You lot, all at once!

"Sword Sweeps Mountains and Rivers!"

"Mountain Splitting Sea Dividing!"

"Meteor Spear!"

"Startling Swan Strike!"

"Mountain Collapse Earth Split!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Explosions and the clash of metal rang through the air one after another. Wang Kai swung the greatsword in his hands, attacking and defending as he fought desperately against his opponent.

His opponent, the brawny youth Zhou Shan, was every bit as ferocious. The Twelve-Foot Iron Spear in his hands moved like a nimble Flood Dragon.

He thrust, lifted, smashed, and swept. Every move was executed with exquisite precision, as if it had come naturally to him, each flowing seamlessly into the next.

Under the brawny youth's attacks, Wang Kai had initially traded blows with him, but after barely a hundred moves, he was defending far more than he attacked.

After two hundred moves, he was struggling to keep up, as though he could be defeated at any moment.

It was not until they neared three hundred moves that—

"Boom!"

A thunderous blast of air erupted. In midair, the snow-white iron spear pierced the air in an instant, shooting like a meteor. Carrying unparalleled speed and power, it struck the weak point of the greatsword with a single thrust.

At once...

"Clang!"

A deafening sound rang in everyone's ears.

Under that thrust, the greatsword in Wang Kai's hands was sent flying. It traveled well over a hundred meters before crashing to the ground with a clatter.

Wang Kai had lost!

"Roar! Roar! We won! We won!"

"Haha! I knew people from some backwater place wouldn't amount to much. You can't even beat a random disciple from our Dongshan Martial Academy, and you still think you can come here to train? Go back home and keep dreaming!"

"Hahaha, well said! You two should go home, wash up, and go to bed! Hahaha..."

The disciples laughed and jeered without restraint, unafraid that Zhao Hai Hong would blame them.

First, Zhao Hai Hong was the dean. He would never lower himself to blame a bunch of disciples over such a trivial matter. After all, they hadn't accused him of favoritism or crossed any line of principle.

Second, the Nine Provinces Continent was a place where martial prowess was revered. Without strength, it was only natural for people to look down on you.

Third, they were the same generation of disciples as Lin Yi and Wang Kai. This wasn't a martial arts teacher bullying his juniors. Now that they had won, what was there to feel bad about in a little mockery?

If Zhao Hai Hong or Zhao Hai Shan got angry over it, they would only seem petty.

Meanwhile...

"I... I lost!"

Seeing the greatsword in the distance and hearing the piercing jeers ringing in his ears, Wang Kai stood on the training grounds with a vacant stare, his face filled with anguish.

This defeat meant he had no hope of entering Dongshan Martial Academy to train.

And if he couldn't train at Dongshan Martial Academy, then next year he couldn't be sure of getting into Tianshan Sect! He would never become a true powerhouse!

On top of that, his defeat had dragged down the entire Guangling Martial Academy. Lin Yi, the teachers from Guangling Martial Academy, and even the dean had all lost face along with him.

In that moment, Wang Kai felt as if he were a sinner against the entire Guangling Martial Academy, even the whole Guangling Commandery!

"Don't panic!"

Just as Wang Kai felt his hopes crumbling, a heavy hand suddenly clapped onto his shoulder.

Wang Kai turned and saw that Lin Yi had somehow appeared beside him. Lin Yi grinned, flashing a row of white teeth.

"You lost! So what? You still have me. Our Guangling Martial Academy didn't come here with just you today, and you aren't the only one carrying its honor."

"Go back and get some rest. Leave everything else to me!"

"Lin Yi! You rascal!"

Hearing those words, Wang Kai couldn't help punching Lin Yi in the chest. Warmth spread through his heart, and a smile appeared on his face.

"You're right! I'm not the only one from Guangling Martial Academy here today, and you're a lot stronger than me."

"I've fought you for a month and a half, and even now, I still don't know what level your true strength has reached!"

"But one thing I'm sure of: you can definitely handle them!"

"Go! Defeat them and show them what disciples from Guangling Martial Academy can do!"

"Good! I won't let you down!"

Lin Yi nodded with a smile.

Then, when he turned back to face the disciples of Dongshan Martial Academy, the bright smile vanished from his face, replaced by a glacial chill.

Lin Yi picked up his saber and slowly walked to the center of the training grounds.

He then extended the long saber and pointed it at the dozen or so Dongshan Martial Academy disciples who had jeered the loudest and were now the most eager to draw lots. His voice was icy.

"Enough! No need to draw lots!"

"You, you, and you..."

"You lot, all at once!"