Free Web NovelChapter 493: Chapter 214: Enveloped by Sword Momentum, Top 3 of the Provincial Examination
Therefore, even if Yan Zhen hadn’t challenged Ye Zhongsheng, her opponents could only have been Ye Zhongsheng or Ma Weibing—never Chu Lingguang or Yan Zhen himself.
And just like that, Chu Lingguang got a free pass, automatically advancing into the top three.
Although this system seemed to have a loophole, on closer inspection, it was also quite fair. If Chu Lingguang hadn’t been strong enough, why would Ma Weibing and Zhang Yan have ignored him?
Advancing to the top three automatically was a stroke of luck born from strength.
Half an hour later, the matches were over.
Yan Zhen once again achieved a crushing victory. Even Ye Zhongsheng only managed to withstand five of his saber strikes.
Zhang Yan was defeated but not dishonored. Although she lost to Ma Weibing, she managed to injure both of his arms, severely reducing his combat effectiveness.
"The three of you are this year’s top finalists. Next is the contest for the title of Jie Yuan. To become the Jie Yuan, one of you must defeat the other two in succession," Feng Junyi announced.
Hearing this, Chu Lingguang and Yan Zhen both turned to look at Ma Weibing, whose shoulders were still dripping with blood.
Ma Weibing instinctively took a few steps back. Even at his peak, he hadn’t dared to challenge Chu Lingguang, let alone Yan Zhen. Now, with both arms injured and much of his Qi Power depleted, he would be utterly crushed whether he faced Chu Lingguang or Yan Zhen.
So, knowing his place, he said, "I concede defeat. I will voluntarily take third place."
"Tch!"
"Shameless!"
The crowd erupted in boos once again.
They weren’t mocking Ma Weibing for being a coward, but they felt his claim to "voluntarily take third place" was out of line. Everyone could see that if Hu Yuanwu hadn’t unfortunately drawn Chu Lingguang, the true top three would have been Yan Zhen, Chu Lingguang, and Hu Yuanwu. There would have been no place for Ma Weibing.
To have lucked into third place was a blessing from a past life, yet he dared to say he would "voluntarily" take it. In the eyes of many, this was outrageously presumptuous. The crowd was crying foul on Hu Yuanwu’s behalf.
But regardless, Ma Weibing’s withdrawal set the stage for Chu Lingguang and Yan Zhen.
Chu Lingguang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said excitedly, "Yan, I’ve finally made it here to face you."
"Yes. The Jie Yuan of this year’s Provincial Martial Arts Examination will be decided between you and me," Yan Zhen replied, equally thrilled.
"Let’s begin!" Chu Lingguang said, raising his Long Spear.
"Let’s begin!"
Yan Zhen held a Willow Leaf Saber. Under the gaze of the entire crowd, the two stepped onto the sand-covered ground together.
"Senior Brother, Lin Guang has made it to face Yan Zhen," Master Yan said, his eyes welling up with tears.
"Yes, he did it."
Guo Wei was also overcome with emotion. Even now, it felt a little surreal. He remembered how Chu Lingguang had practiced Iron Mountain Fist for a year before finally developing Fist Force at the last moment. Originally, he had placed all his high hopes on Hei Hu.
But even then, he had only hoped that Hei Hu might become a Martial Arts Scholar within two cycles of the Martial Examination.
He never expected that Chu Lingguang, the one he’d initially thought so little of, would reach the final round of the Provincial Examination in a single attempt, competing with the prodigy Yan Zhen for the title of Jie Yuan.
Even Yang Shaorong couldn’t have achieved such a result.
Looking back on these past three years, it all felt like a dream.
"Junior Brother, I’m rooting for you."
Hei Hu’s eyes welled with tears. Chu Lingguang had progressed too fast—so fast that he couldn’t even feel jealous anymore. But now, seeing Chu Lingguang fulfill his promise, having gone through hell and high water to enter the sandy arena with Yan Zhen to compete for the title of Jie Yuan, he, as a senior brother, felt nothing but happiness for him.
Invisibly, his Mental Realm was undergoing a transformation.
Over the past three years, he had spent more time with Chu Lingguang than even Guo Wei had. The two martial brothers often went out to fool around. He was always competitive, trying to make a name for himself on Wine Street.
Chu Lingguang, on the other hand, was diligent and earnest, always trailing behind him saying, "Senior Brother, we should head home, or Master will find out we snuck out again."
At first, he would always tell Chu Lingguang, "I’ll have your back from now on." Later, that changed to, "Junior Brother, when you make it big, don’t forget your Senior Brother who always took you out drinking."
He never used to understand how Chu Lingguang could be so calm and focused on his martial arts. It wasn’t until this moment, watching Chu Lingguang walk into the sandy arena with Yan Zhen to compete for the title of Jie Yuan under the gaze of thousands, that Hei Hu finally understood. All the perseverance, all the sacrifices—it was all for this one day, to shine brilliantly and make a name for himself.
He finally understood all of Chu Lingguang’s past actions: every grueling training session in the woods, every time he trained so hard he forgot to eat or sleep, every time he remained indifferent to distractions—it was all for the sake of reaching this final stage today.
Hei Hu’s heart was stirred.
He saw someone who trained day after day finally receive an astonishing reward in the Martial Arts Examination.
He saw every bit of Chu Lingguang’s effort being repaid today.
What he once saw as foolishness, a life without ambition, now sparked a change in his own thinking. He also finally realized why Guo Wei was always scolding him, always saying he was too fickle and impetuous to ever achieve anything great.
Now, Hei Hu understood it all.
His Mental Realm finally transformed. He realized that his greatest gain from this Martial Arts Examination wasn’t passing the test, but achieving a spiritual awakening, a complete enlightenment. He now truly believed that only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above the rest.
It was an incredibly simple principle, one Guo Wei had repeated countless times and Hei Hu had heard just as often. But only at this very moment did the words truly resonate with him.
"Chu Lingguang, take this!" Yan Zhen shouted from the sandy arena.
"Good, bring it on!"
With a shake of his Long Spear, Chu Lingguang unleashed a Spear Intent Fluctuation, thrusting toward Yan Zhen’s vital points.
Yan Zhen slashed forward with his saber.
’It feels as if a saber has flown out of Yan Zhen’s Dantian and merged with the Willow Leaf Saber in his hand.’
CLANG!
Chu Lingguang blocked it with his Lotus Spear.
The Lightning Spear vibrated intensely, and he retreated backward.
WHOOSH!
Yan Zhen took a step forward and slashed again. It was a very simple slash, but Chu Lingguang felt as if Yan Zhen’s figure had become one with the blade.
