Chapter 31

Seeing Long Tai showing his affection to Xia Chenxi, Lin Xinyi wrinkled her nose and said, "Chenxi, don't be fooled by this guy's appearance; he's a real scoundrel."

Xia Chenxi was slightly taken aback, "What happened?"

Lin Xinyi let out a light snort and said, "Don't be fooled by his polite demeanor. In fact, he is the bully of Green Mountain Town. Yao Lei told me that he often forcibly takes women in Green Mountain Town, disgracing many of them. This time, he even wants to forcibly marry Lu Xuan's sister. Lu Xuan, with no other choice, came to participate in the Wind Sword Sect's assessment, hoping to rely on the Wind Sword Sect's influence to suppress him and protect his sister."

Xia Chenxi was greatly surprised, "Is there really such a thing? I never knew, and Lu Xuan never told me. Otherwise, if I had my father intervene, he could definitely protect his sister."

"Given Lu Xuan's personality, he probably doesn't like owing favors to others. And as you said, with his current strength, he should have no problem entering the inner sect of the Wind Sword Sect."

Xia Chenxi nodded, but her gaze towards Long Tai was filled with disdain. As a woman, she naturally detested Long Tai's behavior of playing with women.

Xia Chenxi's gaze made Long Tai somewhat taken aback. In the entire Lincheng, Xia Chenxi's family background, appearance, and strength were all top-notch. He originally wanted to take the opportunity to show his affection and win her favor, but he didn't know where he had offended her, and it seemed she didn't have a good impression of him.

While he was frowning in thought, Xia Ye's voice came again, "Long Tai, stop talking nonsense. Let's see who is better in a real test!"

Long Tai's gaze returned to Xia Ye, and he coldly snorted, "If you want to compete, let's do it. Do you think I'm afraid of you? Everyone thinks you, Xia Ye, are the top genius after Xia Chenxi. Today, I, Long Tai, will reclaim my honor in front of all the martial artists in Lincheng! I will show you that only I, Long Tai, am worthy of you in the entire Lincheng!"

Soon, the two stood before their respective strength-testing stone pillars. The gazes of countless martial artists focused on Xia Ye and Long Tai, eager to see who would come out on top.

Xia Ye untied the long sword on his back and handed it to a subordinate, then looked at Long Tai and said, "Who goes first?"

"Since you want to compete, you go first," Long Tai said calmly. He was determined to make a stunning impression, and without Xia Ye's performance to set the stage, how could he show his own strength?

"Fine, let's do it," Xia Ye coldly snorted, showing no fear.

After a brief warm-up, Xia Ye slowly gathered his energy, concentrating all his strength in his hand. When his energy reached its peak, he let out a loud cry and punched the strength-testing stone pillar with all his might.

The crystal pillar of the stone pillar shot up rapidly, reaching 1,000, 1,500, 2,000... and finally stopping at 2,600.

When Xia Ye's score was announced, the martial artists were amazed, drawing in their breaths. Indeed, as the top genius in Lincheng after Xia Chenxi, this score was the best among the newly participating martial artists. The previous best score was only 1,800 pounds, not even breaking 2,000.

Although he successfully broke the record with a strength of 2,600 pounds, Xia Ye still seemed somewhat unsatisfied. He punched the stone pillar two more times, achieving scores of 2,500 and 2,550, but unfortunately, he did not surpass his previous high score.

"Xia Ye, highest score, 2,600 pounds!" The Wind Sword Sect's officer announced Xia Ye's score, somewhat surprised. He didn't expect Lincheng to have such promising talent.

"Hmph, my performance wasn't great this time, but it gave you an advantage," Xia Ye said with a hint of pride. Now, with a score of 2,600 pounds, he was still quite satisfied. After all, some martial artists who had just reached the fifth level of body refinement could only achieve a strength of 2,000 pounds, and he had far surpassed that.

"Brother Xuan, this guy is pretty strong! 2,600 pounds, my goodness, if he hit me, I'd be done for," Yao Lei said, his tongue hanging out.

Lu Xuan said noncommittally, "That was just an ordinary punch without using martial techniques. The strength test does not allow the use of martial techniques. If he had used them, the damage would have been even more astonishing. Since Xia Ye challenged Long Tai, it seems Long Tai's strength is also comparable."

Although Lu Xuan had always considered Long Tai a major enemy and was determined to eliminate him, he was not very clear about Long Tai's true strength. Today, he learned that Long Tai was indeed very strong.

However, Lu Xuan was not at all intimidated. No matter how strong Long Tai was, he was determined to surpass him. The stronger the enemy, the higher his fighting spirit.

Seeing Xia Ye's score of 2,600 pounds, Long Tai's eyebrows twitched. He didn't expect this guy to have some real strength, but he was not afraid. He slowly stood before the strength-testing stone pillar and began to channel his energy.

After a deep breath, Long Tai let out a low cry and punched the stone pillar with all his might.

A loud thud echoed as his fist hit the stone pillar.

The eyes of countless martial artists focused on the crystal pillar, which quickly broke 2,000, then 2,500, 2,600...

Xia Ye's face darkened. His score was 2,600, and Long Tai's punch had already broken his record.

In the end, the crystal pillar stopped at 2,800 pounds, only 200 pounds higher than Xia Ye, but it was a clear victory over Xia Ye.

Long Tai took a deep breath, relaxed his body, and then looked at Xia Ye with a mocking gaze, "I think there's no need to continue. It seems that the top genius in Lincheng after Miss Chenxi is none other than me."

"Hmph, what are you boasting about? This is just the first test. A true genius isn't determined by strength alone. We'll see who is the top in the final assessment!" Xia Ye said, somewhat angry and embarrassed. He thought he had a sure win, but who would have thought he would lose to Long Tai.

"Then you'll just have to wait and see. I will make you lose with no regrets. The top in this assessment will be none other than me!" Long Tai said without backing down.

Xia Ye ignored him, coldly snorted, and swept away, his pride severely damaged.

After Long Tai's punch, he did not attempt the test again. He knew his limits; to break Xia Ye's record, he had already used his maximum strength. If he tried again, he probably wouldn't even reach 2,500 pounds.

"Long Tai, 2,800 pounds, pass!" The officer in charge of the assessment loudly announced the score when Long Tai stopped.