Zhao Yanan's Shock: Is This Still the Cousin I Know? Leaving the City Again

Watching Li Ziyu's figure disappear from sight, Xia Lin walked toward the lounge.

As soon as she reached the lounge, Zhao Yanan and the doll-faced girl excitedly stood up from the sofa and hurried over to Xia Lin, asking impatiently as they walked.

The way Zhao Yanan and the doll-faced girl looked at Xia Lin was filled with admiration.

They were all classmates from the same school, close best friends.

Moreover, Xia Lin had always been the object of their admiration!

The school beauty and super genius of No.2 High School!

The goal they had always been chasing!

In their hearts, aside from a few prodigies from the Rocket Class at First High School, no one among this year's Martial Arts Exam candidates in all of Xujiang City could compare to Xia Lin!

But seeing Xia Lin's lackluster expression, Zhao Yanan cautiously asked:

"Sister Xia Lin, did the certification fail?"

"It succeeded."

Xia Lin sighed.

"But I ran into a freak during this test. Same age as us, blood energy 5.99, Combat Power 999..."

Zhao Yanan was stunned at the words. It took her a moment to react, and she instinctively glanced at the doll-faced girl. Seeing that she was just as confused, she spoke without thinking.

"Sister Xia Lin, how much blood energy and Combat Power did you just say?"

Xia Lin helplessly repeated herself.

Zhao Yanan and the doll-faced girl's beautiful eyes instantly widened, their red lips gaping as if they could swallow a duck egg. In disbelief, they both exclaimed at the same time:

"How... how much!!?? 5.99 blood energy!? 999 Combat Power!!!? Isn't that almost surpassing the advanced level?"

"Oh, and that's not all. He also mastered an intermediate blade technique and a first-level attack battle skill."

They were numb. Zhao Yanan and the doll-faced girl were completely numb, so shocked that for a moment they didn't know what to say.

It took a while for them to snap out of it, their voices thick with intense curiosity as they pressed further:

"Who is that boy? What's his name?"

"His name is Li Ziyu. He's a student from Class 6 of No.3 High School."

Xia Lin replied in a subdued tone.

Zhao Yanan froze. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Li Ziyu?? Sister Xia Lin, is that the guy about one meter ninety, wearing casual clothes, with black hair, sharp features, and a handsome face?"

The doll-faced girl beside her seemed to think of something too and quickly asked.

"Yeah, that's him. I actually ran into him at the elevator entrance just now."

"I wanted to say hi, but he looked too cold, so I didn't have the nerve..."

Xia Lin looked at the doll-faced girl with confusion and said.

The doll-faced girl swallowed her saliva, her small mouth hanging open, her expression dazed as she turned her head to look at Zhao Yanan, who was equally stunned.

Her voice was low as she spoke:

"If I'm not mistaken, that's Xiao Ya's cousin..."

"Xiao Ya, you're so inconsiderate. You lied to your best friend and said his blood energy test was 0.8..."

"But then again, you did it for my own good. A prodigy like him probably wouldn't take a liking to me anyway."

"..."

After a wave of shock, Zhao Yanan was also numb.

Wasn't her own cousin just a dull, unsociable, honest ordinary person with no martial artist talent?

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't connect him to the brilliant genius Xia Lin had described.

If she hadn't just seen Li Ziyu's transformation with her own eyes, Zhao Yanan would have really thought it was just a coincidence of names.

Besides, when Li Ziyu was talking to the Martial Arts Association staff earlier, she had assumed he was working a part-time job there.

Thinking back now, that Martial Arts Association staff member was clearly handing Li Ziyu his Martial Artist Badge!

"This Martial Arts Exam is going to be interesting. Based on the talent and strength Li Ziyu has shown, he's a shoo-in for the top spot in Xujiang City's Martial Arts Exam!"

"Even breaking into the top ten of Jiangnan Province's Martial Arts Exam is possible!"

The doll-faced girl said with a tone of emotion.

Zhao Yanan nodded in agreement.

But Xia Lin didn't chime in. She seemed to be thinking about something. When the two turned their gazes to her, she shook her head and said:

"There's no doubt Li Ziyu can make the top five in Xujiang City, but taking first place is probably unlikely."

"Huh? Sister Xia Lin, what are you saying? With 5.99 blood energy and 999 Combat Power, he can't take first in Xujiang City's Martial Arts Exam?"

"That can't be right, can it?"

The doll-faced girl was taken aback, casting a surprised glance over, while Zhao Yanan's expression also showed confusion.

"There's some news that the Vice Principal secretly told me."

"Apparently, the class monitor of First High School's Rocket Class, the First Prodigy Nangong Ao, also advanced to Level One Intermediate Martial Artist a month ago."

"Not only that, but he awakened a talent and became a Talented Martial Artist!"

"And the talent he awakened is the Speed Talent, ranked third in practical combat!"

"Ah!?"

Hearing this news, both Zhao Yanan and the doll-faced girl were stunned, then their faces filled with shock.

If that was the case, then Li Ziyu really didn't seem likely to surpass Nangong Ao.

After all, at the same level, a Speed-Type Talented Martial Artist's combat ability far exceeded that of an ordinary Martial Artist.

By the side of Xujiang City Wall, it was just noon, with the sun hanging high overhead.

The towering wall, several hundred meters high, blocked the direct sunlight, casting a large patch of cool shadow on the ground.

Within that cool shadow, several young men and women in combat uniforms, each holding various weapons, had surrounded a Squad Leader, complaining discontentedly:

"Comrade, we're Martial Arts Exam Students! We have the ability to protect ourselves—why won't you let us out of the city?"

"That's right, look, we have our combat uniforms and weapons ready. Going out to hunt some ferocious beasts should be easy—just let us out!"

Facing the chattering youths, the Squad Leader looked helpless and spread his hands to explain:

"Students, it's not that I won't let you out, but Xujiang City does have its regulations."

"Those below Level 1 Martial Artist can only leave the city once a month, unless you have a Martial Artist accompanying you. Otherwise, it's too dangerous to go out. I'm just thinking about your safety!"

"You've already gone out once this month, so you can't go again."

The Squad Leader patiently explained, but the youths still looked dissatisfied. One cute-faced girl muttered:

"What's the big deal? Last time was our first time out, and we had no experience. We just took a lap and didn't even run into a single Red-Eyed Rabbit. This time we're prepared—we're going to hunt real ferocious beasts!"

The others chimed in agreement.

The Squad Leader was at a loss. These students were all future prodigies—he couldn't hit them, and he couldn't scold them either.

For all he knew, after they graduated from Martial Arts University, they might even join the military and fight ferocious beasts alongside him. All he could do was try to persuade them gently.

Just as the Squad Leader was racking his brain for a solution, a young man's voice came from behind him:

"Captain Wang, I'd like to head out into the wild. Could you please open the city gate for me?"

The Squad Leader was startled, about to say that without a Martial Artist certification, he couldn't go out.

But then he thought—how did this voice know his surname was Wang? He instinctively turned around.

There, he saw a young man in a short-sleeved T-shirt, with sharp brows and bright eyes, carrying a giant war blade horizontally across his back, smiling at him.

"Brother Li? You're heading out of the city again?"

"Alright, I'll have them open the gate right away."

The newcomer was none other than Li Ziyu, who had just left the Xujiang City Martial Arts Association.

After leaving the Martial Arts Association, he grabbed a quick breakfast and rushed straight to the city wall without stopping.

He planned to take advantage of the good weather to hunt a few ferocious beasts and improve his combat skills.

A moment later.

One by one, three heavy gates, each weighing tens of thousands of pounds, creaked open.

Li Ziyu thanked the Squad Leader and walked out.

As soon as Li Ziyu left, the group of youths who had been clamoring to leave the city erupted into an uproar.

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