“That cripple got twenty-two silver coins?”
Wun Ping’s jealousy flared again. He stared menacingly at Wun Fan as he consoled himself, Doesn’t matter how amazing he is, a sixth-level is still a sixth-level. He’s not my match in a fight.
A summer bug talking of snow, a well-bottom frog talking of seas—there probably was no better way to describe Wun Ping. He was a tenth-level Martial Disciple and had much more aether within him than a sixth-level, and yet, the difference between the two of them was only a few measly silver coins. Disregarding the difference in their age, or even the difference in their strength, his narrow mind alone meant that he would never amount to anything great.
Wun Fan returned to the platform after taking his pouch. He sat down and drank tea in peace. The great elder looked over with praise in his eyes and gave him a thumb’s up. Only the really knowledgeable understood what Wun Fan had accomplished. As powerful as the great elder was, he knew that Wun Fan’s ability to coordinate his body and his strength was far beyond the average person's.
Wun Fan didn’t dare to feel any pride over what he had accomplished, even as he listened to the crowd murmuring over his performance. After all, an above-average sixth-level performance was still far from impressive.
The contrast only made Wun Ping look worse. The difference between Wun Fan and Wun Ping’s characters was like the difference between the sky and the earth, the clouds and the mud. And don’t forget that Wun Ping was Wun Fan’s senior by several years.615Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYej51BKCQ
“Even the strongest sixth level is still a sixth level,” the second elder muttered to himself, before announcing with a less-than-happy expression, “Lastly, we have the fourth young mistress of the Wun Clan, Wun Siu Lan.”
The noise from the crowd paused momentarily when they heard the name. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone’s expression looked a little forced and unnatural. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that a scattering of applause reminded the crowd that they had to clap.
Wun Siu Lan stuck her tongue out at Wun Fan when she heard her name.
“Are you finally going to show your true power?” Wun Fan lifted his chin and raised an eyebrow as he asked.
“Guess,” Wun Siu Lan replied mysteriously and shrugged her shoulders, mimicking Wun Fan’s behaviour. There was a gleam of slyness in her eyes. Even the mask couldn’t hide her charm.
Wun Fan knew the answer when he saw this. He waved his hand and motioned for her to not keep the audience waiting.
However, Wun Siu Lan didn’t care for the crowd’s reaction. She stretched her back and walked down the stage like a lazy cat. Her every step drew the eye of the Wun Clan’s disciples. The figure in blue announced her name before everyone’s speechless gaze, “Wun Siu Lan, ten years old.”
“You can begin.”
The second elder didn’t seem to harbour any animosity towards Wun Xiu Laan. His face was as usual.
Yep, as ugly as usual, Wun Fan thought to himself. This brat was already at sixth level during the test last year. She gave everyone a shock. She could only have improved after an entire year’s worth of training. If people see where she’s at now, it might cause a bit of trouble.
He felt a little uncomfortable. That little girl who was younger than him had now surpassed him so much. He didn’t know what to feel.
Wun Siu Lan raised her hand before everyone’s eyes and placed it on the stone slab. She roused her powers and fourteen small dots lit up on the stone!
The servant rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He looked to be panicking as he raised his head towards the second elder as if begging for help.
“What’s with all the panicking? Just stay calm.”
The second elder knew Wun Siu Lan had exceptional talent. She was probably already an eighth-level Martial Disciple, but there was no need to panic over that.
“Second elder, Mistress Siu Lan is… is a peak Martial Mortal,” the servant stuttered as he reported the truth. However, he didn’t dare write the results down with his brush. In fact, the brush was almost about to slip from his trembling grip.
“What?! A ten-year-old peak Martial Mortal?”
The second elder hopped over the fence and landed on the ground. He stared at the small dots on the stone with wide-open eyes. He felt like his brain wasn’t working any longer.
Wun Ping stood up, slamming the table as he did. He couldn’t accept this as reality. It was only natural that Wun Him was stronger than him. After all, the clan master was tremendously powerful and Wun Him was his son by blood.
However, Wun Ping could not accept that even Wun Siu Lan was stronger than him. Moreover, she wasn’t just a little bit stronger than him; she was four stages stronger than him! For the first time ever, Wun Ping felt like his own power was completely insignificant. That’s right, he might only have reached tenth level Martial Disciple at the age of fourteen, but he had never thought of himself as weak.
Wun Ping thought about how untalented he was and how weak he would be even if he continued training and all of a sudden, he felt like giving up. His conviction had collapsed like a broken dam.
Compared to Wun Ping’s shock, Wun Fan showed no overt emotion. He expected this result. He calmly lifted the teapot and stood up to fill the cups of his elders, before pouring tea into his own cup. The great elder and Wun Ching Yeung remained unfazed as well. They took a sip from their teacups. At their level, it would be a joke if they couldn’t tell if someone was a Martial Mortal.
Wun Fan could sense the seed of inferiority growing in Wun Ping’s heart; he could even sense that it was starting to grow into a mental blockade for him. He couldn’t bear to see something like that happen to him. They were all disciples of the Wun Clan, after all. He sipped from his cup, shaking his head as he sighed. “The water in the river cares not which droplet flows the fastest; the flying bird cares not for soaring late.”
Wun Ping’s body jerked slightly when he heard this. The welling sense of inferiority in him shattered. He wasn’t happy to have owed Wun Fan a debt, but he turned towards him and nodded to express his gratitude.
Wun Ching Yeung and the great elder exchanged looks. They could see the disbelief in each other’s eyes. They turned around to look at Wun Fan as if they were looking at a piece of the most beautiful jade. It was a shame that it was a piece of jade that could never be carved to completion.
Wun Siu Lan walked before the roly-poly doll. She lifted her head and asked the second elder innocently, “Can I break it?”
“Gasp…”
The crowd was already stunned by the revelation and now Wun Siu Lan had dropped another bomb.
The second elder had clearly not had the time to digest the first thing. He stuttered a little as he asked, “Break what?”
The clan master’s voice boomed before Wun Siu Lan could repeat her question. “You may. If you can break the doll, all the coins will be yours to keep.”
“You said it, dad.”
Wun Siu Lan was beyond excited to hear Wun Ching Yeung’s affirmative answer. She leapt before the doll and placed a hand over its head. Softly, she muttered, “Martial soul, descend.”
The soul energy within her erupted in response. The temperature around her rose by a noticeable amount. If you looked closely, you would even see steam starting to rise from the nearby teacups.
This was the fundamental difference between a Martial Mortal and a Martial Disciple!
The ten levels of Martial Disciple corresponded to ten pressure points. When every pressure point had been filled with aether, the individual’s mental energy would merge with the aether to form soul energy, allowing them to ascend to the realm of Martial Mortal.
Martial Mortals would awaken their own unique martial soul. It could be a sword or a knife, perhaps fire or water, beast or insect, or perhaps something entirely formless. There were innumerable martial souls in the world, each one with its own special characteristics and abilities. Used in combination with soul energy, the martial souls could unleash powerful martial techniques.
If a Martial Disciple faced off against a Martial Mortal, especially a Martial Mortal that had awakened their martial soul, it would be a completely one-sided beating.
Wun Siu Lan’s hands appeared to turn slightly red as she stepped into a horse stance. She stabbed her hands forward lightly and the roly-poly began to melt like snow in summer. Her hands easily dug into the doll. Then, with one move, her hands swung apart, ripping the doll into two!
A mountain of silver coins poured onto the ground. Even the older members of the clan had never seen such a thing. They had seen people break the doll in various ways, but never in such a violent and barbaric fashion; and it was a girl who did it too…615Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAwP0yyaYm
Wun Ching Yeung looked at Wun Siu Lan and the ground full of shiny coins. He couldn’t hide his grin. “Very well. I stick to my word. That said, it seems like your choice of breaking the doll has its downsides too.”
“Downsides?”
Wun Siu Lan didn’t understand. Wun Fan’s voice came from the stands, “Silver coins are bad with heat.”
A surprised cry followed. She finally realised that several dozen coins had deformed because of the heat. Some of them had even melted together. She looked at Wun Ching Yeung with teary eyes. The mighty clan master couldn’t deal with the puppy eyes and hastily said, “Alright, you can count it afterward.”
Wun Siu Lan knew she had gotten her way and didn’t push the issue any further. She knew how best to get on her father’s good side. The servant made a rough count and gulped as he said, “Wun Siu Lan has obtained eight hundred and sixty-eight silver coins.”
This shocking number was enough to cause the other disciples to stare with wide eyes, slack jaws, and absolute envy. The sum of silver coins was enough to pay for the annual spending of several dozen families. Wun Siu Lan was basically a rich lady now.615Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFdEnmOyVJ
