"What's going on with them?"

"Hasn't it started yet?"

"Why is Xu Ke still standing there as if nothing's wrong? He's not moving at all."

The spectators were supposed to leave after the match, but one amazing scene after another had kept them glued to their seats. Now, seeing Xu Ke court "death" yet somehow remain standing, they were all incredibly puzzled.

What was happening? Did it really take the eight Northern Dragon Guards this long just to glare at someone?

As the crowd whispered among themselves, You Jinlong and the others also realized something was amiss. Standing at the forefront, You Jinlong suddenly raised his hand. "Withdraw!"

As his voice fell, the oppressive aura emanating from the eight men vanished.

Xu Ke immediately looked baffled. What are you withdrawing? When did you even start?

You Jinlong looked up at Xu Ke, an excited smile spreading across his face. "Congratulations, Xu Ke! Welcome to the Northern Dragon Guard!"

He hadn't expected Xu Ke to possess not only a pure heart but also such astonishing talent. At the Postnatal Late Stage of cultivation, he could instantly kill Qian Jun of the Innate Initial Stage. On top of that, he had also withstood the combined pressure of their eight auras.

Such talent was unprecedented, unheard of! He was simply perfect for the Northern Dragon Guard!

Xu Ke was utterly bewildered. He widened his eyes. What is going on?

Chen Xiong and the others gasped, their jaws dropping in utter delight.

Ki Qinyin was equally surprised and overjoyed. She had never imagined that Xu Ke could actually withstand it!

Meanwhile, the members of the Huang and Ye Families looked as if they had eaten shit, their faces twisting with rage. How could he have succeeded so easily? Is this a joke?

The people in the spectator area were even more confused.

When did it start? When did it end? Why didn't they feel a thing?

"This isn't rigged, is it?"

"It's over that quickly?"

"This is too ridiculous!"

Wong Qifu, however, sighed.

"Xu Ke, congratulations!"

"Brother-in-law, you're just too awesome! Look at the Huang Family, their faces are green with envy!"

"Mister Xu, we really underestimated you!"

The chorus of congratulations made Xu Ke's head spin.

He abruptly waved his hands. "Wait, wait a minute..." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The crowd paused.

"You guys..." Xu Ke looked at the excited You Jinlong and swallowed hard. "How did I pass?"

"You withstood our test, so of course you passed."

"When did you start?" Xu Ke blurted out.

You Jinlong assumed Xu Ke was simply overwhelmed, unable to believe he had actually made it into the Northern Dragon Guard he'd always dreamed of joining. It was normal to lose one's composure. He had been the same way back then.

So, You Jinlong patiently explained, "We started the moment you said you were ready! Xu Ke, we welcome you. Lord Dragon King will certainly be very happy with your arrival. Madam, wouldn't you agree?"

Ki Qinyin's smile was impossible to hide. She looked immensely satisfied. "Yes! When Kang An finds out, he'll definitely rush out of the camp to greet him personally."

She knew just how much Yu Kangan wanted Xu Ke. Who would have thought? Xu Ke had been so quiet, she had assumed he was planning to refuse the Northern Dragon Guard. Now it seemed he had deliberately put on a show to prove his abilities to them directly.

Ki Qinyin felt as if she had been on a roller coaster for the past few minutes, full of dramatic ups and downs.

At this moment, Xu Ke was truly on an emotional roller coaster of his own. He was inexplicably dazed. What do I do now?

He had been smiling the whole time, getting ready. The plan was simple: the moment he felt any pressure, he would drop his smile and immediately retreat, signaling his failure.

But as it turned out, that one smile got me straight into the Northern Dragon Guard? This is nuts! This turn of events was completely baffling to Xu Ke.

After all, Xu Ke wasn't omnipotent; he could make misjudgments too. The truth was, he had no idea just how strong his resistance to oppressive auras was.

When Xu Ke studied under Ren Gu, his master was short on time, with only a year to guide him in the Martial Path. Therefore, to spur his continuous improvement, Ren Gu constantly subjected him to tremendous pressure. This pressure wasn't just physical, like chasing Xu Ke all over the mountains, but also included a terrifying, ever-increasing spiritual oppression.

Tempered by this pressure, Xu Ke's cultivation didn't just skyrocket at an insane rate; his resistance to spiritual oppression also grew incredibly strong. However, this tempering was silent and imperceptible, becoming as natural to him as eating or drinking. It was for this very reason that Xu Ke had so severely misjudged his own ability to withstand pressure.

He assumed that the pressure which forced Huang Sheng and Huang Zhendong back several steps—pressure so strong it prompted Shi Hongda to intervene—would surely make him struggle as well. But he never imagined that he had become accustomed to this level of pressure long, long ago.

Seeing Xu Ke's stupefied expression, many people assumed he was just overwhelmed with joy and couldn't help but laugh.

「Meanwhile.」

Huang Zhendong's face was so dark it looked like black ink was about to drip from it. This was utterly humiliating! They had just been forced back several steps, faces pale as ghosts, merely by the eight men's gaze. And now, Xu Ke had passed? While asking when it had even started?

What was that supposed to mean? Was he implying he passed the test without even realizing it?

Getting lucky is one thing, but rubbing it in their faces like this? It's utterly shameless!

Huang Zhendong refused to believe Xu Ke was unaware of when You Jinlong and the others had exerted their power. He was convinced Xu Ke was only feigning ignorance to humiliate the Huang family and slap them hard in the face.

At that moment, Huang Zhendong desperately wanted to question whether You Jinlong and his men had actually tried or if they had secretly gone easy on Xu Ke. But how could he dare? Ki Qinyin's earlier attitude had already shown them her clear hostility. If he dared to question their impartiality now, Huang Zhendong feared Ki Qinyin would have him killed before he could even forge a relationship with the Northern Territory Dragon King.

But how could Huang Zhendong possibly swallow his pride and just watch Xu Ke snatch this incredible opportunity to join the Northern Dragon Guard?

If Xu Ke knew what Huang Zhendong was thinking right now, he would have gladly encouraged the man to do his best to stop him from joining. Even I didn't expect it to be this simple!

Just as Huang Zhendong was trying to figure out what to do, Ye Yunfeng approached, leading his people.

"Congratulations, Xu Ke!" Ye Yunfeng said, wearing the expression of a smiling tiger. "It's truly a blessing for our Tianhai to produce a young talent like you. When you get promoted in the Northern Dragon Guard, don't forget about us old friends."

Ki Qinyin shot him a cold look. Ye Yunfeng's words did not sound like a genuine compliment.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Ke would have certainly responded in kind. But he was too preoccupied to deal with Ye Yunfeng. Instead, he shot Wong Qifu a desperate, pleading look.

What do I do? I don't want to join the Northern Dragon Guard... Besides, even if I wanted to, my master would never approve. The Medical Saint's Successor working as someone's subordinate? If Ren Gu found out, he would come back and throw me out on my ear...

Wong Qifu was both annoyed and amused. I told you not to be so overconfident... Did you already forget the lesson you learned at the company a month ago?

Seeing Xu Ke ignore him, Ye Yunfeng's expression stiffened. This brat! He gets a foot in the door with the Northern Dragon Guard and suddenly he's this arrogant? He dares to look down on the Ye Family now?! How utterly conceited!