Tahun baru angin bertiup melintasi lapangan latihan, membawa dingin menusuk tulang, namun tak mampu memadamkan cahaya menyala di mata Para Keturunan Hall Dalam.
Di halaman Batu Seni Bela Diri, enam puluh satu sosok berdiri khidmat. Udara terasa berat, namun penuh antisipasi yang terpendam.
Mengenakan jubah hijau, Elder Fang Yuan berdiri di depan batu dengan tangan terlipat di belakang punggung. Tatapannya menyapu para keturunan saat suaranya mantap.
"Sekarang, maju selangkah untuk mengulang tes peringkat Batu Seni Bela Diri!"
Saat selesai berbicara, gelombang kecil bergelombang di kerumunan sebelum cepat hening. Semua mata tertuju pada Batu Seni Bela Diri yang berkilau dengan cahaya samar misterius.
Ujian ulang akan berlangsung sesuai peringkat sebelumnya, dari tertinggi ke terendah.
Sepuluh besar maju duluan.
Mereka berdiri tegap dengan aura mendalam, kontras nyata dengan keturunan biasa.
Yang pertama adalah Fang Hong, yang telah mendominasi puncak bertahun-tahun dan sudah mencapai Bone Forging Realm.
Tak hanya terkenal di Keluarga Fang, tapi juga bergengsi di kalangan muda Liangshui City. Bersama empat lainnya dari Liangshui City, ia dikenal sebagai salah satu Five Heroes of Liangshui, gelar untuk lima pemuda terpandang.
Dia maju dengan ekspresi tenang, menulis namanya di permukaan batu dengan jari, lalu segera menghujani batu dengan telapak tangan berat penuh kekuatan.
"BUZZ—"
Cahaya Jade Stele menyala intens, bukti kekuatan telapaknya.
Berikutnya wanita muda yang peringkat kedua tahun lalu, Fang Xue.
Beragam seragam latihan putih bulan, postur kaku tegak. Wajahnya anggun, kulit lebih putih salju, matanya dingin teduh.
Sama seperti Fang Hong, Realm-nya juga mencapai Bone Forging Realm.
Seni Bela Diri yang dikuasainya Qingfeng Swordsmanship, sama seperti Fang Han. Namun pemahamannya jauh melampaui; ia sudah mencapai tahap Great Success.
"CLANG—"
Dia menebas dengan pedang, cahaya Jade Stele berkilau sama hebatnya. Akhirnya peringkatnya tepat di bawah Fang Hong.
Segera setelahnya keturunan peringkat tiga tahun lalu, Fang Hao.
Sama seperti Fang Hong dan Fang Xue, ia juga mencapai Bone Forging Realm.
Berdiri di depan batu, dia tarik napas dalam, serangkaian suara pop lembut bergema dari tulang dan tendonnya.
Digenggam tinju kanan, urat-urat menonjol di kulitnya seperti naga melilit, lalu menghujani batu dengan tinju brutal.
"THUD!"
Jatuh tegas bergema di halaman, cahaya batu berkilau liar.
Pada akhirnya, peringkatnya di bawah Fang Xue.
Melihat hasil ini, kekecewaan menyilaukan mata Fang Hao.
Dia tak menyangka bisa melampaui Fang Hong, tapi berharap mengalahkan Fang Xue di peringkat kedua. Kegagalannya jelas mengecewakan.
Selanjutnya, keturunan peringkat empat sampai sepuluh tahun lalu maju untuk diuji satu per satu.
Realm mereka satu level di bawah tiga besar; semua di tahap Refining Tendons.
Meski demikian, serangan mereka masih penuh kekuatan.
Ada yang ganas dominan, ada yang lincah licik, membuat cahaya batu berkedip tak menentu.
Namun, meski ada fluktuasi kecil—misalnya ketujuh dan kedelapan bertukar tempat, kesepuluh Fang Mei naik satu tingkat menggeser sebelumnya kesembilan—struktur keseluruhan sepuluh besar tetap nyaris tak berubah.
Setelah sepuluh besar selesai, giliran keturunan yang sebelumnya di bawah sepuluh.
Saat itu, suasana makin tegang.
Mata para keturunan yang merasakan tahun kerja keras berbuah peningkatan kekuatan berkilau campuran antusiasme dan cemas.
Mereka tarik napas dalam, tulis nama di batu, dan lepaskan serangan terbaik.
"Ke-empat-puluh-satu!"
"Ke-tiga-puluh-lima!"
"Ke-dua-puluh-delapan!"
Satu per satu nama menyala di permukaan batu, peringkat terus diperbarui.
Ada yang melihat peringkatnya melonjak lebih dari sepuluh tingkat sekaligus, tak bisa menahan cekikan, wajah memerah penuh semangat.
Lainnya mendapati peringkatnya tak naik tapi malah turun. Wajah mereka pucat pasi, mata redup, tinju mengepal gemetar, hati penuh kecewa dan dendam.
Bisikan rendah menyebar di kerumunan, campuran kaget, desingan belas kasihan, dan bisik iri.
Fang Han berdiri di antrian, tatapannya tenang, namun hatinya tak tenang sama sekali.
Gilirannya tiba, dia melangkah mantap. Jarinya menyentuh permukaan batu yang dingin beku, menulis 'Fang Han'.
Kemudian mengambil Fine Iron Longsword terdekat, tatapannya tiba-tiba tajam.
"Gentle Breeze Through the Forest!"
Dia lepaskan Qingfeng Swordsmanship-nya yang stage Minor Achievement, dengan seluruh kekuatan. Pedang berkilat seperti petir, membawa kekuatan tersisa dari terobosan terbarunya ke Middle Stage of Flesh Refining saat menghantam Batu Seni Bela Diri dengan ketepatan cepat!
"CLANG—!"
Ujung pedang menyentuh Jade Stele, memancarkan dengungan jernih.
Cahaya Jade Stele berputar. Angka di balik nama 'Fang Han' berubah cepat sebelum akhirnya tetap—Kelimapuluh-empat!
Dibanding peringkat sebelumnya kelima puluh sembilan, ia maju lima peringkat.
'Dan hasil ini mungkin tak akan berubah lagi.'
Hanya Fang Tao dan Fang Chen tersisa setelahnya, keduanya lebih lemah dari Fang Han saat pertama masuk Hall Dalam, apalagi sekarang.
Melihat hasil ini, tujuh lainnya yang satu kelompok dengan Fang Han tak bisa menahan kagum, meski sudah mengantisipasi kemajuannya cepat. Mata mereka penuh kejutan luar biasa.
"Kelimapuluh-empat... Sudah berapa lama?"
"Middle Stage of Flesh Refining, Minor Achievement di seni pedangnya... Benar-benar bagaimana dia berkultivasi?"
"Ia hampir menyusul Fang Lin..."
Mereka memandang Fang Lin.
Ekspresi Fang Lin memudar.
Menatap nama 'Fang Han' di batu, tepat di bawah namanya, rasa krisis mengerahkan di hatinya seperti sulur es.
'Dia bangga naik satu peringkat ke kelima puluh tiga dalam sebulan.'
'Aku memang jenius. Kurang dari sebulan menyusul satu keturunan Hall Dalam tahun lalu. Dengan waktu cukup, sepuluh besar pasti milikku.'
Tapi melihat peringkat Fang Han, kebanggaannya hancur seketika.
Kelimapuluh-empat!
'Murid keluarga cabang yang ia anggap hina itu, sudah menyusul dia dalam waktu singkat. Hanya selangkah di belakang.'
'Aku tak boleh biarkan ia menyusulku!'
Bel kewaspadaan memekak di pikiran Fang Lin saat merasakan ancaman nyata.
Rasa unggulnya yang dulu tinggi sirna tanpa jejak, digantikan kewaspadaan intens dan rasa mendesak.
Dia menggertakkan gigi diam-diam, mata menjadi tajam seperti pisau. Bertekad menggandakan usaha kultivasi begitu kembali.
Fang Tao dan Fang Chen maju untuk tes mereka. Tak lama, pengujian ulang semua keturunan selesai, dan peringkat baru di Batu Seni Bela Diri tampak jelas.
Elder Fang Yuan mengeluarkan register tebal yang mencatat peringkat Batu Seni Bela Diri akhir tahun lalu.
Tatapannya tenang saat jarimnya bergerak cepat antara register dan peringkat baru di batu, membandingkan dan menghitung perubahan tiap orang setahun terakhir.
Hampir bisa didengar jarum jatuh di halaman. Semua menahan napas, menunggu hasil akhir.
Sejenak kemudian, Elder Fang Yuan bicara lagi, suaranya mengena di telingi tiap orang.
"Kami sekarang mulai bagikan hadiah sepuluh besar. Peringkat satu, Fang Hong, diberi lima ratus taels. Peringkat dua, Fang Xue, diberi empat ratus taels..."
Dia menyebutkan nama sepuluh besar berurutan, mengumumkan hadiah perak masing-masing.
Sebagai bakat level atas Hall Dalam, hadiah mereka sangat berlimpah, dari ratusan taels hingga puluhan. Semakin tinggi peringkat, semakin besar jumlahnya.
Sepuluh besar keturunan maju menerima kantong koin berat, tak bisa sembunyikan kegirangan di wajah. Ini pengakuan dan imbalan atas kekuatan serta status mereka.
The year-end wind blew across the training grounds, bringing a bone-chilling cold, yet it could not extinguish the burning light in the eyes of the Inner Hall Descendants.
In the courtyard of the Martial Arts Stele, sixty-one figures stood solemnly. The air was heavy, yet thick with suppressed excitement.
Clad in a green robe, Elder Fang Yuan stood before the stele with his hands clasped behind his back. His gaze swept over the descendants present as he spoke in a steady voice.
"Now, step forward in order to retake the Martial Arts Stele ranking test!"
The moment he finished speaking, a slight stir went through the crowd before it quickly fell silent again. All eyes focused on the Martial Arts Stele, which shimmered with a mysterious, faint light.
The retest would naturally proceed according to the previous rankings, from highest to lowest.
The top ten descendants stepped forward first.
They carried themselves with a steady bearing and had profound auras, a clear distinction from the ordinary descendants.
The first to step forward was Fang Hong, who had dominated the top of the rankings for years and had already reached the Bone Forging Realm.
He was not only renowned within the Fang Family, but also held a great reputation among the younger generation of Liangshui City.
Along with four others from Liangshui City, he was known as one of the Five Heroes of Liangshui, a title for the five most outstanding youths.
He stepped forward with a calm expression, wrote his name on the stele’s surface with his finger, and immediately followed with a powerful, heavy palm strike against the stele.
"BUZZ—"
The Jade Stele’s light flashed intensely, a testament to the immense power of his palm strike.
Next up was the young woman who had ranked second in previous years, Fang Xue.
She was dressed in a moon-white training uniform, her posture ramrod straight. Her features were elegant, her skin fairer than snow, and her eyes held an icy, detached calm.
Like Fang Hong, her Realm had also reached the Bone Forging Realm.
The Martial Technique she cultivated was Qingfeng Swordsmanship, the same as Fang Han. However, her level of comprehension far surpassed his; she had already reached the stage of Great Success.
"CLANG—"
She slashed out with her sword, and the Jade Stele’s light flashed just as violently. In the end, her rank settled just below Fang Hong’s.
Immediately following was the descendant who ranked third in previous years, Fang Hao.
Like Fang Hong and Fang Xue, he too had reached the Bone Forging Realm.
Standing before the Martial Arts Stele, he took a deep breath, and a series of soft pops echoed from his bones and sinews.
He clenched his right fist, veins bulging beneath his skin like coiling dragons, and slammed a brutal punch into the smooth surface of the Jade Stele.
"THUD!"
A heavy thud echoed through the courtyard as the Jade Stele’s light flashed violently.
Ultimately, his rank settled below Fang Xue’s.
Seeing this result, a flicker of disappointment crossed Fang Hao’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected to surpass Fang Hong, but he had hoped to overtake the second-ranked Fang Xue. His failure to do so was naturally a disappointment.
Next, the descendants ranked fourth to tenth from the previous year stepped forward to be tested one by one.
Their Realms were a level below the top three; they were all at the stage of Refining Tendons.
Despite this, their attacks were still brimming with power.
Some were fierce and domineering, others swift and cunning, causing the stele’s light to flicker erratically.
However, while there were minor fluctuations in the rankings—for instance, the seventh and eighth switched places, and the tenth-ranked Fang Mei rose one spot to displace the previous ninth—the overall structure of the top ten remained largely unchanged.
Once the top ten had been tested, it was time for the descendants who had previously ranked below tenth.
At this moment, the atmosphere grew even more tense.
The eyes of the descendants who felt their year of bitter cultivation had paid off, greatly increasing their strength, flickered with a mix of anticipation and apprehension.
They took deep breaths, wrote their names on the stele, and unleashed their strongest attacks.
"Forty-first!"
"Thirty-fifth!"
"Twenty-eighth!"
As one name after another lit up on the stele’s surface, the rankings were constantly updated.
Some, seeing their rank shoot up by more than ten places in one go, couldn’t help but let out a low cry, their faces flushing red with excitement.
Others discovered their rank hadn’t improved but had actually dropped. Their faces turned ashen in an instant, their eyes dimmed, and their clenched fists trembled slightly, their hearts filled with disappointment and resentment.
A low murmur spread through the crowd, a mixture of gasps, sighs of pity, and envious whispers.
Fang Han stood in line, his gaze placid, but his heart was anything but calm.
When his turn came, he strode steadily forward. His finger touched the ice-cold surface of the stele as he wrote out the name ’Fang Han’.
He then picked up a nearby Fine Iron Longsword, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.
"Gentle Breeze Through the Forest!"
He unleashed his Qingfeng Swordsmanship, which was at the Minor Achievement stage, with his full power. The sword glinted like lightning, carrying the enhanced strength of his recent breakthrough to the Middle Stage of Flesh Refining as it struck the Martial Arts Stele with swift precision!
"CLANG—!"
The sword tip struck the Jade Stele, emitting a clear, ringing hum.
The light of the Jade Stele swirled. The number behind the name ’Fang Han’ changed rapidly before finally settling—Fifty-fourth!
Compared to his previous rank of fifty-ninth, he had advanced a full five places.
’And this result probably won’t change.’
Only Fang Tao and Fang Chen remained to be tested after him, and both had been weaker than Fang Han when they first entered the Inner Hall, let alone now.
Seeing this result, the other seven who had entered the Inner Hall in the same group as Fang Han couldn’t help but gasp, even though they had anticipated his rapid progress. Their eyes were filled with unconcealable shock.
"Fifty-fourth... How long has it even been?"
"Middle Stage of Flesh Refining, Minor Achievement in his Swordsmanship... Just how in the world does he cultivate?"
"He’s almost caught up to Fang Lin..."
Their gazes involuntarily shifted to Fang Lin.
Fang Lin’s expression darkened.
Staring at the name ’Fang Han’ on the stele, positioned right below his own, a powerful sense of crisis coiled around his heart like an icy vine.
’He had been so proud of himself for rising one rank to fifty-third in less than a month.’
’I really am a genius. It took me less than a month to catch up to one of last year’s Inner Hall Descendants. With enough time, a spot in the top ten is sure to be mine.’
But seeing Fang Han’s rank, his pride shattered in an instant.
Fifty-fourth!
’This branch-family disciple, whom he had once looked down upon with utter disdain, had caught up to him in such a short time. He was just one step behind.’
’I absolutely cannot let him surpass me!’
Alarm bells screamed in Fang Lin’s mind as he felt a tangible threat.
His once-lofty sense of superiority vanished without a trace, replaced by intense wariness and a pressing sense of urgency.
He secretly gritted his teeth, his eyes turning razor-sharp. He resolved to redouble his Cultivation efforts the moment he got back.
Fang Tao and Fang Chen stepped forward for their tests. Soon, the retesting of all the descendants was complete, and the new ranking on the Martial Arts Stele was clearly displayed for all to see.
Elder Fang Yuan produced a thick register that recorded the Martial Arts Stele rankings from the end of the previous year.
His gaze was calm as his finger moved quickly between the register and the new rankings on the Martial Arts Stele, comparing them and calculating each person’s change in rank over the past year.
You could have heard a pin drop in the courtyard. Everyone held their breath, awaiting the final results.
A moment later, Elder Fang Yuan spoke again, his voice carrying clearly to every person’s ears.
"We will now begin distributing the rewards for the top ten. First place, Fang Hong, is awarded five hundred taels. Second place, Fang Xue, is awarded four hundred taels..."
He read out the names of the top ten in order, announcing the corresponding silver reward for each.
As the top-level talents of the Inner Hall, their rewards were extremely generous, ranging from hundreds of taels down to several dozen. The higher the rank, the greater the sum.
The top ten descendants stepped forward to receive their heavy coin purses, unable to hide the joy on their faces. This was both recognition and reward for their strength and status.
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