The gates of Azure Sky Sect towered above Li Ming like a fortress. Stone walls stretched high, carved with dragons and phoenixes. Disciples in neat blue robes stood proudly, their eyes full of arrogance as they looked down on the hundreds of hopefuls gathered below.
This was it. The moment Li Ming had dreamed of.
"Wow…" he whispered, staring at the massive gates. "So this is the place where geniuses are born. I can already smell the glory."
"Smell the glory?" someone beside him sneered. "You mean smell the sweat."
Li Ming turned. A muscular boy twice his size flexed his arms threateningly. "Trash like you should go home. This place isn't for cowards who can't even fight a chicken."
Li Ming's eyebrow twitched. News of that incident had traveled faster than wildfire.
"Heh," Li Ming smirked. "That was just a warm-up battle. Today, I'll prove myself."
The muscular boy snorted and walked away.
Moments later, a stern elder in blue robes appeared at the gates. His voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Welcome to the entrance exam of Azure Sky Sect! To qualify, you must pass the Ten Foes Trial."
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Ten foes?"
"That sounds brutal!"
"Only real geniuses can do that!"
The elder raised his hand, and ten stone puppets emerged from the ground. They were human-sized, made of rock, with glowing eyes and fists like hammers.
"Defeat ten puppets," the elder declared. "Succeed, and you may enter. Fail, and go home."
The hopefuls lined up, one by one. Some strong boys smashed through the puppets with ease, showing off their training. Others were knocked flat and dragged away in tears.
Li Ming's turn finally came.
He walked into the arena, the crowd whispering about him.
"Isn't that the chicken boy?"
"Hahaha, this will be fun."
"I bet he won't even beat one puppet."
Li Ming ignored them. He inhaled deeply, activating his Heavenly Breathing Method. His aura flared—white mist coiling around his body.
"Alright," he muttered, eyeing the ten puppets. "Let's do this. Time to show the world… that I'm not just chicken food!"
The first puppet lunged at him, its stone fist swinging like a hammer. Li Ming dodged clumsily, almost tripping, but his counterpunch landed on the puppet's chest.
CRACK!
The puppet shattered into pieces.
The crowd gasped.
"No way! He destroyed it in one hit?!"
"Impossible! He was supposed to be trash!"
Li Ming blinked at the rubble. "Eh? Did I just… win?"
The second puppet charged. Li Ming panicked, swinging his arm wildly. His fist accidentally smashed the puppet's head off.
The third puppet leapt forward. Li Ming slipped on a pebble, flew sideways—and somehow crashed into the puppet with his knee, breaking it apart.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth puppets swarmed him. Li Ming screamed, flailing his arms. By pure accident, his elbow cracked one, his back slammed into another, and his falling knife sliced the third.
BOOM! CRASH! CRACK!
All three shattered.
The crowd exploded.
"He defeated six already?!"
"This… this is insane!"
"He looks clumsy, but he's unstoppable!"
Li Ming stood there panting, sweat dripping, but a grin spreading across his face. Haha! I'm amazing!
The seventh puppet approached. This time, Li Ming inhaled sharply, using the Heavenly Breathing Method properly. Energy surged through his fist.
"Take this! Chicken Slayer Fist!" he roared, punching forward.
BOOOOM!
The puppet exploded into rubble.
The crowd went wild.
"Chicken Slayer Fist?!"
"What kind of technique is that?!"
"It's so powerful!"
Li Ming laughed nervously. Heh. I totally just made that up… but it sounded cool.
The last three puppets attacked together. Li Ming clenched his fists, aura blazing. He dodged the first, kicked the second, then grabbed the third's arm and yanked with all his strength.
CRACK! All three crumbled at once.
Silence filled the courtyard.
Then—
"HE DID IT!"
"He defeated all ten!"
"A hidden genius… a monster!"
Even the stern elder's eyes widened slightly. He nodded. "Not bad. Very well. From today, you are an outer disciple of Azure Sky Sect."
Li Ming stood tall, chest puffed out. He had done it. He wasn't just the boy mocked by chickens anymore—he was officially a cultivator of Azure Sky Sect!
As he walked past the gates, he muttered under his breath, grinning.
"First step: complete. Next step… Heavenly Emperor."
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