Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Martial Arts Talent
Upon the Central Array Map, a vast white brilliance descended, settling upon a lavishly dressed, green-clothed maiden of about fifteen or sixteen. It formed a faint white shroud, enveloping her completely.
Faint motes of white light landed on the girl. A light blue radiance gradually appeared on the fair maiden’s body as specks of blue light began to float up. Beneath her feet, two pale blue halos emerged, rippling outwards in all directions like the tide.
Near the Array Map, several experts from All Stars Academy glanced at the hopeful-looking girl and shook their heads. One of them, a middle-aged man, announced coldly.
"Song Lan’er. Second-Grade Water Attribute Martial Arts Talent. Eliminated!"
The bright expression on the maiden’s face instantly dimmed. Her delicate, willow-like frame seemed to lose all strength. If not for the guards at her side supporting her, she would have already collapsed to the ground.
Astonished gazes shot out from the surrounding crowd.
"Eliminated, just like that?" someone nearby said in surprise, watching as the fair, freckled maiden was helped down from the Central Array Map. "Miss Song Lan’er is a renowned genius from the Song Family, one of the Nine Great Families! She’s not even fifteen and is already a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage. How could she be eliminated?!"
"You clearly don’t know how it works," a Martial Artist who seemed to have inside information said mysteriously. "There are twelve grades of Martial Arts Talent. First Grade is the weakest, and Twelfth is the strongest. First through Third Grade are called the Lower Three Grades of Martial Arts Talent. Fourth through Sixth are the Middle Three Grades, and Seventh through Ninth are the Upper Three Grades. Anything from Tenth Grade up is considered Super-Grade Martial Arts Talent. The higher your grade, the easier your future Cultivation will be. A Second-Grade Martial Arts Talent like hers is only in the Lower Three Grades. It’s better than an ordinary person’s, but it’s far weaker than a true genius’s!"
"And let me tell you, the minimum requirement to pass the second round of testing for All Stars Academy is the Middle Three Grades of Martial Arts Talent!"
Many people crowded around him, sighing in unison upon hearing his explanation. "The admission standards for All Stars Academy are just too strict!"
"It’s a real shame for Song Lan’er!"
"You know her?" Qin Feng asked, glancing at Zuo Quan, who wore a look of shared sorrow. The twin brothers had distinct personalities: the elder, Zuo Quan, was talkative, while the younger, Zuo Ming, was cold and detached. Though they were identical in looks and dress, Qin Feng could pick out Zuo Quan at a glance.
Zuo Quan nodded with a smile. "Song Lan’er is a daughter of the Song Family’s main branch and is quite famous in Mountain and River City. Many young men here dream of her day and night. Everyone thought she was going to soar to new heights this time, but who would’ve guessed she’d fall during the second round of tests!"
"Generally speaking, even having a Second-Grade talent from the Lower Three Grades is extremely rare. Our Mountain and River City may have a population of millions, but there are definitely fewer than two hundred people with a Martial Arts Talent of Second Grade or higher!"
...
While the crowd was still murmuring, a few figures fixed their gazes on Qin Feng, their eyes glinting with a cold, hard light.
"You’re Qin Feng?" a cold voice suddenly interjected. Qin Feng turned to see a group of young men and women approaching him.
As the group approached, the crowd parted to form a path. A dozen lavishly dressed youths, all around fifteen or sixteen, emerged, led by two young men and a young woman.
From the names being called out by the crowd, Qin Feng already knew who they were. The leader, a slightly older youth in purple, was Qin Tianjiao. The sneering, blue-robed youth was Xu Fei. And the last one, a beautiful girl who was as cold as ice and radiated a menacing Evil Qi, was Guan Ruo Lin.
These were all scions from the Nine Great Families. The three leaders were the most famous, known as the "Three Heroes of Mountain and River City." They were renowned geniuses in the city, each a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven. The strongest of them, Qin Tianjiao, had even touched the threshold of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven.
"Brother Qin Feng, be careful! They’re here for trouble!" Zuo Quan whispered in Qin Feng’s ear, warily eyeing the arrogant group of scions.
Qin Feng nodded. His gaze swept over the hostile group, lingering for a moment on Yu Yao, who stood behind the three leaders next to a girl in a yellow shirt. Yu Yao’s expression was cold, her eyes filled with indifference. Paying her no mind, Qin Feng’s gaze finally settled on Qin Tianjiao. "I am Qin Feng. And who might you be? I don’t believe we’ve met."
The purple-robed youth, Qin Tianjiao, sneered and looked down at Qin Feng. "Are you the one who injured my cousin, Guan Xiaopeng?" he demanded.
"A fifteen-year-old Official Mystic Master. You’ve got some talent, I’ll give you that. No wonder you’re so vicious!" Before Qin Feng could reply, Qin Tianjiao sized him up and sneered. "But your little achievements are nothing to us. In terms of Cultivation, every single one of us is a Martial Artist at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer or above. We could completely crush you!"
"Sure, being an Official Mystic Master at fifteen is rare, but if you think that means you can be the next Dinghai Xuan Venerable, you’re dead wrong!" Qin Tianjiao’s lips curled into a sneer as he stared coldly at the black-robed youth.
"Confidence is a good thing, but when you don’t know your place, you’ll eventually pay a terrible price for your arrogance!"
"Brother Tianjiao, why waste your breath on him?" a figure in blue stepped forward. He was flawlessly handsome with an unhurried gait, his face a mask of cool indifference. "This sort of nobody thinks he can run wild and challenge us, the Nine Great Families, just because he has the Mystic Master Guild’s protection. Haven’t we seen enough people like this? They get a tiny bit of talent and think they can turn the world upside down!"
"An Official Mystic Master at fifteen is rare, I’ll admit, but without a matching Martial Arts Realm, you’ll never amount to anything. Dinghai Xuan Venerable is where he is today not just because of his talent with Profound Arrays, but also because of his Eighth-Grade Martial Arts Talent, which surpasses countless other geniuses. Do you really think you’re the next Dinghai Xuan Venerable, free to do as you please? You’re simply courting death!"
The other scions of the Nine Great Families either sneered or looked on with disdain, making no effort to hide the hostility in their eyes.
"Some upstart from who-knows-where dares to run wild in Mountain and River City. He should take a look at his own standing!" a disciple from the Nine Great Families behind the leaders called out, not bothering to lower his voice.
"He’s overestimating himself!"
"Some brat from the middle of nowhere becomes a Mystic Master and thinks he’s on the same level as the Nine Great Families, that he can provoke us? How ignorant!" someone in the crowd added, fanning the flames.
"Does he really think he has the same Martial Arts Talent as Dinghai Xuan Venerable? That becoming a Mystic Master means he’ll soar to the heavens and lord over everyone? What a joke!"
...
Hearing the endless stream of taunts from the crowd, Qin Tianjiao, Xu Fei, and the others exchanged a glance. They stared coldly at Qin Feng, a faint, icy killing intent in their eyes, along with a hidden trace of smugness. This was all part of their plan. They were counting on his youthful hot-headedness. The moment Qin Feng couldn’t hold back and attacked, they would strike to kill, eliminating this young genius. That way, even if All Stars Academy investigated, they could claim Qin Feng struck first and wash their hands of the matter.
The surrounding crowd’s attention was drawn by the commotion. Hearing the provocative words from the members of the great families, all eyes turned to Qin Feng, their faces showing they were ready to watch a good show.
A faint smile played on Qin Feng’s lips. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he lifted his head, glanced at the group for a moment, and then quickly looked away. From start to finish, his expression never wavered.
His dismissive glance conveyed a contempt more potent than any words, a clear message that he looked down on them from head to toe.
"Brother Zuo Quan, let me ask you a question," Qin Feng suddenly said with a smile.
"Ask away!" Zuo Quan said.
With a slight smile, Qin Feng asked, "Tell me, if a pack of vicious dogs was snarling and barking madly at you, what would you do?"
"I’d ignore them!" Zuo Quan’s eyes lit up, and he replied with a laugh.
"Same here," Qin Feng nodded. With that, he turned and headed for the testing queue. As he passed the group, he glanced at Yu Yao, gave a cold smirk, and gestured toward her rear. Yu Yao’s face instantly darkened.
Qin Tianjiao and the others were so furious their faces turned to ice, and they could barely contain the rage blazing in their eyes.
(Author’s Note: I’m currently stockpiling Chapters in preparation for an important feature, so updates will be a bit slow for now. Get ready for a mass release soon! In the meantime, thank you to all my readers for the donations, recommendation tickets, and for adding this to your library!)
