“Oh?”
Hall Master He’s words jolted them—half-belief, half-doubt.
“Look!”
An envoy gasped.
They snapped to the screen—Lin Yun, who’d been retreating, shifted sharp, lunging, striking the iron-back demon bear’s eye.
His sword plunged through its skull!
Pulling back, the bear’s massive bulk crashed down.
“He… he was hunting for that opening!” they gawked.
Even Hall Master He’s eyes flared with shock.
He’d guessed it—now it was gospel.
He marveled, “He nabbed the flaw, hit the eye—weakest spot on an iron-back bear, one they guard fierce, finding that gap’s brutal tough!”
“And when it comes, it’s fleeting—needs mad experience to snatch it!”
“He didn’t brute-force it, dodged the bear’s edge instead—if he’d gone hard with no shot, it’d be pointless waste, ducking and waiting was bloody smart!”
“This kid’s something else!”
Hall Master He stared at the screen, awestruck.
Amateurs see flash, pros see craft.
He knew how unreal this was!
Beyond Lin Yun’s strength, his freakish combat savvy shone!
Hall Master He knew—demon and human truce held for millennia, most monks had zilch beast-fighting chops.
This level of beast-battling nous? Rare as hell!
The envoys gaped at his praise—high words from Hall Master He were gold dust in exam history!
He smirked at the screen, “This lad’s got my full attention now.”
From Lin Yun’s arrival—barely a blip—to now, his stock had soared!
On the arena.
Lin Yun stepped back—the iron-back bear’s hulking frame thudded down, quaking the platform.
“Not bad—didn’t burn much inner force,” Lin Yun grinned.
His game was minimal effort, maximum wins!
That’s how you go long in this gauntlet.
He’d dodged and retreated to save juice—and trick the bear into thinking he was soft.
His third-rank Mahayana aura helped—lulled it into sloppiness, giving him the shot.
When it came, he unleashed eleventh-layer Taixu Power, demon bones, and Tianhong Swordplay—no mercy, one-shot kill!
Hold back ‘til the kill strike—then end it!
If he’d gone all-out early, head-on, he’d not look ragged, but waste heaps of force—especially against that tanky bear, hoof hits would’ve been nada.
Only greenhorns fight like that.
Gate rose again.
Twenty-sixth stage—go!
Not a beast this time—a metal puppet, first-turn Tribulation realm strength, mid-tier.
A worn-out first-turn champ from 25 would flop here.
Lin Yun? Unleashed and won!
Onward!
Twenty-seventh—win!
Twenty-eighth—starting!
Judges’ stand.
“If I’ve got it right, exam history’s top third-rank Mahayana score is 27 stages—no one’s ever cleared 28!” the white-haired envoy said.
“So if he cracks 28, he’ll smash that record—set a new exam mark!” another added.
“He’s breaking it, no doubt,” Hall Master He said.
Just then, the screen fight wrapped.
Lin Yun—win!
“He’s done it! New record’s his—didn’t think we’d see history made!” the envoys sighed.
“Ha, saw it coming,” Liang Yuan grinned.
He eyed Old Cheng, teasing, “Old Cheng, our bet’s 30—Lin Yun’s at 28, you sweating yet?”
Old Cheng’s eye twitched, “Hold on—30’s a wall, no saying he’ll make it!”
Candidates’ seats.
No screen for them—clueless on the action.
“The judges and Hall Master He are proper buzzing—what’s up?” a candidate said.
“Bit weird—a third-rank Mahayana stirring this much chat?” another mused.
“What waves can a third-rank make? Top three’s locked anyway,” the red-haired first-turn Tribulation realm bruiser scoffed.
The second-turn top-scorer shrugged too.
In his book, first was his—no contest!
Chu Libai, though, perked up, curious.
On the arena.
“Twenty-ninth now—used a fair bit of my kit!” Lin Yun muttered.
Stage 28 took full soul-sense to win easy.
Tianhong Swordplay, eleventh-layer Taixu Power, demon bones, super-divine first-rank soul-sense—all out now.
Foes kept climbing—more tricks needed!
Consumption? From stage one, he’d burned a fifth of his inner force.
Saving it tight kept four-fifths in the tank.
No restraint early? Half’d be gone by now.
“This year’s top score’s 35—to nab first, I need 36!” Lin Yun calculated.
Eight more wins to go!
Twenty-ninth stage kicked off.
Another beast—Lin Yun hit it with Tianhong Swordplay, eleventh-layer Taixu Power, demon bones, super-divine soul-sense—victory!
Not one-shot this time—dozens of clashes to seal it.
Difficulty was ramping.
His spare tricks? Thinning fast!
Thirtieth stage—begin!
