Seven beams of light shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings.
Seventh Grade!
The entire scene fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was dumbfounded; they couldn't believe their eyes. Even the elder from the Heavenly Dao Academy was momentarily stunned.
This is the legendary waste? What a joke! It seems that rumors can't be trusted!
Taking a deep breath, he announced excitedly, "Lin Xuan, Seventh Grade, qualified!"
A thunderous voice echoed through the grounds. The crowd, shocked at first, immediately burst into an uproar. Everyone went into a frenzy.
"Heavens, what did I just see?"
"Lin Xuan's cultivation is actually at the Seventh Grade!"
"How is this possible? Wasn't he a waste?"
"Lin Xuan's cultivation has recovered! He's back at his peak!"
"The genius from all those years ago has returned!"
As cries of shock filled the air, Liu Ruyue felt her mind go blank and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She had left Lin Xuan because she thought he was a waste with no future.
But now?
Lin Xuan's talent has returned! He has become that dazzling genius again!
And she had given up on him. She felt as if reality had slapped her across the face, so hard she could barely stand, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Beside her, Sun Tian's eyes went red with rage. He stared at the Testing Stele, roaring madly, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
The Testing Stele must be broken! How could this waste possibly be Seventh Grade?
With that thought, he lunged forward to inspect the stele.
The elder from the Heavenly Dao Academy snorted coldly. With a wave of his sleeve, he sent Sun Tian flying. "I brought this Testing Stele from the Heavenly Dao Academy myself. How could it possibly be broken?"
Sun Tian hit the ground with a wretched cry. He couldn't accept it. He had always considered Lin Xuan an ant, a piece of waste. But now, the waste in his eyes was actually his equal.
No. He was even better.
At this moment, Lin Xuan was ranked first. Since he was a year younger than Sun Tian, his talent was considered superior, placing him at the top of the current test rankings.
This was even more unacceptable for Sun Tian.
Lin Xuan walked over and looked down at Sun Tian, his voice cold. "You dare call yourself a genius in front of me? I think you're the real waste. I wasted three years, and you still didn't surpass me. If you're not a waste, what are you?"
Sun Tian was so furious he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Lin Xuan then turned his gaze to Liu Ruyue. "Do you regret it now?"
"I..." Liu Ruyue stood there, stunned. She did indeed feel a pang of regret. When Lin Xuan had told her he had recovered his Seventh-Grade cultivation, she hadn't believed him. She never expected he was telling the truth.
Then the matter of the Fourth-Grade Elixir... was that also true? Heavens, if that's true, then I've given up a Fourth-Grade Elixir!
At this thought, she was sick with regret.
Lin Xuan snorted coldly. "It's too late for regrets now. You're nothing but trash in my eyes. You aren't even fit to polish my shoes. A waste and a piece of trash. You two are a perfect match."
With that, Lin Xuan turned and left with a sneer.
The crowd watched his departing figure, their expressions a mixture of shock, envy, and awe. They knew that the genius who once shook Cloud Sea City had returned!
"Good heavens, Sun Tian is truly pathetic, being so utterly suppressed by Lin Xuan."
"Indeed. Lin Xuan's cultivation was regressing for three years, so you'd think he'd wasted that time. Yet, even so, Sun Tian still hadn't surpassed him."
"His talent really is leagues below Lin Xuan's."
"I think that Liu Ruyue is a complete fool for giving up on a peerless genius like Lin Xuan! What an idiot."
"I bet she's sick with regret."
The crowd sneered and mocked. Liu Ruyue was utterly crestfallen, while Sun Tian left with a darkened face.
After returning to his residence, Sun Tian roared madly, "How is this possible? Damn it, how can this be? How could that kid have recovered his cultivation?"
Even now, he couldn't accept it.
Liu Ruyue, standing beside him, ventured, "Could it be because of the Fourth-Grade Elixir? Is it true that he possesses one?"
Sun Tian shook his head frantically. "Absolutely impossible! Forget our Cloud Sea City; you couldn't find a single Fourth-Grade Elixir in any of the dozen surrounding cities. There's no way the Lin Family could have one. He must have just gotten lucky and restored the cultivation he had three years ago."
So that's how it is.
Although Liu Ruyue still felt regret, she breathed a sigh of relief hearing that there was no Fourth-Grade Elixir. If there truly was a Fourth-Grade Elixir, I would regret it for a lifetime.
Sighing, Liu Ruyue knew it was impossible to go back to him now.
If I can't have him, then I'll destroy him.
She turned to Sun Tian and said, "Young Master Sun, we still have a chance. The Heavenly Dao Academy has two rounds of assessment. This was only the first. Those who pass still have to face the second round: a combat tournament. The final rankings are based on the combined results of both rounds. So what if Lin Xuan has recovered to the Seventh Grade? He wasted three years! His actual combat skills must be terrible. He's definitely not your match."
That's right, I still have a chance! Sun Tian's eyes lit up. "One month from now, I will personally cripple him in the arena. I'll turn him back into a waste! And during this month, we can also raise our own cultivation. Our Sun Family is an Alchemy Clan. With the family's full support, I might even be able to break through to the Eighth Grade. Coupled with top-tier Yellow-grade martial techniques, my strength will soar. Defeating him then will be as easy as turning over my hand."
Young Master Sun calmed down. He said to Liu Ruyue, "Don't worry, I will also use elixirs to help you improve your cultivation."
At his words, Liu Ruyue became excited once again.
So what if Lin Xuan is talented? The Lin Family has no elixirs. In a month, his strength will hardly improve, while we will advance by leaps and bounds.
She would prove that her choice was the right one.
「On the other side」
Lin Xuan's return also caused a sensation within his family. They, too, never expected that his cultivation had returned. The Lin Family was overjoyed. They offered Lin Xuan a large number of elixirs to help him cultivate, but he refused them all directly. These elixirs were merely First-Grade, and he wouldn't even deign to look at them.
He asked the family for a batch of medicinal materials, then went into seclusion. He gave the materials to the big black dog, asking him to throw them into the Eternal Divine Furnace to be refined into elixirs. At the same time, Lin Xuan prepared to cultivate his martial techniques.
Soon, the Eternal Divine Furnace had produced a Fourth-Grade Elixir.
After Lin Xuan consumed it, his cultivation broke through once more, reaching the Eighth Grade.
Just then, the big black dog spoke, "The activation of the Eternal Divine Furnace is tied to your own strength. With your current power, you can't use it continuously. You can only use it intermittently. Only when you become stronger in the future will you be able to use it without pause."
Lin Xuan nodded in understanding. For now, his cultivation as an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist was more than enough to handle the upcoming second assessment.
"Are there any martial techniques?" Lin Xuan asked. The strongest martial technique in their family was merely Yellow-grade, and he looked down on it.
"The inheritance left for you by the Great Emperor cannot be fully unlocked yet," the big black dog said. "However, I can give you a Mystic-grade martial technique to practice for now."
The big black dog had once been a powerful Divine Beast and naturally knew many martial techniques. He tossed Lin Xuan a scroll. "Learn this first. This is the Ninefold Swordsmanship. It is a Mystic-grade Martial Art."
Hearing this, Lin Xuan was thrilled once more. In Cloud Sea City, the families all cultivated Yellow-grade Martial Arts. For example, the highest-level Martial Art in their Lin Family was a top-tier Yellow-grade one. Mystic-grade Martial Arts... the entirety of Cloud Sea City didn't possess a single one.
But now, I can actually cultivate one!