6: The Origin of Martial Arts – The Martial Emperor!

Dazed!

Seeing the scene in the arena, everyone felt their heads spinning in a daze!

What was the situation?

There were far too many reversals in this battle!

First, Wang Kai, under Vice Dean Li's guidance, was the first to Breakthrough to Fifth-Grade Martial Art Major Achievement. In terms of martial arts technique Realm, he had surpassed many sixth-rank experts, easily suppressing Lin Yi.

Then, before two breaths had even passed, Lin Yi actually also broke through to Sixth-Grade Martial Art Perfection, directly turning defeat into victory and defeating Wang Kai in one battle!

Good heavens, when did Breakthroughs in martial arts technique Realms become so easy? Are these two really just fourteen-year-old boys?

Even the vast majority of twenty-four, thirty-four, and even forty-four-year-old Martial Artists in the world are far inferior to them!

Stormy waves surged in everyone's hearts, their shock boundless.

It wasn't until three or four breaths later... "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The sound of light clapping rang out across the training grounds, breaking the silence.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw Vice Dean Li You, dressed in Daoist robes and possessing an immortal-like air, clapping and smiling:

"Splendid! Truly splendid! Two great Disciples simultaneously breaking through to a martial arts technique Realm equivalent to Sixth-Grade Martial Art Perfection. It has been a long time since such a splendid match appeared in this Guangling Martial Academy."

"Wang Kai, Lin Yi, you are both very good! You are both true Geniuses of my Guangling Martial Academy."

"Wang Kai's Physical Body Aptitude and Comprehension Ability are both quite good. Continue to Cultivate hard; it shouldn't be difficult to achieve the fifth rank in the future."

"As for Lin Yi, he comes from a poor background, yet he was able to Cultivate his martial arts techniques to this level at this age. In terms of Comprehension Ability, he is even a cut above Wang Kai!"

"Cultivate well. In the future, even if you can't reach the fifth rank because your Physical Body Aptitude is a bit lacking, by relying on your powerful martial arts technique Realm, you still have hope of rivaling ordinary fifth-rank powerhouses."

"Yes! Thank you for the guidance, Dean."

Hearing this, Lin Yi bowed slightly toward Li You, appearing grateful for his comfort on the surface, but smiling in his heart.

Poor Physical Body Aptitude?

What a joke!

If his Physical Body Aptitude was poor, then the Prodigies of this Jiuzhou World were all trash.

Profound Violet Level Talent—this was a Heaven-Defying Physique that only appeared once in a hundred billion people. He estimated that even looking across the entire Nine Provinces, no one could rival him in terms of Physical Body Aptitude.

It was just a pity that the Jiuzhou World didn't have the methods or instruments to test Aptitude like in the cultivation novels of his past life. Otherwise, his talent alone would be enough to shake the Nine Provinces!

"However, there's no rush."

Lin Yi's heart was calm:

"As I continue my Cultivation in the future, my talent will surely be revealed step by step. At that time, the Heavenly Mountain Sect will naturally be willing to invest in me and nurture me."

"Moreover, not having an instrument to test Aptitude might not be a bad thing for me. After all, although the Heavenly Mountain Sect is powerful in the Jiuzhou World, it's not without enemy factions."

"In the history of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, those incredibly crazed enemy factions have even sent First-Rank Masters to wipe out the Heavenly Mountain Sect's martial arts geniuses."

"Staying low-profile now is perfect for avoiding the wariness of those hostile forces and buying myself some time to develop."

"When I've truly grown up, I'll have nothing to fear."

"As for now, I should focus on passing the Martial Arts Scholar exam first!"

Thinking of this, a look of anticipation appeared in Lin Yi's eyes.

Based on past experience, with Lin Yi's current Breakthrough in saber techniques combined with his Eighth Grade Late Stage cultivation, his probability of passing the Martial Arts Scholar assessment should be around seventy percent.

A seventy percent certainty was already not low; it was almost equivalent to having one foot through the door of becoming a Martial Arts Scholar.

Furthermore, today was only July 13th, and there were still seventeen days until the monthly Martial Arts Scholar exam held by the Heavenly Mountain Sect.

In these seventeen days, as long as Lin Yi focused on his Cultivation, he might not reach the Eighth Grade Peak Stage before the exam, but he could still increase his strength a bit more, boosting his certainty of passing the Martial Arts Scholar assessment.

"Continue Cultivating!"

With that thought, Lin Yi first dutifully finished listening to Dean Li's lecture on the training grounds. Once school was dismissed, he returned to the yamen to work as a temporary bailiff, earning money, Cultivating, and practicing martial arts!

And so, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the first day of the eighth month... The first day of the eighth month, the Year of Jia-Chen, the Month of Ren-Shen, the Day of Geng-Wu.

Auspicious for: marriage, travel, sacrifices, breaking ground.

Inauspicious for: burials, building a stove, encoffining, visiting the sick.

On this day, the sky was clear and the breeze was pleasant.

Although it was just past the third quarter of the Hour of the Rabbit, the great sun was already hanging high in the sky, shedding ten thousand rays of light.

Liu'er Street, outside the Lin family's earthen house.

"Haichuan, are you ready yet!"

His mother, Ji Xuan, urged:

"It's clearly Yier taking the Martial Arts Scholar assessment, so why are you acting like you're the one taking it? It's been half the day and you're still not ready!"

"What's the rush!"

Inside the house, Lin Haichuan laughed while tidying his attire:

"My son is taking the assessment, so shouldn't I, as his father, dress up a bit to bolster his morale?"

"That way, when Yier becomes a Martial Arts Scholar, I, his father, won't embarrass him, right?"

"Dad! Nothing's certain yet!"

Lin Yi smiled helplessly:

"I haven't even taken the assessment yet, so why do you sound like I've already passed?"

"Hehe! Close enough, close enough! Could it be that with your current strength, Yier, you don't even have confidence in yourself?"

Lin Haichuan grinned, his tiger-like eyes full of trust.

Seeing this, Lin Yi felt a bit helpless, but a look of confidence also surfaced in his eyes.

With seventeen days of Cultivation, plus his recent good luck in catching two thieves and receiving a reward of over eighty taels of silver, his cultivation had already broken through again two days ago, reaching the Eighth Grade Peak Stage!

With Eighth Grade Peak Stage cultivation and Sixth-Grade Martial Art Perfection technique, Lin Yi's strength could definitely be called invincible among the Seventh-Rank Late Stage, and he could even hold his own against a Seventh Grade Peak Stage.

And the Seventh Grade Peak Stage was a guaranteed pass for the assessment.

With this level of strength, while the Martial Arts Scholar assessment wasn't a hundred percent certain for Lin Yi, it was pretty close.

"Alright! Alright! Finally finished tidying up! Son, Xuanxuan, let's go. We're heading to the City Lord's Manor for the assessment!"

Just as Lin Yi was lost in thought, a moment later, Lin Haichuan finished tidying his clothes.

He was wearing a vermilion curved-lapel robe with a belt around his waist and a hair crown on his head, looking both valiant and festive. He then took the lead, bringing Lin Yi and Ji Xuan toward the City Lord's Manor... The City Lord's Manor was located in the center of Guangling Prefecture City, occupying a massive area and looking incredibly grand.

From a distance, it looked like a giant beast crouching on the ground, striking awe into people's hearts.

In front of the City Lord's Manor, there was a huge plaza capable of holding over ten thousand people.

In the center of the plaza was a humanoid statue about thirty meters high, taller than any other building.

When Lin Yi's family arrived at the plaza, they found many people who were also there for the Martial Arts Scholar assessment today, bringing their families to offer flowers and worship at the base of the statue.

"Come! Yier, Xuanxuan, let's also go pay our respects to the Martial God before his statue."

Lin Haichuan spoke, then with a solemn face, he took the flower basket he had bought on the way and joined the queue to offer sacrifices.

"Yes, Father!"

Seeing this, Lin Yi didn't object. A solemn look appeared on his face as he followed his mother into the queue.

This wasn't superstition; it was respect.

The Martial God was the source of martial arts in this world!

Legend has it that thousands of years ago, the Jiuzhou World was a wilderness where the Human Race was incredibly weak, reduced to being food for the myriad races.

Some incredibly powerful and highly intelligent great demons would even keep large numbers of humans as livestock for blood food, taking them at will, leaving the entire Human Race living in misery.

Fortunately, it was then that the Martial God emerged, creating martial arts, slaying great demons, and suppressing the myriad races. In just over a hundred years, he led the Human Race from the bottom of the myriad races to become the number one race in the Nine Provinces!

Afterward, the Martial God founded the Sacred Martial Dynasty, unified the Nine Provinces, and completely established the Human Race's dominant position. After being invincible and suppressing the world for three hundred years, he broke through the void and performed Ascension, leaving behind endless legends and countless Legacies in the Nine Provinces.

For example, the bronze mechanical man Lin Yi had fought while practicing martial arts at the academy was created because of a Legacy left by the Martial God. This kind of technology didn't even exist in the technologically advanced world of his previous life; it was truly miraculous.

There were also similar Legacies in Alchemy, Artifact Dao, and many other paths, which were basically all created or left behind by the Martial God.

Therefore, even though Lin Yi was a transmigrator, as long as he practiced martial arts—or even as long as he lived in this world—he was inheriting the Martial God's bounty and naturally had to maintain respect for him.

As these thoughts turned in his mind, it was finally the Lin family's turn to begin the sacrifice at the base of the Martial God statue.

Lin Yi and Lin Haichuan both placed their flower baskets at the base of the statue and then solemnly bowed three times.

His mother, Ji Xuan, continued to keep her eyes closed after bowing, her mouth chanting softly:

"This humble woman, Ji Xuan, asks the Great Martial God to show mercy and bless my son so he can become a Martial Arts Scholar today. Bless my son's future martial path to be smooth and for him to live a safe and peaceful life..."

Ji Xuan continued her chanting for about twenty or thirty breaths before finally opening her eyes. After bowing three more times, she left with Lin Yi and his father to find a spot on the plaza to wait slowly...

Time gradually passed. As the sun rose high in the sky, the world became increasingly hot, making people feel restless.

Finally, as the time approached the Hour of the Snake, the tightly closed gates of the City Lord's Manor finally showed movement.

"Kaka kaka—"

The five-meter-high gates of the City Lord's Manor slowly opened. Immediately after, a burly, incredibly majestic middle-aged man dressed in purple robes walked out with a powerful stride, surrounded by hundreds of people.

He first led the group in bowing respectfully three times before the Martial God statue, then turned around and spoke majestically to the plaza, his voice booming like thunder:

"I am City Lord Zong Yuanwang. By the grace of the Sect's regard, I serve as the City Lord of Guangling Prefecture. Today, by the Sect's order, I hold the routine Martial Arts Scholar assessment to select outstanding talents for the Sect."

"Martial Artists who registered for the assessment in the past few days, step forward quickly with your candidate credentials to receive your examination numbers and prepare to begin the assessment."

"As for all other unrelated personnel, withdraw to the perimeter quickly and leave the center of the plaza for the participating Martial Artists."

"Yes, City Lord!"

As soon as Zong Yuanwang finished speaking, everyone on the plaza answered respectfully.

Then, one by one, they withdrew to the perimeter under the direction of the City Lord's Manor soldiers. The Martial Artists participating in the assessment took the candidate credentials issued by the City Lord's Manor—which looked like invitations—and began to queue for inspection.

Seeing this, Lin Yi also smiled at his parents:

"Dad, Mom, I'm going!"

"Mm! Yier, be careful and don't be nervous!"

"Yier, good luck! Dad believes in you!"

Ji Xuan and Lin Haichuan spoke simultaneously to encourage Lin Yi.

Lin Yi nodded, took a light breath, and then queued up with his credentials for inspection. The City Lord's Manor personnel were very efficient. After only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Yi had a number tag that read "Group A, Unit B, Number 36" in his hand.

Seeing this, Lin Yi joined a line according to his number.

After waiting for about another quarter of an hour, when all the Martial Artists had received their numbers and lined up,

Beneath the Martial God statue, the majestic man Zong Yuanwang finally spoke again, shouting: "Everything is ready. I, the City Lord, announce that the Heavenly Mountain Sect's 3,621st Guangling Prefecture Martial Arts Scholar Assessment officially begins!"