The Gauntlet of the Black-White College

Chapter 0157: The Final Barrier

As one of the presiding hosts for this round of disciple recruitment, Fairy Hua Yun naturally understood the difficulty of the final trial all too well. Her junior, ‘Hua Chong,’ had absolutely no chance of success.

“The eight of you, follow me,” the black-haired middle-aged man said.

Immediately, the six Primal Daoists led the way, with Ji Ning and the other seven following behind.

Ji Ning glanced at the black-robed youth beside him. The youth’s eyes held unwillingness and a hint of madness. Aunt Hua Yun… held an extremely high status within the Hua clan. Although the Hua clan had an Immortal guarding them, Fairy Hua Yun was a Primal Daoist of the Black-White College, with combat power enough to match an ordinary Immortal.

Fairy Hua Yun’s words were something he generally had to obey. But… he had to enter the Black-White College. He had to follow in his aunt’s footsteps and enter the Black-White College!

“I must enter.”

“The Heavenly Dao always leaves a sliver of hope,” the black-robed youth gritted his teeth.

…

They walked along the deep, winding cave for a time before arriving at a fork. Ahead of them lay nine separate tunnels.

“Stop,” the black-haired middle-aged man said.

Ji Ning and the other seven halted.

“Each of these nine tunnels is guarded by a formal Zifu Disciple of our Black-White College,” the black-haired man said, his gaze sweeping across Ji Ning and the others. “You eight will each choose a tunnel.”

Ji Ning and the rest all changed expression.

What? They would be guarded by formal Zifu Disciples of the Black-White College? Those were disciples who had trained in top-tier techniques and methods! And all of them, the candidates, were only at the early Zifu stage in Ki Refining.

“After you enter your chosen tunnel, you will encounter the guarding disciple. If you can break past their defense… and charge out of the tunnel, you will become a disciple of the Black-White College,” the black-haired man said, a smile appearing on his face. “Rest assured. The guarding Zifu Disciples are only permitted to use a single type of technique. You, however, are allowed to go all out… and you do not need to defeat the guarding disciple. You merely need to rush out of the tunnel to succeed. Afterward, we will gather on the summit of this mountain.”

“Understood.”

Ji Ning and the others all acknowledged.

“Good. Go ahead,” the black-haired man instructed.

Immediately, the candidates each casually selected a tunnel. Ji Ning pondered briefly, then chose one as well. The black-robed youth hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and entered a tunnel.

Everyone entered their respective passages.

“Wu Xiu,” the short, fat baldy said with a laugh. “You’ve been overseeing this recruitment from start to finish. Tell me, out of these eight, how many do you think will become disciples of the Black-White College?”

“If you ask me…” the black-haired middle-aged man hesitated, then said, “Of the eight, Ji Ning is definitely guaranteed to succeed!”

“Mm.”

“Right, that’s certain.”

“Everyone knows Ji Ning will pass. Wu Xiu, who among the other seven do you think has a chance?”

The others laughed and said.

The black-haired man thought for a moment, then replied, “Ji Ning is the only one of the eight I’m fully confident in. All seven of the others are in danger. If I have to name one… the fourteen-year-old Mu Northson, who controls the Azure Dragon puppet, might also have a chance.”

“Yes.”

“Right. Aside from Ji Ning, the others are all in danger. Especially Fairy Hua Yun’s clansman. He relied on a bit of cleverness to get through the Thunder-Lightning Puppet Grand Formation. There’s no way he’ll pass this final trial.”

“Everyone knows that. You’re not the only clever one,” the white-robed woman said, glaring at the long-bearded middle-aged man.

…

As the Primal Daoists chatted among themselves, they simultaneously extended their divine sense, observing everything that happened in each of the tunnels.

“It’s Yinxue Wenjian.”

“The tunnel Ji Ning chose is guarded by that boy from the Yinxue clan. Yinxue Wenjian is extremely proud. He won’t let Ji Ning pass easily.” The Primal Daoists leisurely watched the events unfolding in the eight tunnels.

Inside the tunnel Ji Ning had chosen.

About thirty zhang from the entrance, a white-robed youth stood. On the left breast of his robe were three drops of blood. A white robe with three drops of blood… was something only a gifted child recognized by the Yinxue clan was qualified to wear.

The Yinxue clan… was a top-tier, major tribe outside of the Anchan Commandery.

“They want me to guard?” the white-robed youth, Yinxue Wenjian, muttered to himself. A flying sword floated before him. He gently reached out and flicked it. HUM~~~ The sword’s chime immediately filled the cave, causing him to close his eyes involuntarily, a look of enjoyment on his face. “No matter how talented you are, once you choose the tunnel I’m guarding, you might as well forget about succeeding.”

Yinxue Wenjian’s pride would never allow him to let a junior at the early Zifu stage of Ki Refining successfully pass his guard.

“One sword…”

“I’m only permitted to use this one sword. But still, that’s enough.” The white-robed youth flicked the sword’s body again, listening to its chime. It was as if the sword was playfully coquettish with him, and he smiled.

From the day he was born, he had slept with a wooden sword.

His parents had named him ‘Wenjian’ (Asking of the Sword). After thirty years of training, all his achievements were in the sword. He felt as if he himself were the sword, and the sword were him. Although he possessed the secret arts of the Yinxue clan, the clan had still sent him to the Black-White College in Anchan City. He had lived up to their expectations and entered the college.

“He’s here.” The white-robed youth sensed a fluctuation.

Suddenly, a disgruntled voice came from outside: “Out of nine tunnels and eight challengers, not a single one chose mine… Brothers, don’t let any of those juniors get past you.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Niu.”

“Junior Brother Niu, you really are pitiable.”

“You’ve been waiting in vain for so long.”

“Brother Niu, although I can only use this single magic treasure, there’s no way those juniors are getting past me.”

Voices sounded out one after another.

Yinxue Wenjian even shouted: “Junior Brother Niu, wait a moment. I’ll crush this boy and we’ll head back together.”

Footsteps rang out.

Yinxue Wenjian immediately looked carefully into the distance. From deep within the tunnel, a figure emerged. It was a youth with a delicate, handsome face, dressed in animal skins. He held a sword in each hand and walked forward with a smile on his face.

“Junior,” Yinxue Wenjian said calmly, flicking the flying sword before him once more. The sword’s chime echoed. “Remember this. The one who blocks you from entering the Black-White College is Yinxue Wenjian.”

“I am—” Ji Ning began.

“No need to say it,” Yinxue Wenjian cut him off. “We won’t be meeting again anyway. There’s no need for you to announce your name.”

Ji Ning frowned.

Arrogant enough.

Very well… if that was the case, he would simply win cleanly and decisively.

“Descent of the Thunder Swamp!” Yinxue Wenjian murmured softly. As his voice left his mouth, the flying sword before him instantly erupted with a rumbling sound of thunder. Strands of lightning appeared around it, countless bolts of electricity coiling around the blade as it shot toward Ji Ning with an earth-shaking roar. Its power was astonishing.

The might of this single sword strike alone far surpassed that of Immortal Xu Li or the Rhinoceros Demon.

The sword seemed to transform into an endless sea of lightning, striking with incredible speed.

“Lotus Bloom.” Ji Ning smiled faintly. A Water-Fire Lotus instantly bloomed around him, unfurling layer by layer to a total of six.

CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE…

The lightning-infused sword strike blasted through six layers of lotus petals in succession, but its speed was noticeably slowed. Ji Ning’s Northsea sword, with a seemingly simple, circular motion, easily deflected the ferocious attack to the side.

“Quite powerful,” Ji Ning thought, frowning slightly. Although he had seemingly caught the blow with ease, the force had actually split the skin of his tiger’s-mouth palm.

“Not bad, you do have some skill. But it’s useless!” Yinxue Wenjian roared, “Prison of the Thunder God!”

The flying sword hovered in mid-air as violet, lightning-serpents began to appear around it. These serpentine arcs formed the shape of a prison cage, and a powerful, oppressive aura filled the entire cave.

“To be defeated by this technique of mine, you should consider yourself honored,” Yinxue Wenjian said coldly. “Go!”

BANG!

The lightning prison swiftly descended toward Ji Ning.

“As expected of a Black-White College disciple. With just a single flying sword, they can guide the power of Heaven and Earth to unleash such destructive force,” Ji Ning praised. Then, a host of flying swords suddenly appeared around him—seven hundred and twenty-nine swords in total.

“A sword formation!” Yinxue Wenjian’s face changed.

Anything involving a ‘formation’ was not to be underestimated. The more flying swords there were, if their power could be flawlessly united, the resulting force would increase geometrically! As a Black-White College disciple, Yinxue Wenjian naturally had sword formation arts of his own. But for this guarding duty, he was restricted to using only a single sword.

Seven hundred and twenty-nine flying swords hovered in the air.

Among them were eighty-one Human-ranked flying swords: the nine swords from the ‘Nine Yang Sword Formation’ that Ji Ning had acquired in the aquatic estate, and the seventy-two swords he had obtained from killing Immortal Xu Li. Although he had other Human-ranked swords, they were insufficient in number and too mixed in origin; Ji Ning didn’t use them.

The nine swords of the Nine Yang Sword Formation served as the core array base. The other seventy-two Human-ranked swords, all from the same source, surrounded them, forming a grand formation of eighty-one flying swords.

These eighty-one flying swords then led the remaining six hundred-plus unranked swords.

HUM…

Ji Ning’s Yuan power was channeled through his flying swords and transformed. His soul, which had already reached the level of divine sense, was more than capable of controlling all seven hundred-plus swords. In front of his chest, a blade of sword-light coalesced, its power terrifying to behold.

The reason its power was so great was largely due to the nine rare flying swords from the aquatic estate. Each one was no less than a Earth-ranked treasure in quality, and they were all from the same source, making them exceptionally rare.

“Kill!”

With a thought from Ji Ning.

WHOOSH!

The sword-light, condensed into the shape of a flying sword, shot through the air and slammed into the descending lightning prison. BOOM! The prison held for a moment before exploding.

“Go! Go! Go!” Ji Ning condensed three more sword-light blades in quick succession, sending them all hurtling forward.

“Not good.” Yinxue Wenjian’s expression shifted greatly.

He was, after all, only at the peak Zifu stage. Ji Ning, through the conversion of the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, had refined his sword-light to a purity that rivaled a Wanxiang Adept. In terms of sword technique… Yinxue Wenjian, who had absorbed the essence of both the Yinxue clan and the Black-White College, was naturally superior. But when it came to the realm of the Dao, Ji Ning was a cut above. So as soon as Ji Ning activated the Lesser Thousand Sword Formation, it was Yinxue Wenjian who found himself on the losing side.

“The Big Dipper.” With no other choice, Yinxue Wenjian instantly summoned seven flying swords wreathed in lightning. The seven swords surrounded him, and massive stars began to manifest around them—the stars of the Northern Dipper.

“Suppress!” Yinxue Wenjian roared.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Ji Ning’s three sword-light blades were all shattered by the slowly rotating seven stars.

“Hmph.” Yinxue Wenjian immediately turned, collected his flying swords, and transformed into a streak of light, fleeing away. He was supposed to only use one sword… Having been forced to reveal his other magic treasures, he had naturally lost.

“Truly impressive,” Ji Ning thought, watching the Black-White College disciple named ‘Yinxue Wenjian’ leave. He couldn’t help but marvel. “He must have been restricted by the college to only use one flying sword. Once he was able to unleash his true methods… he could instantly suppress my Lesser Thousand Sword Formation. After all, he’s at the peak of the Zifu stage, and I’m at the early Zifu stage. When facing a fellow peerless genius, the gap in Yuan power becomes very clear.”

But Ji Ning didn’t realize…

That he only needed to fly out of the tunnel’s mouth. Instead, he had forced the guard to use his true abilities.

“The Black-White College.” Ji Ning strolled out of the cave, stepping onto a flying boat. He took in the endless scenery of the surrounding mountains. From this moment on, he was truly a member of the Black-White College.