Chapter 122 – Defending the Arena

Chapter 122 – Defending the Arena

“No, I refuse to accept this! Why should I be eliminated just because of my root bones!”

“This is too unfair! I worked hard for years just for this day—how can I be eliminated for no good reason?”

The judge paid them no mind and looked to the left. “Congratulations to the candidates on the left. You may enter a branch academy of the Martial Arts Academy.”

“What? Just like that, we’re in?” The Martial Arts Academy had branch academies in each major city. For most people, the Inner Academy and Outer Academy were impossibly out of reach—getting into a branch academy was already a stroke of fortune.

Yet some people furrowed their brows deeply. How could they be assigned to a branch academy without even competing? They had come aiming for a spot in the Outer Academy.

Just then, an agile figure leaped from the left-side crowd. With a heavy thud, he landed before the arena platform, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The young man’s features were resolute, brimming with defiance. “I believe this evaluation is unjust. I have the strength to enter the Outer Academy!”

“What arrogance.”

“Who is this guy?”

“It’s him—Ji Wuming, the one they call ‘Bone-Snapping Hands.’ I heard he reached the Prenatal realm before the age of forty!”

“No wonder he’s not satisfied. With that level of cultivation in past years, he’d definitely have had a fighting chance!”

Following Ji Wuming’s lead, several more figures stepped forward from both the left and right sides, all refusing to accept the verdict.

Yuan Qiao said nothing. The oppressive aura of Foundation Establishment crashed down upon the rowdy crowd, making their legs tremble and cold sweat pour down their bodies.

Awe rose unbidden in everyone’s hearts, and none dared act rashly.

Seeing that the grounds had quieted, Yuan Qiao finally turned his gaze to the few who had jumped out to voice their objections. “The Martial Arts Academy is not a charity. Those who enter our academy must be outstanding disciples with both talent and strength. I won’t hide it from you.”

He spread both arms toward the eleven people in the center. “They will be entering the Outer Academy.”

Li Baimao, Luo Qianshan, and the rest of those dozen or so people instantly became targets. All manner of gazes swept over them, assessing their cultivation, strength, age, and appearance—envy, jealousy, and resentment all hurled their way.

“Look at that kid—he’s barely past the threshold.”

“On what basis? How am I any worse than them?”

Luo Qianshan lifted his chin. “A bunch of trash, all they know how to do is whine.”

Ji Wuming shot him a glare, the indignation in his heart swelling. He cupped his fists toward Yuan Qiao. “Please tell me the reason!”

Yuan Qiao said, “The reason is simple. What are your root bones, and how many years have you practiced martial arts?”

“Lower-grade root bones. I began training at six years old—twenty-seven years to this day!”

“Very well. Reaching the Prenatal realm in twenty-seven years shows you’ve put in real effort.”

A flicker of delight crossed Ji Wuming’s face, but then he heard Yuan Qiao say “however” and point toward one of the dozen candidates.

The youth was remarkably lean. Seeing Yuan Qiao point at him, he stepped forward. “My name is Wu Lin. What guidance do you have for me?”

“What are your root bones, and how many years have you practiced martial arts?”

Wu Lin glanced at Ji Wuming, feeling both pleased and helpless. “I have mid-grade root bones. I’ve trained for seventeen years and am currently at Minor Completion of the Prenatal realm.”

The crowd was stunned. Could the difference in potential from root bones really be that significant? A single grade apart, yet it created a gap of ten years.

Ji Wuming’s eyes dimmed, and the confident fire within him wilted at once.

Whispers rippled through the crowd. Even the dozen candidates in the center felt the cruelty of it.

At that moment, Luo Qianshan stepped forward. “Forgive my bluntness, but your words are misleading!”

“I have an Outer Academy spot now—is that solely because of my root bones? If I hadn’t trained day and night without rest, what good would these root bones be?”

Someone shouted, “Success lies in heaven but the effort lies in man! In martial arts, one must hold true to oneself and follow one’s heart—what does anything else matter? Isn’t that what our teachers taught us?”

“I believe root bones are merely an advantage, not the deciding factor in one’s martial success!”

“Exactly! Does my decade of hard work really count for less than their few years of results?”

Yuan Qiao appreciated their determination, so rather than debating the rights and wrongs of their words, he affirmed them. “You’re absolutely right. When you step out into this vast continent, you’ll discover that talent doesn’t matter.”

“A low-cultivation genius can be cut down by a high-cultivation mediocrity. They might suddenly perish in some desolate, godforsaken wasteland. Or they might be snuffed out in the tide of humanity before their brilliance ever had a chance to shine. When you cannot foresee the road ahead, you could fall at any moment.”

“And does lacking talent necessarily mean you’ll amount to nothing?” Yuan Qiao continued. “I’m at Foundation Establishment now. Before this bone-testing stone appeared, I always thought I was something of a genius—after all, I’m only sixty-nine years old!”

The crowd burst out, “And now?”

Yuan Qiao let out a sigh. “This damned stone told me I only have lower-grade root bones!”

Laughter erupted from the crowd, and the tension in their hearts eased considerably. “That really is a damned stone!”

“But, my friends!” Yuan Qiao’s voice boomed like a great bell. “Do you know the true purpose of this test?”

The candidates were silenced by his suddenly grave expression. They all fell quiet and watched him. If this stone couldn’t determine the length of one’s path, then why use it to judge their fate?

“My friends, remember the Martial Arts Academy’s creed: Hold true to your original heart, and swear to prove the martial way!”

“The word ‘martial’ lies in action and practice, in following your true heart, in breaking down and rebuilding, in forging ahead without retreat. This world is far crueler than you imagine. In the future, you will be ensnared by power and beauty, consumed by greed, trapped in a single realm unable to advance even an inch, left with nothing to do but waste away. Poverty, suffering, the edge of cliffs, temptation—they are ever-present, never ceasing!”

“The Martial Arts Academy exists to guide your direction and help you avoid the hidden reefs on life’s voyage. You will eventually discover that it is the one place that can give you fairness—because here, you need no background and carry no burdens. You will use your own strength to obtain everything you desire.”

“And the first lesson it will teach you is reality!”

“You must clearly understand your own position!” Yuan Qiao cast a meaningful glance in Zhan Changfeng’s direction. “Today, someone requested a retest, but I did not allow it. I understand the disappointment and disbelief you feel upon learning you have no talent. But is it really so hard to acknowledge that your talent is lacking?”

Yuan Qiao pointed at the four groups. “Inferior-grade root bones, lower-grade root bones, mid-grade root bones, upper-grade root bones. When all other conditions are equal, you cannot deny that those with better root bones cultivate faster. The Martial Arts Academy cannot gamble on your effort, nor will it pin its hopes on half a lifetime of your hard work. So before you have formally set foot on the martial path, before you have demonstrated your value, it will only choose those with the greatest potential!”

Some felt their blood surge with passion; others sank into disappointment. Then Yuan Qiao raised his voice again. “Next comes the second lesson: survival of the fittest!”

The words struck like thunder, and every eye locked onto him.

He laughed heartily. “Life is always full of surprises, isn’t it? No one stays in the same position forever.”

“In the martial way, perseverance and progress are what matter most—talent is only secondary. So the time for you to prove your strength is about to arrive.”

Yuan Qiao made the announcement. “Tomorrow’s arena tournament! In the morning session, those with inferior-grade root bones will have one chance to challenge a branch academy candidate. If the challenger wins, they enter the branch academy; if the branch academy candidate loses, they are eliminated. In the afternoon session, all branch academy candidates will fight in a free-for-all to determine the top one hundred. Those ranked outside the top one hundred are eliminated.”

“The third round: branch academy candidates challenge Outer Academy candidates. Win, and you take their spot!”

The crowd was dumbfounded. This reversal had come far too quickly.

The branch academy candidates were especially stunned, their faces a picture of bewilderment. More shocking than the chance to challenge Outer Academy candidates for a promotion was the realization that their spot in the branch academy wasn’t guaranteed at all.

Over six hundred of them would still be eliminated! Only one hundred would remain! Who would be pulled down? The weak, of course.

With the judge’s call of “Dismissed!” the day’s examination came to an end, but the aftershocks continued as the crowd surged noisily toward the exit.

Once the Qingbai Mountain Community School group gathered together, Lin Wu looked eagerly at Li Baimao, Luo Qianshan, and Xiao Shaobai. “Who would’ve thought our school produced three mid-grade root bones? Not bad at all!”

Li Baimao was practically frantic. “It’s over, it’s over. I just know I’m going to get eliminated the day after tomorrow.”

As a mid-grade root bones Outer Academy candidate still in the Postnatal realm, he was a prime target in the eyes of a hundred lower-grade root bones branch academy candidates. And he was only at the Postnatal realm.

Luo Qianshan and Xiao Shaobai were in much the same situation, though they didn’t show it as openly. With only two days and one night, there was no way to achieve a sudden breakthrough in cultivation—no chance of becoming an unstoppable force overnight.

Lin Wu consoled them. “You just need to find a way to withstand three challenges. Even if you can’t make it to the Outer Academy, you’ll still get into a branch academy.”

Then he shifted his attention to Leng Yi’an and the others. “Your situation is different. Tomorrow, many with inferior-grade root bones will challenge you. Don’t let the term ‘inferior-grade’ fool you—those people are much older than you, with far more combat experience. They might come at you with lethal moves. You must be extremely careful.”

When it came to Zhan Changfeng, he had nothing to say. Even now, he refused to believe what Teacher Yao Yu had said. How could she possibly be at the Prenatal realm? And even if she were, the root bones didn’t add up.

Lin Wu stole a glance at Zhan Changfeng. The girl’s expression was unreadable, as if her mind were wandering somewhere far away. Truly strange—she didn’t have an ounce of the passion or fighting spirit that the martial way demanded.