Chapter Forty-Four: The Results of the Martial Examination

Before the great hall!

All around, the disciples stood in stunned silence. The atmosphere was so quiet that the drop of a pin would have been heard.

Elder Liu stared at the spirit martial stone, now broken cleanly in two on the ground, petrified with shock. After a long moment, he stammered, “You… you… you…” He pointed at Wang Ran, struggling to form a coherent sentence, rendered utterly speechless by what had just happened.

Wang Ran simply shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and pursed his lips, feigning indifference as if he had nothing to do with the matter.

“That was a lower-grade spirit martial stone—each one is worth a hundred thousand spirit jades!” Elder Liu clutched his chest as though the loss physically pained him, his heart bleeding with agony.

The surrounding disciples were equally astonished, although none of them cared much for spirit jades—the sect would bear the cost, after all. What truly shocked them was Wang Ran’s strength.

A single punch. A light, effortless punch!

And yet it split the spirit martial stone cleanly in two!

How terrifying must his power be?

Everyone knew that a lower-grade spirit martial stone could withstand the full-force attack of a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment’s peak. To shatter it would require the strength of a Golden Core cultivator.

But Wang Ran had done it so easily. Did this mean his strength was already on par with a Golden Core cultivator?

The thought was unbelievable.

What was his current cultivation?

Foundation Establishment, second level!

A punch from someone at the second level of Foundation Establishment, comparable to a Golden Core cultivator—was there any justice left in the world?

Could it be that a ten-star Dao Comprehension at Foundation Establishment was truly this terrifying?

None of them could believe it.

In truth, Wang Ran’s strength was not truly equal to a Golden Core cultivator—there was a vast chasm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core. The reason he could shatter the spirit martial stone so effortlessly was because of the endless blade of light that nourished his divine sea, which doubled the power of his fist. Combined with the profound techniques he cultivated—whether the Immortal Indestructible Art or the Diamond Glazed Body—both were extraordinary, resulting in such an effect.

Without these factors, even if Wang Ran struck with all his strength, his result would have been similar to Zhao Xiaobai’s—at best rated excellent, but far from enough to split the stone in two.

You could say Wang Ran was like a paying player, dominating the field with powerful equipment.

But the others knew nothing of these inner workings. They all believed Wang Ran’s strength had already reached an unimaginable level and were awestruck beyond measure.

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for shocking the inner disciples and earning five Dao Points!”

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for shocking the inner disciples and earning eight Dao Points!”

“Ding! Congratulations, host Wang Ran, for shocking the inner disciples and earning ten Dao Points!”

Several notifications sounded in his mind. Since the inner disciples had varying cultivation, the Dao Point rewards differed, but with over a hundred people present—even if not all were shocked—Wang Ran still earned nearly a thousand Dao Points.

Suddenly, Wang Ran felt that his goal might not be so unattainable after all. Nearly a thousand Dao Points from just this one event—if he continued earning them this way, cultivating the Immortal Indestructible Dao Divine Art might not be as difficult as he had thought.

And those spirit tools and artifacts in the shop, costing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of points, seemed almost within reach.

In that instant, Wang Ran felt enlightened. He had been going about it all wrong!

This was the best way to earn Dao Points!

The more people, the more he gained!

It seemed he ought to participate in grand events like this as often as possible—not just within the sect. In his future travels across the continent, he should pay attention to every event where ancient ruins or treasures appeared and put forth his full effort to show off, earning as many Dao Points as possible!

Thinking of this, Wang Ran clasped his hands behind his back, maintaining the aloof bearing of a master, standing against the wind with an air of effortless composure.

The disciples around him erupted again.

“Senior Brother Wang is truly a model for us all—achieving such heights yet remaining so humble, as if it were nothing at all!”

“Indeed, if this had happened to me, I doubt I could stay so calm. I’d be overjoyed and telling everyone I met!”

“Me too—a punch that splits the spirit martial stone is something you could boast about for a lifetime!”

“That’s why we’re all just ordinary folk. Senior Brother Wang Ran truly deserves his ten-star genius title. Even his temperament surpasses Senior Brother Ye’s.”

“We can only feel ashamed by comparison!”

Hearing the chatter, Wang Ran cleared his throat softly and straightened his posture even more.

Zhao Xiaobai shook his head with a wry smile, but he too was inwardly amazed by Wang Ran’s achievement. He was a genius as well, and though he was now inclined to follow Wang Ran, his competitive spirit had not diminished. Wang Ran’s brilliance only spurred him on to strive harder.

Wang Ran was the last to be tested, and after he finished, there was no one else.

At this moment, all eyes turned toward Elder Liu.

Elder Liu was crouched on the ground, picking up fragments of the spirit martial stone—his eyes full of both shock and heartache. At last, he let out a long, complicated sigh and slowly stood up.

His gaze swept across every disciple, pausing briefly on Wang Ran before turning to the center. With his hands behind his back, he declared, “I now announce the results of the first round of the martial trial.”

“Fourth place, six-star genius Tony Mu, rating: Excellent Minus!”

“Third place, seven-star genius Yan Wanrou, rating: Excellent!”

“Second place, eight-star genius Zhao Xiaobai, rating: Excellent Plus!”

He paused, and the crowd tensed, all eyes fixed on the first place—though there was no doubt it would be Wang Ran. What they wondered was how his result would be recorded.

After all, he didn’t even have a score. Not only didn’t he get Excellent Plus, he didn’t even have a passing grade—he’d simply broken the spirit martial stone!

As curiosity mounted, Elder Liu’s expression grew complicated. Suddenly, he announced, “First place, ten-star genius Wang Ran, result: zero. In addition, you are fined half a year’s stipend as compensation for the damaged spirit martial stone!”

At these words, everyone nearly fainted, and Wang Ran himself almost staggered.

Normally, those who performed well were rewarded with more resources and stipends. But here he was, not only unrewarded but fined half a year’s pay—where was the justice in that?

Wang Ran immediately objected, raising his hand, “Elder Liu, I protest!”

“Objection overruled,” Elder Liu replied without even glancing at him.

Seeing Wang Ran’s dismay, the little junior sister beside him tittered, unconcerned, “Senior brother, you’re so unlucky! But don’t worry, I’ll give you all of my stipend instead!”

Seeing her innocent delight, Wang Ran sighed softly—indeed, in this world full of schemes, it was only his little junior sister who truly cared for him.

And as Wang Ran mused on this, the results of the competition spread like wildfire throughout the entire Only Me Sect. All who heard were left utterly dumbfounded.