Chapter 213

: Absorbing the Spiritual Qi to my Satisfaction
Translator: 
Kazeyuki_ 
 Editor: 
Jimmy_
The exam proceeded in an orderly and thorough manner.
Six hundred Advanced disciples were led to an open area behind the Main Palace by the examiner. On the four sides of the open area, six long pillars stood there. The material was an unknown type of jade stone that gave people a sense of mysteriousness.
That examiner said:
This area is one of the practicing grounds here at the Stargaze Palace. The place you are standing right now is the central area. In time, this area will emit Spiritual Qi and exude a spiritual pressure as a challenge to you guys. If you cannot withstand it, you can choose to walk outside of these six pillars and you will no longer be affected by the power of the formation. It will be a test of your endurance and all the content in the fourth round of exam. Understand?


Yes!

Ok, there will be a ranking based on the time you can stay inside this circle. You will know your corresponding grades after you get out!


Are you all ready?


Yes!
A unified roar sounded from everyone. Apparently, after a night of rest, regardless of physical fitness or spiritual energy, these Advanced disciples had restored much of it. Thus, they had become energized again. Apparently, all of them wanted to gain a good grade on the second day of the exam.

Ok, then let’s begin!

In the vast open area, six hundred people sat down cross legged after finding their position. Between each person, they had kept a substantial open space to prevent interference of each other.
Yan Feng was among this rank. He found a place to sit down. Suddenly, he raised his head and saw Qin Wushuang sitting across him and blinked his eyes at him.

Brother Qin, this time, you will get a perfect score again!
Yan Feng said.
Qin Wushuang smiled lightly and nodded:
Concentrate, don’t get distracted and just focus on what is before you. Move the Spiritual Qi inside your body in full circles.

Although Qin Wushuang did not know how exactly this Spiritual circle functioned, his experience told him that while facing such spiritual Qi invasion, the best method would be to remain focused and ignore all distractions.
The more you get distracted, the more your attention would disperse and the easier you would get beaten.
As soon as the Spiritual formation circle had started, instantly, all six hundred people at the scene could feel a wave of power squeezing towards them from all sides. That type of feeling was equivalent to discovering a surging wave gushing toward at them at a low ground. This water like pressure would surround them to form impenetrable feeling.
When this Spiritual Qi closed in on them, a portion of mediocre Advanced disciples immediately felt a feeling of suppression in their chest. Instantly, they started to use their Qi to resist.
Totally unaware of it, Qin Wushuang lowered his head and closed his eyes lightly as if he had entered a petrified state as he ignored the changes in the outside world completely.
He stood upright like a pine tree and sat still as a rock.
Currently, regardless of the wind or rain, Qin Wushuang was like a rock in which the shattering of the earth and sky would not make him open his eyes.
The rings of the Spiritual Qi were like a ripples.
Only, these ripples were not spreading outside, but suppressed inside as it kept folding up on itself. The feeling was similar to an endless rope that kept binding, wrapping and tightening in circles.
Although the ripple of this Spiritual Qi did not carry the same impact of a perilous wave, nor was it fierce as the howling wind and the torrential rain, it’s advantage lay over its continuity as it kept pushing forward in the same speed.
As it accumulated little by little, like the thin and sluggish flow of the current forming into the river, like the thin and slender inches of soil forming into the high mountain, the pressure had naturally amassed itself and became richer.
After fifteen minutes, some Advanced disciples felt agitated over the viciousness of the pressure as they started breathe heavily. Their face also became extremely red as if in one careless move, they would fall to death.
However, these people still remained stubbornly seated and no one stood up to give up.
After all, Advanced disciples were still high existence in the Palace. Naturally, no one from the current six hundred Advanced disciples wished to be the first one to abandon their post.
However, soon such perseverance had quickly turned into torture. Those Advanced disciples who remained stubborn only felt a booming ring in their ears. They felt as if their five internal organs was going to break out of their chest and an invisible hand was pressing down and grinding their entire body. This type of pressure had even caused their facial features to become distorted.
Pu!
Finally, someone could not hold on and spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered as he stood up and moved outside of the pillars. This person knew that if he were to stay longer, most likely he would not keep his life, not to mention competing for some grades.
When the first person had appeared to give up, the other Advanced disciples who was barely hanging on let go of their mental defense. Their minds also started to sway and question.
Once their mind lost perseverance, it would not be far from giving up.
One after another, after one hour, more than half of the Advanced disciples had withdrawn. Of course, these people would receive a low grade.
A portion of the Advanced disciples who remained in the square still appeared at ease. One could not tell if they were experiencing any trace of discomfort.
However, the people who were watching from the outside could easily classify which person had a higher strength and endurance. They could tell which group could still hang on and which ones could not.
After an hour of the test, the portion with the higher strength could still defuse the pressure easily.
Although that portion with the mediocre strength was still hanging on barely, they were approaching their limit.
At this stage, the Spiritual Qi was no longer giving a feeling of surging tides. It was as if someone had dug a giant pit that they were thrown into there and cups of dirt would pour in continuously.
It was a sense of being buried alive that gave people a dark and death-like choking feeling.
Hu!
A few other people jumped out and ran outside of the pillars as if their lives depended on it. If they were to hold another moment, most likely they would have even spat out their hearts from their mouths.
When the pressure had reached this level, it was not tolerable for normal Advanced disciples.
Currently, Yan Feng was also biting his lips to hold on. He wanted to give up a numerous times, however, he was spurred on as he watched Qin Wushuang’s calm and collected expression and his temperament. Thus, it had made him hold on for another fifteen minutes unconsciously.
Now, a river of sweat streamed down from Yan Feng’s forehead. Beads of sweat kept dropping down and the veins on his forehead had become twice the size of normal
He knew that if he did not get out, the penetrating Spiritual Qi would most likely explode his blood vessels and arteries. He sighed helplessly inwardly and saw only a dozen of people had remained in the giant formation circle. And most of them were Upper Sky Warriors.
He looked at Qin Wushuang again as if he had just entered the zone and did not show any form of pressure. His expression revealed that he was free of pressure. It was if he was not inside the Spiritual formation circle, but at a hot-spring enjoying the sensation and feeling pleased.
Exactly as Yan Feng had thought, currently, Qin Wushuang was enjoying it. He was different than the others. For the others, despite being Advanced disciples, they were fighting against this Spiritual Qi pressure on the string. Qin Wushuang was the exception, he was like a ferocious mythological animal absorbing the Spiritual Qi unleashed from this formation.
The Spiritual Qi released from this formation circle was extremely rich. It was at least ten times richer than the Spiritual Qi he had encountered anywhere else. Of course, it made Qin Wushuang feel as comfortable as lying on a pillow.
Unconsciously, he initiated the <Power of Deep North> and kept absorbing the Spiritual Qi. Initially, he was only absorbing the Qi around himself.
When he initiated the <Power of Deep North> at a high speed, the Spiritual Qi around him was not enough. Of course, he had to increase the absorbing range.
He moved the tip of his fingers slightly and put both of his hands on the knee. While it appeared as a simple sitting position, Qin Wushuang knew clearly that it was the hand sign for the use of the <Power of Deep North>.
He stuck his two thumbs slightly forward and was using the Young Shang acupoint. He used this acupoint, combined with the <Power of Deep North> technique to absorb the Qi in front of him. He would start with the Young Shang acupoint and travel in a path to reach the Middle Manufacturing acupoint.
For this path, Qin Wushuang was extremely familiar with it. Initially, while he was at the Virtuous Mountain Summit, he had absorbed the inner core of the Flame Cloud Vulture and that sea of Spiritual Qi from the man in black, of course it was like a walk in the park for him without any form of sluggishness.
Yan Feng, who was barely holding on suddenly felt that the pressure had been lifted from his body. The binding of the Spiritual Qi seemed to have been absorbed away by someone. His body that had been bound by the rope had become extremely relaxed as the rope had been untied.
Overjoyed, Yan Feng could not understand what had happened for a time. He only felt that whenever the surrounding Qi touched the top layer of the skin, some tyrannical force had immediately absorbed it away and could not form an effective binding.
It made Yan Feng who was about to give up grasp the lifeline like a drowning man grabbing onto a sampan in the water. Feeling euphoric, Yan Feng immediately returned to the position of sitting cross legged and started to pretend to use the Spiritual Qi.
Although Qin Wushaung did not open his eyes, he had intentionally caused what Yan Feng was feeling.
He felt that Yan Feng was on the verge of giving up. Since these two shared a relationship and Yan Feng was the one that had led him to the Nature Manifestation Valley, he was able to acquire those eight Spiritual cores and the Upper Sky Initial Pills. With all of these acts of kindness, Qin Wushuang would not ignore the opportunity to carry Yan Feng.
Only, Qin Wushuang had grasped the right amount of power. The absorption range was only limited in the area between him and Yan Feng. He would never extend it to the other’s areas.
Thus, all the other Advanced disciples did not even notice this subtle changes around him.
This way, in this formation circle, Yan Feng had become the most relaxed besides Qin Wushuang.
After all, for other disciples, even if they were Upper Sky warriors, they could not absorb under the impact of the Spiritual Qi. Not everyone had the devilish technique as the <Power of the Deep North>. Those people could only resist against the Qi, and while Wushuang could absorb it directly.
The difference between absorbing and resisting appeared game-changing!
Even the examiners outside the exam location could not experience such subtle changes.
After four hours, people continued to give up. Less and less people remained in the circle. In the end, all the Upper Sky Advanced disciples had withdrawn. Only four people remained.
Among these four people, besides Qin Wushuang and Yan Feng, the other two Upper Sky disciples had showers of sweat on their foreheads. They were on the verge of giving up at any time.
Of course, Yan Feng could not help but show
showers of sweat
on his forehead. Only, he had used all his effort to fake these showers of sweats.
Although forcing himself to sweat was difficult, it was relatively easier in comparison to resisting against those endless waves of Spiritual Qi.
Even the examiners outside the exam was feeling astonished by the performance of Yan Feng, the
dark horse.