Chapter 345: Command Authority
"Disciples, the hall exam is about to begin!"
The person who said this was Ying Xuanzi, the same person Ying Xiaoxiao mentioned earlier. After Ying Xuanzi spoke, the masters of the four halls also approached him.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the sect's disciples began arriving from all directions towards the competition area. When everyone arrived, Wang Yan also slowly made his way to the location.
However, he didn't head towards the Heavenly Hall but stayed in a secluded spot. He silently watched the competition platform. The disciples of the Heavenly Hall were surprised to see Wang Yan, as they hadn't seen him for a long time. They began to whisper among themselves:
"Senior Brother Wang Yan, has he come to participate in the hall exam?"
"But... doesn't his energy feel stronger than Sister Xiaoxiao's?"
"Yes, Sister Xiaoxiao has already reached the Ninth Nirvana, but the energy I feel from Senior Brother Wang Yan... could it be that he has already reached the Life Realm?"
Although Wang Yan stood in a solitary spot, he could still hear the comments from the Heavenly Hall disciples. At first, he paid them no mind since they were just idle chatter. But one phrase caught his attention.
"Even if he has reached the Life Realm, it doesn't mean he can take first place. Don't forget, there's also a disciple from the Desolate Hall who has reached the Life Realm, and his level is even at the Great Life Completion!"
"When they fight, it's likely that Senior Brother Wang Yan won't have much chance of winning..."
Hearing this, he murmured to himself, "Lin Yan, Desolate Hall, it seems a great battle awaits me now that I've returned..."
"No matter if it's Great Completion, it doesn't matter. No one can stop me from taking first place!"
"Is this boy Wang Yan... still allowed to participate?" asked the Heavenly Hall Master, standing behind Ying Xuanzi.
When Ying Xuanzi looked at Wang Yan, he slightly frowned and then said, "It's fine, after all, he's still a member of the Heavenly Hall. We never said we'd expel him from the sect, so he's still a disciple of our Sect and the Heavenly Hall."
Hearing this, the Heavenly Hall Master nodded, "Ah, in that battle... I suppose this boy has returned to gain command in the upcoming sect competition."
"I can clearly feel that this boy's energy has already reached the Life Realm..."
Ying Xuanzi nodded at this and then looked at Chen Zhen, "Ah, if this boy gains command, he will surely lead the disciples straight to the Yuan Sect for revenge, so we definitely can't let him take first place..."
Chen Zhen smiled wryly upon hearing this, "This boy, he really knows how to choose his timing..."
"But don't worry, my most talented disciple, Lin Yan, is also strong, and he has now brought his Desolate Demon Eye to the highest level."
Ying Xuanzi was surprised to hear this, "What? He has already brought his Desolate Demon Eye to the highest level?"
"How can that happen so fast...? This boy has only been here for three months, how could he advance so quickly?"
Although Ying Xuanzi had great trust in Chen Zhen, it was still hard for him to believe these words. After all, when Zhou Tong brought his Desolate Demon Eye to the highest level, it took him more than a year! How could this boy have understood and even brought his Desolate Demon Eye to the highest level in just three months? How could they believe that?
But Chen Zhen simply smiled and said, "This boy really has brought his Desolate Demon Eye to the highest level. You'll see soon."
Ying Xuanzi had no choice but to believe Chen Zhen for now.
After all the disciples had arrived, Ying Xuanzi announced the start of the hall exam.
"First round, Lin Yan from the Desolate Hall, against Qing Ye from the Heavenly Hall, both of you, come to the stage."
When Wang Yan heard this, he immediately looked for who Lin Yan was. But Lin Yan, upon hearing that, remembered Qing Ye. This individual considered him a romantic rival in the original story, hoping to defeat him in the competition but ended up being defeated by him, becoming a joke.
When Qing Ye heard it was Lin Yan, he was stunned. After all, he had heard something about Lin Yan's feats. So, learning that he was going to fight Lin Yan, he lost some courage and wasn't very willing to face him. But he had no choice, after all, this was an order from the Sect Master. He had to go even if he didn't want to!
So, after hesitating for a moment after hearing this, he went up to the stage.
When Lin Yan saw that his opponent had already climbed up, he waved to Ying Huanhuan and Ying Xiaoxiao and climbed up to the competition stage. When Lin Yan stepped onto the competition stage, the Desolate Hall erupted in excitement:
"Brother Lin Yan is on the stage!"
"This time, we will surely take first place!"
Hearing these words, Lin Yan just smiled slightly and, addressing Ying Xuanzi and the others, bowed.
And Wang Yan, seeing Lin Yan, was surprised and said, "This boy is so young... Has he already reached the Great Life Completion? It's hard to imagine..."
Ying Xuanzi, seeing Lin Yan bow to them, also smiled and said, "Chen Zhen, your disciple has very good manners, he's truly charming..."
Chen Zhen also replied politely, "Haha, this boy has always been like this."
The other three hall masters also smiled and nodded when they saw Lin Yan's bow. Then, Chen Zhen announced the start of the competition.
But what happened next surprised everyone present. Lin Yan began changing hand positions and then extended a finger towards Qing Ye, three palm marks descended from the sky and struck directly on his body. With the boost from Lin Yan's state, the three initial marks of the Imperial Edict also unleashed incredible power. With just three palm marks, he directly defeated Qing Ye, leaving everyone astonished. Even Wang Yan felt the power of this strike...
"This guy is really strong, it seems I'll have to take him seriously this time..."
When Qing Ye was hit by these three palm marks, he was sent flying. He was declared the loser directly. But he felt quite unfair. Being defeated with just one skill, and the weakest one at that. But he didn't dare to say anything. After being declared the loser, he hurriedly left.
Then, Lin Yan had several more fights, but only Ying Huanhuan managed to withstand three moves from Lin Yan. In these fights, Lin Yan didn't use his energy, so Wang Yan couldn't confirm if he had really reached the Great Life Completion. But that was because Lin Yan was holding back. Otherwise, he could have defeated his opponent with a single move.
After Lin Yan finished, it was Ying Xiaoxiao's turn. But at that moment, Wang Yan expressed his desire to fight Ying Xiaoxiao. Ying Xuanzi heard this and nodded. Then, their duel began. But after resisting for fifteen minutes, Ying Xiaoxiao was defeated. But this was to be expected from her. After all, he had already reached the Great Life Realm, while she was only at the Ninth Cloud Level.
But after Wang Yan finished his fight, he didn't leave directly. Instead, he headed straight towards Lin Yan. He calmly said to Lin Yan, "I've heard that you are very strong according to the people around you, that you can defeat me. I also want to test if it's true. Come, fight me. I don't have excessive conditions, just two simple conditions."
"If you lose, I will take the command authority. But if you win, I can choose to give the command authority to you or to Ying Xiaoxiao."
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