To these people’s words, Hu Yue merely smiled, offering no rebuttal, as the kill points displayed there served as the best explanation.
Immediately after, she walked to the front of the crowd where the Tianmen gate stood. The faces of Tianmen’s disciples lit up with pride, for, after all, Hu Yue was there to represent them.
“To be so remarkable at such a young age, truly extraordinary!”
Ma Bi stared blankly at the numbers, unable to hold back a long sigh.
“Heh, impressive!” Niu Bi also chuckled in admiration.
“Have you two also reached eight thousand points?” At this moment, a youth from the inner courtyard turned to the pair. Lin Xiao had mentioned reaching eight thousand points, yet the two hesitated to step forward. Given their unremarkable appearance, the inner courtyard youth doubted they possessed such capability.
“I, Ma Bi, am the top figure of the Ninth Outer Courtyard. What do you think?” Ma Bi retorted, glaring at the inner courtyard youth with defiance.
“Heh, and I, Niu Bi, am the top figure of the Eighth Outer Courtyard,” Niu Bi chimed in, laughing as he nodded along.
“If both of you are top figures, then the Eighth and Ninth Outer Courtyards must be utterly pathetic. Step back and don’t interfere with the others’ tests,” the inner courtyard youth waved dismissively, growing impatient.
The fact that these two had reached eight thousand points was, to his surprise, unexpected.
However, even eight thousand points only warranted a note in his records; it wasn’t enough to truly impress him, a genuine inner courtyard disciple.
Lin Xiao and the others stepped back slightly, and then more figures went forward to be tested.
On a nearby testing platform, Lin Xiao spotted a few familiar faces passing their tests.
“Ji Mo, Qi Mubai? They’ve managed to infiltrate Shengyuan Academy as well?” Glancing at two adjacent platforms, he saw their scores flash up, both at five thousand points.
On reflection, it made sense. Shengyuan Academy only recognised badges and kill bracelets. As long as they seized the badges and kill bracelets of outer courtyard disciples and accumulated points through kills, Shengyuan Academy wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
One could say the rules for entering the inner courtyard weren’t particularly strict. Anyone with sufficient talent and strength could find a way in.
It seemed Shengyuan Academy turned a blind eye to this, as the primary goal of establishing the ten outer courtyards was to attract geniuses.
Fundamentally, whether outer courtyard disciples snuck in didn’t matter much.
At that moment, Ji Mo and Qi Mubai both wore satisfied smiles, exchanging a glance that carried a hint of rivalry. But when they turned and saw Lin Xiao’s face, their expressions darkened slightly.
“Lin Xiao!” Ji Mo’s lips twitched. There wasn’t any deep enmity between them and Lin Xiao, but Lin Xiao’s dazzling performance at Junzang felt like a mountain pressing down on them.
“Don’t worry, we’ll surpass him eventually!” Qi Mubai’s eyes flashed with unyielding determination, suddenly finding common ground with Ji Mo.
“Exactly!” Ji Mo nodded in agreement.
Lin Xiao glanced at the pair but said nothing. After a moment of mild surprise, he ignored them, which only added to their irritation.
Before long, the disciples with eight thousand points had all been tested. Only a few hundred remained at the scene, with no one daring to step forward.
“Alright, those below one thousand points, step back. Those with eight thousand points, prepare for the recorded test,” the inner courtyard youth standing in the centre announced loudly, his voice carrying the authority of a mid-tier Martial King.
Hundreds retreated, as they hadn’t even reached one thousand points, failing to meet the task requirement, and could only watch with regret.
Only six or seven people remained at each platform, roughly six or seven per station. It seemed the estimates weren’t far off: about fifty had reached eight thousand points. After eliminating ten to twenty, the top fifty would be determined.
Only the top ten would be ranked and remembered, while those from eleventh to fiftieth would merely be exempt from tasks.
Only the top ten would receive rewards.
Still, this number was astonishing—nearly sixty or seventy young Martial Kings, all super geniuses capable of defeating ordinary peers of the same rank. Such a gathering was unimaginable, a formidable force in its own right.
“Now, begin the test,” the mid-tier Martial King said, observing the clearly divided lines.
As his words fell, the crowd behind the inner courtyard youth surged with excitement. These were the elites of their respective academies, deeply admired, and each hoped their outer courtyard could outshine the others.
“Wait! We haven’t tested yet!” At that moment, Ma Bi’s abrupt voice rang out, drawing all eyes toward Lin Xiao and the other two.
“Ma Bi!” The Ninth Outer Courtyard disciples recognised him, each wearing a peculiar expression.
“What’s this fool doing? Is he trying to humiliate the entire Ninth Outer Courtyard?” someone grumbled with a scowl.
The inner courtyard youth in front of Ma Bi frowned slightly and said, “Didn’t you claim to be the top figure of the Ninth Outer Courtyard? You haven’t reached eight thousand points?”
Ma Bi, unfazed, replied, “Though I’m the top of the Ninth Outer Courtyard, I don’t enjoy killing, so I deliberately stayed just short of eight thousand points.”
The inner courtyard youth was speechless.
The Ninth Outer Courtyard disciples looked mortified. This man claimed to be their top figure, yet hadn’t even reached eight thousand points. It was utterly embarrassing.
They could only hope Ma Bi was truthful about being just shy of eight thousand points.
The next moment, Ma Bi tossed his kill bracelet onto the platform, and a number materialised in the air.
“One thousand three hundred points.”
The crowd froze.
One thousand three hundred points, and he dared claim he deliberately stayed just short of eight thousand? Was that “just short”?
The Ninth Outer Courtyard disciples’ faces were grim, some covering their foreheads, wishing they could shout that Ma Bi wasn’t one of them.
The inner courtyard youth in front sported two dark lines on his face. Even Lin Xiao was stunned. This fellow was too bizarre, truly a natural braggart, facing so many stares without so much as blushing.
“Heh, though I, Niu Bi, am also the top of the Eighth Outer Courtyard, I don’t enjoy killing either,” Niu Bi added with a hearty chuckle, tossing his kill bracelet onto the platform.
A number flickered into existence in the air.
“One thousand two hundred points.”
The crowd was dumbfounded. Where did these two come from, daring to call themselves the top figures of the Eighth and Ninth Outer Courtyards?
At once, all eyes turned to Lin Xiao.
Which courtyard’s top figure was this one?
Even the inner courtyard youth in front of Lin Xiao couldn’t help but glance over.
Feeling the crowd’s odd stares, Lin Xiao waved a hand, sighing inwardly with resignation, “My kill points genuinely reached eight thousand…”
Seeing Lin Xiao hadn’t tested, the inner courtyard youth concluded he wasn’t bluffing, then glared at Ma Bi and Niu Bi with some anger, snapping, “Get out of here now!”
Ma Bi’s lips twisted into an awkward grin, revealing crooked teeth. “Heh, no need to admire us.”
With that, he bolted toward the back of the inner courtyard youth.
Niu Bi, lumbering like a bear, swaggered off clumsily.
“What characters!”
The crowd marvelled, shaking their heads helplessly. Low points were one thing, but lingering until the end? That was practically begging for embarrassment.
“Heh, birds of a feather flock together.”
From the central platform, Gu Han’s gaze fell on Lin Xiao, his voice dripping with mockery.
“Probably the bottom of the eight-thousand-point group. Is he planning to save his test for last too?” a red-robed man nearby sneered.
Their voices weren’t loud, but the scene was so quiet everyone could hear. As they looked at Lin Xiao, their faces were filled with disdain.
Though Lin Xiao had reached eight thousand points, associating with the likes of Ma Bi and Niu Bi surely meant he was cut from the same cloth.
