Martial Arts Examination

Early the next morning, Qingcheng First Advanced Academy.

Over a thousand senior students in uniform gathered on the field, every face filled with tension and anticipation.

On the podium, the gray-haired principal stood straight as a pine in a crisp Zhongshan suit.

He merely stirred the blood and qi within him slightly, and his deep, resonant voice rang across the entire field like a great bell.

"Rampant beasts roam the land, while humanity cowers behind high walls. Martial artists are the last line of defense protecting civilization.

"In this age, martial arts are not merely a personal pursuit—they are the lifeblood of the nation. The nationwide unified martial arts college entrance examination is Dragon Nation's core mechanism for selecting martial talent and bolstering national defense. It determines your futures, and even the future of all mankind..."

"I hope you remember this: no matter where you go in the future, no matter what kind of person you become, never forget the original aspiration that brought you here today!"

The principal's voice was sonorous and forceful, carrying the uniquely piercing power of vibrating blood and qi. Every word struck the students' hearts.

The students on the field listened with their blood boiling. One after another, they clenched their fists, their eyes filled with determination.

"Lin Yun!"

A crisp voice came from beside him.

Dressed in a pristine school uniform, Su Nianhe squeezed over from the formation ahead. Her high ponytail swayed gently with her movements, and a radiant smile filled her face.

She ran over to Lin Yun, gave him a quick once-over, and handed him a bottle of energy drink.

"Here, replenish some energy. Were you too nervous to sleep last night?"

"I was fine." Lin Yun accepted the drink and smiled. "There was nothing to be nervous about."

"You're quite big-hearted." Su Nianhe looked at him in surprise. "But I suppose that's true. The more it's a time like this, the more you need to keep an even mind."

Lin Yun nodded.

He suddenly felt like laughing. He wondered what expression Su Nianhe would have if she learned about his current cultivation.

"Well, if it isn't our top scorer in the written exams, the great scholar Lin. Why are you hiding in the last row? Are you afraid the blood and qi test will be too humiliating, so you don't dare show your face?"

A strange, mocking voice rang out at the worst possible moment.

Zhao Ritian strolled over slowly, fanning himself and followed by three lackeys, his eyes full of ridicule.

He looked Lin Yun up and down, a mocking smile curling across his lips. "Oh, right, Lin Yun. I just remembered something. Six days ago on Martial Arts Street, didn't someone say that if you could break through to the Martial Disciple realm within six days, I'd take your surname?

"How about this? If you haven't broken through to the Martial Disciple realm today, then you change your surname to Zhao."

He deliberately raised his voice so that the dozen or so students nearby could hear every word clearly.

The surrounding students immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Young Master Zhao, don't make me laugh. How could Lin Yun possibly break through to Martial Disciple? If he can, I'll stand on my head and eat three jin of shit!"

"Exactly. I remember that in the mock test half a month ago, he only tested at 2 points of blood and qi, right?"

"What's the use of being good at written exams? The martial arts exam looks at your fists. If he can test at 3 points of blood and qi later, that'll already count as huge progress."

The discussions rose and fell one after another, everyone looking at Lin Yun as though he were a joke.

In their deeply ingrained impression, Lin Yun was a school-famous good-for-nothing, the student with the worst martial arts aptitude since Qingcheng Academy had been founded.

Forget getting into a martial academy—even passing the martial arts exam would be a miracle among miracles.

Su Nianhe's expression instantly darkened. She looked coldly at Zhao Ritian. "Zhao Ritian, don't go looking for trouble."

"Don't be angry, Nianhe." Zhao Ritian hurriedly put on a fawning smile. "I was only joking with Lin Yun. Besides, wasn't what I said the truth? If he really has broken through to Martial Disciple, I, Zhao Ritian, will keep my word and change my surname to Lin immediately!"

He sneered inwardly. If Lin Yun could break through to Martial Disciple, the sun would rise in the west.

Today, he would grind Lin Yun's face into the dirt in front of everyone and let Su Nianhe see who was truly worthy of her affection.

Lin Yun tugged lightly at Su Nianhe's arm, signaling for her not to get angry.

He raised his head and looked calmly at Zhao Ritian. "Is that so? Then you'd better be ready to change your surname."

"Oh, still talking tough?" Zhao Ritian snorted. "Fine, I'll wait. I'd like to see how you'll slap my face during the blood and qi test later."

With that, he swaggered off with his lackeys.

"Lin Yun, don't mind him." Su Nianhe said indignantly. "He's just a clown hopping on a beam. Other than making snide remarks, he can't do anything."

"I know." Lin Yun smiled. "He definitely won't be able to laugh later."

In one corner of the crowd on the field stood three figures: Zhang Lei, Li Chao, and Sun Yuan, whom Lin Yun had taught a lesson not long ago.

The three stood respectfully with their hands at their sides behind a lean young man.

The youth stood tall and straight. His brows and features somewhat resembled the missing Wang Erhu's, but the sharpness between his brows was even more pronounced, and his presence was far beyond that of an ordinary student.

He was the Wang Family's eldest young master, Wang Dalong, Qingcheng Academy's second-ranked prodigy after Su Nianhe.

As early as last night, Zhang Lei and the other two had reported their encounter to Wang Dalong in full detail, including the entire process of Lin Yun revealing his Martial Disciple strength and forcibly demanding three hundred thousand in compensation.

Combined with all the clues surrounding his younger brother Wang Erhu's complete disappearance after going to find Lin Yun, Wang Dalong had already become certain that Wang Erhu's disappearance was absolutely connected to Lin Yun. He might even have met with disaster.

What puzzled him was why, despite the Wang Family using its resources to investigate for seven days, they had still been unable to find any clue related to Wang Erhu.

Wang Dalong drew a deep breath and suppressed his worries for his younger brother. Today was the nationwide martial arts college entrance examination, the day he had waited for after wagering the family's resources and pouring in countless efforts. He could not afford even the slightest distraction.

Once the martial arts examination ended smoothly, whether his younger brother had been found or not, he would not let Lin Yun off.

"Brother Long, look at Zhao Ritian's ugly display just now." Zhang Lei lowered his voice, his face covered in a fawning smile. "He even made a bet with Lin Yun in public, saying that if the other guy broke through to Martial Disciple, he'd change his surname to Lin. There's going to be quite a show now."

Li Chao hurriedly chimed in, "At the end of the day, he's just a spoiled dandy propped up by his family background. He spends all day circling around Su Nianhe, a full-fledged bootlicker. In terms of vision, strength, and talent, he's as different from you, Brother Long, as clouds are from mud."

"Isn't that right?" Sun Yuan nodded repeatedly, his face full of flattery. "Who would have thought that you, Brother Long, would break through to the fourth level of Martial Disciple before the martial arts exam? Looking across all of Azure City, aside from Goddess Su, no one is your match. The Imperial Capital First Martial Academy's second slot is practically already in the bag!"

Listening to the three take turns singing his praises, Wang Dalong's lips rose slightly, and he was greatly pleased inwardly.

Yet on the surface, he still pretended to be composed. He waved a hand, his tone deliberately modest.

"Don't speak too absolutely. Imperial Capital First Martial Academy's admission standards are strict to the extreme. Even though I've broken through to the fourth level of Martial Disciple, I wouldn't dare say it's a sure thing. Everything depends on the results of the assessment."

Though he spoke those words, the confidence and ambition deep in his eyes remained completely undisguised.

In his view, other than the overwhelmingly ahead-of-the-pack Su Nianhe, there truly was no one else in Azure City who could contend with him.

If anyone was most likely to enter Imperial Capital First Martial Academy, it could only be him.

Just as they were speaking quietly, a dull, ear-piercing roar of engines approached from afar, instantly tearing through the noise on the field.

Everyone instinctively fell silent and turned toward the school gates.

A neat convoy of more than a dozen dark green military vehicles and large military transport trucks slowly drove into the campus along the main road.