Xuanwu War Sovereign

"Next, Qin Feng!"

Qin Feng’s gaze flickered. He smiled, stepping out of the line and heading toward the testing platform.

Qin Feng was about fifteen or sixteen, right in the middle of his growth spurt. He had originally been on the thinner side—somewhat scrawny and short, with dull, dry hair. But after being nourished by elixirs over the past few days, his frame had begun to fill out.

He stood tall and lean, dressed in a light-brown robe embroidered with black patterns and a lustrous, milky-white silk coat over it. The hem of his robe was tucked into a white jade belt at his waist, and he wore white deer-hide boots, perfect for riding.

His jet-black hair was arranged in a neat topknot, secured within an exquisite white jade crown, yet it flowed with a subtle, unrestrained grace.

What a graceful and refined young man he was, exuding an air of leisurely elegance.

"Qin Feng... he’s so handsome. Could he be a disciple of the Qin Family, one of the Nine Great Families of Mountain and River City?" a girl in the crowd whispered to her companion, her eyes sparkling.

A young woman shook her head. "He’s probably not from our Qin Family. I know most of our family’s geniuses, and I have no impression of him. He’s probably just some kid from a minor family here to try his luck. But he’s destined to make this trip for nothing. The All Stars Academy isn’t a place that disciples from small families like his can aspire to. He’s only here to humiliate himself!"

This girl was from the Qin Family of Mountain and River City, so her judgment was naturally persuasive.

"Relax your body, place your hand on the Testing Stone Slab, and do not move," the middle-aged man on the platform said, his voice cold.

Qin Feng stepped onto the platform, a subtle ripple in his gaze. He reached out and placed a hand on the Testing Stone Slab. It felt cool to the touch. Just then, the Profound Array Map on the ground suddenly burst with a strand of multicolored light that instantly shot into his body.

Qin Feng closed his eyes. He felt a warm current travel up his arm and into his body. It was a pleasant, trickling warmth, like soaking in a hot spring. It quickly circulated through him once before flowing back into the Testing Stone Slab. He opened his eyes just in time to see a multicolored light shoot out from it.

On the platform, the middle-aged man stared at the information appearing on the slab. The typically impassive man glanced at Qin Feng in surprise, a flicker of something unusual in his eyes. After a moment, he looked up and slowly announced the results.

"Qin Feng. Late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Fifteen years old. Excellent!"

After speaking, the man who had been stone-faced the entire time actually cracked a smile. "Young man," he added, "keep up the good work."

This was only the second time the middle-aged man had said anything more than was necessary. The first time was for Zou Yuxian; the second was for Qin Feng. For everyone else, even for geniuses like Qian Lai and Guan Xiaopeng who received a ’Superior’ rating, he had merely offered a single, indifferent comment.

A young woman was recording the results nearby. Qin Feng had excellent eyesight and could clearly see her write his name in the ’Excellent’ column. Besides his, there were only a handful of other names in that list!

Qin Feng nodded, his demeanor composed, neither arrogant nor impatient. The cold-faced middle-aged man sized him up again, his opinion of him rising even higher. ’To remain so calm after hearing a result like that... a disposition like his stands out among these youths like a crane among chickens.’

The middle-aged man gave him a profound look before waving him off the platform.

The surrounding crowd, however, could not remain calm. It was as if a bomb had gone off.

"What? Another ’Excellent’ rating!"

"Who is this Qin Feng? How lucky can he be to get an ’Excellent’ rating!"

"Whose son is he, to surpass so many young masters in a single stroke!"

"Such incredible luck! An ’Excellent’ rating... you can count the number of people who got that score on one hand!"

...

As the middle-aged examiner announced the result, all eyes abruptly fell upon Qin Feng. A tidal wave of discussion washed over him, and the envy, jealousy, anger, and resentment in everyone’s eyes threatened to drown his somewhat slender figure.

Even the elfin Zou Yuxian cast a curious glance in his direction.

In the crowd, the arrogant Guan Xiaopeng stared intently at the slender figure descending from the platform, biting his lip until it bled. He trembled with jealousy, but even more so with disbelief that he had been surpassed by Qin Feng. He clenched one hand into a fist so tight his nails dug into his palm, yet he felt no pain.

Suddenly, Guan Xiaopeng shot forward, blocking Qin Feng’s path. "Qin Feng, I won’t accept this!" he roared. "I, Guan Xiaopeng, am at the Martial Arts Fifth Layer Realm, while you are merely at the Martial Arts Fourth Layer! You’re even older than me! On what grounds am I rated ’Superior’ while you are ’Excellent’?! They must have made a mistake! You can’t leave! You have to be retested!"

The sudden outburst silenced the entire field. In the quiet that followed, traces of doubt crept into everyone’s eyes as their gazes shifted between Qin Feng and the experts from All Stars Academy.

"Guan Xiaopeng seems to have a point," someone in the crowd whispered doubtfully. "Guan Xiaopeng’s result was late-stage Martial Arts Fifth Layer at age twelve, while Qin Feng is only late-stage Martial Arts Fourth Layer. Logically, there’s no way Qin Feng’s evaluation should be higher than Guan Xiaopeng’s!"

"Maybe the people from All Stars Academy made a mistake!" Someone directed their gaze toward the academy’s representatives.

The eyes of many of the eliminated youths in the crowd lit up, eager to see trouble brew.

"I’m afraid the All Stars Academy must have made a mistake. This Qin Feng is, at best, the young master of some minor family. How could someone like him possibly receive an ’Excellent’ rating!" The young woman from the Qin Family shook her head, her lovely eyes filled with a quiet confidence. She also believed the academy had made an error; after all, occasional testing inaccuracies were to be expected.

It was a matter of pride. She herself had only received a ’Superior’ rating a few days prior, and she refused to believe she could be outshone by some upstart.

Qin Feng stared speechlessly at the red-eyed youth. ’Retest just because you say so? Who do you think you are?’ Shaking his head, Qin Feng prepared to ignore Guan Xiaopeng’s unreasonable pestering.

Guan Xiaopeng flew into a rage, his face twisting into a ferocious snarl. "Qin Feng, you dare look down on me!"

Qin Feng shot Guan Xiaopeng a cold glance, annoyance flaring in his heart. ’This boy is being completely unreasonable. It’s not like I had any say in the test results. If he’s not convinced, he should take it up with the people from All Stars Academy, not me.’ He tried to walk around him, but Guan Xiaopeng blocked his path again.

A blood-red, tyrannical glint shone in Guan Xiaopeng’s eyes. "No one has ever dared to disrespect me like this! Qin Feng, you are the first! I’ve decided to cripple you myself, you upstart!"

"I will show everyone who is truly excellent!"

A cruel, cold light erupted from Guan Xiaopeng’s eyes as a violent aura exploded from his body. He curled his fingers into a claw, like steel talons, and swiped at Qin Feng.

With that one swipe, he unleashed his family’s Ultimate Skill. He lunged like a great eagle, moving so fast that a piercing gust of wind reached Qin Feng’s ears in the blink of an eye, the claw aimed straight for his face.

"That’s the Guan Family’s Spirit Martial Level, High-level Technique, the Big Roc’s Dragon-Catching Claw! It’s a secret technique passed down only within their family. It looks like Guan Xiaopeng has already reached Minor Achievement with this Claw Technique. One strike is enough to rip open the belly of a highly defensive Fierce Beast!" The girl from the Qin Family recognized the attack, a slight smile gracing her lips.

Qin Feng snorted, inwardly furious. ’This Guan Xiaopeng is too vicious, trying to cripple me over a single disagreement.’

’In that case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!’ A ferocious glint flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes. He had never been one to back down from a fight. As the sharp, malicious claw neared his face, he activated his Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao. Executing the Spiritual Serpent Movement Technique, he twisted his waist at an impossible angle, his body slithering downward like a boneless snake to evade the deadly strike.

"A Snake Body Technique? Before a Big Roc, what hope does a snake have of survival!"

Guan Xiaopeng’s crimson eyes widened in surprise for a second before his lips curled into a cruel, savage smile. He changed the trajectory of his iron claw as a violent surge of Inner Breath erupted, aiming for an opening near Qin Feng’s lower body.

His speed was immense. The deadly Claw Technique tore through the air, like five faint, chilling glints of light ripping through the Void.

Guan Xiaopeng was utterly vicious, and his timing was impeccable. It looked as if this strike would disembowel Qin Feng!

"Ah!" In the distance, many spectators squeezed their eyes shut, afraid to witness the gory scene that was sure to follow. On the testing platform, the middle-aged man frowned and was about to intervene, but then his expression flickered with surprise.

’A snake can’t fight a Big Roc, but what about a Xuanwu that wields the power to suppress the seas?’

Qin Feng’s face was expressionless, but a blade-like glint of cold light appeared in his eyes. The immense life-or-death crisis made all forty-eight thousand of his pores contract in unison. Taking a deep breath, his gaze sharpened. He knew that at this moment, dodging in any direction would still result in a grievous wound from those claws. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Qin Feng’s demeanor changed in an instant. A terrifying ferocity erupted in his pupils, and his chest heaved as if great waves were crashing within. His mouth opened slightly, and an imperceptible, deep roar seemed to take shape.

ROAR!

The sound seemed to originate from a primeval ocean, as if from the great beyond an ancient Divine Beast with the head of a dragon and the body of a turtle had leaped from the sea to roar at the heavens!

Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao, Profound Turtle Sea-Suppressing Fist!

Guan Xiaopeng’s malice had thoroughly enraged Qin Feng, driving him to unleash the True Martial Level Boxing Technique within his Xuanwu Yin Yang Dao. A colossal, deep-cyan power erupted from Qin Feng’s body. His backward-leaning figure suddenly shot forward, bending at a ninety-degree angle. He was like a bowstring drawn to its limit, suddenly released—an arrow piercing the clouds!

Gathering power like drawing a bow, releasing force like loosing an arrow!

His arm shot out, imbued with a terrifying force that seemed as tangible as bronze; faint scales even seemed to appear on his skin. As he threw the punch, the air vibrated violently, and a series of terrifying sonic booms echoed in its path.

BANG!

Qin Feng unleashed his Xuanwu’s Power to its fullest. The ferocious Fist Force collided with the sharp claws. Guan Xiaopeng’s confident expression froze. With a sharp CRACK of splintering bone, the unstoppable momentum of Qin Feng’s terrifying Fist Force carried through, smashing into Guan Xiaopeng’s shoulder like an irresistible tide. The dreadful Fist Force surged into Guan Xiaopeng’s body, and in that single instant, who knew how many of his bones were shattered by the impact.

THUD! Amidst the shocked and disbelieving gazes of the youths, Guan Xiaopeng’s body was launched like a cannonball, flying several dozen yards before crashing to the ground, lying motionless as a dead dog.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Qin Feng slowly raised his head, scanned his surroundings, and spoke deliberately. "Is there anyone else who’s not convinced?"