Chapter 72

The crowd didn't have to wait long. With a sharp clang, the competition officially began. The entire martial hall was bustling with noise, and one by one, the martial students looked at the stage, eager to participate.

"Everyone listen up! The rules of the competition are very simple—survival of the fittest, the winner takes all! As soon as you lose a match, no matter how strong you think you are, you're out!"

A black-faced man, who looked like a squad leader, stood on the stage with a stern expression, and after his words, he immediately announced the start:

"Wooden plaque number 0032, Lin Dong, and wooden plaque number 0133... come to the stage immediately!"

Clang!

With the loud sound of the gong, the crowd stirred, and two teenagers, around fifteen or sixteen years old, immediately leaped onto the stage, kicking off the martial examination.

Yang Ji stood below the stage, silent, his gaze fixed on the stage like everyone else. This was a competition at the Breath Realm level, and it was extremely intense.

Although the two participants weren't very powerful, they still captured everyone's attention, whether they were at the Breath Realm or the Martial Dao Realm, all focusing intently on the stage.

The "Martial Imperial Examination" was held every three years and was a grand event for the entire world. Before this, whether they were geniuses at the Martial Dao Realm or ordinary people at the Breath Realm, everyone trained in isolation, with no way to gauge their strengths and weaknesses or their exact position.

Only in the Martial Imperial Examination, where thousands of the most outstanding martial students gathered, and a variety of powerful martial arts and techniques were displayed, could one broaden their horizons, break through preconceptions, and verify their own achievements.

This was why, despite knowing that their chances of success were slim, many Breath Realm students still joined each session, striving with all their might.

For everyone, this was an excellent opportunity to improve themselves.

"Number 32 is agile but overly cautious. Number 133, although he can't keep up with his speed, is powerful and decisive. If there are no surprises, he should win this match."

Yang Ji, standing below the stage, quickly assessed the outcome of the match.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, a noisy sound came from another competition area. Yang Ji turned his head to look, and it seemed that another match had just ended, causing a chill in his heart.

Although there was a huge gap between the Breath Realm and the Martial Dao Realm, those at the Breath Realm still had their strengths. In just a short time, they had quickly defeated their opponents, showcasing their superior combat skills.

"This competition is truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

A thought flashed through Yang Ji's mind.

The competition progressed quickly. A moment later, the contestant with the wooden plaque number 0133 indeed landed a punch on his opponent, ending the match.

Next, pairs of contestants continuously climbed onto the stage, each displaying their unique skills, competing fiercely under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Yang Ji remained silent, no longer concerned with their victories or defeats, but instead focused on the powerful martial techniques they displayed.

The Yang Clan was a century-old family, but it wasn't powerful enough to gather all the martial techniques in the world. On the stage, a myriad of martial techniques emerged, such as "Mighty Ox Fist," "Black Tiger Martial Technique," "Feather Wing Martial Technique," "Swallow Martial Technique," "Fierce Ape Martial Technique," and more. Some were fast and accurate, others fierce and overwhelming, not inferior to the Yang Clan's martial techniques.

Yang Ji memorized these martial techniques in his mind and silently analyzed and deduced them in his head. This was not the first time he had secretly learned martial techniques.

At the beginning, when Yang Ji was learning "Cloud Hands," he had spent a great deal of effort and time, drawing thousands of "cloud fluff" sketches.

But with the improvement of his skills, Yang Ji no longer relied on pen and ink but could complete part of the work in his mind.

The large number of martial experts displaying their skills on the stage greatly broadened Yang Ji's horizons and even led him to discover many aspects of martial techniques that he had previously overlooked.

Yang Ji stood in the crowd, silent, his understanding of martial arts rapidly increasing!

"Number 1201, Yang Ji, and number 1134, Sun Fan, to the stage! ——"

Hearing his name, Yang Ji suddenly opened his eyes.

"Move, move, move..."

On the other side of the stage, a commotion broke out, and a huge force erupted, pushing the crowd around roughly.

A contestant who had just won and was about to leave the stage was about to get angry, but seeing a flash of blood, he immediately shut his mouth and stepped aside silently.

"Bang!"

A flash of light, and a contestant at the initial stage of the First Level of the Martial Dao Realm leaped onto the stage. This contestant, named Sun Fan, had a pale complexion, arched eyebrows, and a bright, proud gaze. He stood with his arms crossed, looking down at Yang Ji below.

"Let's get this over with quickly, come up here!"

Sun Fan pointed at Yang Ji below, speaking rudely.

A martial artist has the pride of a martial artist. Although the previous matches were intense, contestants at the Breath Realm were hard to impress him.

In a clan, a martial artist at the Breath Realm wouldn't even be worth his attention.

"How interesting, my first match is against a martial artist of the same level."

Yang Ji smiled, walking over at a steady pace.

Yang Ji was different from others. Although he had the strength of a martial artist, due to his circumstances, he didn't display the same overbearing aura as others.

If one only looked at breathing, there was no difference between the Martial Dao Realm and the Breath Realm, both having ten breaths per segment. The opponent clearly mistook him for someone at the Breath Realm.

"Make your move!"

Yang Ji said calmly, stomping his foot on the stage, which was solid and could withstand great force.

"Hmph!"

Sun Fan snorted, feeling annoyed by Yang Ji's calm expression. "Different people, different temperaments," not everyone was easy to deal with. Sun Fan, who had a quick temper and a bad temper, disliked Yang Ji's slow and steady personality the most.

"I don't want to waste time with you. This stage isn't suitable for you. As a spectator, you should know your place—now, get down!"

Sun Fan, considering the black-faced man's presence, said these words and then suddenly attacked.

"Boom!"

Sun Fan's dantian vibrated, and his whole body exerted force. A faint blood qi surged out of his body like a tide. With a loud boom, the air whistled, and a strong wind rose within a five-step radius.

Sun Fan took a step forward, rushing up and delivering a powerful punch at Yang Ji. The punch was so strong that it seemed to collapse the space, leaving a trail like a burning comet in the air.

A martial artist at the Martial Dao Realm was no ordinary opponent. If Sun Fan's punch landed, it could turn a bull into minced meat!

"Boom!"

Sun Fan came quickly, but he left even faster. With a loud boom, like a hurricane toppling a tree, accompanied by a crackling sound, Sun Fan flew out of the stage like a broken kite, flipping several times in the air.

"Ah! ——"

With a chorus of gasps, the crowd below buzzed, standing up and crowding forward. The eyes of the crowd were filled with shock as they looked at Yang Ji on the stage.

No one had seen how Yang Ji made his move, only a faint flash of white light, and Sun Fan was already flying out like a scarecrow.

"Such strong power!"

"Such quick reaction!"

...

The crowd opened their eyes wide, and the most shocked were the dozens of martial artists at the Martial Dao Realm in the crowd. This was the first battle between martial artists, and without a doubt, Sun Fan had made a fatal mistake by mistaking Yang Ji for someone at the Breath Realm.

"Yang Ji wins!"

The black-faced man, who was overseeing the competition, didn't think much about it, stepped forward, raised Yang Ji's arm, and announced the victory.

Yang Ji came down from the stage, feeling that everyone's gaze had changed. Some bright eyes were constantly examining him, filled with hostility, clearly because Yang Ji's actions had caught the attention of other martial artists.

The competition continued...

"Next match, number 1007, number 3289!..."

A flash of light, and a tall figure leaped up like a crane, covering several yards and landing lightly on the stage, his movements crisp and precise.

This young man had bright eyes and a presence like a mountain or a deep pool, immediately drawing cheers from the crowd.

"Fan Zhao! It's Fan Zhao from our village!"

"His strength has grown even stronger in just a few months, how impressive!"

"With his high talent, he can reach the Martial Dao Realm through self-study and excel in practical combat, even defeating the clan's descendants. He will definitely win this time!"

...

The crowd of Breath Realm contestants below chattered excitedly. Clearly, Fan Zhao was a celebrity among them.

"He's a skilled expert!"

Yang Ji glanced at him and thought. Just by the way he moved through the air and landed on the stage, with graceful and precise movements, it was clear he was skilled in practical combat, far superior to those who only imitated others. Even Yang Ji admitted he couldn't do better.

"He should have reached the middle stage of the First Level of the Martial Dao Realm. Even Sun Fan, who fought against me, was no match for him."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

This trip had indeed broadened his horizons. In the Yang Clan, it was rare to see the descendants at the Martial Dao Realm. But during the Martial Imperial Examination, the "Martial Hall" was filled with them.

These experts, who usually trained in seclusion, all "emerged" at this time. Neither Sun Fan nor Fan Zhao were ordinary opponents.

"Hehehe..."

With a belated laugh, the opponent with the wooden plaque number 3289 finally appeared. His laughter floated out before he arrived, carrying an indescribable, strange flavor.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a plump, fair-skinned contestant wearing a gold-threaded melon-shaped hat, a cold jade ring on his hand, and dressed in silk brocade, walked up slowly, more like a merchant than a martial artist.

On either side of him, four young "contestants" wearing wooden plaques, like servants, bowed and followed, seemingly afraid to breathe loudly.

Seeing this formation and this display, the crowd was immediately in an uproar. Even Yang Ji raised an eyebrow.

Those who came to the Martial Imperial Examination were all somewhat proud. Without pride, they wouldn't be here. And young people, with their fiery blood, wouldn't easily submit to others. But these four contestants, without any shame, willingly served this plump contestant as servants.

In the eyes of the crowd, this was a disgrace to everyone, and disdainful and contemptuous looks were everywhere.

But these four servile contestants paid no attention, only focusing on the "plump master" beside them.