In an instant, the gazes of more than four hundred students and over fifty teachers and administrators snapped toward the fourteen students of Class 1!
Or rather, most of those gazes
fell on two stunning figures, their owners filled with complicated feelings.
Lin Qingyue. Ye Xingli!
Direct descendants of the Four Great Families!
The two of them drew every eye just by standing there!
Lin Qingyue was like a proud white swan, arms folded across her chest. Her exquisite face was cool and distant, making her seem beyond anyone's reach.
Ye Xingli wore a faint smile, but her mysterious radiance, like the bright moon in the heavens, made her even harder to approach!
"Hmph!"
Lin Qingyue raised her chin slightly, her expression indifferent. But when she sensed Ye Xingli sharing the spotlight, her fine brows knit, and displeasure stirred in her heart!
They held equal status and were in the same year.
Naturally, people had compared her with Ye Xingli for years.
Lin Qingyue's gaze swept over Ye Xingli's seemingly flawless skin, and a flicker of envy crossed her beautiful eyes.
She hated to admit it, but Ye Xingli truly was beautiful.
But martial arts are what matter!
People have compared us for two years. Today, I'll prove that you, Ye Xingli, are no match for me, Lin Qingyue!
Her eyes shone as she gave a cold snort!
She was the first to step forward, stopping before the hazy gray stone that stood as tall as a person!
Quite a few people cried out!
"Lin Qingyue's going first?"
"I wonder what result she'll get!"
"She might even come close to the record!"
People murmured among themselves, making their guesses!
Sun Rui watched the chattering crowd below with a smile and made no move to silence them.
"Shenyun First High School may not be the strongest school in Shenyun City. A few others can rival it."
"But in terms of history and Foundation, it's firmly in the top two and could even be number one. It was founded 172 years ago."
Zhang Yuan whispered to Su Ye.
"Setting aside a freak like Su Ling, who was born with an Innate True Bone and called away for special military training..."
"If I remember right, the school's all-time record was eleven Martial Bones tempered and 997 kilograms of punching force!"
Su Ye narrowed his eyes.
He had already had six Martial Bones when he left the Vast Sea Sword Hall. After several more days of hard training, he had naturally made further progress!
Eleven Martial Bones... I'm still a little short.
But punching force...
A glint flashed in Su Ye's eyes. Though he had yet to test it, he had a feeling he might not be far behind!
On the platform, Sun Rui cleared his throat twice, then spoke slowly enough for everyone to hear:
"To use this Strength Testing Stone, simply channel your Martial Bones and strike it with all your strength."
"It will display your cultivation and punching force clearly and accurately."
"Some of you may wonder why we test punching force. Let me explain."
As the noise gradually died down and the students grew attentive, Sun Rui nodded in satisfaction before continuing:
"Even among those who have tempered the same number of Martial Bones, some forced the process along with pills. Their bones haven't been honed quite as well."
"Likewise, some people are born with exceptional physiques."
"At your current level, and with the resources available today, punching force is one way to measure your 'Foundation and potential'!"
Su Ye nodded thoughtfully.
Most students had yet to train in other martial techniques or Cultivation Methods. Though crude, a punching-force test could indeed serve as one measure of their Foundation and potential.
Lin Qingyue said nothing.
She simply closed her eyes, then snapped them open the next instant!
She stepped forward!
Before everyone's eyes, she drove a fist into the Strength Testing Stone!
There was none of the thunderous crash they had imagined. Instead, the stone gave way like cotton beneath her mighty punch, leaving an indentation!
A gentle force rebounded from it. Lin Qingyue's expression shifted, and she retreated several steps!
Then writing gradually appeared on the hazy gray stone!
"Martial Bones tempered: eleven!"
"Punching force: 992 kilograms!"
Every gaze snapped to the stone!
"Hiss!"
The entire crowd drew a sharp breath, their eyes locking on the result!
Many swallowed repeatedly and rubbed their eyes, barely able to believe what they saw.
Everyone present reacted differently!
Only after a long pause did voices rise from below, full of envy, wonder, and dejection:
"The gap between two people is bigger than the gap between a person and a dog!"
"Especially in martial arts!"
Lin Qingyue had tempered eleven Martial Bones, with a punching force of 992 kilograms!
How dazzling was that?!
Her numbers were closing in on the record!
Lin Qingyue stood proudly on the platform, basking in the crowd's attention. The corners of her mouth lifted into a faint smile!
On an occasion like this, she, Lin Qingyue, ought to be the one and only star!
She ought to enjoy everyone's envy and jealousy, their admiration and awe!
She looked down over the students, her gaze passing over Ye Xingli with a hint of challenge.
Then something occurred to her, and she turned her gaze toward Su Ye of Class 6, Grade 12!
She remembered how Su Ye had acted as though he knew no bounds.
A mocking smile touched her lips!
How ridiculous! He thinks showing off one Martial Bone at the Su Family a week ago makes him something special?
Tempering a Martial Bone within a month is only the minimum requirement for entering the Martial Arts Class!
You dared embarrass me at the Su Family, then gave me attitude outside the Vast Sea Sword Hall. Who do you think you are?
If you never practiced martial arts, that would be one thing. But if you train in the same year as me, you'll learn the difference between a radiant moon and a firefly!
All the resentment she had built up over the past few days seemed to pour out at once. It felt immensely satisfying!
I, Lin Qingyue, will make you understand, little by little, that the closest you'll ever be to me was back at the Su Family.
You and I don't even belong to the same world!
Even having a childhood betrothal to me—though I broke it off—was more luck than you could earn in ten lifetimes!
She stepped down from the platform, composed and proud.
The teachers, too, looked on with wonder!
They did not know the level of Lin Qingyue's Breathing Technique or martial techniques.
But judging from the Foundation and number of tempered Martial Bones she had just displayed, her final combined score was certain to place her in the top ten!
Perhaps even first!
Was this what one should expect from a direct descendant of the Four Great Families?
Su Ye had naturally noticed Lin Qingyue's strange look, but his expression remained utterly calm, showing neither sorrow nor joy.
He merely felt a touch of wonder.
Even a top heavyweight boxer in my previous life could only punch with a few hundred jin of force.
Yet students here who have only just tempered their Martial Bones can easily match or surpass that. Is everyone a little superhero?
This is a world of martial arts!
Rumor had it that the greatest martial artists could walk across the sky, move mountains, and overturn seas. A single person could be a natural disaster, an army unto themselves!
The mere thought filled him with longing!
A flame flickered in Su Ye's calm eyes, and his resolve to reach the pinnacle of martial arts grew stronger!
Then he lowered his gaze, and his surging emotions gradually settled.
For now, though, he had to take things one step at a time!
He would place in the top ten of this class-placement assessment.
He would win the thirty thousand and repay his adoptive parents!
More than that, he would earn the chance to choose a Cultivation Method from the school library's third floor, laying the groundwork for tempering more Martial Bones!
Lin Qingyue had kept an eye on Su Ye as she stepped down. When she saw him lower his head, satisfaction welled up inside her. She gave a cold laugh:
"Do you understand the gap between us now?"
Before you continue