"Whether Chu Xisheng is qualified is not for you, Shao Lingshan, to criticize." Ye Zhiqiu had no desire to argue with Shao Lingshan. Instead, she cupped her hands toward Academy Master Lei Yuan. "Academy Master, I am willing to stake my reputation on him."
Shao Lingshan curled his lip in disdain. "Academy Master, the young man behind me is named Long Sheng, a legitimate son of the Inner City Long Clan. He has practiced martial arts since childhood and has a solid foundation. At just thirteen, his martial arts Origin Power has already reached ninth-rank lower. If he can enter without an examination this time, he will surely bring honor to our academy in the future."
"Enter without an examination? So he isn't even an Outer Sect Disciple." Ye Zhiqiu sneered. "His martial arts Origin Power has already reached ninth-rank lower, meaning he would be entering with prior training? Then let me ask you: the Origin-Nourishing Art, Wind-Chasing Blade, Nine-Palace Sword, Light-Cloud Movement—which of our Formless Divine Sect's External Ten Arts has he learned?"
"If he doesn't know them, he can learn."
The smile on Shao Lingshan's face did not fade. He too cupped his hands toward Lei Yuan, who sat in the grand armchair at the head of the gathering. "Academy Master! The head of the Long Clan has said that if our academy is willing to accept this child, he will donate an Essence-Gathering Formation to us."
Ye Zhiqiu's Divine Sense was keen. Noticing the clear look of interest on Lei Yuan's face, she grew anxious. "Academy Master, I fear this would go against the rules!"
Shao Lingshan shook his head and snorted. "How would it go against the rules? Our academy's inner disciple martial examination exists to select talented people for the nation. If your East Court cannot recommend a decent candidate, you should give this inner disciple place to a true unpolished gem.
"How about this, Instructor Ye? If you truly believe Chu Xisheng is exceptionally talented and his Wind-Chasing Blade has reached a ranked standard, let them compete. If he can last three exchanges under Long Sheng's saber, I will not only retract my words but personally deliver an Essence-Gathering Formation to the academy as my own donation."
Ye Zhiqiu's face darkened. Her hand rested on the Wild Goose Feather Saber at her waist, her gaze cold as ice.
Chu Xisheng's saber skills were only slightly better than those of an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple. More importantly, his body was too frail and his strength too weak. How could he possibly be Long Sheng's match?
They could not compete. A match would expose everything.
But Academy Master Lei Yuan had already waved a hand lightly. His tigerlike eyes fixed on Chu Xisheng. "Chu Xisheng, are you willing to accept the challenge?"
At that instant, a thousand gazes from on and below the platform were drawn toward Chu Xisheng.
Chu Xisheng's expression remained as composed as ever. He glanced at Shao Lingshan and the boy behind him, then looked at Academy Master Lei Yuan and Ye Zhiqiu.
Finally, his gaze settled back on his own illusory screen before him.
He looked at the words "Six Yin Soul-Returning Incantation" in the status field.
This inner disciple place was a matter of life and death for him.
For this day, he and his sister had rushed about day and night, desperately earning money. For three whole months, they had not dared eat a single bite of meat, finally scraping together these eighty taels! He also had to find extra money to buy medicine to keep himself alive.
So was it money he had handed over? It was his life!
Chu Xisheng was furious beyond measure. Taking deep breaths, he cupped his hands with a resolute expression. "I am willing to accept the challenge."
Ye Zhiqiu's hand trembled slightly, and bitterness crossed her face.
A little under half a quarter-hour later, Chu Xisheng stood at one corner of the stone platform, studying the illusory screen before him thoughtfully.
Chu Xisheng was staring at the "Martial arts" field.
A passage of text inexplicably appeared in his mind.
Please confirm: do you wish to spend 3 Martial Dao Points to raise the level of your incomplete Wind-Chasing Blade moves?
Chu Xisheng certainly did not. Though he had yet to study the mechanics of Martial Dao Points closely, upgrading the Wind-Chasing Blade clearly offered poor value.
Since he could improve it through practice, why waste Martial Dao Points?
He shifted his gaze to the "Origin Power" field.
Another passage of text appeared in Chu Xisheng's mind.
You have not mastered the cultivation method for the second level of the Origin-Nourishing Art. You cannot use Martial Dao Points to upgrade it.
Chu Xisheng had no intention of spending these Martial Dao Points on the Origin-Nourishing Art anyway.
He then opened the Martial Dao Treasury with a thought and directly redeemed the introductory special-offer talent-"Wind-Chasing, Lightning-Pursuing Hands, stage one."
After a rough assessment, this seemed to be the best-value choice available.
At that instant, the icon bearing seal-script characters on the screen suddenly burst into countless motes of spiritual light, which streamed into his hands and arms.
Strangely, the surrounding crowd was entirely unaware of this fantastical sight.
Chu Xisheng, however, went momentarily blank. He felt a hot current circulating through his hands and arms.
"I didn't expect anything to go wrong."
Ye Zhiqiu stood beside Chu Xisheng, her expression exceedingly grim. "I've dragged you both into this. That bastard Shao Lingshan is coming after me. He's deliberately trying to make me lose face!
"If anything feels wrong later, don't force yourself to hold on. Just concede. I'll return your money, and I guarantee you'll enter the academy within three months at most."
A livid cast settled over her face. "If I don't avenge this, I swear I'm not human!"
Chu Xisheng's brows rose slightly.
A trace of a smile appeared on his face. "I understand."
Yet his gaze shifted to the "Talents" field on the screen.
The words "Quick Hands" had been replaced by "Wind-Chasing, Lightning-Pursuing Hands (stage one)."
At the same time, another line of text appeared in his mind.
Wind-Chasing, Lightning-Pursuing Hands (stage one)-allows your hands to chase the wind and your fingers to pursue lightning, granting twice an ordinary person's hand speed and dexterity.
What caught Chu Xisheng's attention was precisely the word "twice."
Three months ago, when he began practicing with a saber, he had known he was terminally ill, lacked strength, and could not endure prolonged combat. So he had chosen the fastest few moves of the Wind-Chasing Blade to focus on. His future saber style would attack rather than defend, concentrating solely on speed, seeking to subdue an enemy with one strike and decide victory with one slash!
The problem was that Chu Xisheng had only practiced for three months. However fast his saber was, it could not outpace Long Sheng's.
Yet the system before him had given Chu Xisheng a thread of hope.
What if he could double his existing saber speed?
Just then, someone on the platform called out, "Outer Sect Disciple Chu Xisheng and Long Sheng, step forward."
Chu Xisheng immediately stepped forward and stood facing the boy named Long Sheng on the stone platform, five zhang apart.
At that moment, the attention of the entire crowd in the Grand Training Ground was drawn to them.
Below the platform was a sea of people, countless curious gazes directed their way.
Perhaps this was Long Sheng's first time being watched by so many people. The thirteen-year-old boy, with his high nose and deep-set eyes, flushed and looked somewhat excited.
He glared viciously at Chu Xisheng with a wolflike gaze.
"I hear you haven't even learned the complete Wind-Chasing Saber Technique? Trash like you is no match for me. Why not just admit you're scared? Since you're stupid enough to step into the ring, I won't hold back."
Chu Xisheng could not be bothered to respond. He brought his essence, energy, and spirit into one, observing his opponent's every movement while gripping the saber at his waist tightly with his right hand.
Their referee was a martial instructor in his prime whom Chu Xisheng did not recognize. He took out a copper coin. "Pay attention. You may only attack when the coin lands."
The instructor tossed the copper coin into the air. It rose three zhang before spinning rapidly back down.
At that moment, a deathly silence fell over the platform and the crowd below. Every gaze was drawn to that copper coin.
Only when the coin struck the ground with a ding did their eyes return to Chu Xisheng and Long Sheng.
But at that instant, all they heard was a sharp clang, and all they saw was a flash of white light like lightning across the platform. Then Long Sheng screamed. His saber had already fallen to the ground, and his left hand clutched his right wrist in pain.
Shao Lingshan, who had been looking smug and smiling broadly, instantly blazed with fury and bewildered shock. He hurriedly leaped forward to Long Sheng's side.
As he staunched Long Sheng's bleeding, Shao Lingshan roared at Chu Xisheng, "You wretch, how can you be so vicious? It was only a match! Did you have to strike so hard?"
"Enough!" Academy Master Lei Yuan also flashed over. "He did not do it deliberately. He could not control his saber. He was already pulling back his strength as the blade reached its target."
As Lei Yuan spoke, he cast a look of veiled reproach at the instructor serving as referee.
The referee's face turned blood-red with shame.
Had he been fully focused just now, he could have stopped it. But who could have imagined Chu Xisheng's saber would be that fast?
It was simply appalling!
A buzz of voices rose from below the platform.
"What just happened? Did any of you see it clearly?"
"What a fast saber! That was the Wind-Chasing Blade's drawing move, Empty Cave Brings Wind, wasn't it? Long Sheng had only drawn his saber halfway."
"One slash, just one slash! His saber skills must be beyond ninth-rank lower, right?"
"Even someone at ninth-rank lower might not block that. No wonder Instructor Ye thought so highly of him. He really is extraordinarily gifted!"
Chu Xisheng, meanwhile, stared fixedly at his hands in a daze.
He recalled that description of the talent-hands that could chase the wind, fingers that could pursue lightning!
Could his hands truly be this fast?
At that same instant, another firework burst across the illusory screen before Chu Xisheng's eyes.
He focused on it and discovered that the reputation field had changed again. The original "Ninth-rank lower (unsubstantiated)" had become "Ninth-rank lower (substantiated)."
His Martial Dao Points, previously reduced to just "1," had also become "7."
Confusion appeared in Chu Xisheng's eyes.
Ninth-rank lower (unsubstantiated) to ninth-rank lower (substantiated)?
Why was that?