Evan Yang was curious about what kind of test the Palace Lord would give him. Suddenly, ten wooden dummies appeared around him. Seeing these, Evan asked suspiciously, "Palace Lord, just these wooden dummies?"
"Don't underestimate these wooden dummies. Try sparring with them, you'll see," said the Palace Lord. Evan nodded, walked up to the nearest dummy, and punched it. Although the dummy didn't dodge, Evan's punch landed solidly.
With a loud clang, Evan realized this dummy wasn't ordinary wood—it was much harder than stone. His punch had no effect at all.
Evan frowned in confusion. "What..."
"These are made from special wood. If you can knock them all down, you pass," came the voice from within the vortex.
Evan's expression turned serious. "Alright."
Knowing brute force wouldn't work, Evan had to think of another way. But sealing arts were useless—they were just dead objects, after all.
This chapter isn't over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
The wooden dummies had already closed in on Evan, trying to corner him. Evan refused to let that happen—he drew the Limitless Spear, aimed at one dummy, and extended it, instantly shoving that dummy away. But nine still surrounded him.
The remaining dummies began attacking Evan with their hands—each arm could detach from their bodies, hammering him with relentless punches.
Evan Yang was shielded by his Earth‑Rock Aegis, but even so, those punches were hard to endure. "Damn it."
He withdrew the Limitless Spear and spun it overhead. The spinning spear forced the wooden dummies back, but only pushed them away—they still wouldn't fall.
"I refuse to believe I can't do it." Evan enlarged the Limitless Spear and smashed it onto one dummy, pressing it to the ground. Once it was pinned, it didn't get up again.
"Nice, one down. Nine more to go," the voice inside laughed.
Evan kept using the same method, but after each takedown, he looked increasingly battered.
When all ten were finally down, Evan took a breath, thinking he'd passed. But then the dummies broke apart and reassembled into a huge, complex wooden giant.
"No way!" Evan exclaimed in shock.
"This is their combined form. This is your final trial. Defeat it and you win," the voice inside laughed.
Evan could only sigh, spreading his hands and activating his transformation. His hands turned green, looking almost frightening. Inside the vortex, the Palace Lord asked curiously, "What kind of hands are those?"
"Just a technique," Evan replied with a smile. After transforming, his hands resonated even more strongly with his Soul Battle Will. He didn't know why, but he was sure that even if he faced a Heavenly Dao expert, he could pin them down.
So Evan leapt straight onto the giant's head and, at top speed, pinned it down to the ground, leaving it completely unable to move.
The person inside the vortex was stunned. Normally, only Heavenly Dao experts could do what Evan just did.
"Strong. Very strong," the voice inside the vortex said, shocked.
"Palace Lord, this thing won't get back up, will it?" Evan asked, frustrated.
The Palace Lord laughed, "No, it won't. Go downstairs, they're waiting for you."
Evan replied to the vortex, "Alright." He was still curious about the Palace Lord's real appearance, but before he knew it, he was already downstairs. There, he saw Tony Tong and the other two elders.
Tony Tong greeted Evan, "Congratulations."
"You already know?" Evan was surprised they'd heard the news. Tony Tong laughed, "Of course. The Palace Lord told us as soon as you came down and praised you a lot."
"Thanks, everyone. So, when can I officially enter?" Evan asked.
"Anytime. But first, you need to settle your marriage—we're all waiting to drink at your wedding. Otherwise, Brother Brandon will chop us up for stealing his daughter," Tony Tong joked.
What Evan liked most was the intense training atmosphere here. He was sure he'd become even stronger in this place.
"You seniors are joking," Evan said with a smile.
Tony Tong grinned and led Evan and the others back to where Brandon and the rest were waiting. Gavin White asked curiously, "How did it go?"
"I passed," Evan replied.
"Really? That's great! Senior Tony, when can I take the assessment? I want to join Heavenly Dao Academy too," Gavin White said with a smile.
"You? You don't need any assessment—you're directly approved," Tony Tong laughed.
"Why do I get in without a test, but he had to take one?" Gavin White asked, puzzled.
Tony Tong laughed, "He's different. His test was for the Elite Temple—only a few are qualified to enter there. If you want to join that, then you'll need to take the assessment."
Evan hadn't even known what kind of test he'd taken, but now Tony Tong's words made him curious. Gavin White joked, "So, how does the Elite Temple assessment work?"
"Basically, you face ten opponents, each way stronger than you," Tony Tong laughed.
Hearing this, Gavin White sighed, "Forget it, I can't explode as monstrously as he does."
"That's right," Tony Tong laughed. Evan hadn't realized he was sent to the Palace Lord for this reason, but those dummies really were stronger than him—especially since there were ten. Luckily, he could transform, or else he never would've beaten that giant wooden construct.
Brandon White was delighted that both Evan and Gavin had entered Heavenly Dao Academy, but he told Gavin and the Yang clan members, "You all go home first. I'll discuss some matters with Senior Tony and the others."
"Okay," Gavin White replied. So Evan, Gavin, and the Yang family members left first.
Tony Tong asked curiously, "Why did you let them go ahead? Is there something you want to discuss with us?"
Brandon White looked at the three and said, "Aren't you three my best friends?"
"Of course, Brother Brandon. What's gotten into you today?" Tony Tong replied, a little suspicious as he heard this.
"Do you remember how my wife died all those years ago?" Brandon White asked.
The three were caught off guard by Brandon White bringing this up. Tony Tong asked curiously, "Brother Brandon, why are you thinking about that again?"