High Martial Arts: Gains one point of health per second, sweeping across the heavens.

"Silence!" The Palace Master's majestic voice echoed throughout the hall from the high platform. "You are all surely aware of the selection rules."

The final battle is a free-for-all. Anyone who falls off the platform or loses their fighting ability is eliminated. The last ten remaining on the platform will win a spot! Now, all participants, come up on stage!

"boom!"

Hundreds of figures shot up like arrows, instantly leaping onto the enormous blue stone martial arts arena.

Su Jie walked up slowly and leisurely, as if taking a stroll in a garden. He was the last to walk up, and he even straightened his slightly oversized blue student uniform.

A chaotic battle erupted instantly!

The roar of clashing blood and qi, the explosions of martial arts clashes, and the muffled groans and screams of the wounded instantly filled the entire arena.

Almost immediately after the battle began, dozens of figures were ruthlessly blasted off the stage.

Su Jie was like a stubborn rock in a raging torrent, moving freely amidst the chaotic battle.

His steps appeared chaotic, yet he always managed to evade attacks from all directions with perfect timing.

Occasionally, some fools would try to attack him, but he would simply deflect or guide them with a flick of his wrist. Either they would inexplicably hit their companions next to them, or they would trip and fall off the stage.

He's like an eel, slippery and impossible to grasp, making it impossible to get a hold of him.

On the high platform, an instructor let out a soft "Hmm": "This child's footwork... seems chaotic, but it actually embodies some profound principle, always managing to evade attacks in seemingly impossible situations. Interesting. Who is he studying under?"

A teaching assistant quickly flipped through the roster and replied, "Teacher, this person is named Su Jie. He was a special recruit recommended by student Lin Jingyu three days ago. He has a soul power of level six and his registered cultivation level is the fourth level of Body Tempering."

"Body Tempering Level 4? Soul Power Level 6?" The instructor frowned slightly. "His soul power is decent, but this is definitely a concealed strength... To have survived this long in this chaotic battle, he couldn't have used any tricks, could he?"

Down in the audience, Lin Jingyu's heart was in her throat as she watched Su Jie "perilously" amidst the flashing swords, her palms sweating profusely.

However, as time went on, the number of people on the stage rapidly decreased, and the battle became increasingly fierce and clear-cut. The truly powerful ones began to clear the field!

Yan Feng, ranked second on the Xuan Ranking, is like a fire god, his body shrouded in crimson blood. Wherever he goes, no one can withstand his punch. Often, where his fist passes, several people will scream and fly backward.

His gaze was disdainful as he charged directly at the students on the Xuan Ranking who had lower combat strength.

Luo Qingyi, ranked first on the Xuan Ranking, moved with the grace of a startled swan. Her swordsmanship was unparalleled in its sharpness. In the blink of an eye, her opponents' weapons would break, and blood would splatter.

Her cool gaze swept across the entire arena, eventually locking onto a few slightly weaker opponents, and she prepared to clear them out.

Those "weaklings" like Su Jie who "luckily" survived began to be targeted by people who considered themselves quite strong but were unable to compete with the top geniuses.

"Kid, your luck's run out!" The burly man ranked in the thirties on the Xuan Ranking, who had been insulted by Su Jie earlier, grinned maliciously and surrounded them with two companions. "Weren't you being pretty foul-mouthed just now? Let's see where you can hide now!"

The three of them unleashed their auras; all were experts at the eighth level of Body Tempering, forming a pincer movement that blocked Su Jie's escape route.

A chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

"Damn it, that newcomer has been targeted by 'Black Bear' Zhang Mang!"

"Let him talk back! Zhang Mang is notoriously ruthless!"

"It's impressive that we've managed to hold on until now, it's a pity..."

Lin Jingyu closed her eyes in despair.

Su Jie looked at the three people surrounding him, sighed, and finally stopped his seemingly chaotic steps. "Sigh, I wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was alienation and an attack. Fine, I'm not pretending anymore."

Zhang Mang was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter: "Not pretending anymore? What else can you do? Lie down!" His large, fan-like hand, accompanied by a fierce wind, grabbed Su Jie's shoulder directly. The other two also attacked at the same time, their fists and feet striking Su Jie's vital points.

Just when everyone thought Su Jie was about to be severely injured—

Su Jie moved.

He simply raised his left hand.

Then, he gently slapped Zhang Mang's grinning face.

The movements still didn't look fast, even a bit slow.

But Zhang Mang felt as if the air around him had solidified. His all-out burst of energy was as fragile as paper before that palm. He tried to dodge, but found that his body wouldn't obey his commands!

“Pah!”

A crisp, extremely loud slap resounded like a thunderclap in the noisy training ground!

Zhang Mang's nearly 200-pound muscular body was as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed heavy truck. He spun and twisted, kicking up a spray of blood mixed with broken teeth.

It flew through a graceful parabola, flying dozens of meters away from the training platform, before crashing to the ground with a loud thud, twitching twice, and then losing consciousness.

The other two students who attacked Su Jie had their fists frozen in mid-air, their sinister smiles frozen, and their eyes filled with boundless fear and confusion.

Su Jie withdrew his hand, flashed a bright smile at the remaining two, and said, "Would you like to try my 'Great Compassionate Palm'?"

The two men were terrified and fell to their knees with a thud, crying out, "No... we won't do it again! Big brother, spare our lives! We'll get off ourselves!" With that, they scrambled off the martial arts stage.

Su Jie shrugged helplessly: "You chickened out already? That's no fun."

He looked around and found that the previously chaotic battle had stopped at some point.

There were fewer than thirty people left on the stage, and almost all of them were focused in shock on him, a student at the fourth level of Body Tempering.

Luo Qingyi sheathed her longsword, and all the elites on the Xuan Ranking looked over with solemn expressions.

He slapped Zhang Mang, who was at the eighth level of Body Tempering, away? This is only at the fourth level of Body Tempering.

You're kidding me!

On the high platform, the instructor who had previously thought Su Jie was hiding his strength suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light: "This boy has indeed been hiding his strength! Palace Master, should we investigate his background in detail?"

Palace Master Mu Chen raised his hand to interrupt him: "Instructor Yan, I ask you, what does the opening of the 'Land of a Thousand Stars' mean for my Qingyun Academy?"

Instructor Yan was taken aback, then solemnly said, "This signifies an opportunity! If we can gain something from it, the academy's reputation and strength will greatly increase, and we will be able to get a larger share when we receive resources from the sect next time!"

"That's right." Palace Master Mu Chen nodded, his gaze returning to the direction where Su Jie had disappeared on the light screen. His eyes sharpened. "Sects only care about results, not the process! They only care about the quality of the geniuses we send out, and how much glory and profit they can bring them!"

He leaned forward slightly, an invisible pressure emanating from him: "A mediocre talent with a clean background and who follows the rules, versus a prodigy of unknown origin who may seize opportunities for my academy in the secret realm—which do you think the sect would prefer?"

The mentors remained silent.