The first stage of the Prefectural Selection alone was enough to eliminate 90% of the examinees, which showed how ruthless the selection was.
The remaining examinees were also extremely nervous.
However, the view within the Royal Academy caught the attention of all the examinees. The intriguing sight was not the vast training grounds, nor the abundant training equipment or the academic buildings the size of a castle, but the people they saw on the way.
All kinds of young men, middle-aged people, young ladies and old men were either training or taking a walk, gathering for a chat or having a game of chess. They seemed very relaxed, with prideful dispositions, the achievement of success shining on their faces
The only similarity between them was their Knight attire. They were all Knights.
The students recruited by Kirst Royal Academy were limited to the Knights who had passed the Prefectural Selection in each year. That was why the students there were all Knights.
Within the short five minute walk, they managed to see at least over twenty Knights. When had the three hundred examinees, just having passed the first stage, ever managed to see so many Knights in one place?
They looked at the people wearing Knight attire. Some of them looked majestic, some suave, some powerful, and some graceful. There were Knights of all sorts and appearances, and each of them had a unique charm, giving off rich auras of life and vitality.
The gazes of the examinees were full of yearning and envy as they looked at the Knights.
The Knights here were a hundred times more blissful than the old days' university students on Earth, who had attended Tsinghua University or Peking University [1].
Ogden and Lambert also seemed slightly agitated. No fretting about food and clothing due to the allowance provided by the country, along with various resources provided to aid their training, plus social status which far exceeded that of an ordinary person and the privilege of not being restricted by ordinary law. It was a life which they long dreamed of having.
That moment clearly showed the large difference between an ordinary person and a person belonging to an aristocratic family. Most of the commoners would not feel at ease upon seeing so many Knights. They would feel restricted, and inferiority would reflect in their gazes.
On the other hand, those from aristocratic families seemed more at ease, and were even able to go up to many of the Knights and greet them.
"Hey, Kaunitz, you're really here!" A Knight with a slender figure and a slightly feminine appearance walked towards the side of the group.
There were a few other Knights beside him, but it was obvious that the feminine-looking guy was the leader.
"Senior." Kaunitz vaguely nodded.
"Hehe, do your best and try to get the position of the Prefectural Champion for our Tresia Academy." It seemed that the feminine-looking Knight was only passing by, leaving quickly after a short greeting.
Thereafter, Barbara and Ferdinand from the Aristocrat Academy also met up with their acquaintances. They had a few relatives and seniors who had become Knights and who were now enrolled in Kirst Royal Academy.
Ogden, the Eldest Martial Brother in The School of Sword Arts, said in a soft envious tone, "They grew up with Knights since young, and were able to meet them often and even get guidance from them. It's no wonder their results are better than ours."
"So what? Fang Xingjian's result this time around was close to theirs," Lambert said, unconvinced.
"Haha, you think that Fang Xingjian can win over them?" Ogden shook his head, nothing but thick jealousy in his gaze as he looked at Kaunitz and the others. "Fang Xingjian would only be in sixth place for the first stage, at best. He lost to Kaunitz every single time back in The School of Sword Arts. How could he possibly win this time around?"
Lambert was silent. He could not rebut his words.
Obviously, the two of them had been in the last batch of contestants to charge past the entrance, and did not know the order in which Fang Xingjian and the others had entered. In fact, other than the staff who were in charge of registering the timing, the examiners, Fang Xingjian and the first few competitors, there was no way the other examinees would know.
Not long after, the group arrived to some huge training grounds covered in marble. Tens of examiners were already waiting there.
Dick took at look at the examinees and said, "Having passed the test for physical strength in the first stage, you can already be counted among the elite Warriors in Kirst. But in order to become Knights and to bask in the majestic glory of His Majesty, this is still far from enough.
A strong physique, perfected techniques, and unparalleled talent. Only those who can meet all three criteria will be able to become Knights.
The second stage will be testing you on your techniques. It will be divided into five basic categories, namely Sword and Saber, Staff and Rod, Bow and Arrow, Bare-handed, and Miscellaneous. Do your best."
Fang Xingjian swept his eyes across the field and saw a sign inscribed with the words 'Sword and Saber' on the extreme northern side of the training grounds, placed in front of two examiners.
The other examinees also went to to look for the categories which they excelled in. Kaunitz was the first to head towards the examiners in charge of Sword and Saber.
Soon after, having chosen between the five, each examinee was standing in their respective category. Fang Xingjian looked around. Kaunitz, Ogden and Lambert were, naturally, all in the Sword and Saber category. There were over eighty people lined up at the sign, making it the largest group amongst the five categories.
And there was a total of seven examiners in charge of the Sword and Saber category. Each of them was wearing Knight attire, and stern looks.
The examinations of the Prefectural Selection affected the future of each examinee. The selections were a political project highly regarded by the Empire's higher management. None of the examiners would dare to treat this lightly, every one of them being extremely serious when assessing each examinee's performance and when giving the scores.
Seeing that everyone had been separated into different categories, an Asian-looking examiner about fifty to sixty years of age, with black hair and yellow skin, said, "The test is very simple. Each of you will take turns to display and demonstrate your best set of sword techniques before exchanging three blows each with the seven of us.
"We will each give you a score, and your final score for this round will be the average of these. Your final score will be added to your result in the third stage of the selection.
"Those ranked in the top ten will be able to pass this Prefectural Selection and become Knights."
The black-haired old man wore a solemn expression, each word he said flashing before the examinees' eyes like the glint of swords. Under his gaze, they had the feeling of being pointed at with the tip of a sword.
Fang Xingjian could sense that the examiner's cultivation level ought to be extremely high. He could hear a few contestants chatting softly behind him.
"This is Kirst Royal Academy's chief sword art instructor, Huang Lin. Other than the Headmaster, he is the only strong Warrior who has gone through the second job transition."
"In the whole academy, only him and the Headmaster have undergone the second job transition. How I wish I could become a Knight and be taken in by him as a disciple!"
"How would that be possible? I heard that he hasn't taken in a disciple for five years and has only been giving sword arts guidance during lessons."
It was obvious that this Huang Lin had also inherited blood from the Western Land, thus having black hair and yellow skin. However, most importantly, he had the best level of sword cultivation in the whole academy.
Fang Xingjian's gaze flickered. It would be for the best if he could be taken in as his disciple. And this would depend on his performance in the next two stages.
[1] Renowned universities in China.
“Number 22! Round Table Sword Society, Locke.”
These numbers had obviously been issued to each of the examinees from the very beginning of the selection. Of course, since many of the participants had been eliminated in the first stage, the numbers were being skipped through very quickly.
With a shout, an examinee drew the sword at his waist and walked to stand before the seven examiners. After taking a bow, he started to demonstrate a set of sword technique.
This set of sword technique was complicated, agile, and required one to be extremely good at controlling the strength in one’s arms. The person demonstrating it had very solid foundations, clearly having fully grasped and mastered it.
Looking at his performance, the seven examiners each had a different reaction. Some of them nodded, others shook their heads and sighed, and some only showed poker faces. After the examinee had completed his demonstration, they each wrote something in their own booklets.
After that, the examinee had to exchange three blows on stage with each of the examiners. He gave a respectful greeting bow, the examiner nodding lightly in reply before attacking.
After a round of exchange with each of the examiners, Locke was looking dejected, as if he was unsatisfied with his own performance.
Just so, each of the examinees took turns at being assessed, their level of cultivation in sword arts being thoroughly scrutinized.
After the assessment, some thumped their chests in disappointment while others beamed with joy.
Soon enough, over twenty people had completed the second stage. The member of staff called out, “Number 801, Tresia Knight Academy, Kaunitz.”
“Is that the Kaunitz?”
“The Tresia Clan’s new generation super genius.”
The examinees collectively started chattering in low voices, and even the seven examiners smiled, nodding and exchanging words between them.
“Oh? This is the Kaunitz from Tresia Clan?”
A young Knight in his thirties smiled and looked towards Huang Lin beside him, saying, “He is Tresia’s pillar in this generation. Lord, will you be taking him as your disciple?”
Huang Lin, who had stayed expressionless during the previous assessments finally showed a slight waver in his eyes as he said, “We’ll see.”
Amidst the crowd’s chattering, Kaunitz revealed a confident smile. He had long been accustomed to being in the limelight.
With a clank, Kaunitz drew his sword from its sheath, demonstrating each move from the Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique.
Upon seeing his set of sword technique, many examiners’ eyes lit up.
“Oh? His organs are trembling, his four limbs are one with the body, his spine is strong as a huge dragon’s, and the sound of his pumping heart… It really is perfect…” said one of the examiners. “He ought to have reached level 10 in the Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique. No, based on the rumors, he’s already reached level 12.”
“This person is extremely talented and in the future he will definitely become a Master Swordsman of his generation.”
“That’s right, that’s right.” Another examiner stroke his beard in satisfaction as he said, “The Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique requires very high control of the organs, bones, and vessels. Should there be any mistakes, not only would it be unable to nurture the body, it would even injure it. Amongst the many techniques of the Training Way, it is a most overbearing one. To be able to reach this stage at his age… He truly is a genius amongst geniuses!”
“He is already well trained both internally and externally. Once he becomes a Knight, he will probably be able to complete the first transition within a month,” another white-bearded examiner said. “There’ll be another star of the Empire.”
“Haha, I’m not sure about other categories, but it seems like the champion for the Sword and Saber category is settled.” The young examiner looked towards Huang Lin and asked, “Lord, what do you think?”
Huang Lin nodded, and for the first time, a satisfied expression was seen on his face. However, he still said, “Let’s check out his strength.”
After Kaunitz demonstrated the Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique, the seven invigilators took turns to assess him. Their characters and sword techniques were all different. Some of them focused on attack, others on defense, and some simply exchanged blows.
They all felt Kaunitz’s strength control during the exchange. Being able to experience it first hand made everything even clearer than when they had simply been observing.
“He really has mastered both internal and external techniques to perfection.”
“There are probably very few below the Knight rank who can surpass him in terms of technique.”
“I heard he’s also practised the three basic sword techniques of The School of Sword Arts. He will probably be able to attain the Sword Specialist speciality soon.”
The last to step up was, naturally, the head examiner, Huang Lin. He did not draw his sword, but merely stood there, saying, “You can make your move directly.”
“I ask the Lord to give me your guidance.” Kaunitz bowed, and the sword in his hands flashed like a bolt of lightning, strength exploding from his muscles and bones as if an explosion had ignited the surrounding air. He pressured the air as if he was a human Gundam[1], fiercely piercing towards Huang Lin.
The air in the surroundings exploded and the stone tiles under his feet shattered.
This sword attack of his was similar to a ballista being used to attack city walls in war time. Amongst those present, only the Knights and a few of the most outstanding examinees could see its tracks. People like Lambert and Ogden could only hear a loud boom. In the shrouding mist, Huang Lin had only reached out with his thumb and index finger, gently holding onto Kaunitz’s sword.
Huang Lin moved as if he were appreciating good wine or famous art. The fingers pinching the sword twisted gently as he pondered on the strength in Kaunitz’s attack.
“Your strength isn’t bad.” Huang Lin nodded in satisfaction and said, “One sword move is sufficient. The remaining two won’t be necessary.”
Kaunitz broke out into an excited smile, the rest who were witnessing this scene looking at him in jealousy and envy.
In this section, the only people left from The School of Sword Arts were Eldest Martial Brother Ogden, Second Martial Brother Lambert, and Fang Xingjian. They were also standing quite close to each other.
Seeing this scene, Eldest Martial Brother Ogden mumbled, “Passed with just one move? Seems like Kaunitz will be the one to come out as first amongst those in the Sword and Saber category. But I wonder how would he fare in the overall top five?”
As he said this, he threw a glance at Fang Xingjian and coldly asked him, “Fang Xingjian, are you still thinking of catching up to Young Master Kaunitz? I’m not trying to nag, but a genius like Kaunitz is fated to have a bright future and would eventually leave his name in history. It would be better for us to build a good relationship with him. Even if he were to eat meat, we would be able to enjoy riches just from following him and drinking some soup at his side. I’m only telling you this since you are my younger Martial Brother. You had better go apologize to him soon…”
Second Martial Brother Lambert’s expression seemed complicated as he lamented to himself, ‘The gap between commoners and aristocrats… Is it too large? Why do these people have such monstrous talent? I’ve been training hard since I was eight and I’ve been training with the sword all the time, except for the times when I had to eat or sleep. I haven’t dared to slack even a little. To think that despite that, I still don’t even have half his powers…’
Fang Xingjian did not want to bother with Ogden. They were from different dimensions, after all.
He looked grimly at Huang Lin. ‘To be able to receive Kaunitz’s attack with his fingers and yet not move an inch, not even using the extraordinary strength from the first and second transitions. How high are Huang Lin’s attributes? 100? 120?’
Fang Xingjian did not know, since it far exceeded the domain he was familiar with. He only knew that compared to 99% of the Warriors in Demonic City who had also gone through the second transition, he was much stronger.
The other examinees continued to take their turns on stage, but there was none other who had a performance as shocking as Kaunitz’s. A few of them even made the examiners shake their heads in dissatisfaction.
“Next up, number 2034. The School of Sword Arts, Fang Xingjian.”
Fang Xingjian focused his gaze as he walked out front, his sword already drawn. However, he had yet to decide which set of sword technique he ought to demonstrate.
Logically speaking, since Kaunitz’s level 12 Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique had already astonished the examiners, if Fang Xingjian were to demonstrate his level 20 Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique, he would definitely be able to get a better result.
This was because, compared to the ordinary techniques of the Nurturing Path, it was techniques such as this one, which could nurture the organs and modify the physical body, that were truly profound and that could display a higher level of skill. It was much better to demonstrate internal sword techniques rather than external sword techniques such as the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique and the Eagle Sword Technique.
Looking at them in comparison, if he were to demonstrate ordinary basic sword techniques it would be like him having a delayed start to a race.
However, looking at the seven examiners before him, as well as Kaunitz, Ogden and Lambert who were also looking at him, he knew that he had to hide the fact that he had acquired Tresia Knight Academy’s unique sword techniques, including the Tresia-Style Foundation Sword Technique.
And although the Nine Yang Divine Sword belonged to The School of Sword Arts, Kyle had not imparted it to him yet.
Although these few sets of sword techniques were top grade, they had not been obtained through legitimate means, so there was no way he was going to bring them out.
‘I have already placed second in the stage testing our physical abilities. For this stage, even if I were to demonstrate a basic sword technique such as the Grizzly Bear Sword Technique, the worst that could happen would be falling behind Kaunitz. Even so, I would still be able to rank among the top ten quite easily.
‘If that’s the case, I can only give up on getting better grades in the second stage, and then try to fight for a better position in the third stage.’
[1] A science fiction Japanese animation series which features giant robots called “mobile suits”, as well as titular mobile suits carrying the name “Gundam.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gundam
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