Yang Lin coughed lightly, looked around at the disciples, and said, "Before this exam, I would like to introduce a new disciple to you. Zhao Lin..."
"exist!"
Zhao Lin stood at the end of the team. After hearing the words, he strode out, turned to face everyone, cupped his fists and said, "New disciple Zhao Lin, I have met all the senior brothers!"
"Is he Zhao Lin? I heard he is only eighteen years old."
"If you are so powerful, doesn't it mean that you have broken through the blood realm earlier than Miao Tianfeng and Lu Zhenglong?"
"Hehe, not necessarily. He made great achievements half a year ago. The master gave him the elixir and let him practice in Yunjian Cave for seven days. With such good conditions, Miao and Lu might be able to break through earlier. …”
The disciples whispered and cast curious glances at Zhao Lin.
The disciples in the inner courtyard immerse themselves in cultivation every day and know very little about things outside.
However, there are also well-informed people who have heard of Zhao Lin's name and know that he is a rare disciple in the sect who can enter the inner courtyard at the age of eighteen in so many years.
When Zhao Lin returned to the team, Yang Lin put his hands behind his back and said leisurely: "After the last exam, I gave everyone some training suggestions. I think you all have worked hard this month."
"But how well you practice depends on actual combat. Today's exam is different from the past. I call it a seven-breath battle!"
Seven-breath battle?
Zhao Lin was confused and turned to ask Xiang Bao with his eyes.
Xiang Bao grinned and said, "This is the first time I've heard of it. Our head of the courtyard likes to mess around. I've been in the inner courtyard for three months, and the rules of each competition are different."
Disciples, you look at me, and I look at you, with puzzled expressions.
"What is the Seven Breath Battle?"
Yang Lin pointed to the ground under his feet, asked and answered: "Both sides stand in this circle, and if they hit the opponent or knock the opponent out of the circle, they win."
"Remember, the competition time is only seven breaths. Once the time is up, if the winner is not decided, it will be considered a draw!"
Everyone looked at his feet and saw a circle about three feet in diameter drawn with white powder on the ground, and they couldn't help but utter a sound of surprise.
"How can we compare in such a small venue?"
"Those with stronger strength have the advantage. People like me who are agile and agile don't even have room to move around. If I step outside, I will lose immediately."
"Don't forget, there is only seven breaths of time, and the time may be up after just a few moves..."
No wonder the disciples complained. Generally speaking, the higher the cultivation level, the larger the venue required for the competition.
The arena for a Blood Realm warrior must be at least six to seven feet wide and more than ten feet long.
The three-foot square field means that they will fight hand-to-hand from the very beginning.
A fight lasting seven breaths is unheard of.
Yang Lin didn't take it seriously. He waited for the disciples to complain for a while before calling the disciple who shouted loudest just now: "Bi Lan, do you know what I mean by this?"
Bi Lan immediately calmed down and replied respectfully: "I don't know, disciple."
Yang Lin sneered, "Let me tell you!"
"Although I have not been involved in world affairs for decades, I still go to watch every martial arts competition. The biggest feeling is that the duration of the competition is getting shorter and shorter."
"When our older generation participated in martial arts competitions, it would take at least half a quarter of an hour to finish a fight. What about now? Most fights end in a fifth of a quarter, or even less than seven breaths."
"Xiao Jin, you have participated in two martial arts competitions and watched a battle once, is that right?"
Xiao Jin said hurriedly: "The head of the academy is right, and the disciples understand this deeply."
Yang Lin's voice turned cold, "What does this mean? It means that everyone is pursuing a faster and more fierce fighting style!"
"As soon as he strikes, he will destroy everything, go straight to the middle, and never give the opponent a chance to breathe. He can convince others with his strength and never waste any unnecessary moves."
At this point, he frowned and said, "Let's look at our competition again. You come up first and try it out. You wait and see. You use the immortal trick to guide the way. I also use the wild horse to part the mane. The kite turns over and faces the drunk lying on the battlefield. The iron chain crosses the river to face the enemy. Split the mountains with force."
"There are hundreds of rounds at every turn. This is not a competition, it's clearly a street performance. It's smelly and long!"
The disciples were speechless.
Yang Lin paced back and forth, his sharp gaze passing over everyone, "This is the purpose of the Seven Breaths Battle. As for why we are in this small circle, it is the same reason."
"Don't think about making yourself invincible right from the beginning. The more you think like this, the easier it will be to lose!"
"If you lose after playing for an hour, it's no different than losing after three moves. I won't look down on you just because you persisted for a long time."
"Shengnian, bring the wooden sign and let's get started."
"Yes, Head of the Academy." Instructor Liu Shengnian took a wooden sign and stood on the edge of the field.
The latest assessment rankings are written on the wooden sign, from top to bottom: Xiao Jin, Miao Tianfeng, Lu Zhenglong... Xiang Bao, Zhong Yewu, Zhao Lin.
"Zhao Lin, you come on first." Liu Shengnian greeted.
"Yes." Zhao Lin took a few steps forward and walked into the field.
The inner court competition adopts the rules of reverse challenge.
The so-called reverse challenge refers to starting from the bottom of the ranking and selecting opponents upward to challenge.
For example, if there are ten people, the person ranked tenth can choose to challenge the ninth person, or they can go beyond the latter and directly challenge the seventh or sixth person ranked higher.
If the challenge fails, the original ranking will be maintained. If the challenge is successful, the rankings of the two will be swapped.
Regardless of success or failure, the person who initiated the challenge cannot challenge anyone else.
This rule is to prevent too many competitions, and at the same time, it also allows students to cherish the opportunities they have.
"Zhao Lin, who are you challenging?" Liu Shengnian asked.
Zhao Lin glanced at the wooden sign and stopped at the thirty-third position, "I challenge Zhou Ding."
He just asked Xiang Bao below that seven of the forty disciples in the inner courtyard, although they were in the blood realm, had not entered the first level of the blood realm.
Zhou Ding is ranked 33rd and is the weakest among the disciples of the first level of Blood Realm, so he is just the one to test his skills.
Zhou Ding was a little surprised when he heard Zhao Lin read his name, but he didn't say anything and went straight to the circle to stand.
"Challenging old disciples as soon as you come here is courageous, but unwise."
Fei Bin, the sixth-ranked disciple, whispered to himself and shook his head.
Xiang Shaofeng glanced at him and chuckled: "I think Zhao Lin can win."
Fei Bin snorted, "Why do you always go against me?"
"Old rules, take a gamble? I bet Zhao Lin wins."
"What bet?"
"How about betting on a Nine Red Pill?"
The prescription of Jiuhong Dan is the same as that of Jiuhong Tang, but it has more potent properties and can last for a month. It is much more convenient to take one with you when traveling far away than the decoction.
After each assessment, the top ten disciples will receive a Nine Red Pill.
"Okay, then I'll bet on Zhou Ding to win."
Without thinking, Fei Bin reached out and gave Xiang Shaofeng a high-five.
Zhao Lin and Zhou Ding stood opposite each other, clasping fists and saluting each other.
"Zhao Lin."
"Zhou Ding."
(End of chapter)
