu Feng's words, Hua Wenyue and the others' expressions turned ugly.
"You're quite strong, aren't you planning to showcase your skills in the examination hall?" Ouyang Qi asked with a smile.
"No need, I've already shown them earlier. Those Heaven's Chosen fled in disarray under my hands. I don't need the grand examination to prove myself!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Zong Shixuan and the others were completely rattled.
It was true that they had been in a sorry state, but that was because of the Thunder Tribulation. In terms of real strength, who's afraid of you?
"Coward!" Hua Wenyue said coldly.
"Losers have no right to speak!" Gu Feng replied with a faint smile.
"You—" Hua Wenyue's eyes burned with anger. "You must enter the Spirit Nurturing First Examination Hall!"
Her life had always been glorious and radiant; the word "disarray" had no place in her vocabulary. This time, she had lost face in front of Gu Feng and was determined to reclaim it.
"Why should I?"
"If you have any ambition at all, you should enter the examination hall and compete with us!" Hua Wenyue glared at him, her eyes wide with fury.
"Those I've defeated aren't worthy of competing with me!" Gu Feng grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
Chu Youhuan, standing nearby, rolled her eyes, knowing that Gu Feng was just angling for money.
"Name your price!" Hua Wenyue suppressed her anger and said expressionlessly.
"Paying for me to take the exam isn't out of the question—twenty million mid-grade spirit stones!" Gu Feng's casual remark made Hua Wenyue's expression turn even uglier.
Where would she get that much money? She turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Dugu Ao stepped forward.
"Let's pool our resources together. What's twenty million mid-grade spirit stones to us?"
"I agree!"
"I'll contribute too!"
"..."
Gu Feng's words had truly stirred up resentment. The hundred Heaven's Chosen who had been on the high platform earlier all gathered around him, expressing their willingness to chip in.
Gu Feng smiled inwardly. He knew his scam would work.
"Let's make this clear—nothing but spirit stones, and no natural treasures, except for thunder attribute ones!"
Spirit stones and thunder attribute natural treasures were within Gu Feng's robbery scope. Keeping them on others was as good as keeping them for himself.
Ouyang Qi looked at him with a strange expression, sensing that Gu Feng was up to his old tricks again. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Gu Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, picked up his long-unused golden abacus, and began clicking the beads.
"This item won't do. It's only worth ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones!"
"..."
It had to be said, the Heaven's Chosen indeed had many treasures on them, and Gu Feng was nearly dazzled by the sight.
Fortunately, he had capable people around him, including three Supreme Elders who guided him, allowing him to identify all the items.
However, his valuations were half the market price.
The Heaven's Chosen's faces turned ashen, their anger nearly bursting from their chests.
"Alright, these items are roughly worth fifteen million mid-grade spirit stones!"
By the end, Ouyang Qi couldn't stand it anymore. The items Gu Feng had taken were worth nearly thirty million mid-grade spirit stones, yet he claimed they were only worth fifteen million.
You can't scam people like this!
The other candidates who hadn't yet entered the exam hall watched Gu Feng, who was grinning ear to ear, standing in the wind, utterly bewildered.
What kind of person is this? First, there was the paid challenge, and now a paid exam!
Rare occurrences that one might witness only once in a lifetime, yet they'd seen two in just a few days.
The key was that someone always footed the bill. It was beyond absurd!
However, this time, Gu Feng and his Sunset Glow Sect were likely in for trouble.
"Alright, since you're all Heaven's Chosen, I'll give you a discount!
I now officially declare the entrance to the Nurtured Spirit Exam Hall!" Gu Feng handed the storage ring to Sima Juncong for safekeeping, then sprang to his feet.
"Let's go, into the exam hall!!!"
With a wave of his hand, Gu Feng led the five hundred Nurtured Spirit cultivators of the Sunset Glow Sect, filing in without hesitation.
"Senior Sister Hua, it looks like Gu Feng was already prepared to enter the Nurtured Spirit Exam Hall. You've been scammed!"
"Shut up! Do you think I'm a fool? I don't need your analysis!" Hua Wenyue gritted her teeth, roaring in anger.
Dugu Ao and the others also wore grim expressions.
This time, they had to make sure the entire Sunset Glow Sect failed the exam. Only then could they vent their anger!
"Let's go, we're entering the exam hall too!"
Not long after, a million candidates passed through the array formation and entered their respective exam halls.
The grand exam officially began!
Just as the exam hall was about to close, a chubby-faced candidate squeezed in at the last moment.
"Gu Feng is quite the character, even better at making money than this humble monk. But it's all mine now! Hahaha—"
(End of the Chapter)
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