Apotheosis

He knew from his earlier encounter that these men wouldn't give up easily.

Straining his muscles to prepare against any potential attacks, Zen kept heading towards the next stone tablet. As he drew closer to the four men, a young man dressed as a scholar approached him, putting up his hand for Zen to stop. "Guy, you don't need to continue. Your initial exam is completed."

The scholar's words were no-nonsense, but Zen was surprised when they didn't attack him directly. Assessing the situation, Zen decided to pretend to know nothing about their purpose and asked, "Why is my exam over? Who asked you to stop me here?"

Chuckling, the scholar said, "I don't see any reason to answer your questions. All you need to know is that this is the end of the initial exam for you. You shouldn't get your hopes up. The Cloud Sect is not a place for people like you."

Usually, facing four marrow refining level adversaries, one should be scared. Even people at the top of organ refining level couldn't compare to rivals who had reached the marrow refining level. Therefore, the four men considered Zen an easy target.

Not hearing any answers, Zen was trying to think of how he could escape the four men. But his expression and stance didn't give that away. Instead, he continued to pretend not to understand what the scholar meant, his face gloomy and he murmured, "But, I haven't passed my initial exam, yet. What should I do about that?"

"That's your problem!" declared the scholar as the four men glared mockingly at Zen. The four of them exchanged glances, thinking, 'The boy is foolish if he still thinks he will pass the initial exam! Is he dreaming?'

While the men were busy glancing at each other, Zen stared up into the sky behind them and cried outman, look, here's an examiner coming now, on a flying chariot!"

Since the examiners at the Cloud Sect deterred most of the disciples from breaking the rules, Zen knew the four men would be afraid to attack him in front of the examiners. So, when Zen shout

battered him.

Only after he was beaten by people at the level of marrow refining would Zen feel the warm current course through his body again.

Just now, when his enemy used the toxic smoky palm to attack him, Zen felt the warm current flow through him, and as it washed over his nervous system, his breathing improved, as if he ate a Magic Pill.

As for the poison of the scholar's palm, it did not cause him any harm. His body was like a mysterious weapon. Naturally, all toxins were harmless. Who had heard of a mysterious weapon harmed by poison?

Opportunities were rare. Zen wanted to stop and let them beat him up when he thought about how being thrashed by four people at the marrow refining level could help wash his internal organs.

However, the stone tablet was just ahead, and if he was right, it should be the goal for the organ refining level. As soon as he reached the stone tablet, Zen would pass the initial exam.

'It would be better for me to turn jade pendant red and pass the initial exam first, before any other unexpected things occur, ' thought Zen. He dismissed the idea of stopping to be beaten by the four people and ran straight to the stone tablet.

Although the four men pursued Zen desperately, they could only watch him pass the stone in a few seconds because of how close he was to it.