“What?
He still wants to go up and make a fool of himself?
He slept the whole time!
What is he going to do on stage—dance or jump around?” scoffed one of the participants, bursting into laughter.
**Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 5** ———————————— “Yeah, he slept the entire time, and now he wants to step up just to embarrass himself.
Well, at least it’s good entertainment for us!” snickered another participant.
Lu Jun turned to Jiang WuShang, offering a warm, supportive smile.
“Brother Jiang, don’t mind them.
They don’t know your true talent.
Go for it!
I believe in you.” Jiang WuShang nodded and looked up at Gu Fan.
“Envoys, may I try?
It’s not against the rules, is it?” “Go ahead.
It is within the rules,” replied Gu Fan, gesturing toward the ring.
Jiang WuShang stepped up into the center of the arena and took a steady stance—with empty hands.
“My martial technique is the ‘9 Swords of the Azure Dragon,’ the highest sword manual of Azure Academy.” “It’s a sword technique, but he doesn’t even have a sword!
This is hilarious—what is he even trying to do?” shouted a spectator in the crowd.
**Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 10** ———————————— Up on the high platform, the young girl turned to her mistress.
“Young Miss, should I lend my sword to Young Master Jiang?
He can’t perform a sword technique without a blade!” “No, you can’t.
If anyone recognizes your weapon, it will cause trouble,” replied the Young Lady quickly.
“Ask Fist Maid to deliver a standard blade instead.” Before anyone could fetch a weapon, however, the laughter in the arena died down instantly.
An ethereal, azure-colored aura burst around Jiang WuShang’s hand.
With a casual flick of his fingers, a blinding arc of sharp energy slashed through the air.
A massive stone pillar near the stage was sliced cleanly in two, its upper half crashing onto the wooden floor with a deafening thud!
Su Mie stood up in absolute shock, her voice trembling.
“What…
what just happened?!
What did he do?!
What was that light?!
I am a cultivator in the Qi Foundation Realm, and I felt genuine fear from that strike!” “How is this possible?!” stammered Gu Fan, his eyes wide as saucers.
“He slept the whole time!
How could he master the martial manual with a single glance?!” Up on the platform, the young girl clapped her hands, grinning broadly.
“Young Miss, look!
He mastered the sword technique and demonstrated it without even holding a sword!
What was that light coming from his finger?” A soft, proud smile graced the Young Lady’s lips.
“Yes, he did it.
As expected of him…
he mastered the manual in a single glance and generated pure Sword Qi.” “Sword Qi?!” gasped the young girl.
“How is that possible?!
Only Grand-Masters can condense sharp elemental Qi like Sword Qi or Spear Qi!
How can he do it already?” “His talent is far higher than we expected…
much, much higher than mine,” whispered the Young Lady, a faint blush creeping up her neck.
The young girl sighed dramatically, clutching her chest.
“Young Miss…
I think I’m falling for him!” “No, you can’t!” blurted out the Young Lady, turning to her abruptly.
“Why, Young Miss?
You claim you aren’t interested in him, so why can’t I like him?
He’s smart, handsome, and his talent is monstrous!” teased the young girl.
“I…
I am not saying that, but you just can’t!” stammered the Young Lady, her face burning red.
The young girl rolled her eyes playfully.
“Okay, okay, I got it.
I won’t come between you two~” Down on the stage, Su Mie stepped forward, staring at Jiang WuShang with deep intensity.
“Young friend…
did you find any flaws in the manual?” “I found nineteen flaws,” answered Jiang WuShang calmly.
“First, this technique uses the HaYu meridian points to draw Qi, which are directly connected to the lower meridian path.
It makes the draw slow and limits the strike’s power.
If we block the HaYu points and let the Qi flow straight through the arm to the fingers instead, it drastically increases the attack power while consuming far less Qi.
As for the second flaw…” Jiang WuShang proceeded to list all nineteen flaws one by one, explaining exact corrections for each.
By the time he finished, the entire arena had fallen into dead silence.
**Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 15** ———————————— **Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 20** ———————————— “He found nineteen…” whispered Su Mie, her face completely solemn.
“Gu Fan, do you remember what the Dean said about this manual back at the academy?” “I remember,” replied Gu Fan, his throat dry.
“The ‘9 Swords of the Azure Dragon’ was recorded to have sixteen flaws by the current Mortal Emperor—someone from the Upper Realm who possesses the highest authority in our Azure Mortal World.” “Do you think his talent is even higher than the Mortal Emperor’s?” whispered Su Mie.
“I don’t know…
only the Dean can identify his true level.
We need to test his root immediately,” said Gu Fan, nodding seriously.
Jiang WuShang dusted off his sleeves.
“Envoys, did I pass the test?” “Yes!
You passed!” declared Gu Fan.
“Four candidates remain.
Let us move to the final test—the Root Test.” Gu Fan summoned a Root Stone to the front of the stage.
“Step forward, place your hand on this stone, and inject your Qi to identify your exact Talent Root.” One by one, the remaining candidates stepped up.
All three registered a Mortal High-Rank Root.
Finally, it was Jiang WuShang’s turn.
He walked forward casually and pressed his palm onto the surface of the Root Stone.
The moment his palm made contact, a distinct cracking sound echoed through the stage.
Fissures spread across the crystal like a spiderweb!
“What?!
What is going on?!” shouted Gu Fan in horror.
“The Root Stone…
it cracked!
How is this possible?!” “The Root Stone cracked…” gasped Su Mie, her hands shaking.
“His talent is higher—much higher than this stone can measure!” “Look!
It’s displaying Earth High-Rank Root, but it shattered the stone anyway!
What does this mean?!” said Gu Fan, completely stunned.
Su Mie took a deep breath, her eyes dead serious.
“We have to report this directly to the Dean.
His talent is at least Heaven Low-Rank!” “Agreed!” said Gu Fan, nodding frantically.
**Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 25** ———————————— **Ding!** ————-System ————— **Host gained 5 points** **Total points: 30** ———————————— Su Mie turned to face the crowd and raised her voice.
“I declare that Jiang WuShang, Lu Jun, and Su Law will join Azure Academy as interns!
Along with the fifteen selected disciples, take these tokens and report to Azure Academy in the Capital City within one week!” She tossed three gleaming intern tokens toward Jiang WuShang and the others.
“Understood!” replied the three in unison.
With the event concluded, Gu Fan and Su Mie packed their gear and left the town to begin their journey back to the capital.
However, as they walked along a quiet forest trail outside town, a clear voice called out from behind them: “Su Mie, Gu Fan…
long time no see.” Both envoys froze, spinning around immediately.
Upon recognizing the figure standing before them, they instantly dropped to one knee.
“We greet the Young Miss!” said Su Mie and Gu Fan in unison.
“Young Miss, what are you doing in a remote place like this?” asked Su Mie in surprise.
“I am here for Jiang WuShang,” said the Young Lady plainly.
Gu Fan’s expression darkened slightly.
“Are you planning to recruit him into your faction within Azure Academy, Young Miss?” “No,” she replied.
Su Mie looked worried.
“Then…
are you here to eliminate him?
Young Miss, he has done nothing wrong!
He possesses the legendary Golden Heart and an unmeasurable Talent Root—” “What nonsense are you blabbering about?!” interrupted the Young Lady, her face turning crimson.
“He is my man!
Can’t I just come to meet him?!” “Your…
your man?!” gasped Gu Fan, his jaw dropping.
“No wonder he is so outrageously talented!” The Young Lady cleared her throat, regaining her solemn posture.
“You two are loyal to the Dean, so you may report his results to him.
But do not leak a single word about him to anyone else.
You know who our enemies are in the capital, so be extremely careful.” “Understood, Young Miss!” replied Su Mie and Gu Fan respectfully.
“Good.
I will see you back at Azure Academy,” said the Young Lady.
“Are you escorting Young Master Jiang to the capital yourself, Young Miss?” asked Su Mie with a knowing smile.
“Yes…
we will travel together,” murmured the Young Lady, a faint blush returning to her face before she vanished into thin air.
— Back at the recruitment grounds, Jiang WuShang turned to Lu Jun with a smile.
“Brother Jun, congratulations on joining Azure Academy as an intern!” “Thank you, Brother Jiang!
And congratulations to you as well!” laughed Lu Jun, raising his token.
“When do you plan to leave for the capital?” “I’ll head out tomorrow,” said Jiang WuShang.
“What about you?” “I need to visit the Beast School first to settle a few matters, then I’ll head straight to the Capital City,” explained Lu Jun.
“I’ll see you there in a week!” “Sounds good.
Take care, Brother Jun!” After Lu Jun departed, a lively voice called out from the high platform above.
“Young Master Jiang!
Come up here!” Jiang WuShang looked up to see the young girl waving at him.
He grinned and made his way up the stairs, arriving at the private seating area where the Young Lady was waiting.
“So, how was my performance?” asked Jiang WuShang, folding his arms with a confident smile.
“Not bad,” admitted the Young Lady softly.
“You did quite well…
and you won the bet.” “Since I won the bet, where is my reward?
My second reward is you, isn’t it?” teased Jiang WuShang with a wink.
“Wh-What are you talking about?!” blushed the Young Lady furiously.
“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore,” chuckled Jiang WuShang.
“Our date can wait, but as for the information about my father…
you promised to tell me.” “We depart for the Capital City tomorrow,” said the Young Lady, regaining her composure.
“On the way, I will tell you everything you want to know.” “Fair enough!
See you tomorrow then.
I’ll take my leave, Young Miss,” said Jiang WuShang with a light bow before turning around and walking down the platform stairs.
Watching his retreating back, the Young Lady let out a soft, disappointed sigh.
“He still didn’t call me by my name…
Am I really that unattractive?” The young girl beside her shook her head in utter disbelief.
“Young Miss…
you forgot to tell him your name again!” The Young Lady blinked, then let out an embarrassed giggle.
“Ah…
I forgot again.” ‘Who would ever believe that the powerful, dignified Young Miss of our clan turns into a helpless fool around him?’ thought the young girl, facepalming in silent defeat.