Martial Conquest of the Nine Desolates

Only a third of the incense stick's burning time had passed, yet over fifteen thousand disciples from the Heavenly Palace had already been eliminated from the competition.

"Elder, Palace Master, I definitely performed abnormally just now, please let this disciple have another chance!"

"Yes, Palace Master, my Martial Arts Heart can't possibly be this weak!"

...

Among these eliminated fifteen thousand plus disciples, many of them bore faces filled with disbelief.

They simply couldn't believe that their Martial Arts Heart could be so weak.

It is worth noting that among these devastated disciples, there was an exceptional disciple from Heavenly Palace with formidable cultivation, and even he had been ousted.

"Hmph, a redo?"

"Do you all mean to say that so many Elders, including the Palace Master, were blind?"

The Law Enforcement Great Elder of the Main Hall, with an unhappy expression, snorted coldly, "The strength of one's Martial Arts Heart has nothing to do with their cultivation. Our Main Hall will not take in disciples with weak Martial Arts Hearts. Strengthen your Martial Arts Heart before you come back!"

Hearing these almost life-and-death decreeing words, the eliminated disciples turned pale one after another.

Especially that outstanding disciple from the Heavenly Palace, who was completely filled with a look of despair, having suffered a heavy blow.

The Martial Arts Heart is unrelated to cultivation—could his Martial Arts Heart truly be inferior to others?

The assessment continued.

Wails of agony rose and fell incessantly, as disciples were continuously ejected from the Bright Jade Stone Platform.

Once half of the incense stick's time had passed, the number of disciples bounced off the White Jade Stone Platform gradually decreased, now only one or two sporadically.

Now, only about eight thousand remained, seated cross-legged on the ten White Jade Stone Platforms.

The watching disciples gasped in amazement, secretly clicking their tongues in awe.

Half the time had passed, and a whole seventy percent of the disciples were eliminated, including those from the Heavenly Palace with profound cultivation.

No wonder the Main Hall's assessment was difficult, perhaps a bit excessively so.

"This is just an illusion created by the Spiritual Shock Wave after it took control of my brain. I must persevere, simply maintain my original heart." Xiao Ye thought to himself.

At this moment, his forehead continuously sweated, and his black robe was drenched with cold sweat.

He only felt as though he had been trapped in a boundless vortex, struggling to climb out, as various terrifying attacks rushed towards him, causing his physical body to endure great pain.

Of course, this pain was also an effect of the Spiritual Shock Wave on the brain and wasn't actual injury.

Xiao Ye was still able to maintain a bit of sanity, which was already quite remarkable.

"I must surpass this kid!"

At this time, Xiao Ye hadn't noticed that several outstanding disciples from Heavenly Palace, including Fang Jie, were casting hostile glances at him.

Xiao Ye, having garnered such attention from the Holy Palace Master in the Taiyi Palace and with his great fame within the Holy Palace, even surpassing the devilish disciples of the Main Hall, induced a lot of jealousy among them; they all wanted to bring him down.

However, at this moment, they lacked the energy to afford more than full attention to the incoming Spiritual Shock Waves coming from the Bright Jade Stone Platforms.

"Um, the performances of these disciples are very good; they should all be able to pass the first round of assessments."

At this moment, the ten Law Enforcement Elders of the Main Hall nodded slightly, their gazes sweeping over the remaining disciples.

They could tell at a glance who could pass the assessment.

For instance, those who showed painful faces and were obviously reaching their extreme were sure to be eliminated.

While those who, despite also showing painful expressions, remained stable and seated like a mountain had a great probability of passing.

From this experience, they could roughly judge which disciples had extremely strong Martial Arts Hearts.

Two of these disciples would enter the Main Hall, and of course, these Law Enforcement Elders of the Main Hall had to pay attention and see if they could find some promising talent to cultivate.

"I remember that disciple, his name is Fang Jie, right? Among the disciples of the Heavenly Palace, his cultivation and strength have always been in the top three. Judging by his state, his Martial Arts Heart must also be quite powerful, and becoming an Emperor Realm powerhouse afterward should not be difficult."

"Yes, Fang Jie is indeed decent, but Xiao Ye, who has caught the eye of the Holy Palace Master and Elders, is just as good." At this time, a Law Enforcement Elder from the Main Hall spoke up, immediately drawing the gaze of the other nine Law Enforcement Elders towards Xiao Ye.

Although Xiao Ye was also in a sorry state, his expression pained and twisted, he seemed to be in a better condition than Fang Jie.

"Tsk tsk, no wonder this kid is so formidable. His Martial Arts Heart is truly strong, and he could probably rank at the top among the devilish disciples of our Main Hall."

"That's only natural, on his first entry into Emperor Valley, he received the Great Emperor's bestowed power, and in every aspect, he must be exceptionally good."

...

The Law Enforcement Elders from the Main Hall and Heavenly Hall were all amazed by Xiao Ye's performance.

At least among the remaining Heavenly Palace disciples, Xiao Ye's performance was definitely in the first or second place, and his likelihood of passing the first round of the assessment was not small.

The Holy Palace Master sat in the chief seat, his gaze sweeping over Xiao Ye, and a satisfied smile emerged on his lips.

Xiao Ye brought him more and more surprises, believing that Xiao Ye would grow to be the backbone of the Holy Palace's disciples, contending with the Four Great Emperor's Sons.

If the Holy Palace Master knew that before Xiao Ye returned, he had even fought with the Absolute Emperor and overwhelmed him in the same realm, he would probably be ecstatic.

Time silently slipped by, and when the incense stick burned to its last portion, the first round of the assessment saw a large number of disciples being ejected again.

They had all persevered to the limit, and even though it was just a bit short, they were unable to hold on any longer.

The spectating disciples felt a boundless regret; if only those Heavenly Palace disciples had held on for just a little while longer, they would have passed.

Those eliminated at the last moment also beat their chests and stamped their feet in frustration.

Finally, the incense stick burned to its base, nearing its end, and currently remaining on the Bright Jade Stone Platforms were only three thousand disciples.

From thirty-five thousand people, reduced suddenly to only three thousand, the elimination rate was over ninety percent, truly terrifying.

"Time is up!"

Just then, the Law Enforcement Great Elder of the Main Hall spoke authoritatively, waving his hand, causing the glow enveloping the ten Bright Jade Stone Platforms to dissipate completely.

"Phew!"

Xiao Ye, feeling the Spiritual Shock Wave receding like a tide, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, opening his eyes.

He had finally passed the first round of the assessment, and the difficulty, for him, was not too great.