Chapter 80: Chapter 79: Passing the Final Assessment
An intangible aura, as if it were solid, pressed in from all sides. The compressed air crackled with countless terrifying, dancing sparks of lightning.
After one breath, the aura climbed to the Early Stage of Martial Arts Four Heavens!
Eleven breaths later, the aura shuddered and rose to the Mid-stage of Martial Arts Fourth Realm.
Twenty-one breaths later, the aura shuddered again, and the pressure abruptly surged to the Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
Qin Feng’s figure remained motionless, a sharp glint filling his eyes. His clothes whipped about loudly, as if he were bathing in a gale, his posture as straight as a sharp sword piercing the Yunxiao.
After thirty breaths, the aura of the Late Stage Peak of the Fourth Heaven of Martial Arts reached its apex. Qin Feng wasn’t bothered; he himself was a Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer Martial Artist. The Three Heroes of Mountain and River City were also mostly expressionless and quite relaxed.
But not far away, several youths at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Four Heavens were already drenched in sweat, nearly forced to their knees by the immense pressure.
In the crowd, Yu Yao struggled to hold on. The girl’s shapely, dark eyebrows were damp with sweat, and wisps of her raven hair were in disarray, but her beautiful eyes shone with unyielding stubbornness.
The most eye-catching, however, was Li Zhuang, dressed in gray sackcloth and simple trousers. This youth of humble origins had a Martial Arts Cultivation that had only just barely reached the Martial Arts Fourth Layer. His face was now deathly pale and he was on the verge of collapsing to his knees, yet he grit his teeth, a tangible, unyielding light shining in his eyes.
His determination to sail against the current and wrestle with fate itself was moving.
Withstanding the oppressive aura of the Late Stage Peak of the Fourth Heaven of Martial Arts while only at the Early Stage of Martial Arts Four Heavens Realm was like carrying a mountain on one’s back. Such mental pressure was the ultimate test of a person’s will.
As the thirty-first breath arrived, Ye Ruize took another step forward. The weight on Qin Feng intensified as the pressure abruptly rose another level.
The aura of the Initial Stage of Martial Arts Fifth Realm erupted without restraint, pressing down on every youth on the testing platform.
PFFT!
Yu Yao and Li Zhuang both spat out a mouthful of blood mist at almost the same time. Their bodies swayed as their two figures struggled to stand under the monstrous aura.
"Early Stage of Martial Arts Four Heavens, endured the pressure of an aura at or above the Early Stage of Martial Arts Four Heavens for thirty breaths. Yu Yao, Li Zhuang, you pass!" Nearby, a powerful expert in charge of the test nodded and announced the result. At the same time, this examiner made a grasping motion, and an invisible force plucked Yu Yao and Li Zhuang from the testing area.
Gasping, the moment they were pulled from the testing area, the two of them collapsed, spitting up another mouthful of clotted blood.
"Congratulations, you two, on being the first to complete the third round of the test! You have been accepted into All Stars Academy. You may rest on the side and await further arrangements from the academy!" The examiner glanced at them before his gaze shifted back to the others on the field, his tone detached.
’We passed!’ Yu Yao and Li Zhuang gasped for air, looks of joyful surprise spreading across their faces. The competition had been like an army of thousands crossing a single-plank bridge; countless had fallen, but they had finally reached the other side.
In the crowd, many eyes fell upon the pair, filled with undisguised envy and jealousy. Gaining admission to All Stars Academy was a temptation that represented the starting point of an entirely new path.
On the plaza, the faces of the many lavishly dressed young men and women who witnessed this scene fell.
Qin Feng’s test, however, was just beginning. For him, the clock for the third assessment only started counting from the Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
His assessment period was from twenty to fifty breaths!
After the thirty-first breath, the pressure suddenly increased, and several Martial Artists at the Mid-stage of Martial Arts Fourth Realm began to sway precariously.
After thirty-five breaths, Ye Ruize’s aura, still at the Initial Stage of Martial Arts Fifth Realm, gradually reached its peak.
PFFT!
Beside Qin Feng, two Martial Artists at the Mid-stage of Martial Arts Fourth Realm spat out mouthfuls of clotted blood. Their pupils dilated and their minds broke; an instant later, the violent aura flung them high into the air, and they went tumbling away like gourds.
"Ning Ziyu, Qin Yichun, score: twenty-five breaths. Eliminated!" Someone from All Stars Academy stepped forward and led away the two failed contestants.
Many onlookers shook their heads, their expressions filled with pity. But there were also those who reveled in their misfortune!
"Useless!" Qin Tianjiao’s expression soured as she glared at one of the youths, her eyes burning with fury. One of the two who had been eliminated was a member of the Mountain and River City’s Qin Family.
After forty-one breaths, the aura Ye Ruize unleashed rose another level, reaching the Martial Arts Fifth Realm Mid-stage.
The pressure on Qin Feng gradually increased, and he finally began to feel a slight strain.
THUD! Another person’s mind broke, and they were eliminated.
Many gazes fell upon Qin Feng. He hadn’t hidden his Realm at the Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer.
However, to the astonishment of many onlookers, even under the oppressive power of the Martial Arts Fifth Realm Mid-stage—a gap of two minor realms—not a single drop of sweat could be seen on Qin Feng’s forehead.
"In the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven, each layer is a world of its own. To withstand the pressure from one minor realm higher is a sign of exceptional will. To withstand two is a sign of absolutely superhuman will. And Qin Feng looks so completely relaxed!" someone in the crowd exclaimed in amazement.
Hearing this, Qin Shou chuckled, unable to contain his pride. "What’s this? Our young master has even driven off a Yunling Giant Tiger—an Ancient Relic Species comparable to the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Heaven! This is nothing!"
In the crowd, an imposing elder at the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven shook his head. "This is different. This kind of oppressive aura is a dual trial, testing both one’s spiritual will and one’s Martial Arts Realm. It forces you to confront your true nature. Such a trial is far more difficult than fighting an enemy of a higher rank!"
A few breaths later, a pale-faced young woman at the Mid-stage of Martial Arts Fourth Realm was sent flying by the violent aura.
Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged. In his opinion, of the three rounds of the All Stars Academy assessment, this one was the easiest. As a former expert at the Half-Step God-Sealing Realm, Qin Feng’s Martial Dao Spirit Will had reached a state where it would not waver even if the heavens fell and the earth cracked open.
Qin Feng had cultivated a Martial Dao Will that could swallow the Ten Thousand Realms and dominate the world. His only weakness was his current Martial Arts Cultivation!
After the fifty-first breath, the aura intensified to the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Late Stage. Even under the crushing pressure that spanned an entire Great Realm, Qin Feng remained expressionless.
He passed! The crowd erupted in an uproar, feeling that Qin Feng had made it look far too easy. His performance was truly stunning.
Yet Qin Feng did not withdraw. He stood there proudly, his eyes as profound as an Ancient Sword, its sharp edge seeming to pierce the Yunxiao!
Ye Ruize shot Qin Feng a sharp glance. His performance was too conspicuous; even under pressure that crossed an entire Great Realm, Qin Feng hadn’t shown the slightest sign of distress.
’Let’s try again!’
A competitive streak flared in Ye Ruize. After the sixty-first breath, he took another small step forward. The air rippled, and a tsunami of invisible aura surged forth.
The aura of the Martial Arts Sixth Layer Early Stage! Qin Feng’s brows furrowed slightly, his expression finally turning grave.
PFFT! The sound of several people spitting blood rang out as a few more were forcefully eliminated!
’Still not enough! What a kid!’ Ye Ruize’s gaze was fixed on Qin Feng. For the first time, a trace of sweat appeared on Qin Feng’s forehead, but he still hadn’t reached his limit.
After the seventy-first breath, more and more sweat beaded on Qin Feng’s forehead! This was much harder than dealing with the Ancient Relic Species, the Yunling Giant Tiger. It felt like he was facing that terrifying, unstoppable Demon Fiend Hunter.
The aura of this middle-aged man in green was undoubtedly even more terrifying than the Hunter’s!
After the eighty-first breath, Qin Feng felt as if he were carrying a mountain, and a series of CRACKING sounds echoed from his body. His physical endurance was at its limit!
Around him, a few others could no longer hold on and were eliminated one after another!
’I’m almost at my limit!’ Qin Feng thought, gritting his teeth.
After the ninety-first breath, Ye Ruize’s eyes sharpened. He stepped forward, and the aura of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Early Stage erupted with a ROAR. The tangible pressure roiled the elements for meters around, and Thunderbolt rumbled through the air. This terrifying, tide-like aura slammed into the figure in the Black Robe. Qin Feng was blasted backward like a cannonball, his feet carving gashes several inches deep into the ground as he slid for a hundred paces before finally coming to a stop.
"That’s enough!" An expert from All Stars Academy frowned. He made a grasping motion with his hand, and a giant, invisible hand that seemed to cover the sky materialized and forcibly pulled Qin Feng from the test.
"Qin Feng, your score exceeds thirty breaths. You have passed all three rounds of the All Stars Academy assessment. Welcome to All Stars Academy!"
(The second Chapter will be out later tonight.)
