A Saber Strike!

Dead silence!

At Lin Yi's words, the entire training ground fell into a daze, from the two deans of Dongshan Martial Academy and Guangling Martial Academy to every last disciple.

All of them?

How dare this country bumpkin say that? Where did he get the nerve? Did he even know who his opponents were?

They were disciples of Dongshan Martial Academy—the cream of the crop in all of Dongshan Prefecture! They were nothing like the disciples from some backwater academy.

At Dongshan Martial Academy, any random disciple could take first place at an academy like theirs.

As for the top two hundred, they would leave everyone else in the dust.

And now, he was telling more than ten Dongshan Martial Academy disciples to come at him together. This was simply...

"Looking for death!"

Among the disciples, the sharp-tongued girl who had mocked Wang Kai earlier fixed Lin Yi with a frosty glare and shouted.

The next moment, she didn't even bother to draw a lot. She went straight to the weapon rack and grabbed a massive Nine-Ring Saber.

Then she kicked off the ground, her speed surging in an instant. She seemed to turn into a blur as she brought her saber down on Lin Yi with an unstoppable force.

"Wang Mei's making her move!"

"It's Wang Mei!"

"Haha! Good! With Wang Mei in the fight, that arrogant country bumpkin's as good as beaten!"

"Exactly! Wang Mei is close to the Sixth Rank Mid Stage, and her Martial Skill has long since reached Great Accomplishment in a Fifth-Rank Martial Art. She's no ordinary opponent."

"And I heard she comprehended Extreme Strength a few days ago, so her strength has risen even further. She's probably stronger than an ordinary Fifth Rank Early Stage Martial Artist now."

"Half a month ago, she ranked fifty-seventh in our academy's disciple tournament. After comprehending Extreme Strength, she could probably make the top thirty."

"With strength like that, one saber strike should be enough to beat that cocky country bumpkin!"

"Haha! Well said! This country bumpkin dares to act so arrogantly? Today, we'll show him what Dongshan Martial Academy's disciples can do!"

The Dongshan Martial Academy disciples all laughed, brimming with confidence.

"What! Extreme Strength, Great Accomplishment in a Fifth-Rank Martial Art, and a cultivation level close to the Sixth Rank Mid Stage? That sharp-tongued woman is actually that strong!"

Hearing them, Wang Kai went pale.

He believed in Lin Yi, but had guessed that Lin Yi's strength was at most close to, or barely on par with, a Fifth Rank Early Stage Martial Artist.

But now, this sharp-tongued woman was stronger than an ordinary Fifth Rank Early Stage Martial Artist. Didn't that mean Lin Yi was no match for her?

This was bad. It was bad enough that he'd lost earlier and couldn't get into Dongshan Martial Academy. Could he really drag Lin Yi down with him and make him lose too?

After all, as Wang Kai saw it, Lin Yi was acting so boldly because he wanted to stand up for him.

Otherwise, with Lin Yi's temperament, he would never have been so reckless.

"Brother!"

On the training ground, Zhao Hai Shan's expression changed when he heard how strong the sharp-tongued disciple was. He hurriedly said,

"Brother, this disciple named Wang Mei attacked our Lin Yi without drawing lots. Doesn't that break the rules?"

"After all, the rules we set earlier were that Lin Yi's opponent would be decided by drawing lots. Wang Mei has broken those rules. In my opinion, we should send someone to stop her at once, then draw lots again and select a new opponent for Lin Yi."

"No need!"

As soon as Zhao Hai Shan finished speaking, the white-haired Zhao Hai Hong smiled and shook his head.

"If this young fellow dares to tell them all to come at him, then he must have some skill. At the very least, beating Wang Mei shouldn't be a problem."

"If he can't even beat Wang Mei, then an arrogant fellow like him deserves a lesson today. Haishan, don't you agree?"

"Well... Sigh, you're right, brother."

Hearing that, Zhao Hai Shan could only sigh helplessly.

Only then did he remember that his kinsman had spent so long at the Tianshan Sect that he had seen too many geniuses waste their gifts through arrogance, never living up to their potential or becoming the powerhouses they were meant to be. That was why he had always despised the conceited.

And Lin Yi had just told the Dongshan Martial Academy disciples to come at him all at once. To Zhao Hai Hong, that was surely a sign of arrogance.

If Lin Yi could now display terrifying strength and defeat Wang Mei, then all would be well.

But if he couldn't beat her, then Lin Yi could probably forget about ever entering Dongshan Martial Academy.

Outside the battlefield, everyone reacted differently.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield—

"Whoosh!"

The razor-sharp Saber Light tore through the air. Even from more than ten meters away, the gust it raised whipped Lin Yi's robes into a flurry.

It was a terrifying strike, one that unleashed explosive power!

Its force was enough to kill an ordinary expert at the peak of the Sixth Rank in a single blow.

Yet Lin Yi met the terrifying strike with an indifferent gaze.

"Get lost!"

With a low shout, Lin Yi moved the long saber in his hand, and the blood qi in his body erupted.

In an instant, an aura no weaker than Wang Mei's burst from him.

At the same time, Extreme Strength and the ultimate move from the Full Moon Star Saber erupted!

In the blink of an eye, his powerful blood qi, terrifying Extreme Strength, and even more formidable Martial Skill fused into a dreadful Saber Light—far more dazzling than Wang Mei's. It cut through the air and slashed toward the viciously incoming Nine-Ring Saber.

"Clang!"

"Ah!"

The clash of metal and a scream rang through the air almost at the same time.

Under Lin Yi's strike, Wang Mei—who had been so imposing and ferocious just a moment before—was sent flying with a single blow!

The massive Nine-Ring Saber was knocked back by the force of the impact and slammed into Wang Mei's chest with a crash. Blood poured from her mouth as she flew through the air, spattering the training ground.

Only after she had flown more than ten meters did she finally crash to the ground with the Nine-Ring Saber, her face pale and blood spilling from her mouth. Her long, narrow eyes were filled with fear as she stared at Lin Yi.

"Boom!"

At that moment, the whole training ground erupted as if hundreds or thousands of bombs had gone off at once.

"What! Th-this... Wang Mei actually lost!"

"My God! How can this be? How can this be!"

"That's Wang Mei! A genius who comprehended Extreme Strength and could break into the top thirty at Dongshan Martial Academy!"

"And now she's been beaten with a single strike by this country bumpkin—no, this genius from Guangling Martial Academy! Just how powerful is he? Terrifying!"

The Dongshan Martial Academy disciples cried out in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.

On the other side, Wang Kai first froze, then his face lit up with delight. He threw up his arms and cheered.

"Haha! Lin Yi, you're strong! You're unbelievably strong!"

"You beat an Extreme Strength Martial Artist with one move! You're a monster, Lin Yi. I'm starting to worship you! Haha..."

"Haha! Brother, what do you think of this disciple from Guangling Martial Academy?"

At the side of the training ground, Zhao Hai Shan was so excited that his face flushed. He hurriedly asked Zhao Hai Hong.

The other Guangling Martial Academy teachers were just as proud, their faces flushed with excitement as they all turned to Zhao Hai Hong.

"Hehe, this young fellow is impressive!"

Hearing that, the white-haired Zhao Hai Hong nodded with a faint smile.

"He comes from a commandery academy with relatively scarce resources, yet he already possesses this level of strength at fourteen."

"This young fellow's talent would be quite impressive even among the Tianshan Sect's disciples. As long as he trains well, there's a very good chance he'll attain Third-Rank Martial Arts."

"This one belongs at Dongshan Martial Academy!"

"Haha! Good!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hai Shan laughed, feeling as if a huge weight had lifted from his heart. Then he called to Lin Yi on the battlefield.

"Lin Yi, did you hear Dean Hai Hong? He's approved your entry into Dongshan Martial Academy. Come over and thank him at once!"

"Dean, I heard! I'm grateful to Dean Hai Hong too, but I haven't finished what I came here to do today."

Lin Yi called back loudly.

Then, under everyone's stunned gaze, Lin Yi kept hold of his saber and pointed it at the Dongshan Martial Academy disciples. He calmly repeated the words he had said earlier.

"You, you, and you—you all come at me together!"

The words fell.

His tone and the words themselves were exactly the same as before.

But when Lin Yi had said them earlier, the people of Dongshan Martial Academy had only felt anger and ridicule.

Now, however, they felt a bone-chilling coldness and deep humiliation.

On the training ground, the dozen or so disciples Lin Yi had pointed at exchanged glances.

Then they all roared:

"Brothers, together! Beat this guy!"

"Get him! Damn bastard! You beat one Wang Mei and now you think you can look down on us? Let's teach him a proper lesson!"

"Get him! Let this damn country bumpkin learn what Dongshan Martial Academy can do!"

"Roar! Kill!"

Roars rang out as the Dongshan Martial Academy disciples burst with blood qi, their auras astonishing. They moved with incredible speed, shooting in from all directions like streaks of light to surround Lin Yi.

In an instant, Lin Yi was like a tiger beset by a pack of wolves.

He was powerful, yet isolated and without help, as if the ravenous pack could swallow him at any moment and leave not a bone behind.