Fist Force

Shen Yue volunteered, immediately drawing many eyes.

In the junior martial artist class, Shen Yue, Ye Ziyun, Xiao Ninger, and a few others were undoubtedly the students most likely to break through to the Bronze 1-star Realm, and the ones who attracted the most attention. The other student who drew considerable interest was Nie Li, who had made a bet with Instructor Shen Xiu. Still, most people didn't believe Nie Li could reach Bronze 1-star in such a short time.

If reaching Bronze 1-star were really that easy, so many people wouldn't be stuck forever outside the gates of the martial artist and Demon Spirit Master ranks!

The Power Testing Stone was a massive rock that gleamed like metal. When martial artists' punches struck it, the stone would cave in to a certain degree, and the depth of the indentation revealed the martial artist's strength.

"Boom!" Shen Yue punched the Power Testing Stone, leaving a faint mark in its surface.

Several instructors responsible for overseeing the tests walked over.

"Bronze 1-star, test result: 120!"

In other words, Shen Yue's punch had a force of about 120.

The junior martial artist students all gasped. They hadn't expected Shen Yue's physical strength to have reached such a level. He had clearly attained the Bronze Martial Artist Realm. Students who focused on Spirit Energy usually built up their physical strength more quickly at first, only slowing down after reaching Silver Rank. Even so, Shen Yue had trained his body considerably faster than his peers, reaching Bronze 1-star in no time.

Each student got three attempts. Shen Yue didn't seem satisfied with that result. He took his stance again, gathered his strength, and suddenly threw another punch.

Shen Yue struck the Power Testing Stone once more.

"Bronze 1-star, test result: 130!"

"Bronze 1-star, test result: 135!"

Satisfied with the results, Shen Yue moved on to test his Spirit Energy. His result came back soon after: 115. In general, people with talent as both martial artists and Demon Spirit Masters chose to become Demon Spirit Masters. Spirit Energy was what mattered most; strength was merely the icing on the cake.

"Shen Yue's Spirit Energy has passed 100. He's already a 1-star Demon Spirit Master!"

"What a fast cultivation speed. No wonder he's from the Sacred Family!"

"Impressive! He'll definitely get into the junior Demon Spirit Master class!"

"If a 1-star Demon Spirit Master doesn't qualify, then who does?"

Hearing the comments, Shen Yue curled his lips in a smug smile and looked toward Nie Li and the others.

On the distant viewing platform, several academy leaders smiled with satisfaction. It was no easy feat for the junior martial artist class to produce a Demon Spirit Master!

Shen Yue stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, surrounded by a group of lackeys. His haughty gaze swept across the other students in the junior martial artist class.

"Who's next?" the instructor overseeing the tests asked, looking at the group beside him.

"Let me!" Lu Piao stepped forward and walked over to the Power Testing Stone.

The students began to chatter among themselves.

"It's Lu Piao!"

"He hasn't been to class in ages!"

"I heard he's always hanging around with Nie Li!"

"Lu Piao probably hasn't broken through to Bronze 1-star, has he? And he has absolutely no talent as a Demon Spirit Master!"

Hearing the students' comments, Lu Piao glanced back at Nie Li, Du Ze, and the others, and they exchanged smiles. These people were making a huge mistake by looking down on them! After cultivating the techniques Nie Li had given him, Lu Piao's cultivation had already far surpassed that of his peers.

Looking toward Shen Yue and the others in the distance, Lu Piao gave them a disdainful smile and raised an eyebrow.

"That kid's way too arrogant! We'll teach him a lesson sooner or later!" said several of Shen Yue's lackeys.

Shen Yue's eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing through them. Now even Nie Li's lackey dared to provoke him? The kid had no idea how high the sky was or how deep the earth!

With everyone watching, Lu Piao took his place in front of the Power Testing Stone and lightly threw a punch with his right hand.

"How much force could a punch that weak possibly have?" a few students nearby scoffed.

A dull thud echoed throughout the hall, and the entire Power Testing Stone trembled.

"What happened?"

"That was loud!"

The instructor in charge of the test also stared in surprise. He walked over to Lu Piao, examined the stone, and fell silent for a moment before saying, "Test result: Bronze 2-star, 265!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

"How is that possible?"

"Did they get the result wrong?"

Lu Piao had merely thrown a light punch, yet it had packed such tremendous force. He had already reached Bronze 2-star and was not far from Bronze 3-star. Lu Piao smiled faintly. He hadn't slacked off in his training lately. With the powerful cultivation technique Nie Li had taught him, a constant supply of pills, and baths in Purple Mist Grass, it would've been harder for his cultivation not to improve.

It took a long while for the crowd to recover. They looked at one another in disbelief. At just thirteen, Lu Piao had such astonishing talent for strength—he was an extraordinary genius even by Sacred Spirit Academy standards. The academy's leaders would certainly spare no effort to cultivate him.

"Excellent, excellent. I never expected there to be such a genius in the junior martial artist class. This year's students are quite impressive!" one of the academy leaders said with a stroking smile.

"This year's students should perform pretty well. The Alchemist Association has come up with those pills!" another leader said quietly. The pills developed by the Alchemist Association were indeed powerful, raising the students' average level considerably.

The various Lineages were quite willing to spend a fortune to cultivate the next generation.

Lu Piao shot Shen Yue a provocative look from across the room. Shen Yue's face darkened. Lu Piao had shown him undisguised contempt! But when he thought of Lu Piao's strength, he couldn't help feeling utterly dejected. How had Lu Piao's strength improved so astonishingly in such a short time? Had he been taking a lot of medicine lately?

Instructor Shen Xiu, standing in the distance, also looked exceptionally displeased. Although Lu Piao was in her class, he was always with Nie Li, so she couldn't stand him either. She knew exactly what Lu Piao's results had been like before. How had he suddenly improved so much? Did that mean Nie Li had also... Shen Xiu glowered at Nie Li, who was chatting animatedly with two beauties in the distance.

The second test.

Lu Piao planted his feet and slammed a powerful punch into the Power Testing Stone.

"Thud!" The muffled impact left a deep fist-shaped dent in the stone.

"Bronze 3-star, strength test result: 325," the instructor examining the stone said, slightly startled. Lu Piao had displayed astonishing talent as a martial artist. He was unquestionably a genius worth cultivating!

The students who hadn't taken their tests yet sucked in a collective breath.

"Holy crap, how are the rest of us supposed to live?"

"That's just inhuman!"

They were all thirteen. Reaching a strength of 80 already counted as fairly impressive, yet Lu Piao had surpassed 300 and reached Bronze 3-star. It was like he was trampling all over their confidence. They couldn't stand it!

Ignoring their shocked stares, Lu Piao shook his head, looking dissatisfied. He took his stance again and slammed another heavy punch into the Power Testing Stone.

"Bronze 3-star, strength test result: 370!" The instructor examining it drew in a sharp breath. His eyes lit up as he looked at Lu Piao. When he'd been Lu Piao's age, he'd only just reached Bronze 1-star. Lu Piao was practically guaranteed a place in Sacred Spirit Academy's genius class.

At most, only fifty students could enter Sacred Spirit Academy's genius class. Those admitted received entirely different instruction, with one dedicated instructor for every ten students—and those instructors were all elite teachers at the academy! The genius-class students also held noble titles in the City of Brilliance and received special protection. Unless they committed some unforgivable offense, no one was allowed to lay a hand on them; doing so would be a challenge to the laws of the City of Brilliance!

The City of Brilliance was constantly threatened by demon beasts, so it took great care to protect its geniuses.

"Lu Piao doesn't train properly. Otherwise, his results wouldn't be this low!" Du Ze said with a wry smile.

Several students nearby heard Du Ze and were filled with alarm. He'd achieved results like these without even trying—what would happen if he started working hard? Their eyes couldn't help drifting toward Du Ze and the others. Lu Piao's strength had improved so quickly over the past few months, and he'd been spending all his time with Nie Li and Du Ze. Could it be that Nie Li, Du Ze, and the others had also...

Next came Lu Piao's Spirit Energy test. He held the Soul Crystal in both hands and poured his Spirit Energy into it. A moment later, one glowing speck after another appeared inside the crystal. The specks gathered, growing more numerous and brighter.

"Bronze 3-star Demon Spirit Master, Spirit Energy: 367!"

The Spirit Energy test only needed to be performed once.

When they heard the result, even the academy leaders were moved. Demon Spirit Masters were far more valuable than martial artists. A thirteen-year-old Bronze 3-star Demon Spirit Master was an extraordinary talent! This was truly earth-shaking news!

"This child is definitely a genius. Put him in the genius class!" For the first time, the academy leaders were unanimous. Lu Piao's name had swiftly caught the attention of every one of them, and some were already eager to take him as their disciple.

There was no question that Lu Piao had remarkable talent. As academy leaders, they also needed gifted disciples to help them win greater standing. Several of them would likely compete to take Lu Piao as their student!

After finishing the tests, Lu Piao stepped aside and smiled at Nie Li, Du Ze, and the others, looking thrilled.

"Now that I've finished the tests, the old man won't yell at me when I get home!" Lu Piao thought smugly. When he saw my results, the old man's jaw would hit the floor.

"Who's next?" The instructor overseeing the tests looked eagerly at the students in the junior martial artist class. None of the students in the previous classes had been a standout genius. He hadn't expected the least promising class of all—the junior martial artist class—to produce such an astonishing talent. That made him especially eager to see what the class's other students could do.