Chapter Seven: Crushing Defeat

So the so-called basic trial was nothing more than defeating three beasts of the same cultivation rank.

Yet the beasts within the illusion were somewhat weaker than their real-world counterparts.

With a burst of boxing techniques, Chen Fan threw only three punches and effortlessly felled the three beasts, passing the basic assessment with ease.

That was too simple.

His boxing art had already reached consummate finesse, surpassing many martial artists of the fifth or sixth level, let alone against only three beasts of the same grade.

Of course, what was simple for him was excruciating for the others taking the examination.

Beasts of the same rank were more troublesome than puppets one entire realm higher, and that was before one had to face three of them at once.

Without techniques refined to a subtle degree, or some other means, victory would be impossible.

But within the Thousand-Manifestations Vessel, all was illusion. Even death was of no concern, so one could fight without restraint, and a desperate victory was naturally more likely.

After Chen Fan defeated the three beasts, almost without any pause, a translucent wall suddenly appeared before him.

On it were written the four large words, "Your Name," followed by a broad blank space.

Chen Fan understood at once: he had passed the basic assessment. By leaving his name, he would confirm his place in the martial academy.

He raised his hand and looked at the gauntlets upon it, feeling somewhat speechless. Was he supposed to smash his name into the wall with these?

Ordinarily, one who used blades or swords could easily leave a name upon it.

Chen Fan's gauntlets were a little inconvenient, but only a little.

He stepped forward, his fist flashing out, and in an instant he carved the two words into place.

Then the wall vanished abruptly, and before him there flickered a line of enormous characters: 872.

"I defeated three fourth-rank beasts; this is my current ranking..."

At this level, nearly everyone should already be at the fourth martial realm or above. In other words, the Green Tea Martial Academy had at least eight hundred disciples at the fourth realm or higher.

Just then, the vortex appeared again.

More beasts emerged, but this time there were five fourth-rank beasts.

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, licked his lips, and charged forward with a horizontal punch.

...

Outside.

In the vast square stood a dense sea of figures.

Strangely, though, every one of them had their eyes closed and brows furrowed, as if they were all standing there in the midst of a dream.

The academy dean, Mo Wangchen, and the others occupied high positions, smiling as they watched the people gathered in the broad square below.

At that very moment, the pristine surface of the Thousand-Manifestations Vessel suddenly revealed the first name.

It was Chen Fan.

Only the name and ranking appeared.

Yet because the Thousand-Manifestations Vessel could record the aura of the soul, it was even more accurate than a mere name, so the ranking would not be mistaken.

Before Chen Fan's name appeared the number 872.

This also meant that Chen Fan was currently ranked eight hundred seventy-second in the Thousand-Manifestations Vessel assessment.

"More than eight hundred seventy names. It seems the disciples at the fourth martial realm are the first to clear the basic assessment!" Around the square, the martial academy staff, along with the vice deans and deans, were all watching the results.

"Haha, congratulations to Dean Mo. In so little time, one person has already confirmed his entry into the martial academy this year!"

Mo Wangchen also wore a smile. "At the fourth martial realm, to complete the basic assessment this quickly, this disciple must truly be a genius among geniuses."

Even among the academy's current disciples, those with fourth-level cultivation who could break through the first trial layer at such speed were exceedingly rare.

The Nineteenth Prince smiled at the name above. "Hmm? Chen Fan again. Could this Chen Fan be the same one who took first place with an upper-grade result in the first two rounds?"

After each round's results were released, they were immediately reported to the higher-ups. Everyone there already knew that Chen Fan had taken first place in both previous rounds.

Mo Wangchen nodded as well, speaking with satisfaction. "It should be him. Though it is possible that the name is shared, someone this outstanding is unlikely to be a mere namesake."

Beside him, Ye Wouji's eyes shone brightly.

"Haha, I never expected this assessment to produce such a youthful talent. Not only is his foundation profound, even his strength is so extraordinary. Truly, Heaven favors the Great Qian, and Heaven favors our Green Tea Martial Academy!"

The surrounding dignitaries all cast strange looks at Ye Wouji.

And as the few spoke, one disciple after another on the square let out muffled groans and awakened.

Those who woke so quickly had clearly failed the trial.

The failures were also led away one after another by the martial practitioners patrolling the area, so as not to affect the performance of the others.

As time passed, more and more people passed the basic assessment.

The names on the surface of the Thousand-Manifestations Vessel gradually increased as well, and among them, Chen Fan still held first place.

Only his ranking soon changed too, jumping from 872 to the upper range of the seven hundreds.

Before long, the names of Yan Lincu and Zhang Fan also appeared on the vessel's surface. However, the two of them were only at the third martial realm, so even if they passed the basic assessment, their rankings were still far beyond the thousandth place, leaving Chen Fan far behind.

For this examination, there were already very few people above the fourth martial realm, and there was not a single one with combat strength comparable to Chen Fan's. Naturally, their speed in killing enemies could not match his.

...

Within the illusory realm of myriad forms.

Five beasts were far more troublesome than three fourth-rank beasts, but for Chen Fan at this moment, they were still a trivial matter. He passed them with ease.

At the same time, another enormous number appeared before him, representing his ranking.

785.

"My ranking has risen by more than ninety places..."

This also meant that even within the Green Tea Martial Academy, more than ninety people were still trapped at the level of five fourth-rank beasts, unable to advance.

He had barely had time to sigh when, after only a brief rest, ten more beasts appeared before him.

By their size, they all appeared to be fourth-rank.

Chen Fan lifted his brows and instantly stepped out. His feet flashed like flying light as his fists came crashing down.

At this moment, his boxing art, having reached consummate finesse, was truly terrifying. With a single casual strike of the Nine Suns Tyrant Tiger Fist, he could finish off one beast.

Only, with ten beasts attacking at once, he also had to consider evasion, and so his speed slowed slightly.

Even so, in no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he had smashed them all to death one by one.

His breathing only faltered slightly, his blood and qi surged a little, and his endurance remained abundant.

His trial ranking had also climbed to 708.

"The martial academy really is extraordinary. In the outside world, a fourth-realm martial artist probably couldn't even handle a single beast of the same rank, yet the academy's trial requires ten. Truly absurd!"

Chen Fan was also deeply impressed. The martial academy deserved its reputation as a gathering place for geniuses.

Still, considering how many had been selected from two commanderies, it was not all that surprising.

In the next round of the assessment, there were only five beasts, but...

One of them, a bear beast, clearly possessed an aura and pressure one level higher than the rest.

It was a fifth-rank beast.

The other four beasts even seemed to take their cues from the fifth-rank bear, showing a measure of cooperation that made the difficulty soar at once.

A fifth-rank beast was far more formidable than a fourth-rank one, powerful enough to be counted as ten.

Even with Chen Fan's consummate boxing and footwork combined, it still took time to deal with a beast of a higher level.

Not to mention the additional obstruction of four fourth-rank beasts.

Fortunately, his Thundering Motion footwork had also reached consummate finesse. It was not only fast but exceptionally agile as well. He darted and weaved repeatedly, never once being struck by a beast.

Using that advantage in movement, he avoided the fifth-rank beast and first smashed the four fourth-rank beasts to death one by one with his fists.

Only then did he face the fifth-rank beast head-on in single combat.

His punches were tyrannical and unmatched.

The power of his consummate secret arts was terrifying.

With overwhelming strength, he unleashed only ten full-force blows before brutally smashing the fifth-rank beast to death.

His ranking rose once more, reaching 625.