On this day, several outer-court disciples were gathered around the range of the grand pagoda. It was a magnificent edifice towering up to an estimated height of about four hundred meters, this made it difficult to see the top which was embedded in the clouds. It had a base floor that covered approximately five hundred meters.

The grand pagoda was the traditional facility used for the ranking test; it had a total of ten floors, which were engraved with different magic array formations. There were several jade platforms, each engraved with array diagrams, which were built around the entrances.

The function of these jade platforms was to instigate an illusionary battlefield for the participating disciples. This illusion was based on a very profound concept, making it almost impossible to distinguish from reality. Every experience seemed real, however, death in the illusion was a mark of defeat, and those who died would only be kicked out of the array through any of the openings, depending on what floor they reached.

Out of consideration for the inevitable tragedy that would occur if a disciple was to fall to the ground after being kicked out from hundreds of meters up high, the pagoda was purposely built in the midst of a river. Those disciples who were ejected from the pagoda would then fall into this river without fear of death.

There was a heavy atmosphere,

the disciples present all had a look of seriousness plastered on their faces as they watched the arrival of the patriarch and other elders of the Academy.

This was a remarkable sight to behold because most of these elders were top figures and of great prestige, they rarely made an appearance except on significant occasions like today, which was the day of the ranking test.

As the patriarch and the elders passed by, they occasionally sent glances. Each of the disciples felt that they were the ones being watched and instinctively reacted by sticking out their chests with unwavering expressions while trying to look as promising as possible.

Florin Valley Academy disciples took the ranking test very seriously, most of them had comprehended different profound techniques in preparation for today, so they intuitively had the idea that these elders had taken notice of their talent, thinking that if they were lucky, they could gain recognition.

If they could gain recognition, becoming a direct disciple would then come next, but how possible was that? Those elders weren't actually staring at them in the first place, they just made random glances. The disciples could only watch as they passed by without any reaction, leaving them subject to shadowy expressions.

After an incense stick worth of time, the elders were fully gathered at the base of the grand pagoda. Just then, there was a gush of cold air, which made the outer-court disciples feel heavy chills; the inner-court and direct disciples were immediately sighted arriving from afar.

From the eyes of these inner-court and direct disciples, blazing fires could be seen, their fighting spirit soared to the skies causing an intimidating pressure to descend on those who couldn't measure up. There was no single trace of harmony among themselves as they stared at each other jeeringly, their thick hostility was clearly felt.

Everyone understood…

The reason for their intense rivalry was because they trained for several months in preparation for the ranking test, and also had their goals set. Many of them with close rankings had a strong desire to surpass their counterparts.

These inner-court disciples were all geniuses in their domain, they were regarded as the core and future of the academy, so there was always inevitable attention warranted by their presence. The outer-court disciples couldn't help but stare at the remarkable scene of their arrival with awestruck expressions.

Seeing the atmosphere instigated by these inner-court disciples, the elders all wore proud looks on their faces. It was natural because each of them had their disciples among the top rankings, and the success of their disciples will directly influence their status in the academy.

"Hehehe elder Sun, the atmosphere this year is very exciting, I can already feel the strong fighting spirits of these disciples, I bet they can't wait to showcase their various improvements at the pagoda" Elder Huang, who had

the appearance of a bald imp suddenly bellowed.

Hearing this, elder Sun who was by his side frowned slightly before speaking: "It is clearly evident"

Elder Huang glanced at elder sun and grinned with a jeering look, "Seeing you react this way… does this mean you aren't sure of your disciple? I hope you don't turn out embarrassed like last year"

"Yes elder Huang, as you can see my disciple is also well prepared, you should be worried about yours instead," elder Sun replied indifferently.

Elder Huang was known for being shameless and deceitful. They were bitter rivals back then when they were still disciples of the academy, even now that they were elders, their hostility hadn't diminished a single bit, right now it was at its peak.

last year, elder Sun's disciple lost his place in the top rankings by a fraction, this was a very unfortunate event for him, it also caused his reputation to plummet. While he received the sympathetic encouragement of other elders, elder Huang didn't miss the opportunity to ridicule him.

After hearing his answer, elder Huang couldn't help grinning and said with a solemn voice, "I'm just a little worried; we are elders of this academy after all, and the decline of a fellow elder will also affect me in a way, and I don't want to see that happen".

'Shameless dog'

Elder Sun's expression was greatly darkened, his gaze was immediately shifted to elder Huang's hairless skull— which now appeared glittering as a result of the reflection of the scorching sun, he immediately felt a strong urge to give it a heavy knock.

Right then he recovered his mind, because of the situation around him, and with the presence of the patriarch, it won't be convenient for him to act at this very moment.

*

Some moments later, the inner-court and direct disciples arrived at the grand pagoda, the outer-court disciples around the vicinity immediately

scurried away from their path, and making way for them because they were the first set that was to go in.

The truth was that the elders were all gathered here to witness the performance of the inner-court disciples, after which they will retire to their various locations. They weren't interested in the trivial struggle of the outer-court disciples.

As the inner-court and direct disciples majestically walked through to the grand pagoda, all outer-court disciples could only stare at them enviously. Their gazes were instantly transformed to that of pure reverence when they caught sight of the three figures in the forefront; Reymon Kensa, Feng Shei, and Marianna Fraiman — they were the top three in the rankings.

Nobles with heaven-defying talent; these three were the jewel of the academy. Their strength and talent were just too terrific—no one could measure up to them.

Although these outer-court disciples dreamed of making it into the top rankings and becoming inner-court disciples, they never considered the possibility of reaching the same height as these three, it was just too outrageous to think of it.

"What an intense pressure! I haven't seen them for a few days and they seem to have progressed rapidly in their cultivation" An outer-court disciple in the crowd said with a surprised look on his face"

Another disciple close by hurriedly retorted "What do you take them for? They are our Academy's best disciples so that's naturally expected"

These three had reached a significant height in their cultivation, even without looking, they felt several gazes that were fastened on them. They immediately turned to the direction of the outer-court disciples. Reymon Kensa maintained his normal indifferent look, not a single meaning could be made out from his eyes.

Feng Shei who also turned his gaze immediately squinted his eyes with contempt, he felt a great disgust at the sight of these lowly disciples who couldn't retract their gazes from him. Feng Shei's arrogance could be described as first under the heavens. He had incredibly handsome features, coupled with his talent and background, making him the lady's favorite.

At the same time, Marianna Fraiman had also turned to the direction of the outer-court disciples,

she cast a sidelong gaze which caused the disciples watching to be instantly petrified; they had a feeling like they were about to lose their souls. she was an otherworldly beauty that could even cause the downfall of several nations.

It was too captivating.

Her pretty eyes trembled slightly as she caught the sight of the several disciples staring at her. Now being the center of all attention, she felt quite uncomfortable and quickly increased her pace.

A disciple in the forefront who couldn't endure this sight any longer suddenly fell to the ground unconscious, but no one had time to worry about another person's issue as they struggled to compose themselves.