Chapter 39

"…Cut in half? Directly cut through the condensed black steel? Not just a thin strand, but a full suit of armor, cut into two halves?" An examiner was speechless, his words almost unconscious.

"…That was just the condensed black steel conjured by a magic device, much softer than real condensed black steel." Another examiner seemed more rational.

"Even if it’s conjured, it’s still condensed black steel! For swordsmen below the Silver Rank, it’s almost the same as real condensed black steel! That kid actually managed to cut it in half with one strike! What kind of attack power is this! The kid’s current level… is only Level 2! How is this possible!"

"Only Level 2? That’s quite impressive… Although some Gold Rank sword techniques can make Bronze Rank swordsmen burst with Silver Rank attack power, such a large gap is extremely rare… Was he using an especially powerful magic weapon?" The rational examiner was also somewhat moved.

"…No, it was just a regular iron sword! The quality was very poor, not even a fine iron sword… This sword technique is too astonishing!" The previously excited examiner became even more agitated.

"Calm down! Yes, he did unleash a strike that exceeded his strength, but who can be sure he didn’t use some kind of potential-boosting drug… You know, every year there are such candidates." The rational examiner was much calmer than his colleague.

Hearing this, the excited examiner indeed calmed down a bit: "Maybe… But if that’s the case, this strike probably exhausted all his potential. It will be difficult for him to pass the subsequent exams."

"Hmph, he probably heard from his family that if he excels in one area, he might be admitted. Indeed, as long as his subsequent performance isn’t terrible, he has a good chance of being admitted. But being admitted through this method is likely a waste of tuition…"

The rational examiner looked at the screens and sneered.

"…Forget it, let’s keep watching. If he continues to perform well, it means he’s a genius. But if he doesn’t… I was just getting excited for nothing." The previously excited examiner calmed down, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Don’t just focus on him, look at the others too. There are so many examination rooms; if there’s a problem in another room, it will be troublesome." The rational examiner reminded the excited examiner.

"Fear not, we have the recording function. It’s not easy to find good candidates these days. Our academy can’t be outdone by the other three!" The excited examiner was indeed full of enthusiasm, but he still had to start monitoring the other screens.

In the examination room, Ji Ran was using the remaining time within the ten minutes to slowly recover his true qi.

The subsequent exams were still unknown, and without sword qi, he couldn’t afford to lack true qi.

That strike just now was also a result of Ji Ran’s superlative performance. In the previous battle against the Level 5 Priest, the Lightning Flash was released hastily, with no preparation time, and issues with angle, speed, and timing. Even so, it still broke through the Level 5 Priest’s defense and cut him in half. However, if that Level 5 Priest had worn armor like today, the situation might have been completely different.

This time, his spirit, energy, and mind were all in their best state, and the angle of his strike was his optimal one. And he was facing a stationary target… All these conditions combined allowed him to unleash the Lightning Flash with power exceeding its original strength. In actual combat, achieving this would be almost impossible.

But no matter what, the destructive power of that strike was real. Now, he just had to wait for the next match.

After ten minutes, the two pieces of armor disappeared. The surrounding mist churned, and the mechanical voice sounded again.

"The second test: Swordsmanship defensive ability. Time: ten minutes. The number of hits will be the standard."

The instructions were still so concise. Although he heard what the voice said, he still didn’t know the specific content. However, he wouldn’t let his guard down, gripping his long sword tightly and paying full attention to his surroundings.

Then, the wall of mist directly in front of him moved.

On that wall, small rabbits, about the size of a fist, suddenly hopped down. These rabbits were a bit larger than a fist, and as soon as they landed, they immediately hopped toward Ji Ran!

At first, the rabbits’ speed wasn’t too fast. But later, they seemed to be thrown like baseballs, flying at him with a whistling sound!

This is the second test? Ji Ran roughly understood what he needed to do. He had to prevent the rabbits from hitting him, right?

Raising his hand, he thrust his sword, stopping one rabbit in its tracks. But Ji Ran felt something was off… The force from the rabbit was quite strong…

Before he could think further, another rabbit flew at him. He turned his wrist and swept his sword, sending the rabbit flying.

Two strikes sent two rabbits flying, but they didn’t die. Instead, they rolled on the ground and flew back at him again!

Is this what the defensive test is about…? Resisting the attacks of these rabbits and defending against all the ones that fly at him!

It didn’t seem too difficult. Although the rabbits were strong, as long as he controlled his strength and didn’t overexert himself, he could prevent the rabbits from knocking his sword off course. That shouldn’t be a big problem!

But soon, he realized he was thinking too simply.

None of the rabbits died, and their numbers kept increasing!

More rabbits kept hopping out of the wall, quickly joining the storm of attacks. Ji Ran had to keep retreating until he was backed against a wall, avoiding being attacked from all sides.

Actually, if he retreated to a corner, it would reduce the direction from which the rabbits could attack. But that would also limit the range of his sword, making it very difficult to use sword techniques in such a confined space.

The rabbits kept increasing, and they started to blur together. Ji Ran mechanically swung his sword, sometimes hitting several rabbits at once. The pressure grew, making Ji Ran breathe heavily.

But fortunately, the continuous attacks actually filled his sword qi. Sword qi accumulates during normal attacks, and the more attacks, the more it accumulates. By the time the exam started, both of his sword qi bars were already full.

These rabbits couldn’t be killed, and Ji Ran even thought about using a powerful move to take out a group at once. But not only did he not have a wide-area attack, even if he did, it wouldn’t help. He could only defend against the rabbits one by one, and his sword swung faster and faster.

Later, Ji Ran stopped thinking and fully unleashed the Four Seasons Sword Technique, making his sword movements so fast that not even water could penetrate. Focusing on individual rabbits was too slow; it was better to let go and fully execute the sword technique!

The twenty-four sword techniques emerged one by one in Ji Ran’s hands, forming a wall of sword light around him. The sword light flickered, looking ethereal, but it firmly blocked the rabbits from getting through!

At this moment, the two examiners in the monitoring room were stunned again.

"What kind of sword technique is this? This sword technique… is different from any I’ve seen… No, it’s not just the technique that’s different…"

The excited examiner stared at the screen showing Ji Ran, his neck stretched out as if he wanted to stick his head into the screen.

"Yes, it’s not just the technique that’s different. This sword technique seems to contain something, something we can’t understand…" The rational examiner was also staring at the screen, his eyes entranced.

"Although I’ve seen sword techniques that can block all the rabbits, they are all different from this… How to put it, those techniques rely on strength, but this technique doesn’t use much strength, yet it can prevent the rabbits from breaking through the defense…" The excited examiner’s eyes followed Ji Ran’s sword, wishing he could memorize the entire technique.

"This is at least a Gold Rank sword technique! And it’s not any Gold Rank technique from any current style! This kid really isn’t afraid of others coveting his technique…" The rational examiner had a different focus.

"No… I think he’s really not afraid. The number of sword techniques in this set seems limited, only about twenty. I’ve watched it several times, but I can’t memorize it… I remember only when watching Gold Rank swordsmen do I have this feeling… But he’s just a Level 2 kid! How is this possible!" The excited examiner became even more agitated.

"I think this sword technique probably has some kind of unique incantation or cultivation method… If he can contribute this technique to the academy…" The rational examiner felt a burning passion rising in his heart.

"Yes, then our academy will have another Gold Rank sword technique! But it needs to be voluntary; forcing him won’t be accepted by the academy, and it might not even work. To get this technique, it depends on how the academy’s leadership can attract him… By the way, this must be reported! We need to show it to Professor Karen!" The excited examiner slapped his thigh.

"It must be reported, we can’t let such a student slip away! But it seems that the previous strike wasn’t just a burst of potential. He still looks quite strong. I wonder if he can hold out until the end." The rational examiner watched Ji Ran even more intently.

At this moment, Ji Ran was in a strange state.