Are You First? I Think I Am!

"Wait—"

As Feng Yue announced the end of the Moon Sect assessment, Tang Jian hurriedly reached out:

"Report to the Instructor, there is still one person who hasn't been tested!"

"Oh!" Feng Yue paused, then said coldly: "I said, the time for the end-of-month assessment has passed!"

"If one cannot even manage the most basic punctuality, there is no need for a test; go be a chore disciple yourself!"

"This..." Tang Jian froze, his expression shifting slightly, words catching in his throat!

The person he was referring to was, of course, Ye Li, who shared the same entry as him!

The two had the same entry and had studied at the same private school since childhood; having been crushed in comprehension without a doubt, he naturally refused to accept it.

I have spent this entire month with the goal of surpassing Ye Li, working diligently even while living in the communal quarters, just to achieve these results!

Tang Jian gritted his teeth: If I don't defeat him fair and square, how can I be satisfied!

Just as Tang Jian wanted to ask Feng Yue to wait a moment longer, a great force came from his side!

"Get lost, didn't you hear the Instructor? Don't get in the way here!"

Li Xi let out a cold snort and reached out to shove Tang Jian directly, sending him stumbling back seven or eight paces before he could react!

"You!"

Tang Jian's eyes widened, breathless with rage! But Li Xi couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind!

After impatiently scolding Tang Jian, he immediately put on a respectful expression, hurried over to block Feng Yue, who was about to turn and leave, and asked in a booming voice:

"Instructor, don't be in such a hurry. Surely you haven't forgotten one thing!"

"Forgotten one thing?" Feng Yue stopped, looking at Li Xi blocking his path, a trace of displeasure appearing on his face:

"What thing?"

Amidst the envious gazes of those around them, Li Xi said loudly:

"Instructor, you said that the first-place finisher of the end-of-month assessment would be rewarded with a Body Tempering Pill! You haven't given it to me yet?"

"Body Tempering Pill?"

Feng Yue's expression shifted from displeasure to something rather strange:

"The Body Tempering Pill is a reward for the first-place winner. What, are you the first?"

"I believe I am!" The arrogance on Li Xi's face was impossible to hide!

"Heh..."

This time, Feng Yue actually laughed out loud, his tone playful: "I won't hide it from you; the Body Tempering Pill for the first-place winner is already gone."

"G-gone?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene erupted in an uproar!

The confidence on Li Xi's face froze instantly, and he thought to himself: Could this barbarian have taken a kickback in secret?

Feng Yue didn't let Li Xi wonder for long, laughing: "Early this morning, Ye Li had already packed his luggage and gone home for leave!"

Ye Li???

The crowd was bewildered, not understanding why Feng Yue had suddenly brought up Ye Li.

A bad premonition rose in Li Xi's heart.

Feng Yue said slowly: "Before leaving, he was the first to arrive at the martial arts arena and leave a fist mark on the wooden pillar!"

Following that, Feng Yue pointed to the wooden pillar: "Embedded five parts deep; this is his result after one month of joining!"

Following Feng Yue's fingertip, the crowd saw that among the dense, crowded indentations, there was one inconspicuous fist mark.

Embedded five parts deep!

This fist mark was not prominent among the disciples who had been in the sect for several months to half a year; it was even a bit shallow.

But if this were struck by Ye Li, a newcomer...

The entire martial arts arena went through a brief silence before instantly exploding!

The discussions converged, whipping up a noisy wave of sound!

"It was actually him!"

"How is this possible!"

"Why him! Why is it him! Why should it be him!"

"Are you kidding me!!!"

Li Xi stumbled and nearly fell, his expression twisting as he blurted out:

"How is this possible? That mud-legged peasant, how could he do it!"

"Are you questioning me?"

A trace of displeasure crossed Feng Yue's face. Terrified by the disparity in their status, the crowd hurriedly bowed and cupped their hands: "We dare not, disciple!"

"Hmph!"

Feng Yue let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

He left the gang members standing there, dumbstruck in the wind!

Watching Feng Yue's receding back, Li Xi stood blankly on the spot, still unable to recover from the shock of the "five-point wood penetration."

Meanwhile, Tang Jian stumbled toward the handyman recording the results.

He snatched the ledger from the handyman's hands and flipped through it frantically.

As he searched, Tang Jian couldn't help but mutter to himself in a daze: "Five-point wood penetration? He actually achieved five-point wood penetration!"

As he flipped through the pages, the surrounding disciples crowded around, packing the area so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through!

Because there were so many people, those in the back pressed their hands onto the shoulders of those in front, craning their necks as far as they could to see the contents of the ledger!

In the blink of an eye, Tang Jian reached the first page of the account book.

And on the first line, the large characters written in brush ink stung many eyes:

[Ye Li, 31 days in the gang, five-point wood penetration!]

For a moment, the entire place fell into dead silence!

In Guangming City, a figure walked home with a light step.

The man had hair as black as ink and wore a black outfit with red patterns. His eyes were bright and spirited, and his gait was nimble, carrying the air of a chivalrous hero.

Feeling the porcelain bottle tucked into the lining of his clothes, a smile flashed in Ye Li's eyes.

He hadn't expected Instructor Feng Yue to be so generous.

After his test, upon learning that Ye Li intended to leave, the instructor had given him the Body Tempering Pill directly.

He had been worried about whether the procedure was correct, but Instructor Feng had simply waved it off magnanimously:

"What are you dawdling for, kid!!! If anyone manages to get a better score than you, I'll pay for another pill for them out of my own pocket!"

Ye Li had originally intended to wait for everyone to finish testing before collecting his Body Tempering Pill and leaving!

But since the instructor had already said so, what else was there for Ye Li to say?

"It wasn't in vain, all this training over the past month!" Ye Li chuckled. His fair cheeks looked handsome and vibrant under the sunlight, causing the girls on the street to glance at him, lost in thought.

His foundation had always been decent, only appearing slightly thin due to the poverty of the past decade.

But over this past month, with the Azure Dragon Gang providing a constant supply of grain and meat, and maintaining the tempering of his body with the Azure Dragon Force, combined with daily exercise to make up for his innate deficiencies, he had changed.

After a month, his muscles and bones were strong, and his blood and qi were abundant, naturally giving him an increasingly transcendent temperament.

While lost in thought, he cast his gaze toward the panel:

Name: Ye Li

Realm: Mortal (416/864)

Techniques:

"Azure Dragon Force (101→1424/100)"

"Nine Chapters Fist Manual(2/500)"

Trait: [Dazzling: World-Shocking Wisdom]

He stared at the text on the panel.

In just over a month, thanks to his daily six-plus hours of grueling physical training, the progress bar had already passed the halfway mark.

And the experience points for the Azure Dragon Force had exceeded the requirements for perfection tenfold!

Or rather, what Ye Li was practicing now could no longer be called the Azure Dragon Force!

Because, driven by ten times the experience, the rhythm of his breathing and the variations in his movements when he performed this technique were far removed from the original version.

With the same aptitude, the modified technique could save at least dozens of days of grueling practice compared to the original.

It wasn't just the efficiency of cultivation that had improved; the intensity of the body tempering had also been greatly enhanced.

Muscles that the original Azure Dragon Force couldn't reach could now be easily engaged by the new version.

Of the 639 major muscles in the human body, the revised Azure Dragon Force could train over 600, leaving Ye Li almost without a single flaw!

This was also the reason Ye Li avoided other disciples and practiced alone.

Otherwise, anyone with a discerning eye would immediately see that what Ye Li was practicing was something entirely different!

The issue with the technique was minor; what Ye Li feared was his trait being exposed.

If word of it were to spread, he feared he would be captured and refined by those great aristocratic families in an instant!

After all, those great clans possess all sorts of bizarre traits; Ye Li did not believe there wasn't a way to hypnotize or brainwash someone.

As for the Nine Chapters Fist Manual that Feng Yue had given him at the very beginning, Ye Li had only practiced it perfunctorily twice before casting it aside.

This was a cultivation technique that utilized mathematical calculations to assist in precise attacks and parries during combat.

The author claimed that as long as one's computational power was sufficient, one could break through every technique under heaven!

However, compared to methods of slaughter, Ye Li felt that his current realm was the priority.

As long as one's strength was great enough, even a basic attack could achieve a one-hit kill effect.

Thinking of his family, Ye Li touched the pinwheel he had bought for his little sister tucked inside his robe, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

But then, looking at the state of the streets on either side, the smile on his face faded:

"The South City is becoming increasingly chaotic."