From Fanwu to Xinghai

Cloud City is the largest city in the southwest of the Fanwu Dynasty.

Lin Chen stood before the city gate, gazing at the ten-zhang-high city wall, momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had ever seen such a magnificent structure. The city wall was entirely built of dark blue-black boulders, each stone polished smooth as a mirror. Banners fluttered atop the wall, and patrolling soldiers could be vaguely seen moving back and forth. The city gate was wide open, with eight armored soldiers standing on each side, wielding long halberds, exuding an imposing aura.

"This is Cloud City." Uncle Chen stood beside him. "The reason why the Martial Arts Examination of the Dynasty is held here is because there is a royal martial arts arena in the city, which was built by the founding emperor himself. It is said to be able to accommodate 100,000 people."

"One hundred thousand..." Lin Chen swallowed.

"Hurry up and go in," Uncle Chen urged. "Today is the last day to register; it'll be too late if we wait any longer."

The registration office was located in the city's government affairs hall. Lin Chen and Uncle Chen queued for a full two hours before it was finally his turn.

The person in charge of registration was a young civil official, dressed in a blue official robe, who said without looking up, "Name, place of origin, age, cultivation level."

"Lin Chen, a native of Qing Shi Town, is sixteen years old and has reached the third level of Body Tempering."

The pen suddenly stopped.

The young civil official raised his head, sized Lin Chen up, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes: "Body Tempering Level Three? Are you here to participate in the martial arts exam, or just to join in the fun?"

The surrounding examinees and their companions cast curious glances. The third level of Body Tempering was practically the lowest in the martial arts examination. Although the examination didn't have a level limit, the lowest level participants were at least the fifth level of Body Tempering, with many aristocratic scions at the seventh or eighth level, and occasionally even geniuses at the ninth level. For someone at only the third level of Body Tempering to participate in the examination was truly overestimating themselves.

Lin Chen was not angry. He knew that his strength was weak, but he had his own advantages.

"I'm here to take the martial arts exam." He said calmly, "How much is the registration fee?"

The young civil official sneered: "One tael of silver."

Lin Chen pulled a cloth bag from his pocket, containing all his savings accumulated over two years, exactly one tael. The civil official took the silver, made a few hasty scribbles in the register, and tossed him a copper token.

"The preliminary test is in three days, at the Royal Martial Arts Arena in the east of the city. Entry is by token." His tone was full of impatience. "Go on, don't block the people behind you."

Lin Chen took the token and turned to leave, immediately followed by whispers behind him.

"Even those at the third level of Body Tempering are making a fool of themselves..."

"A country bumpkin from the borderlands probably wouldn't even pass the preliminary test..."

"They really don't know their own limitations..."

Lin Chen didn't stop walking; he was already used to these taunts.

For the next three days, Lin Chen found the cheapest inn in the city to stay in and then began to train like crazy. He still trained 10,000 knives and 100 miles every day. In addition, he had an extra task - observation.

Cloud City is a gathering place for young talents from all over the dynasty, including many geniuses with formidable strength and skillful combat techniques. Lin Chen would wander around the training grounds every day to observe the cultivation and combat methods of other examinees.

Although the time mark between his eyebrows cannot be actively predicted, it can automatically capture key details when observing others' battles, such as attack trajectories, defensive weaknesses, and changes in rhythm, which brings him great benefits.

He discovered that while the scions of those aristocratic families were powerful in combat, their techniques shared a common flaw—they were flashy but lacked practicality. They received the best instruction from a young age, cultivated top-tier techniques, and consumed precious elixirs; everything they had acquired was too easy, resulting in a lack of real combat experience.

Real battles are never about following a set pattern; they are life-or-death struggles, and this is precisely Lin Chen's advantage.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the preliminary test officially began.

The Royal Martial Arts Arena was the first time Lin Chen had seen its entirety. It was a huge open-air arena, circular in shape, with layers of stone steps forming natural stands. At this moment, the stands were filled with spectators, a dense, dark mass, conservatively estimated to be tens of thousands.

In the center of the training ground was a large blue stone slab, hundreds of feet in diameter, covered with intricate patterns.

"Those patterns are an array," Uncle Chen's voice rang in Lin Chen's ears. "It can withstand all attacks from the Body Tempering Realm to the Spirit Cultivation Realm without damaging the site."

Lin Chen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings. There were many examinees in the arena, in groups of three or five. Some were dressed in fine clothes and wore jade pendants, clearly scions of wealthy and powerful families; others were dressed in plain clothes and straw sandals, unassuming in appearance, obviously from humble backgrounds. But regardless of their status, they all exuded a powerful aura.

The most common level is the fifth level of Body Tempering, with quite a few at the sixth level as well. The seventh and eighth levels are occasionally seen, but no geniuses at the ninth level of Body Tempering have been discovered yet.

"See those?" Uncle Chen pointed in several directions in the crowd. "Those people are the key targets of this martial arts exam."

Lin Chen looked in the direction he was pointing. The first direction was a group of young men in white brocade robes. The young man in the lead had a handsome face and was about seventeen or eighteen years old, but his temperament was as calm and composed as a deep pool.

"That's someone from the Bai family of Baiyun City. The Bai family is one of the three great martial arts families of the dynasty, with a profound foundation. That young man is called Bai Yutang. He is the most outstanding genius of the Bai family in this generation. It is said that he has already reached the eighth level of Body Tempering."

The second direction was a group of young people in light blue outfits. The leader was burly with sharp eyes, clearly a veteran of many battles.

"Those are the Thunder Legion's reserves. The Thunder Legion is one of the dynasty's most elite armies, with training focused on actual combat, making them extremely powerful. The leader is called Tieshan, a ninth-level Body Tempering expert, and a favorite to win this martial arts exam."

"Third direction," Uncle Chen paused. Lin Chen turned his head and saw a group of women in purple dresses. The girl in the lead was no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with a stunningly beautiful face and a noble and ethereal temperament, like a fairy who did not partake in worldly affairs.

"That's someone from the Murong family. The Murong family is a famous scholarly family in the dynasty, and also a top martial arts family. The girl's name is Murong Xue. She is the apple of the Murong family's eye this generation. It is said that she has the legendary Ice Skin and Jade Bone Physique, and her cultivation speed is far beyond that of ordinary people."

"Nine levels of Body Tempering?" Lin Chen asked.

"No, she's at the eighth level of Body Tempering," Chen Bo said. "But her actual combat strength is no less than that of someone at the ninth level of Body Tempering."

Lin Chen took a deep breath. This was the opponent he was about to face. There were countless geniuses at the eighth and ninth levels of Body Tempering, while he was just a marginal person at the third level of Body Tempering. The gap was obvious.

But he was not afraid. He had his own advantages. His goal was never to defeat everyone, but simply to prove himself.

"Preliminary test candidates, please enter!"

As the clarion call of the bugle sounded, Lin Chen cleared his mind and followed the crowd into the training ground.

The rules for the preliminary test are simple: after all candidates enter the room, the examiners release a pressure array. Candidates with lower cultivation levels will be the first to be unable to withstand it and will be automatically eliminated by the array. The top 1,000 candidates who remain will qualify for the second round of testing.

More than 3,000 people participated in the preliminary test, but only 1,000 were selected, resulting in an elimination rate of over 60%.

"Pressure array, activate!"

At the examiner's command, Lin Chen instantly felt an invisible pressure surging from all directions. At first, the pressure was slight, and he only felt his body sink slightly, but soon, the pressure began to increase rapidly.

Double, triple, triple...

The surrounding candidates reacted one after another. Those at the fourth and fifth levels of Body Tempering were sweating and clenching their teeth. Those at the sixth and seventh levels of Body Tempering had solemn expressions but were still able to persevere. Those at the eighth level of Body Tempering were calm and composed, as if they were completely unaware.

Although Lin Chen, who was at the third level of Body Tempering, was under pressure, the impact of that pressure was far less than expected.

The time mark between his brows glowed faintly, and a weak warm current flowed from it, offsetting some of the pressure from the array. With a thought, Lin Chen deliberately concentrated most of his consciousness between his brows, slightly increasing the warm current, and the pressure immediately decreased by another third.

He knew it was cheating, but he didn't care. Uncle Chen had said that to survive in this world, sometimes you have to be ruthless, as long as you don't get caught.

The pressure continued to climb, four times, five times, six times...

Finally, the first batch of eliminated candidates appeared. A dozen candidates at the fourth level of Body Tempering collapsed to their knees under the pressure. With a flash of light from the array, they were teleported to the martial arts arena.

Eliminated: 37 people. Currently remaining: 2,960 people.

The examiner's voice echoed in the air.

The pressure continued to mount, with candidates at the fifth and sixth levels being eliminated one after another, their figures disappearing from the training ground. Fifteen hundred people, one thousand, eight hundred…

When the number of test takers dropped to around 800, the pressure finally stopped increasing.

"The first stage of the preliminary examination is over," the examiner announced loudly. "All 823 people remaining in the room have qualified for the second stage."

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally passed the first hurdle.

Before he could even feel joy, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him. Turning his head, he met a pair of arrogant eyes. It was a young man in brocade robes, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with handsome features and a look of utter disdain between his brows.

"Those at the third level of Body Tempering can pass the preliminary test?" the boy sneered. "It seems the threshold for this martial arts exam is getting lower and lower."

His words drew laughter from those around him.

Lin Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything, though he silently memorized the face.

Just then, a clear, cold voice rang out: "Young master, the level of cultivation does not represent everything."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Murong Xue, the young lady of the Murong family. She walked gracefully over, her skirt swaying gently, like a fairy on water. Her gaze fell on Lin Chen with a hint of curiosity.

"Your aura is quite unique," she said softly. "You're clearly at the third level of Body Tempering, yet your ability to withstand pressure is no less than that of the seventh level. Interesting."

Lin Chen cupped his hands slightly and said, "You flatter me, young lady."

Murong Xue smiled gently, her smile as beautiful as melting snow, breathtakingly so: "My name is Murong Xue, and I look forward to seeing your performance in the retest."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Lin Chen clearly saw that the young man in brocade robes' face instantly turned extremely ugly.

This man, named Wang Tianba, was a member of the Wang family, a local aristocratic clan in Cloud City. He always held himself in high esteem, yet he had never caught Murong Xue's eye. Now, Murong Xue was actually taking the initiative to speak to a border youth who was only at the third level of Body Tempering, which he considered an utter disgrace.

"Kid, you just wait." Wang Tianba's face was ashen. "During the re-examination, I'll show you what true power is."

Lin Chen remained silent, but a slight smile curved his lips.

come on.

He wanted to see just how strong the geniuses of this world really were.