After falling into the lake, Chu Lingguang firmly gripped the Long Spear in his hand, quickly broke the surface, and began treading water.
In both his past life and this one, he knew how to swim, so he was confident he could make it back to shore.
He saw that so people were choking on water.
Several boats on the lake quickly pulled those who were drowning—or who had passed out on the surface after their Qi Power was disrupted—aboard and tossed them unceremoniously onto the deck.
anwhile, the battle on the island wasn’t over yet.
Chen Jin, one of the top three from the Jin City Martial Arts Examination and famous for his Saber Technique, was still fighting one of the n in black. He too had mastered the key to Human-Sword Unity, allowing him to rge with his blade at will. With every slash of his saber, the Sword Montum was imnse, swirling like mist and clouds. He had already exchanged more than twenty blows with his opponent.
Finally, the man in black shattered his defense with a single punch that landed squarely on the flat of the blade.
Chen Jin skidded backward.
He tried to stop at the edge of the lake but couldn’t fight the montum. In the end, he gave up resisting, spread his arms wide, and leaned back. SPLASH! His body broke the surface. A mont later, as if his feet found purchase on the lakebed, he erupted from the water and leaped back onto the shore, where he bowed respectfully to the man in black.
The man in black gave him a slight nod, a clear acknowledgnt of Chen Jin’s skill.
Chu Lingguang was deeply shaken.
’The man in black I fought wasn’t the sa one Chen Jin faced, but their skills were comparable. And yet, I only lasted about ten rounds before he sent flying—so far that I sailed right over Yan Chengdu’s head.’
’It was nothing like Chen Jin, who just skidded backward and nearly regained his balance at the edge. He ended up entering the water gracefully and then just leaped right back out onto the shore.’
’The gap between us is enormous.’
Finally, when everyone on the shore had been knocked into the water, the leader of the n in black gestured to the crowd in the lake, his face grim. "If you didn’t drown and can still breathe, get over here now!"
Everyone began swimming toward the shore.
Chu Lingguang found Lin Longde, who was gazing out at the lake, his eyes filled with despair. His Long Spear had sunk to the bottom, and there was no way he could find it quickly.
The Long Spear had been a gift from Bao Zhenhai.
It was a treasure passed down from his master’s lineage.
Like the Lightning Spear in Chu Lingguang’s hand, it held imnse sentintal value.
If he lost the Long Spear in the lake, he wouldn’t know how to face his master when he returned, even if he succeeded in this training.
"I’ll help you look for it later," Chu Lingguang said, trying to console him.
"Don’t worry, they’ll have soone retrieve it for you," Yan Chengdu chid in. "You’ll lose a lot of points for dropping your weapon, though."
He looked miserable.
His own Willow Leaf Saber had also fallen into the lake. He had tried to dive down and find it, but with so many people flailing about, the water was too murky. He only returned to shore reluctantly when the man in black started yelling.
Chu Lingguang asked, wiping lake water from his face, "You knew all along, didn’t you? That there would be a test the mont we set foot on the island?"
"Didn’t you figure it out yourself?" Yan Chengdu said sullenly.
When he saw Chu Lingguang hiding behind the crowd with him and cautiously scanning their surroundings, he knew Chu Lingguang had sensed sothing was off.
"What did you an about ’points’?" Lin Longde asked.
"Training at the academy is a brutal competition," Yan Chengdu said. "The Court won’t just hand over an Advanced Breathing thod for free. If you want the Court’s approval, you have to distinguish yourself from this group."
"Lord Feng said everyone at the academy would be able to practice the Day and Night Breathing Technique," Chu Lingguang said, puzzled. "Are there other, more advanced Breathing thods besides that one?"
"Of course," Yan Chengdu confird with a nod. "The academy offers many opportunities. The Day and Night Breathing Technique is just the basic one that everyone receives. Lord Feng probably didn’t tell you more because he didn’t want you to overthink things or get ahead of yourself."
"You’re reading too much into it," Lin Longde quipped.
"The academy is right here in the Qiling Governor’s Mansion," Yan Chengdu snorted. "My Yan Family has been established here for generations. Even if I didn’t want to know these things, people would make sure I did."
"Young Master Yan, regardless of anything else, we’re all candidates from South City," Chu Lingguang reminded him. "If we want to gain a foothold in this academy, we need to stick together."
’He knew Yan Chengdu was worldly and well-connected. Cooperating with him would surely be beneficial.’
Yan Chengdu recalled Chu Lingguang’s fight against the man in black on the shore and finally nodded. "You have a point."
The leader of the n in black spoke again. "I don’t care what ranks you achieved back ho. Now that you’re at the academy, you will rember this: you have one month. One. If you want to learn any real skills, you will forget your past achievents and your family backgrounds. You will diligently complete every task I give you. Otherwise, if it gets out that you left here having learned nothing, the only person you’ll have shad is yourself."
Only now did everyone get a clear look at him. He was a powerfully built man of about forty with a square, imposing face.
Of the dozen or so instructors, he was the only one who hadn’t made a move from start to finish. He had simply watched the entire proceedings, seeming to commit every candidate’s performance to mory.
No one could sense any fluctuation in his Qi Blood. Yet, as he stood there so casually, his presence felt faint but gave off an unapproachable, lofty aura.
They couldn’t help but take his words to heart and accept his admonishnt.
"Based on your performances just now, you will all receive different treatnt. You will be given access to an Advanced Breathing thod in sequence. Rember this: whatever skills you learn at the academy, you must take them to your grave. Never pass them on to outsiders, or your families will bear the consequences."
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