Chapter 99: Peaceful Conclusion

“Bang.”

“A Jin!”

As Chen Jin’s stiff body hit the ground, a collective gasp immediately rose from the surroundings.

Xia Duoduo and Yi Kong rushed forward in a single stride, and Li Junjie and others also followed, running towards the arena.

However, one person was faster than them.

Before Chen Jin even fell to the ground, Sun Zhenyuan had already rushed to his side, reaching out to support his back.

Sun Zhenyuan placed his right hand on Chen Jin’s wrist, and cool spiritual power flowed into his body along his wrist. After a check, his complexion eased slightly.

“It’s nothing serious, just exhaustion,” Sun Zhenyuan said to Xia Duoduo and the others who had rushed over.

Upon hearing this, the others also breathed a sigh of relief. Li Junjie was still a bit worried, “Teacher, perhaps you should check again. He’s completely motionless.”

“He’s moving,” Sun Zhenyuan said with annoyance, “Look at his eyes.”

Everyone looked in the direction of his gaze and saw Chen Jin’s dark eyes rolling in his sockets. Seeing them look over, he even blinked a few times as if making a joke.

This made everyone both angry and amused, but also completely relieved. If he could still joke around at this point, what serious trouble could he be in?

At this moment, the medical team, who had been on standby, also rushed over and gave Chen Jin an energy drink to restore his stamina.

However, even so, Chen Jin couldn’t recover for a while. It couldn’t be helped; the consumption from his saber strike was too great. At this moment, Chen Jin felt his entire body was sore and weak, unable to exert any strength, and his true force was completely depleted.

However, he felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration in his heart!

This was the first time since his transmigration that he had fought with all his might, without any reservations!

“The feeling of cutting someone is different from cutting a log, much more satisfying.”

“No wonder some martial artists venture into the wilderness alone, living on the brink of life and death. In extreme conditions, people indeed tend to unleash extraordinary potential!”

When he fought An Liang, his condition wasn’t optimal, yet he still broke through his limits and unleashed the eighth saber strike. This was the charm of potential.

However, even though this feeling of breaking through at the limit was exhilarating, Chen Jin preferred not to experience it again. He preferred a steady development, crushing opponents with absolute strength.

While Chen Jin was thinking to himself, a staff member ran up and whispered to Teacher Sun, “Teacher Sun, how should the result of this match be calculated?”

His voice wasn’t quiet, and everyone around heard it.

Sun Zhenyuan was slightly stunned, and a look of difficulty clearly appeared on his face.

Logically speaking, Chen Jin was currently unable to fight, so An Liang should definitely be declared the winner.

However, there was another rule in the match: if a student was in a dangerous situation, the referee had the right to stop the match and rule on the victory.

For example, if two people were fighting, and one person’s saber blade was about to touch the other’s throat, the safety officer couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

So, the remaining question was, did Chen Jin’s saber strike still have the power to cut down, or did he stop it in mid-air due to exhaustion or by voluntarily retracting his strength? If it was the latter, then assuming Chen Jin didn’t stop his saber, did An Liang have the ability to dodge it? And was the remaining force of Chen Jin’s saber strike sufficient to inflict enough damage on An Liang?

Xia Duoduo widened her eyes and said, “Teacher, does this even need to be considered? Chen Jin definitely wins. That Zhanmadao saber was almost at her head!”

Yi Kong was much calmer and didn’t speak rashly.

An Liang, who was far away, heard this and looked up at Xia Duoduo, then lowered her gaze, seemingly thinking about something.

The surrounding students also began to discuss.

“This, it should be a win for Chen Jin, right? Xia Duoduo is right, that Zhanmadao saber was less than an inch from An Liang’s head!”

“But it’s not like that, is it? Didn’t you see Chen Jin couldn’t even stand steadily? In that situation, did he still have the ability to retract his strength? I’m more inclined to believe that after shattering the greatsword, the last bit of impact was also canceled out by the scattered true force.”

“How could it cancel out so coincidentally? It’s obvious Chen Jin held back!”

“Even so, according to the rules, An Liang wins because the safety officer didn’t intervene to stop the match. In this case, he has no right to rule on the victory!”

“Nonsense! Teacher Sun clearly saw Chen Jin’s saber stop before he didn’t intervene. So, according to you, every match must be fought to the death?”

Both sides had supporters, arguing endlessly. Among them, half supported Chen Jin, while the other half, though not necessarily supporting An Liang, simply wished for strict adherence to the rules.

Sun Zhenyuan, standing on the arena, was also troubled. In the end, he cast his gaze upon Chen Jin.

The key to victory or defeat still lay in whether Chen Jin had held back at the end. He found it difficult to judge this, and it seemed he could only ask the person involved.

“Chen Jin, you…”

“Let’s call it a draw.”

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Jin, who had already recovered, spoke first.

Then, he turned to An Liang and asked, “Do you agree?”

An Liang’s expression turned somewhat ugly. “Are you pitying me? Winning is winning, losing is losing, what’s with a draw?”

If it were a draw, the rankings wouldn’t change, meaning An Liang would still be first, and the secret technique from the Hundred Schools of Thought would still belong to her.

Chen Jin just shook his head slightly and said, “I’m not pitying you. The reason for a draw is something we both know in our hearts.”

The moment his words fell, An Liang fell silent.

Chen Jin didn’t rush, quietly waiting for her reply.

The reason Chen Jin mentioned was not that An Liang had underestimated him earlier and wasted a large amount of true force. That was the price she had to pay for her arrogance and couldn’t be used as an excuse for her defeat.

What Chen Jin was referring to was the immense power that surged from An Liang’s body at the very last moment when their blades met.

The instant he shattered An Liang’s greatsword, through his Beast Tamer talent, he could sense a power that shouldn’t belong to An Liang’s realm being generated within her, instinctively wanting to counter Chen Jin’s descending saber strike.

That power was extremely strong, even excessively strong, so strong that Chen Jin felt it could engulf him in an instant, and even a Mental Master’s explosive power couldn’t match it!

But at the last moment, this power was forcefully suppressed by An Liang herself. In the end, relying solely on the meager remaining true force within her, she could no longer resist Chen Jin and had her greatsword forcibly shattered.

If An Liang hadn’t suppressed this power, Chen Jin, even with his mental power, would have been severely injured!

It couldn’t be helped, he was still accumulating inheritance points and hadn’t officially begun practicing mental power, so he couldn’t unleash its true might.

As for whether Sun Zhenyuan could react in time to intervene, only heaven knew.

So, from this perspective, he had to thank An Liang for holding back.

Of course, if it were only this, he wouldn’t have proposed a draw. Chen Jin wasn’t that kind-hearted.

If the dispute continued, the victory would most likely still go to An Liang. After all, for any disputed match, the An family could simply apply some pressure to the school to get the desired outcome.

Moreover, there was a very important reason: Chen Jin didn’t really need that secret technique from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

He wasn’t like Xia Duoduo and the others, who had a solid martial arts foundation. His foundation in martial arts was already very weak. Just the basic Nine-ringed Shielding Technique and the Thirteen Saber Slashes that Break the Void were enough for him to practice. Directly practicing a secret technique of the Hundred Schools of Thought level would be half the effort, double the result!

Not to mention that he was about to start practicing mental power. Where would he find the time to cultivate another secret technique?

Even if he could squeeze out the time, he would prioritize secret techniques related to Beast Tamers. Even if ordinary secret techniques were of a higher level, their improvement for him would be far slower than that of Mental Masters and Beast Tamers.

Therefore, even if he obtained this secret technique, Chen Jin estimated he would have to wait another three to five years before officially starting to practice it, which meant this secret technique wasn’t that enticing to him.

The main purpose of challenging An Liang this time was to test her trump card.

It was a shame this girl kept it so well hidden, preferring to lose rather than reveal it.

Of course, Chen Jin did the same, keeping his mental power hidden and not activating it. So neither of them could blame the other.

Considering all these factors, he simply decided to do her a favor. He had no animosity towards An Liang and even thought about becoming friends with her.

Looking at An Liang, who was still pondering opposite him, Chen Jin smiled lightly and said, “Your family went to such great lengths to prepare this secret technique for you. If you don’t get it, you might be in some trouble, right? If you really can’t get over it, how about compensating me with some money?”

As he spoke, Chen Jin extended his right hand, bringing his index finger and thumb together and rubbing them back and forth.

An Liang looked at Chen Jin’s hand, appearing stunned. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded slightly and said solemnly, “I owe you a favor.”

Seeing that the two had reached an agreement, Sun Zhenyuan also breathed a sigh of relief and announced the result of the match.

This outcome naturally caused a huge stir in the martial arts hall!

“Damn, how can they call it a draw? If Chen Jin hadn’t held back, An Liang’s head would have been cut off!”

“Collusion! It’s definitely collusion! The An family must have applied pressure!”

“Not necessarily. How could the An family react so quickly? Besides, if An Liang hadn’t underestimated him, Chen Jin would have had no chance at all!”

“Heh, who can you blame for being arrogant and careless? You’re bringing this up now?”

“An Liang is usually so arrogant, but in the end, she still has to rely on her family background? This is hilarious.”

The crowd below buzzed with discussion, with some harsh remarks directed at An Liang.

They didn’t care about the outcome of the match, they just took pleasure in mocking and enjoying the thrill of judging others.

The blonde girl, however, paid no attention to this, stood up, and walked off the stage without looking back.

Chen Jin, on the other hand, frowned slightly, feeling that some of the conspiracy theories were too harsh. He stepped forward and explained a few words on An Liang’s behalf:

“Everyone, there was no collusion in this match. I was exhausted by the last saber strike, and Student An had enough time to dodge.”

“I proposed the draw voluntarily, and no one coerced me.”

“Student An is very strong. Even if I had lost this match, I would have been convinced.”

These words were true. If An Liang hadn’t been so proud, Chen Jin would have had no chance at all.

As his voice fell, the originally noisy crowd became noticeably quieter.

An Liang paused her steps, looked back at Chen Jin, said nothing, and left without looking back.

At the same time, Chen Jin and An Liang’s battle sparked a lively discussion among the school leaders on the high platform.

“I wonder what bloodline this student has awakened. His physique and true force are both top-notch!” the Principal said, stroking his beard with a smile.

“Even more commendable is that at such a young age, his temperament is already excellent. He was suppressed by An Liang in the early stages, yet he remained calm and composed, seeking to exploit the opponent’s psychological flaws. Such seasoned combat methods are truly rare at this age!” the Vice Principal couldn’t help but praise.

“His parrying techniques are also outstanding, indicating he has put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and his comprehension is also excellent.”

“I heard he doesn’t come from a wealthy family, which makes his outstanding talent even more apparent. He’s a good seedling!”

“We must cultivate him well, cultivate him well!”

The school leaders spoke one after another, all praising Chen Jin highly.

The commissioner from the city also had a smile all over his face. At this moment, Chen Jin was no longer just a student in his eyes, but a stepping stone for advancement!

“We really struck gold coming here this time.”

“Old Wang passed this matter on to me because he found it troublesome, but I didn’t expect to discover such a genius!”

What do people from the Education Bureau like them look at for assessing their performance? Isn’t it the admission rate of martial arts schools and whether they have cultivated amazing geniuses?

Although An Liang was excellent, she was still from the An family. Originally from Kyoto, she came to their city for some unknown reason, which was like a surprise gift from the heavens. Even if An Liang achieved any results in the end, the credit would be greatly diminished and wouldn’t be attributed to him.

But Chen Jin was different. He was a native of Jiangcheng! And best of all, he was a commoner’s child!

If he could grow, it would definitely be a great achievement to write about!

He could already imagine the newspaper headlines: Education Bureau Commissioner with a discerning eye, assisting a commoner’s child to soar to the heavens.

Although Chen Jin’s growth might have nothing to do with him, just like a top scorer would achieve good results even with a different teacher, isn’t performance assessment based on this?

Regardless of whether he played any role, as long as there were results, there would be a story!

Often, promotion only requires a reason.

“This student, Chen Jin, is only in his first year of high school and has already shown such astonishing talent. Even if his cultivation progress slows down in the next two years, he will definitely make it into the Nine Greats!”

“I need to report his situation immediately and apply for resource subsidies to help him aim for Shanhai University and Huaxia National Defense University!”

“If he can get admitted…”

Even if he couldn’t get promoted, there would at least be a bonus!

Thinking of this, the middle-aged man happily got up and told the other school leaders that he wouldn’t watch the remaining matches, as he needed to go back and report his work.

The school leaders naturally had no objections. They said many nice things and subtly hinted at the school’s rating. The commissioner, who was already in a good mood, readily agreed.

Just as he was about to leave, Xia Lin, who was standing guard nearby, suddenly stepped forward and whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing Xia Lin’s words, the middle-aged man’s steps faltered, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face, followed by sheer ecstasy! His tone even contorted with excitement!

“What did you say? He’s also a Mental Master???”

Chen Jin was naturally unaware of what was happening on the high platform and didn’t know how much of a sensation his talent had caused.

He stepped down from the stage with the help of his friends, sat in a chair, and while recovering his stamina, he earnestly watched the matches on the field.

Although he had just gone through a fierce battle, Chen Jin quickly entered a focused learning state. This was the last day of the competition, and everyone was bringing out their ultimate techniques. The various martial arts traps, feints, and the application of true force techniques greatly broadened Chen Jin’s horizons and provided him with considerable gains!

His actions made Li Junjie, Xia Duoduo, and the others look at him as if he were a monster.

After fighting to exhaustion, he was already researching martial arts within a few minutes. This level of dedication was truly admirable.

Chen Jin, however, felt it was nothing. The enhancement of his brain region allowed him to concentrate much better than ordinary people.

Thus, he watched until the competition ended, and the final results were released.

Chen Jin naturally secured third place. No one dared to challenge him while he was weak, partly because the rules didn’t allow it, and partly because anyone who dared to do so would likely be ostracized by the school afterward.

Among the others, Xia Duoduo remained in sixth place. The other three unfortunately didn’t make it into the top ten. Wei Tian, however, was lucky enough to secure 49th place, just barely making it into the top fifty reward bracket.

Thus, the final exam concluded.

On the way home from school, Xia Duoduo and Yi Kong accompanied Chen Jin.

“A Jin, we’ll have practical combat training next semester.”

“The first semester will be wilderness survival, and the second semester will involve venturing into real Spiritual Realms and ancient ruins.”

“The final ‘Four School Joint Examination’ will be a six-person team competition, so we can start considering potential candidates now.”

As they walked, Xia Duoduo spoke enthusiastically.

“I originally thought the three of us, plus two friends of Yi Kong and mine, but after watching your match with An Liang, I realized that if we want to win, we need a more reasonable team composition.”

“I’ve created a group chat. The three of us will discuss in this chat from now on, including who to choose for the team and designing plans targeting An Liang…”

“I’ve already written a few preliminary plans and put them in the group files…”

Xia Duoduo was very enthusiastic, chattering all the way, her amber eyes filled with drive.

Chen Jin looked down at his phone. There were already four files in the group chat. Upon opening them, he saw meticulously designed strategies, such as teaming up with other schools to gang up on An Liang, using terrain advantages and modern weaponry to ambush An Liang, and so on.

It was evident that Xia Duoduo wasn’t just talking; she had spent a lot of time and effort meticulously preparing to win the Four School Joint Examination.

However…

Chen Jin’s brows furrowed. These plans did not take into account An Liang’s “trump card.”

This trump card was deeply hidden by An Liang and had not been revealed at all.

But Chen Jin had a very reasonable speculation.

An Liang was a member of the Mythical Creatures Society, and it was clear she hadn’t joined out of mere interest.

Therefore, the conclusion was natural: An Liang was also a Bloodline Awakener! And almost certainly a high-level Bloodline Awakener!

She had been deliberately concealing this fact, so besides the members of the Mythical Creatures Society, hardly anyone in the school knew about it, and no news had spread.

That power was most likely an Innate Divine Ability exclusive to high-level Bloodline Awakeners!

“A high-level Awakener, that’s a talent on par with Mental Masters and Beast Tamers.”

“Among them, the very top ones are even stronger than a single Mental Master or Beast Tamer!”

Chen Jin recalled Wei Zun mentioning the Second Master of Beyond Martial Arts Hall to him. That person was a top-tier Bloodline Awakener, and his talent was as monstrous as the Third Master, who was a dual Awakener of Mental Master and Beast Tamer.

He just didn’t know what level An Liang’s bloodline could reach. However, based on the sense of pressure Chen Jin felt earlier, even if it wasn’t top-tier, it was definitely not far off!

“Currently, in a life-or-death battle, I should be far from her match. But once I start practicing the Mental Power secret technique, this gap will rapidly narrow…”

“If I can find an opportunity to probe her divine ability, dealing with it will be much easier,” Chen Jin thought to himself.

As he was contemplating silently, Yi Kong and Xia Duoduo, who were beside him, suddenly stopped walking.

Chen Jin was taken aback, looked up, and saw a blonde girl standing in the middle of the road not far from them, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

The evening sun shone on An Liang, making her already radiant blonde hair even more dazzling, as if draped in a thin layer of light.

“Chen Jin, I have something to tell you.”

The girl’s red lips parted, and she spoke softly.