Everyone grew excited at the prospect of a retest. It would be their chance to find out if Sun Tian had truly reached the Eighth-Rank. Thinking of this, they all turned to look at him.
Sun Tian grinned. Fine, I'll show off my strength then.
The retest began. One by one, the young cultivators walked up to the Testing Tablet to be measured. Their cultivation levels were mostly unchanged from before. After all, one month was too short a time for any significant breakthroughs.
"Next, Liu Ruyue," the middle-aged elder called out.
Taking a deep breath, her eyes filled with excitement, Liu Ruyue walked toward the Testing Tablet. The crowd's gaze fell upon her, but they didn't pay her much mind. In their view, it was impossible for Liu Ruyue to have broken through either.
Liu Ruyue reached the Testing Tablet, placed her hand on its surface, and channeled her Spiritual Power.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The tablet lit up, shining with a total of seven bars of light.
Everyone was stunned by this scene. Even the middle-aged elder was taken aback. Liu Ruyue was very beautiful, so he had an impression of her. He remembered that her previous cultivation had been at the Sixth-Rank. He never expected she would actually break through in just one month. It was truly incredible.
"Liu Ruyue, Seventh-Rank!" the middle-aged elder announced loudly.
The entire venue erupted into an uproar.
"What? Seventh-Rank!"
"Liu Ruyue is actually Seventh-Rank!"
"She actually broke through!"
"That's incredible!"
Keep in mind, none of the other geniuses tested so far had managed to break through. How did Liu Ruyue do it? Could her talent really be that formidable? The crowd was shocked.
The Liu Family members were ecstatic; their family was about to soar to new heights.
A triumphant smile curled Liu Ruyue's lips. She turned to look at Lin Xuan and said, "See that? I'm a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist now, the same as you."
"During the arena battles, I will defeat you and avenge my brother!"
At her words, the crowd buzzed with excitement, all looking toward Lin Xuan. The former lovers had now become bitter enemies. If this Lin Xuan is defeated, things will get interesting.
Defeat me? Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "You are no match for me." His expression was calm, as if he didn't give Liu Ruyue a second thought.
Liu Ruyue was enraged. "Lin Xuan, what gives you the right to be so arrogant? My cultivation level is the same as yours, and I've even mastered your family's Qingfeng Swordsmanship! I can definitely defeat you!"
The Lin Family was furious. Using their swordsmanship against their own Young Master—this Liu Ruyue was too shameless.
"Shameless!"
"Ungrateful wolf!" they cursed.
Liu Ruyue, however, was completely unfazed. She glared at Lin Xuan and said, "Go to my house right now and kneel before my brother to apologize. If you do, perhaps I will show you leniency!"
"Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Lin Xuan laughed heartily. "The same cultivation level as me? Who do you think you are, to be considered my equal?"
"I am at the Eighth-Rank!"
His words stunned everyone present.
What?
Eighth-Rank!
Is he serious?
Could it be that Lin Xuan had also broken through? That was incredible. To break through in just one month... his talent was terrifying. He truly lived up to his name as the top genius. The crowd exclaimed in admiration.
Liu Ruyue spoke angrily, "Will you please stop bluffing? Even if your talent has been restored, as the number one prodigy of Cloud Sea City, it's impossible for you to reach the Eighth-Rank in just one month. Unless the Lin Family provided you with a massive amount of elixirs. But your family isn't an Alchemist family, so where would you even get them? Forget one month, you might not be able to break through even in a year."
The crowd came to a sudden realization. So he was just boasting. That really gave them a scare. They were right to think there was no way Lin Xuan could have broken through so quickly.
Sun Tian sneered. He was now the only Eighth-Rank genius. What is this kid? How dare he compare himself to me?
The testing continued. Finally, it was Sun Tian's turn.
His appearance immediately drew everyone's attention, and countless eyes fell upon him. They all wondered, was Sun Tian's cultivation really at the Eighth-Rank?
Sun Tian strode confidently to the Testing Tablet and placed his hand on it. The power within him erupted.
The Testing Tablet instantly shone with eight dazzling bars of light.
The entire crowd gasped in astonishment.
"Eighth-Rank! It's really the Eighth-Rank!"
"That's just unbelievable!"
"An Eighth-Rank Martial Artist at the age of seventeen!"
"This is unprecedented in the history of Cloud Sea City!"
The crowd was astounded. The elder from the Heavenly Dao Institute was equally amazed.
The members of the Sun Family laughed heartily. "Our Young Master is mighty! He is the true number one genius!"
The Lin Family elders, on the other hand, wore worried expressions. They couldn't help but feel concerned for Lin Xuan.
Elated and full of vigor, Sun Tian turned around. He fixed his gaze on Lin Xuan and declared, "See that, kid? I'm the Eighth-Rank. I am the number one genius in Cloud Sea City."
At that moment, he stood high above the rest, basking in everyone's awe. The other young prodigies were completely shaken. Compared to Sun Tian, they were as insignificant as ants.
Only Lin Xuan remained perfectly calm. "I am also Eighth-Rank," he stated.
Sun Tian sneered. "Idiot."
The others also smiled and shook their heads in disbelief. Liu Ruyue snorted coldly. "You can't possibly be Eighth-Rank."
"Impossible? Then open your eyes and watch closely to see if I am," Lin Xuan said as he walked toward the Testing Tablet.
It was Lin Xuan's turn. The surrounding people murmured amongst themselves, none of them optimistic about his chances.
Liu Ruyue rolled her eyes. What does he have to compare with Young Master Sun?
Sun Tian just sneered. If that guy is an Eighth-Rank, I'll kneel and kowtow to him ten times!
Lin Xuan approached the Testing Tablet, placed his palm on it, and channeled the Spiritual Power in his body. With a loud hum, the lights on the tablet began to activate.
One bar. Two bars. Three bars.
Finally.
Eight bars of light illuminated the entire area.
The whole arena was plunged into shocked silence. Everyone was stunned.
Liu Ruyue's eyes were wide, nearly popping out of their sockets.
Sun Tian trembled, roaring madly, "Impossible! How can you also be Eighth-Rank?"
He couldn't believe it. This past month, he had consumed a huge amount of second-tier elixirs just to achieve his breakthrough. On what basis could this kid have broken through as well? He couldn't accept it. After his own breakthrough, he had stopped seeing Lin Xuan as a rival, believing himself to be the one and only top genius. But now, reality had slapped him hard across the face.
He still couldn't surpass him!
The middle-aged elder was also astonished. He hadn't expected Lin Xuan to have broken through as well. It was truly astounding. He was genuinely surprised that a small place like Cloud Sea City had produced two top-tier geniuses.
He nodded in satisfaction and announced loudly, "Lin Xuan, Eighth-Rank Martial Artist!"
His words sent the venue into another uproar.
Heavens, it's really the Eighth-Rank!
Lin Xuan is also Eighth-Rank!
A sixteen-year-old Eighth-Rank Martial Artist! He was even more amazing than Sun Tian! It seemed Young Master Lin was still the number one genius of Cloud Sea City. The crowd was incredibly excited.
Someone said, "I was almost fooled by Liu Ruyue. Young Master Lin wasn't bluffing at all! It's Liu Ruyue who's the frog in the well, unable to recognize true greatness."
"Exactly! And she wanted to challenge and defeat Young Master Lin? Is she even worthy?"
"She's no match for Young Master Lin."
"And I'd say Sun Tian is the pitiful one. He consumed so many elixirs just to reach the same cultivation level as Young Master Lin."
"Without those elixirs, he wouldn't even be worthy of carrying Young Master Lin's shoes!"
The crowd chattered animatedly.
Hearing their words, Liu Ruyue's face turned deathly pale, and she nearly fainted. She never imagined Lin Xuan was truly an Eighth-Rank. How could this have happened? Was his talent really that strong? She had actually abandoned such a genius. She was such a fool. Her gut twisted with regret.
All the tests were completed, and the retest concluded.
「Next came the second trial: the arena battles.」
There were three arenas, with the participants divided into three groups. Lin Xuan was in the first group.
As the competition began, the very first match was the battle between Lin Xuan and Liu Ruyue.