"Hahaha, did you hear that? Now get out of our way!" Zhao Feihong, with Ji Fanchen in tow, swaggered up to the Profound Qi Stone and respectfully gestured, "Young Master Ji, please go ahead and show someone what the future hope of our Tianyun Sect looks like!"
Hmph!
Ji Fanchen cast a cold glance at Ye Feng, his lips curling upward with a 'watch closely' expression as he approached the Profound Qi Stone.
"Outer Disciple, Ji Fanchen, second round of testing, begin!"
Ji Fanchen clenched his right fist with his left hand, his neck cracking as he tilted it from side to side.
The next second.
He lowered his stance, steadied himself, gathered his energy, and punched in one fluid motion. People saw a flash of fire as Ji Fanchen's fist slammed fiercely into the Profound Qi Stone.
Boom.
An invisible wave of heat radiated out, lifting the hair of those around.
So strong!!
Even though everyone disliked Ji Fanchen's arrogance, they had to admit that this young master, with his Fire Attribute Grade-One Profound Qi talent, indeed had reason to be proud.
That terrifying fist seemed to possess the power to melt gold and iron, driving half his forearm into the stone, with wisps of white smoke rising from the Profound Qi Stone, exuding a lingering, daunting aura.
"Ji Fanchen, five inches and eight-tenths into the stone, Grade A result!"
As soon as the result was announced, it once again drew admiration from the crowd.
"Young Master Ji, that's amazing!"
"Wow! Young Master Ji, your result is sure to sweep this year's Inner Gate Assessment, over five inches, that's an inch more than last year's top scorer!"
A group of lackeys showered him with flattery, and even the surrounding spectators couldn't help but be impressed.
"Hmph, I wonder if certain trash will wet their pants seeing Young Master Ji's result, haha!" Zhao Feihong glanced smugly at Ye Feng, who remained expressionless, before striding towards the Profound Qi Stone.
With a thunderous punch, Zhao Feihong also made the stone resonate with a clang.
"Zhao Feihong, three inches into the stone, Grade B result!"
Then it was Zhang Yun's turn. Despite his injured arm, he didn't forget to mock Ye Feng:
"Kid, the Profound Qi Stone isn't something you can score on with brute force. Even with one arm injured, I can surpass your mere Grade-Two Ordinary Profound Qi. Watch and learn!"
Ha!!
Zhang Yun punched with a powerful momentum, driving straight into the stone.
"Zhang Yun, three inches and three-tenths into the stone, Grade B result!"
"Awesome, Zhang Yun, haha, definitely stronger than some trash!"
The crowd laughed while staring at Ye Feng's calm face, and only after all six or seven of them had finished their tests did everyone quiet down with a cold sneer.
"Trash, Ye Feng, it's your turn!"
"Go on, let's see what score your Grade-Two Ordinary Profound Qi can achieve."
"Be careful not to break your hand, hahaha!"
The merciless ridicule aimed to trample Ye Feng into the dirt.
Ji Fanchen, arms crossed arrogantly, awaited Ye Feng's submission in the face of his impressive result.
Under everyone's gaze, Ye Feng walked up to the Profound Qi Stone, ignoring the buzzing chatter around him.
He had absolute confidence in his Golden Profound Qi. This punch was not just to shatter the stone before him, but to break through eight years of silence and decline, to pave the way for a brilliant and glorious future!
Ye Feng took a deep breath, and the golden sea-like Profound Qi in his dantian erupted, transforming his fist into an indescribable deadly weapon.
Punch!
Golden light flashed, swift as lightning.
A loud crash.
Ye Feng's fist drove into the Profound Qi Stone like a hammer into tofu, effortlessly penetrating it. The domineering Profound Qi seemed to cause a small explosion inside the stone, shaking the entire block. The shattered fragments, like spinning arrows, sent Zhang Yun and others nearby yelping in surprise.
The commotion from this punch was astonishingly loud.
As the dust and debris settled, people were shocked to find that Ye Feng's entire arm had almost disappeared into the Profound Qi Stone, the depth beyond measurement, definitely exceeding one foot.
The entire audience was stunned.
Even the inner disciples responsible for recording the results were dumbfounded. In their memory, no one had ever punched so deeply that their arm vanished, not even Li Huayu back in the day.
Not to mention Ji Fanchen, Zhang Yun, and the others.
Their jaws hit the ground, shattered by Ye Feng's punch, leaving them unable to recover.
How could this be possible!!
A trash with Grade-Two Ordinary Profound Qi, how could he deliver such an earth-shattering punch?
While everyone was still in shock, Ye Feng slowly turned to the inner disciple beside him:
"Senior Brother, I'm sorry..."
"Hmm? What's the matter?" The person hadn't yet reacted.
"I think you might need to replace the Profound Qi Stone."
"What? Why?"
"Because..."
Ye Feng slowly withdrew his fist.
"Oh my god, look! Why are there so many cracks on the Profound Qi Stone!"
Someone exclaimed, and only then did people notice the web-like cracks covering the entire stone. As Ye Feng stepped back a couple of paces, with a rumbling sound, the entire Profound Qi Stone collapsed like an old man losing his last support, crumbling into a pile of rubble.
Silence.
A deathly silence.
If Ye Feng's punch exceeding one foot was within the realm of acceptance, then shattering the entire Profound Qi Stone with one punch was nothing short of miraculous.
Everyone stood there dumbfounded, the wind whistling past their cheeks, no one able to snap out of it.
"Am I dreaming..." Someone pinched the thigh of the person next to them.
Oww~~~
A scream finally broke the crowd out of their petrification.
"Oh my god!!"
"Ye Feng shattered the Profound Qi Stone with one punch!!"
The crowd erupted.
Everyone looked at Ye Feng standing proudly in the center like they were looking at a monster, the scorn and disdain in their eyes replaced by incredulous surprise and excitement.
"That's incredible, how did this guy do it?"
"Isn't he supposed to have ordinary Profound Qi? Could ordinary Profound Qi possess such power?"
Nearby, several inner disciples rushed over, surrounding Ye Feng.
One began examining Ye Feng's arm, while the others hurried to report to the inner elder in charge of the assessment, their attitudes undergoing a drastic change.
In the field, only Ji Fanchen and his group were left in disarray.
Zhang Yun and Zhao Feihong, looking at the pile of rubble, felt their teeth ache.
No one understood the hardness of the Profound Qi Stone better than they did. They had given it their all to punch a few inches, yet Ye Feng shattered it with one punch. Such a terrifying fist...
Thank goodness it wasn't aimed at them.
"Young Master Ji... Ye Feng, this guy..." Zhao Feihong was at a loss for words, looking at Ji Fanchen, whose face had turned a bit pale.
"Impossible! Even a Three-Vein Profound Realm expert couldn't shatter the Profound Qi Stone with one punch!" Ji Fanchen struggled to maintain his composure, "There must be something wrong here!!"
Meanwhile, an inner elder of the Tianyun Sect named Han Yun was rushing towards the Profound Qi Stone's location.
"Who! Who shattered the Profound Qi Stone!!"
Elder Han Yun's eyes were filled with excitement. From his position, he was well aware of the decline in talent within the Tianyun Sect over the years. If a prodigy had truly emerged, it would be a blessing for the entire sect.
However, as he was halfway there, a mysterious sound transmission suddenly echoed in his mind.
"What?"
Han Yun paused abruptly, then looked towards a distant peak where a figure seemed to have been observing everything that happened, yet no one had noticed that person's presence.
"Yes, I understand."
After listening to the transmission, Han Yun respectfully bowed towards the figure before striding towards the excited crowd.
After a round of 'inspection,' Han Yun rose expressionlessly and announced to the crowd:
"Upon inspection by this elder, this Profound Qi Stone has been worn out over time, its interior already shattered. It was only due to this that Ye Feng managed to break it with one punch. There's no need for everyone to be surprised."
So that's how it is.
In the crowd, Ji Fanchen and the others were the first to breathe a sigh of relief.
Ye Feng must have just gotten lucky, otherwise, they wouldn't dare to face Ye Feng's terrifying fist again.
"However, even so, Ye Feng's Profound Qi strength is outstanding among the younger generation, deserving of a super Grade A rating. You all should quickly fetch a new Profound Qi Stone and continue the testing."
With that, Elder Han Yun gave Ye Feng a deep look, his mouth moving as if to say something, but he ultimately held back and left.
Yet in his heart, waves of shock surged.
This Ye Feng had even caught the attention of the one on Cloud-Falling Peak, a reclusive old monster...
Even Han Yun himself couldn't understand how Ye Feng, with his current cultivation as a newcomer to the One-Vein Profound Realm, could shatter the heavy Profound Qi Stone with one punch.
***
Ye Feng pursed his lips, satisfied with the outcome.
To be honest, even he hadn't expected to shatter the Profound Qi Stone with one punch. In his mind, surpassing the likes of Li Huayu from eight years ago was the limit.
But this situation had once again exceeded Ye Feng's expectations, undoubtedly related to the Golden Profound Qi, though Ye Feng couldn't yet comprehend it.
However, after this punch, he felt a sense of vindication.
Look!
The eyes of those around him had completely changed.
The voices of doubt and ridicule had vanished without a trace.
No one dared to mock a future genius who had achieved a 'super Grade A' result, even if Ye Feng's Profound Qi attribute was ordinary, it signified that his current combat power was unrivaled among the newly entered disciples of the Profound Realm.
That terrifying punch, which made one's teeth ache just thinking about it, who would dare provoke it~~
Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Ye Feng calmly walked towards the venue for the third round of testing, and this time, no one dared to chatter in his ear.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan