Grinding Cultivation Toward Martial Saint

Upon the stage,

Clang—

A sword fell, and amidst the collision of sword and stick, a powerful soundwave formed, invisible to the naked eye.

Centered between the two combatants, the dust beneath their feet trembled and then, pushed by an unseen force, scattered in all directions.

At the same time,

Yuan Fei suddenly flew out of the arena.

Below the stage, people close to it couldn't help but cover their ears.

With the spread of this powerful soundwave, their ears filled with ringing.

"How powerful!" The man hosting the assessment gasped in shock, his face showing disbelief.

Even though he was now at the Martial Arts Sixth Grade and among the Four Great Commanders ranked within the top two, he was still utterly amazed by Jiang Ning's strike.

Because the attack strength of this single slash far surpassed the limits of Martial Arts Eighth Grade.

Even ordinary individuals at Martial Arts Seventh Grade would find it difficult to parry this blow and emerge unscathed.

Under Jiang Ning's blade, Yuan Fei was sent flying dozens of feet, finally crashing heavily into the crowd.

"Wow! Jiang Ning has become the top leader among the dozen captains, seizing victory and the title of Deputy Commander?"

"It's unbelievable! We never thought highly of Jiang Ning, yet he turned things around and became the strongest."

"Yes, it's really incredible! But, this is what a true Martial Arts prodigy looks like! A real prodigy always breaks the constraints of common sense and shatters the perceptions of people!"

"I'm so envious! From today onwards, when facing Jiang Ning, I'll have to address him as 'Sir'!"

"Yes! Jiang Ning, so young, yet he's obtained the official rank of Eighth Grade, a position of real power similar to the previous County Magistrate—truly a meteoric rise!"

"...."

Watching this scene unfold on the stage, the crowd couldn't help but speak out in astonishment and shock, their faces a mix of myriad expressions.

Elsewhere,

Zhao Hu, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but feel immense regret for provoking Jiang Ning earlier.

He quickly slipped into the crowd, vanishing where Jiang Ning might spot him.

At this moment, all he wanted was to lower his presence as much as possible.

...

Up in the stands,

Lin Qingyi's stunned gaze soon turned into a smile.

"This young fellow, how much more can he surprise me!"

"Three months of martial arts practice, unmatched at Eighth Grade, mastering the Sword Force, how strong he will become is something even I dare not predict!"

At the same time,

Lin Jiaer, seeing Jiang Ning standing alone with his sword on the stage, felt an immense regret inside.

If she had known Jiang Ning would come this far, she would never have rejected the match-making proposal from her aunt, Lin Qingyi, earlier.

"I wonder if there's still a chance to remedy this, after all, I am not lacking in beauty!" Lin Jiaer thought introspectively.

...

Below the stage.

Thwack—

Wang Jin smacked his thigh hard, as he was wearing thin clothes due to the summer heat.

The crisp sound that came from the slap was extremely loud.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about the pain in his leg, his face radiating immense joy.

"This disciple of mine, isn't he awesome!"

He laughed and said to Yu Yuan standing beside him.

At this moment, Yu Yuan's face showed intense jealousy.

Seeing Yu Yuan's expression, Wang Jin laughed even louder, feeling extremely proud inside.

"Blue outshines indigo," is the wish of ninety-nine percent of all masters.

Being a master, who wouldn't want a remarkable disciple to inherit their mantle.

Let alone having received Jiang Ning, a disciple displaying legendary traits.

Wow—

Jackpot—

That was what Wang Jin was feeling at that moment.

...

Upon the stage,

After delivering a full-powered slash that knocked Yuan Fei out of the arena, securing his victory, Jiang Ning then reverted to a sword-holding posture.

He then turned around to look at the man hosting the examination.

As he turned, his gaze swept across half of the schoolyard, brushing momentarily over the central part of the stands.

The central position was where Hong Minghu was seated.

Upon that fleeting glimpse, the expressions of Hong Minghu and Gongsun Yu beside him were fully captured by Jiang Ning.

"It should be fine!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

He had not forgotten that in the midst of the examination, a person suddenly appeared beside Hong Minghu.

A person from Medicine King Valley.

Undoubtedly, this man was a true core member of Medicine King Valley.

Most likely, the news of Liu Qingsong's disappearance had reached Medicine King Valley, thus this key person had arrived.

His presence here, in Jiang Ning's mind, undoubtedly meant he had traced something here.

Although Jiang Ning didn't know how he could have possibly traced it here,

He also hadn't forgotten that this world was vastly different from his previous one, with Martial Saints ruling unmatched for eight hundred years.

Before in Great Xia, there were even legends of immortals and demons.

Thus, it was entirely normal for this world to possess unknown and miraculous divine methods.

Considering this, Jiang Ning couldn't look upon this powerful person from Medicine King Valley as coming specifically for him.

Thus, at this critical moment, he chose to reveal his mastery of the Sword Force to the many dignitaries present,

Partly to boost his status in the eyes of others.

A Martial Arts prodigy always has people willing to invest in him and befriend him.

Just like how his talent had initially attracted Wang Jin's attention, leading to everything that followed.

And why Shen Congyun had valued him so highly back then; partly it was due to Shen Congyun's character and attitude, but also because he had made himself significant in Shen Congyun's eyes.

Had Shen Congyun not valued him highly, with just Cao Rong's attack, even with Wang Jin's full protection, the outcome might have been uncertain.