Leveling Up On the Spot

At noon, the battle paused for an hour.

Though the grand examination was still underway, the instructors nevertheless set aside time for midday cultivation. In the training field, everyone sat cross-legged upon the ground, focusing all their strength on absorbing the radiant energy.

At this moment, the sunlight in this area seemed even brighter than elsewhere; streams of luminous power poured into the bodies of the examinees, swiftly restoring the energy they had just expended.

With each breath of his Heartseed, the vital force surged into Jiang Feng’s body like mighty rivers. His internal reserves were quickly replenished, and then, without pause, surged forward anew.

Jiang Feng sat with eyes half-closed, sensing countless blazing orbs of light around him, rising and falling slowly as if breathing. Each orb pulsed with its own unique frequency and rhythm, as distinct as fingerprints.

Unconsciously, Jiang Feng’s attention lingered on these frequencies. Without realizing it, the rhythm of his Heartseed began to change, gradually synchronizing with the orb nearest to him until they became identical.

In the instant of perfect synchronization, a surge of luminous power flowed from the closest orb, merging into his Heartseed.

Thereafter, the Heartseed shifted again, aligning itself with the second orb. Another surge of power was drawn in.

One after another, the Heartseed synchronized with those around him, until at last every examinee nearby sent a stream of radiance into Jiang Feng. The total energy entering his body instantly grew by thirty percent!

Midday sunlight was already at its peak, and the Heartseed’s absorption capacity was astonishing. With this extra surge, Jiang Feng’s second origin branch made a decisive advance.

When the Shadow of the Connecting Sky Tree descended, that sudden influx of power drove Jiang Feng straight to the threshold between one chain and one node. Now, with this newly gained force, he actually began breaking through the first node of the second chain right there on the field!

The blazing sun hung directly overhead, and the fluctuations of luminous power on the training ground were intense.

Suddenly, Fang Liuxian uttered a quiet “hmm?” and looked toward a spot in the crowd.

At his current level, he no longer needed to cultivate intentionally. On the whole field, only he and Qu Chun stood aside, quietly waiting.

Qu Chun asked, “What is it?”

He followed Fang Liuxian’s gaze, then likewise gave a soft exclamation, “Someone’s attempting a breakthrough at this moment!”

Fang Liuxian nodded. “No wonder I felt the energy here was abnormally strong. To attempt a breakthrough during midday cultivation—what resolve this youth must have!”

Across the field, waves of luminous force rippled outward. Amid the surging waves, one rock stood firm. Each time the waves crashed against it, a greater uproar followed.

As if angered by the resistance, the waves gathered, assailing the rock again and again. At first, the rock remained unmoved, but gradually it began to loosen.

The surges grew ever more grand and unstoppable. At last, the rock could no longer withstand the assault—it shattered!

With no further obstruction, the waves joyfully swept through, passing the barrier and entering new territory. Gradually, the turbulence settled, and all was calm once more.

Jiang Feng, right there on the examination grounds, had broken through the first node of his second origin branch—ascending a level before everyone’s eyes!

Fang Liuxian and Qu Chun watched the entire process, stunned beyond measure.

Fang Liuxian murmured, “Did you notice? During his breakthrough, he drew upon the radiant force of others!”

Qu Chun nodded. “Yes, the boy’s energy fluctuations were incredibly stable—his synchronization was remarkable…”

Suddenly, he laughed and turned to Fang Liuxian, clasping his hands, “Master Fang, congratulations on discovering such an outstanding talent!”

Stroking his beard, Fang Liuxian beamed with delight, “My congratulations to you as well! Who would have thought we’d find such a youth in a place like this—what a happy surprise!”

He reached into his pocket, muttering, “Having opened a new node, he’ll need to embed a core…”

Qu Chun interjected, “Master Fang, that won’t do! Don’t forget, the exam is still in progress, and as examiners, we mustn’t hand out a core ourselves. Anyone else may give him one, but not us!”

He smiled, “And I’m sure you wouldn’t want any shadow cast on his top ranking, would you?”

Fang Liuxian withdrew his hand, shaking his head with a sigh, “A pity—if he could embed the core now, he might still have a chance of winning the final match.”

Before he finished speaking, a commotion arose at the gate. Both instructors looked over, “What happened?”

A moment later, the door opened a crack. Someone stood at the entrance, spoke a few words to the guards, then handed them something. The guards strode purposefully toward the center of the field.

Fang Liuxian, sharp-eyed, saw the object glinting with crystalline light—a core, unmistakably!

Before everyone, the guard handed it to Jiang Feng, saying in his booming voice, “This is from your master. He said that if you don’t win the last round, you’ll go without supper tonight.”

He grinned beneath his helmet, then quickly resumed a stern expression and returned to his post.

Ping Luanshan called out, “Master? Did Teacher Hua send this? Old Jiang, why is he giving you a core?”

Jiang Feng looked down at the core—it was about the size of two fingers, flawless and translucent, radiating a metallic luster from within. This was a metal-element core—top-grade, first rank!

A first-rank core is harvested from a beast of the first tier or higher, suitable only for embedding in the second or later origin branches.

Jiang Feng had just broken through the first node of his second branch—this core had arrived at the perfect moment!

But Hua Sumin was not present—how had he known of the breakthrough just now?

Jiang Feng chuckled quietly, “So Teacher Hua’s stern words are only for show…”

Before they left, Hua Su had claimed the county examination was too trivial to require his presence—he told all five of them to go by themselves. Yet the instant Jiang Feng broke through, he somehow knew and sent the core in time.

A tough tongue and a soft heart, indeed…

Jiang Feng smiled, “I just broke through the first node during cultivation. Teacher Hua must have sent this core as a reward.”

“What?!” Ping Luanshan blurted, quickly lowering his voice.

Others might not know, but he was well aware—three days ago, Jiang Feng had only just advanced a level, and now he’d already opened the first node?

Even the famed Nine-Linked Heartseed couldn’t match such speed!

In no time, the metal core was embedded into his branch, embraced by the new node.

Jiang Feng clenched his fist thoughtfully.

A metal-element core would enhance a martial cultivator’s speed and mastery over the radiant force—was Hua Su hinting at a particular strategy for facing Teng Zhi?

The guard’s actions also drew the attention of Gu Teng and his companions.

The martial instructor’s expression darkened—he barked, “Did you hear? That boy just broke through! Teng Zhi, now there’s only a four-level gap between you!”

A five-level difference is a whole stage, enough to suppress an opponent; four levels is a different matter. As in the previous two matches, if Jiang Feng was strong and resourceful enough, he could indeed defeat a superior and win this battle!

Teng Zhi narrowed his eyes, gazing at Jiang Feng from afar. “So…very well,” he murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear. The instructor eyed him warily, then resumed his barrage of instructions.

Meanwhile, Fang Liuxian stood at the gate, frowning.

When Hua Su had spoken with the guard, he’d only shown his profile—by the time Fang Liuxian looked, he caught only a glimpse of his departing figure.

That silhouette, that way of walking…

Qu Chun called softly, “Master Fang! Master Fang!” He pointed skyward, “Midday has passed—the examination should resume!”

Fang Liuxian returned to himself, nodded, and signaled, “Yes, begin!”

Jiang Feng’s match with Teng Zhi was scheduled later; before that, the rest of Yuanshan Martial Hall’s team finished their battles and saw their final scores.

Ping Luanshan: three victories, one hundred fifty points.

Hong Cheng: three victories, one hundred fifty points.

Wang Erhu: two wins, one loss, one hundred points.

Xiang Sheng: one win, two losses, fifty points.

The county ranking shifted dizzyingly, names rising and falling and stirring countless hearts. Only Jiang Feng’s top spot remained unchanged; the rest fluctuated constantly.

Ping Luanshan, having finally won his last match, massaged his waist and left the ring gasping. He glanced at the rankings, started, then grinned broadly.

He strode over to Hong Cheng and gave him a hearty slap on the back, “Boss, you’re amazing!”

Teng Zhi had won both his first matches; with one left, he sat at one hundred points for now. Hong Cheng, undefeated, now held second place, right after Jiang Feng.

Hong Cheng replied with delight, “You did well yourself!”

Ping Luanshan’s score was a bit lower, but he’d still made the top ten. Wang and Xiang, though their results weren’t ideal, would easily finish in the top thirty.

In other words, Yuanshan Martial Hall had performed unexpectedly well in the county examination!

For Hong Cheng and Ping Luanshan, participation in the state exam was virtually assured. Even Wang Erhu and Xiang Sheng would qualify for martial cultivator status.

Ping Luanshan laughed heartily, then called out, “Old Jiang, you have to win the next match! If you do, Boss Hong gets second—first and second place will both be ours!”

Jiang Feng, lost in thought, looked up and smiled, “I’ll do my best!”

Compared to their jubilation, the mood at Gu Teng Martial Hall was far gloomier.

Even if Teng Zhi won, he could only secure second place; if he lost, Gu Teng Martial Hall would be knocked out of the top three entirely!

At present, third place was held by an independent candidate just twelve points behind Hong Cheng, with no connection to Gu Teng Martial Hall. His sky trial lasted only two breaths—an average score—but he’d performed unexpectedly well in the earth trial, shooting up the rankings.

Gu Teng had hoped to sweep the top ten; now, at most, five of their students would proceed to the state exam. And Teng Zhi—so long as the bet stood—would leave Gu Teng after the examination and join Yuanshan!

A crisp bell rang, drawing every gaze in the same direction.

The match between Jiang Feng and Teng Zhi was about to begin!

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