Free Web NovelChapter 483: Chapter 212: Master, I Want to Be a Triple Champion Scholar (Part 2)
Guo Wei scolded.
Hei Hu didn’t dare to argue. He sat to the side, letting Master Yan dab medicinal liniment on his wounds. He grimaced and bared his teeth in pain but didn’t dare cry out, trying to distract himself to lessen the agony.
"Don’t mind my nagging. You may have stolen the show and gotten a great score today, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to perform at your best in tomorrow’s Saber Technique assessment in your current condition. If this affects all the other events and causes you to fail the examination, you’ll be the only one left with regrets."
Master Yan said earnestly.
Back then, when Guo Wei had taken Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu from South City overnight, Master Yan had been unable to leave immediately because of his business. He had only managed to rush to Qiling Prefecture the day before the Martial Arts Examination.
"I understand," Hei Hu replied meekly.
"Yan Zhen’s control over his power is seamless. Every punch is perfectly measured. It seems his strength is far greater than anyone imagined," an examiner commented.
Knowing when to stop was not just a matter of one’s level, but a profound skill in itself. Not just anyone could retract their power at the critical moment to avoid injuring their opponent.
It required not only a compassionate heart but also a transcendent level of control over one’s power.
Thus, when Yan Zhen stepped out of the sand pit, the crowd couldn’t help but cheer for him. Lin Longde and the others were completely won over, and even those who felt a pang of jealousy had to admit in their hearts that Yan Zhen’s talent was exceptional. He already possessed the bearing of a true master.
Chu Lingguang, however, felt something stir within him.
The words Yan Zhen had spoken to him at the National Border echoed uncontrollably in his mind.
"Chu Lingguang, I know you’re a man of loyalty and integrity, someone who always repays a debt of gratitude. If you want to repay me, then you must promise me this: do everything in your power to meet me in the final round of the Provincial Examination’s Martial Arts section. I want to face you in a true contest for the title of Jie Yuan!"
Chu Lingguang had never forgotten those words.
He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ’Perhaps everyone has it wrong. Yan’s true strength isn’t his cultivation level, but his heart.’
’Waiting for twenty breaths wasn’t just a sign of his confidence; it was a sign of his inner desire for a challenge.’
’Otherwise, why would he have taught me how to awaken my Primitive Power at the National Border, how to unlock my sixth-level Dharma Aspect, and even pass on all his insights and experiences?’
’He did it all just hoping I would be able to make it to face him.’
’Perhaps becoming a Triple Champion Scholar is just another challenge Yan seeks for himself. Fame and fortune are merely secondary.’
Chu Lingguang thought to himself.
At that moment, he felt Yan Zhen possessed an awe-inspiring spirit, and that among everyone present, he was the only one who had truly found his Martial Arts Heart.
’Perhaps in Martial Arts Cultivation, Guarding the Heart is secondary. Perhaps it’s only by being like Yan—daring to challenge everything, even creating hardships for yourself—that you can truly surpass yourself and advance further on your path.’
As soon as Chu Lingguang spoke these words, a jolt ran through him as if he’d been struck by lightning.
He involuntarily shot up from his seat. His eyes burned with intensity as he watched Yan Zhen, who had left the examination grounds and was now deliberately moving away from the crowd. He couldn’t stop himself from releasing a Spiritual Sense Fluctuation toward Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen felt it instantly.
He instinctively turned back to look at Chu Lingguang and gave him a nod.
In that instant, a silent challenge sparked between them.
One, a heart that guards.
One, a heart that dares to challenge all.
"Yan, you’ve won," Chu Lingguang said instinctively.
Once he understood that Yan Zhen’s Martial Arts Heart was one that dared to challenge everything—even to the point of creating difficulties for himself—Chu Lingguang’s own competitive spirit seemed to dissolve. He was completely, utterly won over.
He knew that regardless of whether he could ultimately defeat Yan Zhen, Yan Zhen could never be considered a loser. From the moment Yan Zhen saved him from the Little Prince and shared his insights, so eager for Chu Lingguang’s own power to skyrocket, Yan Zhen’s Martial Arts Heart had already achieved a victory—a victory of self-transcendence.
Even if you were to overpower such a person physically, their spirit would never yield. In fact, they would be invigorated and thrilled by their own defeat, because they craved challenges, thirsting to overcome everything in their path.
Chu Lingguang had always been known for his Heart Guarding Skill and was exceptionally confident in his Mental Realm. But now, he felt that Yan Zhen had left him in the dust in the very area he considered his greatest strength.
"It’s too early to speak of victory and defeat."
Yan Zhen chuckled.
Despite the great distance between them, his voice boomed as if it were right beside Chu Lingguang’s ear.
Then he vanished from everyone’s sight.
Chu Lingguang stood frozen to the spot, dumbfounded.
He realized that Yan Zhen had somehow heard his quiet muttering from before. That booming voice in his ear had also been created by Yan Zhen out of thin air.
’Divine Abilities.’
’Just how many Divine Abilities has he mastered?’
Chu Lingguang knew that Yan Zhen’s ability to perceive the slightest disturbance wasn’t because his Sea of Consciousness Power surpassed his own; it was the work of his Divine Abilities.
Chu Lingguang didn’t have a precise measure of how strong his own Sea of Consciousness Power was, but his Spiritual Sense had clashed with Yan Zhen’s before. He was certain that Yan Zhen’s Sea of Consciousness Power couldn’t possibly be stronger than his.
Of course, that was not to say Yan Zhen was weak in that regard.
Right then, his heart was a tangle of complex emotions. He was utterly overawed by Yan Zhen’s Martial Arts Heart. He felt that Yan Zhen was an insurmountable mountain—not just in terms of strength, but in spirit, Yan Zhen was far too powerful for him to comprehend.
「Two hours later.」
Chu Lingguang was still thinking about Yan Zhen’s Martial Arts Heart.
It was then that the examiner called his name.
He walked out of the waiting area, entered the examination grounds, and stepped into his designated ring.
"Brother, it’s finally Lin Guang’s turn," Master Yan said excitedly.
He had high hopes for Chu Lingguang.
Guo Wei remained silent, his brow furrowed. He could see that Chu Lingguang looked dazed. At such a critical stage in the Martial Arts Examination, he couldn’t imagine what could be distracting him.
