The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

The second day of the assessment was the day for the new disciples to register. Ying Li put on the purple lower-class disciple uniform with silk and grass patterns and went to Bixia Palace with Ying Zhe, Ying Xue and others to participate in the registration.

Unlike the attendants who served Ying Li, the ordinary disciples all wore simple, plain blue robes without any patterns. No one looked down on these blue-robed attendants, as many didn't even have the opportunity to wear ordinary disciple attire. Early this morning, the elder in charge of logistics at Bixia Palace went from hilltop to hill, clearing out those who had failed the assessment after a long commotion.

Those present were filled with sorrow, their teeth clenched as they watched those who had passed. Those truly resentful even colluded with other failed disciples to cause a huge disturbance, which was only brought to an end by the elders unleashing their spiritual power. Those who left carried regret and remorse, some bearing wounds, taking one last look back at the gates of Bixia Palace, wondering when they would be able to enter again, or even when they would become registered disciples. The mournful cries echoed, lingering for a long time.

Ying Li sighed for them and then stopped looking at them. He met up with Yue Wei and An Yao, and the five of them headed towards the Bixia Palace. It took them half a day to reach the palace gate. Ying Li looked up and saw Yi Bicheng standing there talking to a reclusive elder. There were about twenty other new faces among the disciples, just like Yi Bicheng.

Those are the people who were promoted directly to lower-level disciples without passing the assessment? Ying Li observed their spiritual energy; they were all at the spiritual cultivation level, and two of them had even broken through to the second stage of spiritual cultivation! Truly, there are hidden talents among them.

The twenty or so people, both men and women, also brightened up when they saw Ying Li appear. They had also heard that there was a terrifying genius among the new generation of disciples named Ying Li. Given that Ying Li had successfully passed three trials yesterday, his portrait and name had already been circulated throughout Bixia Palace, so it was natural that some of them recognized him. Their gazes towards Ying Li contained admiration, contempt, but mostly indifference. This was understandable; after all, these twenty or so people were all geniuses. Although they didn't possess the Deep Eyes, their other abilities were no less than Ying Li's. Perhaps, some of them were even stronger than Ying Li.

Yi Bicheng, unable to leave easily, could only greet Ying Li. Ying Li nodded and smiled in return.

The registration process was quick. All the elders in charge of the lower-ranking disciples were present, along with some senior brothers and sisters to help. In less than an hour, the registration was completed. After greeting Ying Li and the other twenty-odd people, the reclusive elder said, "Registration is complete. Now all disciples can enter the Bixia Palace Martial Arts Arena to train. The arena is located in the middle of the palace; you can find it after walking a short distance. If there's nothing else, all you new disciples can go and train."

As soon as Yin Xiu finished speaking, the crowd rushed towards the martial arts arena, as if it were a clearance sale at a market where the early birds got their money's worth. Ying Li shook his head and waited until the crowd had gone some distance before slowly walking towards the martial arts arena himself.

Upon arriving at the martial arts arena, it was even more crowded than before, with several times more people than before. Not only were there new disciples this year, but also lower-ranking and ordinary disciples from the past, all busy finding martial arts techniques to practice.

The floorboards were torn apart, revealing various martial arts techniques hidden beneath the floor. Ying Li was immediately struck by the oddity; it was truly unexpected that Bixia Palace would conceal martial arts techniques beneath the floorboards. Ying Li cautiously paced forward, noticing that the names, levels, and powers of various martial arts techniques were written on the floorboards. Those who wished to cultivate martial arts techniques could choose them directly in the hall. Seeing the crowds surging on the second and third floors, Ying Li figured that the main hall must contain ordinary martial arts techniques, with the best ones hidden further back. So, after telling Ying Zhe and the others, he leaped up the steps alone and headed towards the second floor.

After climbing four or five floors, the number of people hadn't decreased at all; it was still a sea of ​​people, making Ying Li feel a little dizzy. It seemed the place was overcrowded. This was understandable, given the large number of ordinary disciples and lower-ranking disciples each year; naturally, there wouldn't be any empty spaces in the training grounds for them. Presumably, the training grounds for intermediate disciples would be more spacious. Ying Li shook her head. Finding herself unable to find a suitable martial arts technique, she randomly picked up a book, didn't even glance at it, and went directly to the managing elder to inquire about training rooms.

Many people vie for martial arts techniques, but few truly settle down to practice them. Furthermore, the martial arts arena is so vast that the training rooms are often empty. The elder in charge glanced at Ying Li, recognizing him as a promising candidate among this year's lower-ranking disciples. His expression was amiable, but upon seeing the martial arts technique, he seemed to have something difficult to say.

Ying Li naturally noticed the difference as well. He flipped through the book and saw the five characters "Flame Bird of Paradise" deeply imprinted on the front, with a bird of paradise spreading its wings as if about to fly out from the cover. "Girl, are you sure you want to cultivate this martial art? This is an evil technique from the Bixia Palace. Ordinary people can't control it and will suffer backlash. Moreover, those who cultivate this kind of martial art will suffer certain damage to their personality and body. Are you really going to practice it?!"

Ying Li was taken aback, not expecting that she would find the Flame Bird of Paradise technique that Lin Xiangxiang had practiced by searching blindly. However, she really didn't have time to go back and look for martial arts techniques, so she nodded seriously, "That's right, Elder, I want to practice this, is that not allowed?"

The elder in charge's expression changed. Remembering the instructions of one of the lower-level disciples' supervisors, the reclusive elder, that he must not interfere with the woman's cultivation, he smiled slightly, picked up a brush, made a note, and pointed to the available cultivation room for Ying Li with the tip of the brush.

Ying Li thanked him and headed towards the empty training room.

Entering the cultivation room, it was indeed different from the outside. The spiritual energy inside was abundant. Although it lacked the spiritual energy of Qingyue Manor, it was still quite isolated from the outside world. There was no sound outside, and presumably no one outside could hear the sounds inside either. Ying Li took out the Flame Bird of Paradise and the Frost Dance Technique and placed them on the table in front of her. Since she had chosen the Flame Bird of Paradise, she would practice it. Otherwise, if others discovered that she had practiced the martial arts of the Bixia Ancestor, the Bixia Palace would probably be in chaos.

Closing her eyes and circulating her spiritual energy, Ying Li opened the Flame Bird of Paradise martial arts manual and began to cultivate. In less than three days, she had almost mastered the Flame Bird of Paradise martial arts. It wasn't harmful to her personality or body as the elder had said. Perhaps it wasn't the right time yet, or perhaps Lin Xiangxiang's skills weren't up to par.

Thinking of this, Ying Li opened the Frost Dance Manual and, referring to the martial arts incantations, began to practice step by step. For seven whole days, Ying Li came here to cultivate every day. On this day, Ying Li opened her eyes and saw that her fingertips had finally changed. She was overjoyed. A layer of white frost appeared on her fingertips, hard as if it had gathered countless powers. She aimed at the wall of the cultivation room and slammed it down! The white frost on her fingertips continued to split and burst out, and tiny snowflakes exploded and hit the wall. Upon closer inspection, the incredibly tough wall actually had countless holes!

Could this be the power of the Frost Dance Technique?! It's only just begun, yet it already possesses such power. If she were to master all seven levels, what level would she reach?! Ying Li felt a surge of excitement. She needed to become stronger, and she had to do it quickly! Only by becoming stronger faster could her Ying family have a chance to catch their breath. Once Ying Zhe and Ying Xue recovered, the three of them could support the Ying family. And then, how wonderful it would be if her father could return!

Thinking of this, Ying Li stayed up all night until he had basically mastered the first level of the Frost Dance Technique before finally leaving the cultivation room! The sunlight outside was blinding, and Ying Li was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to lie on his pillow and rest. Just after Ying Li left, the elder in charge respectfully invited Yin Xiu, Yan Jue, and Jiang Yunhe into the cultivation room Ying Li had been using for the past few days.

The four people entered the training room and their expressions suddenly became serious. The walls of the training room were full of pits and dents. The impact of the Flame Bird of Paradise was accompanied by countless tiny dots. The dots were deep and dark, as if they had been driven in by some terrifying force!

Putting aside the pits and dents, the damage that the Flame Bird of Paradise caused to the walls of the training room was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary disciple. It was something that Ying Li must have achieved at the top level of soul cultivation. To be able to use martial arts to this extent, it seems that this woman is indeed a talent!

"What exactly is that thing? Elder Yunhe, with your vast knowledge, could you perhaps glean some insight?" The hermit stood to the side, stroking his beard, his expression grave as he looked at the horrific scars on the wall. It had been several years since anything like this had occurred. Could Ying Li be destined to become the next top genius of Bixia Palace?!

"This..." Jiang Yunhe looked troubled for the first time. He had managed mid-level disciples and had seen countless so-called geniuses. He had also seen countless family martial arts techniques, but Ying Li's... "I really don't know..."

The other three elders were all taken aback. They hadn't expected that even Jiang Yunhe didn't know this, so this Ying Li...

"Should we inform the Palace Master? After all, this girl's talent is too high." Yan Jue hesitated. It was unprecedented for a lower-level disciple to alarm the Palace Master. Although he found it hard to believe, Ying Li did have the strength to make them look at her differently.

"The Palace Master has many affairs to attend to, and there's such a prodigy to manage. This girl is still young; it's not too late to tell the Palace Master when she grows up and achieves something. What we need to do now is to keep a close watch on them, including Yi Bicheng and those twenty-odd boys in this year's disciples. Their every word, action, diet, and daily life must not be compromised!"

Jiang Yunhe's expression froze. Although those were just children, if they became important figures in the future, and then came to hold Bixia Palace accountable for their current neglect, it would be something they couldn't bear. In the past, Bixia Palace, relying on its superior status, had bullied countless disciples, but some disciples had always swallowed their anger and waited until they were strong enough to argue back. At that time, it wasn't just a loss for the strong, but also the creation of a new enemy. Jiang Yunhe absolutely could not allow this to happen!