"I am!" Mu Zi's voice suddenly rang out, catching everyone off guard.
Mu Lingsha immediately grabbed her arm: "Little sister, what are you doing?"
"Don't take that guy's words to heart. If you're against it, Father and I will support you. Don't be rash."
Mu Lingsha thought Mu Zi was angered by Mu Ye and was acting impulsively, so she hurried to stop her.
She knew that Mu Zi had recently broken through to the fourth level of Body Tempering, and with the five yellow earth fruits she had given her, she might have reached the fifth level.
Even with her outstanding talent for martial arts and her "Nine Sounds" fist, Mu Zi was unlikely to beat someone at the sixth level. At best, she would receive a "below average" grade.
For a fourteen-year-old, this was, of course, an impressive result. Perhaps even Mu Ye wasn't as good at her age.
"Maybe little sister wants to prove that her potential is higher than Mu Ye's," Mu Lingsha thought.
But this thought seemed naive.
Potential isn't the same as strength. Even if your potential is great, there's no guarantee you'll realize it. And the strength of a true warrior is reality, not dreams.
Expecting to be singled out everywhere because of potential is unfair to those who already possess strength.
And Mu Ye, at the eighth level of Body Tempering, was definitely one of those.
Mu Yun, standing nearby, also began to persuade her:
"Zi, don't worry, if you don't want to, no one will force you to agree!"
As he said this, he glanced at the elder, but her face remained expressionless.
Noticing the faint anxiety beneath Mu Yun's authoritative confidence, Mu Zi, although she knew they had misunderstood her intentions, was touched.
"I know," she said. "But, Uncle, this will create a lot of problems for you, won't it?"
Although the elder's identity remained a mystery, Mu Zi had already understood from the Clan Head's respectful attitude toward her that refusing the marriage proposal could lead to trouble.
Smiling at her father and sister with unwavering confidence, Mu Zi said:
"Don't worry, I'll handle it!"
Skillfully evading their attempts to stop her, she resolutely walked toward the testing area.
"Oh, what should I do?" Mu Yun was clearly at a loss.
Looking at Mu Zi's retreating figure, Mu Lingsha said thoughtfully, trying to calm her father:
"Dad, maybe little sister has an ace up her sleeve."
She knew more about Mu Zi's strength than Mu Yun did.
"Maybe," he replied without much hope.
Seeing Mu Zi step out, the crowd buzzed.
"Who is that? What a beauty!"
"It seems to be Elder Mu Yun's younger daughter."
"Isn't she too young?"
"Look at her delicate skin—she clearly hasn't trained! Did she come to the test to fool around?"
"What if, just imagine, she already possesses Yuan Li?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"If she has Yuan Li, I'll eat this table right here!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone turned to look at the speaker. Under the many gazes, he got a little nervous.
But, confident that he wouldn't lose the bet, he quickly calmed down.
"Ha, to believe she has Yuan Li is like believing I'm the emperor of the Great Yan!"
Mu Zi's unexpected decision clearly caught the elder by surprise.
He hastily flipped through the registry and asked:
"Participant Mu Zi, fourteen years old. Do you confirm your participation in the test?"
Under Mu Yun's bewildered gaze and Mu Lingsha's worried one, Mu Zi nodded.
"I confirm!"
When the elder was about to appoint an examiner, Mu Zi stopped him:
"Don't trouble Sister Mu Yue; I'll do it myself."
The elder was stunned, but a sudden realization pierced him, making him shiver.
"Could it be..."
Under the gazes of the crowd, Mu Zi focused, and her body was enveloped in Yuan Li.
"Oh!" the hall erupted in astonishment.
Yuan Li! Yuan Li again!
Mu Ye with his eighth level of Body Tempering had already shocked everyone, and now this young lady showed at least the sixth level.
What was going on with this test? Usually, Yuan Li was a rarity, but this year it was manifesting one after another.
If the eighth level at sixteen could still be understood, the sixth level at fourteen seemed almost unreal.
After all, at this age, most people were just beginning cultivation.
"Am I dreaming?"
"Sigh, I shouldn't have come to this test; it's just a blow to my self-esteem!"
"Who was going to eat the table?"
Everyone turned to the speaker. He froze with a glazed look, and under the hail of gazes, he almost burst into tears.
"I was just kidding; did you guys actually believe me?"
In the main seats, everyone was no less shocked.
Crack!
Mu Tao, in his astonishment, clenched his cup so hard that it shattered in his hand, and his feigned refinement completely disappeared.
His heart was pounding with shock. Mu Ye's success, although unexpected, could still be explained: he was the foster son of the first Clan Head's widow, not lacking in resources—such an achievement was acceptable.
But Mu Zi's performance was incomprehensible.
Mu Tao knew Mu Yun well: he cared for the juniors, but not at the expense of his own cultivation.
Looking at the calm Mu Zi in the center of the hall, her confident but not arrogant demeanor touched him.
"It's time to change my attitude," Mu Tao thought.
He had seen the recent marriage proposal. Although he didn't like the elder's actions, out of respect for her status, he didn't interfere.
But now, Mu Zi's talent had surpassed all his expectations, and his position began to shift.
This was even better. This old woman, hiding behind her position, had been annoying him for a long time.
Not only the Clan Head was stunned. Mu Tian looked at the scene with his mouth agape.
But he soon remembered: when Mu Zi was choosing a technique in the Hall of Martial Arts, she had, despite his persuasion, insisted on the "Guiding Spirit Sword." At the time, it seemed strange, but now everything made sense.
"So this was all part of your plan, Zi? You've really surprised Uncle Tian!"
Bang!
Mu Yun, stunned, jumped out of his seat, his eyes fixed on the girl in the center of the hall, unable to believe it.
"When did Zi manage to reach such a level?"
He realized that he seemed to not know his adopted daughter well enough.
Mu Lingsha was also agitated and murmured in disbelief:
"Did the yellow earth fruits help that much?"
Could her spiritual fruits have had such an effect? But she had tried them herself before, and they weren't that effective.
Mu Yun, hearing this, was surprised:
"What yellow earth fruits?"
Mu Lingsha, after a pause, replied:
"A reward from the Clan Head. I gave them to my little sister."
Mu Yun was even more astonished:
"Why did you do that?"
Sighing, Mu Lingsha explained:
"From the beginning of her cultivation to the fourth level of Body Tempering, it only took little sister two months."
"Her talent is unbelievable; those fruits would help her more. And besides..."
"Her gift for martial arts is simply monstrous!"
Mu Yun didn't listen to the second half; his thoughts were in a jumble. He muttered:
"Two months... The fourth level..."
"Brother, sister-in-law, you've raised an amazing daughter!"