You all, attack together!

"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 in rapid succession. Wang Kai swung his greatsword, attacking and defending with all his might as he fought desperately against his opponent.

His opponent, the burly youth Zhou Shan, was equally ferocious. The twelve-foot iron spear in his hands moved like a nimble flood dragon.

Thrusting, lifting, smashing, sweeping—every move was executed with exquisite precision, flowing seamlessly like a natural, unbroken chain.

Under the burly youth's assault, Wang Kai initially traded blows, but after just over a hundred exchanges, he was defending more than attacking.

By two hundred moves, he was struggling on all sides, on the verge of defeat at any moment.

It wasn't until nearly three hundred moves that—

"Boom!"

A startling air explosion erupted. In the void, the snow-white iron spear tore through the air like a shooting star, carrying unparalleled speed and power as it struck the greatsword's weakest point.

Then—

"Clang!"

A deafening roar echoed in everyone's ears.

Under that single spear strike, Wang Kai's greatsword was sent flying, soaring 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 had no real skill. Can't even beat a random disciple from our Dongshan Martial Academy, and they think they can train here? Go dream some more!"

"Hahaha, well said! You two go home, wash up, and hit the sack! Haha..."

The disciples laughed and jeered without restraint, unafraid of Zhao Hai Hong's reprisal.

First, as the Dean, Zhao Hai Hong wouldn't lower himself to punish a group of mere disciples over such a trivial matter—they hadn't accused him of favoritism or crossed any fundamental lines.

Second, the Nine Provinces Continent revered martial prowess above all; lacking strength meant being looked down upon was only natural.

Third, they were peers of Lin Yi and Wang Kai, not Martial Arts Teachers bullying their juniors. Having won, a few taunts were hardly out of line. If Zhao Hai Hong or Zhao Hai Shan got angry over this, it would only make them seem petty.

On the other side—

"I... I lost..."

Staring at the distant greatsword, hearing the sharp mockery ringing in his ears, Wang Kai's eyes went vacant on the training ground, his face twisted with unbearable pain.

This defeat meant he had no hope left of entering Dongshan Martial Academy for training.

And without that training, he couldn't guarantee entry into the Tianshan Sect next year—couldn't become a true powerhouse!

Worse still, his loss had dragged down the entire Guangling Martial Academy, along with Lin Yi, the Guangling Martial Academy teachers, and even the Dean, all sharing in the humiliation.

In that moment, Wang Kai felt like the sinner of the entire Guangling Martial Academy, even the whole Guangling Commandery.

"Don't panic!"

Just as despair was about to consume him, a heavy hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Wang Kai turned to see Lin Yi had somehow appeared beside him, grinning with a flash of white teeth:

"You lost—so what? I'm still here. Our Guangling Martial Academy didn't send just you today, and you're not the only one carrying its honor."

"Go rest now. Leave everything to me from here on."

"Lin Yi! You bastard!"

Hearing this, Wang Kai couldn't help but punch Lin Yi in the chest. A warmth surged through him, and a smile broke across his face:

"You're right! Guangling Martial Academy didn't send just me today. You're way stronger than I am."

"I've been sparring with you for a month and a half, and I still don't know your real strength!"

"But one thing I'm sure of—you're more than enough to handle them!"

"Go! Beat them! Show them what Guangling Martial Academy disciples can do!"

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

Lin Yi nodded with a smile.

Then, as he turned back to face the Dongshan Martial Academy disciples, his bright grin suddenly vanished, replaced by an icy coldness.

After that, Lin Yi was seen holding his blade as he slowly walked to the center of the training grounds.

He then extended his long blade, pointing it at the dozen or so Dongshan Martial Academy disciples who had mocked him the loudest earlier and were now the most eager in the lottery draw, saying coldly:

"Enough! No need to draw lots!"

"You, you, and you..."

"All of you, come at once!"