"It’s rely a matter of leaving a mark three inches deep. I once killed a Level Two Iron Armored Fire Bull with a single punch. This trivial matter is nothing! Watch this!"
No sooner had the Assessor spoken than a young man nad Li Zhongtian strode forward.
This man was exceptionally tall, his bulging muscles looking as if they were about to burst from his clothes, his body radiating explosive power.
Li Zhongtian took a longsword from the nearby weapon rack, walked directly to the center of the hall, took a deep breath, twisted his body halfway, and swung the sword down fiercely.
"Broken Flow Sword!"
CRACK!
The gleaming blade, carrying imnse wind pressure, crashed heavily onto the Red Gold Copper Iron. The steel longsword held for a mont before suddenly snapping.
A finger-sized chip was gouged out of the Red Gold Copper Iron.
"Sword mark, one and a half inches. Failed!" the Assessor declared curtly.
Li Zhongtian’s face flushed red. Gazing at the broken sword in his hand, he declared loudly, "This sword is terrible! My cultivation has already reached the early-stage God Bravery Realm; I’m qualified to beco an inner court student!"
"No disturbances in the Assessnt Hall!" The Assessor snorted coldly, his sharp gaze fixing on Li Zhongtian. "So what if you’ve reached the God Bravery Realm? Uncontrolled power is rely brute force! Why can others with mid-stage Iron Bone Realm strength pass the assessnt, but you can’t? Go and reflect on this! Dismissed!"
Li Zhongtian started, his face filled with sha as he exited the Assessnt Hall.
"Next, Han Shan!"
The assessnt continued. By now, the atmosphere in the Assessnt Hall had changed.
"What’s going on? Even Li Zhongtian, with his early-stage God Bravery Realm cultivation, failed the assessnt! How hard is this?"
"I only reached the late-stage Iron Bone Realm a few days ago. I’m afraid I won’t pass either..."
"Then I have no hope at all. I just entered the mid-stage Iron Bone Realm!"
The remaining students exchanged tense glances; only Luo Feng remained unfazed.
After Li Zhongtian, two more students failed, and the atmosphere in the hall grew unusually heavy.
"Next, Lin Yu!" the Assessor called out, his face stern.
Including the four from yesterday, nearly ten candidates had already been eliminated in this first test! As an Assessor of the academy, his mood was naturally sour.
Lin Yu looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, with a baby face that made him appear sowhat immature. His eyes, however, exuded a sense of determination.
Nodding, Lin Yu stepped out of the line, picked up a steel sword, and walked to a position three steps from the Red Gold Copper Iron. With a flick of his sword, a crisp ring echoed throughout the hall.
Seeing this, the Assessor’s eyes lit up slightly. This lad has a calm aura, unlike the restlessness of the previous students. Also, his sword-drawing stance was extraordinary. A simple action, yet it revealed a chilling aura; his entire presence is like a drawn sword.
"Begin," the Assessor nodded slightly, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Lin Yu nodded and took a shallow breath. Suddenly, he thrust his sword toward the Red Gold Copper Iron!
WHOOSH!
The sword point flashed like lightning, its gleam condensing into a single line. Due to its extre speed, it made only the faintest whisper of a sound.
SHINK!
The sword tip pierced the Red Gold Copper Iron, a third of the blade burying itself within.
"Sword mark, five inches. Passed!" The Assessor gave Lin Yu an approving nod and a slight smile.
"Phew..." Lin Yu pulled out his longsword, exhaling a sigh of relief.
He had practiced swordsmanship since childhood, and his mastery of basic techniques was profound. A full-strength strike from him could easily pierce steel. He had initially thought he could thrust the entire sword into the Red Gold Copper Iron. He hadn’t expected its hardness to be so extraordinary; he had nearly failed!
The remaining three seed to have learned sothing from Lin Yu’s success. They made their moves quickly and accurately, all smoothly passing the first test.
Only one remained. The Assessor glanced at the roster in his hand, his eyes lighting up slightly as he announced, "Next, Luo Feng."
"Huh, it’s Luo Feng! The one who seized the Challenge King’s Golden Throne from Senior Li Heshan!"
"I can’t believe he’s also here for the inner court advancent assessnt. During the Challenge King competition, he was only at the late-stage Rigid-Soft Realm. I wonder what level he’s at now."
"I can’t discern his cultivation level. However, it’s only been a short month since the Challenge King competition. His cultivation couldn’t have advanced much. At best, he’s only entered the Iron Bone Realm!"
The students in the Assessnt Hall all fixed their gazes on Luo Feng. These students were from Jinyang Academy, and they still held a grudge against Luo Feng for seizing the Challenge King’s Golden Throne from Li Heshan, Jinyang Academy’s top student. Naturally, they harbored no good intentions at this mont.
Luo Feng paid no attention to the whispering students nearby. He stood up, went to the weapon rack, and randomly selected a broadsword.
Walking directly before the Red Gold Copper Iron, Luo Feng used thirty percent of his strength and casually swung the broadsword.
SCHLICK!
The palm-wide broadsword sliced directly into the Red Gold Copper Iron, its montum unceasing until the entire blade was embedded.
The few students who had been whispering nearby fell silent, their faces etched with disbelief as they stared at the massive gash in the Red Gold Copper Iron!
"Hiss... Is he even human? So monstrous!"
"Look at that mark—it must be over a foot deep!"
The surrounding students were stunned. When their eyes fell back on Luo Feng, not a trace of contempt remained.
Luo Feng looked calm; this assessnt posed no difficulty for him. Back when he was rely at the third level of the Cultivation Power Realm, he could already cleave a ter-high anvil with his Tiger Soul Saber. Now, his cultivation was on a completely different level. It would be stranger if he couldn’t pass.
It took a mont for the Assessor to recover from his shock. Then he looked at Luo Feng and said with a smile, "Very good! Passed!"
The Assessor, usually stern and taciturn, had actually uttered "Very good." This clearly showed how satisfied he was with Luo Feng’s performance.
The others had nothing to say. After all, Luo Feng’s achievent spoke for itself. Anyone who wanted to comnt first had to consider their own abilities.
With the first test concluded, the Assessor led Luo Feng and the other successful candidates to the area behind the Assessnt Hall.
This was a stone alleyway, only a hundred ters long and quite narrow, just wide enough for three or four people to walk abreast. From the stone walls on both sides, nurous wooden staffs, swords, sabers, and other weapons protruded, densely packed and filling the entire space of the alley.
"Everyone only has one life. When you venture into the martial world, self-preservation is paramount, more so than bravery or aggression!" the Assessor stood at the alley’s entrance, his voice low as he said, "As inner court students, you will undertake academy missions and navigate the martial world. The second test assesses your movent techniques and Qinggong, to see if you have the ability to protect yourselves in the martial world."
"This alley is nad Wooden Puppet Alley. Behind the stone walls, academy instructors control these wooden weapons. Once you enter, you will be attacked. Now, enter the alley. If you can successfully reach the other end, you pass the assessnt."
After a short pause, the Assessor glanced at Luo Feng and added, "Using Qinggong to fly over is forbidden; you must pass through on foot."
This last rule was clearly added on the spot by the Assessor, Luo Feng mused, as I’m the only one capable of using Steps in the Air. He touched his nose.
"The first test was so difficult, but this second one seems so simple. It’s only a hundred ters; I can get through it in ten breaths," one young man remarked disdainfully, looking at the alley.
"You’d better be careful," Lin Yu, standing nearby, cautioned. "Don’t underestimate this Wooden Puppet Alley! I’ve heard that the weakest of the academy instructors controlling these wooden weapons are at the mid-stage God Bravery Realm! There are even experts at the Essence Storage Realm. Even though they’re wooden weapons, they’ll give us a tough ti."
"Essence Storage Realm? Doesn’t that an they can use Gang Qi?" a female student asked, her face paling with fear at Lin Yu’s words.
The narrow-eyed martial artist who had spoken first didn’t want to show weakness in front of the girls. He scoffed at Lin Yu, "Hmph, don’t listen to his nonsense. So what if there are Essence Storage Realm experts? It’s such a short distance; we can just charge straight through!"
Lin Yu, having offered a kind reminder only to receive such a response, raised an eyebrow and said no more.
"Alright, the second test begins." The Assessor waved his hand, silencing the discussion. "First, Qian Feng!"
Qian Feng was the narrow-eyed young man who had just refuted Lin Yu. Hearing his na, he imdiately stepped forward to the alley entrance. Turning back to look at Lin Yu, he announced provocatively, "Watch carefully how I get through this Wooden Puppet Alley!"
Luo Feng looked at Qian Feng standing by the Wooden Puppet Alley and shook his head slightly. The Assessor made it very clear that this second test is to see if students can protect themselves in the martial world. The martial world is perilous. The academy wants to minimize casualties during practical experiences. How could this Wooden Puppet Alley be easy?
"Begin!" the Assessor cleared his throat and announced loudly.
CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!
As his voice fell, all the previously motionless wooden swords and sabers in the Wooden Puppet Alley sprang to life, like the fangs of beasts awaiting their prey.
Seeing the initially slow movents of the weapons in the Wooden Puppet Alley, Qian Feng smirked disdainfully. He bent his back, flexed his knees, and charged into the alley, intending to rush through in one go.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
However, the mont his foot landed inside the alley, the weapons on both sides suddenly accelerated. Though made of wood, the piercing shriek as they tore through the air was enough to daunt anyone.
Qian Feng’s face paled. It was too late to stop, and a wooden saber struck his ankle!
"AH! It hurts!" Qian Feng clutched his ankle, almost crying. The force behind the wooden saber was shockingly strong!
His montary pause was disastrous. The surrounding spears and wooden swords instantly converged on him, so even shimring with the light of Gang Qi, engulfing him in an instant.
"AAH... STOP HITTING ... AAHH... I’M NOT TAKING THE TEST... AH... LET OUT... AAAAAHHH..."
Qian Feng’s screams engulfed the entire Wooden Puppet Alley.
The screams echoed for a full quarter of an hour before finally ceasing.
When the Assessor dragged Qian Feng out by the scruff of his neck, the youth’s face was swollen like a pig’s head.
"Those bandits are ruthless killers who murder without batting an eye! Your enemies won’t spare you just because you beg for rcy! This is your first lesson for surviving in the martial world!" The Assessor tossed Qian Feng aside and looked coldly at Luo Feng and the others, saying,
"Rember, the martial world is perilous!"
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