Scene One

“This was definitely orchestrated by someone from the Old Vine group!” Ping Luanshan declared with absolute certainty.

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes, withdrew his gaze, and nodded. “That’s likely. But it seems they’re having internal strife as well.”

Only then did Ping Luanshan remember something. “Hey, if you want to bet, just bet. Why did you have to set such terms? I don’t want that charcoal-head as my junior disciple!”

Jiang Feng chuckled. “You still haven’t apprenticed yourself to Teacher Hua. When the time comes, who’s senior and who’s junior is still uncertain.”

Ping Luanshan’s eyes bulged. “You know what I mean! I don’t want anyone from Old Vine!”

Jiang Feng glanced over that way again, shaking his head. “I get the feeling that kid is different from the others…”

Ping Luanshan snorted. “Like master, like student! What good can come of a disciple trained by Wu?”

Jiang Feng smiled. “Let’s think about the next round. If we’re going to win, let’s win with style!”

Ping Luanshan rubbed his fists together. “A fight? That’s my specialty!”

…

An hour passed quickly, and the ground trials ended.

Jiang Feng’s score was unrivaled, maintaining his spot at the top. Second was Teng Zhi with 247 points. In any other year, he might have been first, but today he could only trail behind Jiang Feng, and by over a hundred points at that.

Interestingly, the top ten was no longer a roster solely of Old Vine and Distant Mountain elite. Several new names had appeared, surprising everyone with impressive performances in the ground trials and making significant leaps in the rankings. Of course, they were still far behind Jiang Feng, but their achievements were more than enough to leave them both surprised and delighted.

By now, platforms had been set up on the training field for the human trials, which were about to begin. Qu Chun had finally recovered a bit and stepped up to announce the rules.

The rules for the human trials were simple. Of the 103 participants, minus Jin Gu, who had just been dragged out, there were now 102. Each would draw lots and face three opponents.

Every victory would earn fifty points; winning all three would yield 150 points. Losing would not cost any points.

The Old Vine group calculated silently. If Teng Zhi won all three matches and Jiang Feng lost every round, Teng Zhi still had a shot at first place! But at the very least, the top ten was secure for him…

The previous bet was about the top ten. Had Jiang Feng already won the wager?

“Master, what do we do? Are we just going to watch him win?” one disciple asked.

Coach Wu glared fiercely at him. “If it weren’t for your incompetence, how would Old Vine have fallen to this?”

The disciple pursed his lips in secret, saying nothing. Jiang Feng wasn’t ranked ninth or tenth—he was first! Even Teng Zhi, Old Vine’s best, trailed by over a hundred points. Was this because they were incompetent? No, it was simply that Jiang Feng was too extraordinary!

Coach Wu’s face shifted between dark and light, before he finally gave a heavy snort. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle what comes next!”

Teng Zhi, overhearing, frowned. “Master, what are you planning?”

Coach Wu waved him off. “Don’t concern yourself. Just be ready to win your three matches! If a newcomer ends up first…”

Teng Zhi’s frown didn’t ease, but after a few more harsh words from his master, he reluctantly agreed.

The so-called drawing of lots wasn’t done manually. The Heaven-Link Seal handled it automatically. On the county list, a new light screen appeared, listing every name. Countless threads darted among the names, shuffling and rearranging them.

Within moments, the pairings were set. Everyone hurried to find their own names to see who their opponents would be.

Ping Luanshan muttered, “Please, not an internal fight, not an internal fight…”

At a glance, he saw his opponents and immediately grinned. “Great, not one of us!”

He quickly checked Jiang Feng’s matchups and cried out, “Impossible!”

Grabbing Jiang Feng’s shoulder, he exclaimed, “Something’s wrong! How could all your opponents be this strong?”

Jiang Feng, with only one chain and no apertures, was the lowest ranked among all examinees in terms of level. His previous overwhelming victories were due to his exceptional Ming Force attributes, hinting at boundless potential. But in actual combat, level was critical—within five levels, one could almost guarantee dominance!

Now, look at Jiang Feng’s opponents:

Yue Xun Yuan—one chain, four apertures.

Tang Yong Mu—one chain, four apertures.

Teng Zhi—one chain, five apertures.

All three were from Old Vine Academy, and all were four or five levels above him. They represented the strongest candidates in the entire field!

Especially Teng Zhi. A one-chain, five-aperture candidate was exceedingly rare in county exams. He was five full levels above Jiang Feng, giving him a crushing advantage. In a direct fight, Jiang Feng might not even land a hit.

How could Jiang Feng possibly win? The outcome seemed decided before the matches even began!

Jiang Feng was a bit surprised, but his expression remained calm. “Nothing odd about it. The Heaven-Link Seal assigned the opponents automatically. Don’t you trust it?”

Ping Luanshan said nothing. For him, whether he trusted the Seal or not was just words. But meeting Jiang Feng’s gaze, he understood his meaning.

The Heaven-Link Seal’s supervision was the rule of this game. If they chose to play, they had to abide by the rules. Earlier, they’d relied on the Seal to prove themselves; there was no reason to doubt it now.

Reluctantly, Ping Luanshan stepped back, muttering, “Well, you’re so far ahead—even if you lose everything, you’ll still make the top ten…”

Suddenly, laughter erupted from the Old Vine side. Coach Wu turned to his students and said, “If we can’t secure Teng Zhi’s top spot with this, we might as well disband Old Vine!”

From afar, Jiang Feng looked over and asked, “Care to bet again?”

After the pairings were announced, Fang Liuxian had been staring intently at the list. Now, he was struck by a sudden whim. “You want to bet? I could serve as witness…”

Coach Wu’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at the pair of them, and he clamped his mouth shut, daring not say another word.

Ping Luanshan, dispelling his gloom, laughed heartily. “Old Jiang, did you see that? They’re scared! Even with this big advantage, they’re still scared!”

Coach Wu’s face was ashen, but even with Ping Luanshan’s mockery, he remained silent as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

At that moment, Qu Chun announced the official start of the human trials. Coach Wu promptly led his students to their assigned rings, distancing themselves from the others.

Once they were gone, Ping Luanshan’s smile faded. He sighed. “Ah, I really wish I could see you take the top spot in the county exam…”

Jiang Feng simply smiled without replying.

To keep things moving, each match in the human trials was limited to three minutes. No weapons allowed; candidates were to use all their strength, by whatever means possible. The Heaven-Link Seal would protect participants and judge outcomes.

In other words, regardless of tactics, fatal injuries were impossible; the Seal would declare victory as soon as a decisive attack was landed.

Hong Cheng whispered, “That’s good—no one will die this way…”

Jiang Feng asked, “Have people died in previous human trials?”

Hong Cheng sighed. “The chief examiner usually forbids excessive force, but accidents happen.”

The Heaven-Link Seal’s scheduling was clever, spacing each candidate’s three matches with ample rest, rarely back-to-back.

Before long, it was Jiang Feng’s turn for his first match.

His opponent was Yue Xun Yuan of Old Vine, a one-chain, four-aperture martial artist—four levels higher.

Yue Xun Yuan had 217 points, ranking in the top eight; he needed three wins to stay in the top ten.

Yue Xun Yuan was already in the ring, watching Jiang Feng approach with a cold, gloomy stare. “You have 372 points. Even if you lose every match, you’ll still pass the state exam.”

Jiang Feng climbed into the ring at a lazy pace. Overhead, a yellow glow surrounded the platform, like being encased in gelatin, making movement awkward. The barrier would only drop when the match began.

He raised his brows. “Are you begging for mercy? If you act pitiful, I might even feel sorry for you.”

Yue Xun Yuan’s face darkened to iron. “Let me tell you something. Even with the Heaven-Link Seal’s protection, you’ll feel every bit of pain. Beg me, and maybe I’ll let you lose with less suffering!”

Jiang Feng replied with relish, “Don’t worry. You won’t need to beg—I’ll make sure you lose comfortably.”

As soon as he spoke, a clear bell rang, the yellow glow faded, and the first match began!

The moment the glow vanished, Jiang Feng moved.

He lowered his body and stomped the ground hard, rocketing toward Yue Xun Yuan like a cannonball. His right fist shifted through forms, each change accompanied by a faint thunderclap.

In a heartbeat, he was upon Yue Xun Yuan, swinging a punch.

Yue Xun Yuan, caught off guard by the speed, hastily crossed his arms in defense.

Their arms collided—and thunder cracked in the sky!

Yue Xun Yuan felt a tremendous force surge through his skin, invading his body. His Ming Force automatically tried to counter it, but the destructive power was overwhelming, smashing through his defenses to strike at the source—his Heart Seed.

Instantly, darkness engulfed Yue Xun Yuan’s vision, and his heart convulsed with pain. The force detonated at his Heart Seed, and he collapsed to his knees. Amid the agony, a lingering sliver of consciousness realized his Heart Seed had been destroyed.

The Heaven-Link Seal on his forehead flared. On the county list, a name lit up, and the result was announced.

Yue Xun Yuan, one chain, four apertures—defeated by Jiang Feng, one chain, no apertures! Jiang Feng wins!