The Villain Plundered the Children of Destiny’s Luck - Chapter 39:

Chapter 39: This Child’s Talent is Outstanding

For his two concubines, Qin Xiao’s ratings were Ye Suxin with 91 points, an exceptional grade, and Nalan Feiyan with 93 points, also an exceptional grade. As for Yang Qingwu, although she had not fully matured, she could still receive a score of 90 points. As for Lu Miao’er, she was still young, but Qin Xiao had given her 88 points. Once she matured in a few years, she could likely reach 90 points and meet his standard for accepting her as a concubine. Because of this, he subconsciously gave her a few more glances.

“Over there is the Young Master of the Thunderclap Martial Hall, along with a few disciples of the hall.” Luo Yun explained again, “Those are members of the Blackwater Gang… and that’s the Li Family from Leshan City…” Luo Yun’s information was extremely well-connected. He was familiar with every major Innate Realm faction, and with his introductions, Qin Xiao gained a great deal of insight.

There were quite a few Innate Realm forces who had come to observe the True Martial Academy’s disciple selection, over ten factions in total, gathering more than twenty Innate Realm martial artists. If not for such a grand event, one would normally never see so many powerful figures gathered in Xuanfeng Commandery. It was hard to imagine how many experts existed within the Great Wei Empire as a whole, and how strong the imperial clan that ruled over it must be.

While they conversed, the leading instructors of the True Martial Academy slowly walked toward the front ten seats and sat down. The one leading them was an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a blue robe, his face stern. Qin Xiao observed his aura and could tell he had already reached the Spiritual Power Realm. Qin Xiao thought, “I didn’t expect the True Martial Academy would even have a Spiritual Power Realm expert leading the team. This academy is even stronger than I imagined. And this is only the Ji Prefecture High Academy. If the academies and supreme institutions of the True Martial Academy were combined, how terrifying would their strength be?”

“Let us begin,” the old man said after seating himself, sweeping his gaze over the gathered crowd.

“Yes, Elder!” A teacher of the True Martial Academy immediately walked down from the judge’s platform and announced, “The selection officially begins. For the first round, those under 18 years old who have broken through to the Postnatal Realm may step forward. Those under 15 who have reached the 9th stage of the Body Tempering Realm may also step forward.”

With his words, ninety percent of the young candidates were immediately eliminated. Out of more than ten thousand participants, less than one thousand remained. However, those eliminated still had a chance. The academy would later hold an additional selection, choosing the 20 strongest among the eliminated to join, giving them a sliver of hope.

The instructor then continued, “Now begins the second round. You will be divided evenly into ten arenas and fight each other. In the end, only ten people will remain in each arena, and they will earn the qualification to enter the True Martial Academy. Remember—killing is forbidden. If you kill, you will lose your eligibility.” He added, “Also, those who fail to remain in the arena still have one chance to challenge. If you defeat an opponent who qualified, you may take their place.”

After his announcement, the survivors of the first round were divided among the ten arenas. Ye Tian was placed on the third arena, Yang Hao on the fifth, while Qin Xiao’s grandson Qin Zhenyuan and granddaughter Qin Tianmei were placed on the eighth.

Once assigned, some participants began forming alliances with familiar faces or temporary teams, while those confident in their own strength stood alone. Still, everyone remained highly vigilant. With only ten slots per arena, every other person could become a rival.

“Begin!” a True Martial Academy instructor ordered once everyone was in position.

“Attack!”

The arena instantly erupted into chaos as the contestants rushed at one another, trying to knock others out.

A young man charged at Ye Tian. Ye Tian sneered, “At just the 1st stage Postnatal Realm, you dare attack me? You’re courting death.” He formed a blazing handprint and sent the youth flying off the stage, his body crashing heavily to the ground below. After a year and a half of cultivation, Ye Tian had already reached the 6th stage Postnatal Realm. The gap between him and a 1st stage martial artist was insurmountable.

The arenas were filled with the sounds of combat—”Bang! Bang!”—as waves of true qi blasted about. One after another, participants were knocked out of the arenas.

On the fifth arena, Yang Hao displayed terrifying strength. Each strike sent an opponent flying off the platform, his ferocity so great that others quickly backed away from him. The elder on the judge’s platform, the Spiritual Power Realm instructor, looked at him with clear admiration, saying, “This child’s talent is extraordinary. At such a young age, he has already reached the 8th stage Postnatal Realm. His cultivation must be the highest among all participants here.” Most of the youths were only at the early stages of Postnatal Realm, and even those in the mid stages were rare. Yang Hao being at the late stage was astonishing.

Meanwhile, on the eighth arena, Qin Xiao’s grandson and granddaughter did not shine as brightly as Ye Tian or Yang Hao, but working together, they managed to hold their ground. Luo Yun praised, “The juniors that Elder Qin brought are truly gifted. The lowest among them has already reached the mid-stage Postnatal Realm. Passing this selection should be no problem for them.”

Qin Xiao smiled and replied, “Patriarch Luo, you flatter me. The two juniors you brought are also quite remarkable.” Indeed, both of Luo Yun’s youths had reached the mid-stage Postnatal Realm and were more than capable of passing.

“Brother, do your best! Ye Tian, do your best!” Yang Qingwu cheered excitedly from below the arena.

The little girl’s talent was also good. With Qin Xiao’s endless resources poured into her training, she had reached the 5th stage Postnatal Realm, despite spending her days serving Qin Xiao as a maid and studying various arts, leaving only her nights for cultivation. In Qin Xiao’s eyes, her talent was even stronger than her brother’s. She had wanted to participate in the selection like Ye Tian and Yang Hao, but Qin Xiao refused. No matter how much she begged, Qin Xiao remained unmoved. How could he let this girl, whom he had nurtured so carefully, enter freely? What if, after all his effort, she ended up in Ye Tian’s arms? That would mean all his painstaking investment would be for nothing.

The battles continued. Contestants were being eliminated one after another, until finally, after about ten minutes, the chaos settled. Each arena had only ten participants remaining, and they all stopped fighting.