43: Chapter 43 Chen An VS Liu Qingyun

In front of Ring A!

Watching Chen An cast only a faint glance before walking straight past him as if no one else was there, Liu Qingyun froze on the spot.

The next moment, his face turned deathly pale, blue veins bulged slightly on his forehead, and his fists clenched so tightly they rattled.

Watching Chen An's back as he calmly walked toward the waiting area for Ring A, viciousness churned in the depths of Liu Qingyun's eyes, and murderous intent grew sharp. The anger and humiliation intertwined in his heart, almost impossible to suppress.

However, upon seeing the three figures on the high platform not far away, Liu Qingyun, who had been so angry he wished he could kill Chen An on the spot, froze.

It was as if someone had instantly poured a bucket of ice water over his head.

His gaze instantly cleared!

He had not forgotten the look Instructor Fan Suiyun of the County Academy had given him during the first round of testing just now.

That look was not scrutiny, nor was it a reprimand; it was a naked warning!

If he dared to lay a hand on Chen An off the ring, Instructor Fan Suiyun might truly kill him on the spot.

For an expert in the Innate Realm to wipe out a Martial Artist in the Qi Condensation Realm, there was no need to even lift a finger. Perhaps just a wisp of pressure would be enough to shock his Divine Soul and shatter his Meridians, leaving him with no ability to resist.

At this thought, a chill crept up Liu Qingyun's back, and the viciousness that had been churning inside him was instantly forced back down.

He dared not show even a shred of murderous intent anymore, and could only clench his fists tightly, cast a gloomy look at Chen An's back, and then lower his head to join the queue and wait.

"First, congratulations to all students for passing the first round of testing!"

On the high platform, Instructor Fan Suiyun glanced at the three hundred or so students below with a calm gaze.

"However, this County Exam will only select thirty individuals to be recorded in the Prefectural Academy registry!"

"Therefore, next, the second round of ring combat will begin!"

"There are no extra rules for this combat!"

"The strong win, the weak lose!"

"Except for the prohibition of using any weapons, hidden weapons, or poisons!"

"It will continue until one side voluntarily surrenders or falls!"

"Furthermore, on the ring, life and death do not matter!!!"

After he finished speaking, the air in the Martial Arts Arena seemed to turn cold, and the expressions of all the students changed abruptly.

Life and death do not matter!

It meant that if they were not careful, they could all possibly die during this Martial Examination.

However, all the students had long been mentally prepared for this.

The path of martial arts is inherently cruel!

Martial arts is not about hosting dinners, embroidering, or being refined; it is a path of slaughter where one competes with martial arts, gambles with their life for the Dao, and where the strong are revered.

Not to mention the Ancient Demon Race that still eyes the Human Race's northern border covetously; even within the Great Luo Dynasty, Martial Artists must frequently face Vicious Beasts, or even malicious Martial Artists.

On the high platform, Instructor Fan Suiyun watched the solemn students below with a cold, indifferent expression, showing not a shred of pity.

The path of martial arts is naturally about the survival of the fittest. Only those who can endure the slaughter and pass the test of life and death are qualified to enter the Prefectural Academy and walk upon a higher path of Cultivation.

Of course, that is what is said.

But if a student were truly in life-threatening danger on the ring later, neither the Instructor presiding over the ring nor he would stand idly by and watch these students lose their lives during the Martial Examination.

"Begin!!!"

The roar of his voice echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena.

"Ring A-1 Wu Liheng, Ring A-2 Lin Shi'an, take the stage!"

"Ring B-1 Gao Yuncheng, Ring B-2 Wu Qingyun, take the stage!"

"Ring C-1 Zheng Qiuwan, Ring C-2 Han Shoucheng, take the stage!"

As the names were called out, the second round of ring assessments officially began.

People leaped onto the three rings simultaneously, their auras tight and their Battle Intent rising.

All the students gathered their gazes on the three rings, and the air was instantly filled with a thick, murderous aura of combat.

"Begin!"

Following the command from the Instructors presiding over the three rings, the three duels officially began.

Suddenly, True Qi surged on the rings, fist winds whistled, palm shadows crisscrossed and flew, and True Qi spilled everywhere as they fought in a hard-to-distinguish struggle.

Below the rings, the students all watched with focused attention, holding their breath.

Some felt tense in their hearts, secretly nervous.

Others stared intently at the Moves on the stage, secretly deconstructing the patterns, pondering the flaws, silently comparing them to their own Martial Skills, and learning from the methods of attack, defense, and maneuvering.

Still others quietly estimated the depth of both sides' Cultivation, secretly judging the outcome of victory or defeat in their hearts.

Chen An stood with his hands behind his back, watching the back-and-forth fighting on the rings with a calm expression, a flash of playful interest in his eyes.

The other students watched with heart-pounding fear and tense spirits.

But in his eyes, the Moves of the two on stage were full of flaws; their True Qi circulation was stiff and clumsy, their attack and defense rhythm lacked any method, and while they had the Cultivation of the Qi Condensation Realm, they had failed to fully grasp the essence of their Martial Skills.

"Sure enough, everyone else's Cultivation is raised through Cultivation, and it is flimsy and unbearable!"

"Whereas I use the System to add points and raise it step by step, my Foundation is solid!"

"The difference is immediately clear!!!"

Liu Qingyun, standing to the side, had been secretly watching Chen An the entire time. Seeing him maintain a calm and composed appearance, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"Pretentious!"

One ring battle after another unfolded; some won, some lost, some retreated from the ring with serious injuries, and some barely advanced through lucky narrow victories.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, over an hour had passed. Finally, the twenty-third and twenty-fourth participants on Ring A decided their winner.

"Number twenty-five, Liu Qingyun!"

"Number twenty-six, Chen An!"

"Take the stage!"

"Whoa!!~~"

As the voice of the Instructor on the ring fell, an uproar could not help but break out below the ring.

Whether it was Liu Qingyun or Chen An, both had become completely famous in the previous Martial Examination.

Liu Qingyun was originally a top student of Class Jia, possessing a Cultivation of the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm, and his father was an Instructor in the Acquired Realm serving at the County Academy; his background was extraordinary.

But not long ago, he and his father, Instructor Liu Zhixing, were publicly exposed by Shen Qinglan for bullying classmates by relying on their status and Cultivation, forcing other students to voluntarily give up their spots in the Martial Examination, and even wanting to sell people to trading firms as forced labor. His father was even suspended, and for a time, his reputation plummeted, and he was subject to much criticism.

As for Chen An, he was originally just an inconspicuous student of Geng Class, and previously, he was only slightly known to others because he was a childhood sweetheart of the County Academy's top student, Shen Qinglan.

He only had a Cultivation of the second level of the Qi Condensation Realm, was unremarkable among the candidates, and at first, no one took him seriously at all.

As it turned out, no one expected that before the mystic light stele in the first round of Cultivation testing, Chen An, who had been keeping a low profile and hiding his skills, would actually erupt with a Cultivation of the sixth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. This caused Liu Qingyun to resentfully stand out and question him, which resulted in Shen Qinglan's rebuke, bringing the conflict between the two into the open.

Now, with the ring draw, they happened to be enemies on a narrow road, and were actually assigned to the same ring for a duel.

Seeing this, everyone became interested; discussions rose and fell, and they looked at the two with interest.

All the students wanted to see who would be the one to have the last laugh in this duel of grievances?!