Martial Arts Overlord-Chapter 617 - 615: Exceptional Admission

"First place?"

When Luo Feng spoke, not only Zhou Zhiyun but also the three deans beside her were greatly surprised. Aware of Luo Feng’s performance in the second round of assessment, they believed it wouldn’t be difficult for him to make the Martial Champion List. But they never expected Luo Feng’s goal to actually be first place!

Luo Feng nodded. His words might seem arrogant to others, but he didn’t think so. If he didn’t even have the confidence to make the Martial Champion List, what right did he have to challenge Yi Tian? If his current goal was merely to enter the Martial Champion List, he would become a laughingstock.

"It’s good to be ambitious, but don’t push yourself too hard," Zi Hongyuan advised, though he sounded somewhat doubtful.

"Thank you, Dean."

Luo Feng nodded without explaining further. Everything would be clear after the assessment ended.

Watching Luo Feng leave, Zi Hongyuan sighed.

Zhou Zhiyun saw this and asked with a smile, "Zi Hongyuan, are you worried about the life-or-death duel between Luo Feng and Yi Tian?"

Zi Hongyuan nodded. "Luo Feng is indeed outstanding. His potential is no less than Lu Xiao Yun’s in his youth, and his mindset is even slightly superior. But to defeat Yi Tian in three months... it’s too difficult, far too difficult..."

Zhou Zhiyun glanced at Luo Feng’s departing figure and said meaningfully, "Would you still think so if he managed to take first place on the Martial Champion List?"

Zi Hongyuan stared at Zhou Zhiyun in astonishment. "You believe him?"

Zhou Zhiyun simply smiled without answering, clearly a tacit agreement.

"Luo Feng!"

Among the Purple Sun School contingent, Bing Ruolan stood on her tiptoes and waved to Luo Feng.

Luo Feng grinned and walked over.

Bing Ruolan looked at the four deans who were still discussing, then at Luo Feng, and asked, "What were you talking about just now? The deans seemed very surprised."

Luo Feng rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "Nothing much, just a small thing."

He glanced over at the Tianlan School contingent; Luo Xiao and He Qin had both arrived. Luo Xiao’s aura was slightly stronger than yesterday; he must have taken the Qingyuan Pill.

After a while, once everyone had arrived, Zhou Zhiyun glanced around and announced, "Decide which Golden Palace you want to enter. Let’s set off."

「On the way」

Bing Ruolan looked at Luo Feng, blinked, and asked, "Luo Feng, between Yuangang Hall and Jade Hall, have you decided which Golden Palace to enter?"

Luo Feng shook his head. "Yuangang Hall and Jade Hall are both suitable for saber cultivators, but I haven’t made a choice yet."

Bing Ruolan smiled delightfully, like a blossoming lotus, and clasped her small hands behind her back. "It seems the elders of the other four major Golden Palaces are going to be disappointed."

"Why?"

Bing Ruolan looked at Luo Feng in surprise. "Don’t you know? Every year, during the twelve Golden Palace assessments, the elders of the six major Golden Palaces select one outstanding student for special admission. That student directly becomes an Inner Sect Disciple of their Golden Palace."

"Really?"

Luo Feng raised an eyebrow. He only knew that after being accepted into a Golden Palace, he would become an outer sect disciple. To be promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple, one had to pass the Golden Palace’s promotion assessment. He hadn’t expected that one could bypass the promotion assessment and directly become an Inner Sect Disciple.

"You don’t even know something so important?" Bing Ruolan glanced sideways at Luo Feng. "You ranked first in both the first and second rounds of the assessment. Apart from Linglong Hall, which only recruits female disciples, the other five major Golden Palaces will surely choose you. When that happens, there will probably be quite a fierce competition for you."

As she said this, a faint smile touched Bing Ruolan’s lips, her small face flushed, and she seemed slightly excited.

Luo Feng merely smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying it.

The group quickly arrived at Skyridge Plaza.

The plaza was already packed with people; students from the six major domains had almost all arrived. The layout of the plaza hadn’t changed, so the group easily found their way to the area designated for the Flowing Cloud Region.

"Luo Feng of Purple Sun School is here!"

"It’s unexpected for a dark horse like him to appear from the Flowing Cloud Region this year. With his accomplishments, he’ll definitely be highly sought after by the major Golden Palaces. I wonder which Golden Palace he’ll choose to join?"

"He’s a saber user, so he’ll probably choose Jade Hall or Yuangang Hall, right? The Purple Brow Wanderer of Purple Extreme Palace also promised to take him as a personal disciple, so that’s a possibility too."

"It seems the Purple Brow Wanderer truly has a discerning eye."

Noticing Luo Feng’s arrival, a buzz of discussion erupted from the audience.

Just then, the contingent from Chongyue School also entered the plaza.

Yi Wuxue heard everyone discussing Luo Feng. He looked towards Luo Feng, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Senior Brother Yi Wuxue, many people are saying that Luo Lie was defeated by Luo Feng. Is it true?" a short youth beside Yi Wuxue asked.

Yi Wuxue, whose spotlight had been stolen by Luo Feng, was in an extremely foul mood. Hearing the question, he sneered, "True or not, he’s definitely connected to it."

Beside them, Xie Xuantong nodded and harrumphed, his face stern, "During the contest for the Martial Champion List, I’ll question him myself! He’ll have to explain things clearly!"

The short martial artist felt the chilling aura emanating from the two, and his heart trembled. He dared not say another word.

A pale-faced young man stepped forward and chuckled. "He’s just a student from the Flowing Cloud Region. There’s no need for you two Senior Brothers to act; I can easily take care of him."

Yi Wuxue looked at the pale-faced young man, a sinister glint in his eyes, "Alright, Wu Tong. Be ruthless when the time comes."

The pale-faced young man was Wu Tong, also known as the Overturning River Python, ranked sixth among the top ten young experts.

"Senior Brother, don’t worry. Luo Lie is a good friend of mine; I won’t let Luo Feng off lightly. I’ll make him understand that in the face of absolute strength, all fame is worthless!" Wu Tong stared at Luo Feng, a cruel smirk on his face.

"Don’t underestimate him. This person has comprehended the Grand Momentum; he’s no simple character," Yi Wuxue reminded.

Wu Tong was unconcerned, "Senior Brother, no need to worry. I saw his fight with Wei Kuang. Compared to an ordinary first-level Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist, he is indeed a bit stronger, but against me, he’s courting death! The only reason he could kill so many Sky Flying Demons is that he must have been protected by Elder Qing Yun of Changxin Academy. Otherwise, with his own ability, such results would be impossible."

Yi Wuxue nodded, also feeling he had been overthinking things. His thoughts mirrored Wu Tong’s; he didn’t acknowledge Luo Feng’s achievements. As the second-ranked young expert of the Six Southern Domains, even he had only killed twenty-six Sky Flying Demons. For a rising star’s achievements to be double his own was simply impossible.

Thinking this, Yi Wuxue shot Luo Feng a cold look. Let’s see what face you’ll have left to show anyone after Wu Tong defeats you.

He didn’t want to act personally, considering their differing statuses. Luo Feng had only recently made a name for himself, while he was the second-ranked young expert of the Six Southern Domains. Even if he won, it probably wouldn’t significantly impact his opponent. However, if Wu Tong, who was only at the first level of the Spiritual Rotation Realm, defeated Luo Feng, it would surely crush Luo Feng’s martial heart and leave him utterly demoralized!

"Luo Feng, those people from Chongyue School keep looking at you, whether intentionally or not," Bing Ruolan remarked, noticing the gazes of Yi Wuxue and the others, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

Luo Feng smiled faintly. "I know. Just ignore them."

Luo Feng had already sensed their malicious gazes but pretended not to notice.

"Be careful if you encounter them. The people from Chongyue School are not to be trifled with," Bing Ruolan warned, recalling the incident in Sky Frost City. Back then, if Ye Siyi hadn’t intervened, both sides would likely have already come to blows.

"Mm," Luo Feng nodded.

As the red sun gradually rose in the east, nearly all the students from the various academies had arrived.

Suddenly, the rumbling sound of wind and thunder echoed in the sky, and five huge shadows broke through the clouds. These shadows were actually small mountain peaks, their entire forms shimmering with a cyan and green light. They were indeed the Five Elements Mountain, the sole entrance to Sky Mountain.

The five mountain peaks moved with lightning speed, and within a few breaths, they were hovering in the air above the plaza. Several figures appeared atop the mountain peaks, treading on air, their bodies radiating light as they came into everyone’s view.

"The Golden Palace elders have arrived! The one on the left must be Elder Purple Brow Wanderer from Purple Extreme Palace."

"As expected of Golden Palace elders. Their auras are so powerful!"

"Huh? Look at the woman next to the Purple Brow Wanderer. Isn’t that Shui Linglong, the Second Hall Master of Linglong Hall?"

"It really is her! To think she would personally attend a mere Golden Palace assessment..."

The moment these Golden Palace elders appeared, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Skyridge Plaza, causing everyone to turn their gazes in the same direction.

"Luo Feng, look! It’s the Golden Palace elders!" Bing Ruolan tugged at Luo Feng, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she watched the approaching elders.

Luo Feng nodded. His gaze fell on the woman farthest to the left, and his eyes narrowed. Is it her?

The woman on the left had hair like a black waterfall and an alluring figure. She wore a long, water-blue dress and trod on flowing light, appearing graceful and unhurried. It was Shui Linglong, the Linglong Hall disciple Luo Feng had met once before. Luo Feng hadn’t expected this woman, whom he barely knew, to be an elder of Linglong Hall. He had initially assumed she was just an ordinary disciple.

Shui Linglong’s gaze happened to pass by him, and her enticing red lips curved into a gentle, captivating smile.

SWISH!

A total of eight Golden Palace elders appeared on the stone platform in the center of the plaza.

The leading elder, from the Sky Sword Pavilion, was a spirited old man with a long beard. He scanned the surroundings, an intangible pressure emanating from his gaze, and the entire plaza instantly fell silent.

He nodded slightly, cleared his throat, and announced in a loud voice,

"Congratulations, everyone, on passing the Golden Palace assessment. As is customary, each of our six major Golden Palaces will now select one of its most outstanding students. These six students will be exceptionally promoted to Inner Sect Disciples.

"As for the others, once you hand over your Identity Jade from the assessment to the stewards for registration, you may choose your preferred Golden Palace."

WHOOSH!

The moment the elder finished speaking, a commotion immediately swept through the entire plaza.

"Inner Sect Disciples of the twelve Golden Palaces! Their status is as noble as a City Lord’s. This truly is a carp leaping over the dragon gate!"

"I wonder who those six will be."

"The top six of the Ten Young Experts are all strong contenders. However, now we have to include Luo Feng."

"Indeed. Luo Feng ranked first in two consecutive assessments. His talent is terrifying. He’s the biggest dark horse this year and will likely be fought over by the six major Golden Palaces."

While the crowd was discussing, the elder scanned the plaza. His gaze paused momentarily on Luo Feng before moving on, not paying him much heed, and finally settling on Yi Wuxue.

"Yi Wuxue, are you willing to enter the Sky Sword Pavilion to cultivate?"