Chapter 284 - 170: Number One
"I believe you."
Yun Hong’s aura was immense. It was as if a volcano lay dormant within him. Chu Lingguang didn’t question him.
"Give me your waist token."
Yun Hong held out his hand.
Chu Lingguang had no choice but to unfasten his waist token and place it in Yun Hong’s palm.
With his A-Class Waist Token taken, Chu Lingguang had effectively lost his A Class privileges. The crowd looked on, some with sympathy, others with schadenfreude.
To many, it only seemed natural that Chu Lingguang possessed mere D-grade Talent.
"The four talent grades—A, B, C, and D—are not fixed. Your grade can change depending on the speed of your cultivation progress."
Considering Chu Lingguang had dropped from A Class to D Class, Yun Hong offered a reminder.
"I understand. That’s why... I’d like to be tested again."
Chu Lingguang said, his gaze firm and unwavering.
Everyone stared at him strangely, thinking he was refusing to give up. Even Yun Hong seemed to share this sentiment. To prevent any further misunderstanding, Chu Lingguang quickly added, "I know I haven’t grasped the True Meaning of Spear Technique, but... I have a Qi Vortex in my abdomen. I vaguely feel that I’ve already opened my Dantian Qi Sea and become an Entry Level Martial Artist in the Qi Sea Realm."
The crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted.
"Chu Lingguang, don’t spout nonsense! No one in the Trial Ground has ever dared to lie to Instructor Yun Hong."
Fatty Qin blurted out anxiously.
"I’m not sure if it counts as opening my Dantian Qi Sea, but I definitely have a Qi Vortex in my abdomen. This vortex can strengthen both my Dragon Elephant Power and my Qi Blood Power simultaneously."
Chu Lingguang said, looking Fatty Qin straight in the eye.
’This guy is a total opportunist. When I had A-grade Talent, he couldn’t do enough to suck up to me. The moment I was demoted to D-grade, he kicked me to the curb. Reality might be cruel, but Fatty Qin’s behavior was truly repulsive.’
"This..."
Seeing Chu Lingguang’s brimming confidence, Fatty Qin felt a twinge of apprehension. ’Could I have misjudged him again?’ he wondered.
"Channel your Qi Vortex, enhance your Dragon Elephant Power, and show me."
Yun Hong said, his hands clasped behind his back. He, too, was intrigued by Chu Lingguang’s confidence.
"Yes!"
Chu Lingguang immediately channeled the Dragon Elephant Power throughout his body. A deafening sound—a Dragon’s Roar and an Elephant’s Wail—erupted from his very blood and veins.
"HUPH!"
With a flick of his wrist, Chu Lingguang thrust the Long Spear forward.
Activating Double Potential Energy Superposition, a force like a tidal wave merged with the Dragon Elephant Power on his Long Spear. A phantom Dragon Elephant coiled around the shaft, surging forward with the immense power.
The Qi Vortex in his abdomen spun furiously, rapidly entering his bloodstream.
"AOOO-TRUMPET!"
In that instant, a surge of enhanced Dragon Elephant Power erupted from Chu Lingguang’s hands and poured into the Long Spear, causing the phantom Dragon Elephant to become startlingly clear and distinct.
Yun Hong’s eyes were closed.
He was carefully sensing the fluctuations of Dragon Elephant Power in Chu Lingguang’s Spear Technique. He could feel with perfect clarity that the Dragon Elephant Power had strengthened by sixty to seventy percent in the blink of an eye.
Then, amplified by the Double Potential Energy Superposition, it evolved once more.
His own perception followed the ebb and flow of Chu Lingguang’s Dragon Elephant Power, entering his body. It traced the path of his blood to his abdomen, where he perceived a nearly unnoticeable vortex. This Small Vortex was drawing power from the blood, transforming it into a Qi Vortex.
"Continue,"
he said faintly.
"BOOM!"
Chu Lingguang dutifully complied.
He channeled the nascent Qi Vortex, sending it back into his bloodstream to once again enhance his Dragon Elephant Power.
"AOOO-TRUMPET!"
Chu Lingguang brought his spear smashing down.
The floor of the Martial Arts Arena shattered. Dragon Elephant Power gushed from the Long Spear like a mighty river, and its astonishing destructive force made Poisonous Snake’s eyes light up.
Yun Hong opened his eyes as well.
A faint smile graced his lips.
Just as Chu Lingguang was about to speak, Yun Hong tossed the confiscated waist token back to him. Chu Lingguang caught it, understood its meaning, and hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Instructor Yun Hong."
"You have good talent. Cultivate diligently."
Yun Hong said, his tone appreciative.
"Yes."
Chu Lingguang nodded firmly.
Yun Hong gave Chu Lingguang a long, meaningful look before turning to leave.
"Nice one, kid."
Poisonous Snake came over and clapped Chu Lingguang on the shoulder.
"He hasn’t grasped the True Meaning of Spear Technique, yet he’s already opened his Dantian Qi Sea... This kid..."
A man in black in the distance gave a wry smile. He was the one who had brought Chu Lingguang from Zhuoyi to the Trial Ground. He had no choice but to keep a close eye on someone suspected of grasping the True Meaning of Spear Technique.
"Chu..."
Fatty Qin approached, a wide grin on his face.
"Hmph!"
Chu Lingguang clipped his waist token back on and, with a cold snort, deliberately put some distance between himself and Fatty Qin. ’Favor Points might help me grow stronger, but that doesn’t mean I have to become a people-pleaser. Besides, if I just roll over and accept everything, no one will ever take my Favors seriously.’
’Plus, with someone as pragmatic as Fatty Qin, earning Favors from him wouldn’t be easy anyway. It’s best to keep your distance from some people.’
Fatty Qin’s smile froze. He gave up and went his own way.
"Chu!"
One Fatty Qin left, but another took his place. Chu Lingguang’s A-grade Talent and his power as an Entry-Level Qi Sea Realm expert showed his immense potential. There was no shortage of people who wanted to get on his good side.
Chu Lingguang was only keeping his distance from Fatty Qin, not avoiding everyone else. He simply chose to interact with others.
The rules of the Trial Ground were different from those of the academy.
Life here was far more brutal. Not only did you face the constant risk of being kicked out, but you also had to fight for every single cultivation resource.
Everyone who entered,
just like Chu Lingguang, would receive a waist token corresponding to their assessed talent.
But the rank of the waist token was not permanent.
Even someone like Chu Lingguang, if he wanted to keep his A-Class Waist Token, would have to achieve results worthy of A-grade Talent in every subsequent assessment.