Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Participant C-18, thirty-one lock-lifts. Final assessment: Middle C-class." The proctor announced Xu Yang’s final score.

Everyone who had thought he was just grandstanding fell silent, their gazes turning in unison to Lu Ren.

Was Xu Yang just that talented, or was Lu Ren’s reputation undeserved, a product of excessive hype?

Despite having the Gu Family’s full backing, his performance was only on par with Xu Yang’s.

"Damn it!"

Lu Ren’s face was livid. ’That bastard Xu Yang performed on my level yet again! Now everyone will think I’m a good-for-nothing. After all those resources, I still couldn’t pull ahead of him.’

"Damn it!" Gu Fang cursed under her breath.

’Because,’ she thought, ’I already saw my older brother, Gu Haoming, give me an approving look. He thinks I’ve already won Xu Yang over and secured a powerful new ally for us.’

’If I have to tell him I have no connection to Xu Yang whatsoever—that I’ve actually mocked him on occasion...’

Gu Fang dared not imagine the consequences.

"Not bad at all!"

Up on the high platform, a faint smile touched Lin Cheng’s lips. ’With results like these, it seems waiving his tuition and even giving him that precious Qi Replenishing Pill wasn’t a waste after all.’

’I just wonder if the boy held anything back.’

"He’s not just a show-off. He’s a genius with the potential for Dragon Ascension."

"You missed out on a talent like him, Ling’er. He’s no worse than Lu Ren."

"No, he’s even more of a genius than Lu Ren."

...

Listening to her close friends’ chatter, Huang Ling’er’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

’Xu Yang rejecting the marriage alliance wasn’t a huge deal in itself,’ she thought. ’But I ran to Weiyuan Hall to save face, slandering him and claiming *I* was the one who looked down on *him*. That’s what made it a catastrophe.’

’Now, everyone will not only laugh at me for not knowing my own place, but they’ll also mock me for being blind to a treasure right in front of me—for missing out on a Dragon Ascending Genius.’

"I heard that the Liu Family even wanted Xu Yang to marry into their family, but he refused," one of her friends suddenly asked. "Ling’er, was it really Xu Yang who took the initiative to ask your family for your hand?"

"He even turned down the Liu Family? Why didn’t you mention that before?"

"So it seems it wasn’t Ling’er who looked down on Xu Yang, but the other way around. She must have flown into a rage out of humiliation and slandered him, accusing him of being a toad trying to eat swan meat."

...

Huang Ling’er felt a roar in her mind, as if she’d been struck by lightning.

Before, she had believed that even if that peasant Xu Yang stood up and told the truth, no one would have believed him.

But now that Xu Yang had revealed the aptitude of a Dragon Ascending Genius, he didn’t even need to say a word. Everyone knew she was the one who had actually been rejected.

’Xu Yang wouldn’t even marry a woman from the great Liu Family. Why would he take the initiative to ask for a woman from the second branch of a minor family like the Huangs?’

"Brother, should we prepare a gift for Xu Yang as well?"

Huang Ping’s mouth felt dry as a wave of regret washed over him.

Huang Xu fell silent for a moment. ’Is this the Xu Yang my younger brother and the others claimed had a Lower C-class Root Bone?’

"You didn’t think to foster that relationship earlier," Huang Jin sneered, "but now that he’s shown the potential for Dragon Ascension, you’re all eager to suck up to him. That kind of snobbery will only make him despise you."

At that moment, Huang Jin felt all his past frustrations melt away. ’Serves them right for not listening to me and letting a genius with the potential for Dragon Ascension slip through their fingers.’

"This is only the first trial," Huang Xu said. "Great strength doesn’t mean he’s skilled in actual combat. Whether he can achieve Dragon Ascension depends on the second trial. Without the backing of a Noble Family, it will be difficult for Xu Yang to secure a Dragon Ascension spot with only the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist."

He only regretted not taking Xu Yang seriously and missing the chance to cultivate a Dragon Ascending Genius; he didn’t actually believe Xu Yang could achieve Dragon Ascension.

’He has some talent, but it’s a pity he can’t see the big picture. If he had agreed to my terms back then, his success in the Dragon Ascension would have been guaranteed today.’

Liu Hongchang shook his head inwardly as he watched the figure walk off the field.

He admitted Xu Yang had surprised him, but that was the extent of it.

The results of the first trial weren’t the criteria for the Dragon Ascension. The slots were determined solely by how high you ranked in the combat of the second trial.

Without a Noble Family’s Secret Martial Arts, it would still be exceedingly difficult for Xu Yang to seize a Dragon Ascension slot.

"He hasn’t been recruited by one of the Noble Families yet? Excellent, excellent..."

On the viewing platform, an influential figure smiled and gave an immediate order. "He has some talent, to have gotten this far on his own."

"When the first trial ends, go and tell him that if he becomes my son’s follower and pledges his loyalty, my Cao Family will guarantee his success in the Dragon Ascension."

...

"Junior Brother Xu, you really gave me quite a shock!"

Sun Tao was the first to rush forward and help the "exhausted" Xu Yang to his feet, his face filled with amazement.

’Xu Yang is full of surprises, scoring on par with Lu Ren. Could this be why Junior Sister Lin Wei said yesterday to forfeit if you ran into him?’

"Congratulations!"

Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong offered their congratulations, their expressions complex.

’Whether he achieves Dragon Ascension or not, with a performance like this, his future is bright. Even if he misses out on Dragon Ascension, there are still the other Martial Examinations, and even the title of Martial Champion Scholar.’

Who would dare say this was as far as Xu Yang would go?

"I didn’t expect you to be this strong. Now if we cripple you, at least no one can accuse Gale Hall of bullying the weak," a cold voice interjected.

It was Jiang Yi, a Gale Hall disciple also assigned to Group C. He was the one who had defeated Yang Lin at Weiyuan Hall, and his strength was not to be underestimated.

Not far away, Zhu Yang made another throat-slitting gesture, and most of the other Gale Hall disciples turned their attention toward Xu Yang as well.

"We’ll see who cripples whom!" Sun Tao snorted.

In every Martial Arts Examination, whenever disciples from Gale Hall and Weiyuan Hall met, they fought to the death. Both sides always suffered casualties; there was nothing to fear.

Xu Yang merely glanced at Jiang Yi without a word. ’We’ll see if we even face each other. There’s no point in trading threats if we don’t.’

Afterward, Xu Yang sat to the side, pretending to recover his stamina while he observed the rest of the assessment.

He saw Cao Rong, Yun Feng, and Han Xin—the three geniuses Sun Tao had mentioned were the favorites for the top spot. Their auras were indeed powerful.

He also spotted Qin Ze from the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall, along with several other masters whom Sun Tao and the others had mentioned previously.