Time flew by, and before long, an hour had passed.
By then, Dean Zhao Hai Hong had already left Essay Pavilion.
Beneath the bookshelf.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
"Truly wonderful!"
Lin Yi closed the essay, his eyes shining as he couldn't help praising it:
"Senior Sun Lu Shan truly lives up to his reputation as a formidable master who has reached Great Perfection in a Third-Rank Martial Art and advanced Extreme Strength to the Perfected Level. His understanding of the Full Moon Star Saber is truly extraordinary."
"He explained each difficult point from the simple to the profound, making everything easy to understand. He also dissected every complicated problem with incisive precision, getting right to the heart of it."
"An hour spent studying his essay has been more effective than ten days of solitary cultivation!"
"Of course, the more essays I read in the future, the less help each one will offer me."
"Even so, taken together, these essays will absolutely multiply the speed of my martial arts training several times over—especially if I occasionally swallow my pride and ask Dean Hai Hong for some guidance."
"I might be able to reach Great Perfection in the Full Moon Star Saber in just one or two months."
Lin Yi smiled, thoroughly satisfied.
In the past, he wouldn't even have dared dream of mastering a Fourth-Rank Martial Art to Great Perfection in a month or two.
But now, with these essays and Dean Hai Hong's help, it had become possible!
"Back to studying!"
Full of motivation, Lin Yi didn't take another essay. Instead, he turned Senior Sun Lu Shan's essay back to the first page and began reading it from the start.
When studying essays, quantity wasn't what mattered. What mattered was whether they suited you.
If an essay wasn't right for you, you could read a hundred or even a thousand in one sitting, but you'd only be swallowing them whole, with nothing to show for it.
But if an essay was right for you, even a scant few—or just one—could bring astonishing results.
In Lin Yi's eyes, Senior Sun Lu Shan's essay suited him quite well.
And so, as Lin Yi studied and cultivated, time slipped quietly by.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of November.
Qingzhou, Dongshan Prefecture.
The first snowfall of winter in Dongshan Prefecture City came later than in past years, but when it finally arrived, it came down fiercely.
Yesterday, there hadn't been a single snowflake in the sky. Yet in just one night, bare, yellowing branches, distant houses, and the fields beside the road had all disappeared beneath a vast blanket of snow. It was as if a Great Divine Ability User had wielded Supreme Magic Power and turned the whole world silver-white overnight.
Meanwhile, at Dongshan Martial Academy, in a detached courtyard.
The broad ground lay buried beneath thick snow, and the frigid air was so cold that breath froze on the spot.
Yet amid the frozen landscape, a handsome young man stood in nothing but a thin shirt. With his eyes closed, he had rooted himself to the ground like an old pine.
"Roar! Moo! Hoo! Roar..."
Breaths like a dragon's roar and an elephant's trumpet rang out from the young man's mouth and nose.
As he breathed, the surrounding air churned. Waves of heat radiated from him, melting the thick snow within a dozen feet in every direction.
At last...
"Pop!"
A sound like a bottleneck breaking came from within Lin Yi's body.
In the next instant, his aura surged, growing a notch stronger than before.
[Dao Master: Lin Yi] [Cultivation: Late Sixth Rank (1%)] [Technique: Fourth-Rank Technique Dragon Elephant Breathing Technique] [Martial Arts: Fourth-Rank Martial Art Full Moon Star Saber (Great Accomplishment, 92%) Sixth-Rank Martial Art Bright Moon Saber Art (Great Perfection, max level) Ninth-Rank Martial Art Black Tiger Saber Art (Great Perfection, max level)] [Power Exertion Realm: Extreme Strength Minor Accomplishment (53%)] [Immortal Skill: Evolve Talent] [Existing Talents: Martial Saint Body (Mystic Purple Grade), Body Control (Bright Yellow Grade), Saber Dao Prodigy (Bright Yellow Grade), Saber Dao Genius (Crimson Grade)] [Current charge progress: 0.075%. (Talent evolution available once charge reaches 100%.)]
"Phew! After nearly a month of hard cultivation, I finally raised my cultivation to the Late Sixth Rank just in time for today's tournament."
In the courtyard, Lin Yi opened his eyes and looked at the text on his Attribute Panel. A faint smile appeared on his face:
"Late Sixth-Rank Martial Cultivation, a Power Exertion Realm of 53% Extreme Strength Minor Accomplishment, and the Full Moon Star Saber, nearly at Great Perfection."
"With a foundation like this, I should be a lock for the top three at this Dongshan Martial Academy tournament, and I have a great chance of taking second."
"As for first place?"
At the thought, Lin Yi recalled what he'd heard and shook his head slightly:
"That probably isn't possible for now."
According to what Lin Yi had learned, the first-place winner in the last Dongshan Martial Academy tournament had been a disciple named Lin Tianqing.
His Power Exertion Realm and Martial Skill level weren't far ahead of the other top-five disciples. Like them, he had reached Great Accomplishment in a Fourth-Rank Martial Art and Minor Accomplishment in Extreme Strength, and in both areas, he hadn't advanced as far as Lin Yi had by now.
But compared with the other top-five disciples, his physical aptitude was far superior—by a wide margin!
Half a year ago, with just over a month left until Lin Tianqing's fourteenth birthday, his Martial Cultivation had already reached the Sixth-Rank Peak.
Relying on that Sixth-Rank Peak cultivation, Lin Tianqing had held the top spot for the past six months. He had also spent more time in the Red Dragon Pool each day than anyone else.
Now, half a year later, he still hadn't reached the Martial Arts Fifth Rank, but within the Sixth Rank, he had absolutely gone as far as he could!
His Martial Cultivation was therefore almost one and a half minor realms higher than Lin Yi's.
So even though Lin Yi had some advantages in his Power Exertion Realm and Martial Skill level, he still wouldn't be a match for Lin Tianqing in a real fight.
"But..."
"If I can't beat him, then so be it!"
Lin Yi's expression remained calm:
"After all, my only goal this time is to make the top three and earn a spot in the Red Dragon Pool."
"As for winning first place, I'll leave that to fate. Even if I don't win this time, I'll only have to wait another month."
For other geniuses, a month might be too short to make much difference. But for Lin Yi, it could bring a complete transformation!
First, he was certain to advance the Full Moon Star Saber to Great Perfection.
Then, after breaking into the top three and earning a chance to cultivate in the Red Dragon Pool, he would be able to take advantage of the Martial Saint Body's terrifying rate of energy absorption and its immense capacity. His cultivation might advance even faster than if he spent twenty thousand taels of silver on pills in a month.
By then, reaching the Sixth-Rank Peak would be a breeze!
With the Full Moon Star Saber at Great Perfection and Sixth-Rank Peak Martial Cultivation to match, even if Lin Tianqing was formidable, as long as he hadn't broken through to the Martial Arts Fifth Rank...
Three moves would be enough to defeat him!
With that thought, Lin Yi got to his feet, went inside to change, then headed straight for the Martial Arts Arena where Dongshan Martial Academy was holding its tournament.
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