Chapter 27: The World Stunned, Eight Nations Shaken

At this moment, the test results revealed to everyone why Lin Yin had been able to rise from a non-ranked martial artist to a master of the Ninth Realm of Blood and Qi in just one month.

In this moment, all the torment he had suffered in his past and present lives vanished like smoke. What remained was only a blazing sun, destined to be looked up to by the world.

Even the Sovereign of Great Xia, Lord Xia, found his fingers trembling slightly as he pulled a cigarette from his case and lit it.

The instructors from every Royal-level academy felt goosebumps creeping from their heels all the way to the back of their necks.

Time is a blade that shears away the proudest geniuses. Yet, throughout history, how many have truly been worthy of that title? If those past legends were standing before Lin Yin now, they would surely be eclipsed.

After a brief silence, the scene erupted!

Renowned instructors from major Royal-level academies began frantically contacting their top leadership, losing all the composure they usually maintained even when facing the collapse of mountains. They had all gone mad.

...

In the Imperial Capital of Great Qi, the Sovereign of Qi was intercepted in the street by a group of elders from Qingtian Academy. These elders, who were usually as elusive as dragons, were now red-eyed with intensity. Upon hearing the intelligence from Tianhe City, even the usually composed Sovereign of Qi lost his color.

White-hole grade, Ninth-level martial talent, a college entrance exam Blood and Qi reading of 998, and less than a month of training!

These few details were enough for the Sovereign of Qi to discard his imperial dignity and issue orders right there in the street.

"Qingtian Academy can offer any terms!"

"No! Not just Qingtian Academy—the entire Imperial House of Great Qi!"

"Compete as you must. No matter what other Royal-level academies offer, you have the full backing of the Great Qi Imperial House! I must have this child!"

In the Great Zhou, at Zhougong Academy, the nearly seventy-year-old Dean ended his decade-long seclusion. With the stride of a dragon and tiger, he clutched the secret dispatch from the admissions office, stormed into the Great Zhou palace, and confronted the Sovereign of Zhou directly: "Give me every possible support. I must win this child for Great Zhou!"

"Dean, you..."

"I have one foot in the grave. If I can secure a pillar of the nation for Great Zhou before I die, I shall have no regrets!"

In Great Han, at Fengyao Academy, the entire faculty marched on the Han Palace, demanding that the Sovereign of Han prioritize the greater good and personally travel to Tianhe City in Great Xia to recruit this world-shaking prodigy.

In the Great Wu Kingdom, the King of Jubei, Xiao Chen, accompanied by his only daughter, Xiao Ruoyu, set out for Tianhe City in place of the Sovereign of Great Wu, bringing with him eighteen wagons filled with sincerity.

In the Dali Kingdom, where troops were always scarce and the southern demon tribes loomed like tigers, the Sovereign of Dali, upon hearing the news, mobilized his Imperial Guard to travel personally to Tianhe City, hoping to bring this peerless prodigy into his service.

It is no exaggeration to say that all eight human nations were plunged into a state of shock today. Countless powerful figures were scrambling to reach Tianhe City.

Watching the chaotic swarm of academy instructors, Lord Xia sensed a storm the likes of which had not been seen in thirty years. He could not help but offer a wry smile: "A golden scale is no mere pond creature; the moment it meets the wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon."

*Click.* The test chamber door slowly opened.

As Lin Yin stepped out, his aura had subtly shifted. His pupils held flickering starlight, as if they were two eternal white holes. He walked with an effortless grace, as if he had extinguished his inner demons and stepped out into a second life—confident, flamboyant, and bright as the sun.

"Yin, you hid this from me so well," Elder Jiang said with a pained expression. He, too, had assumed Lin Yin’s talent lay only in his exceptional comprehension of battle techniques; he never imagined it was a Ninth-level martial talent.

One must realize that a person with Ninth-level martial talent had only appeared once, eighty years ago, during the War of Extinction. According to the elders of that time, that individual had slaughtered the demon tribes until no one dared claim the title of king, forcing them to retreat thousands of miles away. He was like a living god of the mortal realm. Had he not suddenly vanished without a trace, humanity might have already pushed back the demons and reclaimed their lands.

Now that a Ninth-level talent had appeared again, Elder Jiang knew without a doubt that the eight human nations had surely gone mad.

"When you become wealthy and noble, don't forget me!" Elder Jiang said, earnestly patting Lin Yin’s shoulder.

Lin Yin laughed heartily. His eyes were clear, and there was no longer a trace of despondency in his bearing. It seemed that everything he had suffered in the Lin family, both in his past and present life, had been laid to rest. He had returned to being that free-spirited boy from the countryside.

Casting off the old shackles, only today did he truly know himself.

That dragon's roar had been so familiar. Lin Yin had originally thought he would have to wait until he reached the Great Wall to awaken his martial talent. He had not expected it to trigger by chance today.

Indeed, that dragon's roar was the sound of Lin Yin awakening his true self. In his past life, he had spent years on the Great Wall of Flesh and Blood, enduring a sea of swords and blood before finally resolving his inner demons and triggering that roar.

As of today, he had conquered those demons and unlocked the Ninth-level martial talent he had possessed all along. He called this state:

"The True Self of the Hidden Dragon." Lin Yin smiled, whispering to himself.

The True Self of the Hidden Dragon requires one to endure extreme repression, followed by a long, arduous process of self-redemption, to unlock the Ninth-level talent. The Lin Yin of his past life had not known the specifics of this state; he had only known that his progress in both cultivation realms and techniques was incredibly fast.

Only today did he truly understand: the Ninth-level martial talent—the strongest in the world—was what it looked like once activated. He could hardly imagine it. With this level of talent, accelerated growth, and Heavenly-grade techniques, he would surpass his past self by many times over.

"Student Lin Yin!"

Lord Xia suddenly turned grave, looking at the youth, a generation his junior, as if he were an equal.

"I, Xia Changsheng, earnestly implore you to stay in Great Xia. The White Deer Academy and I are willing to exhaust all resources to cultivate you!"

Xia Changsheng knew that if he did not fight for this now, once the royal houses and the top tiers of other academies arrived, he would have no chance. It was an undeniable fact that Great Xia was not as powerful as its neighbors.

Great Qi possessed the world’s most elite martial legions, the most comprehensive training systems, and the strongest Royal-level academy—Qingtian Academy. Great Han had the world’s most powerful cavalry and the most complete library of techniques. Great Zhou had the most advanced individual equipment and factories, allowing martial artists to push their strength to the limit.

Every one of them was more attractive than Great Xia. Every one of them could help Lin Yin grow at a blistering pace. And they would spare no cost to win him over.

Xia Changsheng dared not delay; he had to seize this narrow window of time to extend an olive branch.

The situation had developed so violently that Lin Yin had not expected it. He neither agreed nor refused, simply smiling and nodding. But for Xia Changsheng, this answer was enough, and he let out a relieved breath.

If he belonged to Great Xia, he was destined to be Great Xia’s. If not, then it was not meant to be. He would do his duty and leave the rest to fate.