The Lightning Gauntlet

Thousands of bolts of lightning struck downwards simultaneously.

Cultivators soared upwards, each employing their own methods. Some were surrounded by rings of golden light, others were shrouded in the phantom of a divine dragon. Ji Ning, surrounded by his protective lotus of water and fire, was actually rather inconspicuous.

"Go!"

A white-robed youth stood atop a black dragon construct. The dragon coiled and undulated, its body occasionally lashing out, its claws grasping in all directions, its tail whipping through the air. For the moment, not a single bolt of lightning could get close.

"Dragon's Tail Sweep."

"Dragon Ascends to the Heavens."

The white-robed youth would softly murmur the names of his techniques from time to time, his eyes filled with fervent excitement. He was clearly completely immersed in controlling the dragon construct, showing boundless exhilaration.

"Half of the construct formation." The black-haired man in the sky above gave the order.

Immediately, over four hundred dragon-headed constructs began to unload a relentless torrent of lightning bolts at Ji Ning and the others who were charging upwards.

"Wonderful! So satisfying! Truly satisfying!" The white-robed youth grew even more excited. The dragon construct he controlled was fully displaying its characteristics, unleashing an overwhelming combat prowess, easily blocking every incoming bolt of lightning.

"Bang!"

The dragon's tail merely grazed several lightning bolts, sending them flying off to the side. Ji Ning happened to be right there.

With the water-fire lotus protecting him, and holding his Northsea swords in hand, Ji Ning casually deflected any lightning bolts that managed to pierce through the lotus's defenses with his twin swords.

His sword-light was like water, natural and flowing, easily blocking all the lightning.

"Hm?" Ji Ning's expression changed.

Three bolts of lightning suddenly struck at him from close range, arriving in an instant. Caught slightly off guard, he was forced to react.

"Not a Single Leak." Ji Ning's swordstyle immediately shifted, and he managed to block the lightning. He couldn't help but glance at the white-robed youth beside him; it seemed he had been caught in the splash damage from the youth's techniques.

The white-robed youth was also looking at Ji Ning, a look of shame on his face. He quickly sent a mental message. "My apologies, my apologies. It was unintentional."

Seeing that the youth had taken the time to send an apology during such a critical moment, Ji Ning actually felt a good impression of him. He sent a message back. "It's nothing."

"I'll be more careful from now on," the white-robed youth messaged again.

"Be careful. Soon, all the constructs will be attacking together," Ji Ning replied with a smile.

The two exchanged messages, clearly both still had energy to spare.

They continued flying upwards!

The dragon heads above grew clearer and clearer. Eight hundred and ten of them densely packed the sky above. Of the figures charging upwards in this wave, two had already been blasted down. Only eight figures remained, continuing to ascend.

"Construct formation, full power!" The black-haired man in the sky gave another order.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. All the dragon heads simultaneously fired upon this area. In an instant, there was nothing but lightning everywhere, countless bolts interweaving. As far as the eye could see, there was only azure electric light. The attack had clearly reached a saturation point.

"Water-Fire Lotus!"

A sharp light flashed in Ji Ning's eyes.

The water-fire lotus blooming around him continuously grew new layers. As old layers were destroyed, new ones were born. Meanwhile, the twin swords in his hands were fully unleashed. In an instant, Ji Ning was surrounded by sword-light, so dense that not a single bolt of lightning could penetrate his defensive swordplay.

"Charge!"

In the blink of an eye, Ji Ning had passed through the saturation attack zone.

Swish!

He shot up like a rocket, flying directly above the dragon-headed construct formation. The world before him cleared, and Ji Ning immediately spotted six Primal Daoists standing nearby.

"Boom!" An incredibly domineering black dragon charged upwards, also breaking through. The white-robed youth standing atop it saw Ji Ning emerge first and flashed him a friendly smile.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Ji Ning flew straight towards the cave entrance, and the white-robed youth also flew over, putting away his construct.

"Boom!" "Rip!" "Break!"

Accompanied by explosions and angry shouts, three more figures emerged from the saturated lightning attack, all charging into the cave.

The cave was several tens of zhang wide. The white-robed youth walked over to Ji Ning. "My name is Mu Northson. I truly am ashamed. It was due to my lack of skill that I disturbed you, brother."

"My name is Ji Ning." Ji Ning smiled back. "It's not your fault. After all, it was the entrance exam. One can't afford to be careless."

The white-robed youth nodded repeatedly.

Ji Ning could clearly sense a hint of youthfulness in him. His face looked even younger than Ji Ning's own. He must have broken through to the Xiantian stage even earlier than Ji Ning had. Ji Ning asked, "Brother Mu, I'm sixteen this year. How old are you?"

"Fourteen," the white-robed youth, Mu Northson, replied.

The expressions of the other three young people who had also charged into the cave immediately changed. They looked at Ji Ning and Mu Northson with extremely complicated feelings… Monsters, absolute monsters. One was sixteen, the other was only fourteen! How old were they? And they had already breached the lightning construct formation faster than they had.

The black-clothed man who was still bearing injuries stared hard at Ji Ning. "This Ji Ning is only sixteen and has already cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the Zifu level. And he broke through so easily. It took me two tries to get in."

Earlier, he had tried to charge alone and failed at the last moment.

After seeing him fail, Ji Ning and the others had each made their own attempts. He had then followed Ji Ning and the others, barely managing to break through by relying on the protection of the white-robed youth Mu Northson's black dragon construct. With the dragon construct blocking some of the fire above, he had a slightly easier time. It was only with that slight advantage that he had managed to force his way in, bearing injuries.

"This is tough," Mu Northson said, looking down from the cave entrance. "This lightning construct formation is truly difficult. No wonder it's the Black-White College."

Ji Ning also looked down.

Below, figures of cultivators were constantly shooting upwards, continuing their attempts.

"It's difficult, but the vast lands of the Anchan Commandery are filled with geniuses," Ji Ning said softly.

Swish!

Another figure broke through the lightning obstacle, arcing down to land at the cave entrance. It was a purple-robed girl with an icy expression. The look in her eyes spoke of an arrogance that had been naturally cultivated since childhood. However, by this point, everyone who had made it into the cave was a genius.

Moments later.

"One incense stick's time is up," the black-haired man announced loudly. Immediately, all eight hundred and ten dragon heads ceased their attack.

Those cultivators who were still desperately struggling upwards tried to keep flying.

"All of you, get down!"

The black-haired man let out a sudden shout.

His gaze instantly became terrifyingly sharp. A powerful wave of divine sense swept across the area below. In an instant, the cultivators who had been striving to fly higher all came to a halt, then plummeted from the sky one by one.

"Divine sense?" Ji Ning's eyes lit up as he observed. "That was a divine sense attack!"

Those cultivators caught in the wave had their eyes glaze over as they fell, clearly their souls had been affected.

"There are attack techniques for divine sense?" Ji Ning's heart began to itch with curiosity. His soul was his greatest strength, already comparable to that of a Primal Daoist. And through his visualization of the Nuwa Diagram, his soul was constantly growing stronger every day. But until now, he had only ever been able to use his divine sense for telekinesis to assist himself.

He had never heard that divine sense could be used with specific techniques to directly attack another person's soul!

When his own divine sense swept over someone, they couldn't even detect it. He also had no way to use it to attack others.

"Divine sense attack?"

"How is it done?"

"I've never heard of such a thing. It must be a profound technique. Since that black-haired man can use it, the Black-White College must possess such techniques." Ji Ning made up his mind in an instant. No matter what, he had to learn such a technique.

...

The six figures, including the black-haired man, all flew into the cave. This group included one with a free and elegant bearing, one who was short and fat, and one who was cold and aloof. Each of them radiated an astonishingly powerful aura.

Ji Ning and the other eight all bowed respectfully. "Greetings, seniors."

"Hm." The six Primal Daoists swept their gazes across the nine of them, with many gazes lingering on Ji Ning for a long time.

"You." The black-haired man pointed at a blue-robed youth wearing a tall crown, whose eyes were darting about nervously.

The blue-robed youth's face changed. He quickly said, "Senior, this junior is Xu of the Donghe clan."

Ji Ning glanced at him.

The Donghe clan? That was one of the eight great powers.

"The Donghe clan?" The black-haired man sneered. "It doesn't matter where you come from. Even if you were from the Beishan clan of Anchan, or even a member of the Grand Xia imperial family, anyone who wishes to enter the Black-White College must follow our rules. You used a Dao talisman, violating the rules. Leave now."

The blue-robed youth gritted his teeth, then turned into a streak of light, flying out of the cave.

"Used a Dao talisman?" Ji Ning looked in surprise at the Donghe clan disciple. At the entrance, there were a set of rules for the recruitment. The use of external aids like Dao talismans was forbidden. One had to rely on one's own strength to pass the trials. Anyone relying on external help was to be disqualified.

"You are Mu Northson?" The black-haired man turned his attention to the white-robed youth, a smile on his face.

"Senior." Mu Northson bowed respectfully.

"Fourteen years old. Not bad. Bring out your construct and let me have a look," the black-haired man said.

"Yes." Mu Northson understood the rules. The use of constructs was also subject to restrictions. For cultivators who followed the path of constructs, if they needed to bring a construct to pass the trial, that construct could not possess intelligence. It also could not have an internal energy core.

The construct had to be powered by the cultivator's own Yuan power.

In truth, the black-haired man and the others had already discerned the truth just by watching. This inspection was merely a formality.

After the inspection.

"Hm." The black-haired man nodded. "Accepted."

Mu Northson put away his black dragon construct.

"You eight." The black-haired man's gaze swept across Ji Ning and the other seven. "Have passed the initial screening. What awaits you now is the final screening. If you pass, you will become disciples of the Black-White College. If you fail, you will have to return home."

"The final screening?"

Ji Ning was secretly alarmed.

Even that black-clothed man, who had reached the seventh stage of the Crimsonbright Diagram, had barely managed to get through with some help. And now there was another screening waiting for them?

"Chong'er," the white-robed woman among the six Primal Daoists spoke up.

The black-clothed youth quickly bowed. "Aunt."

"You have cultivated the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens to the ninth stage, and you will definitely enter our Black-White College. But you are only at the seventh stage now..." The white-robed woman shook her head.

"I can't wait any longer. It would take at least ten or twenty years to reach the ninth stage," the black-clothed youth said urgently.

"You won't be able to pass the final screening," the white-robed woman said.

"Aunt, I want to try," the black-clothed youth said through gritted teeth. Having come this far, how could he just give up?

This only made the white-robed woman shake her head.