NOVPUB
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Can Do It with Eyes Closed
The reason he could only achieve that result was not due to the gap in his Star cultivation, but because he had too little time dedicated to cultivation. After all, he had been in a state of languishment for a long time, and the actual time spent on cultivating on Demon Dragon Star was minimal. Being able to smoothly enter the Divine Wind Camp was already a very good outcome.
But now, things are different. In this life, Lin Feng is confident in striving for first place; the Seventh Prince, Thunder Mountain Villa, everyone needs to step aside.
Because Lin Feng knows that if he can enter the Divine Wind Camp as the top scholar, he can gain too many advantages.
...
Time flies, and on this day, the Divine Duke Mansion is extraordinarily lively. Usually stern and strict, the mansion is open to the public today. Those who arrive early can go to the mansion’s training ground to enjoy the new talent selection event for the Divine Wind Camp that will be held here today.
"Did you hear there are only thirty-eight spots available? Isn’t that just a fierce battle between dragons and tigers?"
"That’s right, this selection event is divided into two stages, eliminating contenders layer by layer. In the end, only the strongest thirty-eight will qualify to join Lord Divine Marquis’s Divine Wind Camp."
At this moment, the sizable training ground was already packed to the brim with a sea of people, while a large number of guards were on one side maintaining order.
In the center of the training ground, several broad arenas had been set up, and around the arenas, stands were constructed. The stands were already fully occupied, with notable figures from Imperial City in attendance, making many people feel fortunate to feast their eyes on such a spectacle.
Lin Feng followed the crowd into the mansion; Ah Li had returned home before sunset yesterday. Lin Feng and a group of people waited outside for a full hour before the opening time of the mansion.
"Wow, is this the Divine Duke Mansion?"
"Hehe, I heard that the Iron Spear Divine Marquis’s pair of iron spears are unrivaled in the world. I must learn from him in the future!"
"Forget it, with your mere Second Layer martial master’s cultivation, you don’t stand a chance."
"Psh, how would you know without trying? In our village, I’m the best. You’re not even as good as me."
The arguing and banter of many young people filled Lin Feng’s ears as he blended into the crowd. The group was as large as seven or eight hundred people, and more were still arriving. These were all candidates about to participate in the selection.
Anyone under the age of seventeen and above the First Layer of martial master rank could participate.
Clang
A crisp gong sound rang out, and all the youths fell silent.
"Remember, from the moment you step into this Divine Duke Mansion, you must follow the rules here. The first rule is no loud noises. Whoever dares to shout or yell can roll out immediately."
A muscular man shouted.
Instantly every youth was silent as if gripped by cold fear.
"Good, this is the effect I want. Now, all of you follow me to the training ground for the first stage of assessment."
The muscular man nodded in satisfaction.
The crowd arrived at the training ground, and many were intimidated to see so many people already gathered there. Many came from rural villages, had never seen much of the world in their lifetime, and were also young, making it natural for them to be stage-frightened.
"The first stage is very simple. These three Test Tablets are for testing your Attack Power. They each have nine gemstones, and the requirement to pass is to make four of them shine. No matter what method you use, even if you use your head to ram or your teeth to bite."
The muscular man briefly explained the rules and then stepped aside.
The team of nearly a thousand people was divided into three squads, each with around two to three hundred people.
Lin Feng was standing in the middle of the team, his gaze sweeping across the stone tablet. It was a very basic Attack Power Test Tablet that could give a level division based on the force of the tester’s strike. Many family clans had one.
Bang bang bang
Following that were the sounds of many young warriors exerting their strength to strike.
"First group, all eliminated!"
A burly man on the side stated expressionlessly.
"Next group!"
The three youths heard this and all left with looks of dejection.
Bang bang bang
Then came three more low thuds.
"Second group, two eliminated; you, go over there to register your information!"
Out of the three people in the second group, only one tall youth revealed a look of joy. His punch had just made all four gemstones light up, barely passing the test.
Lin Feng glanced at this youngster—Martial Master Second Layer it seemed, meaning under normal circumstances, Martial Master Second Layers should be able to pass.
"This kid’s stuff, I can pass it even with my eyes closed."
A young man dressed in fine clothes, standing in front of Lin Feng, said with disdain. He looked at the other youths around him, all wearing nervous expressions, and couldn’t help but feel utmost pride as he said: "This thing, actually, isn’t that hard. You just need to be at least a Martial Master Second Layer."
As soon as he said this, many were looking at him eagerly: "Just need to be a Martial Master Second Layer? I’m just a Martial Master Second Layer, is that okay?"
The finely dressed youth patted his chest and said: "Don’t worry, my clan has plenty of these things. Oh right, I’m a disciple of the Chen Family; you must have heard of us. I’ve been using this since I was a kid, so rest assured, you’ll definitely be able to pass."
"Oh, that’s good then. Not to make you laugh, but I came from a small village and this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing. I was so nervous earlier that my palms were sweating."
Lin Feng listened to their conversation without saying a word. Generally speaking, the finely dressed youth was not wrong; Martial Master Second Layer could usually pass, but it wasn’t absolute.
Martial Master Second Layers have at least 1,200 jin of strength, but through the punch of that tall boy earlier, Lin Feng estimated that reaching all four gemstones on this stone tablet would require at least 1,250 jin of strength. This was slightly higher than the normal standard for Second Layers—a mere fifty jin of strength, which doesn’t seem like much, but in regular combat, it could determine victory or defeat, let alone in this assessment, where it could be a fatal blow for many Martial Artists not particularly strong with their strength.
A miss is as good as a mile. The tall youth earlier had a physical advantage, which led his strength to be slightly higher than that of a Martial Artist of the same level. This youth who had just reached Martial Master Second Layer was not particularly robust, even somewhat short in stature, and could probably only just barely reach 1,200 jin of strength. In Lin Feng’s view, unless his Star had an amplification effect on strength, it was very likely he would be eliminated.
Of course, Lin Feng didn’t want to say too much, to avoid others finding him nosy.
"Hey, buddy, you seem pretty calm. Quite confident in yourself?"
The finely dressed youth had been chatting with others, and when he turned his head, he saw Lin Feng, who had remained silent and expressionless all the while. He couldn’t help but take an interest—knowing that previously, a dozen or so other youths had been incessantly asking him numerous questions, all either nervous or curious. Yet this guy was so calm.
"Just fine." Lin Feng glanced at him and said.
Martial Master Fourth Layer, not a bad level of strength, rich Qi-Blood, and solid fundamental skills. Clearly, he’s from a clan.
Lin Feng saw through his background at a glance.
