Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister

Chapter 532: Less Talk, Start the Exam Already

Qin Yan immediately spotted the striking Lin Fengmian in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Lin Fengmian flashed a radiant smile at her. However, Qin Yan’s gaze turned murderous, as if she wanted to bite this scoundrel to death!

If it weren’t for this bastard framing her and ruining her reputation, how could she have ended up in such a disgraceful situation?

Now, no matter how much she explained, it only made things worse. Everyone believed that she had been violated by this guy.

What frustrated her most was that when she reported the matter to Grand Elder Zhou Yuanhua, he simply advised her to let it go and maintain peace.

Unwilling to accept this, she dared not approach the lecherous Xu Zhichang, so she turned to Elder Nangong, another woman, for help.

Yet even Elder Nangong urged her to downplay the incident and treat it as a lesson learned.

Was there no justice left?

Was there no law?

Everyone had their own thoughts, and frankly, no one was interested in listening to Zhou Yuanhua’s long-winded speech. They all looked listless.

In the VIP seats, Jun Yunshang listened to the empty, grandiose words that were even more unbearable than Jun Qingsheng’s. She felt completely desperate.

“Did I come here to listen to your nonsense?”

Just as Elder Zhou Yuanhua was about to continue his rambling, a cold, feminine voice suddenly echoed in his ears.

“Enough talk. Proceed with the examination. This Empress has other matters to attend to!”

His expression instantly turned vivid with shock, and he looked toward a prime VIP box.

There, behind a gauzy curtain, he could faintly see the silhouette of a woman.

Empress Fengyao!

Jun Yunshang’s presence scared Zhou Yuanhua out of his wits.

He immediately skipped several hundred thousand words and got straight to the point.

“…To keep it brief, this time the exam will take place in the Demon Subjugation Pagoda! The ninety-ninth floor of the Nether Moon Ten Thousand Demons Pagoda.”

Upon hearing this, Nangong Xiu and the others who were familiar with him couldn’t help but look at him strangely.

Elder Zhou usually talked for hours. What happened today?

Did he have a stomachache?

When they heard Zhou Yuanhua’s announcement, even the supervisors, including Qin Yan, were stunned.

Had the examination format been changed at the last minute?

“How could this be? Previous exams were always combat trials or team battles!”

“Exactly! Why the sudden change? What’s going on?”

…

Among the participating disciples, some were delighted, while others were dismayed.

Ding Bonan and other aristocratic disciples’ expressions changed drastically, filled with disbelief.

After all, they had spent so many spirit stones to bribe their way through, only to be told that the examination format had changed?

Who could accept such a waste of Spirit Stones?

On the other hand, the talented but less privileged students were overjoyed.

This way, they wouldn’t have to compete with others or fear the influence of the powerful. They could rely solely on their own abilities to climb the pagoda.

On the throne, Jun Qingsheng’s heart sank and he sighed helplessly.

“It’s over. Wuxie has no chance now!”

Meanwhile, Queen Ding Wanqiu felt a sense of satisfaction. The change was for the better.

“You little brat, let’s see how you die!”

Concubine Xuan, who had accompanied Jun Qingsheng, looked confused, unable to grasp the significance of the change.

Zhou Yuanhua stroked his beard, coughed, and said, “Silence! The rules are simple this time. The ranking will be determined by the number of floors cleared.”

“The top ten will go to the Heavenly Fiend Blood Refinement in Junlin. If more than one person clears the same number of floors, the one with the shorter total time will be ranked higher!”

“Spiritual energy cannot be replenished inside the pagoda. There’s no time limit per floor, and weapons are unrestricted, but pills are not allowed. Violators will be disqualified!”

“If you are unable to continue, you can voluntarily give up and be teleported out. In critical situations, the overseers will intervene to rescue them!”

Upon hearing these specific rules, Ye Yingying’s face fell. The rules were particularly disadvantageous for her.

Since pills were prohibited, her poison pills would be useless, significantly reducing her combat effectiveness.

But the rules were the rules, and she couldn’t change them.

Zhou Yuanhua dared not waste any more time. He exchanged glances with Nangong Xiu and the others.

Each of them took out a jade box sealed with a golden talisman. With a solemn expression on his face, he bowed to Jun Qingsheng.

“This is the Nether Moon Ten Thousand Demons Pagoda for this trial. Please, Heavenly Grace King, inspect the seal to ensure fairness.”

Jun Qing Sheng stood up, checked the seal, and nodded. “This king confirms that the seal is intact!”

Xu Zhichang sneered. “You all have quite the plan. That boy is the youngest son of the Heavenly Grace King, right?”

“Letting the Heavenly Grace King inspect the seal? As if he’d find anything wrong!”

Unaware of these thoughts, Zhou Yuanhua declared, “Unseal the pagodas and connect them to the spiritual vein!”

The three of them removed the seals simultaneously. Inside each box were three miniature pagodas, which they summoned and sent into the square. The pagodas rapidly expanded, connected to the spiritual vein of the square, and emitted a dazzling divine light. The beasts carved on the pagodas seemed almost alive, as if they were about to jump out at any moment.

Lin Fengmian was speechless. Other Demon Subjugation Pagodas weren’t this flashy.

“Did they add special effects just to impress mortals?”

Elder Nangong Qiong and the other two elders hovered in the air, supervising the square to prevent any disturbances.

The nine overseers flew to the top of the pagodas and placed their hands on the pearls at the top to monitor the situation inside.

Zhou Yuanhua announced, “This trial will have nine contestants per round, each of whom will enter one pagoda. If someone is eliminated, the next person will automatically take their place.”

“Now, those whose names are called, step forward! Xu Luo, Xu Qingming, Luo Yusheng, Ye Yingying Chen Chaoyan, Luo Jinfeng!”

He called out nine names, including three of the most anticipated participants, probably due to their exceptional strength.

After all, these three were expected to last the longest in the pagoda.

By having them occupy three pagodas, the remaining six could be used by other disciples in rotation, saving time.

Soon the nine stepped forward and flew into their respective pagodas. The first floors of all nine pagodas immediately lit up.

Those outside couldn’t see what was happening inside, but they could see the pagodas lighting up floor by floor.

At the same time, a jade tablet at the top of each pagoda displayed the time it took to clear each floor, as well as the total time.

Zhou Yuanhua also set up a jade plaque in the square, displaying the names of the nine contestants and constantly updating their rankings.

The audience and disciples watched the illuminated pagodas and the rankings, clearly seeing the relative strengths of the contestants, and discussed animatedly.

“Luo Jinfeng is indeed the strongest, cutting through like a hot knife through butter. I wonder how many floors he’ll get through.”

“Chen Chaoyan isn’t far behind, flying through each floor in no time. Beautiful and powerful – a dream goddess.”

“Ah, Ye Yingying is out of luck. A poison master with no pills? Her strength is greatly diminished.”

…

Under Zhou Yuanhua’s direction, the nine overseers would periodically change the pagodas they were watching to prevent deaths or cheating.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, one of the pagodas suddenly emitted a bright light, and the door to the thirty-second floor swung open.

A disciple flew out, his face filled with regret as he looked at the dimming pagoda in frustration.

“Damn it, that beast ambushed me!”

Nangong Xiu coldly said, “Those who have completed the test, go to the rest area. Do not communicate with those who have yet to take the test.”

The disciple bowed his head and went to the rest area.

Nangong Xiu called out another name, and another disciple entered the now-dim pagoda, reigniting it.

This process repeated itself, with disciples coming and going, some filled with regret or frustration.

Most of the disciples were eliminated around the forty-fifth floor, while Chen Qingyan and the others continued to advance and had already reached the fiftieth floor.

After several rounds, Nangong Xiu finally called out, “Ding Bonan, Jun Wuxie!”

Ding Bonan glanced at Lin Fengmian and coldly said, “Hmph, Jun Wuxie, don’t tell me you can’t even reach the fortieth floor!”

Lin Fengmian snapped open his folding fan, smiled at him and said, “That remains to be seen. I’m more worried about you not making it.”

The two of them entered their respective pagodas, and the Nether Moon Ten Thousand Demons Pagodas lit up once again.