Lin Yun met Ji Xuan's gaze calmly, his expression unreadable. Inside, however, his resolve hardened. The score was high, very high. But it wasn't 973.
He could feel Hua Mengyan's worried glance beside him.
The test continued, the scores painting a clear picture of the academy's hierarchy. The disciples from the major clans consistently scored above 800, while those from smaller families or with lesser talent hovered in the 400-700 range. The air was thick with competition and the desperate hope of catching a teacher's eye.
Soon, a familiar name was called.
"Hua Mengyan from Class One!"
The lively girl beside Lin Yun took a deep breath, her usual cheerful expression replaced by one of focused determination.
"You can do it, Sister Mengyan," Lin Yun offered quietly.
She gave him a quick, grateful smile before standing and making her way to the center of the avenue.
As she walked, Lin Yun saw his opportunity. He subtly activated his Heavenly Eyes. The world shifted into a golden overlay. He ignored Hua Mengyan for a moment and focused his entire attention on the dark, imposing Prowess Stele.
Through his enhanced vision, the stele was no longer just a block of stone. It was a complex, three-dimensional network of glowing blue energy lines. These lines formed a dense, interlocking web, a defensive formation designed to absorb and measure force.
He saw where the lines were thickest—these were the strong points, the nodes that could withstand immense power. But he also saw areas where the lines were slightly thinner, where the connections between nodes seemed less dense, creating faint, shimmering gaps in the energy matrix.
Weak points, he realized. Every formation, no matter how perfect, has points of lesser resistance.
He watched intently as Hua Mengyan reached the stele. She settled into a stance, her small fists clenching. A warm, fiery-red spiritual energy, similar to his own but with a gentler nature, gathered around her hands. It was the Hua Clan's signature "Blossoming Fist" technique.
She let out a sharp cry and launched a swift, precise punch at the stele.
BAM!
The impact was clean. The energy lines on the stele flared brightly where her fist made contact. Lin Yun's Heavenly Eyes tracked the flow of energy. He saw the force of her punch disperse through the network, being measured and calculated by the formation.
The number on the jade screen climbed rapidly.
400... 600... 750...
It slowed as it approached 800, then crept upwards before stopping.
834
A very respectable score, placing her firmly among the top performers. The crowd offered polite applause.
Hua Mengyan let out a sigh of relief, a happy smile returning to her face as she bowed and walked back to her seat.
Lin Yun, however, was no longer looking at the score. He was analyzing the data his Eyes had just collected. He had seen exactly how the stele's energy matrix reacted to an impact.
He had identified several of those "weak points"—specific coordinates on the stele's surface where the energy grid was most vulnerable. A strike there would not be deflected or absorbed as efficiently, forcing the formation to register a higher concentration of force.
It was like finding the chink in a suit of armor.
"Congratulations, Sister Mengyan," Lin Yun said sincerely as she sat down beside him, her cheeks flushed with success. "834 is an excellent score."
"Thank you!" she beamed, but then her expression quickly turned worried as she looked at him. "But Lin Yun... you're up soon. Ji Xuan and Nangong Qing'er are at the 9th level of Qi Condensation. I'm at the 8th level. The class average is the 6th level... and you..."
She trailed off, not wanting to state the obvious.
Lin Yun was only at the 3rd Level of Qi Condensation. By raw cultivation, he was among the very lowest in their entire year.
"Do you... do you have some kind of trump card for this?" she asked, her voice low and concerned. "Your cultivation base is just too different."
Lin Yun looked at her worried face and offered a small, calm smile. It was a smile that held no arrogance, but also no fear.
"I don't have any special trump cards," he said honestly. He couldn't tell her about the Heavenly Eyes. "But I will try my best. That's all anyone can do."
His calmness seemed to both reassure and puzzle her further. How could someone facing such a massive disadvantage be so composed?
The names continued. More students went up, their scores solidifying the rankings. The tension mounted as the list dwindled. Everyone knew whose name was coming.
Finally, the elder's voice rang out, clear and carrying.
"Next, Lin Yun from Class One!"
A wave of palpable silence, followed by intense whispering, swept through the Martial Practice Avenue. Every single head turned in his direction. The atmosphere became electric.
His reputation had spread like wildfire. The "waste" who had publicly crippled the Ji Clan's Ji Meili. The younger brother of the legendary Lin Feng. They had all heard the stories, but now they would see with their own eyes. Was his victory a fluke? Or did he truly possess hidden power?
Ji Xuan, Nangong Qing'er, and Wang Kun watched with cold, mocking smiles, already anticipating his humiliation. Hua Mengyan clenched her hands nervously. Bai Chenfeng observed with detached curiosity.
Lin Yun stood up. He felt the weight of a thousand stares, but it was like water off a duck's back. He had faced down a Sky Sword Sect elder; the judgment of his peers was insignificant.
He began walking towards the stele, his steps measured and calm. There was no rush, no hesitation.
Many assumed he must be feeling immense pressure, living in the shadow of his prodigious elder brother. They expected to see anxiety, the burden of comparison.
They saw none of it.
Lin Feng's legendary deeds, his record of 973, had zero impact on Lin Yun's mental state. He respected his brother, but he was on his own path. His brother's achievements were his brother's.
His own journey had just begun. There was no pressure because there was no comparison in his mind…