A year flew by and it was almost time for the examination at Divine Black.

The disciples in all the peaks were preparing for this day; so many trained instead of eating and sleeping.

This was especially true for most in Jade Bird Peak. Diligence could be seen everywhere as the disciples tried to perfect their merit laws for greater strength.

They needed to stand out during the examination in order to be chosen by the other peaks. Failure to do so would force them to stay in Jade Bird - this was not something many wanted to see.

Joining the other peaks meant obtaining access to better merit laws and resources. This wasn’t to say that Jade Bird offered nothing to them. Jade Bird would also keep excellent disciples behind. It’s just that the prospects weren’t as great.

Many disciples have already made up their mind about the potential peak choice before the examination.

“Which main peak do you want to join?” Someone asked his tree demon friend.

“Thousand Demons.” The tree demon naturally picked this peak because of the bodhi king. All tree demons wanted to go there.

“I’m picking Furious Tiger.” A bull demon said.

“I’m thinking about staying in Jade Bird, it’s not bad plus less competition.” An average disciple joined in.

“I will definitely go to South Conch if chosen…” A human was full of ambition.

During these big examinations, both the seniors from the main peaks and the disciples could choose.

At the examination, as long as they met the requirements, they could join their desired peak.

In the case of being chosen by two peaks at the same time, the disciple would have the final say.

Of course, humans wanted to go to South Conch the most. It was the strongest one due to their sect master being in charge there. Alas, it also had the strictest requirements.

Meanwhile, the disciples outside of Jade Bird were hard at work as well. They wanted to do well in the examination in order to earn rewards later.

Those in the top three would earn the best rewards. They would also receive more attention and training from the seniors.

“It’s obvious that the top three will be Senior Sister Qianyue, Senior Brother Zhan Hu, and Senior Brother Huang Ning. Others stand no chance against them.” Some had dreams about placing among the top three but they knew that it wasn’t very realistic. No one currently in the young generation could take on these three.

“Right, it’s clear that the senior sister will get first place.” One disciple said: “She has been number one in every examination since she got here with the exception of the first since she was still new then.”

The other talented prodigies had nothing to say. They weren’t confident in the slightest against Qianyue despite being very powerful.

She was certainly strong but most importantly, her cultivation speed was faster than the wind. Her cultivation improved by two realms since the previous examination. Those who used to be stronger than her have finally given up.

“Yes, she’ll be at the top.” Everyone understood that the number one spot was taken.

“So the second and third spot will be between Senior Brother Huang Ning and Senior Brother Zhan Hu.” They began speculating about the result.

These two had such results in the past. Their power level was similar as well. There were fluctuations here or there but all in all, they remained an even match. Whenever one fell behind, they would catch up a little later.

Zhan Hu had access to the best merit laws since youth due to his fortunate background. Huang Ning was the most talented in Thousand Demons Peak, the youngest disciple of the bodhi king. Half of his bloodline belonged to the Luminous Vine Demon King. This made him special compared to others.

“I bet Senior Brother Huang Ning will get second place.” Many felt the urge to bet on the result.

“My money’s on Senior Brother Zhan Hu.” Another picked Zhan Hu.

Both of them had a fair amount of supporters. In fact, some seniors joined in too.

“The son of miracles? What the heck is this…” Someone noticed a strange betting line from the organizer: “If Li Qiye is chosen by Eight Zhang, win triple. Top one hundred, fifty times. Chosen by South Conch, five hundred times. Top ten, five thousand times. Top three, fifty thousand times. These payouts are something…”

The other betters couldn’t believe it.

“We’re talking about Li Qiye, that guy who trains Tortoise Fist, right? Is this a joke, who would bet on this bottom feeder?” One disciple sneered.

“It doesn’t make any sense. I won’t do it despite the high payout.” A few laughed and shook their head.

Everyone knew that Li Qiye was at Iron Skin and wouldn’t be able to carry out any of these feats. Betting on him was akin to throwing a meat bun at a dog.

“But that payout is fifty thousand times, why don’t we just bet a little bit, who knows?” One became tempted.

“You’re insane. Getting to the top three? That’s not possible. Plus, this Li Qiye challenged Senior Sister Qianyue too. She’ll probably take him down before his turn, so the high payout is meaningless.”

Those who wanted to gamble on Li Qiye gave up after hearing this. They remembered the duel between Li Qiye and Qianyue. She would certainly destroy him then, rendering some of those conditions impossible.

“Well, just one or two coins is fine.” A couple of disciples were bored enough to make the bet anyway despite knowing the impossible odds. This was a case of what-if. Winning would make them rich right away.

Li Qiye also heard about these gambling lines and smirked.

“What about first place?” He asked Lu Daowei who was standing nearby.

“I heard that it’s five hundred thousand.” Daowei scratched his head, also wanting to bet on Li Qiye.

This payout was insanity because the gambling organizers thought that Li Qiye had zero chance of getting first place. They would profit from this anyway.

“Can they actually pay?” Li Qiye chuckled.

“I heard the organizers are big shots in Divine Black with ample resources. These bets happen every examination, they should be trustworthy.” Daowei looked around before answering quietly.

“What did you bet?” Li Qiye asked.

“I, I bet for you to get top one hundred, not too much though.” Daowei smiled wryly.

No one in Divine Black had any hope for Li Qiye. Thus, very few actually betted on these lines and only with tiny amounts.

Lu Daowei showed a lot of confidence in Li Qiye for even making this bet. After all, there were thousands of disciples here. Getting to the top one hundred was incredible enough.

“Bet on first place, all of your money, do it.” Li Qiye nonchalantly said.

“First-?” Daowei became stunned. This would include Li Qiye beating Gong Qianyue. He began thinking about the potential battle between the two.