"Wait."
Below the Martial Arts Arena, a crowd of young people made way, Luo Geng assumed his stance, ready to begin training when the Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu suddenly spoke up, redirecting everyone's attention toward himself.
What kind of trouble was about to emerge?
"The ground below is quite low; the sightline is poor. To prevent all of you instructors from being unable to see clearly, come up to the platform to perform martial learning," said Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu.
Once he said this, Mountain Master Dong Zhao simply smiled. The subtlety of Feng Shu's statement was clear to everyone.
He feared favoring Xu Jin.
If the contest was moved to the Martial Arts Arena, everyone could see everything clearly without any possibility of bias.
After all, the rivalry between Luo Geng and Xu Jin at the Middle Court had subtly become a contest of prestige between him and Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu.
If Xu Jin won, Feng Shu's prestige would suffer.
If Xu Jin lost, it would prove that Feng Shu was right all along, not only regaining his prestige but perhaps even enhancing it.
But did he, Dong Zhao, need that?
He did not!
Everything now depended on the martial skills of Luo Geng and Xu Jin.
Then, performing martial learning on the platform was acceptable.
Dong Zhao stood up; so did Cao Chun and Tian Zhang, and other flag masters and instructors also stepped back to clear space for the martial arts performance.
The next instant, Luo Geng leapt onto the Martial Arts Arena, first glancing at his uncle Luo Kexing who served as the Flag Master of the Star Patrol Guard. The latter returned a firm gaze.
Luo Geng had the benefit of his uncle's unstinting instruction.
At this moment, Feng Shu had great confidence in Luo Geng.
He knew the relationship between Luo Geng and Luo Kexing.
Snap!
Luo Geng began with the first move of Five Battles Killing Fist, creating a sonic boom. It was a demonstration of fierce, ruthless Slaughter meant to defeat foes.
Luo Geng's Fist style already bore some semblance to the true essence of Killing Fist.
Five Battles Killing Fist was about capturing this essence of Slaughter.
Each movement made the sounds of slicing through the air; by the end of the first move, East and Yin-Yang, a flash of light revealed a Star Shield appeared over his right shoulder.
Feng Shu, Luo Kexing, including Cao Chun and Dean Dong Zhao, as well as many instructors all nodded frequently; his fist form was very solid.
The second move, West Start Myriad Stones also behaved similarly. When the three moves finished, a sharp swoosh sound suddenly emerged, covering Luo Geng's right shoulder with Star Radiance,
"Star Radiance!"
"This is Star Radiance!"
The youngsters below the platform exclaimed in surprise, even Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan was taken aback.
Among the youths in this Star-pointing Season, eighty percent could produce a Star Shield once they reached the First Layer of Dining Dawn. However, less than forty percent were capable of producing Star Radiance.
Luo Geng had kept his cards well hidden.
Feng Shu was overjoyed upon seeing this.
Seeing Luo Geng produce the Star Radiance, he knew Luo Geng's induction into the Middle Court was secure.
Listening to the exclamations from the youngsters below, a smug look appeared on Luo Geng's face, thoroughly enjoying it; his subsequent Fist attacks were even more vigorous.
However, the following last three moves of Five Battles Killing Fist were performed in ordinary fashion by Luo Geng without producing any Star Skill.
But just presenting the Star Skill in the first two attacks was astonishing enough.
Quickly, Luo Geng finished his martial learning, retracted his fists, and stood aside.
"Xu Jin, it's your turn now!" said Ning Yuchan.
Feng Shu had initially intended to ask Xu Jin if he wanted to stop there to avoid embarrassment, but since Ning Yuchan had spoken, he didn't say anything.
Yet, Feng Shu was taken aback.
For the Xu Jin who climbed onto the Martial Arts Arena showed not the slightest sign of panic.
"Mountain Master, Vice Mountain Master, Superintendent, Governor, and all instructors," Xu Jin said as he approached the platform and assumed his stance after bowing in a martial salute.
Xu Jin's first move of Five Battles Killing Fist was not particularly spectacular.
As the saying goes, an expert is known from the first stroke.
Relatively speaking, Xu Jin, who practiced Fist on his own, lacked the forcefulness of Luo Geng's Fist.
When he finished the first move and produced the foundational Star Skill, Star Shield, it was within everyone's expectations.
Yet Mountain Master Dong Zhao noticed something; he felt that the Star Shield produced by Xu Jin was much smoother than Luo Geng's, without a hint of roughness.
But this alone could not be considered a basis for judging the outcome.
The subsequent performance of Xu Jin would be critical.
"Star Radiance!"
"Xu Jin has also produced Star Radiance!"
When Xu Jin finished the second move, the youngsters below the platform once again cried out in surprise, as nobody expected Xu Jin to produce Star Radiance as well.
Luo Geng's face paled, instinctively looking towards Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu and his second uncle Luo Kexing.
Feng Shu maintained an impassive expression, showing no change.
It was just Star Radiance; what was there to fear?
Based on overall proficiency in Five Battles Killing Fist, Luo Geng was certainly stronger than Xu Jin.
Even Mountain Master Dong Zhao could not change that fact.
Xu Jin's Five Battles Killing Fist kept up without stop, and upon changing stances, he displayed the third move, Six Harmony Shaking.
Below the platform, the current Star-pointing Season's First Yue Daqi was idly breaking his fingers from boredom when suddenly his expression blanked and his eyes widened in shock!
"Star Ring?"
"Isn't this the basic Star Skill, Star Ring?"
Just then, as Xu Jin finished the third move, a solid ring of starlight suddenly burst forth from his chest and abdomen, rapidly spreading in all directions like ripples on water, incredibly magnificent.
"Star Ring? How is this possible!" Luo Geng's uncle, Luo Kexing, also widened his eyes in a flash.
Even Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan wore a face full of surprise.
The reason Five Battles Killing Fist is considered fundamental is that each move represents a basic Star Skill.
The basic Star Skills of the first two moves, Star Shield and Star Radiance, are relatively easy to master.
However, the difficulty of producing the Star Ring with the third move is more than twice that of Star Radiance and Star Shield combined.
The current Star-pointing Season's First Yue Daqi, took about twenty days to execute the Star Ring, right?
How many days has Xu Jin been at it?
Counting this morning, it's only been eight days, right?
Feng Shu's eyes were also full of shock, but even more filled with irritation and anger.
The face-saving he was about to redeem was thrown back to the ground.
Mountain Master Dong Zhao's smile, however, was growing ever broader.
What a pleasant surprise.
Dean Cao Chun and Governor Tian Zhang both maintained expressionless faces.
And as for Luo Geng, he was outright stunned!
Under his uncle's guidance, he had secretly practiced and was fully prepared with Star Radiance.
Man oh man, not only had Xu Jin kept Star Radiance up his sleeve, but he had also hidden Star Ring—could he play any dirtier?
At this point, the outcome was already clear.
Even if Luo Geng had a slight edge in the true intent of the Five Battles Killing Fist, producing another Star Skill constituted an overwhelming advantage.
But Mountain Master Dong Zhao, Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan, and many instructors and the governor continued to watch Xu Jin's moves closely.
If the fourth move, Northern Shooting Sky Wolf, was mastered to Small Success, it could also produce a basic Star Skill—Star Arrow.
The difficulty of the basic Star Skill Star Arrow was even greater than that of the Star Ring.
If this Xu Jin in front of everyone could actually perform it, his talent in comprehending Star Skills would not just be genius, but absolutely monstrous.
The fourth move, Northern Shooting Sky Wolf, was quickly completed without the appearance of Star Arrow.
Governor Tian Zhang and Dean Cao Chun's eyes flickered with a complicated and helpless expression.
Geniuses were rare, and monsters even more so.
But keeping a genius from moving on to Star Hall, rather than sending him there, was an even greater challenge.
Star Hall was no easy adversary.
Mountain Master Dong Zhao, watching Xu Jin's fourth move, Northern Shooting Sky Wolf, appeared contemplative, paying even more attention to Xu Jin's fifth move.
On the Martial Learning Arena, Xu Jin's fourth move hadn't produced any Star Skills, let alone the fifth.
But as the Martial Learning concluded, cheers and applause thundered from the younger audience below.
Only Luo Geng had a defeated look on his face.
The Middle Court qualification was now beyond his reach.
Xu Jin finished his moves, standing confidently, face unflushed, breathing steady.
The fact was, if not for limitations in his Cultivation Level and Body Refining degree, Xu Jin could have executed Star Skills not only in the fourth move but also in the fifth.
Inside the Star Lamp, Xu Jin had already executed Star Skills in both his fourth and fifth moves.
Every day, practicing up to four "two-hour" sessions in the Star Lamp wasn't for nothing.
[First Tier Candou Platform]
[Fighting Master: Xu Jin]
[Gaining Star Favor, offering daily respect, grants one thread of Starlight]
[Star Lamp: Solidifies basic Star Skill Star Shield, eligible for change after one day.]
[Nourishable Items: zero]
[Star Skills: Basic Star Shield (solidified), Basic Star Radiance, Basic Star Ring, Basic Star Arrow, Basic Starlight Shield]
[Upgrade eligible]
His thoughts briefly passed over the Candou Platform, the Jade there already listing five Star Skills.
"Mountain Master, Vice Mountain Master, Dean, Governor, the Martial Learning between Luo Geng and Xu Jin is complete, how shall we announce the final results?" Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan asked for instruction.
Ning Yuchan wouldn't have asked if it wasn't necessary, but as soon as she did, Vice Mountain Master Feng Shu turned away with a dark expression.
Ning Yuchan was also helpless, as this wasn't her trying to undermine the Vice Mountain Master's dignity; she only had the authority to host, not to decide.
"Everyone has seen it, no need for me to speak further. Announce it," said Mountain Master Dong Zhao.
"Yes."
"After the Martial Learning, the last person to join the Middle Court this Star-pointing Season is Xu Jin,—does anyone still have objections?"
"I object!"
The moment Ning Yuchan's words hit the ground, different voices arose from below the Martial Learning Arena, causing everyone to look over in surprise!
Even now, who else could possibly have objections?