Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 515: Top 20 Selection

Li Qingyi advanced smoothly, and Xu Ping’an then left the arena, returning to his own residence.

For him at the moment, every second counted.

By tomorrow’s final, he needed to master Spatial Cutting Momentum and comprehend the Rift Sky Secret Technique.

The difficulty was considerable, but the greater the challenge, the more Xu Ping’an felt excited.

Thus, he immediately took out his Immortal Blade to cultivate.

He didn’t start with the Rift Sky Secret Technique right away but tried to integrate Spatial Cutting Momentum into his own swordsmanship.

Xu Ping’an attempted it over and over again, continuously swinging his blade.

The floor in his room was marred with slashes from his blade.

The process of integrating Spatial Momentum was also one of comprehending it; for Xu Ping’an, gaining understanding through practice might have been faster.

About two Hours later, Xu Ping’an could skillfully integrate Spatial Momentum into his swordsmanship.

With a single slash, he created a rift over a meter deep in the ground.

"Start comprehending the Rift Sky Secret Technique," Xu Ping’an muttered to himself.

He then started to attempt comprehending the Rift Sky Secret Technique.

The Rift Sky Secret Technique was a secret technique that merged True Yuan with Spatial Momentum.

This technique could unleash extremely powerful forces of Spatial Momentum.

With the foundation of integrating the technique into his swordsmanship, Xu Ping’an’s comprehension became significantly faster.

What others found exceedingly difficult to comprehend, the Rift Sky Secret Technique, Xu Ping’an had already gotten the hang of in just one Hour.

After a night of strenuous training, dawn of the next day quickly arrived.

As per his routine, Xu Ping’an washed up, then headed to the martial arts field.

At this moment, Situ Lie and others had also arrived at the field.

"If you’re really not confident about getting into the top five, it’s okay," Situ Lie thought aloud.

Although Xu Ping’an’s performance yesterday was incredibly stunning, shocking him.

But what Xu Ping’an had shown was purely his talent in combat techniques; his own cultivation was still a considerable distance from Ninth Rank.

Yesterday’s battles were mostly Eighth Rank, but today’s would be Ninth Rank.

For Xu Ping’an to use spatial attributes to contest with those Ninth Rank geniuses, the difficulty would still be quite immense.

"Don’t worry, uncle, I’ll do my best," Xu Ping’an said with a smile, not giving any promises.

Although after a night of hard cultivation, he had some confidence in his own strength.

But since he hadn’t performed to his true potential, it was still hard to predict the outcome.

Soon, almost everyone had arrived.

Today’s competition was to select twenty out of twenty-five, as well as the final five.

As for the arrangements, that was still up to the officials.

It wasn’t long before a figure stepped forward.

This person was the national advisor of the Great Flame Immortal Dynasty’s imperial capital.

"The upcoming competition will continue to use the elimination system, but the method will change," the elderly man said.

After speaking, he waved his hand, and a gigantic bronze drum appeared in the air.

"This item is called the Mountain Shaking Drum. All twenty-five of you will take turns attacking the Mountain Shaking Drum, which will assign a grade based on your Attacks. The five with the lowest grades will be eliminated directly," the old man explained.

Immediately, whispers of discussion erupted among the crowd.

Xu Ping’an didn’t show much surprise.

This was indeed a good method of selection.

"Wu Qing, this seems to put you at a disadvantage," Situ Lie remarked with a frown.

Xu Ping’an’s cultivation was only at Seventh Rank Ninth Layer Realm, so his Attack Power became his weakness.

This was extremely disadvantageous for Xu Ping’an.

"No worries, I’m fairly confident about making the top twenty," Xu Ping’an said with a smile.

Hearing this, Situ Lie didn’t say more.

Still, he remained somewhat concerned.

Situ Xingfeng and Situ Qianqian also looked worried, evidently sharing Situ Lie’s thoughts.

"Next, I will call out names. Perform your strongest Attack, but of course, if you’re confident enough, you can hold back," the national advisor stated.

After speaking, he read out a name.

The person called was a disciple from the Flying Sky Sect, a cultivator at the Eighth Rank Peak.

"Boom!"

The disciple from the Flying Sky Sect unleashed a thrust with his long spear that struck the Mountain Shaking Drum in an instant.

The very next moment, a number appeared on the Mountain Shaking Drum: 53.

This was the rating given by the Mountain Shaking Drum.

A 60 is roughly the threshold for Ninth Rank, so this fellow scoring a 53 means he’s still some distance away from a Ninth Rank Attack Power.

The second contender, a Ninth Rank First Layer Realm disciple from the Lin Xian Sect, scored a 64.

Then came some Eighth Rank disciples, with most of their ratings falling below 60.

"Luo Yong’an."

It was at this time that the National Master called out Luo Yong’an’s name.

Luo Yong’an immediately stepped forward.

He didn’t use any weapon but instead slapped out a palm, leaving a palm imprint on the Mountain Shaking Drum.

"93?"

Many onlookers let out cries of astonishment.

Some of the female disciples even started screaming in shock.

Xu Ping’an was also somewhat surprised.

Ninth Rank First Layer equates to the sixties, Second Layer roughly the seventies, Third Layer the eighties, while nineties correspond to the Combat Power of the Fourth Layer Realm.

Although Luo Yong’an is at the Second Layer Realm of Ninth Rank, he possesses the Combat Power of the Fourth Layer Realm without even having exerted his full strength.

"Truly worthy of being a genius from the Fire Divine Palace," Situ Lie could not help but exclaim.

Xu Ping’an didn’t say anything, but he also felt a certain pressure inside.

This Luo Yong’an was indeed not weak.

"Shao Yanlong."

The National Master called again.

With a punch, Shao Yanlong hit the Mountain Shaking Drum, which emitted a huge noise.

"Boom!"

A number 89 appeared on the Mountain Shaking Drum.

Shao Yanlong at Ninth Rank Second Layer Realm had a Combat Power almost equivalent to the peak of the Ninth Rank Third Layer Realm.

Xu Ping’an nodded; Shao Yanlong’s strength also seemed formidable.

Soon it was Ning Shaocong’s turn, who scored an 87, once again eliciting surprised gasps from the crowd.

The Ninth Rank First Layer Ning Shaocong unexpectedly demonstrated the Combat Power of the Ninth Rank Third Layer Realm.

Next was Zong Xuan from the Zong Royal Manor. Surprisingly, Zong Xuan had broken through to the Ninth Rank First Layer Realm and scored a 70.

Li Qingyi also took her turn, and with her Eighth Rank Peak Cultivation, she remarkably scored a 72.

Following that, Crown Prince Jiang Yu scored a perfect 100.

Being at the Third Layer Realm of Ninth Rank, his Combat Power was naturally extremely exaggerated.

The Fifth Princess scored an 87 at the Ninth Rank First Layer, which was also quite impressive.

Xu Ping’an had been keeping an eye on that 16-year-old youth from the Fire Divine Palace at the Ninth Rank Fourth Layer Realm who had been very low-key and only scored a 68.

But Xu Ping’an did learn his name: Xie Jizong.

"Wu Qing!"

The National Master called out again.

Upon these words, everyone’s eyes fell upon Xu Ping’an.

After all, Xu Ping’an’s presence was the stuff of legend at this sparring event, being the only one to have advanced with Seventh Rank Cultivation, while everyone else was at least at the Eighth Layer of Eighth Rank.

"Do you think he can make it to the next round?"

"I don’t think so. The Combat Power he’s shown before was around Eighth Rank, and with that it’s going to be difficult to advance."

"A Seventh Rank trying to make it into the top twenty? Wouldn’t that be a joke? He’s definitely going to stop here."

...

Speculative voices spread throughout the surroundings.

As for Xu Ping’an, most people were extremely doubtful of his potential.

However, many were curious to see what kind of score Xu Ping’an could achieve.

"Cousin, you can do it," Situ Qianqian encouraged.

Situ Xingfeng and Situ Lie also looked towards Xu Ping’an.

Xu Ping’an smiled, nodded slightly, and then walked towards the arena.