Ink-Clad Creator

The passage to the second level extends downwards, with crystal lamps on either side of the steps casting a deep blue glow on the walls. The further down you go, the louder the noise becomes—not human voices, but the sounds of clashing energy, clashing weapons, and something like… cheers and applause?

After turning the last bend, the view suddenly opened up before us.

This is a huge underground space, about ten zhang high and a hundred zhang in diameter. In the center of the space, five square arenas are arranged in a pentagram pattern. Each arena is three zhang square, and the edges are covered by a semi-transparent energy barrier—clearly a protective formation.

The arena was surrounded by tiered, circular seating areas, which were already mostly occupied, numbering about four or five hundred people. Besides the examiners and candidates who had completed the initial screening, Li Xian also saw some academy students dressed in various colored uniforms—they were probably senior students who had come to watch the spectacle.

The most eye-catching feature was the several individual booths at the highest point of the spectator stands, which were shielded by a one-way transparent energy barrier. The people inside could not be seen, but several powerful auras could be sensed.

Attention all candidates who passed the initial screening!

A loud voice resounded throughout the arena. The speaker was a middle-aged man in a dark blue instructor's uniform, standing on a high platform next to the main arena, his face resolute, his voice booming like a bell.

"I am Zhao Tieshan, an instructor at the Southern Office of the Heavenly Crafts Academy. The second test, 'Practical Skills Test,' shall now begin!"

He surveyed the entire room, his gaze sharp as lightning: "The rules are as follows:"

"First, candidates will be randomly paired up and take to the stage to compete. Each person must complete three matches."

"Second, there are no restrictions on the means of combat. Any techniques, weapons, mechanisms, or talismans may be used, but the use of external forces beyond one's control is not permitted—such as protective magic treasures bestowed by elders, or one-time powerful talismans, etc."

"III. Determining the Victory: A player shall be deemed to have conceded defeat, fallen off the stage, or lost the ability to fight for more than ten breaths. Intentional killing is strictly prohibited; violators will be disqualified and transferred to the Ministry of Justice!"

"IV. The final evaluation will be based on a comprehensive assessment of performance in the three matches. Now—begin pairing up!"

On the high platform, a huge jade slab lit up, displaying the names of the examinees rapidly. Moments later, the list of candidates for the first round of battles was released.

"A-Rank Arena: Jin Xuan, yes, Sun Hong!"

"Round Two: Shui Liuli, yes, Wang Ming!"

"Category C Arena: Li Mo, yes, Chen Rui!"

Li raised an eyebrow. So soon it was his turn?

On the Bing-character arena, Li Xian's opponent was already in position.

It was a gray-clad youth of about eighteen or nineteen years old, lean and wiry with fierce eyes. He held a foot-long blade in each hand, the blades gleaming with a dark green light—clearly poisoned. He looked Li Xian up and down, grinned, revealing two sharp canine teeth.

"Kid, you thought you were so cool breaking that crystal, huh?" Chen Rui licked the blade. "Now, I'll show you what real strength is!"

An energy barrier at the edge of the arena rose with a "hum," isolating the inside from the outside.

Li Xian didn't rush to attack. He first observed his opponent—his aura was around the high-level Earthly Realm, and his energy fluctuations were sharp but unstable, suggesting he had taken an unorthodox, quick-learning path. The way he held the dual blades was somewhat peculiar, with his wrists slightly heavy, a characteristic of someone skilled in lower-level attacks.

"Are you ready?" the referee asked from below the stage.

"Alright," Li nodded.

Chen Rui suddenly blurted out, "Alright!" Before he finished speaking, he pounced like a cheetah!

His movements were incredibly fast, almost turning into a gray shadow, instantly closing in on Li Xian's left side. His twin blades, one above and one below, aimed for Li Xian's throat and abdomen! The sound of the blades was piercing, carrying a sweet, metallic scent—it was indeed poison!

Exclamations erupted from the stands. That sneak attack was too sudden!

Li Xian, however, seemed to have anticipated this, sliding his left foot half a step back and slightly turning his body. Two poisoned blades grazed his clothes, missing him by a hair's breadth.

Chen Rui missed his first strike, then spun around and unleashed seventeen consecutive stabs with his double blades, like venomous snakes spitting their tongues! Each stab was cunning, targeting joints and acupoints, clearly a killing technique honed in real combat.

But Li Xian's steps were even more exquisite.

He neither met the attacks head-on nor made any large-scale dodges, but instead moved through the net of blades with tiny, precise movements. Each step was perfectly timed, the poisoned blades always grazing past him, never even touching the hem of his clothes.

The "Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue" (The Secret of Earth Carries All Things) contains a method called "Listening to the Subtle Earth Veins." Although Li Xian had not mastered it to a high degree, he could already vaguely sense the subtle tremors of the ground when his opponent exerted force. With each slash Chen Rui made, he could see the flow of force under his feet and the changes in his center of gravity as if he were observing the lines on his palm.

After twenty moves, Chen Rui became anxious.

"Don't try to dodge if you dare!" he roared, slashing out with his twin blades crossed, the blades gleaming with a dark green light—this was the activation of some secret technique that unleashed potential, increasing his speed and power by 30%!

But just as he was about to unleash his power, Li moved first.

It's not retreating, it's moving forward.

With a single step, he precisely landed at the point where Chen Rui shifted his weight. He extended his right index finger, the tip gleaming with a faint orange-gold light, and gently touched Chen Rui's wrist.

This seemingly slow finger strike gave Chen Rui the illusion that he couldn't dodge it. He wanted to change his move, but Li Xian's stomp disrupted his balance, causing his movements to falter for a moment.

"puff."

The fingertip touched Chen Rui's right wrist pulse.

There was no loud noise, no shockwave. But Chen Rui's entire right arm suddenly went numb and weak, and the short blade slipped from his hand with a clang! He was terrified and quickly slashed with his left-hand knife, trying to force Li Xian back.

Instead of retreating, Li Xian advanced, his left hand reaching out like a butterfly flitting among flowers, and gently tapped again.

The pulse at the left wrist.

"Clang!" The second knife fell to the ground.

Chen Rui staggered backward, his arms hanging limply at his sides, his face filled with disbelief. His "Double Venomous Serpent Kill" technique was considered a top-tier, fast-blading style in the martial world; how could... how could he have his hands so easily crippled without even touching the hem of his opponent's clothes?!

"Should we continue?" Li asked first.

Chen Rui gritted his teeth, trying to unleash his secret technique in a desperate attempt, but the meridians in his arms were temporarily sealed by that finger, leaving him completely powerless. His expression shifted several times before he finally slumped down in despair.

"I... admit defeat."

The referee below the stage nodded: "Li Mo wins the C-class arena!"

The energy barrier descended. Chen Rui picked up the double-edged sword, his face covered in dust, and stepped off the stage, not daring to look at Li Xian again.

A low murmur arose from the spectator stands.

"Such exquisite footwork and finger techniques..."

"He didn't use any special moves at all; he just saw through all of his opponent's movements."

"This Li Mo is no ordinary person."

Li Xian, however, was not particularly pleased with himself. This battle was less of a fight and more of a test—a test of how effective his "listening to subtle things" technique, which he had learned from the "Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue" (The Secret of the Earth Carries All Things), was in actual combat.

The result was pretty good.

When Li returned to the spectator stands, he noticed several unusual gazes.

First was Jin Xuan. The white-robed youth still stood with his sword in his hand, but he had opened his eyes during Li Xian's battle, and now he was looking over from afar, his curiosity even stronger.

Shui Liuli was even more direct. She leaned closer, her blue eyes brimming with excitement: "That move you just made! Did you calculate the precise timing of his weight shift? How did you do it? Was there a formula? Or was it just intuition?"

Li Xian: "...I'd say it's intuition."

"Intuition..." Shui Liuli mused, "That's even more impressive! To be able to control the precision of your intuition within 0.3 breaths, your sensory system must be very special! Can I study it?"

Li Xian: "..."

This girl's way of thinking is truly...unique.

Another gaze came from the higher compartment. Although he couldn't see the people inside, Li Xian could sense that several eyes were fixed on him.

There's another one... coming from the side.

Li Xian turned his head and saw Shen Aonan. He and Peng Shutao were there to watch the game as "volunteers." At that moment, he was talking quietly with Peng Shutao, but his gaze occasionally swept over Li Xian with a complicated meaning.

Peng Shitao, sitting next to Xiao Lingshan, waved happily when she saw Li Xian return. Xiao Lingshan smiled and nodded in return.

Binglan, Bingwei, and the three Shi brothers sat in the back row, currently engaged in a heated discussion about the battle they had just witnessed. Shi Jian spoke with great enthusiasm, "Did you see that? Young Master Li's kick! It was perfectly timed! That's the 'Severing Meridians' technique from the 'Earth Carrying All Things Technique'! I've been practicing for half a month and still haven't gotten the hang of it..."

The second round of pairings began quickly.

Li Xian's opponent this time was a seemingly weak-looking young man, wearing a brown short jacket, with a half-person-high wooden puppet following behind him.

"T-shaped arena: Li Mo, that's right, Lu Xiaoban!"

The two took the stage.

Lu Xiaoban clasped his hands in a fist and bow, his voice shy: "Brother Li... please give me your guidance. I am skilled in mechanical arts, and this 'Wooden Wolf Puppet' is something I made myself..."

The wooden puppet behind him clicked as its joints rotated, assuming an attack stance. The puppet resembled a wolf, with pale yellow crystals embedded in its joints, and its eyes flashed red light.

Li Xian also clasped his hands in greeting: "Please."

The barrier rises.

Lu Xiaoban didn't step forward himself, but instead retreated to the edge of the arena, forming hand seals. The wooden wolf puppet's eyes blazed red, and with a low growl, it pounced forward, its four paws stomping the ground!

Extremely fast! Three points faster than Chen Rui's movements!

Li Xian dodged to the side, but the wooden wolf puppet twisted in mid-air, its ironwood tail sweeping across like a steel whip! He raised his arm to block, and with a muffled "bang," his arm went slightly numb—such great force!

This puppet is no ordinary creature. Not only is it agile, but its strength far surpasses that of ordinary people, and... it seems to possess a certain degree of autonomous combat awareness?

Li Xian used his movement skills to fight the wooden wolf puppet. He discovered that the puppet's attacks were very methodical, not just random attacks, but rather coordinated with some kind of formation and footwork to block his escape space.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaoban, in the distance, was constantly changing his hand seals, clearly demonstrating his precise control.

"Interesting," Li Xian smiled.

Instead of rushing to decipher it, he slowed down and observed carefully. He memorized every detail of the wooden wolf puppet's every pounce, every change of direction, how its joints rotated, how its energy flowed, and when its crystals lit up.

After thirty moves, Li Xian roughly figured out the pattern.

The core control of this puppet likely relies on the energy resonance between Lu Xiaoban and the puppet crystal. And the simplest way to break this resonance is...

He suddenly changed his pace, no longer circling around, but instead charging head-on at the wooden wolf puppet's attack!

Lu Xiaoban was taken aback and hurriedly manipulated the puppet to change its move. But Li Xian was even faster; with a swift movement, he passed under the wooden wolf puppet's ribs and pounced straight at Lu Xiaoban!

"Not good!" Lu Xiaoban wanted to retreat, but the arena was only so big, and there was nowhere to retreat.

Li Xian was already in front of him, and his right index finger pointed out again—this time, the target was Lu Xiaoban's hands, which were forming a hand seal.

A faint orange-gold light shimmered at my fingertips.

Just as they were about to touch, Lu Xiaoban suddenly gritted his teeth and his hand seals changed drastically!

Behind him, a crisp "crack" came from the wooden wolf puppet's body, and its speed suddenly doubled! Ignoring its own structure, it forcibly twisted and bit at Li Hou's neck!

To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao!

Li Xian had no choice but to turn around to deal with it. He struck out with his left hand, and orange-gold energy surged from his palm, transforming into a shield of light.

"clang!"

The wooden wolf puppet bit down on the light shield, sparks flying. But the force of this bite far exceeded that of the previous ones, and cracks appeared in the light shield!

Lu Xiaoban took the opportunity to create distance, his face pale, clearly the overload control he had just performed had taken a heavy toll on him.

Li Xian looked at the cracks on the light shield, then at the wooden wolf puppet—the puppet's mouth structure was deformed, and several ironwood teeth had been knocked out.

"You're amazing," Li Xian said sincerely. "The design and control of this puppet are both exquisite."

Lu Xiaoban smiled wryly: "But I still can't do anything to Brother Li. If that finger strike had landed, I would have lost."

"So, should we continue?" Li asked first.

Lu Xiaoban looked at his trembling hands, then at the damaged wooden wolf puppet, and sighed, "I concede. If we continue, the wooden wolf puppet will fall apart, and repairing it will be very expensive..."

The referee announced: "Li Mo wins the T-shaped arena!"

Lu Xiaoban put away the puppet and suddenly turned back before stepping off the stage: "Brother Li, if there is an opportunity in the future, could we exchange ideas on mechanical arts? I think... your energy control method might lead to a new breakthrough in mechanical arts."

Li nodded: "It would be my honor."

A small accident occurred during the third round of pairing.

This round has an odd number of candidates, meaning one person will receive a bye. And after the jade tablet is rolled, the name that receives the bye is—Li Mo.

"You're lucky," Xiao Lingshan said with a smile.

Li Xian frowned slightly. This bye came too conveniently. Was it a coincidence, or... was it arranged by someone?

He didn't delve into it further, but took the opportunity to observe the other candidates' battles.

Jin Xuan's second battle was against a burly man wielding a giant axe. The fight was shockingly simple—Jin Xuan drew his sword, a white sword aura pierced the air, the burly man's giant axe was broken in two, and he was sent flying off the stage. Throughout the entire battle, Jin Xuan only used one sword strike.

Shui Liuli's opponent was a fire-type cultivator who wanted to evaporate her water mist with flames. However, with a wave of her hand, Shui Liuli turned the entire arena into an ice surface. After the fire-type examinee slipped three times, he voluntarily conceded defeat.

Xiao Lingshan's battle was the most interesting. Her opponent was a fellow cultivator of the wood element who wanted to use a vine-entanglement tactic. But Xiao Lingshan simply revealed her Green Wood Token and with a gentle shake, all the vines her opponent had cultivated "betrayed" her, turning around and binding her like a dumpling.

Peng Shitao's medical skills were unique on the fighting stage. When her opponent launched a fierce attack, she would dodge while sprinkling medicinal powder—not poison, but non-lethal agents like "Laughing Spring Breeze" and "Muscle Softening Powder." In the end, her opponent would laugh until she collapsed to the ground, admitting defeat.

Binglan Bingwei's style is much more aggressive. When she unleashes her Ice Soul Mystic Art, the arena freezes over, and her opponents often can't last more than ten moves.

The three Shi brothers' ring battles are most characteristic of the "Earth Sect". They do not pursue a quick defeat of their opponents, but use the techniques in "Hou Tu Zai Wu Jue" to constantly change the hardness and friction of the ring surface, making their opponents unable to stand steadily, and eventually slipping and admitting defeat.

Faint whispers could be heard coming from the higher compartments of the spectator stands:

"There are quite a few promising talents this year."

"Jin Xuan and Shui Liuli were expected, but Li Mo... was a pleasant surprise."

"His energy characteristics are very unique and deserve close observation."

"Is the third stage, 'Secret Realm Trial,' all arranged?"

"Everything is ready. This time... we might uncover some surprises."

All three matches ended at dusk.

In the end, fewer than three hundred candidates passed the second stage. Instructor Zhao Tieshan announced that everyone was qualified to participate in the third stage, the "Secret Realm Trial," three days later. Those who passed the third stage would officially become new students of Wanxiang Academy.

"Now, those who pass, follow me to be assigned temporary accommodations." Zhao Tieshan waved his hand. "Starting tomorrow, you are free to move around the outer courtyard of the academy and familiarize yourselves with the environment. But remember—before officially enrolling, you are not allowed to enter any of the inner courtyard's branch areas; violators will be disqualified!"

The group followed the instructor away from the underground arena, back to the surface, and then through a side door into... another world.

If the Southern Office of the Heavenly Crafts Academy is a solemn government office, then this area in front of us is a completely different world.

The cobblestone path winds its way forward, flanked by ancient trees that reach for the sky, with pavilions and towers nestled among the greenery. In the distance, a lake reflects the sky like a mirror, with a small bridge spanning a flowing stream, and several white cranes strolling along its shore. Further still, several architectural complexes of varying styles are built against the mountainside, their flying eaves and bracket sets creating a magnificent and imposing sight.

"This is the outer courtyard of Wanxiang Academy," Zhao Tieshan introduced. "What you see now is the 'Welcome Garden,' the temporary living area for new students. Over there is the 'Dining Hall,' over there is the outer pavilion of the 'Library,' and over there is the 'Drill Ground'..."

He pointed to the buildings on the mountainside in the distance: "Those are the various branches of the Inner Courtyard—Golden Peak Courtyard, Green Wood Courtyard, Mysterious Water Courtyard, Fire-Leaving Courtyard, Earth-Thickening Courtyard, Yin-Yang Courtyard, Ingenuity Courtyard, Apricot Grove Courtyard, and the Study of Things Courtyard... Once you officially enroll, you will be assigned to each courtyard according to your qualifications and wishes."

The candidates looked around excitedly.

Li Xian noticed that the energy environment inside the academy was completely different from the chaotic outside world. The energy flow here was orderly and gentle, as if it had been regulated by some kind of huge array. The air was filled with a faint fragrance of books and medicine, which calmed the mind.

"The dormitories are divided into male and female sections. 'Bamboo Rhyme Residence' on the left is for males, and 'Orchid Fragrance Garden' on the right is for females." Zhao Tieshan stopped at a fork in the road. "Now, go and settle in. Remember the rules—no one may wander around after 7 PM; violators will be severely punished!"

The group split up and took action separately.

The three brothers, Li Xian, Shen Aonan, and Shi Jian, along with several other boys, were assigned to courtyard number C of Zhuyunju. The courtyard was small but clean and tidy, with each person having a single room.

After putting away their luggage, the three Shi brothers couldn't wait to run out and familiarize themselves with the surroundings. Shen Aonan meditated and regulated his breathing in his room. Li Xianze stood in the courtyard, gazing at the Gewu Academy on the mountainside in the distance—perhaps there lay the answers he needed.

As evening approached, Xiao Lingshan, Peng Shitao, Binglan, and Bingwei arrived together. They lived in the neighboring Lanxinyuan and came to visit.

"Sister Shutao and Brother Aonan have officially enrolled in Xuan Shui Academy and Bai Lian Hall. They live in the inner courtyard and can't come out freely," Peng Shitao said. "However, my sister asked someone to tell us that she'll be waiting for us in the dining hall at noon tomorrow to introduce us to some friends."

Xiao Lingshan exclaimed excitedly, "I sensed a very strong resonance of wood-elemental energy from the direction of Qingmu Courtyard. There must be many rare spiritual plants there!"

Binglan and Bingwei were more interested in the martial arts arena. They had already scouted it out and came back saying that it had various training facilities and even a real combat secret realm that simulated different environments.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the courtyard.

When everyone went outside, they saw a group of senior students dressed in various colored academy uniforms surrounding a stall, seemingly arguing about something.

The stall owner was a slick-looking, tall, thin young man wearing the uniform of the Institute of Physics. In front of him were a bunch of strange things—glowing stones, books that turned pages automatically, and little mechanical figures spinning on the ground…

"Hey freshmen, look! The latest 'Automatic Accounting Pen' can help you take class notes with just a few simple commands! Originally 50 credits, but for freshmen only, it's only 30 credits!"

"And this 'constant-temperature medicine furnace' is essential for alchemy and medicine brewing; the temperature error is no more than one-tenth of a degree!"

"This is even more impressive—a 'portable energy detector' that can display the surrounding energy concentration and distribution in real time!"

The older students chimed in with their opinions:

"You skinflint, you're cheating new students out of their credits again!"

"This lousy pen turned three days' worth of my notes into a complete mess last month!"

"That medicine furnace exploded last time, almost burning down the alchemy room!"

The tall, thin young man—Zhou Bapi—remained unfazed: "That's because you didn't handle it properly! These are all top-quality items certified by the Academy of Natural Sciences!"

Li Xian looked at those "inventions," his lips twitching slightly. Although crude, the ideas... were quite interesting. Especially that energy detector, the principle seemed similar to that of the spirit-detecting crystal, but it was made portable.

Superman suddenly whispered in Li Xian's ear: "Scan complete. The core of the 'Automatic Accounting Pen' is a low-quality memory crystal and a rudimentary rune circuit, with an estimated failure rate of 87%. The temperature control array of the 'Constant Temperature Medicine Furnace' has a design flaw, posing a risk of overheating during prolonged operation. The 'Energy Detector'... Hmm, this is interesting. Although its accuracy is low, its structural design has merit."

Li Xian's heart stirred.

Perhaps... in the academy, he could be not only a student, but also a "technical advisor"?

Just then, a cold voice came from behind the crowd:

"Get out of the way."

The crowd parted, and Jin Xuan walked over, sword in hand. He didn't even glance at Zhou Bapi's stall, walking straight past it. Shui Liuli followed behind him, curiously looking at the trinkets, shaking her head, and then left as well.

Zhou Bapi's eyes lit up when he saw Jin Xuan: "Junior Brother Jin! Wait! I have some top-quality 'sword care oil' here, specially made with North Sea whale oil and Gengjin powder. It's guaranteed to make your sword..."

Jin Xuan turned around and glanced at him.

Just one glance.

The second half of Zhou Bapi's sentence stuck in his throat, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he dared not say another word.

Jin Xuan turned and left.

Shui Liuli suddenly stopped and looked at Li Xian: "You... your name is Li Mo, right? Do you want to team up for the 'Secret Realm Trial' tomorrow?"

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

Everyone looked at Li Xian.

Jin Xuan also stopped and looked sideways.

Li Xian was taken aback. Team up? The Secret Realm Trial allows team play?

Shui Liuli said earnestly, "Your energy control is quite unique. My water-based techniques require a stable environment. If we team up, the efficiency should increase by about 23%. Of course, if you don't want to..."

"Okay," Li nodded.

Shui Liuli's eyes lit up: "Great! I'll come find you tomorrow!" She ran off happily, her blue dress fluttering in the evening breeze.

Jin Xuan gave Li Xian a deep look before turning and leaving.

A group of stunned senior and freshmen were left behind.

"He...he accepted Shui Liuli's invitation to join her team?"

"Was Jin Xuan also... just now?"

"Who is this new student?"

Zhou Bapi's eyes darted around, and he moved closer to Li Xian, his face beaming: "This junior is clearly a dragon among men! How about it, want to see my collection? Guaranteed to be high-quality and inexpensive..."

Li Xian laughed: "Senior Zhou, right? There's a problem with the connection method of the third rune loop in your energy detector, which causes the readings in the left half to drift. If you change it to a dual-loop redundant design, the stability should be improved by 40%."

Zhou Bapi's smile froze on his face: "You...how did you know?!"

"Just a guess." Li patted his shoulder and led everyone back to the hospital.

Zhou Bapi was left standing there, staring at the testing device in his hand, looking utterly bewildered.

In the distance, bamboo shadows sway.

The first day at the academy came to an end in the twilight.

But real campus life is just beginning.

(End of Chapter 58)