Red Dragon Pool Quota, Secured!

"He won! Lin Yi won!"

"And he defeated Wan Yong in just two breaths of time. This strength is simply too terrifying."

"Indeed! Wan Yong's brute strength is famous throughout Dongshan Martial Academy. Even the monsters in the top five wouldn't find it this easy to defeat him."

"In my opinion, Lin Yi likely has the strength to charge into the top three, or even take second place!"

"This talent is truly terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!"

Seeing this scene, the disciples and spectators exclaimed one after another.

However, Lin Yi remained indifferent.

Wan Yong was nothing more than a mere trifle; he had never been in Lin Yi's eyes to begin with. Aside from the pleasant surprise of winning five thousand taels of silver, defeating his opponent failed to stir the slightest ripple in Lin Yi's heart.

His true goal and opponents in this grand competition were never Wan Yong, but the three geniuses who ranked in the top three during the last Dongshan Martial Academy competition.

In fact, his only real concern was the one who ranked first among the three: Lin Tianqing!

"Teacher!"

Thinking of this, Lin Yi immediately spoke to the burly man beneath the ring:

"I wish to continue my challenge."

"Good!"

The burly man nodded.

"According to the rules of Dongshan Martial Academy, every disciple has three chances to challenge in the second round. You have already used one, so you have two opportunities remaining. Who do you wish to challenge this time?"

"The runner-up of the last Dongshan Martial Academy competition, Wang Yue!"

Lin Yi answered directly.

Wang Yue, second in Dongshan Martial Academy, practiced the Fourth-Rank Martial Art Cold Moon Sword Art and had reached the level of Great Accomplishment.

Furthermore, her cultivation and Power Exertion Realm were at the Late Sixth Rank and Minor Accomplishment levels respectively, making her a standard top-five combatant at Dongshan Martial Academy.

Moreover, among the top five combatants, Wang Yue possessed a relatively deep foundation in terms of martial skill, Power Exertion Realm, and martial cultivation.

Therefore, in past Dongshan Martial Academy competitions, she had managed to reach the top three seven or eight times out of ten, and had even secured second place three or four times. Aside from Lin Tianqing, her strength was arguably the best among the top five.

If Lin Yi could defeat her this time, other disciples would not dare to challenge him easily, and he would be able to have an easier time later on.

After all, one must remember that in the second round of the Dongshan Martial Academy competition, while every disciple only had three chances to challenge others, this rule did not apply to the top three disciples.

As for the top three disciples, while they did indeed only have three chances to challenge others, the number of times they could be challenged was infinite! In other words, as long as they were challenged, they were required to accept!

After that, during the course of the battles, if they were knocked out of the top three by other disciples, they would truly only have three chances left to challenge for a top-three spot again and earn a place in the Red Dragon Pool.

If those three chances passed and they still hadn't made it into the top three, it meant they were completely disqualified from the Red Dragon Pool for that month. Such was the cruelty of competing for a spot in the Red Dragon Pool!

As a legendary Martial Emperor's Legacy Treasure, the effects of the Red Dragon Pool were unimaginably powerful. Naturally, a spot to enter was not easily obtained; only the strongest disciples of the Dongshan Martial Academy were qualified to enjoy it!

"Fine! I accept your challenge!"

Setting aside Lin Yi's inner thoughts, below the arena, upon hearing Lin Yi's words, a young girl with an ordinary face but an icy, cold temperament replied indifferently. She immediately drew a three-foot-long sword from the weapon rack at the side, tapped her toes, and flew onto the arena like a nimble butterfly.

"Swish!"

As soon as the cold, arrogant girl stepped onto the arena, she didn't say another word. She thrust her sword, and it streaked through the void like a cold, icy star, striking toward Lin Yi.

"The power is decent, but the speed is not fast enough!"

A cold glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes, and then his long saber moved.

"Rip!"

The heavy air was instantly cleaved open as if it were fabric. In that moment, it was as if a brilliant meteor had streaked across the heavens, carrying peerless speed and power as it slashed toward that long sword in an instant.

Fourth-Rank Martial Art, Full Moon Star Saber, Third Form—Moon Falls Stars!

"Clang!"

Blade and sword-tip met, and blinding sparks instantly erupted in the void. The surrounding air was even distorted into visible shockwaves by the sheer force of the impact.

Following that...

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

On the arena, under the force of Lin Yi's strike, the cold and beautiful Wang Yue could not hold her ground and was blasted three steps backward.

"What! Your martial skill is this strong? That battle with Wan Yong just now... that wasn't even your true strength?"

On the arena, a look of shock appeared on Wang Yue's cold, arrogant face.

In that initial probing exchange, she could clearly feel that the power Lin Yi erupted with was actually inferior to her own.

However, the moment the two weapons collided, the edge of his long saber had precisely struck the weak point of her sword, causing at least twenty percent of her full power to dissipate.

Both of them were at the Late Sixth Rank. Although her cultivation was slightly stronger, losing twenty percent of her power in an instant naturally led to her being forced back.

"Heh, the Full Moon Star Saber has never been about brute force. Just now, I defeated Wan Yong with brute force specifically to teach him a lesson. So, would you say that was my true strength?"

Lin Yi smiled calmly.

With the Full Moon Star Saber at the Great Accomplishment stage (92% progress), this level of martial skill was enough for him to look down upon all the disciples in the entire Dongshan Martial Academy.

Not to mention Wang Yue, even Lin Tianqing was a far cry from him.

Therefore, defeating Wang Yue was, if not a hundred percent certain, at least a sure thing for him.

"Hmph!"

Hearing this, Wang Yue let out a cold snort.

"So what if your Martial Skill realm is high? Combat doesn't rely solely on the realm of Martial Skill. Raw strength, cultivation base, and even one's mindset and state during battle—all of these can influence the final outcome! I refuse to believe you can defeat me today!"

"Die!"

With a sharp cry, Wang Yue lunged forward, her sword thrusting out.

In an instant, from the heavens to the earth and from all directions, dozens of sword shadows as cold as icy moons appeared, all converging upon Lin Yi.

Fourth-Rank Martial Art: Cold Moon Sword Art—Heavy Cold Moon!

"Break!"

Facing this, Lin Yi let out a sharp shout. He swung his long saber horizontally. The move was extremely simple, as if it could be executed by an ordinary child, yet the power contained within was incomparably fierce.

Full Moon Star Saber, Fifth Form—Stars Fall!

"Boom!"

As the long saber swept across the void, the sword shadows that filled the air were instantly shattered by this terrifying strike.

Stars Fall was the most powerful frontal attack in the Fourth-Rank Martial Art, Full Moon Star Saber, and also its simplest move.

Since Wang Yue had chosen to attack Lin Yi with "Heavy Cold Moon," the most complex and variable move of the Cold Moon Sword Art, Lin Yi simply reduced complexity to simplicity, using his most straightforward and unadorned move to crush her head-on.

This was the current state of Lin Yi's Martial Skill realm: a realm approaching the perfection of the Fourth Rank!

Every move and stance flowed with ease; various saber techniques were at his fingertips, reaching the pinnacle of perfection.

A realm such as this would earn one the title of "Saber Master" in Guangling Prefecture City, and it was considered exceptional even among the grown-up younger generation in the provincial capital.

"Clang!"

As the two weapons collided, Wang Yue was sent reeling once again.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Yi pressed his advantage. He thrust his long saber forward, descending like falling stars and moons, striking directly at Wang Yue.

Seeing this, Wang Yue gritted her teeth and could only scramble to defend.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

On the arena, the two figures moved like lightning. Sword light shone like the moon, and blade light flickered like stars, colliding frantically across the stage.

However, for the most part, it was Lin Yi on the offensive while Wang Yue remained on the defensive. She was suppressed so completely by Lin Yi that she had only the strength to defend, with not a single opportunity to counterattack.

"Too strong! This Lin Yi is truly fierce! To think he could actually suppress Wang Yue! Aside from Lin Tianqing, who else in the Dongshan Martial Academy could possibly be his match now?"

"No one! There's no one left! Even Wang Yue has been beaten to this state; the other top five disciples aren't even as good as her, so how could they compare to Lin Yi?"

"It's just that Lin Yi came from the county city and hadn't received proper training before. Otherwise, with his talent, if he had been born in the prefecture city, I fear even Lin Tianqing wouldn't be his equal!"

Off the stage, the crowd of disciples gasped in astonishment.

And so, amidst these exclamations, Lin Yi and Wang Yue fought for over five hundred moves.

Finally, at the five hundred and ninth move, a flash of light appeared in Lin Yi's eyes. He seized a flaw in Wang Yue's sword technique and slashed out with his blade.

"Boom!"

The long blade tore through the air, creating a terrifying shockwave that parted the air to both sides.

Carrying peerless power and speed, the strike slammed into the cold moon of sword light that Wang Yue had formed with her countless sword strikes.

In an instant, the seemingly indestructible cold moon shattered. The countless sword lights vanished, leaving only a solitary sword hanging in the void.

Finally, it was struck heavily by the long blade charging head-on.

"Clang!"

The long sword was ruthlessly struck by the blade. Under the latter's terrifying force, the sword was snapped in two, falling to the ground with a clatter.

"I lost!"

Seeing her weapon severed, Wang Yue gripped the broken sword, a look of defeat appearing on her face as she spoke powerlessly.

"Lin Yi wins!"

On the other side, the burly teacher shouted out.

Seeing this, a smile finally appeared on Lin Yi's face:

"The spot for the Red Dragon Pool is mine!"