Chapter 44: Challenge
Inside the Martial Hall, Huang Wei and the other geniuses grew jealous as they watched Ling Fei being surrounded by people.
WHOOSH!
At that moment, figures flickered at the entrance to the Martial Hall as several youths walked in.
These youths were all dressed in martial attire, their faces radiating a heroic aura.
"It's Liu Ming, Young Master Liu!"
"And Tang Qing, Young Master Tang!"
As these people approached, Huang Wei's eyes lit up.
He then got up and went to greet them at the Martial Hall's entrance.
Liu Ming was handsome and refined, but his eyes held a sharp intensity.
As soon as he entered the Martial Hall, he sensed that the atmosphere was off.
Then, he raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the crowd.
"Yurou!" Liu Ming's gaze shifted and locked onto Shangguan Yurou.
Only when his eyes rested on the young woman did his sharp gaze soften slightly.
Then, his eyes swept over to Ling Fei, who was surrounded by several young women nearby.
His gaze narrowed slightly upon seeing Ling Fei.
"Young Master Liu!" Just then, Huang Wei came over to greet him.
Liu Ming's brows twitched. He glanced at Huang Wei before looking away.
It seemed Huang Wei wasn't even worthy of his notice.
Although Huang Wei was a genius ranked thirteenth, in Liu Ming's eyes, not even those in the top ten were worthy of his attention.
In his view, very few people could be considered his rivals.
"Young Master Liu, that's the newcomer, Ling Fei," Huang Wei said with a fawning expression, not minding Liu Ming's cold arrogance.
Liu Ming nodded without saying anything more.
"So that's Ling Fei?" Instead, it was Tang Qing, beside Liu Ming, whose gaze sharpened.
He was still not convinced by this new student.
Liu Ming strode toward where Shangguan Yurou was standing.
"Young Master Liu is here." The expressions of the male students changed, and they automatically cleared a path, no longer crowding around Shangguan Yurou.
It seemed they were all filled with respect for Liu Ming.
"Yurou, you're here." Liu Ming walked over, his eyes softening as he looked at Shangguan Yurou.
"Mmm," Shangguan Yurou replied coolly, her attitude lukewarm.
"From now on, we'll be cultivating together," Liu Ming said with a smile.
This smile caused an uproar among the nearby female students.
'The incredibly cold and arrogant Liu Ming actually smiled?'
"I will surpass you," Shangguan Yurou said, however, her chin held high, as proud as a swan.
"I believe you will," Liu Ming said with another smile.
At this time, more geniuses arrived.
Pang Fei and Zhou Feng had appeared.
As they appeared, they all gave Ling Fei a few furtive glances.
However, they were all naturally proud and didn't take the initiative to greet him. Instead, they walked over to say hello to Shangguan Yurou.
These people were all disciples from great clans and were about the same age as Shangguan Yurou. They had known each other since they were young.
Now that they were cultivating together, it was natural for them to want to get closer.
"So this is Young Master Ling Fei." After exchanging a few words with Shangguan Yurou, Pang Fei's gaze shifted to Ling Fei. "I heard from my father that you went to Longtan Town." He had heard about Ling Fei's affairs, as his father was a director at the academy.
"That's right," Shangguan Yurou said with a smile.
She then beckoned Ling Fei over and introduced him to everyone.
"Welcome to the Genius Class!" Liu Ming and the others greeted Ling Fei.
However, they were all very cold, showing little emotion.
Ling Fei greeted them casually, with no intention of currying favor with anyone.
"Instructor Ruo Huan is here!" Just then, a cry of surprise rang out.
The Martial Hall then fell silent.
Ling Fei and Shangguan Yurou immediately looked toward the source of the voice.
They saw a woman with short hair, wearing beast-hide boots, walk in through the doorway.
The woman was tall with a well-proportioned, curvy figure, her form perfectly outlined by her tight-fitting top.
Her waist was so slender one could encircle it with their hands.
Looking up at her jade-like face, it was exquisite and possessed a heroic air. Though her hair was short, it gave off a feeling of natural perfection.
It seemed as if a woman like her was meant to have short hair to truly bring out her noble temperament.
This woman was none other than the Genius Class's instructor, Ruo Huan!
She walked into the Martial Hall, her sharp eyes sweeping across the room, taking in the entire situation at a glance.
The Martial Hall fell silent in her wake.
It seemed everyone was filled with respect for this instructor.
'This instructor... she's very young!' Ling Fei thought to himself.
He had originally expected an elderly senior.
"Instructor Ruo Huan used to be a legendary figure at Celestial River Academy. She reached the Celestial Spirit Realm at a young age."
Zhou Qingshui whispered from beside Ling Fei.
The little girl's face was also filled with respect as she looked at Instructor Ruo Huan.
"Why aren't you all in your seats?" After sweeping her gaze over the crowd, Ruo Huan's eyes narrowed as she spoke in a deep voice.
Her voice was cold and stunning, yet melodious, making people involuntarily follow its command.
The fifty geniuses immediately took their seats.
"Shangguan Yurou, Ling Fei, come up!"
Ruo Huan then looked toward Shangguan Yurou and Ling Fei.
As her words faded, she strode on her long legs toward the lectern at the front.
Her cold and stunning appearance gave her the air of a queen in leather boots.
'This instructor... has quite a personality!' Seeing her like this, Ling Fei was taken aback. A moment later, he took a deep breath and muttered to himself.
Ling Fei and Shangguan Yurou immediately followed her.
"I'm sure everyone knows that two new students have joined our Genius Class, so let me make the introductions." On the platform, Instructor Ruo Huan's gaze swept over the students below. "This is Shangguan Yurou, Miss Shangguan. Her older sister is the pride of our academy, Shangguan Wan'Er, a prodigy of the Sword Dao."
"Shangguan Wan'Er!" At the mention of this senior, the eyes of everyone in the class burned with passion.
She was a legendary figure at Celestial River Academy!
It was said that her attainments in the Sword Dao were profound. She was known as a swordsmanship genius of the Empire, having comprehended Sword Dao Mystical concepts at a very young age.
"So she's Shangguan Wan'Er's younger sister." Some students who didn't know Shangguan Yurou's identity looked surprised.
At the same time, their faces filled with awe as they looked at Shangguan Yurou.
"The Shangguan Clan is a Swordsmanship Family. An ancestor of theirs was a Sword Dao genius who once condensed a Sword Embryo and became a peerless master of the Empire. For Yurou to be ranked fifth on the Human Ranking at such a young age is also rare. If you cultivate diligently, you can surely improve further and follow in Wan'Er's footsteps."
Instructor Ruo Huan seemed to have high hopes for Shangguan Yurou.
"Yurou will definitely cultivate diligently and not disappoint Instructor's high hopes!"
Shangguan Yurou gave a slight bow to the instructor, then bowed to the students in front of her. "In the future, I ask for your guidance."
"With a genius like Miss Yurou joining our Genius Class, the future is sure to be more exciting," many students said.
"Yurou, you can sit there," Instructor Ruo Huan said, pointing to an empty seat in the front row.
"Yes!" Shangguan Yurou then walked to the seat.
Only then did Instructor Ruo Huan's gaze fall upon Ling Fei.
As she looked at Ling Fei, even the usually cold and stunning Instructor Ruo Huan's eyes showed a hint of curiosity.
It seemed she was quite curious about this genius who had appeared out of nowhere.
WHOOSH!
Seeing this, everyone in the Genius Class turned their gazes to Ling Fei.
They were also curious about Ling Fei.
"This student's name is Ling Fei. He is from Longtan Town in Celestial River County. He possesses the Cold Essence Spirit Body and is currently ranked first on the Human Ranking!" Instructor Ruo Huan introduced. When she mentioned he was ranked first, a flicker of light appeared in her eyes. Perhaps this wasn't the final ranking.
However, anyone who could reach this position was bound to have limitless potential.
If such a figure were to fully develop, they could become a powerful and influential person even within the Empire.
They might even have the chance to come into contact with the vast Martial Arts World and pursue the path of eternal life.
"Cold Essence Spirit Body?" Hearing this, an uproar broke out below the stage.
"So Ling Fei has a Spirit Body! No wonder he could charge to first place!"
"A Spirit Body... that makes him a true chosen one of the heavens!"
At this moment, everyone had a sudden realization and understood how Ling Fei had achieved such a result.
"Longtan Town is just a small place. Even if he has a Spirit Body, how strong can he be?" However, some people still looked unconvinced.
In their eyes, the people from Longtan Town were nothing but country bumpkins.
Even if Ling Fei managed to reach first place on the Human Ranking, it was only because of his Spirit Body.
When it came to Martial Arts attainment and combat power, they were afraid Ling Fei was still sorely lacking.
In the path of Martial Arts, physique is important, but talent is even more so.
"Should we test him?" someone muttered under their breath.
"We have to test him. Otherwise, he'll really think he's something special," a few of the top-twenty geniuses whispered among themselves.
"Instructor, it's truly rare to see someone with a Cold Essence Spirit Body. We're all very eager to witness his strength. May I have a sparring match with him?"
A youth in the second row stood up and spoke.
This person's name was Tie Jun, and he was ranked sixteenth on the Human Ranking.
When Tie Jun spoke up, the geniuses ranked in the top twenty all stared at Ling Fei, the corners of their mouths curled into faint, mocking smiles.
From the looks of it, they seemed to want to see whether this so-called number one on the Human Ranking would dare to accept the challenge.
As for the other geniuses, they were also very curious. Just how strong was this genius?
And what was so special about the Cold Essence Spirit Body?
"Ling Fei, are you willing to accept Tie Jun's challenge?" Instructor Ruo Huan's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Ling Fei with a faint smile.
"A sparring match?" Ling Fei's eyebrow arched as he looked at Tie Jun.
"This Tie Jun is ranked sixteenth on the Human Ranking. He is already at the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm and possesses nine thousand jin of great strength. His ancestors had the Five Elements Gold Spirit Body, and while he didn't fully inherit it, he can be considered to have a Half-Spirit Body. His strength is formidable. If you're not confident, you can refuse the fight."
Instructor Ruo Huan said with a smile. Her words were meant as a reminder to Ling Fei.
After all, the Human Ranking was sometimes based on physique and talent.
Even if Ling Fei had the Cold Essence Spirit Body and had obtained first place, it didn't necessarily mean he could defeat those ranked below him.
Because the Human Ranking wasn't based purely on combat strength.
As Instructor Ruo Huan's words fell, the entire class focused their gazes on Ling Fei.
The atmosphere in the Martial Hall seemed to freeze.
"Five Elements Gold Spirit Body... a Half-Spirit Body, nine thousand jin of great strength?" Upon hearing this, Ling Fei's eyes narrowed slightly. A faint, mocking smile played on his lips as he looked at Tie Jun. Then, with utmost seriousness, he smiled and said, "Classmate Tie Jun, are you sure you want to challenge me?" His eyes were questioning.
"Of course!" Being questioned like this, Tie Jun's expression darkened. He then said sternly, "Don't worry, I won't be too rough on you."
"No, I'm afraid that I might accidentally injure you!" Ling Fei shook his head repeatedly, his expression serious.
"What!" Hearing this, Tie Jun's face sank.
"This kid is so arrogant!" The few geniuses nearby looked displeased.
Tie Jun was, after all, at the Ninth Layer Body Tempering Perfection Realm of cultivation.
As for Ling Fei, he was just a disciple from a Humble Family. It was already impressive that he had reached the Nine Layers of Body Tempering. How could he possibly compare to Tie Jun?