The Atmosphere

No matter what happened afterward, as long as he could cross the threshold of the Inspectorate, the troubles behind Zhou Wu's affair, along with any other covetous eyes that might be watching him, would no longer pose a fatal threat.

Anyone who wanted to make a move against him would first have to weigh the imperial court's backing behind him.

Li Yuan had to seize this opportunity!

"Under normal circumstances, registration would have begun in the next few days. It was only postponed until three months from now because the chief examiner hadn't arrived yet."

Hearing this, Liu Yan's eyes also lit up, and her tone was resolute. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We martial artists can't afford to miss it if we don't want to amount to nothing.

I'll give it everything I've got and fight for a place in the top fifty!"

She was naturally a forceful person, and she was determined to claim a place.

Zhao Qin furrowed his brow, hesitation appearing on his face. He thought of his own talent, then of the family he had at home.

Zhao Qin's talent was average, and he had a family to support. It could be said that he wasn't entirely devoted to the martial path.

"Master, the Inspectorate is certainly a good prospect, but if I'm selected, I'll have to go to Prefecture City.

I'm afraid I won't be able to control my own future after that... I-I need to go home and discuss it with my family."

Zhao Qin's concerns were very practical. Faced with the choice between a stable family life and an uncertain future, he needed to decide.

Lin Mingsheng nodded. He was in the same position and also needed to go home and discuss it with his family.

Yang Chong nodded understandingly. "This matter concerns your futures, so you really do need to consider it carefully.

However, you can also tell the other junior brothers at the academy about it.

The top fifty aren't the only ones who have a chance in this tournament.

And even if you place below a hundredth, if you show some special potential during the matches, the Inspectorate's chief examiner may still take notice and make an exception to recruit you."

"Yes, Master," they answered in unison.

Before long, news of the Three Counties Joint Tournament and the imperial court's Inspectorate recruiting spread throughout Wuxi County, then beyond the county seat.

What had originally been a major event confined to the circles of martial arts halls and influential lineages instantly became the hottest topic in town.

The requirement that contestants be under thirty, regardless of their background, kindled hope in countless common-born martial artists and even some impoverished scions of once-prosperous families.

What if? What if they caught someone's eye? That would be a true carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, ascending to the heavens in a single bound!

The whole county seat stirred with excitement. Many young people who usually kept a low profile began rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Whether they were scions of influential lineages in the Inner City, members of martial arts halls, gang members in the Outer City, or ordinary fighters—

even some farmhands who thought they knew a thing or two about fighting—everyone found themselves itching at the sudden news.

The imperial court's Inspectorate! A chief official in the Organ Refining Realm personally recruiting! The top fifty would not only receive generous rewards but could also ascend in a single bound, entering the legendary institution and even going on to study in Prefecture City!

And the age limit of thirty gave far too many people the fantasy of "what if?"

In every teahouse and tavern, on every street and in every alley, people were talking about the grand event that was about to begin.

As a result, the news that had initially spread like wildfire about the defeat on the frontier was actually pushed aside.

After the news reached him, Li Yuan took a deep breath, his gaze turning utterly resolute.

"Three months... I have to break through to the Iron Skin Realm within three months!"

At the Stone Skin Realm, he feared he wouldn't even make a ripple in a competition of this scale.

Only after reaching the Iron Skin Realm would he have a genuine ticket to enter the arena.

The immense pressure gave Li Yuan an unprecedented drive.

From that day on, Li Yuan's daily routine returned to the way it had been when he first entered Five Animals Academy—even more intense, in fact.

He devoted nearly all his time to cultivation.

Every day, before dawn had broken, he would take up the Five Animals Stance Technique in the courtyard, his blood and qi surging through him with each long, steady breath.

Once he finished his stance training, he would repeatedly practice the Five Animals Ape Form Fist.

He had now mastered two forms of boxing. He needed only to perfect the last one before he could attempt a breakthrough to the Iron Skin Realm.

He did the calculations. At his current pace, he would master the Ape Form Fist in about two months.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within Five Animals Academy had also changed noticeably.

The students had always trained seriously, but there had been a certain plodding routine to it.

Now, it was as if a flame burned in everyone's eyes. Their punches and kicks carried more ferocity, and they threw themselves into sparring with greater focus.

This news had made every martial artist want to fight for the opportunity.

Sometimes, an opportunity like this might come only once in a lifetime.

Even some older disciples, who knew they couldn't place near the top, hoped to make an impression in the tournament. What if they had some special potential that caught the chief examiner's eye?

This was a genuine chance for poor families to defy fate and change their lot.

One evening, the setting sun cast a faint golden hue over the grounds of Five Animals Academy.

Li Yuan finished training, wiped away his sweat, and prepared to head back and read.

"Li Yuan!"

A cold, low call came from behind him.

Li Yuan turned around to see Liu Yan staring intently at him.

She wore a close-fitting, dark blue training outfit that showed off her figure to the fullest.

The top clung to her, accentuating the full curves of her chest. Years of martial training had given her long, powerful legs, full of explosive strength.

She had just finished sparring with Zhao Qin. Fine beads of sweat dotted her temples, and she seemed dissatisfied with how their match had gone.

"Let's spar. We've been at the academy for quite a while, but I don't think we've ever really tested each other."

Liu Yan walked onto the training ground and spoke briskly.

Li Yuan pondered briefly, then nodded. "All right. Please instruct me, Second Senior Sister."

He also wanted to test his strength against Second Senior Sister.

They took their places on the training ground. At Zhao Qin's signal, Liu Yan sprang forward like a nimble deer, moving at astonishing speed.

She currently focused on the Deer Form, Crane Form, and Ape Form, and she had mastered both the Deer Form and the Crane Form.

The moment she attacked, she unleashed the speed and agility of the Deer Form Fist. Her fingers, poised like a beak, jabbed straight at Li Yuan's Jianjing acupoint, while her light footwork left her ready to switch moves at any instant.

Li Yuan didn't dare take her lightly. He launched the Tiger Form Fist, meeting her with the force of a tiger descending the mountain. His fists howled through the air, fierce and domineering.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Fists and feet clashed, each collision landing with a muffled thump.

Liu Yan alternated between several forms of boxing, making her attacks impossible to predict.

Li Yuan held his ground, his Tiger Form Fist and Bear Form Fist forming an impenetrable defense. Whenever he spotted an opening, he countered with a heavy punch, forcing Liu Yan to guard herself.

They traded blows, and in the blink of an eye, twenty or thirty exchanges had passed. They were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Amid the clash, Liu Yan suddenly realized that Li Yuan had mastered two forms of boxing. He'd only joined the academy a few months ago!

How had he progressed so quickly? Even Cao Chuan hadn't advanced this fast when he was a junior brother!

Unable to break through Li Yuan's defenses, Liu Yan frowned. She had trained her body for years and had thought herself stronger than Li Yuan.

Her eyes narrowed. Spotting an opening, she swept a rising kick toward Li Yuan's head.

Li Yuan saw it coming and immediately countered with a punch.

"Thud!"

Both of them shuddered from the impact and retreated two steps.

However, just as Liu Yan regained her balance and prepared to attack again, a faint "rrrip" sounded. The training outfit she had worn for a long time—

the wide stretch as she lifted her leg had split a roughly inch-long tear, revealing the fair skin beneath.

Liu Yan stiffened and immediately noticed. A flush spread across her cheeks, and she instinctively covered the tear.

Li Yuan noticed it too. He immediately lowered his guard and turned away without hesitation. What was improper to look at, he would not look at.