Lord of the Demon Sect

m-grade spiritual artifact, the Golden Silkworm Garment.

The Golden Silkworm Garment was a gift from Liu Mo, in exchange for Jiang Chen’s three-month contribution to the Liu family’s alchemy efforts. It was woven from silk produced by golden silkworms that were over a hundred years old and could withstand attacks from ordinary Early and Middle Stage cultivators. It also provided some level of defense against Late Stage attacks, though it wasn’t very effective. However, for Jiang Chen, who was preparing for the minor examination by the sect, it was sufficient. After all, he wasn’t aiming for first place given his current strength.

Jiang Chen had used up all his earnings on materials for refining Jiangshi cultivation pills, even dipping into his spirit stones. Now, he only had about a dozen spirit stones left in his wallet, essentially returning to a state of near poverty overnight…

When he finally strolled over to Ghost Mist Peak, he found that his senior brothers had already lined up neatly on the flat ground at the peak. Standing beside them was an older man in all black clothing, with a head full of white hair, who was staring intently at him.

Jiang Chen was startled and hurriedly quickened his pace to join the group.

At this moment, Zhang Pang, who was next to him and still recovering from the shock, said, “Junior Brother Jiang, where have you been these past three months? We haven’t seen you! I told you today is the sect’s minor examination; if you didn’t report your absence and you don’t show up, you’ll be expelled after the exam!”

“Ah… didn’t I tell you? I went to Blood Shadow City to take the…” Jiang Chen was about to say the alchemist qualification exam when he heard the old man in the foundation establishment stage outside assert in a booming voice, “Brothers and sisters, I am your senior uncle Cheng Cheng. It’s time for our Ghostly Slaughter Sect’s annual minor examination. Let me invite our respected peak master, the Ghost Mist Ancestor, to say a few words!”

Jiang Chen mused to himself that Cheng Cheng’s tone resembled that of the principal from high school. Whenever he hosted an event, it was always in a similar manner when introducing the principal to speak.

At that moment, a surge of black mist rolled in, making it nearly impossible for the disciples in the arena to open their eyes. After a moment, the mist dissipated, and a middle-aged man in a red robe suddenly appeared before them. He had a gloomy expression and two pointed whiskers, and he looked to be younger than Cheng Cheng, who was hosting the minor examination.

However, Jiang Chen knew that the age of cultivators could often be misleading based on their appearance. Although this middle-aged man seemed younger than Cheng Cheng, the pressure emanating from him was far greater. The Ghost Mist Ancestor stood casually, yet a formidable aura surrounded him.

As Jiang Chen’s gaze landed on the man, an icy sensation rushed over him. He quickly averted his eyes, lowering his head in a respectful manner.

He also understood, albeit vaguely, that the Ghost Mist Ancestor was a cultivator at the Early Golden Core stage, immensely powerful. It was likely that with just a glance, he could eliminate him without even lifting a finger. The overwhelming sense of danger made Jiang Chen feel uneasy, and he dared not show any disrespect.

The Ghost Mist Ancestor seemed satisfied with the disciples’ apprehensive demeanor, and his expression softened slightly, revealing a smile that was more distressing than tears. In a kind voice, he said, “Today marks the annual minor examination of our Ghostly Slaughter Sect. All disciples of Ghost Mist Peak should unite, work diligently on their cultivation, strive for the rise of our sect, and bring honor to Ghost Mist Peak…”

He went on for quite some time, though no one dared to show even a hint of impatience.

Once the Ghost Mist Ancestor finished his speech, Cheng Cheng led the applause, and the other disciples quickly followed, their hands clapping thunderously.

Cheng Cheng then continued, “This year, the minor examination will adopt a challenge format. Of the thirty-three disciples who participated last year, two have died. The remaining thirty-one will be ranked according to last year’s results, and the disciple Jiang Chen, who joined Ghost Mist Peak this year, will be placed last. Once the examination starts, each person will have three opportunities to challenge senior or junior brothers ranked ahead, but they cannot fight the same person twice, whether being challenged or initiating a challenge themselves… Additionally, the challenged person will be allowed an hour of rest after each battle to meditate and restore spiritual power. The sect has also prepared free spirit wine for consumption during the minor examination. Feel free to fight with peace of mind…”

At this point, his tone became stern as he said, “However, you all must remember this: I don’t care what grudges or friendships you have had in the past. When it comes time to compete, take it seriously. If your opponent shouts ‘I surrender,’ you must stop immediately. Anyone who causes death or serious injury to their opponent will be punished according to the sect’s rules for harming fellow disciples. And if you hold back because of a good relationship with the opponent, causing the match to go on without a clear winner for too long, the three supervising senior uncles will declare both of you losers, placing you in the last two ranks! Do you all understand?”

“We understand!” the disciples responded in unison. They were well aware that the punishment for intentionally killing a fellow disciple was severe; their souls would be extracted on the spot, made into soul lamps, and slowly burned to death with ghost fire.

Even these disciples, who had grown accustomed to spirits, dared not challenge the authority of the sect.

At that moment, Cheng Cheng waved his hand in satisfaction and announced, “Alright! The annual minor examination at Ghost Mist Peak officially begins! Also, this ranking will confirm the titles among you, your fellow brothers and sisters, for the year, with no changes until next year’s minor examination!”

With that, he flung his hand, and thirty-two jade tokens flew out towards the thirty-two disciples in the second layer of qi refinement. They hastily caught the tokens, each inscribed with a number indicating their preliminary rank.

Jiang Chen glanced at his token and, as expected, saw the number thirty-two, while Zhang Pang held number twenty-one.

Zhang Pang then turned to him and said, “My brother is number eleven, and senior sister is number seven. They’ll probably be challenging someone ahead soon. We can watch how they fight first!”

Jiang Chen nodded in agreement. Being the last ranked, he didn’t have to worry about being challenged himself; watching the others could give him a better understanding and prepare him for his own upcoming challenges.

The minor examination had six arenas set up for competition. Once a disciple chose their challenge, both the challenger and the challenged had to go to the arena to compete.

Before long, six disciples had chosen their opponents and both jumped onto the arenas to begin their matches officially.

Jiang Chen and Zhang Pang moved to the second arena, where they saw that both competitors were second layer qi refinement disciples, apparently newcomers from the previous year. Both had only learned basic spells-one had mastered the hellfire bullet, and the other the ice arrow technique. They were also wearing the standard sect uniforms issued at entry, evidently both anxious not to finish last.

The two combatants wielded their black long swords, clashing and stabbing at each other with a flurry of activity. However, neither of them had learned any formal sword technique, and the scene resembled a street fight more than a duel among cultivators. From time to time, they unleashed spells – one casting a hellfire bullet while the other retaliated with an ice arrow technique. This at least demonstrated that they were cultivators rather than mere street brawlers. Still, their earnestness in this fierce contest seemed to only serve to put the three supervising elders into a state of near slumber.

After half an hour of fighting, both competitors became drained of spiritual power. Finally, one of them, who had a slight advantage, seized an opportunity. He cast an ice arrow technique that struck his opponent’s heel, forming a patch of ice on the ground.

As his opponent stumbled backward, he lost his footing and fell flat on his back. Seizing the chance, the victorious competitor lunged forward and thrust his sword towards his opponent’s throat.

Seeing the sword coming, the defeated disciple had no way to evade it and shouted, “I surrender!”

The winner was ecstatic, exclaiming, “I finally made it to thirty! I broke into the top thirty!” It appeared he had previously been the second to last, holding the thirty-first position.

The defeated disciple, on the other hand, looked dejected and continuously glanced over at Jiang Chen, inwardly worrying that this newcomer disciple would challenge him as well. If he lost again, he’d be in the last place!

He quickly jumped to his feet and shot an irritated look at Jiang Chen, saying, “Don’t challenge me yet! I just fought a match and need to rest for an hour!”

With that, he hurried to the spot where the spirit wine was stored, grabbed a jar, and began drinking fervently before sitting down to recuperate his spiritual power.

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but chuckle to himself, thinking, I wasn’t planning on challenging you anyway. He felt a sense of relief; with these two lively disciples around, he surely wouldn’t finish last. Besides, once he stepped onto the arena, the supervising elders would be able to assess his true cultivation level, so it would be better to present himself with confidence. After all, he also had the identity of an alchemist, which would likely help explain the rapid growth in his cultivation.

Next, Jiang Chen walked over to the other arenas and noticed disciples ranging from the third to the sixth layers of qi refinement participating in challenges. However, those at the late stage of qi refinement, specifically above the seventh layer, were holding back and not hurrying to challenge anyone just yet. It seemed these senior brothers and sisters had more composure.

Before long, Zhang Pang could no longer contain himself and said, “Junior Brother Jiang, I’m planning to challenge the senior brother ranked eighteenth. He’s skilled at the ghostly slaughter sword technique and specializes in close combat. I almost defeated him last year, but at that time I didn’t know how to use hellfire bullet for long-range attacks. This time, I’m confident I can win!”