Chapter 15: Effortless Ease, Rising in Rank!
As the entire academy, top to bottom, sat submerged in shock,
Gu Lin bent his knees, drew a breath, and lifted the cauldron with overwhelming force.
In just ten breaths, he’d lifted it ten times, without the slightest strain.
At that moment, countless dignitaries of Shiyang wore expressions of pure astonishment, disbelief thick in their eyes.
The chief escort of the Tongxing Escort Agency looked to several of his subordinates, his voice full of incredulity:
“Changchuan’s son is actually a genius!”
“To deliberately play the fool, enduring over a decade of mockery and scorn—what kind of terrifying willpower does that take?”
“The Heaven cohort’s best at Energy Condensation Third Tier could only manage ten lifts.”
“Gu Lin’s already at thirteen now…”
Several escorts wore bitter expressions, envy surfacing deep in their eyes.
They’d teased Gu Changchuan often enough.
After today, who in the entire agency wouldn’t envy him?
As Gu Lin’s lifting continued, Li Qingwu’s emotions churned near the breaking point—this spineless coward she’d despised above all others was now shining so brilliantly, his talent far surpassing his peers.
At the platform’s center, the flush in his face began to fade.
Nineteenth lift.
The academy’s elites felt their throats tighten, their spirits sinking lower and lower.
When a washout from the Wilderness cohort had taken the stage, they’d felt only contempt, even a sense of insult—did the Wilderness cohort even deserve to compete alongside them?
Perhaps, in Gu Jingming’s eyes, it was they who were the truly laughable ones.
Li Qingwu’s heart clenched tight, her limbs going numb and rigid, her shock and fury now laced with something closer to dread.
Twenty-first.
Twenty-second.
Twenty-third.
All the way to twenty-six, before his strength finally gave out!
Li Qingwu lowered her head, her fingers digging silently into her palms beneath her sleeves—the sharp sting couldn’t begin to compare to the pain in her heart.
She herself, at Energy Condensation Fifth Tier, had only managed twenty-five lifts.
This was nothing short of a slap across her face, delivered in front of everyone!
The Blade-Bearers of the four bureaus exchanged glances, a rare flicker of genuine admiration crossing their eyes as well.
Was this Gu Lin’s talent truly so exceptional?
No.
In their eyes, Energy Condensation Third Tier was about as mediocre as it got.
But the sheer density and depth of his internal energy—that was simply terrifying!
Never mind crushing his peers at Shiyang Academy; even set against the whole of vast Chu Province, he’d stand out as exceptional.
A pity his talent wasn’t high—his cultivation realm simply couldn’t keep pace.
Amid the dead silence, Gu Lin’s expression remained unreadable as he returned to his position.
In truth, he felt disappointed.
But he was, after all, only at Energy Condensation Third Tier. He’d given it everything he had—now he could only hope to shine in the remaining two events.
“Gu Lin!”
“Gu Lin!”
Out in the square, Instructor Zhao suddenly pumped his fist and cheered, his voice sharp and jarring, standing out from the crowd.
Though he’d played no role whatsoever in guiding Gu Jingming’s cultivation, he was still, nominally, the Wilderness cohort’s instructor.
At this moment, he basked in reflected glory!
A washout of the Wilderness cohort, trampling the Heaven cohort’s elites underfoot!!
“Gu Jingming’s magnificent! Gu Jingming’s unstoppable!!”
Chubby Wang Mu joined in, shrieking with excitement.
Though seeing his friend shine left him with mixed feelings, watching Jingming silently humiliate the Heaven cohort’s elite thrilled him all the more.
Up on the platform, the Blade-Bearer continued calling names:
“Zhu Yuting.”
Countless onlookers, still recovering from the shock of Gu Lin’s performance, composed themselves and turned their attention back to the platform.
At first, it had seemed like two clowns were trying to disrupt the order to chase attention.
But if Gu Lin had been hiding such depths, lying dormant for so long—then could this Zhu Yuting from the Yellow cohort really be as simple as he appeared?
Could he too possess cultivation at Energy Condensation Third Tier?
As the gaunt young man walked silently toward the bronze cauldron, every meridian point across his body opened, his internal energy cycling through a Minor Cosmic Cycle with flawless precision.
Absolute silence!
Universal shock!
Academy Headmaster Yan’s eyes trembled violently, and even Young Master Qilin Zhao Yao looked genuinely startled.
Energy Condensation Seventh Tier!!
Save for the Blade-Bearers, everyone else had gone numb, wave after wave of shock crashing through their minds, each higher than the last.
The astonishment Gu Lin had given them paled beside what Zhu Yuting now delivered.
As Zhu Yuting lifted the cauldron with apparent ease thirty-six times—
Yan Shouxu, the so-called Young Master Tiger-Cub, went pale as a sheet, his whole body drained as if every ounce of strength had been sapped from him.
‘Young Master Tiger-Cub—did he even deserve the title?’
Under the weight of every eye, Zhu Yuting’s final tally settled at fifty-one lifts.
Both at Energy Condensation Seventh Tier, and yet he’d out-lifted Yan Shouxu by fifteen.
Yan Shouxu was the academy headmaster’s own eldest legitimate grandson—in plain terms, he’d enjoyed the very best cultivation resources available.
And Zhu Yuting?
A nobody from the fourth-ranked cohort, relying entirely on his own effort!
Zhu Yuting remained composed throughout. In the eyes of every onlooker, this prodigy truly embodied the ideal of remaining unmoved even as mountains crumbled before him!
“Well hidden,” Young Master Qilin Zhao Yao remarked, his brief surprise giving way to calm once more.
However strong anyone else might be, it had nothing to do with him.
Within all of Shiyang Academy, no one was qualified to stand as his equal—only to be looked down upon from above.
Over there, the Blade-Bearers continued calling names.
Half a shichen later, the first event drew to a close.
The Blade-Bearer of the Heavenly Mystery Guard strode forward, holding a sheet of rice paper, and announced with resonant authority:
“Final rankings.”
“First, Zhao Yao.”
“Second, Zhu Yuting.”
“Third, Yan Shouxu.”
“Wu Tong, Yan Zhengzhao, Li Jiuzhi, Liu Si, Wei Yuan.”
“Ninth, Gu Lin.”
“Tenth, Li Qingwu.”
“Eleventh, Wei Xuan.”
“Twelfth, Lin Yan’er.”
“………”
The academy, top to bottom, listened in silence.
Had it not been for the two sudden “dark horses,” the rankings matched exactly what everyone had predicted before the trial began.
Gu Lin was one thing—but that Zhu Yuting was truly beyond reason!!
Li Qingwu stared fixedly at Gu Lin in the distance.
Yet from start to finish, Gu Lin never once glanced her way.
Her fury burned so hot the cold rage in her eyes nearly froze solid—being ignored like this felt like a veiled insult!
‘I actually ranked one spot below the surnamed Gu!’
It struck a deep blow to her pride!
She had to win back the remaining two events. She simply could not accept that this once-lowly lapdog, this spineless coward she’d looked down on with such contempt, now stood above her, flaunting his glory!!
Once the Blade-Bearer finished announcing the rankings, he continued without hesitation, his voice ringing clear:
“Second event: testing a cultivator’s reaction and judgment when facing danger.”
“Bring out the Sacred Ground’s ritual implement!”
At the words Sacred Ground’s ritual implement, the entire square drew a collective breath.
The name alone told everyone this was an object unique to the Four Great Sacred Grounds.
Amid countless expectant gazes, the Blade-Bearers carried out a jade disc, eight chi long and five chi wide, its surface riddled with densely packed holes, a pair of footprints marked on the ground before it.
The Blade-Bearer explained concisely:
“This disc will fire arrows. The number of arrows will steadily increase, and their speed will steadily quicken.”
“Contestants must stand at the marked position, unable to move their feet. Final scores are based on how many arrows you avoid.”
Giving the contestants no time to think, the Blade-Bearer immediately began calling names according to the first event’s rankings:
“Zhao Yao!”
Zhao Yao strolled forward at an unhurried pace, walking toward the jade disc.
The moment he stepped onto those footprints, his thighs went as heavy as if filled with lead, unable to move—yet his internal energy remained entirely unaffected, only a powerful, oppressive aura now radiating outward in every direction.
“Begin!” the Blade-Bearer commanded, activating the artifact.
Whoosh—
Before the countless onlookers could even react—
A single arrow shot from the jade disc, streaking straight for Zhao Yao’s forehead.
Zhao Yao flicked a finger, snapping the arrow in two.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The next instant, five arrows arrived simultaneously, mere inches away, and Zhao Yao handled them with effortless calm.
Then ten arrows converged on every part of his body at once, and still Zhao Yao remained utterly focused.
Not until the eighteenth breath, as a sky-blanketing swarm of arrows rained down, did a crack finally appear in Zhao Yao’s energy defenses—one unremarkable arrow struck hard into his shoulder.
There was no pain, no blood; the arrow simply fell away on its own.
The Blade-Bearer’s voice boomed out like a bell:
“Zhao Yao—two hundred and eight arrows!”
Zhao Yao’s bearing remained as elegant as ever. He brushed off his sleeve and walked away, head held high.
Deputy Magistrate Zhao hurried over to the Martial Extremity Palace’s Blade-Bearer, asking with deep respect:
“How did my son do?”
The latter smiled and nodded.
“Astonishing!”
Just two brief words of evaluation—but that alone spoke to how brilliant this result truly was.
Next to take the stage was Zhu Yuting.
Aside from Young Master Qilin himself, he was now the most closely watched prodigy—all of Shiyang County wanted to know just how deep his hidden depths ran.
Zhu Yuting’s final tally landed at one hundred and fifteen arrows!!
When Yan Shouxu’s name was called, Young Master Tiger-Cub was visibly nervous—without comparison there was no measure of the gap, and his own cultivation was roughly on par with Zhu Yuting’s. In this event, his result absolutely could not fall short of Zhu Yuting’s.
Yet not only was he bitterly disappointed—even the academy headmaster let out a long, weary sigh.
Yan Shouxu: seventy-eight arrows!
At that moment, noise erupted both inside and outside the square, discussion breaking out on every side:
“Just how much more can Zhu Yuting shock all of Shiyang County?”
“Looks like Young Master Yan’s about to step aside—Young Master Zhu is the academy’s true second prodigy now!!”
After this event, Zhu Yuting’s name would spread through every street and alley of the county.
Next came Wu Tong, Yan Zhengzhao, and Li Jiuzhi, with results of forty-five, forty-three, and forty-two.
After Wei Yuan, it was Gu Lin’s turn.
When the Blade-Bearer called Gu Lin’s name, every eye in the square sharpened with focus.
In truth, in the eyes of most onlookers—including the academy’s leadership—the first event had been sheer luck on Gu Lin’s part, likely the result of cultivating some special art meant purely to thicken internal energy.
If his talent were genuinely high, why would he still be stuck at Energy Condensation Third Tier?
If Gu Lin performed poorly in this event, he risked falling out of the top twenty entirely!
Whether this was real skill or a lucky exploit would become clear at a glance!
Gu Lin stood before the jade disc, closing his eyes to steady his mind, free of distraction.
Being unable to move his feet meant he couldn’t deploy Wave-Treading Steps at all—it stripped away his greatest trump card.
But he understood every movement of Wave-Treading Steps down to the finest detail, including exactly how energy gathered at each meridian point. With that deep a foundation, he felt entirely confident in this event.
Sure enough, he handled the first fifty arrows with ease.
But watching this unfold, the entire crowd seemed to lose the ability to breathe, as though gripped by an invisible hand, emotions churning like crashing waves within every chest!
Gu Lin’s result had already surpassed all four of the academy’s rising talents—Wu, Yan, Li, and Wei.
And he’d done it with apparent ease!!
Li Qingwu felt as though struck by lightning, unable even to look at the jade disc any longer—the dazzling moment she’d once believed belonged to her had been utterly stolen away by the surnamed Gu.
What infuriated her most was that this was the very washout she’d looked down on with the deepest contempt!
The gasps and cries of admiration echoing across the square struck her like blade after blade, cutting deep into her heart, throwing her energy and blood into chaotic turmoil.
As Gu Lin’s tally approached seventy-five arrows, the academy’s leadership, the county officials, even the noble Blade-Bearers themselves all rose to their feet in solemn attention.
Seventy-eight…
Seventy-nine…
Eighty…
At Energy Condensation Third Tier, he had surpassed Young Master Tiger-Cub Yan Shouxu himself!
The Wilderness cohort, once called a nest of parasites, the most crippled and useless hall of them all—had just delivered a resounding slap to the Heaven cohort’s face!
Gu Lin’s final result settled at one hundred arrows!!
As he turned around, the very air around him seemed to freeze solid.
Every eye fixed on this unshaken young man.
Cultivation of only Energy Condensation Third Tier, and yet possessing reaction and judgment beyond all reason!
At that moment, even Young Master Qilin Zhao Yao began to genuinely reassess this former “parasite” of the Wilderness cohort.
And Zhu Yuting studied Gu Lin up and down as well—he himself had simply gone unnoticed, never subjected to open mockery, while Gu Lin had lived through years of ridicule and scorn and remained utterly composed throughout. That kind of temperament was truly formidable.
The Blade-Bearers exchanged glances with one another, every one of them, without exception, visibly shaken.
If Zhao Yao’s result had been exceptional, then Gu Lin’s was nothing short of extraordinary.
“Li Qingwu.”
The Blade-Bearer steadied himself and continued calling names.
When her turn came, Li Qingwu instinctively glanced toward her former lapdog.
Still no attention. Still no glance her way.
She would have preferred to see him wearing a smug, arrogant expression—being ignored entirely felt like a silent form of humiliation!
Li Qingwu struggled to steady her emotions as she stepped onto the marked spot to face the arrows.
She knew she could rely on a secret leg technique to sharpen her reactions, but what she craved most was to surpass the surnamed Gu.
As she’d hoped, her final result came to forty-seven arrows.
Yes—she had, in fact, surpassed her classmates Wu, Yan, Li, and Wei.
And yet, compared to Gu Lin, it wasn’t even half.
If not for the surnamed Gu, she could have walked away now holding her head high, basking in the praise of the entire county—but next to such a gem, her own result now seemed thoroughly unremarkable.
The assessment continued.
The Blade-Bearer kept calling names, contestants kept stepping up to the jade disc.
But aside from the contestants’ own parents, relatives, and friends, the crowd both inside and outside the academy had largely stopped paying close attention—they were still quietly discussing two names above all others:
Zhu Yuting and Gu Lin.
In this event, the shock Gu Lin had delivered had utterly eclipsed even Zhu Yuting’s.
After all, Gu Lin was only at Energy Condensation Third Tier!!
An hour later, the assessment finally concluded.
The orange-robed Blade-Bearer of the Heavenly Mystery Guard cleared his throat and announced the rankings at an unhurried pace:
“First, Zhao Yao.”
“Second, Zhu Yuting.”
“Third, Gu Lin.”
“Fourth, Yan Shouxu.”
“Fifth, Liu Si.”
“Sixth, Li Qingwu.”
“………”
Seeing Li Qingwu hanging her head, looking utterly lost, one of the Heaven cohort’s elites beside her couldn’t help offering a word of advice:
“Qingwu, why let your former lapdog rattle you like this? Your result basically guarantees you a spot in the top twenty—and the next round is real combat. How much fighting strength do you really think Gu Lin has?”
Hearing this, Li Qingwu snapped awake as if struck by sudden clarity.
If the surnamed Gu’s talent were truly so high, why would he still be stuck at Energy Condensation Third Tier?
Low talent meant slow progress in mastering martial arts and secret techniques, and it meant his proficiency couldn’t be especially high either.
Ten seeded spots—in the end, they’d be decided on the combat stage!!
Gu Lin stood on the platform, paying no mind to the gazes around him.
With two events complete, his overall standing should fall somewhere between fourth and sixth place. Even if he ranked fortieth or fiftieth in the third event, he’d still squeeze into the top twenty.
He wasn’t the least bit worried about the academy’s selection trial—only the hellishly difficult Sacred Ground selection trial was his true final target.
To him, failing to join a Sacred Ground was failure. Even becoming a noble Blade-Bearer would count as failure.
And right now, he still trailed behind Zhao Yao—so what would Zhao Yao himself amount to, standing beside Youxi County’s true heaven-blessed prodigy, Song Shiwei?
Just as these thoughts crossed his mind, the Blade-Bearer announced the final event.
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