Chen An VS Liu Qingyun

Chen An VS Liu Qingyun—Arena A!

Chen An merely gave him a faint glance, then walked straight past him as if no one else existed. Liu Qingyun froze on the spot.

The next instant, his face turned livid, veins bulging faintly at his temples as his clenched fists crackled.

Watching Chen An's unhurried back as he walked toward Arena A's waiting area, viciousness surged in Liu Qingyun's eyes, killing intent sharp as frost. Rage and humiliation intertwined in his heart, nearly beyond suppression.

However, when he saw the three figures on the high platform in the distance, Liu Qingyun's expression stiffened. A moment ago, he had been furious enough to want to kill Chen An on the spot.

It was as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.

His gaze immediately cleared!

He had not forgotten the look Fan Suiyun, the county academy instructor, had given him during the first round of testing.

That look had not been scrutiny, nor had it been reprimand. It had been a naked warning!

If he dared attack Chen An beneath the arena, Fan Suiyun might truly kill him on the spot.

For a Xiantian Realm expert to erase a Qi Condensation martial artist, there was no need to lift a hand. Perhaps merely a wisp of pressure could stun his soul, shatter his meridians, and leave him without the slightest ability to resist.

At that thought, a chill crept across Liu Qingyun's back, and the vicious aura roiling within him was forcibly suppressed in an instant.

He no longer dared reveal even a trace of killing intent. He could only clench his fists tightly, cast a dark look at Chen An's back, then lower his head and step forward to line up and wait.

"First, congratulations to all of you students for passing the first round of testing!"

On the high platform, instructor Fan Suiyun glanced at the more than three hundred students below, his eyes calm.

"However, this county examination will admit only thirty students into the prefectural academy's register!"

"Therefore, the second round of arena battles will begin next!"

"There are no unnecessary rules for these battles!"

"The strong win; the weak lose!"

"Other than the prohibition against using any weapons, concealed weapons, or poison!"

"Until one side voluntarily admits defeat or falls!"

"Furthermore, on the arena, life and death are disregarded!!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the air over the martial arts grounds seemed to turn cold, and every student's expression changed abruptly.

Life and death were disregarded!

That meant that if they were careless, any of them could die in this Martial Examination.

However, every student had already been mentally prepared for this.

The path of martial arts had always been cruel!

Martial arts were not a dinner party, not embroidery or calligraphy, not gentleness and refinement. They were a blood-soaked road where one contended through force, gambled one's life for the Dao, and the strong reigned supreme.

Not to mention the Ancient Devil Race still eyeing the Northern Frontier like tigers watching their prey, even within the Great Luo Dynasty, martial artists routinely had to face vicious beasts and even ill-intentioned fellow martial artists.

On the high platform, Fan Suiyun quietly watched the grave-faced students below. His expression was indifferent, without the slightest trace of pity.

Martial arts had always been a matter of survival of the fittest. Only those who could withstand slaughter and pass the trial of life and death were qualified to enter the prefectural academy and walk a greater path of cultivation.

Of course, that was what he said.

But if any student's life was truly in danger on the arena shortly, neither the instructors presiding over the arenas nor he himself would stand by and watch these students lose their lives in the Martial Examination.

"Begin!!!"

The booming cry echoed throughout the entire martial arts training ground.

"Arena A, Number One, Wu Liheng! Arena A, Number Two, Lin Shian! Take the stage!"

"Arena B, Number One, Gao Yuncheng! Arena B, Number Two, Wu Qingyun! Take the stage!"

"Arena C, Number One, Zheng Qiuwan! Arena C, Number Two, Han Shoucheng! Take the stage!"

As the names were called one after another, the second round of arena assessments officially began.

People leaped onto all three arenas at once, their auras taut and their fighting spirit rising.

The gazes of every student converged on the three arenas, and an intense, murderous air of battle instantly filled the space.

"Begin!"

With the command of the instructors presiding over the three arenas, the three duels officially commenced.

In an instant, true qi churned across the arenas. Fist winds howled, palm shadows crisscrossed and fluttered, and true qi spilled in all directions as the combatants fought fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Beneath the arenas, all the students watched intently, holding their breath.

Some had their hearts wound tight, secretly nervous.

Some fixed their eyes on the moves displayed onstage, silently breaking down the techniques, probing for openings, comparing them against their own martial skills, and learning the methods of attack, defense, advance, and retreat.

Others quietly weighed the depth of both sides' cultivation and secretly judged who would win and who would lose.

Chen An stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching the back-and-forth clashes on the arenas. A hint of interested amusement flashed through his eyes.

The other students watched with pounding hearts and taut nerves.

Yet in his eyes, the two fighters' moves were riddled with openings. Their true qi circulated stiffly and sluggishly, their offensive and defensive rhythm utterly without order. They possessed Qi Condensation cultivation, yet had failed to grasp the essence of their martial skills.

Sure enough, everyone else raised their cultivation through training, leaving their foundations flimsy and weak!

But I raised mine point by point with the system, step by step. My foundation is solid!

The difference is obvious at a glance!!!

Liu Qingyun, standing nearby, had been secretly watching Chen An the entire time. Seeing him remain so calm and composed, Liu Qingyun could not help sneering inwardly.

"Putting on an act!"

Arena battle after arena battle unfolded in succession. Some won, some lost; some left the arena badly injured, while others narrowly prevailed by sheer luck and barely advanced.

Time slipped away silently. In the blink of an eye, more than an hour had passed, and finally, Arena A's Numbers Twenty-Three and Twenty-Four had decided their victor.

"Number Twenty-Five, Liu Qingyun!"

"Number Twenty-Six, Chen An!"

"Take the stage!"

"Hua!!~~"

As the instructor's voice fell, an uproar rose beneath the arena.

Whether it was Liu Qingyun or Chen An, both had become thoroughly famous during the previous Martial Examination.

Liu Qingyun had originally been one of Geng Class's top students, possessing Qi Condensation Realm Level Nine cultivation. His father was also a Houtian Realm instructor employed by the county academy, giving him an extraordinary background.

But not long ago, Shen Qinglan had publicly exposed him and his father, Liu Zhixing, for using their status and cultivation to bully fellow students, forcing others to voluntarily give up their Martial Examination slots. They had even intended to sell people to merchant firms as laborers. His father had been suspended from his post, and their reputations had plummeted amid widespread criticism.

Chen An, on the other hand, had originally been an inconspicuous student from Geng Class. He had only become somewhat known because he and Shen Qinglan, the county academy's top student, had been childhood sweethearts.

He himself had possessed only Qi Condensation Realm Level Two cultivation, utterly ordinary among the examinees. At first, no one had paid him any attention at all.

Yet no one had expected that before the Profound Light Stele during the first cultivation test, Chen An had quietly concealed his strength and erupted with Qi Condensation Realm Level Six cultivation. Liu Qingyun, filled with resentment, had stepped forward to question him, which then drew Shen Qinglan's rebuke and laid their conflict bare for all to see.

Now, when the arena lots were drawn, enemies had met on a narrow road and been assigned to duel on the same arena.

At this sight, everyone's interest was piqued. Discussions rose and fell as they looked at the two with keen curiosity.

Every student wanted to see who would have the last laugh in this battle of grudges!