Storms Gather at the Year-End Test

Time flew, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. The Sacred Orchid Institute welcomed its annual Year-End Test.

On that day, the institute's testing grounds were a sea of people, bustling with activity.

Strength Testing Stones, Junior Soul Crystals, and other testing equipment stood in the vast square, surrounded by students who had come to take the tests or watch.

The morning sunlight spilled across the square, bathing the entire testing ground in brightness.

Xiao Tianhao, Nie Li, and their companions arrived early.

Students bustled around them, with voices rising and falling in lively discussion.

"Have you heard? Quite a few geniuses have appeared in this year's Junior Martial Artist Class!"

"Yeah, I wonder if any students will qualify for the Genius Class this time."

"Hey, look over there. Isn't that Xiao Tianhao and his group? I heard their strength improved considerably after they returned from the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. Xiao Tianhao even beat up Chu Yuan of the Chu Family and a bunch of senior students. He might already have broken through to Bronze 5-Star."

Their arrival immediately drew countless gazes.

Xiao Tianhao wore a fitted black outfit, his posture straight and his bearing composed.

Xiao Ning'er stood beside him in a pale blue dress, her long hair flowing, beautiful and captivating.

Nie Li wore his usual calm, easy smile as he spoke quietly with Lu Piao, Du Ze, and the others.

Just then, a sudden commotion stirred through the crowd.

Shen Fei slowly entered the testing grounds, surrounded by a group of subordinates.

Shen Fei belonged to the Sacred Family's direct line and was Shen Yue's older brother. His cultivation had reached silver 4-star.

He was tall and slender, with a cold, stern face. His blue robe fluttered in the wind, lending him a rather dashing appearance.

Yet his eyes now held nothing but icy contempt.

Shen Fei walked straight toward Xiao Tianhao and Xiao Ning'er, stopping a few steps away.

He glanced at Xiao Tianhao before fixing his gaze on Xiao Ning'er. "Xiao Ning'er, the Winged Dragon Family dared to refuse a marriage alliance with our Sacred Family. I thought you must have some great ability, but it turns out you merely found an ignorant brat who doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is to back you up."

Xiao Ning'er frowned and was about to retort, but Xiao Tianhao gently took her hand, signaling her to remain calm.

Xiao Tianhao looked up at Shen Fei and said evenly, "Shen Fei, you're nothing but trash whose cultivation was built on your family's pills. What do you have to be so arrogant about?"

Shen Fei's face turned livid with anger. He sneered. "Good, good, good. Now just anyone dares to provoke our Sacred Family."

"If you've got something to say, spit it out. If you've got a fart, let it out. Stop wasting my damn time," Xiao Tianhao said disdainfully.

He had already broken through to gold 1-star. Unless a Black Gold Demon Spirit Master stepped in, no one could do anything to him.

A vicious glint flashed through Shen Fei's eyes. "Hmph. Today, I'll show you what happens when you oppose our Sacred Family. If you kneel and beg for mercy now, and leave Xiao Ning'er, I might spare your life."

Xiao Tianhao couldn't help finding it laughable. "Shen Fei, you really are trash who can only lean on his family."

Utterly enraged by Xiao Tianhao's words, Shen Fei clenched his fists. The powerful aura of a silver 4-star radiated from him, seeming to make the very air tremble.

He roared, "Fine! Since you refuse to see reason, don't blame me!"

With that, Shen Fei darted forward like a bolt of white lightning, lunging at Xiao Tianhao. His right fist cut through the air with a sharp whistle, heading straight for Xiao Tianhao's face.

Xiao Tianhao remained unhurried, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

Just as Shen Fei's fist was about to hit him, Xiao Tianhao shifted slightly to the side, easily avoiding the fierce blow.

Then Xiao Tianhao raised his right hand and casually punched. The strike looked utterly ordinary, yet it held terrifying power.

With a thunderous boom, Shen Fei flew backward as though struck by a cannonball.

He spat several mouthfuls of blood in midair before crashing heavily to the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

His subordinates rushed over in panic and helped him shakily to his feet.

Shen Fei's face filled with shock and bitter disbelief. He had never imagined Xiao Tianhao could be so powerful. Despite his proud silver 4-star cultivation, he had been defeated in a single move.

He glared at Xiao Tianhao through gritted teeth, his eyes full of venom. "You... just you wait! Our Sacred Family won't let you get away with this!" Supported by his subordinates, he slunk away from the testing grounds.

Once Shen Fei's farce was over, the Year-End Test officially began.

A teacher stepped onto the raised platform in the square, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Students, the annual Year-End Test now begins! This test will determine whether you can enter a higher-level class, so I hope you all give it your best. First comes the strength test. Each class will take its turn in order."

The testing proceeded smoothly. One student after another stepped forward and struck the Strength Testing Stone with all their might.

The Strength Testing Stone displayed each student's strength value while the surrounding students watched nervously, occasionally letting out cries of amazement or sighs of regret.

At last, it was the turn of Xiao Tianhao's Junior Martial Artist Class.

Lu Piao stepped forward first. He took a deep breath, gathered all his strength, and slammed his fist into the Strength Testing Stone.

With a loud bang, the Strength Testing Stone displayed "500," and applause immediately erupted around him.

Lu Piao pumped his fist excitedly and returned to the group.

Wei Nan, Wang Hu, and the others took their turns next. Their results were also quite good, all reaching bronze rank 3-star.

It was Xiao Tianhao's turn.

He walked steadily forward and loosened his wrist.

The surrounding students immediately fell silent, their gazes converging on him.

Xiao Tianhao raised his fist slightly and sent a seemingly weightless punch toward the Strength Testing Stone.

With a deafening boom, the Strength Testing Stone instantly shattered, sending countless fragments flying.

The entire square shook. The surrounding students gaped in astonishment before finally bursting into cries of shock.

"Heavens, he actually shattered the Strength Testing Stone! How much strength would that take?" a commoner student exclaimed.

"Xiao Tianhao is incredible. I've never seen anyone shatter a Strength Testing Stone before," a senior student said, dumbfounded.

"He must have broken through to Silver Rank or higher. Otherwise, there's no way he could have such terrifying strength."

The girls' eyes sparkled like little stars as they gazed at him in admiration.

"Wow, Xiao Tianhao is so handsome. If only I could be with him."

"Hmph, you? Stop dreaming. Someone as outstanding as Xiao Tianhao would never be interested in you."

Amid everyone's exclamations, Xiao Tianhao calmly returned to the group.

Meanwhile, Vice Principal Ye Sheng and the institute's leaders sat in the VIP seats, stunned speechless by the sight.

They whispered among themselves, expressing tremendous surprise and admiration at Xiao Tianhao's strength.

"This student's strength is truly terrifying. In all my years of teaching, this is the first time I've seen someone shatter a Strength Testing Stone with one punch," one of the leaders remarked.

Vice Principal Ye Sheng frowned slightly, a trace of concern flashing through his eyes. "This boy possesses extraordinary strength. I'm afraid our institute may no longer be capable of teaching him. We must report his information to the City Lord and Lord Ye Mo as soon as possible."

A new Strength Testing Stone was brought out, and Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, and the others all took their tests, provoking another wave of amazement.

The boys, in particular, looked at Xiao Tianhao with even greater envy.

Once the strength test ended, the soul force test began immediately.

The students placed their hands on a Junior Soul Crystal one by one and poured in their soul force. The crystal shone with different lights according to the strength of their soul force and displayed its exact value.

Nie Li kept both his strength and soul force at 100, leaving Shen Xiu no choice but to resign, however unwillingly.

Many more students completed their soul force tests before Xiao Tianhao's turn finally came again.

He stepped forward and gently placed his hand on the Junior Soul Crystal. As he slowly poured in his soul force, the crystal began trembling violently, its light growing ever brighter.

Suddenly, with a sharp crack, the crystal shattered, unable to withstand his powerful soul force.

The sight shocked everyone once again. The square instantly fell silent, every person awed by Xiao Tianhao's immense soul force.

Only after a long while did someone recover and exclaim, "Heavens, his soul force actually shattered the Junior Soul Crystal! He really must have broken through to Silver Rank or higher."

Another heated discussion erupted among the crowd.

Vice Principal Ye Sheng and the institute's leaders were considerably calmer this time.

Vice Principal Ye Sheng murmured to himself, "To think this little fellow's soul force is just as terrifying. I'm afraid only Lord Ye Mo could offer him any guidance."

When Xiao Ning'er, Ye Ziyun, Du Ze, and the others took their tests next, their Junior Soul Crystals all burst apart as well.

The testing grounds fell deathly silent, and everyone could only marvel at how exceptional this year's Junior Martial Artist Class was.

After the Year-End Test concluded, the students' results were announced.

Xiao Tianhao, Xiao Ning'er, Nie Li, and the others all passed successfully and entered the Sacred Orchid Institute's Genius Class.

The news spread rapidly through the institute, raising enormous waves.

Xiao Tianhao became a legendary figure within the institute. The students retold his feats of shattering the Strength Testing Stone with a punch and breaking the Junior Soul Crystal with his soul force until they sounded almost miraculous.

After this incident, Xiao Ning'er also completely untangled the knot in her heart and accepted Huyan Lanruo's presence.

With Xiao Tianhao smoothing things over between them, she and Huyan Lanruo grew increasingly harmonious.

When the Alchemist Association learned of Xiao Tianhao's astonishing performance in the Year-End Test, President Gu Yan, Director Yang Xin, and the others all marveled at his monstrous talent.

They realized that Xiao Tianhao would surely become one of the continent's greatest experts, and that the Alchemist Association had to maintain a good relationship with him.

City Lord Ye Zong also developed a keen interest in Xiao Tianhao after learning of his strength.

Although he had previously abandoned his investigation into Xiao Tianhao's origins, he now considered how to win him over to serve Glory City.

The Year-End Test was over, and the holidays arrived.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Ning'er and Huyan Lanruo, Xiao Tianhao visited various herb shops and bought a large quantity of medicinal ingredients. He refined a large batch of pills and stored them inside the Profound Space Pearl.

Then he went to the Alchemist Association to say goodbye to Yang Xin and prepared to return to the Modern World.

(My new book is setting sail! To all my clever, kind, beautiful, and handsome readers, please follow the book and tap the update reminder. If you can, please send some free "Power of Love" gifts to support the author. Thank you, everyone. Yesterday, I took a look at the stats and felt a little down. I couldn't get my mood back on track, so I couldn't write an update. Please forgive me, dear readers.)