157: Final Exam

In the early morning, the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, falling upon the towering vermilion-tiled eaves of the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall.

At the deepest part of the martial arts hall, the stone door of a Quiet Room opened inward with a loud rumble.

Yan Chen walked out slowly.

He wore a brand-new set of dark red martial arts attire, his hair tied back up, and the pallor and weakness of the past few days were gone from his face.

His aura was steady and concentrated; though not as fiery and unrestrained as it had been at the Drill Ground, it appeared even more pure and heavy. The flames burning in his eyes were no longer the superficial irritability of the past, but a settled, deep-seated, and more dangerous heat.

"Young Hall Master!"

Outside the Quiet Room, several Core Disciples of the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall had been waiting for a long time, and they all bowed in unison at this moment.

The Hall Master, Yan Lieyang, stood with his hands behind his back under a phoenix tree in the courtyard. Seeing him come out, his gaze swept over him, and he nodded slightly: "Your aura is stable, and the internal injuries from the Golden Body backlash have been suppressed. Not bad."

"I have made father worry," Yan Chen said calmly with a cupped-hand salute.

"It was hardly worry." Yan Lieyang turned and looked toward the front courtyard of the martial arts hall. "Today is the final battle of the Martial Examination. Your appointment with Chen Linsheng is the focus of the entire city. How do you feel?"

Yan Chen was silent for a moment before saying, "I will fight with all my strength and leave no regrets."

Yan Lieyang glanced at him and suddenly asked, "What if you lose?"

Hearing this, the surrounding Disciples were all startled and lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Yan Chen's expression remained unchanged: "If I lose, then I lose. After the battle at the Drill Ground, I have come to understand one thing—the Dao of a Martial Artist does not lie in the victory or defeat of a single day, but in moving forward step by step. Chen Linsheng's Foundation, Heart-Nature, and Comprehension Ability are all superior to mine. In this battle, I only seek to verify my doubts regarding my Cultivation Technique; as long as I have a clear conscience, that is enough."

When these words came from his mouth, there was not even a hint of reluctance or resentment, only composure.

Several Disciples looked at each other, hardly able to believe that this was their proud and overbearing Young Hall Master.

A look of gratification appeared in Yan Lieyang's eyes, and he patted him on the shoulder:

"Since you have gained such insight, I can rest easy. Remember, after today's battle, regardless of the outcome, you are already a Martial Scholar. With imperial honors upon you, your future is bright. The world's heroes are as numerous as the carp crossing a river; what does a temporary victory or defeat matter? You only need to care about whether you are stronger today than yesterday, and whether you can take another step forward tomorrow."

He paused, his voice lowering:

"The Five Viscera Absorbing Essence Art... if you want to hand it over, then hand it over. Our Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall has treasured this technique for many years, but no one has ever been able to perfectly integrate it with the Blazing Sun True Energy. Chen Linsheng possesses the Primordial Legacy; perhaps he truly can forge a new path. It is not a bad thing to establish a good relationship."

Yan Chen nodded heavily: "I understand."

"The time is almost here, go now." Yan Lieyang waved his hand.

Yan Chen bowed again, turned, and strode toward the front courtyard. Several Disciples behind him quickly followed, their footsteps sounding particularly clear in the morning light.

Inside and outside the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall, there was already a flurry of excitement.

On the practice field in the front courtyard, dozens of Disciples had no heart for morning practice. They gathered in small groups, whispering, their eyes occasionally glancing toward the back courtyard.

"The Young Hall Master is coming out of seclusion today, and his aura seems even more concentrated..."

"I heard he sent a challenge letter to Chen Linsheng to discuss the Dao through martial arts?"

"The Young Hall Master was so heavily injured during the battle at the Drill Ground. It's only been a few days; how much could he have recovered?"

"That guy Chen Linsheng isn't easy to deal with either. Between the Hidden Dragon Banquet and breaking the formation at the Drill Ground, his reputation is too great..."

While they were discussing, footsteps came from the passage to the back courtyard.

Yan Chen's figure appeared.

The field fell silent instantly.

All the Disciples straightened their backs and looked at him with complex gazes—there was awe, expectation, and also worry.

Yan Chen didn't stop his pace, walking straight through the crowd toward the main gate of the martial arts hall. When he passed by a Junior Brother who was usually close to him, he suddenly stopped and looked at him: "What are you nervous about?"

The Junior Brother was stunned and stammered, "Young, Young Hall Master, today's battle..."

"Winning and losing are common occurrences for a soldier," Yan Chen said indifferently. "Disciples of the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall can lose, but they cannot lose their spirit. Everyone disperse; go practice what you should practice."

Having said that, he no longer lingered and strode across the threshold of the martial arts hall.

On the long street outside, the morning light was spread out, and the flow of people was gradually becoming denser. In the distance, toward the city Drill Ground, the faint sound of a clamoring crowd could be heard.

Yan Chen took a deep breath, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes completely dissipating, turning into a pure and blazing Battle Intent.

"Chen Linsheng... let me see just how far your Primordial Dao has progressed."

At the third quarter of the hour of the Dragon, the city Drill Ground.

Around the arena, there were even more spectators than in previous days. The shadow of the Drill Ground massacre had not yet completely dissipated, but precisely because of that, this final battle—symbolizing the "restoration of order and the immortality of the martial Legacy"—attracted countless gazes from the entire city and even neighboring towns.

The arena had been repaired, the scorched pits in the bluestone ground had been filled, and eighteen brand-new mysterious black flags were erected once more, fluttering loudly in the morning breeze.

On the Viewing Platform, the Prefectural Governor, Ling Feng, Tie Hanshan, Eunuch Cao, and others were seated again.

Young Master Yu did not arrive today; Xu Wangshu sat in the last seat representing Tingtao Academy. The various martial arts hall masters and heads of great families had solemn expressions, their gazes occasionally sweeping toward the area below the stage.

The top eight contestants were lined up on the east side of the arena.

After the ordeal at the Drill Ground, two of the original eight were missing—Nangong Lie's heavy injuries had not yet healed, and Liu Suifeng was under investigation because his methods when killing the Blood Puppets that day were too ruthless and he was suspected of practicing evil arts. The two replacements were both young Martial Artists who had performed prominently that day.

Chen Linsheng stood in the middle of the line, his expression calm.

The wound on his right palm had healed, leaving only a faint, light scar. His aura was even more concentrated and heavy than ten days ago, faintly revealing a sense of stability like a mountain—that was the natural outward manifestation of the aura after preliminarily mastering the first move of the Mountain Suppressing Seal, "Suppressing the Mountain."

Not far away, Mu Qingxue was as cold as ever, the Cold Ripple Sword hanging at her waist.

Han Tie stood in silence, his war saber in hand.

Yu Linfeng lightly fanned himself, a smile on his face.

Lin Yueru was conversing in low tones with Xu Wangshu.

Yan Chen stood at the far left of the line, separated from Chen Linsheng by several people. Their gazes met briefly in the air; neither spoke, yet they already understood each other's intent.

Judge Li ascended the stage, his voice reaching the entire field: "After joint deliberation by the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, the Education Bureau, and the Army Breaker Manor, in view of the recent events, the final battle of this year's Martial Examination will be simplified. The top eight contestants will draw lots for duels, with the winners advancing until the final rankings are determined. Now—draw lots!"

The bronze lot container was brought up once again.

This time, there were only four pairs of bamboo slips in the container.

Yan Chen was the first to step forward and draw one.

"group a, Number One."

He held up the bamboo slip, his gaze shooting straight at Chen Linsheng.

Chen Linsheng's expression did not change as he stepped forward and reached into the container.

His fingertips touched a bamboo slip; he pulled it out and turned it over.

The vermilion characters were clearly revealed—

"group a, Number One."

"Boom—!"

The entire field instantly erupted!

"It's them facing off again!"

"A fated duel! A winner must be decided this time!"

"Chen Linsheng versus Yan Chen, the first match is already the highlight!"

The area of the Blazing Sun Martial Arts Hall erupted with earth-shattering cheers, while everyone on the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall's side clenched their fists, their expressions tense.