The Entry-plundering Demon Hunter

"Ah? N-no, it’s nothing..."

"Teacher, are you telling me all this because you want to take him as your disciple?"

Yang Yong grew flustered and quickly changed the subject.

’But for Yi Nanshan to take Lin Yi as a disciple... he would be worthy of that status.’

’Even if Lin Yi truly becomes the new Martial God in the future, Yi Nanshan is no slouch either.’

He was the commander of the Martial Arts Alliance’s Northern Garrison Military District.

In the New District, his realm was considered among the top ranks.

He had already broken through the Seven-Star Realm and entered the Star Tempering Realm.

If Lin Yi took him as a master, it would be a perfectly justifiable match.

But the old man shook his head.

"A Celestial Martial God... From the moment he established his Heart Spirit Domain, his destiny has begun to manifest!"

"This is an extremely dangerous thing for him right now.

It will inevitably bring him some trouble!"

"The Martial Arts Exam is in two days. I want you to ensure his absolute safety!"

"Once he enters the New District, he’ll be safe!"

Hearing this, Yang Yong nodded.

"Teacher, since he’s the Celestial Martial God, why not just have the Martial Alliance University send him an invitation? Why does he even need to take the Martial Arts Exam? I can just send him to the New District tomorrow!"

The moment he said that, the old man shot him a fierce glare.

"You are not to mention this to anyone, not even him!"

"I’ll figure out a way to conceal his destiny!"

"Your mission is to ensure he participates in the Martial Arts Exam without a hitch.

Besides, even if I were to tell the Martial Arts Alliance right now to issue him an acceptance letter from the Martial Alliance University, it’s already too late!"

"He has no choice but to go through the Martial Arts Exam!"

Yang Yong said no more, simply nodding in agreement.

’Thinking it over, there really wasn’t enough time.’

’Even with the old man’s status, if he were to speak to the Martial Arts Alliance personally, those old geezers would still have to verify the identity and ensure their requirements were met before they could make an exception and issue an acceptance letter before the Martial Arts Exam.’

’All of that would take at least half a month.’

’It was definitely too late.’

"Teacher, rest assured. I guarantee he won’t face any danger before the Martial Arts Exam is over!" Yang Yong quickly promised.

The old man nodded. "Good. I’ll leave it to you, then!"

’I never thought that I would live to witness the birth of a second Martial God... and what’s more, he’s my...’

...

Today was the last day of training.

Tomorrow, they would return to school.

The teachers would go over matters concerning the Martial Arts Exam.

The day after tomorrow was the day of the Martial Arts Exam.

When the day’s training ended, everyone was sitting in the locker room, encouraging one another.

Lin Yi didn’t go to the same high school as them.

So, after training ended today, the next time they met might be in the New District.

Perhaps some among them wouldn’t pass the Martial Arts Exam.

This farewell could be their last for a lifetime.

They sat in front of their respective lockers, a somber mood hanging over them.

"What’s with everyone? Why the long faces?"

Lin Yi looked at them and asked with a smile.

At his words, Sun Tao slowly looked up.

A wry smile crossed his face as he said, "The Martial Arts Exam is almost here. I’m a little nervous!"

Hu Quan and Li Xuewen both nodded in agreement.

"Aren’t you nervous? This is a life-changing event! Whether or not we get into the New District all depends on this!" Li Xuewen said quickly.

"Brothers, after today, we might not see each other again, huh?"

"Who says we won’t see each other again? We’re all from Xinghai City, we can still meet up!"

"I say let’s not just ’meet up.’ Let’s make a pact! We’ll see each other in the New District. No one gets left behind. Every single one of you better pass the exam and get to the New District!" Zhou Qi said with a serious expression.

Sun Tao’s eyes lit up. "Right! Brother Zhou Qi is right! Let’s all meet in the New District—at the Martial Arts University!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other students all nodded silently.

Seeing their expressions, Lin Yi felt like he was looking at his former self.

In truth, everyone feels this kind of anxiety.

It doesn’t matter how confident you are in yourself.

It’s just an inexplicable, reasonless tension.

It causes all sorts of negative emotions like worry, unease, and fear to bubble to the surface.

After all, you only get one Martial Arts Exam in your life. There are no do-overs.

Whether you succeed or fail, it’s not like the college entrance exams, where you have the chance to retake them.

And that’s precisely why it creates such a sense of unease and anxiety.

Although Zhou Qi’s words had lifted their spirits a little, it still wasn’t enough to dispel their nervousness and unease.

Lin Yi glanced at them and said with a smile, "How about this? I’ll teach you a set of Tai Chi Boxing!"

"It can help relieve stress, calm your restlessness, and cultivate your mind and body..."

"I used to be just as nervous as you guys. But ever since I learned this Tai Chi Boxing from an old man in the park, all those negative feelings have slowly faded away!"

"Really?" Hu Quan looked up abruptly, his eyes shining.

The other students also turned to look at Lin Yi.

He nodded. "Don’t worry about whether it’ll work or not. Just give it a try. What if it helps?"

"Alright, let’s give it a shot!"

"You lead, we’ll follow!"

"Come on, come on! Anyone who hasn’t changed yet, come over here and learn Tai Chi Boxing from Lin Yi..."

With Lin Yi taking the lead, the other students all ran over.

Fortunately, the locker room was spacious enough.

All the students could find a spot to stand.

Lin Yi stood at the very front, his back to the others.

The others formed several rows behind him, leaving enough space between them.

Then, they all followed Lin Yi, copying his starting posture and punches...

"A big watermelon, slice it in half, one half for you, one half for me..."

Lin Yi chanted as if reciting a mantra.

He said it out loud as he performed the moves.

Instantly, the students behind him couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Wait, what kind of Tai Chi Boxing is this?"

"Holy crap... aren’t we doing Tai Chi? Why are we slicing a watermelon?"

"I’m dying of laughter! Can you actually do this or not?"

With their laughter, the once-somber locker room was immediately filled with its usual mirth and laughter.

It seemed as if all their worries and anxieties had vanished in an instant.

Lin Yi turned around. "So are you guys going to practice or not? Who cares what mantra I use, as long as it works!"

"We’ll practice, we’ll practice! Let’s start over!"

"Alright, stop laughing. Be serious. I’m trying to help you get rid of your negative emotions, and all you can do is grin and joke around.

You students are a really tough crowd!"

"Now listen to my command! A big watermelon..."

"PFFT, HAHAHA..."

"Sorry, I just can’t control it, hahaha..."

"Forget it, forget it! There’s no way to keep a straight face with your ’big watermelon’!"

...

By the time Lin Yi returned to his residential complex, it was already getting dark.

He saw Deng Long waiting for him outside the complex’s gate. He had clearly been waiting for a long time.

In his hand, he carried a thermal container.

Lin Yi hurried over and said apologetically, "Brother Deng, have I kept you waiting long?"

"Not at all, not at all. I just got here. Why are you back so late today?"

Deng Long was from the medical hall.

Before Tang Qinru left, she had specially arranged for him to deliver meals to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi gave an embarrassed smile. "I was saying goodbye to my brothers from the Martial Arts Hall today, so I’m a little late!"

"Saying goodbye? Oh, right, you’re about to take the Martial Arts Exam, aren’t you?"

"Don’t worry, brother. Don’t be too nervous. Just treat it like any other test. A relaxed mind is the best preparation. If you let yourself get too tense, it’ll only hurt your performance!"

Deng Long said a few comforting words with a smile.

Lin Yi nodded in response.

After taking the thermal container, Lin Yi headed back into the complex.

Back home, Lin Yi opened the thermal container.

Inside were three dishes, all cooked with Demon Beast Meat.

However, the current Lin Yi had already developed a resistance to low-tier Demon Beast Meat.

In other words, Demon Beast Meat from beasts below two stars now had a negligible effect on him.

Sometimes, even after eating it, he felt no effect at all.

Still, Demon Beast Meat was very filling, much more so than ordinary food.

Lin Yi sat at the dining table and ate all the food by himself.

After washing up, he sat on his bed and began to meditate.

By a generous count, there was only one day and two nights left before the Martial Arts Exam.

He wanted to use this limited time to push his realm as high as he possibly could.

He would push it as high as he could.

And so, he gradually entered the state of the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.

As usual, once his consciousness had completely entered the Star River, he slowly opened his eyes.

And there, within the vast sea of stars, a young tiger, as if it had come to life, was radiating a silvery-white light.

It seemed to be playing cheerfully within the sea of stars.

The moment it noticed Lin Yi...

...it actually began to run toward him...