The day of the martial arts competition arrived in the blink of an eye.
In the Lou family, Lou Xiaoxiao and the other juniors, who had signed up for the competition, woke up early. They were long ready to set off…
However…
“Why has Qianxue not come out from her seclusion yet? If she still doesn’t come out, she’ll miss the martial arts competition.”
“She signed up for it… Sigh! Now that I think about it, Qianxue is always late when it comes to important moments like these. Even though things end up fine, it’s unnerving.”
“Especially two years ago, when we helped her sign up for the academy assessment, yet she didn’t even show up at all. This time…”
The Lou family juniors looked at one another as they silently prayed for Lou Qianxue to come out as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, in the Fengshan Forest, an innumerable amount of people gathered in this normally secluded place.
“What was Zhen Guogong thinking when he set the location for such an important competition in a forest?”
“How can we compete here? And… there isn’t even a battle stage here. How will we fight?”
“The competition might not involve a battle this time… After all, the purpose of the martial arts competition is to recruit new soldiers. I think the possibility of everyone receiving the same test is higher…”
The crowd was discussing the matter when…
“Imperial Academy! The students from the Imperial Academy have come!”
A surprised yell rang out.
Everyone turned around to look.
They saw a group of dignified young students, dressed in the same standardized Imperial Academy uniform, walk over at a slow pace.
“Look, look! As expected of the most impressive academy of the Tian Zhao empire. All of these students look so energetic, high-spirited, and extraordinary. Indeed, those who can enter the Imperial Academy are born to be geniuses!”
“I have a relative in the Imperial Academy. I heard a rumor not long ago, but I’m not sure if it’s true!”
“What rumor?”
“I heard that a student from the Imperial Academy has reached the Heavenly Martial Realm!”
“!!!” Everyone gasped and opened their eyes wide in disbelief. “Heavenly Martial Realm? How is that possible? The students in the Imperial Academy are so young! How could anyone at that age reach the Heavenly Martial Realm?! Isn’t Emperor Ying the only Heavenly Martial Realm expert in our Tian Zhao Empire?”
“That’s already something of the past… In the last few years, the martial art scene has been flourishing, and many geniuses have emerged. Now, Mystic Martial Realm experts are quite common and can be found easily. It’s only normal for the number of Heavenly Martial Realm experts to increase.”
“But! Even if it’s normal for the number of Heavenly Martial Realm experts to increase… I still don’t believe that someone who has yet to graduate could reach the Heavenly Martial Realm!”
“… Actually, I think the same!”
The students of the Imperial Academy enjoyed the looks of envy and admiration toward them. All of them held their heads high.
Suddenly…
“Senior Brother Xu! Senior Brother Xu is here!”
The students of the Imperial Academy looked in the same direction, and their eyes brightened with admiration. “A 28-year-old Heavenly Martial Realm expert! Today, Senior Brother Xu will amaze the world and bring glory to our Imperial Academy!”
“Yes! But… where is Lou Qianxue? Is she here yet? She’s down on luck today to be targeted by Senior Brother Xu!”
“That’s right! So what if she cleared the trial tower? It only shows that her talent is great. However, being talented is not necessarily useful, because she might not be able to realize her full potential. Countless geniuses have fallen before they fully grow up. I think that Lou Qianxue might become one of them…”
“What a pity! But she had it coming since she offended Senior Brother Xu!”
“Eh? Look! It’s Lou Xiaoxiao and other Lou family members… Hmm? Why don’t I see Lou Qianxue? Did she not come?”
“She made the right decision by not coming! If she dared to appear today, Senior Brother Xu wouldn’t have let her off! She gets to preserve her life by not coming!”
“That makes sense! Based on her talent, she would have no problem reaching the Heavenly Martial Realm if she cultivates for a few more years. If I were her, I would hide too! I would hide for a few years, then appear again after my cultivation reaches the Heavenly Martial Realm…”