Chapter 467: A Contest of Geniuses

Next, four more contestants made their attempts. In the end, only the ninth-ranked individual managed to leave a faint name at around the eleven-meter mark. All the others failed.

After the ten contestants were tested, only two had passed. The success rate left everyone stunned speechless.

Beside Ye Xuan, Luo Cheng was also dazed. He muttered, "This is way too hard, isn’t it?"

"Actually, this Memorial Stele... it’s not exactly easy, but it’s not exactly hard either," Ye Xuan said faintly from the side.

Luo Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he asked hurriedly, "Young Master Ye, what do you mean? Have you figured something out?"

Ye Xuan didn’t answer, instead asking, "Luo Cheng, what do you think the purpose of Gale Light Academy’s assessment is?"

"To select students, of course."

"Exactly." Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Gale Light Academy’s first round, the Array assessment, tested a Martial Artist’s will for the Martial Dao. Anyone whose will wasn’t excellent or outstanding was the first to be eliminated."

"The second round, the Gale Light Realm, tested the contestants’ observation skills, reflexes, and physical strength, among other things. It even involved a bit of luck."

"These are all fundamental to a Martial Artist’s growth."

"But aside from these things, a Martial Artist’s true speed, Profound Power, defense, Cultivation Technique, and other aspects haven’t been tested at all. That’s clearly not normal."

"And this third round, naturally, is to test those things."

Luo Cheng looked even more confused. "This third round can test that much? Isn’t it just testing a Martial Artist’s Body Technique and strength?"

"It would be strange if it were that simple." Ye Xuan shot him a speechless look. This Luo Cheng was a bit dense. He continued, "Gale Light Academy’s goal is clearly to select elites, and you can’t possibly assess an elite based on just one or two aspects."

"You have to understand, martial arts often have strengths and weaknesses against each other. Among students of the same level, some excel at Lightweight Skills, some at defense, and some at offense. When they spar, wins and losses are to be expected. You can’t simply say that just because Zhang San beat Li Si, and Wang Er beat Zhang San, that Wang Er is guaranteed to win against Li Si."

"After all, a real battle is full of variables and depends on all sorts of factors."

"This Memorial Stele can assess a person’s comprehensive qualities. I can only give you one piece of advice: give it your all. Whether it’s height or power, you must give it everything you’ve got."

"Of course, you must also leave some leeway. Like that person before, who was knocked back before he could even make a move—that’s because he didn’t leave any leeway and jumped too high."

"But don’t worry. Based on my observations, with your strength, as long as you take it seriously, leaving your name on this Memorial Stele shouldn’t be a problem."

With that, Ye Xuan patted Luo Cheng’s shoulder and said no more.

Luo Cheng muttered speechlessly, "Give it my all, but also leave some leeway... isn’t that a contradiction?"

Lines of exasperation formed on Ye Xuan’s forehead.

’This guy...’

Ye Xuan raised his head and looked at the black stone stele.

’If I’m not mistaken, the pressure from this black stone stele gets stronger the higher you go.’

And besides the height, Ye Xuan had also discovered that when one attacked the black stone wall, it would produce a rebounding force. If a Martial Artist’s defense was weak, they could easily be sent flying by this rebound.

It wasn’t just Ye Xuan; some of the more astute contestants had also noticed this.

’So this Memorial Stele doesn’t just test a contestant’s strength. It also tests their Body Technique, their ability to resist the pressure, their own Defense Power, and finally, their attack power. When you add it all up, it’s a test of nearly everything a Martial Artist possesses.’

’And if I’m not mistaken, the difficulty of leaving a name on the Memorial Stele should also vary with age.’

’In the end, based on the height and size of the name, you can tell the difference in talent between the students at a glance.’

’The person who created this Memorial Stele was a true genius.’

Ye Xuan couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

With Gale Light Academy’s testing methods, it was rare for a true genius to be overlooked. Those who could enter the academy were all the absolute best of the group.

Before long, another ten people had finished the assessment. This time, only one of them left a name on the stele.

Despair was written on every contestant’s face.

The elder Qingfeng, however, showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips.

’Three qualifiers out of the first twenty. As expected of a top-tier class. This ratio is acceptable.’

It was important to note that the first to be tested were those who had ranked at the bottom in the second round. Even if not a single one of them managed to leave their name on the stele, Qingfeng would not have been surprised.

As they progressed, the strength and talent of the contestants would increase, and the probability of leaving a name would naturally rise as well.

For the top three like Ye Xuan, Hou Fei, and Xia Qixi, Qingfeng wasn’t worried about whether they could leave their names. He was concerned about just how high they could place them.

And just as expected, among the next ten people, three managed to leave their names on the Memorial Stele.

One of them even reached a height of nearly twenty meters, and the clarity was quite impressive.

As the tests continued, more and more contestants left their names on the Memorial Stele. The heights grew, and the clarity and size of the names increased as well.

By the time the first one hundred and ninety people were tested, about fifty had left their names on the Memorial Stele. The highest among them was at about thirty meters.

This height was comparable to the names left by previous years’ students, a respectable achievement.

"It’s my turn."

It was finally Luo Cheng’s turn.

The worry on his face was gone, replaced by brimming confidence.

"Good luck."

Encouraged by Ye Xuan, Luo Cheng walked up to the black stone stele. Circulating the Cultivation Technique Ye Xuan had given him, he shot up into the sky.

Following Ye Xuan’s advice, he unleashed all the power in his body.

SWISH!

Luo Cheng reached a height of about thirty meters. Just as he felt his strength was about to give out, he formed a blade with his fingers and jabbed forward forcefully. With a PFFT, his fingers, shrouded in Profound Power, pierced into the stone wall. He wrote his name—Luo Cheng—with large, masterful strokes.

Then, he landed lightly and returned to the group.

"Young Master Ye, I did it!"

Luo Cheng said excitedly.

"Mm." Ye Xuan nodded with a smile.

Luo Cheng’s name was as large as a washbasin and at a height of about thirty meters. Among the nearly two hundred people tested so far, this was enough to rank in the top three.

The assessment continued.

One Martial Artist after another went up and carved their names.

By the time three hundred people had been tested, nearly one hundred had officially become students of Gale Light Academy.

This number finally allowed the onlookers to breathe a sigh of relief. Based on the initial ratio, they had estimated that only a few dozen would be selected by the end, which was a terrifying prospect.

But the real competition was only just beginning.

’Hmph, in the last round of assessment, not only was Murong Yunxiao faster than me, but even those two contestants from the Thirteen Nations Alliance were faster. I, Zhou Qingwei, am a scion of a great family in the Sky Empire! How could I lose to two country girls from some remote place!’

In the crowd, Zhou Qingwei glared resentfully at Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi, her face a mask of indignation.

In terms of birth and background, she considered herself far superior to Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi, yet she had lost to them repeatedly during the assessment.

If Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi were average, it would be one thing, but they were not only superior in cultivation but also in appearance, which naturally infuriated her.

Zhou Qingwei knew very well that once the four of them entered the academy, they would definitely become a topic of discussion for countless students. She absolutely could not tolerate her own fame being suppressed by people like Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi.

’The first two rounds were just luck. The name in this third round will be permanently left on Gale Light Academy’s Memorial Stele. I will let everyone know that I, Zhou Qingwei, am the genius who embodies both strength and beauty!’

Zhou Qingwei bit her lip, her eyes cold.

She repeated this silently in her heart.

"Next, Zhou Qingwei."

Qingfeng’s voice rang out faintly.

"It’s Zhou Qingwei."

"The young lady from the Zhou family, a great family of the Sky Empire."

"Senior Brother Zhou Qingyu’s sister."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Beauty always came with privileges, and the world of Martial Artists was no different.

When the other contestants were being tested, the crowd had paid them only passing attention, but the moment Zhou Qingwei stepped up, she immediately drew a chorus of voices.

Zhou Qingwei savored this feeling of being the center of attention. With a smile on her face, she walked gracefully to the front of the black stone wall.

"Two years ago, Zhou Qingyu of the Zhou family carved his name at the forty-eight-meter mark on the Memorial Stele. That’s an upper-mid-tier result. I wonder how talented this Zhou Qingwei is."

"We’re about to find out."

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Zhou Qingwei’s figure suddenly soared into the air.

Her movements were ethereal, like a fluttering butterfly—as graceful as smoke, beautiful and captivating.

This Body Technique alone elicited a wave of cheers from the surrounding crowd.

"As expected of the young lady of the Zhou family! That Body Technique is so beautiful."

"If she can join the Inner Court, she’ll definitely earn the title of one of the academy’s top ten beauties."

"Look, she’s reached Senior Brother Zhou Qingyu’s height from back then, and she’s not even stopping!"

Amid the crowd’s gasps of amazement, Zhou Qingwei continued past Zhou Qingyu’s mark, only stopping when she reached a height of fifty-two meters.

At this height, the terrifying pressure was like a great mountain pressing down on her.

’I, Zhou Qingwei, am the most outstanding!’

Zhou Qingwei bit her pearly teeth, her gaze resolute. Her body was like a colorful phoenix, her jade-like fingers extending like a peacock displaying its tail as she brilliantly carved her name, "Zhou Qingwei," onto the stele in front of her.

Immediately after, her figure descended ethereally, her posture light and graceful, like something from a dream.

WHOA!

A deafening roar erupted from the entire arena.