Translator: CinderTL
At that moment, only three participants remained in the Trial Field.
The other examinees watched the trio with a mixture of awe and dread.
How could anyone endure such agony for so long? Are they even human? Have they awakened some special attribute?
Lin Xuan stared at Jiang Ye, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.
Could this guy be experiencing the same pleasure as me? he wondered inwardly.
With this thought, Lin Xuan approached Li Zhichao, who was standing nearby, and whispered, "What's your classmate's name?"
"Jiang Ye," Li Zhichao replied, his gaze fixed on the stage, a hint of resentment in his eyes.
In all three trials, Jiang Ye had completely outstripped him!
Damn it! He must have taken some kind of performance-enhancing drug. No wonder he wouldn't tell me! Li Zhichao fumed inwardly. I'll definitely grill him about it later!
Beside him, Lin Xuan's pupils contracted sharply.
So, he's Jiang Ye? Lin Xuan thought, his eyes fixed on Jiang Ye. The one who scored full marks in the Martial Dao Will assessment?
He had never met Jiang Ye before and hadn't known his name until now.
"It seems even the ordinary classes aren't entirely filled with useless students," Lin Xuan thought, nodding inwardly.
"Too bad I'm still only a first-year. If I were a second-year, Jiang Ye wouldn't even be qualified to be my opponent."
In the Trial Field, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged.
His physical body felt as if it were being devoured by endless sulfuric acid. Every inch of his skin, muscles, and bones was enduring immense agony.
"Hold on!"
Jiang Ye clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.
He wasn't just fighting for first place.
More importantly, he had discovered that this pain was immensely beneficial to his physical body!
Whenever the agony reached its peak, a faint surge of pleasure would bloom within him.
This was because the gas infused with thunderfire energy, after entering his body, was frantically refining every cell.
Though the process was excruciatingly painful, enduring it would undoubtedly yield tremendous benefits.
[Cultivation Technique]
[Star Martial Cultivation Method: Major Success (41% → 42%)]
"Refining the physical body with cosmic energy truly yields astonishing results."
"In just half an hour, I've surpassed a whole day's worth of cultivation!"
After achieving Major Success in the cultivation method, one can refine oneself using trace amounts of stellar energy, accelerating the cultivation process.
According to his teacher, stellar energy is incredibly expensive, affordable only to the super-rich.
Yet this trial was completely free.
Such opportunities are rare, so Jiang Ye was determined to endure until the very end.
Time flowed.
In the blink of an eye, another fifteen minutes had passed.
On the platform, Wang Zi'ang's gaze sharpened. He announced in a deep voice, "Fourth stage, activate!"
Whoosh!
Instantly, a powerful surge of energy erupted from the Trial Field.
Even the students standing outside paled and recoiled.
Even at the periphery, they felt a familiar, searing pain!
Let alone the three participants at the center of the Trial Field.
Jiang Ye felt as if his skin were being sliced open, his nerves submerged in boiling acid.
Pain! Agony!
"I give up!"
At that moment, a thunderous roar echoed through the Trial Field.
Xu Lei slammed his hand down on the button, withdrawing from the trial.
Three minutes later, Jiang Ye finally reached his limit and pressed the button. Any longer, he suspected he would collapse on the spot.
Now, only the red-robed girl remained in the arena.
Zeng Xueqing didn't give up immediately after Jiang Ye's withdrawal. Instead, she persisted.
It wasn't until ten minutes later that she abruptly pressed the surrender button.
"What a monster!" Xu Lei muttered, glancing at Jiang Ye standing nearby.
He wasn't surprised that Zeng Xueqing had lasted until the end. But Jiang Ye? A student from an ordinary class, enduring longer than even he had!
The other spectators stared at Jiang Ye in stunned silence. In this trial, Jiang Ye had undoubtedly emerged as the biggest dark horse.
Even Wang Zi'ang, standing on the platform, fixed a deep, penetrating gaze on Jiang Ye.
"When the director mentioned the 'hidden dragon' that day, was he referring to him? Or was he talking about me?"
For the first time, even Wang Zi'ang felt uncertain.
But Jiang Ye paid no attention to the gazes around him.
He was focused on his status panel:
Cultivation Technique
[Star Martial Cultivation Method: Major Success (43%)]
"A 2% increase in less than an hour," Jiang Ye marveled inwardly. "So this is cosmic energy? It's truly astonishing."
At the same time, he felt a pang of regret.
If his cultivation method had already surpassed 50%, he might have endured longer and reaped even greater benefits.
Zeng Xueqing's cultivation method, for instance, was likely already above 90%.
Jiang Ye's endurance had relied entirely on his Martial Dao Will.
Just then, the scores for the Thunderfire Trial refreshed on the massive silver screen:
Zeng Xueqing: 480 points
Jiang Ye: 430 points
Xu Lei: 400 points
Immediately afterward, the overall rankings for the three trials were revealed.
First Place: Zeng Xueqing, 970 points
Second Place: Jiang Ye, 915 points
Third Place: Xu Lei, 850 points
Fourth Place: Lin Xuan, 800 points
The hall erupted in astonishment.
"The first place is only 30 points away from a perfect score!"
"Incredible!"
"Jiang Ye's second-place finish is also surprising. A student from the regular class achieving such a high score!"
Amid the uproar, Lin Xuan glanced in Jiang Ye's direction, thinking to himself, "Jiang Ye... I'll remember you."
"There's still a month until the new semester starts. By then, I hope you'll still be above me."
Lin Xuan had set Jiang Ye as his immediate goal.
Although he attended Ancheng No. 1 High School, he could still obtain information about the exam results from Ancheng Third High School.
When the new semester began, both schools would conduct placement exams.
With a month to prepare, Lin Xuan was confident he could surpass Jiang Ye.
"The trials have concluded!"
On the platform, Wang Zi'ang announced loudly, "Fifteen participants have passed the trials and will each receive a 30,000 yuan reward."
"The top three performers, come forward to claim the Advanced Art Technique—the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist!"
As the words echoed through the hall, the golden silk and jade brocade chest rose from the floor in the center of the hall.
Zeng Xueqing, the girl in the red dress, stepped onto the stage first.
Jiang Ye and Xu Lei quickly followed.
When the chest was opened, three metal wristbands lay inside, accompanied by a miniature speaker.
"Thunderclap... so the sound really comes from the speaker," Jiang Ye remarked, raising an eyebrow.
The Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist technique must be stored within the metal wristbands.
The three each took their wristbands.
Jiang Ye activated his wristband, and a holographic projection immediately materialized, displaying the cover of the Eight Trigrams Thunderclap Fist manual.
"It's a holographic wristband!" His heart skipped a beat.
This wristband alone must be worth a small fortune.
Jiang Ye stowed the wristband away, planning to study the technique later.
Just then, Zeng Xueqing turned to him and asked, "Jiang Ye, you'll be joining the Elite Class, right?"
Jiang Ye nodded. "Probably."
Now that he had absolute confidence in qualifying for the Elite Class, the only question was whether he'd join sooner or later.
Zeng Xueqing looked at him and said softly, "You're a formidable opponent. I hope that once you're in the Elite Class, we'll have a fair and square match!"
"If the opportunity arises, I'd be happy to try," Jiang Ye replied with a smile.
He didn't consider Zeng Xueqing his primary target or rival. Although her current ranking was higher than his, Jiang Ye knew it was only a matter of time before he surpassed her.
Instead, his attention was drawn to Lin Xuan.
"Lin Xuan, fourth place," Jiang Ye noted, studying the rankings.
Lin Xuan was only a first-year student, a full year below him, yet his strength was nearly on par with Jiang Ye's.
"First High School... truly formidable," Jiang Ye murmured, a hint of envy in his voice. "If I had been born into a A-Grade physique, I would have undoubtedly claimed first place in this Thunderfire Trial."
For most, such innate advantages would be insurmountable. Fortunately, Jiang Ye believed he still had a chance to overcome them.
As Jiang Ye was inwardly reflecting, Li Zhichao clenched his fists below the stage.
He had only managed sixth place in the Thunderfire Trial. While this was still a decent result, it meant he had merely caught up to the bottom-ranked students in the Elite Class.
But compared to Jiang Ye, he was far behind.
At that moment, Jiang Ye and his two teammates had collected their rewards and were walking off the stage in single file.
Li Zhichao's eyes flashed with a cold glint as he watched them.
This time, he was determined to force the truth out of them—what kind of miracle drug had they taken?
He would stop at nothing!
With that thought, Li Zhichao immediately approached Jiang Ye.
"Do you need something?" Jiang Ye asked, looking at him with confusion.
"Godfather!" Li Zhichao grabbed Jiang Ye's hand, pleading in a low voice, "What kind of medicine did you take? Can you tell me in private? I want to take it too!"
Jiang Ye stared at him, speechless.
This guy's completely lost it!
(End of the Chapter)
Translator's Corner:
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 6,100+ FREE