“Lin Yao, enter the arena.”
At the instructor’s shout, the youngsters below the arena turned their gazes to Lin Yao. Many of them had paid attention to his spectacular punch earlier.
As Lin Yao was looking for an opponent in the arena, a young man wearing a badge with the number ’18’ on his chest smiled and spoke. “Hey, Genius Lin. I heard the principal praise your talent before. Will you dare challenge players with a high ranking?”
This was a form of provocation, and Tu Hong didn’t respond.
The students had to be punished for violating the disciplinary rules. However, he would only punish those who engaged in private challenges or those who oppressed other students below their ranking. This was a form of reverse psychology, not verbal abuse or a personal attack. Therefore, he would simply ignore it. In fact, he was happy that he would get a good show.
After all, being a martial artist was a profession that improved with battle.
“Now, what’s your choice?”
At the provocation of the eighteenth-in-rank young genius, everyone turned their gaze to Lin Yao.
Lin Yao didn’t stand on ceremony and responded without any hesitation.
“Do you want to know how strong I am? Of course, that’s possible.”
As soon as he said this, the eyes of the student who had provoked him lit up. Holding a long sword in his hand, he was prepared to jump into the arena.
However, Lin Yao shook his head before he entered the arena.
“Don’t come over. You’re not the one I’m going to challenge.”
“What?” These words stunned the young man, but he soon ridiculed Lin Yao. “He he… Are you that scared? Don’t worry, it’s not shameful to lose to me. Plus, the instructor is next to us. I can’t hurt you.”
He wanted to show off, but Lin Yao’s subsequent words stunned him.
“You can’t hurt me indeed. It’s just that… you are not worthy of being my opponent.”
“What… You scoundrel!”
The eighteenth-in-rank student was obviously taken aback by these words. After coming back to his senses, he felt scorned, which made him charge toward Lin Yao immediately.
However, Tu Hong subdued him before he could reach Lin Yao.
“Xing Min, go back.”
“Instructor…”
“These are the rules. Go back.”
As the instructor watched him, the teenager named Xing Min could only spout some harsh words. “Just you wait and see. Don’t let me get a chance to fight with you.”
“It will be your turn soon if you still have the courage to challenge me by then.”
As soon as these words came out, besides Xing Min, the rest of the people could also sense Lin Yao’s arrogance.
“Hey, what does that mean?”
“What else can it mean? He is looking down on Xing Min and wants to challenge those with higher rankings.”
“He’s so arrogant.”
“He’s arrogant indeed. Judging from the meaning of his words, he is not only challenging people. He wants to win as well.”
“Xu Lei, he resembles you when you first came here.”
As the rest discussed this, Xing Min did not know whether to laugh or cry.
“Very good. I’ll wait for the chance to challenge you.”
“Soon.”
After giving a casual response, Lin Yao ignored him. Upon sizing up the talents of the top class again, his gaze paused on a strong and muscular student who ranked fourth for a moment. In the end, his gaze returned to the tenth-in-rank player.
“It will be you.”
When he saw that Lin Yao was about to challenge the tenth place, the corners of Tu Hong’s mouth twitched a little.
“Are you sure about this? The students of the top class are selected during the first year of senior high school studies. He has been here for more than two years and advanced to a martial artist more than a year ago. You… As I remember, it has only been a month since you became a martial artist.”
“I know. He’ll be the one.”
“If you insist… Xu Qingyang, enter the arena.”
After being named by Lin Yao, that student did not get angry. He looked helpless instead.
“It’s really hard being tenth. I always have this feeling that there are more people challenging me than the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth students in rank.”
“You can’t help it. 10 is a special number. It sounds good to be in the top ten. Who else can they challenge besides you?”
As he conversed with the people around him, the young man named Xu Mingyang also entered the arena. While facing Lin Yao, he didn’t show any hostility. Instead, he smiled and said, “Junior Brother, you have a good fighting spirit. I wish you all the best.”
This was a compliment. However, complimenting others was also a form of arrogance. The young man named Xu Qingyang wasn’t treating Lin Yao like an opponent at all and actually thought of this battle as a form of guidance.
Lin Yao’s eyes narrowed when he heard this.
“I’ve been underestimated.”
After sighing, Lin Yao looked to the side and saw a hideous grin on Tu Hong’s menacing face. He then waved at the two of them suddenly.
“The battle begins!”
As he finished his words, Lin Yao took the first step, preparing to charge forward.
At that moment, he suddenly discovered that Xu Qingyang, who was opposite him, had already wielded his sword.
He was also a swordsman, and Lin Yao was surprised to see him wield his sword. However, Lin Yao was more than 20 meters away from him. If he were to use his sword at this point in time…
“Sword aura!”
Lin Yao was initially puzzled, but his eyes soon popped when something happened subsequently. After the teenager opposite him used his sword, a roaring wind pressure formed a sharp sword aura that was directed at Lin Yao.
“How can a low-level martial artist have a sword aura?”
It was not Lin Yao’s fault that he was surprised. It was extremely difficult to unleash a sword aura. It might be easier for advanced martial artists, as they could use their massive vital energy and unleash a long-range sword aura to attack. However, Xu Qingyang was obviously not an advanced powerhouse. The most possible explanation was that he could unleash the sword aura because he had comprehended the profound meaning of the sword aura.
Something like a profound meaning could make a person fight at a higher level. For example, after Di Qiang had unlocked full-body control, he had hit away Xu Wanqing with two punches. Therefore, Lin Yao didn’t dare be the slightest bit careless upon seeing Xu Qingyang’s sword aura.
Buzz.
The sword aura attack had exceeded his imagination, so Lin Yao blew up his thunderous vital energy seed. A surging electric current rushed to his brain, and Lin Yao’s thinking speed accelerated after the current connected with his body’s neural network.
In this state, Lin Yao could see the sword aura flying toward him and quickly analyzed the situation.
‘I can’t dodge it, as the sword aura is too fast and its attack range is too wide. I can speed up my mind, not my body.
‘If I can’t dodge it, I’ll fight it head-on!’
The electric current was acting like a lubricant, making Lin Yao’s mind spin at lighting speed and respond rapidly while his body moved at will. While the sword aura was approaching him, Lin Yao flicked his left hand and twitched his right hand.
At the sound of a clang, Lin Yao pulled out a beam of thunderlight.
The bright thunderlight hit the sword aura, and the two collided. A booming sound was instantly heard in the arena, and a windstorm started blowing in all directions from the center of the arena.
The windstorm made Lin Yao’s clothes sway and sent his hair flying. It even blew out of the arena and swept across the bodies of the people outside the arena.
Nevertheless, Lin Yao did not feel frightened as the windstorm raged. Instead, his expression changed slightly.
‘No, this is not the prowess that the sword aura should have… This long-range attack is not a sword aura.’
The sword aura didn’t seem that powerful. Indeed, at the warlord level, the sword aura unleashed by vital energy was not strong, and its prowess was only mediocre.
However, at the lower levels, sword aura attacks were largely reliant on the profound meaning of the sword. Something like a profound meaning could only be grasped after attaining the deepest understanding of a certain aspect. Among the many profound meanings, the profound meaning of martial arts had the greatest influence on technique levels, and the profound meaning of the sword was the most powerful.
Only people who could unite the body and mind and had mutual sincerity with the sword could understand the profound meaning of the sword. This profound meaning had invincible sharpness and power.
When Xu Qingyang’s attack struck Lin Yao, the latter had thought that his ironwood sword would be cut off by the sharp sword aura. In the end, the sword aura broke and the gale howled.
The electric current had accelerated Lin Yao’s thinking speed, and many thoughts had gone through his mind within a short time, making Lin Yao understand the reason behind this.
‘That long-range attack is not a sword aura but a gale. Opposite me is a genius who has awakened the wind talent.’
As Lin Yao thought at lightning speed, the attack coming from the opposite side did not stop. The long sword danced and swayed, unleashing gusts of gale toward Lin Yao, striking him repeatedly.
The howling gusts compressed to form a sword pressure, trying to defeat Lin Yao like a sword aura.
However, this was still not a real sword aura, and every gust of gale that hit Lin Yao dissipated directly thanks to Lin Yao’s great strength.
Following that, Lin Yao tiptoed and charged toward Xu Qingyang, who was afar, like an arrow. He was planning to have close combat with him.
However, he did not manage to charge.
Although this was not a sword aura, what Xu Qingyang used was a real mid- to long-range attack.
Due to the sword pressure formed by the gale, Lin Yao was unable to speed up at all, and he was still a low-level martial artist. At this stage, very few people had mastered long-range attacks.
Because of this, Lin Yao could only endure the attacks of the sword pressure. He could not attack the opponent.
‘Damn it! He’s using the power of wind and swordsmanship to form sword pressure and then master the mid- to long-range attacks at the low-level martial artist stage. The wind talent is too rogue.’
Lin Yao felt helpless, but if anyone were to perceive his thoughts, they would definitely retort, “You’re the most shameless person. The flashing Sword-Drawing Technique and the Clear Mirror Sword-Drawing Technique are even more rogue!”
Those two moves were indeed rogue, and most importantly, Lin Yao could utilize them now.
The high-ranking players of the top class obviously hadn’t expected Lin Yao to challenge them, and not many of them were wearing the explosion-proof goggles.
Thus, after hitting away another gust of gale, Lin Yao suddenly returned his sword into its sheath and assumed a bowing stance.
This action was perceived by Xu Qingyang immediately. He had also been paying attention to Lin Yao’s situation and had heard of his famous name. Therefore, he knew that something was amiss immediately upon seeing this posture and he covered his eyes with both palms.
At the same time, he was rejoicing in his heart.
‘Fortunately, I am using long-range attacks and have time to react. Even though I have been suddenly affected by the flash, there is still time to recover.’
He had it all perfectly planned out in his mind. However, when he closed his eyes, the bright flashes of light that he had been expecting didn’t occur. Instead, a thunderous roar was heard beside his ears.
Roar!
Boom!
Completely taken back by the thunderous sound, he trembled all over and felt as if his soul was flying out of his mind. This sudden roar had stupefied him totally.
Fortunately, he was not a villain and he didn’t harbor that much malice toward Lin Yao. The Deafening Thunder Roar didn’t frighten him too badly, and he came back to his senses in just two breaths of time.
Nevertheless, these two breaths of time were already enough for Lin Yao.
Lin Yao, who had mobilized his entire body, did not only have amazing physical strength but was also extremely fast. After hollering furiously, Lin Yao tiptoed and rushed forward like lightning.
By the time Xu Qingyang had recovered from his shock and confusion, an ironwood sword had already pierced him with terrible might.
“Storm!”
At the last moment, Xu Qingyang was also ready to fuse with the windstorm to block everything.
However, Lin Yao, who had rushed forward rapidly, obviously had greater strength. With the sound of a bang, the tenth-in-rank Xu Qingyang was sent flying with one blow, landing outside the arena.
The tenth-in-rank Xu Qingyang had lost!
Poof. After spouting a mouthful of blood, Xu Qingyang had fallen out of the arena and had eventually been injured. His eyes were filled with anger when he looked at Lin Yao.
“Despicable! First, the flash. Then, the roar. Do you only know how to use these insidious moves?”
It was not only him. The surrounding young geniuses were also shooting Lin Yao strange glances. They could only agree that flashes and loud sounds were indeed very rogue.
Lin Yao didn’t care about their gazes.
“Only weak people find excuses for themselves.”
“You…”
“If you don’t agree, just wait for your turn to challenge me next time. Instructor, I want to challenge the fourth in rank!”