Chapter 7

The originally noisy courtyard of the academy instantly fell into a deathly silence.

In Ye Fan's mind, the pages of the ancient book "Shang" rustled as they turned, finding the three basic martial arts techniques, "Basic Three." Activating the Martial God Demonstration, the divine book immediately emitted a faint glow.

At the moment Ye Fan activated the "Martial God Demonstration," he entered a wondrous and profound realm.

"Basic Step!"

Ye Fan took a step forward.

"Whoosh!"

His steps were as agile as a crane soaring through the vast, misty clouds, his movements barely visible. He instantly became unpredictable, his figure blurred, making it impossible for enemies to determine where he would land.

"This... This is the Basic Step?"

"How can it be more profound than advanced steps?"

"The best martial students from the top ten primary academies can't even match a fraction of this."

Countless young martial students were deeply shocked at that moment, their eyes wide open, their hearts filled with amazement.

The divine and wondrous nature of it was so extreme that even those who never practiced steps were entranced.

The five instructors showed signs of surprise, their expressions changing, and they involuntarily straightened their bodies.

This kind of basic step was not something that could be achieved with casual practice. It required the utmost effort and refinement, and only the most elite martial artists could possibly bring basic martial arts to this level, but even then, it would only be close.

"Basic Fist!"

Ye Fan threw a punch.

"Bang!"

The punch was like a drop of mercury falling onto a red plate, splashing up, smooth and agile, with a mysterious power that was hard to describe.

This punch, light and graceful, contained terrifying explosive power, capable of delivering a flawless and fatal blow to the enemy.

This punch made almost all the young martial students and teachers' pupils constrict sharply, their hearts spasming, as if instinctively fearing that the punch would land on them.

"Thud!"

Ye Fan kicked in mid-air.

The force was precise, breaking the finest hair, his leg seemingly measuring the world. No matter how agile the body, it could not escape this strike.

All the young martial students and examiners stared at Ye Fan in shock, holding their breath, not wanting to miss any detail.

They desperately tried to absorb the essence of that moment, to improve themselves.

If they missed it, they would likely regret it for the rest of their lives.

One step!

One punch!

One kick!

The simplest "Basic Three" martial arts techniques.

In Ye Fan's demonstration, they were so casual and effortless, yet they seemed perfectly natural, reaching the pinnacle of the "Basic Three."

This was not like basic martial arts, but rather perfect to the extreme, almost a miracle.

Even late-stage martial artists would be at a loss to understand the secrets contained in any of Ye Fan's basic offensive and defensive moves.

Unable to attack, unable to defend, unable to evade.

Ye Fan delivered one punch, one kick, and one step, completing the "Basic Three" demonstration in less than a breath.

He regained control of his body, took a deep breath, and slowly retracted his moves, his face slightly pale.

Activating the "Demonstration" once almost drained all his mental and physical strength.

No wonder "Shang" repeatedly warned him not to activate any martial arts higher than the basic level. Even the simplest "Basic Three" was almost too much for him. If he activated the Martial God Demonstration of higher-level martial arts, he would likely faint from exhaustion.

Ye Fan's body wavered slightly, but he gritted his teeth and held on, waiting for the examiners' judgment. If he fainted and lost points, it would be a waste of the Martial God Demonstration.

The courtyard was filled with people, but it was completely silent.

They all stared with wide eyes and open mouths, deeply shocked.

The martial students and examiners seemed to have unconsciously followed Ye Fan through an intense and deadly battle, each one drenched in sweat as if they had just emerged from water.

The various martial arts techniques displayed by thousands of martial students in the exam were all overshadowed by Ye Fan's demonstration.

Those who had previously spoken arrogantly, laughed, and mocked were now red-faced, feeling ashamed.

Compared to Ye Fan's divine basic martial arts, their techniques could only be described as clumsy and crude, a stark contrast.

This was the most shocking martial arts demonstration they had ever seen, and it was just the basic "Basic Three."

Their eyes were filled with admiration, a kind of intoxication. It was like a person who loved alcohol, drinking to the point of drunkenness in a vat of the finest wine, feeling a great sense of satisfaction.

After a long time, someone in the crowd finally came to their senses.

Soon, a wave of commotion spread.

"Heaven! Are my eyes deceiving me? The 'Basic Three,' such a low-level martial art, has been refined to the point of turning the mundane into the miraculous!"

"This is the tenth realm, the divine realm! The highest realm any martial art can reach is the tenth realm, the divine realm! It is a realm that can turn the mundane into the miraculous!"

"Our Canglan Kingdom hasn't had anyone refine basic martial arts to the divine realm in hundreds of years. The most recent one was a Martial King!"

"I always looked down on the 'Basic Three,' thinking it was something only martial apprentices would learn. Today, I realize that even basic martial arts, once refined to the tenth realm, divine realm, have unimaginable power in every move."

"Who is he? Which academy's martial arts genius?"

"He is Ye Fan! A martial student from Nanchen Academy!"

"After the exam, I must ask him for guidance! I want him to teach me how to refine my martial arts!"

The eyes of the thousands of martial students around him were filled with admiration and desire.

They were all martial students from the top ten academies, most of whom pursued higher realms of martial arts. Encountering a world-class martial arts genius, how could they not be moved!

"You don't know, he is from Nanchen Academy, and he is my classmate! His name is Ye Fan, and he has always been..."

A martial student proudly boasted to the others around him.

However, he soon became embarrassed. Apart from knowing Ye Fan's name, he could not recall any outstanding achievements of Ye Fan. In class, Ye Fan was always an unremarkable and ordinary student.

Except for the last class yesterday, when Ye Fan exposed the weaknesses of Zhao Xing, Jiang Weiyun, and others.

"Examiner Zhao, how do we score this?"

A secondary examiner asked the chief examiner Zhao Yiming in shock.

Chief examiner Zhao Yiming suddenly thought of something, his face darkening.

This year, the joint exam of the ten academies included the direct descendant of the Zhao family, Zhao Feiyang.

Zhao Feiyang had a good chance of winning the top position in the martial arts section of the joint exam, but with Ye Fan's shocking talent, things might not go as planned.

"According to the scoring rules, martial arts can be scored based on ten levels of proficiency. Reaching the tenth level means a perfect score of 100 points! The 'Basic Three' consists of three basic martial arts, so that's three perfect scores!"

Even with the most critical eyes, they could not find any flaws. This level of martial arts was so perfect, far beyond their ability to judge.

"But in the hundreds of years of the joint exam of the ten academies of Luyang Prefecture, no one has ever received a perfect score! If we give a perfect score, will other candidates have objections?"

A secondary examiner expressed concern.

Another secondary examiner said excitedly, "That's because the joint exam of the ten academies of Luyang Prefecture has never had a martial student reach the tenth level of proficiency! Admitting this student and reporting it to Dean Mu is a great achievement!"

The other examiners were startled and suddenly realized.

Yes!

Admitting a student with such outstanding martial arts talent would greatly please Dean Mu Fengshan, who would certainly reward them. Why should they care about a little criticism?

Chief examiner Zhao Yiming's face changed several times, but he ultimately did not speak against it.

Although he was a chief examiner, he was only one of the five chief examiners in the martial arts section.

Almost all the candidates and examiners had witnessed Ye Fan's divine martial arts demonstration, and he could not oppose it on the spot.

"However, his cultivation is too low, only at the first level of martial artist! Is he suitable for Luyang Prefecture Academy?"

"So what? As long as his total score meets the admission criteria of Luyang Prefecture Academy!"

The examiners nodded in agreement and quickly made a consistent score.

"Ye Fan from Nanchen Academy, the 'Basic Three' techniques—fist, kick, and step—all reached the tenth level. Three martial arts, 300 points! Cultivation, 100 points. Total score, 400 points!"

Before the secondary examiner finished announcing the score, Ye Fan suddenly felt his blood and qi reach a bottleneck, with an uncontrollable urge to burst forth. His bones made a crisp sound, and he felt an incredible sense of relief.

"Second level of martial artist!"

Ye Fan's face showed surprise as he suddenly threw a punch at a six-inch training post in the exam area.

"Bang!"

The punch wind roared, and with a crack, the wooden post broke.

The punch clearly delivered 200 pounds of force, a symbol of the second level of martial artist.

Ye Fan could not help but feel a mix of surprise and joy.

His talent was weak, and he had been stuck at the peak of the first level of martial artist for three years. Despite his hard training at Nanchen Academy and using every method possible, he could not break through.

He never expected that by activating the divine "Martial God Demonstration" in the exam, he would push his body to its limits and break through the first level of martial artist, which had held him back for three years.

"Damn! He actually broke through a level during the exam, directly adding 100 points to his cultivation score. How enviable!"

"Truly a miraculous youth!"

The surrounding young martial students were stunned, then filled with admiration.

The secondary examiner who announced the score was also stunned for a moment. Breaking through a level during the exam was a rare occurrence, seen only once in decades.

"Correction, Ye Fan from Nanchen Academy, total score in the martial arts section, 500 points!"

The secondary examiner immediately corrected himself.

"The score is confirmed!"

Ye Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With this score, he was sure to be admitted to the academy. He suppressed his excitement and calmly turned to leave the exam area.

Although breaking through to the second level of martial artist made him feel incredibly refreshed, the mental and physical energy he had expended could not be replenished, and he was very tired, wanting to go home and sleep.

The surrounding martial students made way for him, their eyes filled with admiration and respect, seeing him off.

"Impossible! How can Ye Fan's total score be so high??"

Zhao Xing was already scared stiff, his face showing shock, and he took several steps back.

Ye Fan's 500 points in the martial arts section were more than twice his 269 points. Zhao Xing, the strongest martial student in the 23rd class of Nanchen Academy, felt fear.

Ye Fan was no longer the small martial artist he could bully. Seeing Ye Fan's martial arts demonstration, he realized he was not even a match for Ye Fan.

"Ye Fan is so strong, it means he has been pretending to be weak for the past three years, enduring humiliation just for this moment of爆发! This guy has been pretending to be weak and enduring insults for three whole years, not retaliating when hit or cursed. This person is too terrifying!"

Zhao Xing's teeth were chattering in fear.

Thinking about the bet they had made, where he would have to bark like a dog if he lost, his face turned red, and he quickly ducked into the crowd to avoid Ye Fan's sight, trying to escape.

Ye Fan caught a glimpse of Zhao Xing's back as he tried to slip away and said calmly, "Zhao Xing! You were so confident just now, what did you want to bet with me? I have a good memory."

Zhao Xing froze, not daring to move a step.

He was now extremely afraid of Ye Fan. With the step technique Ye Fan had demonstrated, he knew he could not escape.

Thinking about how Ye Fan had endured humiliation for three years and then burst forth in the exam, causing a sensation in all ten academies of Luyang Prefecture, his heart turned cold.

This kind of person, even if he had ten lives, he would not dare to offend.

"Woof!"

Zhao Xing's face turned red, and he quickly barked once before fleeing in a panic.

"Why would he act like a dog instead of a person?"

A martial student was confused.

Some martial students from Nanchen Academy immediately explained what had happened earlier. When Zhao Xing made the bet with Ye Fan, there were many onlookers.

"Ah, so that's why, truly self-inflicted humiliation!"

"You don't even know your own worth, daring to provoke Ye Fan!"

The martial students looked at Zhao Xing, who was fleeing in disgrace, with disdain and sympathy, mixed with a bit of pity.

Zhao Xing, feeling the disdainful gazes of many, was ashamed and tried to escape from the crowd, his heart filled with hatred for Ye Fan.

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