Zhao Xuanqi passed through the crowd and walked to the front of the stage.
The closest Named Disciples glanced at Zhao Xuanqi before looking away.
In truth, there wasn't much worth watching in the later demonstrations. By convention, it was practically a miracle if even one person from the bottom fifty managed to pass.
And that was to say nothing of the fact that the performer was Zhao Qi, who had trained himself into bedrest just a few days ago.
The assessment had been going on for over an hour now, and everyone was getting tired and restless. If not for the rules of the Martial Arts Hall, some would have likely started whispering amongst themselves already.
Thus, after a brief glance at Zhao Xuanqi, Xia Qing and the others lowered their gazes again, staring at their own feet and closing their eyes to rest.
After all, they had given their all in their own demonstrations, and their Physical Ability was severely drained. There was no point wasting energy and effort looking up for such a pointless struggle.
"Named Disciple Zhao Qi, requesting guidance from the Hall Master and senior brothers!"
Zhao Qi's voice reached Xia Qing's ears.
'His voice is quite loud. It seems he recovered from his injuries quickly.'
Xia Qing thought nonchalantly. Instead of watching Zhao Xuanqi's demonstration, she glanced at Zhou Ze beside her. Seeing that he, like her, was staring at his feet, unmoved, she couldn't help but feel a little pleased.
'It seems he took my words to heart. Seven Sounds in half a year... you're not that poor kid you used to be. You have a bright future ahead of you now. You might not even be confined to this little Celestial Sea Prefecture. Some bad habits should be broken sooner rather than later...'
CRACK!!
Just then, a sharp crack, like an exploding firecracker, reached Xia Qing's ears.
'Has it started?'
She knew Zhao Xuanqi's demonstration had begun, but she still didn't look up. There was no need. It would be over soon.
CRACK!!
Then, a second one.
'Hm? Wasn't his previous limit two sounds? He collapsed from exhaustion just two days ago. To manage two sounds today is already an exceptional performance. It couldn't have been easy, pushing himself so hard when he was that injured.'
'But it's all for nothing. This must be the end. Just like all the others before him, he'll return to his spot, utterly defeated, looking like his world has ended. Then he'll walk out that gate, all his dreams shattered, and be thrown back into filthy reality.'
'He'll have nothing. Worse, this desperate attempt will cost him a large chunk of his savings, making his life even more difficult and destitute.'
'If you don't chase foolish fantasies, you won't end up backed into a corner.'
'In this world, success has never been about just working hard and enduring hardship.'
Xia Qing let her thoughts wander.
CRACK!!
However, just then, another explosion of sound tore through the air, completely shattering her train of thought.
Xia Qing's body stiffened. Her mind went blank, unable to process what had just happened.
'Wait?! Was that... the third sound?!'
'Did I miscount?'
'Did Zhao Qi just produce the third sound?'
A tremor ran through her. She snapped her head up, staring at the stage in shock.
It wasn't just Xia Qing. Every single daydreaming Named Disciple snapped their heads up at that moment to look at Zhao Xuanqi, who was in the middle of his demonstration.
Even Weng Xiaolin, who had been dozing off, raised his eyes, a hint of surprise on his face.
'A disciple from the bottom fifty who can achieve Three Sounds?'
However, to everyone's astonishment, Three Sounds was not the end.
At this moment, Zhao Xuanqi's body was slightly arched, his knees half-bent. He tucked his chin and neck, pulling his clawed hands in front of his chest, one behind the other, completely guarding his torso. In this stance, his entire body coiled into a ball, almost halving the space he occupied.
The movement didn't look particularly graceful, but it made onlookers unconsciously tense their muscles and hold their breath.
It was as if they were watching a lean tiger, expertly concealed in the mountain forest or tall grass, staring predatorily at its prey. A chill ran down their spines.
Patience! Concealment! Stealth!
The next moment, Zhao Xuanqi moved.
His half-bent knees stomped violently on the ground. His lean figure shot forward in an instant, as if bursting through a gap in the forest to pounce upon its prey.
And in that instant of "bursting through the forest," Zhao Xuanqi's coiled body suddenly unfurled.
The transition from stillness to motion, from coiling to extending, created a sense of exhilarating release.
Harnessing the impact from his stomp and the sudden Force Release from his unfurling body, power surged through his limbs to their very ends.
Zhao Xuanqi's right hand lashed out in a claw, level with his forehead. His fingers suddenly clenched, Force extending all the way to their tips.
CRACK!!
A crisp explosion tore through the air.
The fourth technique! Ferocious Tiger Presents its Claws!!
Four Sounds!
All the Named Disciples were stunned into silence.
'This... is Zhao Qi?'
'The Zhao Qi who trained himself into bedrest, who took several days of leave, who couldn't even achieve Three Sounds?'
Everyone wore strange expressions—a mix of astonishment, admiration, and disbelief.
Xia Qing's expression, however, was a fluctuating mess. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
She took a deep breath, forcibly calming her complicated emotions.
Meanwhile, Weng Xiaolin's eyes lit up when he saw the stance Zhao Xuanqi had executed.
Ferocious Tiger Presents its Claws. This technique emulated a tiger hiding in the jungle before suddenly pouncing on its prey. It captured the "concealment" before the pounce, the "swiftness" during the attack, and the "ferocity" of the swiping claw.
In actual combat, the essence of this move was to coil the body to reduce one's profile, find an opening for a rapid advance, bypass the enemy's attacks and defenses, and then suddenly unfurl with a Force Release, swiping a claw to crush their throat. It was an exceedingly vicious and brutal technique.
In his demonstration just now, Zhao Xuanqi had showcased the essence of this technique to perfection, as if he had truly been baptized by real combat. It was completely different from the demonstrations of the other Named Disciples.
And this was after Zhao Xuanqi had deliberately held back.
'A pity.'
Then, Weng Xiaolin sized up Zhao Qi and shook his head slightly.
At his age, he had a sharp and discerning eye for a person's innate talent and constitution.
Zhao Qi was only about 1.6 meters tall with a small frame. He was lean, but not in a well-muscled way. An expert could tell with a single glance that this was the type with a poor physical foundation.
The Tiger Form Fist, however, was an extremely firm and fierce Fist Technique. Its Force was expansive and powerful, and its Pile Technique demanded vigorous vitality and abundant Qi and Blood. It had high requirements for one's innate constitution, which was why the Inner Sect Disciples of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall were all tall and brawny. Someone with Zhao Qi's physical foundation had limited potential.
'Unless he can reach the realm of Harmony, where Intent permeates the entire body and Purifies the Body and Soul. Only then can he break free from the shackles of his physical foundation.'
'Unfortunately, in the vast Divine Land, how many can actually reach the realm of Harmony? The founding Grandmaster of our school only ever reached that level.'
'Let him be for now. We'll see how he develops.'
Weng Xiaolin withdrew his gaze and leaned back in his grand tutor chair, his eyes half-closed, his expression once again placid.