26: Sixth rank! Extreme strength!

"Boom!"

Wang Kai gave a sharp shout, and in an instant, his Aura surged violently.

His powerful blood-qi stirred the surrounding air, even causing the air within a few feet of him to form visible waves.

"Sixth... Sixth Grade!"

"Wang Kai, he actually broke through to the Sixth Grade!"

On the Martial Arts Arena, the Disciples of the martial academy cried out in alarm, their eyes filled with shock.

"That kid from the Wang Family broke through to the Sixth Grade at fourteen. This talent..."

On the surrounding spectator stands, the powerful and influential figures from various major forces were also shocked.

Sixth Grade—this was a completely different level from the Seventh Grade!

The latter belonged to the lower three ranks of the Nine Grades of Martial Arts; as long as one had enough resources, even a waste could use those resources to smash their way to the Peak Stage of that level.

The former, however, belonged to the middle three ranks. Without talent, no amount of resources would allow for a Breakthrough.

The gap between the two was even greater than the gap between an ordinary person and the Seventh Grade. Yet Wang Kai had actually broken through to the Sixth Grade at only fourteen; he had the potential of a Fourth Grade Martial Artist!

"Hoho! This little fellow from the Wang Family has quite decent physical talent."

On the central Viewing Platform, seeing the blood-qi erupting from Wang Kai, the green-robed old Dean and Li You also showed smiles on their faces.

"To be able to break through to the Sixth Grade at fourteen, with this kind of physical talent, as long as he is well-cultivated, he will at least break through to the Sixth Grade Middle Stage by the time the Heavenly Mountain Sect holds its Disciple examination next year, and with a bit of luck, he might even reach the Sixth Rank, Late Stage."

"By then, even if he hasn't grasped Extreme Strength, he'll have a great chance of being admitted to the Heavenly Mountain Sect."

"And then there's Lin Yi. If he truly has reached Enlightenment, then he also has a great chance of entering the Heavenly Mountain Sect during next year's examination."

"Haha! Could it be that my Guangling Martial Academy has produced no geniuses for seven years, only to shock the world now by producing two peerless geniuses at once?"

At this point, the Dean and Li You both laughed.

On the Viewing Platform, the other high-ranking officials of the Guangling Martial Academy also laughed upon seeing this, each offering auspicious words.

"Congratulations, Dean! Congratulations, Vice Dean! Under your leadership, our Guangling Martial Academy is indeed flourishing, with geniuses emerging one after another. With Lin Yi and Wang Kai being so talented, I'm sure they will both enter the Heavenly Mountain Sect together next year."

"Officer Wang is right! Our Guangling Martial Academy hasn't produced a peerless Genius in seven years; now it's only right we produce two in a row."

"When Lin Yi and Wang Kai enter the Sect together, I'll see who among those other prefectural martial academies that used to mock us dares to talk nonsense again! The Sect will surely grant us rewards as well."

"Supervisor Sun is absolutely right. In my view..."

...On the Viewing Platform, the academy officials were busy flattering their superiors.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Wang Kai, whose blood-qi had fully erupted, also felt a surge of confidence. He smiled at Lin Yi and said:

"How about it, Lin Yi? I told you, you won't be able to win against me today."

"A Sixth Grade Initial Stage cultivation and a Major Achievement in the fifth-rank Great Mountain Opening Sword Technique—my current strength is formidable even among Sixth Grade Middle Stage Martial Artists."

"Against this level of strength, no matter how powerful your 'Full Moon Without Flaw' defense is, it's impossible to block me. Surrender!"

"Surrender?"

Hearing this, Lin Yi's expression remained calm, and he still shook his head slightly, saying:

"Wang Kai, the word 'surrender' doesn't exist in my dictionary. If you want to defeat me, then show me your true ability."

"Furthermore, although you've broken through to the Sixth Grade, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious today."

"As expected of Lin Yi, you certainly have ambition. I didn't misjudge you."

Hearing this, Wang Kai wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and nodded in praise.

"Fine! Since you want to fight me, I will fulfill your wish. Take this!"

"Boom!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a startling sonic boom immediately rang out.

On the stage, Wang Kai once again raised his greatsword with both hands, slashing down at Lin Yi as if Pangu were splitting heaven and earth.

This strike was still the familiar first Move of the Great Mountain Opening Sword Technique, 'One Sword Opens the Mountain'—it was still just as direct and unstoppable.

However, compared to before, both the power and speed of this strike were more than one level higher.

If few among Seventh-Rank Late Stage Martial Artists could withstand the previous strike, then few among Seventh Grade Peak Stage Martial Artists could withstand this one!

This was a strike capable of sweeping away almost any Seventh Grade Martial Artist; its momentum and power were incredibly formidable!

"This strike was actually unleashed by a fourteen-year-old boy? It's terrifying!"

"A Sixth Grade Martial Artist is indeed a Sixth Grade Martial Artist—truly powerful! Lin Yi's defense is impressive, but how long can he hold out against such a fearsome attack? Thirty breaths? Twenty breaths? Or even less?"

"Indeed! Sixth Grade Martial Artists are truly too powerful!"

...Seeing Wang Kai's terrifying strike, the spectators below the stage were all talking at once.

This time, no one favored Lin Yi. After all, the gap between the Sixth and Seventh Grade was simply too large—so large that conventional means could not bridge it. They truly couldn't imagine what capital Lin Yi had left to turn the tables.

"It seems the result of this battle will be decided shortly."

On the Viewing Platform, Li You also smiled upon seeing this.

"For this Entrance Exam, it looks like Wang Kai will be first and Lin Yi will be second."

"Indeed! That should be the outcome."

The green-robed old man also nodded in agreement.

"This little fellow Lin Yi might have higher potential than Wang Kai, but for now, his strength is still inferior."

"In my view, Wang Kai will defeat him within twenty breaths at most..."

"Boom!"

On the Viewing Platform, before the green-robed old man could finish his sentence, a terrifying and startling sonic boom suddenly rang in his ears.

The green-robed old man focused his gaze and saw that on the stage, Lin Yi—who had seemed like a small boat in a great ocean about to be capsized by Wang Kai's terrifying strike—suddenly struck out.

His long saber was still the same one as before!

His Move was still the same one as before!

But at this moment, the power and speed of the long saber in Lin Yi's hand surged at an absurd rate.

In almost an instant, its power far surpassed Wang Kai's!

Finally, it slashed heavily against Wang Kai's greatsword.

"Clang!"

As the saber and sword collided, a sound like a great bell tolling echoed throughout the entire arena.

In the next moment, to everyone's disbelief, the fiercely charging Wang Kai was actually sent flying by Lin Yi's single slash at a speed even faster than he had come, only coming to a stop after retreating more than ten meters.

"What! I... I...!"

On the stage, Wang Kai looked at the greatsword in his hands, his eyes full of disbelief.

And on the Viewing Platform...

"Bang! Bang!"

Two sounds of hands slamming onto a table rang out. The green-robed old Dean and Li You suddenly stood up from their seats. Their eyes, which already held a hidden glint, were now staring fixedly at Lin Yi below as if they were glowing, filled with endless shock and wild joy. Then, almost simultaneously, two words slowly escaped their mouths:

"Extreme! Strength!"