The Inner Courtyard Assessment and the Lightning Baptism

Upon returning to the outer courtyard, Su Han’s first order of business was to find Mentor Ruolin and declare to her, “Mentor Ruolin, I wish to participate in the inner courtyard assessment!”

“Oh! Really?” Ruolin clearly looked surprised, a reaction that greatly displeased Su Han.

‘Damn it, are you looking down on me?’ Though the thought crossed her mind, Su Han refrained from voicing it aloud. Instead, she asked, “Hey, do you really have so little faith in me?”

“Very well then. Today happens to be the last day for the second half of the year’s inner courtyard assessment. Come with me!”

The inner courtyard assessment was held twice a year: once in the first half and once in the second. On the final day of the deadline, a large crowd would gather to participate en masse, though ultimately, only a few dozen would successfully pass.

Following this, Ruolin led Su Han to a courtyard where a bustling throng of people already stood.

“Uncle Baiye, my student here wishes to take part in the inner courtyard assessment. What do you think?” Ruolin addressed a middle-aged man clad in black robes.

“Hmm,” Baiye nodded, then turned to Ruolin. “You may come along as well.”

“Alright!” Ruolin replied with a smile.

“Hey, look, isn’t that our beautiful Mentor Ruolin? She’s truly stunning!”

“The girl next to her isn’t bad either!”

“Is she also here for the assessment? What’s her name? I’ve never heard of her.”

“Must be a newcomer.”

“A newcomer daring to participate in the assessment? Commendable courage, but I wonder about their strength.”

“Definitely stronger than you.”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

Su Han quickly scanned the crowd, noting that most were mages, with only a small fraction of knights. Their strength levels were all above that of a Magus, ranging from Arch-Magi to Emperor-tier Knights, with even a few Transcendent Mages and Heavenly Knights present. She, on the other hand, was merely a ‘trash’ Magus! However, as a bloodline cultivator, Su Han brimmed with confidence.

“Ahem, quiet down, all of you!” “You are all here to participate in the inner courtyard assessment. Now, be silent and prepare for the test!” Baiye bellowed.

“Arise!” At Baiye’s command,

A resounding boom echoed.

Within the spacious courtyard, intricate and complex runes materialized everywhere, directly forming a colossal runic barrier. This barrier was immense, encompassing not only the courtyard but also several surrounding mountain peaks. Naturally, all those within the courtyard found themselves trapped within its confines.

This runic barrier was, without a doubt, a Grandmaster-level inscription. Considering there were only a few dozen Grandmaster Inscriptionists in the entirety of the Aelta Continent, it highlighted the immense resources of Cangnan Academy.

A rattling and scraping sound of iron chains dragging across the ground suddenly broke the silence.

From within the Grandmaster-level runic array, three colossal figures, shrouded in yellow light, suddenly soared forth. As the light dissipated, massive, winged demons, flapping their powerful appendages, became visible.

These Abyssal Demons stood approximately eight meters tall, their bodies entirely black. Two colossal horns protruded from their heads, sharp fangs gleamed at the corners of their mouths, and black, leathery wings sprouted from their backs. More accurately described as wings rather than mere fleshy appendages, they belonged not to true Abyssal Demons, but to high-tier armored golems crafted in their likeness.

“My heavens, are those Abyssal Demons!?”

“No, no, that’s impossible. Such creatures can only exist within the Abyss itself. I’d say these are merely golems fashioned after the likeness of Abyssal Demons.”

“Abyssal Demon golems, forged from Abyssal Demon Iron?”

“By the look of the material, it seems to be Dark Immortal Gold!”

“Damn it, no matter what they’re made of, these are high-tier golems!” “And the advanced Abyssal Demon type, no less!”

Someone in the courtyard immediately cried out, and while many faces paled, most still wore expressions of eager anticipation.

Information spontaneously surfaced in Su Han’s mind, revealing details about the high-tier metal golems: Demon Naz.

Golem Type: Alchemical Golem. (There were two types of golems: flesh golems and alchemical golems. Flesh golems were considered taboo, crafted only by Undead Alchemists, while alchemical golems required the combined efforts of alchemists and inscriptionists to create.)

The general information indicated: They were constructed from alchemical demon iron, their design modeled after a common Naz demon from the 28th layer of the Abyss. The core inside them, a sixth-tier Naz demon’s crystal core, served as their power source. The golems were riddled with dense, Master-level runes and equipped with eighteen magic circuits of varying sizes. Their true strength could reach the seventh-tier, equivalent to a peak Saint-tier Knight. Normally, they served as the academy’s treasured guardians, possessing the lightning attribute. (Their crystal cores were also lightning-attributed.)

However, for the assessment, they had been sealed, their strength restricted to roughly the peak of the Heavenly Knight tier, barely qualifying as entry-level Saint-tier.

Even at Heavenly-tier peak, the highest-tier outer courtyard students participating were only just entering the Heavenly-tier. The difficulty was thus immense; this wasn’t a slight difference, but a chasm of disparity! Countless Transcendent Mages and Heavenly Knights found themselves trapped at the threshold of the Saint-tier, stuck there for a lifetime, forever unable to reach the Saint-tier.

The Saint-tier was truly a watershed, its power so terrifyingly superior to the Heavenly-tier.

“Roar!” With a thunderous bellow, the three demon golems broke free from their black chains and soared directly above the gathered crowd in the courtyard.

“Listen closely,” Baiye commanded. “Once the golems begin their assault, your task is to desperately withstand their attacks and fly to my side within the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn. If you fail to reach me within that time, then I apologize, but this inner courtyard assessment is not for you. Try again next time!”

A stick of incense materialized in Baiye’s hand, and immediately began to burn. “Now, begin!”

Baiye and Ruolin then departed the courtyard, stepping outside the runic barrier. Within the vast courtyard, only the students participating in the assessment remained.

“Roar!” No sooner had the incense stick been lit than the three Naz golems pounded their chests and unleashed torrents of purple lightning.

“Charge! Figure out a way to blast those motherfuckers!”

“Where’s my Italian cannon? Bring it to me, quick!”

“Go for their weak spot!”

The students struck by the Naz golems’ unexpected lightning bursts were all rattled. Instead of merely defending against the attacks, they immediately launched their own assaults. They hoped to defeat the Naz golems in one fell swoop, but ultimately, it was futile…

A few overconfident Transcendent Mages had just unleashed several high-tier spells, such as Meteor Shower and Falling Star techniques. However, all of them were reflected back by the Naz golems.

The spells slammed into their casters, leaving them bruised and battered, and utterly humiliated.

Some naive fools even attempted to block the violent lightning with elemental shields. Alas for those fragile mages! Their elemental shields lasted only a single breath before being shattered by the lightning, knocking the poor fools unconscious!

The clever ones, however, had a different approach. They wouldn’t foolishly charge in headfirst to defeat the Naz golems, nor would they erect flimsy elemental shields like the dimwitted.

Savvy mages employed flight spells to nimbly evade the lightning, then, at critical moments, cast acceleration spells to deftly sidestep the initial volley of thunderbolts.

Though knights possessed formidable physiques, the intelligent ones were equally nimble-minded and also focused on evasion. Unlike the mages, knights would accumulate their battle aura, then, at the precise moment a lightning bolt struck, unleash a burst of explosive aura to propel themselves out of harm’s way.

Thus, the clever participants successfully navigated their way out of the barrier!

While constant evasion might seem cowardly, it was infinitely better than being struck by lightning like the reckless novices.

Su Han, however, did not belong to either of these groups. She was merely an Arch-Magus, and the mana consumption of flight and acceleration spells was too high for her to sustain like others. Nor was she a knight. Instead, she relied on her formidable physical body to directly withstand the purple lightning.

It was as if she were undergoing a lightning tribulation, drawing the lightning into her body to temper her physique and refine her bloodline.

When the lightning struck Su Han, she only felt a tingling sensation throughout her body, devoid of any pain. It was practically a massage, wonderfully comfortable!

One might wonder why the golems only unleashed lightning attacks and didn’t engage in true combat. After all, there were many participants! Demons typically relied on their physical strength for close combat and bloodline abilities for supernatural powers. However, being golems, these lacked bloodline powers and could only engage in melee. Yet, with such a large crowd, a single golem could at most handle a dozen opponents in close combat, leaving many to slip through. Therefore, they had to rely on their lightning crystal cores to launch widespread magical attacks, ensuring a ‘fair’ challenge!

“Holy crap, how are you such a freak?!” A female mage, constantly dodging, watched Su Han stand there, being struck by lightning without a scratch, even appearing to enjoy it. Her voice was laced with envy and resentment as she asked.

“Huh? Does getting struck by lightning hurt?” Su Han replied, utterly bewildered.

“Damn it!” It was no wonder the girl swore. After all, Su Han was simply too abnormal. But that wasn’t the main issue; the main issue was… Su Han actually feigned innocence, causing Lin Ling’er to nearly spit blood in exasperation.

Just as Lin Ling’er fumed and lost focus for a brief moment, a lightning bolt struck her squarely on the forehead.

“W-w-what the—” Lin Ling’er immediately frothed at the mouth and fainted.

“You can’t blame me for that!” Su Han shrugged innocently, then began to stroll casually through the courtyard.

There was no helping it. What could she do when she was the descendant of the strongest race? If she couldn’t even withstand this much lightning, then she shouldn’t call herself a Destruction Dragon, nor even mention the Blood Pool’s baptism; it would be a complete disgrace!

“Ah, these golems are quite pitiful, actually,” Su Han mused, shaking her head. “Saint-tier strength, yet sealed to merely fly and spew lightning randomly.” She continued, “Hmm, I can’t waste any more time. I should go find Mentor Ruolin!” She stepped around the fallen crowd, enjoying the cleansing of the lightning as she walked out of the barrier.