Tianxu looked over, beaming with joy. He laid his eyes on Jiang Chen, full of arrogance.
He was still in the initial phase of the Reaching Heaven State, but passing the test of the Heaven-grade class meant he had had some achievements in martial arts techniques.
Gao Tianâai was a little nervous. Tianxuâs excellence was obvious, but at the thought of her cousin, she didnât take it seriously.
âItâs called investment, okay? Better than someone who doesnât even have a chance to pay the entry fee.â
Ouyang Na and Gao Tianâai had held a grudge against each other for many years. She was quick to argue.
âMiss Gao, you really donât have good judgement of people.â
Tianxu wasnât happy, but he didnât dare vent his anger at Gao Tianâai, so he started to attack Jiang Chen.
âWhat do you think my judgement should be like?â Gao Tianâai found it funny.
âWell, the Gaos are so honorable that the person who deserves Miss Gaoâs love should at least be a talented man ranked on List A of the Dragon Rise List.â
Tianxu thought seriously for a while and said, âTake Jiang Chen, who has been doing a lot recently, for example. He killed Liu Shayang ruthlessly at the Wind Moon City and defeated Mo Jianfei with one sword attack. You deserve a person like that.â
It seemed he really admired Jiang Chen.
Gao Tianâai held onto Jiang Chenâs arm with more force, trying very hard to keep a straight face.
âTianxu, you think too highly of her. If she werenât a young lady of the Gaos, Jiang Chen would really be too good for her!â said Ouyang Na.
âWhat do you have except being a young lady of the Ouyangs?â
âAt least I have better judgement than you.â
Ouyang Na kept attacking her with the same argument, but Gao Tianâai didnât care at all.
âBe quiet.â
The girlsâ quarrel created some noise. Many people looked over, until the staff in charge finally asked them to restrain themselves.
They could see Ouyang Na and Gao Tianâai werenât average people, so there was no real rebuke in their tones.
âSenior, Iâm sorry.â
Ouyang Na acted like a new person. She said, âI couldnât help but argue with my friend because he didnât think the test of the martial arts workshop was difficult enough.â
This caused a great stir in the room.
Gao Tianâai was irritated. She said loudly, âThatâs nonsense. Ouyang Na, youâre going too far!â
âItâs him. When I came, I heard him saying that he had come here for the reputation, but he wasnât so sure about the martial arts workshop.â
âYeah? Huh, how arrogant. The greatness of the martial arts workshop is publicly recognized. Who the hell is he to question it?â
âOnly a Cloud-Three Reaching Heaven State. How dare he talk so big?â
To Ouyang Naâs surprise, her framing worked very well.
It turned out someone had recalled Jiang Chenâs big talk, so no one doubted Ouyang Naâs charges against him.
The staff there stared at Jiang Chen.
âI didnât say that,â Jiang Chen explained, not because he felt pushed by the situation, but because it was the truth.
âAre you a coward now? You had the nerve to say it but donât have the nerve to own up to it?â
âHow great you are.â
âWhy would a young lady from the Gaos like such a guy?â
But no one wanted to let him go. The last comment explained why they were so mean.
Because of jealousy!
They had been jealous of Jiang Chen since the beginning. Gao Tianâai had not only come from a great background, but also had a pretty face. She was still young, but had a well-shaped body.
She was holding Jiang Chenâs arm and they looked so close. That was why Jiang Chen had become the envy of the others.
âAre you here to register?â a staff member of the martial arts workshop asked Jiang Chen.
âYep,â Jiang Chen said and nodded.
âCome.â
The staff let him jump in line, and the others didnât have any problem with that, since they were all eager to see what he had.
Ouyang Na grinned at Gao Tianâai and thought to herself, Not my problem.
Jiang Chen shrugged his shoulders. Under countless gazes, he came to the center.
âWhatâs your martial arts technique?â
The man who had called Jiang Chen over was middle-aged and very thin. His square face looked very serious. He was staring at Jiang Chen with his slim eyes.
âSword,â Jiang Chen gave him an unsurprising answer.
Sword was always the most popular.
âTo join the heaven-grade class, you should be able to manipulate the creation of nature and martial arts techniques at will. Next, weâll attack each other only using martial arts techniques. Youâll pass if you can last ten seconds,â he said.
The staff turned out to be the testing tools.
âTen seconds?â
Jiang Chen was surprised. He hadnât expected it to be so short. He nodded to show he had no problem with it.
âOr you attack and he defends. You should crack his defense in ten seconds,â another staff member standing beside him said. He was smiling and looked like he had a strong interest in the situation.
âXiuru, donât make trouble,â the middle-aged man said, staring at him.
âThis youngster has doubts about our martial arts workshop. I suppose he must be great. We should give him the chance to show his stuff,â the man called Xiuru said with a smile.
The middle-aged man frowned, but the other people in the room all nodded. They thought it was fair.
âWhat do you think?â the middle-aged man asked Jiang Chen.
âWhatever,â Jiang Chen said indifferently.
His reply was normal to him, but arrogant to others.
They couldnât wait to see Jiang Chen embarrass himself and leave like a fool.
He would have had a chance to pass if he had chosen to hold on for ten seconds. After all, to come to this house, he must have had at least some skills. But it would be much more difficult to crack the middle-aged manâs defense in ten seconds.
It was easy to defend a city and difficult to attack a city. This test followed the same principles.
âAll right. Bring it on.â
Seeing him so confident, the middle-aged manâs curiosity was piqued. A sword suddenly appeared in his hand.
Since they wouldnât use the power of state, the small space was enough for them.
âPlease,â Jiang Chen nodded slightly, holding the Red Cloud Sword in his left hand.
âOh?â
Seeing him behave like this, the staff suddenly realized Jiang Chen wasnât actually that arrogant, but used to being seen with awe and eagerness.
However, in othersâ eyes, Jiang Chenâs politeness was only a front.
âThat sword?â
Tianxu accidentally laid his eyes on the Red Cloud Sword and was struck dumb.
âWhatâs wrong?â Ouyang Na asked curiously.
âNothing.â
Tianxuâs expression kept changing. Jiang Chen was his idol, so of course, he knew about his idolâs sword.
The sword before him fit the description, but he wasnât sure, since he had never seen it with his own eyes.
âHere he comes.â
Jiang Chen only had ten seconds, not a second more. At the beginning, a small hourglass reversed automatically, and the sand was falling rapidly.
To everyoneâs surprise, Jiang Chen didnât move. He wasnât in a hurry at all.
One second, two seconds, three secondsâŠ
He kept standing there. He didnât even hold his Red Cloud Sword up. Only his black eyes looked any different from usual.