From Fanwu to Xinghai

Chapter 6 Martial Arts Examination Retest: Battle Against a Higher Level

The first day of the second round of interviews.

The royal martial arts arena was several times more bustling than during the preliminary examination. The stands were packed, and even the city walls were filled with people. Not only were there residents of Cloud City, but also spectators from surrounding counties. Vendors hawked their wares along the streets, and storytellers in teahouses poured their hearts out, having already crafted all sorts of legendary tales about the martial arts exam. The air was thick with excitement, tension, and anticipation.

Lin Chen stood in the waiting area for candidates, his eyes closed as he rested, the time mark between his brows glowing faintly. For the past three days, he had not relaxed his training, focusing more on analysis—the examiners' preferences, the distribution of candidates' abilities, changes in the rules of the re-examination in previous years, and even deducing several candidates who might become dark horses by observing patrol routes and times.

The marks of time have endowed him not only with the ability to foresee the future, but also with an analytical perspective that surpasses that of ordinary people. By piecing together fragments of the future with information from the present, he can reconstruct a situation far more complete than others. At this moment, he already knows the rules of the re-examination.

The examiners will set up one hundred stone platforms in the center of the martial arts arena. Candidates will be paired up and fight each other in a single move. The winner will advance and the loser will be eliminated. It is simple but cruel.

"Candidates for the second round of interviews, please enter!"

As the horn sounded, Lin Chen opened his eyes and followed the crowd into the training ground. Everything was as he expected: a hundred stone platforms were neatly arranged, each three zhang in circumference and one chi high, with patterns engraved on their surfaces to absorb impact.

The examiner, standing on the high platform, announced the rules: "The second round will be a ring-style competition, with two opponents battling it out within the time limit of one incense stick's time. Victory is achieved by knocking your opponent off the platform, knocking them unconscious, or forcing them to surrender. The use of hidden weapons and poisons is prohibited, but other methods are permitted. Now, let's begin the drawing of lots!"

Thousands of numbered bamboo slips were stuck into a huge wooden board, and the candidates stepped forward one by one. Lin Chen drew number thirty-seven, facing off against number thirty-eight—Wang Tianba.

His lips curled slightly. It was no coincidence; the marks of time had already "seen" this scene yesterday, as if some unseen force was driving it.

"Number 37, Lin Chen; Number 38, Wang Tianba, please come to the stage!"

The examiner's voice echoed, and whispers instantly broke out in the stands.

"That kid who's at the third level of Body Tempering?"

"They're going to run into Wang Tianba from the Wang family in their very first match?"

"Wang Tianba is at the fifth level of Body Tempering, and his Overlord Fist Technique is already at a minor mastery!"

Mockery and contempt assaulted him, but Lin Chen ignored them and slowly walked up the stone platform.

Wang Tianba, his brocade robes fluttering, looked down at him and sneered, "Kid, even the heavens are on my side, letting me take care of you in the very first match."

Lin Chen remained silent, his entire attention focused on Wang Tianba. His time-tracking system spun wildly, displaying the opponent's attack trajectories, power distribution, footwork habits, and weaknesses in his finishing moves. The Overlord Fist Technique was fierce and domineering, but its speed was relatively slow and its center of gravity high; after three moves, there would inevitably be a half-breath pause, which would be its fatal weakness.

"start!"

As soon as the examiner finished speaking, Wang Tianba suddenly attacked. He stepped forward with his right foot, his body leaping out like a tiger, his fists clenched, and he threw a punch at Lin Chen's face—the first move of the Overlord Fist Technique: Mountain Splitter!

The fist whistled through the air, sending pebbles flying. A full-force strike from a fifth-level Body Tempering expert was enough to shatter a millstone boulder.

Gasps erupted from the stands, everyone believing Lin Chen was doomed. But Lin Chen didn't move, not because he was too late, but because he had already foreseen everything. Just as the fist was an inch from his nose, he shifted his body slightly by three inches, barely avoiding the fatal blow.

Wang Tianba's punch missed, and his body lurched forward due to inertia, revealing an opening. This was the moment Lin Chen had been waiting for. He drew his sword from its sheath in his right hand and thrust it at Wang Tianba's weak right ribs from a tricky angle.

Wang Tianba hastily parried, but was half a breath too slow. The blade sliced ​​across his left forearm, and blood gushed from the half-foot-long wound. He screamed and staggered backward.

The training ground fell silent for a moment, then exploded with a deafening roar.

"A third-level Body Forging expert counterattacked a fifth-level Body Forging expert!"

"That was such a precise strike!"

In the examination area, Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow, Tieshan smiled knowingly, and Murong Xue nodded slightly, her eyes full of approval.

On the stone platform, Wang Tianba's face was ashen, and he roared angrily, "I'm going to kill you!"

His blood and qi surged, and he unleashed the third move of the Overlord Fist Technique—Shattering the Mountain! The force of his fist was like a mountain pressing down, and its power surged. However, after exhausting his strength, it would take three breaths to recover.

This attack was so powerful that even a cultivator at the sixth level of Body Tempering would find it difficult to withstand.

Lin Chen remained calm; he had already "seen" his opponent's moves. His left fist feigned an attack that split the ground, while his right fist charged with the power to shatter mountains, the two punches spaced a breath apart. All he had to do was wait.

When Wang Tianba threw a left punch, Lin Chen not only did not dodge, but took a step forward, then suddenly lowered his body until his upper body was parallel to the ground, swept his right leg horizontally, and held the long knife horizontally in front of him with a reverse grip. The blade was precisely wedged under Wang Tianba's armpit at the junction of his arms.

The power of the Shattering Mountain technique requires both arms to be used simultaneously. However, with both arms blocked by the blade, the power was completely sealed off. The right fist, which was fully charged, was suspended in mid-air and could no longer be thrown.

"it's over."

Lin Chen spoke softly, twisted the hilt of his knife, and then kicked Wang Tianba in the stomach. Wang Tianba screamed and flew backward, crashing heavily off the stone platform.

The entire training ground fell silent. The next moment, thunderous cheers erupted.

A third-level Body Forging expert defeats a fifth-level Body Forging expert, despite being two levels higher!

Lin Chen stood in the center of the stone platform, knife in hand, blood dripping from the blade. His face showed no pride, only relief. He had proven himself, proven that even a border youth could defeat a genius from a prestigious family.

"The winner—Number 37, Lin Chen!"

The examiner announced the results, his voice drowned out by cheers. Lin Chen sheathed his sword and stepped down from the stage, his gaze meeting that of Bai Yutang, Tieshan, and Murong Xue. Meanwhile, on the distant high platform, the chief examiner, Zhao Wuji, was staring intently at him, his eyes gleaming.

Zhao Wuji was a member of the Zhao family, a family of cultivators. The black-robed man beside him whispered, "This boy has a special aura. He seems to have come into contact with the ruins. Notify the young master to keep a close eye on him."

Zhao Wuji nodded, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. This martial arts exam has become quite interesting.

Back at the inn, Uncle Chen had already prepared hot water and food, and asked casually, "You won?"

"We won." Lin Chen sat down. "I can see his next move, like time is unfolding ahead of schedule."

"Your time imprint is evolving, from passive prediction to active combat assistance," Uncle Chen said solemnly. "But your cultivation level is too low. When you encounter an expert at the seventh level of Body Tempering or above, no matter how accurate your prediction is, your body can't keep up. There are still two days left in the retest; you must break through to the fourth level of Body Tempering."

Lin Chen frowned: "Normal arduous training takes at least three months, two days is impossible."

"You forgot that the Time Imprint itself is a condensation of high-dimensional energy. When used, it seeps into the body to accelerate cultivation, but the risk is extremely high. A slight mistake can sever all your meridians." Uncle Chen looked at him. "The decision is yours."

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "I will. This world doesn't give the weak a chance."

Chen Bo chuckled, raised his hand and placed it on his shoulder, a warm power flowing in: "This is the Dark Blade Pavilion's unique secret technique, Iron Wall Infusion Technique, which can strengthen the meridians. It can only be used once and lasts for three days, just enough to cover the retest and the final."

"That's enough." Lin Chen took a deep breath.

Tonight will be the night of breakthrough.