Liu Yichen's fingertips touched the cold iron hidden at the bottom of the log. It blended perfectly with the wooden texture, making it nearly undetectable unless carefully examined. The icy sensation of the iron sent a surge of anger through him—the log had been tampered with!
No wonder he couldn't move it despite his full effort. This was not a fair assessment!
A nameless fury burned in his chest as he raised his head, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping over the smug faces around him. Liu Yichen thought to himself, "The internal strife within the family has even seeped into the assessment. If I don't improve my strength soon, I might not even be able to protect myself."
"Waste, stop wasting time. You can't move it!" Liu Zixuan stood high above, looking down at Liu Yichen with mockery in his eyes. "Admit defeat early and save yourself the embarrassment!" His tone was filled with disdain and ridicule.
Liu Yichen cursed silently. This Liu Zixuan was clearly in on it. He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. He vowed to remember the ugly faces of these people. But he knew now was not the time to act out. He had to pass the assessment first. He would use his strength to shatter their smug expressions!
He took a deep breath and slowly retreated until he was more than ten feet away. This move immediately caused a stir.
"See, I told you he's a waste. He can't even move an ironwood log, yet he still wants to pass the assessment?" "Hmph, he probably knows he can't do it and has given up!" "What a coward!" The other candidates mocked him openly, their eyes filled with contempt.
Liu Yichen sneered. These people's expressions were truly disgusting. He ignored their noise and focused his mind, channeling the astral energy within his body. A powerful aura emanated from him as his legs bent slightly, like a leopard ready to pounce.
Just as everyone thought he had given up and the jeers grew louder, Liu Yichen suddenly moved!
He shot toward the log like an arrow released from a bow, his speed astonishing.
"He..." Proctor A opened his mouth, about to say something.
"What is he doing?" Feng Qingyang's hand, which had been stroking his beard, paused. His eyes showed a hint of confusion.
Liu Yichen's figure became a blur. Before anyone could react, he had already reached the log. He took a deep breath, and the astral energy in his dantian surged like a raging river, flooding into his right arm. A dazzling white light gathered in his hand, gradually forming a massive blade of light that radiated a terrifying energy.
"Holy Light Slash!" Liu Yichen roared, swinging the light blade with all his might. In that instant, the air seemed to ignite, and the light illuminated the entire valley. Then, with a deafening "Boom!" like a thunderclap, the hard bottom of the log was split open by the light blade, leaving a huge gap. The iron pieces embedded inside scattered in all directions, whistling through the air like a rainstorm. Some fragments grazed Liu Yichen's cheek, leaving a stinging sensation.
The tremendous recoil sent the log flying like a cannonball, kicking up a whirlwind of dust and debris as it rolled up the hillside.
The other candidates were stunned, their jaws dropping as they watched the scene unfold, as if time had frozen. They hadn't even seen Liu Yichen's movements clearly—they only heard a loud noise, and the previously immovable log was sent flying.
"This... how is this possible?" Liu Zixuan rubbed his eyes in disbelief. His mind was in turmoil. The Liu Yichen he had always looked down on actually possessed such strength? Did that mean all his previous mockery was nothing but a joke? He began to worry that his involvement in framing Liu Yichen might be exposed, and a deep fear slowly spread through his heart.
At that moment, he couldn't help but recall his past motives for targeting Liu Yichen. He had always been jealous of Liu Yichen's position in the family. Although Liu Yichen's status seemed low, he had garnered the attention of some elders. Liu Zixuan feared that Liu Yichen would one day surpass him. Moreover, his father often compared him to Liu Yichen, saying that although Liu Yichen's current strength was inferior, he had greater potential. This filled Liu Zixuan with resentment, leading him to constantly find ways to suppress Liu Yichen. But now, it seemed he had been terribly mistaken.
Meanwhile, Chen Zijia, relying on her formidable strength at the sixth level of the Star Observation Realm, steadily pushed her log to a position midway up the hillside. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her breathing was slightly labored, but her face showed a hint of pride.
"Hmph, a mere first-level Star Observation Realm cultivator dares to compete with me?" Chen Zijia glanced disdainfully at Ding Jintao, who was still struggling at the foot of the hill.
Ding Jintao's log was close behind, only two feet away from Chen Zijia's. His face was flushed, veins bulging on his forehead as he pushed the log upward with all his might.
"Chen Zijia, I'll take first place this time!" Ding Jintao gritted his teeth, his heart filled with determination.
Chen Zijia sneered, "With you?"
Suddenly, a whistling sound came from above...
A black shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind, swept past Chen Zijia and Ding Jintao. The two looked up in shock and saw a massive log hurtling toward the mountaintop at an astonishing speed. The log's surface was rough, splinters flying everywhere, and a jagged gap was visible at the bottom, making it look like a roaring beast, unstoppable.
From Ding Jintao's perspective, the log rushed past like a demon, the wind it generated nearly knocking him over. He stared in horror, watching helplessly as the log charged toward the mountaintop.
Before he could react, the log slammed into the large bronze bell at the summit with a resounding "Dong!" The bell's echo reverberated through the valley, deafening, as if the entire mountain was shaking.
"The first round of testing, Liu Yichen, first place!" Proctor A announced loudly, his voice tinged with a hint of surprise.
Chen Zijia and Ding Jintao were thunderstruck, staring at the mountaintop in disbelief. Ding Jintao's face turned pale, his hands hanging limply at his sides. The flush on his face had completely drained away. He had exerted all his strength to push his log halfway up the hill, yet Liu Yichen, the person he had regarded as a waste, had taken first place in one move?
The immense disparity was hard for him to accept. His heart was filled with frustration and a hint of unwillingness. He wondered if he had done something wrong. How could he lose to someone at the first level of the Star Observation Realm?
Chen Zijia's expression also turned extremely grim. She bit her lip, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked. She was filled with humiliation. As a sixth-level Star Observation Realm cultivator, she had lost to someone at the first level. She couldn't understand how this had happened. She silently vowed to find out how Liu Yichen had done it. She couldn't just swallow this defeat.
Liu Yichen glanced contemptuously at Chen Zijia and Ding Jintao, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips. He thought to himself, "You all thought you could stop me? Today, I'll show you my true power!" He walked slowly past the finish line, and the voice of the system rang in his mind: "Congratulations, host. You have gained 200 anger points ." A sense of exhilaration washed over him, and he felt refreshed, as if all his fatigue had vanished.
"This can't be..." Ding Jintao muttered hoarsely.
Chen Zijia was the first to break the silence, her sharp voice almost piercing the air. "He cheated! He must have cheated! How could someone at the first level of the Star Observation Realm do this?" Ding Jintao also snapped out of his daze, his face darkening as he chimed in, "That's right! He definitely cheated! I demand an inspection of his log!"
All eyes turned to Liu Yichen, the atmosphere of suspicion surging like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him. Liu Yichen remained calm, a faint smile still playing on his lips. He hadn't experienced the feeling of being doubted in a long time.
Proctor A walked solemnly to the mountaintop to inspect Liu Yichen's log. He grabbed the edges of the log and tried to lift it, but it didn't budge—it was incredibly heavy. Proctor A's expression changed, and a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried again, but the log still wouldn't move.
"This..." Proctor A looked at Liu Yichen in disbelief. He clearly remembered that the log hadn't been this heavy before. Could it be...?
Proctor A flipped the log over and examined it carefully. He tapped the bottom of the log, and it produced a dull sound. Frowning, he ran his fingers along the bottom, and suddenly, he felt something unusual. Proctor A's pupils contracted. He carefully pried out the foreign object and held it up for closer inspection.
It was a black metal fragment, cold to the touch and unusually heavy.
"Iron!" Proctor A exclaimed, his voice filled with shock. He looked up at Feng Qingyang and said gravely, "Deputy Pavilion Master, this log has been tampered with. A large amount of iron has been embedded in the bottom, increasing its weight."
Feng Qingyang's expression darkened. His sharp gaze swept across the entire assessment ground, and a powerful pressure instantly enveloped the area.
"Who did this?!" Feng Qingyang's voice was low and commanding, like a thunderclap in everyone's ears.
The crowd fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
Proctor A continued, "Based on the log's weight and the volume of iron, the log's weight has at least doubled. In other words, Liu Yichen was actually pushing a log twice as heavy as the others!" As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in uproar.
"Double the weight? How is that possible?" "He pushed a log twice as heavy and still took first place?" "This is monstrous!"
The crowd looked at Liu Yichen with a mix of awe and fear.
Liu Zixuan's face turned pale, his mouth hanging open as if he had been slapped. His previously arrogant and mocking demeanor vanished, replaced by fear and a hint of jealousy. Why did Liu Yichen possess such immense strength, while he could only resort to underhanded tactics to suppress him?
Feng Qingyang looked at Liu Yichen, who smiled slightly and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Next event," Liu Zixuan's voice suddenly rang out, cold and calculating. His plan had failed, and he couldn't let Liu Yichen continue to succeed so easily. He needed to come up with another strategy. "Agility test!"