Chapter 46: Entering the First-Class Rank
"Let’s go. We’ll give it a try too."
In front of the Wind-Slashing Fist stone tablet, Li Yun suddenly stood up and spoke to his younger sister.
Li Zhining’s gaze flickered slightly. She withdrew her small hands, which had been fidgeting, and nodded.
In truth, she had already grasped some of the essence of the technique and felt she had reached the entry stage. However, she didn’t immediately rise to take the test but chose to wait.
She waited until her elder brother had also mastered it.
Since she was old enough to understand, she had noticed that her brother had become increasingly impatient in his cultivation efforts.
After spending so much time together, she could vaguely sense her brother’s thoughts.
Among the three siblings in the family, she and their eldest sister had talents that surpassed their brother’s. The eldest sister had been apprenticed to a renowned master early on, while she and her brother remained at the estate, inevitably inviting constant comparisons and praise from those around them.
As the least talented in cultivation among the three, Li Yun often practiced tirelessly whenever her progress surpassed his, training obsessively late into the night...
"Let’s go."
Li Yun patted his hip and stood up. His gaze swept across the area, catching sight of a familiar figure near another stone tablet—it was Li Yuanzhao.
At this moment, however, the latter was entirely focused on his comprehension and hadn’t noticed him, just as Li Yun wasn’t sure when Li Yuanzhao had arrived.
Instinctively, Li Yun glanced around and failed to spot Li Hao. His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t dwell on it. Snorting softly to himself, he led his sister toward the plaza's center.
"If the demonstration isn’t up to standard, we’ll go back and train more," Li Yun said to his sister.
Li Zhining nodded slightly.
In front of a middle-aged man, five people were currently demonstrating their techniques while a small crowd of onlookers stood around, hoping to draw inspiration and insight from the demonstrations.
Suddenly, the siblings noticed a familiar figure among the demonstrators—it was Li Hao.
"Him?"
Li Zhining was puzzled.
"He must have come to steal a look and learn," Li Yun said with a raised brow, a cold smile flashing in his eyes. While he didn’t know when Li Hao had arrived, it was certainly after them. If even he wasn’t confident in mastering the technique, how could Li Hao?
Outside the circle, Li Hao waited quietly. His extraordinary perception allowed him to notice the approaching presence behind him, but he didn’t turn around or react.
After several attempts to greet the siblings in the past, only to be met with evasion and coldness, he had realized that the cheerful pair who used to run to the estate every day to listen to stories were gone.
Soon, the demonstration ended.
Out of the five participants, only three passed. The remaining two hadn’t reached the entry stage; their postures were incorrect and lacked refinement.
"Let’s go."
Li Yun led his sister forward. Standing before the middle-aged man, who was a head taller than him, Li Yun maintained an air of arrogance. "We have comprehended the Breaking Wind Fist."
Recognizing their identities from their attire, the middle-aged man nodded slightly, smiling faintly. "Please proceed."
The siblings immediately assumed their stances and began their demonstration. Soon, they completed the set of movements.
When Li Yun turned, his waist remained unmoved, and his strength failed to fully transmit to his fists, causing the momentum to weaken slightly.
The middle-aged man was inwardly surprised and asked, "How long have you two been comprehending this technique?"
"Half a day," Li Yun replied calmly, though his gaze held a hint of pride. He vaguely felt he had made a minor mistake, which might affect the outcome.
However, considering that the first-class academy’s admission benchmark was three days of comprehension, his progress should still be quite impressive.
"Remarkable!"
Just as Li Yun expected, the middle-aged man expressed mild amazement, which caused a faint smile to appear at the corners of the boy’s mouth...
"You’ve passed the entry stage," the man said to Li Zhining, pulling a token from his waist and handing it to her.
Li Yun was momentarily stunned.
"Your technique still lacks refinement. With more practice, I believe you’ll soon master it," the middle-aged man said to Li Yun.
Li Yun’s expression turned slightly awkward. He turned to his sister. "When did you grasp it?"
Li Zhining accepted the token and quickly replied, "Just now."
She wasn’t lying. She had indeed only fully understood it within the past half-hour.
"Half a day to master a high-grade technique—geniuses like you two are rare even in the first-class academy," the middle-aged man said with a smile.
"Does that mean others have also achieved it?" Li Yun’s expression shifted.
"Perhaps a few yesterday," the man replied, smiling. This batch of recruits was exceptionally talented, stronger than in previous years.
Li Yun felt a burning sensation on his cheeks. His fists clenched tightly.
The middle-aged man’s gaze shifted to another approaching figure. His eyes lit up when he saw who it was—a youth from the Divine General Mansion. "You’re here to demonstrate as well?"
"Yes."
Li Hao nodded.
Hearing this, the siblings glanced at him. Li Yun’s mood brightened slightly—at least he wouldn’t be the worst performer.
"Please," the middle-aged man said, gesturing.
Li Hao moved decisively, delivering two swift punches. The fist force slashed through the air like a blade, accompanied by a faint metallic ringing, as if iron were being cleaved.
The middle-aged man’s expression changed dramatically, astonished by Li Hao’s display.
Li Hao withdrew his fists. "Was that sufficient?"
The man recovered from his shock, asking incredulously, "Did you arrive yesterday?"
"Today."
"..."
Momentarily stunned, the middle-aged man considered a startling possibility. His heart trembled at the thought, but he dared not delve deeper. He immediately retrieved a token and handed it to Li Hao. "This is your first-class academy token."
The token was white, inscribed with a single black character: "甲" (First-Class).
Li Hao took it, glanced at it briefly, and tucked it away. Offering a polite thanks, he turned and left, leaving behind two pairs of bewildered eyes.
"He… he passed too?"
After Li Hao had gone, Li Yun couldn’t help but ask.
The middle-aged man withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Yun. Nodding, he replied, "His Wind-Slashing Fist has at least reached the adept level, perhaps even… perfection."
Li Hao’s demonstration had been too brief for him to determine its exact level, but there was no doubt it had surpassed the entry stage.
"Adept? How is that possible!" Li Yun’s eyes widened in disbelief.
He knew Li Hao had only accompanied them out of the Divine General Mansion today and had started climbing the mountain later than they did. How could he have comprehended the technique to such a level in such a short time?
Even his sister had only just reached the entry stage!
The thought made Li Yun instinctively turn his head, staring incredulously at the departing figure.
Li Zhining, too, was frozen in place, watching that retreating silhouette. In her mind, the words of some adults at the estate echoed:
"That child is truly brilliant."
"Yes, exceptionally quick-witted. I’ve never seen someone so perceptive—he understands everything with just a hint."
"But it’s a pity his cultivation potential is so limited. Otherwise, with such intelligence, he’d undoubtedly become a peerless genius."
Indeed... the adults only ever lamented Li Hao’s limited cultivation ceiling. None of them had ever doubted his intelligence.
The young girl bit her lip lightly, her small hand tightening around the token she had just received.
...
...
"I’m back," Li Hao announced as he jogged up to two elderly men.
The two saw the first-class token in his hand and exchanged knowing smiles. Shen Yunqing chuckled softly. "Congratulations."
"You're too kind, senior," Li Hao replied with a polite smile before saying, "How about we play another round?"
This kid...
The two elders exchanged glances, finding themselves at a loss for words. Why did it seem like this boy was more addicted to chess than they were?
"Fine, one more round." Zhao Zongyuan, who had just finished reviewing the mistakes from the previous game, felt a surge of courage for another battle.
Li Hao’s eyes lit up with joy as he immediately sat down. "Please, senior, make your move."
Once again, the three of them became engrossed in a fierce battle over the chessboard.
Unlike before, Li Hao refrained from overwhelming his opponents. Instead, he played slowly, dragging the game out and winning with only a slight advantage.
The scene in the plaza was a peculiar one. Most of the other disciples were focused on comprehending the techniques inscribed on the stone tablets or diligently practicing their moves.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the plaza, a young boy was locked in an intense chess match with two elderly men. Zhao Zongyuan’s exasperated cries and Shen Yunqing’s hearty laughter occasionally echoed, drawing curious glances from the surrounding disciples.
Some onlookers couldn’t help but find the scene strange.
"Kid, you must have been playing chess since you were in the womb!" Zhao Zongyuan exclaimed in frustration, on the verge of flipping the board.
Li Hao just smiled faintly.
Shen Yunqing, on the other hand, asked curiously, "Your chess skills must have taken considerable effort to hone. When do you even find time to cultivate?"
This is how I cultivate... Li Hao thought to himself. Out loud, he gave a sheepish laugh.
As they played, the two elders began discussing the academy with Li Hao.
"Kid, did you know? Yesterday, a prince joined the academy. He also entered the first-class rank and grasped his technique in just one hour."
"And that young lady from the Nangong family joined too. Her talent is remarkable, though I hear she’s not even the strongest of her generation."
"Kid, these will be your rivals in the first-class academy. Keep an eye on them."
Hearing their advice, Li Hao sighed inwardly. He replied, "Can’t we just focus on chess for now?"
The two elders exchanged astonished glances, visibly annoyed. They had shared this information out of goodwill, yet the boy didn’t seem to appreciate it.
Chess, chess, chess—is this kid here at the Tangong Academy just to play chess?
Exasperated, Zhao Zongyuan poured all his focus into the next game, but even after a long and arduous battle, he once again lost by a narrow margin.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Li Hao remained engrossed in the game. Suddenly, he heard a cautious voice beside him.
"Hao-ge?"
Li Hao turned to see Li Yuanzhao standing nearby, looking at him nervously.
"Hmm?"
"I got my token," Li Yuanzhao said, holding it up. They had arrived late and only comprehended for half a day.
"Okay," Li Hao replied casually, unsurprised. Li Yuanzhao’s aptitude was on par with Li Zhining’s. Despite his silly appearance, the sharp glint in his small eyes betrayed a cunning intelligence.
"Uh... They’re waiting at the foot of the mountain for us to return together. Hao-ge, what do you think?"
"Let them go back first. We’ll head down later," Li Hao replied without much thought.
Across from him, the two elders’ faces darkened. Was this kid addicted to winning?
"No more, no more," Zhao Zongyuan said, waving a hand. "It’s getting late. You should head back."
"It’s fine. I can still see clearly," Li Hao replied cheerfully.
"You little rascal..." The two elders were torn between amusement and exasperation. Shen Yunqing shook his head with a smile. "That’s enough for today. If you’re so eager, we can play again after classes start."
Li Hao considered pressing for one more round but noticed the elders’ waning interest. Reluctantly, he conceded. "Alright. Thank you for the games, seniors."
He placed one final piece on the board, securing his victory for the current match.
Satisfied with the progress he’d made, Li Hao stood, bowed respectfully to the two elders, and leisurely descended the mountain with Li Yuanzhao trailing behind.
"To think the Divine General Mansion produced a kid like that. How peculiar," one elder remarked, watching the two boys’ retreating figures.
The other elder shook his head, chuckling. "Indeed."