Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Round 2

Six days later, on the day of the second round of the martial exam.

Fang Chen woke up early and washed up. Looking around the dorm, he saw his roommates with dark circles under their eyes and haggard faces, looking listless and struggling to stay awake. It was obvious that the immense pressure had kept them tossing and turning all night. He didn’t say much; at this point, any words could become extra pressure. He simply straightened his clothes, strapped the Longsword issued by the Martial Arts Association to his waist, and pushed the door open to leave.

As soon as he reached the open ground outside the dorm building, he saw Yuan Xiao and Su Zhe waiting for him. The two were completely different from his down-in-the-dumps roommates. They were chatting and laughing freely, their faces brimming with energy, and they even faintly exuded an Aura stronger than a few days ago.

Sensing their Auras, Fang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Have you guys... both broken through to the Late Stage?"

"Haha, Old Fang, we were just waiting for you!" Su Zhe walked up with a smile, in high spirits. "Hehe, I thought I’d be lucky just to stabilize at the mid stage with those resources. I didn’t expect the low-grade Spirit Crystal and Concentration Incense to work so incredibly well together! It’s just as effective as taking a Realm-Breaking Pill on its own!"

Excitement filled his voice. Rushing from the Early Stage of True Martial Realm to the Late Stage in just one week was a speed that would make the vast majority of commoner Martial Artists green with envy.

Yuan Xiao also walked over. His Aura was even more solid and heavy than Su Zhe’s. He chimed in, "But compared to Su Zhe, I had a bit of an advantage since I was already touching the threshold of the mid stage. Relying on the resources this time, I finally made a clean push, and now I’m not too far from Perfection."

Although his words were humble, the confidence in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Looking at the True Qi surging around them, which hadn’t completely settled yet, Fang Chen smiled genuinely. Half-joking and half-sighing, he said, "Hehe, seeing you two like this makes me a little jealous. Jumping straight from the Early Stage to the Late Stage in just a week makes my two years of bitter training feel like a waste of effort."

Su Zhe quickly waved his hands. "Hehe, Boss Fang must be joking. How can our little progress compare to yours?" His gaze swept over the examinees from other cities who were walking out one after another, and he lowered his voice. "I took a special look when I came back yesterday. Among the examinees living in this area, you’re the only one whose Aura has reached True Martial Realm Perfection."

Fang Chen’s strength was still in a league of its own among their group.

"Alright, enough with the mutual flattery," Fang Chen interrupted the meaningless exchange of empty praise. "Let’s go, it’s time to head to the academy. We still don’t know what this second round will actually test."

Fang Chen followed the crowd into the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy. The school gates were already wide open, with staff in academy uniforms guiding people at the entrance. Following their directions, he arrived at an extremely spacious sports field surrounded by high spectator stands. It seemed this was the examination venue for the second round.

The center of the field was divided into dozens of zones, each with a striking numerical sign in front of it. Examinees were to stand in the zone corresponding to the first digit of their admission ticket. Fang Chen glanced at his admission ticket; the first digit was an ’8’, so he walked over to Zone 8 and stood there.

Looking around briefly, he noticed that there were exactly one hundred people in Zone 8. Most of the faces were familiar, as they were basically all students from Jinchuan City. Yuan Xiao, Su Zhe, Cai Long, and Zou Shuyao were also among them. Cai Long had also broken through to the Late Stage. It seemed that on that day, he hadn’t gone to the Jade Dew Hall with their group, but had gone alone with Zou Shuyao instead.

Fang Chen looked up at the entire field, which was packed with a dense crowd. By his estimation, there were about fifteen hundred examinees participating in the second round. Among them, local examinees from Cyan Yang City accounted for nearly fifty percent, while the remaining fifty percent came from five surrounding cities, including Jinchuan City.

Fang Chen quietly released his Spiritual Power, sweeping over the nearby examinee zones and carefully perceiving their cultivation levels.

The situation of the examinees from the subordinate cities was about what he expected. The ratio of True Martial Realm Martial Artists to Ordinary Martial Artists was about one to ten. The faces of most Ordinary Martial Artists bore poorly concealed nervousness and unease.

Meanwhile, in the zone where the Cyan Yang City examinees were gathered, the ratio wasn’t as high as imagined—only about one to seven. It seemed that the hurdle from an Ordinary Martial Artist to the True Martial Realm—this initial breakthrough from zero to one—still held back many people, even in the better-resourced Cyan Yang City.

But there was one stark difference. Among the Cyan Yang City examinees, anyone who had stepped into the True Martial Realm possessed a generally robust Aura, and most had reached the Late Stage!

"It seems this is the gap created by deep pockets," Fang Chen thought with clear realization.

Once these scions of large families were confirmed to have Martial Dao talent and stepped into the True Martial Realm, their families would immediately pile on massive amounts of resources, forcibly boosting their cultivation in a short time. Rushing from the mid stage to the Late Stage in a week? To them, that was probably just a routine operation.

However, just as Su Zhe had said, Fang Chen had carefully perceived his surroundings and indeed didn’t detect a second True Martial Realm Martial Artist with a flawless, perfected Aura in the crowd.

"Of course, I can’t rule out the possibility that a few individuals have mastered some sort of Technique to conceal their Auras."

At eight o’clock sharp.

After a brief speech by a representative from the Martial Arts Association, another middle-aged man wearing the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy uniform stepped onto the main stage. His gaze swept over the dense mass of examinees below, and his voice echoed clearly across the entire field through the PA system.

"Good morning, examinees. I am Director Chen Yong of the Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy’s Office of Academic Affairs, and I am in charge of the specific examination tasks for the second round of this year’s martial exam. First, on behalf of the academy, I welcome all of you young talents."

He paused slightly before continuing, "Our Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy has been established for over a century and boasts a profound foundation. Among the many Martial Dao institutes in the Southwestern Province, our comprehensive strength firmly ranks in the top five. Just being able to step through these gates to participate in the exam is proof of your excellence."

Then, he got straight to the point.

"Everyone, pay attention!" Director Chen Yong raised his voice. "Because the passing quota for the first round was restricted to thirty people for the subordinate cities, while our local schools in Cyan Yang City were allotted fifty, the number of people standing here today for the second round is exactly fifteen hundred!"

A slight commotion rippled through the crowd below.

"However!" Director Chen Yong’s voice suppressed all the noise. "The elimination rate for the second round remains extremely high! This year, our Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy is only recruiting five hundred new students!

"That means today, a full two-thirds of you will be eliminated!"

Unsuppressed murmurs instantly erupted across the venue.

Someone’s face paled, feeling the elimination rate was too cruel. "Two-thirds were eliminated in the first round, and it’s the same for the second round. The passing rate is so low!"

Someone else felt indignant, glaring at the zone of Cyan Yang City examinees. "Why do the locals get so many spots?"

Another person started to regret. "I shouldn’t have applied to Cyan Yang City... I heard Jiangyue City’s admission rate is higher this year..."

Someone nearby quickly retorted, "But Jiangyue City is a new city in the Southwestern Province that was only reclaimed a little over a decade ago. It’s close to the Alien Race’s territory, so the danger is higher! If you go there, you might lose your life any day!"

"Sigh, what a headache..."

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