Chapter Forty-Four: The Outcome of the Martial Competition!

Before the palace!

All around, the disciples were frozen in shock, the entire place so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

Elder Liu stared at the spirit martial stone, now shattered in two on the ground, utterly dumbfounded. For a long moment, he could only stammer, “You… you… you…” Pointing at Wang Ran, he hesitated, unable to form a complete sentence, his astonishment beyond measure.

Wang Ran merely shrugged at the side, spreading his hands and pursing his lips, affecting an air of nonchalance, as though none of this concerned him.

“This low-grade spirit martial stone cost a hundred thousand spirit jades apiece!” Elder Liu clutched his chest, his face full of anguish, as if his heart were bleeding with every word.

The disciples were equally appalled, though the loss of spirit jades hardly concerned them—it was the sect that would bear the cost. What truly shocked them was Wang Ran’s strength.

Just one punch!

A seemingly effortless punch!

And the spirit martial stone was split in two!

How terrifying must his power be?

It was common knowledge that a low-grade spirit martial stone could withstand the full-force strike of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator. To shatter it would require the cultivation of the Golden Core realm.

Yet Wang Ran had accomplished it with such ease. Did this mean his strength already rivaled that of a Golden Core cultivator?

At this thought, disbelief swept through the crowd.

What was his cultivation right now?

Only the second level of Foundation Establishment!

A single blow from the second level of Foundation Establishment rivaled a Golden Core cultivator—was there any justice left in this world?

Was the ten-star Dao Comprehension Foundation Establishment truly this terrifying?

No one dared believe it.

In truth, Wang Ran’s strength did not actually equal that of a Golden Core cultivator. The gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core was as great as a chasm. The reason he was able to break the spirit martial stone so easily was that he had triggered the effect of the Endless Blade in his inventory, resulting in a critical strike that doubled his attack power. Coupled with the Blood-Drinker Sword’s attack bonus, these two artifacts worked together to produce such an effect.

Without these two pieces of equipment, even if Wang Ran gave it his all, his results would be no better than Zhao Xiaobai’s—a top “A” rating at most, nowhere near shattering the stone in two.

One could say that Wang Ran was a pay-to-win player, dominating with powerful gear.

No one knew any of this; they all believed Wang Ran’s strength had reached a monstrous level and regarded him as a peerless prodigy.

“Ding! Congratulations to host Wang Ran for causing a tremendous shock among the inner sect disciples. You are awarded five Dao Attainment points!”

“Ding! Congratulations to host Wang Ran for causing a tremendous shock among the inner sect disciples. You are awarded eight Dao Attainment points!”

“Ding! Congratulations to host Wang Ran for causing a tremendous shock among the inner sect disciples. You are awarded ten Dao Attainment points!”

A series of notifications sounded out. The rewards varied according to the disciples’ different levels of cultivation, but with over a hundred present—even if not all were astonished—Wang Ran still collected nearly a thousand Dao Attainment points.

Suddenly, Wang Ran realized his goal was not as unreachable as he’d once thought. Nearly a thousand points in a single moment—if he could keep gaining points this way, perhaps mastering the immortal and indestructible Dao Attainment Divine Art wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

And those spirit artifacts in the shop, costing tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of points, seemed within easy reach.

At that instant, Wang Ran felt as though enlightenment had dawned upon him—he’d been going about it all wrong!

This was the true path to earning Dao Attainment points!

The more people present, the greater his harvest!

It seemed he should participate in such grand events more often, not just those within the sect. When he traveled the continent in the future, he must pay close attention to any news of ancient ruins or treasures appearing and strive to stand out as much as possible, raking in vast Dao Attainment points!

Thinking this, Wang Ran clasped his hands behind his back, maintaining the aloof bearing of a master, standing tall and composed, as if untouched by the winds and clouds around him.

The disciples around him broke into excited whispers once more.

“Senior Brother Wang is truly a model for us all. With such an achievement, yet he remains humble, as though it were nothing at all!”

“Indeed, if it were me, I could never stay so calm! I’d be overjoyed and telling everyone I met.”

“Same here! To split a spirit martial stone with one punch is incredible—I’d be bragging about it for the rest of my life!”

“This is why we’re all ordinary, and Senior Brother Wang is a ten-star prodigy. Even his temperament surpasses that of Senior Brother Ye.”

“We’re not worthy, not worthy at all!”

Hearing the discussions around him, Wang Ran couldn’t help but clear his throat and stand even straighter.

Zhao Xiaobai shook his head and smiled wryly, but he too was deeply impressed by Wang Ran’s achievement.

He himself was a prodigy, and though he’d already decided to follow Wang Ran, he’d never lost his competitive spirit. Wang Ran’s brilliance only spurred him to strive even harder.

Wang Ran was the last to be tested; once he finished, there was no one left behind him.

At that moment, all eyes turned to Elder Liu.

Elder Liu, meanwhile, was crouched on the ground, picking up the shattered pieces of the spirit martial stone, his eyes full of both shock and pain.

In the end, with a complex expression, he let out a long sigh and slowly stood up.

His gaze swept across every disciple present, lingering on Wang Ran for a brief moment before looking to the center and declaring solemnly, “Now I announce the results of the first round of the martial trial.”

“Fourth place: Six-star prodigy Tony Mu, grade: A minus!”

“Third place: Seven-star prodigy Yan Wanrou, grade: A!”

“Second place: Eight-star prodigy Zhao Xiaobai, grade: A plus!”

At this, he paused, and the crowd grew tense, eager to hear who had taken first place.

There was no real doubt—first place could only be Wang Ran. But everyone was curious as to how his result would be assessed. After all, he had no score at all; not even a low grade—the stone had simply been smashed to pieces!

As curiosity peaked, Elder Liu’s expression grew even more complicated, and he suddenly announced:

“First place: Ten-star prodigy Wang Ran. Score… zero. In addition, you are fined half a year’s stipend as compensation for the damage to the spirit martial stone!”

As his words fell, everyone swooned with disbelief, and Wang Ran nearly tripped over himself.

What was this? When others performed well, the sect would reward them with more cultivation resources and a larger stipend. But for him, instead of a reward, half a year’s stipend was to be withheld—where was the justice in that?

Wang Ran immediately protested, raising his hand, “Elder Liu, I object!”

“Objection overruled,” Elder Liu retorted without even looking at him.

Seeing Wang Ran deflated, his little junior sister burst out laughing beside him, carefree and cheerful. “Senior brother, you’re so unlucky! But don’t worry—I'll give you all my stipend!”

Seeing her so genuinely delighted, Wang Ran could only sigh inwardly. In this world full of schemes, it seemed only his little junior sister truly cared for him.

Even as Wang Ran mused on this, the results of the competition spread like wildfire through the entire Only Me Sect. Everywhere it was heard, people were left utterly dumbfounded.