50: Chapter 50 Shocks the Martial Arts School

"Of course I am a Second Grade Martial Artist." Lin Tian's voice was clear, calm, and unhurried, echoing in the silent main hall.

The muscles on Du Fei's face twitched, and then, as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, his lips curled into an undisguised sneer.

He didn't even bother to look at Lin Tian anymore, merely squinting at him and letting out a soft snort from his nose.

In his mind, this kid must have lost his mind to dare lie so blatantly in front of the Hall Revered Master and the Elders. He was truly seeking death.

Sure enough, Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's face, seated at the head of the hall, darkened completely. His brows furrowed tightly, and the initial expectation and warmth in his eyes were replaced by a deep layer of disappointment and displeasure.

He stared at Lin Tian, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority and a hint of suppressed anger: "Lin Tian! How dare you make wild, baseless claims in front of your Revered Master!

If you dare to speak nonsense again, get back to your room immediately to contemplate your mistakes. Without your Revered Master's permission, you shall not take a single step out of your door!"

He was indeed truly angered. He loved high talent, and he could understand arrogance.

But if one's character was corrupt, lying publicly like this just for a slot and disregarding the facts, that was having a crooked heart, which he absolutely could not tolerate.

At this moment, he even began to doubt if he had misjudged the boy.

Lin Tian, however, seemed not to feel the heavy pressure and the impending outburst of anger. He merely lowered his head slightly and spoke again.

His tone remained steady, yet carried a rock-solid determination: "Revered Master, your Disciple does not dare to speak nonsense. Your Disciple... really is already a Second Grade Martial Artist."

"You—!" Hall Master Chen Qingfeng was completely infuriated, his last shred of patience entirely exhausted.

He suddenly stood up from the main seat, about to step forward to personally capture this "stubborn" and "lying" Rebellious Disciple, and lock him up in solitary confinement for a few days first!

However, at the very instant before he could Move—

*Boom!*

A heavy, dense, and majestic surge of vital blood, like a sudden mountain torrent, erupted skyward from Lin Tian's seemingly frail body without any warning!

It was not Du Fei's fierce, showy, and sharp aura, but a more restrained and solid power, a majestic strength that seemed to have been tempered a thousand times and possessed a profound foundation!

The vital blood surged, faintly forming a blurry, constantly circulating faint shadow behind Lin Tian.

Though it vanished in a flash, the perfectly harmonious and endless Concept that leaked out in that instant shook the hearts of all the Elders in the hall!

At the same time, Lin Tian clenched his right fist. Without executing any fancy Move, he simply and plainly punched toward the Void Realm beside him!

*Thud!*

Where his fist directed, the air seemed to be struck violently by an invisible giant hammer, producing a low, muffled boom like thunder!

A visible, pale-white wave of air rippled outward with his fist at the center, blowing back the hair, beards, and robes of several nearby Elders!

Pure power crushed the air, and the resulting roar echoed throughout the spacious main hall, making everyone's eardrums vibrate.

Two thousand catties! It was absolutely over two thousand catties of pure strength!

Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's stepping foot froze mid-air, his entire body suddenly locked in place as if under a binding spell.

The anger on his face froze instantly, replaced by an expression of extreme shock and disbelief. His eyes widened to circles.

He stared intently at Lin Tian's retracted fist, then suddenly turned to look at Lin Tian's face, which had already returned to calm, as if that earth-shattering punch just now was merely an illusion.

"This vital blood... this strength..." Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice carrying a dry tremble he hadn't even noticed himself. "Second Grade! It really is the Second Grade! You... you've also made a Breakthrough?!"

To the side, the sneer and arrogance on Du Fei's face had long vanished without a trace, replaced by a terrified look of sheer horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

He looked as if he were being choked by the throat, letting out a sharp, distorted shriek: "No! Impossible! How could you have made a Breakthrough?!

I have cultivated bitterly for several years and gone through countless hardships to luckily succeed!

How long have you been practicing?! A year! Just a bit over a year! This is absolutely impossible! It's fake! It must be fake!"

He shook his head frantically, his face pale and his eyes unfocused, as if the beliefs and pride he had relied on for so long had been smashed to pieces by this single punch.

This cultivation speed had already surpassed the limits of his comprehension. It was truly a Prodigy!

Lin Tian slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air as the terrifying fluctuations of vital blood around him quickly settled. He bowed slightly to Hall Master Chen Qingfeng: "It was just a stroke of luck. I had better fortune."

"Good! Good! Good!" Hall Master Chen Qingfeng finally snapped out of his extreme shock, his face instantly overtaken by massive pleasant surprise and excitement. He uttered "good" three times in a row, his voice trembling slightly.

He looked at Lin Tian, his eyes burning hot as if he were looking at a rare, priceless treasure.

To be honest, no matter how highly he thought of Lin Tian, and even if he believed Lin Tian's talent was peerless, he had never dared to hope that the boy could make a Breakthrough to the Second Grade realm in just half a year from a position where no one favored him!

This was no longer just talent; it was an indescribable potential and... a miracle!

This was his Disciple!

He was Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's closed-door disciple!

This glory caused a surge of pride to swell in his chest. His previous disappointment and anger had long since vanished into thin air, leaving only boundless gratification and pride.

"Revered Master," Lin Tian looked up at the right moment, his gaze clear as he asked again, "then this Imperial Guard recommendation slot..."

"Wait!" Du Fei suddenly snapped out of his daze, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and interrupted urgently.

Seeing that the slot was about to be his, how could he let it fly away due to this sudden turn of events? He hurriedly took a step forward and said anxiously to Hall Master Chen Qingfeng: "Hall Revered Master! Even if Lin Tian has also broken through to the Second Grade, this slot should rightfully be mine!

I was the first to demonstrate it in public, and the first to report my Breakthrough to you! Based on first come, first served, it should be me!

Hall Revered Master, you also said with your own mouth just now that this final slot would belong to me! How can you change it just because he demonstrated later?"

He spoke extremely fast, his face flushed with urgency and excitement as he stared intently at Hall Master Chen Qingfeng.

Lin Tian did not refute, merely looking calmly at Hall Master Chen Qingfeng.

The joy on Hall Master Chen Qingfeng's face faded slightly. Looking at the two confronting each other, his brows slowly furrowed again.

Joy was joy, but as the Hall Revered Master, he was now caught in a dilemma. What Du Fei said was not without reason; he indeed had the intention of agreeing just now.

Yet Lin Tian had also met the standard, and was his beloved Disciple, displaying an even more terrifying potential...

His gaze swept over the faces of the two, who were both young, both exceptionally talented, and now faintly confronting each other. After a moment of contemplation, he made a decision.

As the Revered Master of a martial arts hall in charge of hundreds of Disciples, the most important thing was "fairness." Even if he had a personal preference in his heart, he absolutely could not show public favoritism; otherwise, it would be hard to convince the crowd, and the rules of the martial arts hall would cease to exist.

"Alright, both of you quiet down." Hall Master Chen Qingfeng raised his hand to gesture for silence, his voice regaining the composure and authority of a Hall Revered Master. "Both of you have broken through to the Second Grade, and both are qualified for the recommendation. However, there is only one slot, which was indeed a lack of foresight on my part."

He paused, his gaze like lightning as he swept over everyone in the hall, and declared loudly: "In that case, for the sake of fairness, three days from now, at the martial arts hall's training field, we shall hold an Arena tournament!

The two of you will go up to the Arena to decide it. The winner gets this slot! The loser will have nothing to say.

Do either of you have any objections to this method?"

Sure enough, once this method was proposed, it both preserved the face of the rules and gave both sides a fair chance to compete.

Lin Tian had almost no hesitation, immediately cupping his fists: "Your Disciple has no objections. Everything shall be arranged by you, Revered Master."

His eyes were calm as he looked at Du Fei, showing little emotion, as if he were merely stating a matter of course.

Hearing this, Du Fei was first taken aback, and then a strong Battle Intent and ruthlessness suddenly erupted in his eyes.

What he feared was the Hall Revered Master showing direct favoritism. Since an opportunity to compete in the Arena was given, he was confident he would never lose to this "lucky guy" who had cultivated for barely over a year!

He immediately straightened his back and said in a deep voice: "Your Disciple has no objections either! We shall decide the winner in the Arena, just as the Hall Revered Master says!"

Having said that, he turned around abruptly, his gaze like a knife, stabbing fiercely at Lin Tian as he said word by word: "Lin Tian, three days from now, we shall see who is truly capable on the Arena!

I want to see just how much weight you, a Second Grade who 'luckily' made a Breakthrough, actually carry! Let's go!"

He stayed no longer, leaving the main hall with large strides, carrying a chest full of hostility and a determination to win.

Several Disciples close to him quickly followed behind.

...

"Lin Tian has also broken through to the Second Grade, and will compete with Senior Brother Du Fei in the Arena in three days for the final Imperial Guard slot!"

This news was like cold water dripping into boiling oil, instantly exploding in every corner of the Qingfeng Martial Arts Hall, triggering a mountain-shaking and ocean-roaring clamor and uproar.

"What?! Senior Brother Lin is also Second Grade?!"

"My god! Real or fake?! Didn't he just join a year ago?!"

"The Hall Revered Master confirmed it himself, how could it be fake? Just now, the vital blood erupted over at the main hall, and many people felt it!"

"Second Grade in a year... This, this cultivation speed is unheard of! A martial arts Genius! No, he's a Prodigy!"

"No wonder he could be accepted as a closed-door disciple by the Hall Revered Master. It turns out he was hiding so deep!"

"Now we've got a good show to watch! Senior Brother Du is an established Genius with a deep foundation; Senior Brother Lin is a rising star who progresses at lightning speed! Three days from now, the Arena will definitely be a clash of dragons and tigers!"

The training field, corridors, dining hall, dormitories... wherever there were Disciples of the martial arts hall, this matter was being fiercely discussed.

Amazement, doubt, adoration, excitement, anticipation... all kinds of emotions intertwined and filled the air.

Wang Yu was talking to someone, and upon hearing this explosive news, he felt as if struck by lightning, freezing on the spot with his mind blank.

His mouth hung open, unable to close for a long while, as Lin Tian's previous faint-smiling words, "I am already a Second Grade," echoed repeatedly in his mind.

So... that wasn't a joke, nor was it comfort, but the statement of a simple fact that was outrageous.

"Holy... crap!" After a long while, Wang Yu finally squeezed out a distorted cry from his throat.

He rubbed his face hard, his gaze extremely complex,

filled with shock and realization, which eventually turned into an indescribable excitement. "This guy... is really a monster! A Prodigy!"

He had long been unable to stand Du Fei's arrogant and bullying attitude, and felt even more helpless about the prospect of Du Fei obtaining the slot and becoming increasingly arrogant in the future.

Now, with this sudden turn of events, Lin Tian had burst onto the scene and actually gained the qualification to compete with him! Naturally, he stood on Lin Tian's side without any hesitation.

"Three days from now... I must grab a good spot!" Wang Yu clenched his fists, his eyes shining.

Not only him, but almost all the Disciples throughout the martial arts hall, whether new or old, and regardless of how they had previously viewed Lin Tian, had their entire attention drawn by this sudden Peak duel.

Everyone made up their minds that they would absolutely not be absent from the Arena battle three days from now!