8: Passing the martial arts exam

"Hmm? Who is this youth? Coming to participate in the Martial Arts Scholar examination at such a young age?"

"Indeed! This child looks to be only fourteen or fifteen, right? To have the strength of the Seventh-Rank Late Stage at such a young age? Could he be a clown here just to seek attention?"

"Damn, whose spendthrift child is this! You know, the registration fee for the Martial Arts Scholar examination is a full thirty taels of silver! He just spent it like that, isn't that just throwing money down the drain? If he were my son, I'd have to beat him to death."

"Yeah! What a spendthrift..."

...As soon as Lin Yi stepped onto the stage, he immediately drew skepticism from almost everyone present; they all suspected he was intentionally trying to show off.

After all, reaching the Seventh-Rank Late Stage at fourteen—this strength could rank in the top thirty even among the students of the same year at the Guangling Martial Academy.

And such Geniuses were all famous throughout Guangling Prefecture City from a young age; how could they have never even heard of him?

On the square, just as the crowd was still buzzing with discussion, at this moment—

"Clang!"

Accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums, the first stage of the examination officially began once again.

"Boom!"

Dozens of meters opposite Lin Yi, the tall bronze mechanical man took a step forward, its terrifying speed instantly turning it into a green phantom rushing towards Lin Yi.

The bronze long staff in its hand was like a small mountain, carrying thousands of catties of majestic power as it smashed down furiously towards Lin Yi.

"Bright Moon Saber Technique—Embracing the Moon in the Arms!"

With a thought, Lin Yi immediately spun the long saber in his hand through the Void Realm.

In an instant, as streaks of saber light lit up, a bright moon composed entirely of saber light rose before Lin Yi.

"Clang!"

The bronze long staff smashed onto the "bright moon," immediately producing a loud sound of clashing metal.

The bronze mechanical man was forced back seven steps, "deng deng deng," while Lin Yi remained calm and composed, completely unharmed.

"What! This kid's strength is so formidable!"

"This defense is too terrifying! To actually force back the bronze mechanical man in one move, I'm afraid even a true Seventh Grade Peak Stage would be no more than this?"

"This youth is truly remarkable!"

...Seeing this scene, the surrounding candidates' relatives and friends widened their eyes, each filled with disbelief.

The Bright Moon Saber Technique was already a martial art extremely skilled in defense. In the past, during Lin Yi's battle with Wang Kai, when Wang Kai achieved a Breakthrough to the Major Achievement of the Great Mountain Opening Sword Technique on the spot, Lin Yi was still able to rely on the terrifying defense of the Bright Moon Saber Technique to hold on for a while.

Now that Lin Yi's Bright Moon Saber Technique had reached the level of Perfection, and his cultivation had also reached the Eighth Rank Peak Stage, his defensive power was naturally even more horrific.

Even for a Seventh Grade Peak Stage expert, if they were the type not skilled in defense, their defensive ability alone might not even match Lin Yi's.

"This kid's saber technique is somewhat interesting. Is he from the Guangling Martial Academy?"

Under the statue of the Martial God, City Lord Zong Yuanwang's eyes showed a hint of interest as he asked an aide beside him.

"In response to the City Lord, this boy is named Lin Yi; he is indeed a Disciple of the 286th class of the Guangling Martial Academy."

As soon as Zong Yuanwang finished speaking, the aide spoke as if reciting a familiar story, beginning to introduce Lin Yi:

"Although he comes from a poor background, his Comprehension Ability is remarkable. His Realm of martial arts techniques is enough to firmly rank in the top five among the Disciples of the same year at the Guangling Martial Academy, and he is quite famous there."

"A few days ago, under the guidance of Vice Dean Li of the Guangling Martial Academy, he fought Wang Kai of the Wang family and achieved a Breakthrough to the Perfection Realm of a Sixth-Grade Martial Art, shaking the entire Guangling Martial Academy."

"However, I heard that this boy has always had extremely poor Physical Body Aptitude. In the mid-year examination of the Guangling Martial Academy over a month ago, his martial arts cultivation was only at the Eighth Rank Initial Stage."

"But looking at it now, he clearly has the cultivation of the Eighth Rank Peak Stage. I don't know why his cultivation has progressed so significantly in just over a month."

"Oh? There's such a thing?"

"Did this little fellow hide his strength back then? Or was it an Awakening of talent? Or perhaps he encountered another Opportunity during this time?"

Zong Yuanwang was slightly surprised and pondered, but then he smiled indifferently:

"Forget it! So what if he had another Opportunity? On the Nine Provinces Continent, Opportunities that can significantly increase one's cultivation in one go are all one-time uses; once used, they're gone. Even if he once obtained such an Opportunity, it has nothing to do with me anymore."

"Moreover, such a small Opportunity isn't enough to make me take action against a little fellow like him."

"As for hiding strength or talent Awakening? Let's keep a slight eye on him."

"If this little fellow's cultivation can reach the Seventh Grade Mid-stage and his comprehensive strength can reach the sixth-grade level by the time he graduates from the academy next year, then he can be recruited into my City Lord's Manor for proper cultivation."

"In that case, after a dozen years or so, I might have another fifth-grade expert under my command."

"Yes! The City Lord is wise!"

The aide smiled and flattered him, then gave a look, and a servant nearby immediately recorded the matter... Not mentioning the reactions of the crowd outside, in the examination field, after the bronze mechanical man was forced back by Lin Yi's strike, a red glow flashed in its eyes, and in the next moment, it brandished its long staff and rushed up again.

"Boom boom boom!"

The long staff in the bronze mechanical man's hands was like thunder and lightning, each strike incredibly powerful and at a terrifying speed, pouring down towards Lin Yi like a tide.

However, facing this surging attack, Lin Yi's expression remained calm throughout. He performed the Bright Moon Saber Technique, which turned into a bright moon enveloping his body, easily blocking the attacks.

One breath!

Two breaths!

...Five breaths!

Seven breaths!

...In the square, one could see the other candidates being beaten into a state of disarray by the long staffs of the bronze mechanical men, facing constant danger, and some had even been eliminated, while Lin Yi remained calm and serene, easily defending.

Finally, ten breaths passed.

At this moment, of the thirty-six candidates present, fewer than twenty were still standing, and each was pale, their eyes filled with the feeling of having survived a disaster.

Yet Lin Yi's breathing hadn't even changed; he was steady and incredibly relaxed.

"Good! Yier, beautifully done! As expected of my, Lin Haichuan's, son!"

Seeing this, Lin Haichuan was extremely excited, waving his fists.

"Yier, Mother knew you could do it!"

Ji Xuan's eyes were filled with tears, but her face was full of smiles.

And the family and friends of the candidates next to them, who had been skeptical before, were now filled with envy:

"Brother, Sister, is this your son? Impressive! He's much stronger than our little brat!"

"Yes! Brother, Sister, with such an excellent son, you'll surely enjoy a good life in the future."

"Sigh! I'm really envious! Brother, Sister, what's your secret? How did you raise such an excellent son? Can you share it with us?"

"Yeah! Share it! Share it with us!"

"Haha! There's no secret!"

Surrounded and flattered by the crowd, Lin Haichuan's face was glowing with excitement as he laughed:

"The two of us didn't actually do much; it's all because the child himself worked hard."

"Let me tell you, this child has been smart and independent since he was little. At six years old..."

Lin Haichuan laughed loudly and began to act as a "Yi-booster" right there in the square, while the other parents listened with great interest, some even taking out paper and pens to start recording, not knowing how they would use it to educate their own children when they got back.

On the other side, after passing the first stage of the examination, Lin Yi first drew a lot, selected his number for the second stage, and then stood to the side to wait for the second stage to begin.

Afterward, about fifteen minutes later, all candidates had finally completed their assessments. More than half of the four or five hundred people were ultimately eliminated, leaving only a bit over two hundred qualified to participate in the second stage.

The candidates participating in the second stage began their assessments in a format of two people per group, with ten groups at a time.

Because the examination number Lin Yi drew this time was 18, it was directly his turn in the first round of the second stage.

Subsequently, under the arrangement of the examination staff, Lin Yi stepped onto the examination field.

And his opponent was a youth in red using a pair of twin sabers.

"Lin Yi, it's you!"

Seeing that his opponent was actually Lin Yi, who had performed the best in the first stage, the youth in red's expression changed, and he felt a bit panicked.

But looking at his family members around the examination field whose expressions were even more nervous than his, the youth in red tightened his grip on the twin sabers and then said with a serious face:

"Lin Yi, you are very strong! I saw your performance in the battle during the first stage earlier, and I admit I am not your match."

"But it's impossible for me to give up so easily. Let's fight!"

"Mhm, let's fight! Let's both do our best!"

Lin Yi smiled and nodded, then moved his long saber, taking the initiative to strike.

"Clang clang clang clang!"

A series of weapon sounds immediately rang out in the field. Lin Yi's body moved with the saber, each move and style like a natural and flawless strike. As soon as he struck, the youth in red was left with no room to fight back.

Finally, after only sixteen breaths, Lin Yi found a flaw in the youth in red's twin sabers.

With one slash, he instantly sent the twin sabers flying, and then the snow-white long saber was thrust forward, resting on the other person's neck.

"Second stage, Number 18 wins!"

A booming voice rang out in the square.

And as this voice fell, it also heralded that in this 3,621st Martial Arts Scholar examination.

Candidate Lin Yi was the first to pass the Martial Arts Scholar examination, becoming the first candidate of this session to obtain the title of Martial Arts Scholar!