Star Martial Era: The Way of Star Light Cultivation
Chapter 139 - 100: Advancement to the Inner Court and Admission of Defeat (Seeking Subscription and Monthly Pass)

Chapter 139: Chapter 100: Advancement to the Inner Court and Admission of Defeat (Seeking Subscription and Monthly Pass)

At 13:45, Xu Jin arrived at the Martial Arts Hall ahead of schedule.

Upon arrival, he noticed the place was crowded with many people, not just the disciples from this year’s Star-pointing Season, but also all the senior brothers from previous seasons, totaling over three hundred.

Some of the senior brothers from past seasons were eyeing the disciples of this spring’s Star-pointing Season with predatory eagerness.

Including Xu Jin’s arrival, several of them sized him up and down, discussing him, which surprised Xu Jin.

Out of curiosity, Xu Jin inquired about the situation with familiar faces like Lu Xianbing, Zhang Han, Qian Xiaohu, and others, until he understood.

The monthly assessment was not just for the disciples of their spring’s Star-pointing Season.

It was for all the disciples of the Taoist Institute.

Those who excelled in the monthly assessments would maintain their position or rise to the Inner Court, while the inferior would be demoted to the Middle Court or even further down to the Outer Court.

And this competition was for all the disciples.

In other words, the protection period for the newcomers of this spring’s Star-pointing Season had ended.

Starting from today’s monthly assessment, it would be a competition for all the disciples of the Dining Dawn Realm for places in the Inner and Middle Courts.

As for the Outer Court, nobody was fighting for positions there, but that didn’t mean one could slack off.

If a disciple received a third negative evaluation from the instructors within a year, they would be expelled from the Institute.

There were a total of ten spots in the Inner Court for the entire Institute, forty-five in the Middle Court, and the rest were in the Outer Court.

All disciples were allowed to challenge and compete.

In other words, senior brothers from last year’s spring Star-pointing season could directly challenge the junior brothers from this year’s spring season.

If one lost, they would forfeit their position.

This rule seemed somewhat unfair.

The senior brothers from last spring’s Star-pointing, even if they only managed to reach the Seventh Layer of Dining Dawn by perseverance, would they not easily seize the positions from this year’s juniors?

However, in reality, it wasn’t like that.

There were not many senior brothers left from last year’s spring Star-pointing Season.

They were either selected for the National Taoist Institute or had joined the State Taoist Institute; even if they hadn’t entered those, the ones capable of Star Casting had already done so and were assigned to practical duties.

The ones left behind who had not cast stars were mostly those with relatively poor talent, who had previously always been in the Outer Court, and their combat power was limited.

Because combat power was determined not only by cultivation level but also by Star Skill.

Of course, it was entirely possible that they might threaten the positions of some Middle Court disciples.

But that was the rule of the Institute.

A monthly assessment determined who rose and who fell based on strength.

Losing once was not the end; one could turn shame into courage and win the position back the next month.

Shortly after, several instructors arrived, followed by Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan.

However, Ning Yuchan didn’t begin the monthly assessment immediately upon arrival; she was waiting for someone else.

In a short while, Dean Cao Chun and Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu arrived together.

"Suddenly notified of an event, the National Taoist Institute just informed us of the final dates for this year’s autumn exam, starting on August 4.

That is, in half a month.

Therefore, the Institute has decided on short notice to combine this monthly assessment with the selection of disciples for the autumn exam.

Now, please allow Chief Instructor Ning to announce the rules," Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu said.

The announcement stirred the disciples below into an excited chatter.

Dean Cao Chun remained silent, only casting a glance, and the four black-clad Inspection Officers moved forward a step, quickly bringing quietness to the hall.

Ning Yuchan stepped forward, "The rules haven’t changed much compared to the previous monthly assessments.

It’s still actual combat, but the number of free challenges has increased from three to five.

All disciples are unable to refuse a challenge.

And no challenges can be made to injured disciples who are unable to fight."

After listening for a while, Xu Jin roughly understood.

The rules of the monthly assessment were simple and brutal.

In contrast, the sparring to assess skills that they had at the end of last month’s Star-pointing Season seemed very childish.

In short, if you think you can defeat someone, you challenge them.

However, one cannot cross challenge between courts.

If you’re from the Outer Court, you can first challenge a Middle Court disciple. If you win, you earn a spot in the Middle Court and can then challenge a disciple from the Inner Court.

The outer Court challenging the Middle Court, if victorious, will take the place of the challenged; if defeated, the loser in the Middle Court moves back a rank.

In the end, the ten disciples from the Inner Court and the top twenty-five from the Middle Court will qualify for the autumn exam.

Qualifying for the autumn exam means futures might include selection for the State Taoist Institute or even the National Taoist Institute.

The assessment will be divided into three small battlefields, supervised by Ning Yuchan, Feng Shu, and Cao Chun, to prevent loss of life.

You cannot use personal Star Weapons, nor emblems, nor take Pills during combat, and you are only allowed to use the weapons and armor provided by the Institute.

It’s worth noting that the Institute has provided six sets of First Tier Star Weapons, especially the double-layer soft armor weighing thirty catties, to prevent the disciples from sustaining severe, potentially fatal injuries that are hard to recover from.

The Institute does place a high value on the safety of its disciples.

As the assessment was announced to begin, Xu Jin began contemplating who he would challenge.

A spot in the autumn exam was essential for him, but being in the top twenty of the Middle Court was not his goal.

He had to secure a spot among the top ten in the Inner Court.

Although the eighty taels monthly allowance in the Inner Court didn’t mean much to the ten thousand taels man Xu Jin, a little gain was still a gain.

Moreover, the Inner Court had many conveniences, such as fewer menial duties, allowing one to focus on cultivation more.

It was said that Inner Court disciples had some unpublished benefits, known only after qualifying for it.

So, he must make it to the Inner Court.

But whom to challenge?

Lu Xianbing? Ren Xiaoxiang or Yue Daqi?

After some thought, Xu Jin decided not to bully them and leave some opportunities for his classmates.