Absolute Genius

The Grand Competition continued in full swing.

During this time, many figures emerged who drew the close attention of the various faction representatives. Among them, two had achieved great accomplishment in the Wanxing Body-Tempering Technique, and there was even one person with a strength of eight stones.

This was a genius the Outer Court might not see even once every two or three years, causing quite a stir for a time.

However, since he didn't know them, Zhuang Xun didn't pay much attention, only keeping an eye on his roommates' scores.

An Dafu received a B-minus.

Zhang Tie received a B.

Li Zigeng, however, was quite a surprise. Relying on six stones of strength and a near-great accomplishment level of the Wanxing Body-Tempering Technique, he secured an excellent score of A-minus.

The disciples of the Seventh Courtyard looked on, somewhat dumbfounded.

How were these guys, who usually seemed so ordinary and lacked any presence, all so formidable?

The twin dragons of Dorm 29...

When Li Zigeng returned, Zhuang Xun smiled and congratulated him.

An Dafu and Zhang Tie teased him about keeping his talents hidden.

Li Zigeng quickly waved his hands, sheepishly saying that he had simply performed beyond his usual limits, which only invited another round of teasing from An Dafu and Zhang Tie.

Regarding Li Zigeng's A-minus score, the two of them didn't react as intensely as they had to Yan Pingsheng.

After all, they had all witnessed Li Zigeng's hard work over the past few days. He had pushed himself to near madness, making them worry he might suddenly drop dead from exhaustion.

He wasn't like a certain someone who spent every day either playing around or sleeping, training for less time than they did, yet still managed to achieve such a high score.

That was what truly made them itch with jealousy.

The atmosphere on the martial arts field was generally quite pleasant.

Aside from a select few who lacked self-awareness, crying about how poorly they had done just to enjoy the feeling of being surrounded and comforted by a crowd, most people had a rough estimate of their scores before going up. Except for those who genuinely messed up due to nervousness, even if their results were less than ideal, they would only feel down for a moment before laughing and joking with their friends, teasing their acquaintances on stage for their lackluster performances.

But suddenly, the noisy martial arts field fell completely silent, all sound dropping to zero.

Simply because that man was about to take the stage.

“Aaaaah! Senior Brother Bai!”

A high-pitched shriek suddenly pierced the ears of Yan Pingsheng, who was standing in the crowd, startling Zhuang Xun.

He looked around and saw all the disciples jumping up and down, waving and screaming. After a moment's thought, he joined in, jumping up and screaming along.

“Aaaaah! Senior Brother Bai!”

This wild scene drew strange looks from the faction representatives in the spectator stands, but upon hearing that Bai Yujing was about to take the stage, they all focused their attention.

Coming here to select and sponsor outstanding disciples was secondary; their primary goal was to gauge the caliber of the Wanxing Martial Academy's future Chief Disciple.

As if by some magical force, even in the chaotic crowd, everyone's eyes locked onto Bai Yujing instantly.

He walked alone down the path cleared by the disciples, aloof and otherworldly, like an immortal descending from the heavens.

A genius! An absolute genius! A natural-born genius!

This was the conclusion that instantly leaped into the minds of all the faction representatives the moment they laid eyes on Bai Yujing.

They didn't even need to see Bai Yujing's subsequent performance to foresee the future landscape of Zechuan City.

The Wanxing Martial Academy was destined to prosper!

Even if the old Principal eventually passed away, as long as he was there, the Wanxing Martial Academy would still be the sky over Zechuan City.

The faction representatives breathed heavily, and the thought of immediately returning to persuade their family heads to deepen cooperation with the Wanxing Martial Academy sprouted in their minds.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Zhuang Xun remained calm and indifferent.

What a shallow bunch of people. They only see my handsome exterior, but fail to see the noble soul hidden beneath. (Melancholy philosophical face)

“Yo, Pingsheng, did you spot a pretty girl? Why the sudden soulful look?” Zhang Tie leaned in close to Yan Pingsheng, raising his eyebrows teasingly.

“Ah? Cough, cough, it's nothing.” Zhuang Xun feigned composure, forcing Yan Pingsheng's ordinary face to remain stiff.

Damn, it feels like my daydreaming was forcefully dragged back to reality... He looked at the peerlessly handsome, immortal-like Bai Yujing on the stage.

No, wait. It's only daydreaming if it hasn't actually happened. But I... am actually experiencing this. (Facepalm)

...

The strength category.

With a gentle pull from Zhuang Xun's control, Bai Yujing sent a stone lock weighing ten stones and standing over half a person tall flying directly over his head.

He raised his right hand, palm upward, catching the falling stone lock perfectly. He remained completely steady, as tranquil as an ancient well, utterly unaffected by the heavy weight.

“Sss—” Everyone below the stage gasped in disbelief.

Zhuang Xun gently set the stone lock down and walked past the dumbfounded examiner.

Only then did the examiner snap out of it, announcing with a trembling voice, “Strength category: Grade A-plus!”

The agility category.

Drenched in sweat, the examiner gritted his teeth and launched an all-out assault on Bai Yujing with both hands and feet, his movements as fierce as a tempest and swift as lightning.

Zhuang Xun stood in place, his body swaying slightly as he effortlessly dodged every single attack, a few strands of black hair on his forehead fluttering gently.

Finally, he stepped aside to dodge the examiner's downward punch, while simultaneously using one hand to gently support the examiner's chest, halting his forward momentum, before walking forward without looking back.

The examiner wobbled in place, ultimately unable to support himself and falling to the ground, staring at Bai Yujing's retreating back with a complex expression.

“Agility category: Grade A-plus...”

“Whoa—” Everyone below the stage stared wide-eyed, gasping in disbelief once again.

Quite a few female disciples stared at the spot on the examiner's chest where Bai Yujing had touched, gnashing their teeth in envy.

The Comprehension category.

Zhuang Xun demonstrated a great perfection level of the Wanxing Body-Tempering Technique. His movements were as graceful as a startled swan and as agile as a soaring dragon, with every gesture carrying an indescribable, profound charm.

The three examiners watched, completely spellbound. The problems regarding the Wanxing Body-Tempering Technique that had baffled them for years were suddenly illuminated, and they entirely forgot their duty to assign a score.

It wasn't until Bai Yujing had been gone for a while that they snapped out of it, prompted by a disciple's reminder.

They exchanged glances and shouted excitedly in unison, “Comprehension category: Grade A-plus!”

“Phew—” Everyone below the stage gasped yet again, their dazed eyes glued to Bai Yujing, unwilling to look away.

“Ahhh! Senior Brother Bai!”

Hearing this voice, Zhuang Xun's light, airy steps quickened slightly, feeling a bit afraid of being surrounded again.

In the end, he successfully escaped, but his other clone, Yan Pingsheng, was trapped in the crowd, getting jostled back and forth.

Sigh, I forgot to make this clone run away quickly too... Zhuang Xun looked up, feeling mentally exhausted.

Because some disciples had squeezed forward relentlessly just to get a closer look at Bai Yujing, and there were quite a few who shared this idea, the chaos on the martial arts field was now comparable to a celebrity fan meeting from his previous life.

It was even affecting the progress of the Grand Competition.

To restore order as quickly as possible, the Law Enforcement disciples in charge of security ran back and forth, sweating profusely, but their efforts were of little use.

Ultimately, it was Zhuang Xun who controlled Bai Yujing to step forward and direct them. Seeing him, the disciples cooperated obediently, finally restoring order to the scene.