The first round of assessments concluded, with over two hundred participants passing.
Now, the Selection Battle began.
Vice Dean Ge Hong leaped onto the stage, his voice booming across the plaza. "Allow me to announce the rules of the Selection Battle. The battle will be divided into ten groups, each with over twenty participants. You will engage in a free-for-all within a designated area. The last three standing in each group will advance to the final arena matches to compete for rankings. In other words, the key to the Selection Battle is endurance—those who hold out the longest will move forward."
"However, there are strict rules: ganging up on a single opponent is forbidden, as is any form of collusion. If no victor emerges after thirty breaths, you must choose a new opponent to prevent cheating."
As Ge Hong spoke, several academy instructors descended to the plaza, marking out ten white circles, each ten meters in diameter.
"These white circles before you are the arenas for the Selection Battle," Ge Hong continued. "The academy will randomly assign participants. Those whose names are called, please enter your designated circle."
"Circle One: Wu Feng."
"Zheng Luo."
"Zhou Qian."
Names echoed through the plaza, and under the instructors' guidance, the called participants stepped into the first white circle. Tension gripped them as they glanced at the instructor reading names, silently praying.
The rules of the Selection Battle were simple yet fair. Only the strongest would remain standing, so every participant hoped their group wouldn't include any formidable opponents.
"Young Master Chen," Lin Tian and Zhang Ying muttered below, their palms sweaty with nerves.
"Relax," Qin Chen said calmly. "With your cultivation, you both have a chance to advance. Even if you don't, remember this: for a martial artist, confidence is paramount. Winning or losing a match is secondary. True strength lies in what you gain from the fight—the growth that separates the strong from the weak."
Lin Tian and Zhang Ying nodded. "We understand."
For reasons they couldn't quite grasp, Qin Chen's words dissolved their anxiety. The tension in their chests eased, replaced by clenched fists and a quiet resolve to give their all.
"Circle Three: Li Qingfeng."
When Li Qingfeng's name was called, the participants already in Circle Three groaned in despair.
"Heavens, Li Qingfeng is in our group? Do we even have a chance?"
"And Zhou Qiang is here too—an veteran peak Human-Level Late Stage martial artist with a second-grade bloodline awakening!"
"Circle Three is the group of death!"
Amid the complaints, Li Qingfeng stepped into the circle, his expression cold and composed, exuding an air of assured victory. He became the undisputed center of Circle Three, with no one daring to stand within two meters of him.
The selection process continued.
Lin Tian was assigned to Circle Four.
"Young Master Chen, Zhang Ying, I'm heading in," he said with a confident smile, striding toward his circle.
Soon after, Zhang Ying was called to Circle Five.
Only Qin Chen remained unassigned.
"Hmph, kid, let's see how calm you are when you face me," Qin Fen sneered from a distance, his eyes glinting with malice.
But his hopes were dashed when he was assigned to Circle Seven, while Qin Chen stayed behind.
"Damn it!" Qin Fen cursed, nearly choking on his frustration.
"Don't worry, Qin Fen," one of his companions said with a sinister grin. "A few of us haven't been called yet. There's a good chance we'll end up in the same group as that Qin Chen. When we do, we'll take care of him for you. Heh."
"Good," Qin Fen said, his eyes flashing with venom. "Make sure you seize the chance to cripple him."
His companions froze, exchanging uneasy glances. "Cripple him? Are you serious? Qin Chen is still a member of the Qin family. If we do that, won't your family come after us?"
"Hmph," Qin Fen scoffed. "Qin Chen was expelled from the Qin family not long ago. He's no longer one of us. Why would the Qin family care? Besides, in the year-end exams, accidents happen. If someone's hand slips and hits a bit too hard, who can say anything? It's his fault for being too weak and insisting on competing despite his lack of skill."
His companions licked their lips, a thrill coursing through them. "Alright then." The thought of bringing down a former Qin family scion was exhilarating.
As the excitement built, the next three groups were assigned.
"Haha, it's us two and Qin Chen in the same group!"
Finally, Qin Chen was placed in Circle Eight, alongside two of Qin Fen's allies from the advanced class, Li Ping and Zhou Nan.
Li Ping and Zhou Nan were ecstatic, as if they'd won a prize. They leaped into Circle Eight, smirking at Qin Chen from a distance, their lips curled in mocking sneers. "So, which of us should teach that Qin Chen a lesson?" they chuckled to each other.
Once all participants were in their circles, Vice Dean Ge Hong took a deep breath and declared, "The Selection Battle begins!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The moment his words fell, the prepared participants sprang into action, lunging at their chosen opponents. True qi erupted like a volcanic explosion across the vast plaza, and in an instant, over a dozen participants were blasted out of their circles, tumbling to the ground below.
Surprisingly, the most dazzling performance didn't come from Li Qingfeng.
In Circle Nine, a dark-skinned youth in a cyan robe moved the moment Ge Hong spoke. Using his palm as a blade, he struck at several opponents beside him. With a resounding boom, a torrent of true qi surged forth like a tidal wave, sending multiple participants—including an advanced-class disciple—flying. A vacuum formed around him in an instant.
"What?"
"Who is that?"
"Such terrifying palm strength!"
"His true qi is released yet perfectly controlled—a hallmark of an Earth-Level expert!"
"I recognize him! That's Wang Qiming, an advanced-class disciple from a commoner background. They call him the Blade Maniac. He's always practicing blade techniques with a saber at the academy's back mountain, even sleeping with it in his arms. I never imagined he'd broken through to Earth-Level!"
"This year-end exam just got interesting."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
On the high platform, King Lingwu, Xiao Zhan, narrowed his eyes at Wang Qiming. "This kid… using his palm as a blade and actually capturing the essence of blade intent. Intriguing."
Dean Chu Weichen, puzzled, remarked, "I hadn't noticed this student before. It seems I've been out of touch with our students. But the top three in this exam will likely be Li Qingfeng, Zhao Lingshan, and this Wang Qiming. Which one do you favor, King Lingwu?"