Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 575 - 573: In the Spotlight

In the sky, brilliant sunlight penetrated the clouds, cascading down and gradually elongating the shadow of the sword-bearing young man at the entrance of Skyridge Plaza.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the sword-bearing young man lifted his foot and stepped forward.

THUD! The sound of his foot landing on the plaza was low and gentle, yet it drifted like the wind across the entire plaza, clearly reaching everyone’s ears.

In the plaza, countless pairs of eyes, filled with shock, watched the young man at the entrance. An eerie silence descended upon the surroundings.

Before today, many people were quite unfamiliar with the name Luo Feng; only a few had heard rumors of his comprehension of the Grand Momentum.

As a student of the four major academies in the Flowing Cloud Region, no one had imagined he could stand out among the many talented young individuals and secure first place in the first round of the assessment.

So at this moment, as they looked at the composed young man standing at the entrance of the plaza, all anyone could feel was shock upon shock.

"I didn’t expect Flowing Cloud Region to produce such a dark horse in this year’s Twelve Golden Palaces Assessment. Even the combined efforts of Wei Kuang and Chen Kui couldn’t stop him," someone couldn’t help but sigh.

"This young man is indeed extraordinary. He manipulated Wei Kuang and Chen Kui with just a few words."

Many of the keen-eyed experts present could see that Luo Feng had deliberately incited Chen Kui and Wei Kuang. He had caused the two, who had initially been cooperating, to fall apart and even turn on each other in a deadly fight.

"That’s not the most terrifying part. He just demonstrated the Splitting Technique. To my knowledge, fewer than five students in the entire Six Southern Domains can perform the Splitting Technique..."

Upon seeing Luo Feng take first place in the assessment, waves of intense discussion erupted from the spectators.

"Xue Wu Qing, I’ll gladly accept your Mysterious Blue Sword."

On the highest spectator stands, a blue halo flashed across Shui Linglong’s slender fingers. The Purple Gold Return Pill and Xue Wu Qing’s Mysterious Blue Sword on the adjacent table vanished into her hand.

Seeing this, Xue Wu Qing’s mouth twitched slightly.

Despite being an elder of the Floating Snow Hall, losing the Mysterious Blue Sword stung him deeply.

The Mysterious Blue Sword was a third-grade Spirit Weapon. It was forged from the spirit of a level-five Demon Beast, the ’Blue Leader Shark’ from the endless oceans of the North Sea, combined with Nine-colored Profound Stone. The sword could cut through iron like mud and even part water, making it an exceptionally rare and hard-to-obtain Spiritual Treasure.

However, in front of so many people, he naturally couldn’t go back on his word.

"Everyone, I shall take my leave."

Shui Linglong glanced at Luo Feng in the plaza, and with a flick of her long sleeve, she rose to depart.

She had personally come to Sky Mountain for Luo Feng. Seeing that he had lived up to her expectations by securing the top spot in the first round of the assessment, she naturally had no reason to stay any longer.

Watching Shui Linglong leave, Xue Wu Qing snorted coldly. His gaze shifted to Luo Feng, flickering uncertainly as if he were contemplating something.

Luo Feng paid no heed to the discussions around him. He stepped into the plaza and stood in the center.

The Sky Mountain steward in charge of the assessment looked at Luo Feng in surprise and smiled. "Congratulations on securing first place. The rewards will be distributed after the assessment concludes."

Luo Feng nodded, sighing in relief internally as he looked around.

His gaze fell upon the highest spectator stands, where he suddenly caught sight of a water-blue figure.

"Hmm..."

Luo Feng felt a sense of familiarity with the figure, but before he could get a closer look, it had vanished.

Shaking his head, Luo Feng didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he looked towards the VIP seats where Luotian and Yang Qing were, giving them a smiling nod.

Looking at Luo Feng standing in the plaza, Luotian burst into hearty laughter. "Qing’er, look! Feng Er is in first place!"

"Mhm."

Yang Qing’s face flushed red. She nodded excitedly, her vision slightly blurred as tears welled in her eyes.

Half a year ago, Luo Feng hadn’t even qualified to participate in the Golden Palace assessment. Yet now, he was the first one standing in Skyridge Plaza, under the gaze of thousands!

Beside them, many important figures cupped their fists in congratulation.

"City Master Luo, congratulations! Your son displays such strength at such a young age. He is surely destined for greatness, to command the winds and clouds and establish his own dominion in the future."

"Indeed! I, Fang, have seen countless geniuses in my lifetime, but none can compare to your son!"

"Family Head Luo, I hope you’ll allow your son to give my boy some pointers sometime. He’s always been too arrogant, unaware of the vastness of the world. It’s time he sees what a true genius looks like..."

Leaders of nearby factions and prominent figures from the martial world all rose to congratulate Luotian.

Having witnessed Luo Feng’s battle with Wei Kuang and Chen Kui, everyone understood that the Luo Family was likely on the verge of a meteoric rise.

To comprehend the Grand Momentum before the age of sixteen, and furthermore, to be a first-level Spiritual Rotation Realm Martial Artist—such talent was extraordinary. Even across the entire Six Southern Domains, he stood out and could contend with the top ten young prodigies!

Luotian’s face glowed with pride. He rose, cupped his fists, and said, "You all flatter me. You are welcome to visit Panlong City at any time; I, Luotian, will sweep the mats clean in anticipation of your arrival!"

As everyone discussed, two more figures darted out from the clouds in the northeastern part of the plaza. It was Bing Ruolan and He Qin.

They glanced at Chen Kui and Wei Kuang, who were fighting fiercely, a trace of confusion in their eyes.

"He Qin, why are they fighting here?" Bing Ruolan asked, frowning.

He Qin shook her head and replied indifferently, "Don’t mind them. Let’s go in."

"Mhm."

Bing Ruolan agreed, and the two of them pushed their speed to the limit, streaking past the combatants.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH...

In a moment, several more figures appeared in the sky, their numbers gradually increasing.

"Chen Kui, I’ll remember what happened today! Just hope you don’t run into me in the future, or else, hmph!"

Although Wei Kuang was eager to teach Chen Kui a lesson, he worried about not making it into the top ten and losing his eligibility for rewards. Moreover, Chen Kui was not weak; defeating him wouldn’t be a matter of one or two moves. All he could do was leave a harsh parting-word and chase after He Qin and Bing Ruolan.

Chen Kui, fully aware that he was no match for Wei Kuang, didn’t argue. He merely snorted coldly and followed closely behind.

Ultimately, Bing Ruolan was the second to enter Skyridge Plaza, with He Qin close behind her. Wei Kuang followed them, and Chen Kui secured fifth place.

As soon as Bing Ruolan entered the plaza, she spotted Luo Feng. Her beautiful eyes lit up. "Luo Feng, you’re number one?"

"Hmm. A lucky win, I guess."

Luo Feng rubbed his nose and glanced at Wei Kuang beside him.

"Humph!"

Wei Kuang’s face turned ashen. Though he had a short fuse, he wasn’t a fool. Having calmed down, he now clearly understood that he had been tricked by Luo Feng. Deep down, he ground his teeth in frustration.

"Luo Feng, congratulations. By taking first place in the first round, your name is sure to become famous throughout the Six Southern Domains!"

Bing Ruolan blinked, a mischievous smile playing on her face, her rosy cheeks like ripe apples.

Luo Feng chuckled. "Aren’t you second?"

"That’s because He Qin let me win."

Bing Ruolan looked back at He Qin.

"Your Qinggong is not weak. Even if I had used my full strength, I might not have beaten you."

He Qin shook her head slightly, her beautiful eyes turning to Luo Feng. The corners of her lush lips curved slightly. "Luo Feng, congratulations."

"Thank you." Luo Feng saw that He Qin’s expression was a smile and smiled back.

WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ...

The sound of rushing wind continued as experts from the Six Southern Domains arrived one after another, Yue Haitang among them.

Upon entering the plaza, these experts noticed the academy uniforms worn by Luo Feng and the others, their faces showing puzzled expressions. Only Yue Haitang seemed to expect this, offering Luo Feng a smile from a distance.

Luo Feng nodded in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on the phantom mountain peak in the plaza.

"Luo Feng, are you worried about your elder brother?" Bing Ruolan asked as she approached him.

Luo Feng nodded.

"He’ll be alright," Bing Ruolan softly reassured him.

"Hmm."

Luo Feng responded, but his expression showed no sign of relief.

The Twelve Golden Palaces Assessment was even crueler than he had imagined. Apart from the perilous assessment trials themselves, the ruthless infighting among the young talents was even more brutal. Luo Xiao’s strength could only be considered mid-tier.

Young talents from various academies kept emerging from the waterfall. After about fifteen minutes, Luo Feng finally saw Luo Xiao’s figure. The stone that had been weighing on his heart finally lifted.

Shortly afterward, Luo Xiao arrived at Skyridge Plaza.

"Elder Brother!"

"Second Brother!"

"Elder Brother, are you okay?"

Luo Feng walked up to Luo Xiao. Seeing his tattered clothes and the numerous bloodstains on him, he asked with a frown.

Luo Xiao looked a little embarrassed. "I was attacked by a large school of Icearrow Spearfish at the bottom of the lake. Luckily, someone helped me out. Otherwise, I would have really been in danger..."

Luo Feng quickly asked, "Who was it?"

"She was right behind me."

Luo Xiao smiled and turned to look, then frowned. "Huh, where did she go? Strange, she was just behind me a moment ago..."

"You don’t know her name?" Luo Feng asked. He was determined to repay the kindness of whoever saved his brother.

Luo Xiao shook his head. "I asked her, but she wouldn’t tell me. Oh, right, she was wearing your academy’s uniform. She’s a girl. I thought you might know her..."

"A student from our academy?"

Luo Feng frowned slightly. Since becoming an inner court student, he hadn’t spent much time at the academy and didn’t know many people.

"Second Brother, that girl is a beauty. Could it be that you two..."

Luo Xiao clapped Luo Feng’s shoulder and chuckled suggestively.

"Elder Brother, what are you thinking? I just want to thank her..." Luo Feng sighed, feeling helpless.

Bing Ruolan, standing nearby, heard their conversation. Her dark brows knitted slightly, and she let out a soft "humph" through her delicate nose.

About a hundred meters away, Lin XiaoXiao stood in the crowd, watching Luo Feng’s figure with a complicated expression. She bit her red lip and then walked to the side. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

As the blazing sun sank in the west, its lingering rays bathing Skyridge Plaza, no one else arrived. Those who had passed the assessment had essentially all gathered.

"Over a hundred thousand people participated in the assessment, and now fewer than fifty thousand remain. More than half have been eliminated. It’s truly brutal..."

Luo Xiao sighed, looking over the plaza with a somber expression.

Luo Feng nodded. "One man’s success comes at the cost of many," he mused.

After another half hour, the Sky Mountain steward responsible for the assessment appeared on the platform in the middle of the plaza. He cleared his throat and announced loudly:

"The first round of the assessment is now over. All of you should rest well tomorrow. The second round will begin the day after! We will now distribute the rewards. Students ranked from first to one hundredth, please come forward in order."

Instantly, thousands of eyes focused on Luo Feng. There was shock, envy, and surprise in their gazes, but mostly, there was admiration.

"Hahaha... Second Brother, go on up!"

Luo Xiao laughed heartily, his face flushed with excitement as he patted Luo Feng’s shoulder, urging him forward.

"Hmm."

Luo Feng took a deep breath and, under the watchful eyes of everyone present, began to walk towards the platform.

Bing Ruolan followed behind Luo Feng. After her came: ’Heavenly Fragrant Woman’ He Qin, ’Wild Wind Saber’ Wei Kuang, ’Double-headed Python’ Chen Kui, ’Master Haitang’ Yue Haitang, Chen Jin...