Chapter 149: Chapter 145: Breaking Through the Barrier

The reputation of the World’s First Pavilion is resounding, and the Cyan Cloud Ranking held every five years is a grand event that draws countless people to witness the spectacle.

Not only are the streets packed with people, but the rooftops of nearby buildings are also almost completely occupied.

The White Feather Sect has also sent many young disciples to watch the excitement. Li Jinchuan was brought along by a close senior brother, standing at the back, listening to the discussions of his senior brothers and sisters, while scanning the crowd with his gaze.

He joined the sect relatively late and is ranked the lowest among those present.

A rather young disciple said expectantly, "I wonder if we’ll witness the magnificence of the Jiangzhou Five Horses today."

An older senior brother teased, "Well, you’d be wasting your time today, you definitely won’t see them."

"Why not?"

"Not to mention people like the Jiangzhou Five Horses, individuals like Young Master Jiang, Young Master Li, and Young Master Ji, who are renowned masters of the younger generation, have long received invitations to participate from the World’s First Pavilion."

The young disciple said disappointedly, "Ah, is that so? I knew I shouldn’t have come."

"Those here today competing for the qualification are either young masters with little fame or those sufficiently confident in their strength. Most of them come from the various commanderies of Jiangzhou..."

Another young disciple asked curiously, "How will the World’s First Pavilion test these people?"

"Do you see that big gate? It’s going to open soon. Once you’re through the gate, as long as you can cross the martial arena and enter the main hall, you’ll have passed."

Li Jinchuan became curious too, speculating about what mysterious obstacles might appear beyond the gate.

At that moment, the earlier person asked again, "Why isn’t Second Senior Brother coming? I recall he’s not even twenty yet, right? He’s also at the Fifth Grade, surely he can pass the test."

Once this topic was brought up, the White Feather Sect members present fell silent.

Li Jinchuan glanced at this clueless guy. Even someone as naive as him could guess that Second Senior Brother was unwilling to participate, so he went into seclusion instead.

Talk about hitting where it hurts.

With Second Senior Brother’s strength, getting the qualification wouldn’t be difficult, but aiming for the Cyan Cloud Ranking was probably out of reach. Hence, he just didn’t come.

As he was contemplating this, someone suddenly shouted, "It’s open!"

Li Jinchuan instinctively looked over, just in time to see the grand doors of the World’s First Pavilion slowly opening.

At that moment, the atmosphere on the scene became restless.

The gate was enormous, and inside it lay a vast martial arena, empty, with not a soul in sight.

"Why is there no one?"

He was puzzled. He had originally thought that the World’s First Pavilion would arrange experts in the martial arena to block the contestants, but apparently not.

"Could there be traps set inside?"

Then, a middle-aged man who had been standing guard at the door spoke, "The old rules, those wanting to qualify for the competition, enter through this door. As long as you can reach the main hall, you pass. Begin."

This middle-aged man appeared quite ordinary, yet his voice spread far and wide, suppressing the discussions of the thousands present, reaching everyone’s ears clearly.

Many people’s expressions changed; such skill was at least of the Fourth Grade.

This middle-aged man was just a gatekeeper, yet possessed such cultivation.

"It has started!" "They are coming!" "..."

Soon, someone couldn’t resist charging into the gate, stepping into the martial arena.

With a first example, others rushed in eagerly as well.

Li Jinchuan was constantly guessing where the traps might be, or when the World’s First Pavilion would send people out to interfere. Neither of these scenarios happened.

Strangely, those who rushed through the gate seemed to slow down, as if encountering an invisible barrier, slogging through mud, each step becoming incredibly laborious.

He was quite surprised, "What’s... going on?"

Then he heard a voice filled with superiority, "Don’t you know? This is the intent of a supreme expert from the World’s First Pavilion. Don’t make a fuss."

Intent?

Li Jinchuan, of course, knew that after reaching the Second Grade, one could grasp a certain intent, whether it be sword intent, saber intent, spear intent, fist intent, and so on.

Once someone mastered sword intent, they could harm others invisibly, which was quite terrifying.

He never thought that a martial artist’s intent could be used in this way, enveloping the entire courtyard and sustaining for such a long time.

The "intent" of a supreme expert was truly incredible.

After a while, those who entered first reached a third of the way through and were struggling to hold on, their bodies trembling, drenched in sweat.

Ultimately, they were unable to endure, and were ejected by an invisible force, flying over the heads of the crowd, landing outside the gate.

Their embarrassed state provoked a burst of laughter.

...

After some more time, people finally began to cross the martial arena and enter the hall.

"That’s the third young master from the Wu Family of Dai Commandery, said to be extraordinarily talented, truly remarkable."

"That’s from the Li Family of Yujie Commandery..."

"That’s from the Lin Family of Celestial Sea Commandery..."

"..."

Each time someone passed the test and entered the main hall, someone would shout out their identity. They were almost all the most outstanding heirs from various commanderies’ noble families, well-known locally, but relatively unknown in Jiangzhou City.

After all, this was Jiangzhou City. Besides the Four Major Sects and the Three Great Families, others from different commanderies were regarded as outsiders.

Suddenly, many people noticed a shadowy figure within the martial arena, effortlessly overtaking others with incredible ease and entering the main hall.

This immediately drew a lot of attention.

"Who is this person? How could he enter so effortlessly?"

"Finally, a formidable master has appeared."

"This person is no ordinary talent."

"I know him; he’s the eldest son of the Huang Family from Yellow Stone Commandery. I didn’t expect his strength to be so high. It seems there are differences even among geniuses."

"..."

Li Jinchuan listened to the discussions around him, feeling his horizons broadened. He had come to the right place this time.

But why hasn’t Brother Chen arrived yet?

...

......

On the rooftop of the tavern closest to the World’s First Pavilion, there was not a single person.

Soon, someone discovered this prime location, delightedly attempting to jump up, but halfway through the air, a burst of energy struck him, knocking him away.

When he landed, he barely managed to steady himself, covering his face and slipping into the crowd. He finally understood why there was no one up there.

Being knocked down from a distance by True Qi indicated at least a fourth-grade expert, not someone to be trifled with.

On the second floor of the tavern, in a private room, a richly dressed, extremely beautiful young girl sat by the window. She was tasting a sweet honeydew melon, casually watching the examination across the street with a somewhat bored look in her eyes.

Behind her stood two maids, around fourteen or fifteen years old, looking pretty and charming.

Beside them was a swordsman holding a long sword.

The appearance of that young man in black finally sparked the girl’s interest, "What is his name?"

A maid in yellow swiftly responded, "His name is Huang Zhuocheng, from the Huang Family in Yellow Stone Commandery. He possesses remarkable talent, having started learning martial arts from a third-grade expert of the Huang Family since he was ten. It’s said that his saber techniques are quite extraordinary. He’s a strong contender for this Cyan Cloud Ranking."

"Hmm."

The girl committed this name to memory and suddenly recalled something, "Have you found out the background of the person we saw outside Evergreen Hall the other day?"

The swordsman holding the long sword replied, "Reporting to the master, that person is called Chen Ming, from Qingfeng City."

Then, he fell silent.

As expected, the maid in yellow had already reported the details of this person, "Chen Ming, twenty-four years old, comes from a humble background. He began practicing martial arts in his teens but achieved nothing after several years. Until the year he turned twenty, framed and imprisoned, his strength advanced rapidly. In just four years, he has reached fifth-grade cultivation."

The girl showed a hint of surprise on her face, "Are you saying he progressed from ninth grade to fifth grade in just four years?"

"It is certain that when he was imprisoned, he was yet to be ranked."

"Interesting."

The girl’s bright eyes gleamed with interest, "No wonder he’s caught his eye. Have you uncovered his purpose of visiting Evergreen Hall?"

The swordsman answered, "No."

The maid said, "He must be here for the Cyan Cloud Ranking. Rumor has it that he is obsessed with martial arts, loves sparring the most, and would surely not miss such an opportunity."

The girl smiled, "If he’s obsessed with martial arts, then it will be easy. Send Da to recruit him."

Just as she was speaking, she spotted the figure of the young man she had seen at "Evergreen Hall" two days ago. He stepped through the door, saying, "He’s indeed come. I wonder if he can make it through..."

Before she finished speaking, Chen Ming was seen walking inside step by step, with a slow pace, yet giving off a sense of ease.

After a while, he entered the main hall.

The swordsman made an appraisal, "This person’s cultivation is not inferior to Huang Zhuocheng’s."

With his discernment, he could naturally see that although Chen Ming had spent twice as much time as Huang Zhuocheng, he was equally relaxed, merely intentionally concealing his strength.

The girl suddenly asked, "How long has it been since he broke into fifth grade?"

The maid in yellow replied, "He broke into fifth grade over three months ago, approximately one hundred days till now."

One hundred days?

The girl became more interested in this person, saying, "I should go personally."

...

"Who is that man in green?"

"No idea. I’ve never heard of anyone like that."

"Could he be from outside the region?"

"..."

Chen Ming entered the main hall, earning the qualification to compete. Naturally, it attracted much attention. Many questioned, but no one knew this person’s identity, heightening curiosity.

Just then, someone shouted, "I know him. He’s Chen Ming from Qingfeng City, unaffiliated, self-taught, a true genius."

The one speaking was Feng Siyuan; at such a moment, he naturally wanted to tout his friend’s reputation.

This statement prompted another round of discussion.

"Qingfeng City? And unaffiliated? Is it true?"

"A true genius? Isn’t that an exaggeration?"

"Qingfeng City hasn’t sent anyone to compete for the Cyan Cloud Ranking in many years..."

"..."

Among those present, most expressed doubts.

Feng Siyuan was angered, arguing with them, "No need for exaggeration! His strength speaks for itself; he effortlessly entered the main hall..."

"Four years ago, he wasn’t even ranked, and now he’s fifth grade. Isn’t that enough to call him a true genius?"

This drew even more ridicule.

Four years ago, he wasn’t ranked, and now he’s fifth grade. It’s getting more far-fetched.

The people of Jiangzhou City possess profound martial arts knowledge, and such tall tales seem laughable to them.

Is it possible?

Even five years ago, with the undisputed first place in the Cyan Cloud Ranking, Ji Baichuan, hailed as a once-in-a-century genius from Jiangzhou, entered the ranks at age ten and reached fifth grade by eighteen.

Does that mean this Chen Ming’s prowess surpasses Ji Baichuan’s by far?

Is it possible?

PS: Tomorrow is the last day; seeking monthly tickets.