Chapter 38: Taking Action

Chen Yan avoided the subject and looked toward the figures of Nangong Hang, Xiang Yang, and the others on the plaza.

“How do you think the quality of this year’s direct-admission candidates is?”

“Very good. Stronger than in previous years!” Luo Yang gave his assessment.

“Oh? How do they compare with our year?” Chen Yan asked curiously.

“Hmm… I’d say they’re probably about the same. But in terms of talent, none of them can compare with Wang Teng,” Luo Yang said after a moment’s thought.

“Wang Teng… What a pity.” At the mention of the most gifted person of their generation, a trace of regret also appeared on Chen Yan’s lovely face.

“When Wang Teng first took part in the direct-admission examination, he was already a second-tier martial artist. On the very first day, he crushed every one of us.

“Everyone thought he was destined to soar into the heavens, but after suffering a setback, that fellow began to slack off. He stayed home playing games every day and wasted such extraordinary talent for nothing!

“Seven or eight years have passed, and I heard he’s still only in the early fourth tier, while the two of us, who were inferior to him back then, are now on the verge of breaking through to the fifth tier.”

Luo Yang sighed as well.

“He simply never met a good guide. If a genius like that had encountered me, perhaps the outcome would have been different.”

Chen Yan suddenly smiled.

“Forget it. A genius like Wang Teng is rare, after all. Besides, we’re examiners. Our principle is that we cannot interfere with a candidate’s normal choices.”

“Who said I’d interfere? If I encountered a young man like that, I’d simply guide him subtly, without anyone noticing. No one would be able to find anything to hold against me.”

Chen Yan smiled faintly.

Luo Yang shook his head and said nothing more.

All he could say was that her idea was excellent—but there was no suitable person on whom to carry it out.

After all, an eighteen-year-old second-tier martial artist was extraordinarily rare.

…

While the two instructors were talking, the situation on the plaza also began to change.

As the weaker candidates were continuously stripped of their points, the butcher’s knife finally turned toward the strong.

Those ranked in the middle and upper reaches realized that if they stayed, they would become prey for the truly top-tier experts. One after another, they scattered and fled.

Before long, only Nangong Hang, Bai Wu, Xiang Yang, and a few other top experts remained on the field.

They understood one another’s intentions. It was not yet time to fight.

Without looking back, they headed toward the rear mountain, continuing to hunt down candidates and collect points.

Nangong Hang was the last to leave the plaza. Just as he was about to depart, however, he noticed that someone was still standing in a corner.

The other person had been discovered, yet he did not run?

Nangong Hang examined him and realized that he did not recognize him. He was not one of the few experts Nangong Hang knew.

So he decided to eliminate him while he was at it and take his points.

Yang Feng was somewhat surprised when he saw Nangong Hang charging toward him.

He had already done his best to keep a low profile, but he had not expected to be discovered anyway.

Since he had been found, he had no choice but to act.

Nangong Hang was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he reached Yang Feng and prepared to strike him down with a single palm.

It was a casual move, but anyone with a vital-energy value below four would be unable to withstand it. Nangong Hang was completely confident.

His palm landed smoothly on Yang Feng’s body.

Then, a shocking scene unfolded.

Yang Feng’s body did not move at all.

It was as if Nangong Hang had struck a block of steel. His palm throbbed with pain from the impact.

Nangong Hang stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Confused, he looked up at Yang Feng.

Yang Feng merely responded with a grin that revealed his white teeth. Then he brought one palm down from above, striking Nangong Hang.

Nangong Hang felt as though a mountain had landed on his shoulders. The next moment, he crashed heavily to the ground.

He tried to resist and force himself back to his feet, but the impact had sent his vital energy into violent turmoil. For a while, he could not even stand.

All he could do was stare in disbelief as Yang Feng took the points from his wristband.

After dealing with Nangong Hang, Yang Feng rose helplessly and leisurely made his way toward the woods.

The two instructors, who had witnessed everything, unconsciously fell silent.

Nangong Hang—the number-one genius of Nantong City—had actually been defeated just like that!

Several questions surfaced in both their minds at once.

Who was this person? Where had he come from? Why was he so strong?

For a moment, they seemed to see the Wang Teng of years past.

Yang Feng had already entered the rear mountain.

He had promised Yu Tong that he would take first place in this year’s direct-admission examination, so he would not hold back.

The reason he had not rushed to eliminate people was that doing so would be too slow and far too time-consuming.

His original plan had been to let people like Nangong Hang harvest the points of the ordinary candidates, after which he would make his move and take their points for himself.

He had not expected Nangong Hang to discover him. With no other choice, he had been forced to endure the pain of eliminating this high-quality laborer ahead of schedule.

It truly had been an unavoidable decision.

…

As time passed, the situation in the rear mountain continued to change.

Some people constantly lost points, while others continued to accumulate more.

Yang Feng, however, was different from the others. After entering the rear mountain, he did not deliberately search for anyone.

Even when he encountered someone head-on, as long as the other party did not attack him first, he simply acted as though he had not seen them.

The entire process did not look like an examination at all. Instead, he seemed like a tourist who had come to the rear mountain for a hike.

He remained completely relaxed and unhurried, even taking snacks from his backpack to eat.

The two instructors watching the surveillance monitors were rendered speechless.

They had originally intended to observe Yang Feng’s attacks in order to assess his strength. Yet more than three hours passed.

While everyone else was fighting desperately, he was lying on a large rock and eating potato chips.

It was simply exasperating.

Yang Feng had no idea what the two instructors were thinking. Even if he had known, he would not have cared.

He had his own plan. There was still plenty of time before the day ended, and he had already wandered through the entire rear mountain, so he was beginning to feel bored.

After finishing his chips, he took out his phone and began to play.

“Ah, this Yang Feng is too much! He’s treating the examination like a sightseeing trip. Can’t a few people come and teach him a lesson?” In the monitoring room, Chen Yan could no longer contain her frustration as she watched Yang Feng lounging around so casually.

Luo Yang could only smile bitterly.

This was not the situation he wanted to see either, but there was nothing he could do. Yang Feng had not violated any rules.

Perhaps even the heavens could no longer stand watching Yang Feng remain so idle. Before long, two figures began rapidly approaching his position.

Li Ning and Shen Qian moved swiftly through the woods in search of targets. The two were among the Ten Great Young Geniuses of Zhengfu City.

Even in a gathering place filled with so many geniuses for the direct-admission examination, they could still rank within the top hundred. Moreover, both of them had been working hard, and their combined score had now reached nearly three thousand points.

They were both very satisfied with their gains.

“If everything continues to go this smoothly, perhaps we can even break into the top thirty!” Shen Qian said with a smile.

“Yes. Speaking of which, we still have to thank Yang Feng from Song City,” Li Ning suddenly said.