Chapter 75: Yuanchu Mountain The Royal Capital Chu Yong

"Fiendgods are coming!" someone exclaimed.

Meng Chuan, Meng Dajiang, and Yan Jin also looked up. Three streaks of light flew across the sky, and they could vaguely make out the three figures: a plain-clothed man leading, followed by a woman in green and a slovenly man.

"Hm?" Meng Chuan and Yan Jin felt their eyes ache, their hearts pound, and their qi and blood become unstable. They couldn't even look directly at them and had to lower their heads. All mortals dared not look further. Meng Dajiang also instinctively lowered his head slightly.

"Flying with their physical bodies?"

"These three can actually fly with their physical bodies. Only Marquis Fiendgods can fly, right?"

"Every year, the Mount Yuanchu entrance examination has a King Fiendgod overseeing it and two Marquis Fiendgods presiding. The one leading them is East River King!" As the bustling crowd lowered their heads, they also conversed via voice transmission. One could transmit their voice as long as they had comprehended 'force' and could externalize their True Qi. Clearly, most of those present could use voice transmission.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three Fiendgods from Mount Yuanchu descended from the sky, landing in another part of Blazing Sun Palace.

"Everyone, East River King and the other two Fiendgods have arrived," announced a goatee-bearded man, one of the Blazing Sun Palace administrators. "All participants of the Mount Yuanchu entrance examination, please line up in the order I call your names. First, Wu Chang from Longyun Prefecture. Second, Zhang Ping from Jiang Prefecture. Third..."

Names were called out one by one. A group of young people lined up in succession.

"Number eighty-seven, Meng Chuan from Wu Prefecture."

Hearing this, Meng Dajiang quickly told Meng Chuan, "It's your turn. Go quickly."

"Okay."

Meng Chuan immediately ran to join the end of the long queue.

"Number eighty-eight, Qi Chou from Yuanchu City." Another young man lined up behind Meng Chuan.

A total of three hundred and twelve people participated in this Mount Yuanchu entrance examination.

"Everyone, follow me," the goatee-bearded man called out loudly. He walked ahead, and the team of over three hundred geniuses obediently followed. Whether they were princes or princesses, descendants of King Fiendgods, or prodigies of exceptional talent... all observed the rules at this moment. Seeing the King Fiendgod and two Marquis Fiendgods display their auras with their own eyes had already made them feel the astonishing gap in power. Just a distant glance had caused their qi and blood to become chaotic. This made them look forward even more to becoming Fiendgods themselves.

They left the square and passed through a palace gate. They arrived at a smaller palace courtyard, where a group of Fiendgods were seated in the distance. These were the Fiendgods from the Great Zhou Dynasty's twenty-three prefectures who had escorted the geniuses, such as Marquis Nanyun, all chatting and laughing. East River King, responsible for overseeing this entrance examination, sat in the main seat, with the other two Marquis Fiendgods on either side of him.

East River King wore plain clothes; with his aura contained, he appeared like an ordinary person, yet he possessed an extraordinary demeanor.

"Marquis West Sea, your son comprehended 'force' at just thirteen years old. His talent can be called exceptionally high! He could be given an extra spot and enter Mount Yuanchu directly. Why did he still come here?" East River King said with a smile.

Marquis West Sea, seated beside him, also laughed, "Senior Brother, my son has always been very opinionated since he was little. He only comprehended 'force' two months ago, yet he insisted on coming to participate in the Mount Yuanchu entrance examination. He said he wanted to compete with all the heroes of the world... That boy doesn't even consider that he just comprehended 'force'. Most of the examinees are much older than him, with deeper cultivation and richer experience. Isn't he just looking for trouble? But he still wanted to come."

"Coming to gain some experience is also good," East River King said with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the more than three hundred geniuses approaching from the distance. His expression subtly changed.

"Hmph."

East River King suddenly let out a cold snort, like a thunderous roar echoing throughout the courtyard. Meng Chuan and the more than three hundred others all flinched in surprise, and even the Fiendgods seemed a little astonished.

"According to Mount Yuanchu's rules, the age limit for participating in the entrance examination is twenty," East River King declared. "Among your three hundred and twelve, there is one who has already passed twenty years of age. Step forward willingly, and you will receive a lighter punishment. If I have to drag you out... I believe you will regret it for the rest of your life."

"Over twenty years old?"

A slight stir went through Meng Chuan's group. Suddenly, two young men stepped out of the line, glancing at each other with a slight surprise.

One of them respectfully bowed towards the assembled Fiendgods: "This junior, Yu Wanfeng from Chang Prefecture, was originally an orphan and was later adopted by the Yu family. This junior does not know his true age."

The other young man also respectfully said, "This junior, Tian Gu from An Prefecture, his hometown was invaded by demon races when he was a child, and he wandered elsewhere... At that time, this junior was young and did not know his exact age. When the Tian family adopted me, they determined I was five years old."

"Tian Gu from An Prefecture, you are twenty-one this year," East River King stated. "You have exceeded the limit and violated Mount Yuanchu's rules. Since you have voluntarily admitted it, you will serve ten years in the military."

"Yes," the young man respectfully bowed.

Normally, military service lasted five years. However, some individuals voluntarily extended their service, such as Meng Dajiang, who served for ten years. Similarly, Ge Yu, the dean of Mirror Lake Dao Academy, stayed at Qinyang Pass for twelve years before he created his saber technique. Therefore, ten years of military service was indeed considered a minor punishment, especially since the individual had stepped forward voluntarily and had wandered as a child.

"A King Fiendgod can tell the age of over three hundred people with just a glance?" Meng Chuan was secretly astonished. He knew Mount Yuanchu had methods to determine age, but he hadn't expected a King Fiendgod could do it with a mere look.

Tian Gu from An Prefecture obediently departed, disqualified from the entrance examination. Yu Wanfeng, on the other hand, felt somewhat fortunate. Clearly, his true age had not exceeded the limit.

Meng Chuan and the three hundred and eleven others stood there, while a large group of family members and relatives also entered the courtyard, though they were kept back by railings, preventing them from approaching further.

"Everyone."

The slovenly man seated beside East River King stood up, took a few steps forward, and smiled at the more than three hundred geniuses, including Meng Chuan. "The Mount Yuanchu entrance examination will take place over two days. Today is the preliminary selection, and tomorrow will be the final selection."

"The preliminary selection consists of three parts. Each part requires reaching a minimum threshold. Those who fail to meet it will be directly eliminated. After all three parts are completed, the overall scores will be calculated, and the top one hundred will pass the preliminary selection. All others will be eliminated."

"The first part of the preliminary selection..."

The slovenly man stood there. With a flick of his sleeve, layers of light appeared before him, each ten zhang long, three zhang wide, and one cun thick. There were densely packed layers of light... an estimated two hundred in total.

"In order, each of you will launch one full-power attack at me. Remember, using Fiendgod forbidden arts is prohibited. The more layers you break through, the more excellent you are. The minimum threshold is twenty layers; if you cannot break through twenty layers, you will be directly eliminated. Begin." The slovenly man stood there, effortlessly controlling the massive layers of light.

"First, Wu Chang from Longyun Prefecture," the goatee-bearded man urged.

A dark-skinned young man stepped forward solemnly, drew his thick-backed broadsword, and immediately took a step forward, furiously chopping. Instantly, black saber light, faintly carrying a roar, slashed against the layers of light, piercing through them one after another.

"Thirty-seven layers. Next, Zhang Ping from Jiang Prefecture," the goatee-bearded man called out.

Each person had only one chance and could only use one move. Don't talk about poor performance; you won't get a second chance in a life-or-death battle with demons.

"Twenty-nine layers. Next, Chu Yong from the Capital." This name immediately drew much attention.

"Chu Yong from the Capital?" Meng Chuan watched carefully. Although he didn't know much about the geniuses across the land, he had heard the name 'Chu Yong.' He was publicly recognized as the top young talent in the Capital, having become famous throughout the world seven years ago. He was also participating in the Mount Yuanchu examination this year.

Chu Yong was tall, dressed in a black robe, and walked forward with a great saber on his back. He drew his saber directly. As his power erupted, black lightning flowed across his entire body. The terrifying might startled all the geniuses present; they all felt an oppressive aura. Meng Chuan was also alarmed; the oppressive feeling this man exuded was even greater than that of the great demon commanders.

"Open!" he roared, like thunder.

His saber light, imbued with black lightning, slammed onto the layers of light with a *boom!* A section of the light layers was instantly destroyed, with only a small portion remaining intact.

"One hundred and ninety-one layers!" the goatee-bearded man exclaimed loudly. A clamor erupted among the onlookers. Fifty-three geniuses had already taken their turn, and none had managed to break through even a hundred layers. Yet, Chu Yong from the Capital had broken through one hundred and ninety-one! The disparity was truly astonishing.

Almost everyone present stared at him. It was truly astounding. The numerous family members and relatives watching were also awestruck. Only a one-eyed old man chuckled, "Haha, that's my grandson, my grandson! How about that? How about that!"

"What a powerful saber strike," Meng Dajiang exclaimed. While he was proud of his own son, the might of this strike still shocked him. It was a move powerful enough to contend with a newly promoted Fiendgod, possessing such terrifying power without even using a Fiendgod forbidden art!