Chapter 151: Low Key, Low Key! (Fourth Update)

A heavy sigh escaped Song Qingfeng as he surveyed the bustling crowd around them, a wave of gloom washing over him. "Of the Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow institutes, our Yellow Institute must have the absolute lowest cultivation, right?"

"Yet this Yellow Institute does not lack for hidden talent!" At this moment, the disciples were still undergoing the written examination at the Shengjing Academy, and the surrounding area was naturally brimming with intense activity. "Take Nalan Mingwen of the Lingyun Academy, for instance—she has already reached the pinnacle of a formal martial artist!"

"And there is Huangfu Jing of the Shengjing Academy, and Luo Yun of the Xiyi Academy—both are at the pinnacle of a formal martial artist!"

Because the recruitment standards of the three great academies imposed strictly rigorous age requirements, the Yellow Institute was confined solely to the Body Refining Stage.

The Body Refining Stage, where the physical foundation was painstakingly forged, was the longest and most arduous journey for any martial artist. Even with training commenced from infancy, it demanded an immensely vast stretch of time. As the saying went, sharpening the axe did not delay the woodcutting; thus, before the physical vessel was truly perfected, no one would ever rush to break through.

And so... the pinnacle of a formal martial artist...

Song Qingfeng stared intently at Nalan Mingxue, raising a thumb in salute. "What a truly exalted realm that is...!"

You, a person who is practically on the verge of becoming a Grand Martial Master, are taking a mere test and masquerading as the pinnacle of a formal martial artist? Have you no shame?!

Nalan Mingxue replied with quiet modesty, "It would be bad to terrify people too much. In any case, it is enough to secure a high score."

Song Qingfeng’s face twitched. "That actually sounds rather reasonable. In a moment, we shall simply test at the mid-stage of a formal martial artist..."

"Young Master Song, you should aim for the sixth tier of a formal martial artist, while a fourth or fifth tier will suffice for the rest of us," Lin Shao interjected.

"Oh! The little children of the Yellow Institute, it is you lot again?!" Liu Shijie was currently following closely behind a martial artist clad in black martial attire, who bore a dark blade upon his back and possessed eyes of profound depth.

"You know them?" The black-clad martial artist did not deign to cast even a single glance in their direction. "Let us move on, do not waste time."

"Is that not Wang Kun of the Lingyun Academy's Black Institute?"

"The number one figure on the Black Tier Lingyun Ranking!"

"Who is that person following behind him?!"

At this moment, the two were participating precisely in the martial qi test, and the results were swiftly revealed: "Wang Kun! Pinnacle of the Martial Master Realm! Liu Shijie, Seventh Tier of the Martial Master Realm!"

...

At that very juncture, Xu Zixin was also caught in deep hesitation. "Qingqing, do you think we should reveal our true strength?"

"Uh..." Shen Qingqing sensed her own power, which stood at the third tier of a Grand Martial Master, while Xu Zixin had reached the fifth tier of a Grand Martial Master, and they were both disciples of the Black Institute.

Even if other disciples of the Black Institute managed to reach the rank of Grand Martial Master, they would typically have only just broken through. How could they compare to these two, who had clearly crossed that threshold a considerable time ago!

"Let us not frighten anyone..."

Xu Zixin cast a glance at Wang Kun, who had just finished his test. "We shall simply match his results."

"Understood!"

Before long, the test results were loudly proclaimed: "Xu Zixin, Black Institute, Pinnacle Martial Master! Shen Qingqing, Black Institute, Pinnacle Martial Master?!"

"Eh?! Where on earth did these two spring from?!"

A vast multitude of disciples from the Shengjing Academy and the Xiyi Academy were still gathered around. "Xu Zixin... that name does not seem particularly familiar...?"

"I have heard it before, though she was never ranked near the top of the Lingyun List in the past, residing somewhere around the middle, I believe."

"Shen Qingqing...?! Is this maiden even on the Lingyun List?! How is it that I feel as though I have never laid eyes upon her?!"

"She feels just like a passerby, how did she ever make it onto the Lingyun List?!"

"Something is amiss, is it not?! What kind of monsters are coming out of the Lingyun Academy?! How have two Pinnacle Martial Masters suddenly appeared out of nowhere? And both from the Black Institute?!"

Just at that moment, yet another disciple from the Lingyun Academy stepped forward to take the test: "Guo Xiong, Mid-stage of the Martial Ancestor Realm."

"???"

The entire testing grounds erupted into absolute chaos.

"Lingyun Academy... does such a person even exist among them?!"

"How is it that we have never heard of him before?!"

"Where did this one crawl out from...?!"

"Guo... there is no prominent clan by the name of Guo within the entire Jiangnan region, is there?"

"Could this man be..."

"A commoner martial artist?!"

A terrifying realization flashed simultaneously through the minds of everyone present.

"What is the matter with the Shengjing Academy today? Why is it so incredibly noisy?" A woman clad in tight black martial attire stepped into the crowd. If Fang Qi had been there, he would have instantly recognized her as the very woman seated upon the silver-winged great eagle whom he had encountered during today's Sword Control Technique display.

"It is Junior (Senior) Sister Xiao!"

"It is said that she has already been accepted as a disciple by the venerable Senior Liang Heihu! To think she is already traveling abroad for experience while still in the Black Institute!"

"Tsk tsk, this is truly extraordinary. She was already at the pinnacle of a Martial Master previously, was she not?"

"Black Institute, Xiao Lengyu! First Tier of the Grand Martial Master Realm!"

"Hiss—?! A Grand Martial Master from the Black Institute?!"

"She is entirely capable of being promoted to the Earth Institute now, is she not?!"

The gathering of Shengjing Academy disciples instantly grew wild with excitement.

...

"It is not merely the Fifth Prince." Within the Yingtian Tower, Mister Mu shook his head, letting out a faint, amused laugh. "There is also Xiao Lengyu, the granddaughter of the old Duke who protects the realm. Though she is merely in the Black Institute, her cultivation has already attained the Grand Martial Master realm."

As for the Heaven Institute...

Mu Donglai laughed softly. "Across the three great academies, the Heaven Institute contains the absolute trump cards among trump cards. They have been nurtured the longest, and their strength is the most profound!"

"Take Ying Zongxuan of the Xiyi Academy, for example. He is not yet thirty years of age, yet he has already entered the sixth tier of the Martial Ancestor realm, and that was news from some time ago. By now, he has likely reached the late stage of the Martial Ancestor realm!"

"Combined with the Northern Ying Clan's Cloud-Rolling Scroll and the Seven Forms of the Responding Dragon martial techniques he currently practices, he is virtually without rival among his peers!"

"The same holds true for the Shengjing Academy!" Mu Donglai shook his finger and shook his head. "It all depends on how many hidden cards the Lingyun Academy has kept up its sleeve. I have heard that Chief Instructor Qin of the Lingyun Academy wishes to seize the crown, but I fear it will be an exceptionally difficult task."

"Does Owner Fang intend to go and witness tomorrow's martial examination?" Mu Donglai inquired. "I believe this national examination will undoubtedly be spectacularly brilliant."

Fang Qi nodded in agreement, running a hand over his communication jade, only to suddenly discover that the messages within were on the verge of exploding from the sheer volume of updates.

"Owner Fang! Why have you stopped broadcasting? I have not yet had my fill of watching!"

"Boss! I want to see the Imperial Capital! Hurry up and start the live stream! — Jiang Xiaoyue."

"Continue the broadcast! Since I cannot play the games, this young master relies entirely on your live stream to get through each day! — Xiao Yulv."

"Lad Fang, are you going to broadcast or not?!"

Fang Qi's face twitched violently. I am a damn internet cafe owner, not a professional streamer. Why should I be broadcasting every single day?

To think I cannot even find a moment of peace when going out for a trip, honestly...

Fang Qi promptly shoved the communication jade deep into his pocket. "Then I shall wander about the city today and go to watch the national examination tomorrow. However, can just anyone go to watch it?"

"Of course not," Mu Donglai replied. "Tomorrow, I shall accompany Owner Fang there myself."

Meanwhile, back within the internet cafe.

"The boss actually ignored me!" Jiang Xiaoyue stomped her small leather boots viciously, her tiny mouth pouting high in annoyance.

"This brat actually ignored me as well!" An Huwei was also plunged into a bout of sullen frustration.

"He did not reply to me either!" Su Tianji had clearly sent several transmissions of her own.

"Keep sending them! I refuse to believe this!"

Just then, Jiang Xiaoyue’s communication jade suddenly flashed with a new message: "This boss is going to observe the National Examination tomorrow. Broadcast resumes then."

"The National Examination?" Jiang Xiaoyue’s face contorted in sheer disdain. "What’s so interesting about that?"

"The boss says he's going to observe the National Examination tomorrow, so he'll broadcast then."

Upon hearing this, Mu Hongzhu trembled all over. "He’s actually broadcasting the National Examination tomorrow?!"

She had been fretting over how to witness such a grand event, not to mention that the suppressed disciples of her class were desperately hoping to see their own moment of triumphant vindication during the trials.

"Perhaps... tomorrow... I should bring those disciples along too?"

.