129: Chapter 129: Exploiting Connections is Absolutely Unacceptable!

129: Chapter 129: Exploiting Connections is Absolutely Unacceptable!

The recruitment announcement from the Holy Mansion had no sooner been made public than, as Lin Yi had expected, responses flooded in like clouds!

The Holy Mansion, having vanquished the stronger with the weaker, successively annihilated the Martial Arts Academies of both Shi Country and Jin Country, and now it has unsurprisingly become the top educational institute of Shi Country.

Furthermore, the Holy Mansion boasts a legendary figure, Lin Yi!

His deeds have already spread among the people of both countries, and the tales have taken on a life of their own, verging on the miraculous.

As a Grandmaster, Lin Yi slew Jin Jue, the Institute Master of the Golden Country Martial Arts Academy, and even grievously wounded a peerless expert from the Dragon Mountain Empire Martial Arts Academy!

It is said that the one from the Dragon Mountain Empire is a legendary figure of the Sealed Marquis Realm!

Yet Lin Yi beat him till he fled in a most undignified manner!

Thus, many believe that Lin Yi can unleash the power of the Sealed Marquis Realm.

Others whisper that a potentate of the Sealed Marquis Realm stands behind him as his Guardian, and everything Lin Yi does is attributed to this Guardian’s influence!

There’s an even more preposterous rumor asserting that Lin Yi himself is a mighty Sealed Marquis Realm fighter, and isn’t “Marquis Tianwu” precisely his title?

Regardless of the speculation, one thing is certain: Lin Yi is somehow connected to a Sealed Marquis Realm powerhouse!

Joining the Holy Mansion means aligning yourself with a suspected Sealed Marquis Realm heavyweight!

How could one pass up such a windfall from heaven?

In no time at all.

Countless youths swarmed towards the Holy Mansion.

Joining the Holy Mansion!

This had become the fashion and goal for the young people of both Shi Country and Yun Country.

What’s more, Lin Yi has another identity, as a National Hero of Shi Country!

He is the great hero who helped Shi Country annihilate Jin Country!

He is also credited with helping Yun Country expand its territory!

His prestige is unparalleled.

That day, at the gates of the Holy Mansion, the crowd was immense, practically a sea of humanity.

When Lin Yi, from his position on the mountain, saw the swarm of people below, like bees in a hive, he was genuinely astounded!

There must be at least ten thousand people!

Lin Yi hadn’t expected such a multitude!

Beside Lin Yi, Bai Xiu smacked his lips and said, “Good heavens, so many people!

Elder Brother Lin Yi, won’t our quota of five hundred be insufficient?

Shouldn’t we consider expanding the intake?”

“No expansion.”

Lin Yi shook his head, “Still five hundred.

What’s the point in admitting so many?

We at the Holy Mansion are about elite education, quality over quantity!”

“Exactly.”

Li Chengfeng nodded, “How could we teach them all if we admitted too many?”

“Heh, I never thought I’d have a day when I’d be teaching others!” Bai Xiu said with excitement.

Since joining the Holy Mansion, he had always been the youngest and the weakest, the little chick everyone could bully.

Now he had flipped his lot and could sing out loud, as he too became an Elder of the Holy Mansion!

Those new cadets joining the Holy Mansion would have to address him respectfully as “Teacher”!

Just thinking about it made him feel great!

At that moment, the figure of an elder appeared before the four of them, none other than Master Wu Liang.

“Master.”

Lin Yi and his companions immediately bowed to Master Wu Liang.

Although Master Wu Liang had lost his cultivation, he remained the Master of the Holy Mansion.

“Let’s go; let’s take a look at those youngsters.”

Master Wu Liang glanced at the four of them and then headed down the mountain.

As soon as Lin Yi and his group stepped out of the mountain gate, the crowd below immediately erupted.

“Lin Yi!”

“Lin Yi!”

“Marquis Tianwu!”

“…”

The vast majority were shouting Lin Yi’s name, which made Bai Xiu, standing to the side, rather annoyed, “Why do these people only remember you, Fourth Brother?

Don’t they know that I too am a mainstay of the Holy Mansion?”

Li Chengfeng glanced at him, “When you also take down a True Master, naturally you’ll become famous.”

Bai Xiu’s expression changed dramatically, “Forget I said anything!”

Take down a True Master?

Is that something one simply says?

At this moment, Master Wu Liang suddenly raised his hands and gestured to the crowd to be quiet.

The clamor at the foot of the mountain quickly subsided.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Holy Mansion’s new student assessment today.

We are recruiting five hundred new students today, and as long as you can pass the three stages of our assessment, you will officially become a student of the Holy Mansion.”

As the sound of his voice fell, a great stir broke out among the crowd.

Five hundred spots, for the tens of thousands of young people present, were truly too few!

But on the other hand, scarcity is what makes something precious!

Otherwise, wouldn’t students of the Holy Mansion be a dime a dozen?

“Now, everyone, please line up and enter the assessment site in turn!”

As Master Wu Liang’s voice fell, everyone began to rush toward the examination site.

The Holy Mansion’s tri-stage assessment consisted of testing qualification, endurance, and lastly, strength!

The first and second stages of the assessment were overseen by Xi Yue and two others.

However, for the most crucial third stage, Lin Yi had entrusted it to Little Jin.

Because the third stage involved an Array, only those who managed to succeed in breaking the Array could become students of the Holy Mansion.

This stage was also exceptionally important.

“Little Jin, how is the Array formation for the third stage coming along?”

Lin Yi looked over at Little Jin not far away.

“Don’t worry.”

Little Jin waved a hand, “When has this one ever let you down?”

Lin Yi then nodded.

Even a fourth-stage Array Formation couldn’t stump Little Jin.

The current Holy Mansion’s assessment Array was only second-rank, which really was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Just then, Lin Yi suddenly noticed Lin Ning leading two figures toward him.

“Brother, look who’s here!”

Lin Ning said with some excitement.

When he clearly discerned the two figures, his pupils also narrowed slightly.

These two people were none other than the Family Head of the Qingcheng Lin Family, Lin Zhe, and the Great Elder, Lin Chong.

Lin Zhe and Lin Chong approached Lin Yi, then deeply bowed to him, “Greetings, Marquis Tianwu!”

Lin Yi shook his head and quickly helped the two of them up, saying, “We are of the same clan.

You two are my elders, how could we conflate our seniority and propriety?”

Although he and his sister had a hard time in the Lin Family in the past, after his rise to power, the Lin Family had indeed helped him a lot, and he still recognized himself as a person of the Lin Family.

Seeing Lin Yi so approachable, Lin Zhe and Lin Chong finally breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on their faces.

They had certainly heard some of the tales of Lin Yi’s exploits, with outside rumors painting him as an invincible entity within Shi Country.

Even Emperor Shi Luo Jingtian had to show him respect, making them somewhat reluctant to acknowledge their kinship with Lin Yi.

They originally thought that the current Lin Yi might be too lofty for them to reach, but to their surprise, Lin Yi’s attitude was far more genial than they had imagined, undoubtedly setting their minds at ease.

Lin Zhe fist-bumped toward Lin Yi, saying, “Marquis Tianwu, thanks to you, I am now the Qing City Lord.

We’ve come to bring the Qingcheng Disciples to participate in the Holy Mansion’s assessment.”

“Oh?”

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow, “Does my Lin Family also have younger members coming?”

“There is one.”

Lin Zhe gestured toward a figure not far away, and a young girl wearing a purple dress approached them.

“Her name is Lin Yu’er, and she is a rising talent recently cultivated by our Lin Family with great effort.”

“Greetings, Marquis Tianwu.”

Lin Yu’er shyly bowed to Lin Yi.

She clutched her dress tightly and stealthily raised her head to glance at Lin Yi before quickly lowering her gaze again, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“Just reaching the Spirit Transformation Realm, passing the examination will be somewhat difficult!”

Lin Yi spoke bluntly.

He could tell at a glance that Lin Yu’er possessed merely a First Level cultivation of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

This level of cultivation was considered below average among the thousands present for the assessment.

“I will try my best!”

Lin Yu’er bit her lip softly, “I won’t let you down, Marquis Tianwu!”

Seeing this, Lin Yi’s expression became contemplative.

It seemed that the reputation associated with being his kin was bringing considerable pressure on Lin Yu’er.

However, given that others would know she was of his clan, comparisons were inevitable.

Sadly for Lin Yu’er, Lin Yi’s aura was much too dazzling, leaving nothing for others to measure against.

Lin Ning chimed in from the side, “Brother, since we’re all family, why not just pull some strings and admit Sister Yu’er?”

“That is absolutely not possible!”

However, as soon as Lin Ning finished speaking, Lin Zhe immediately opposed the idea, “Marquis Tianwu is now the great hero in the hearts of the people of Shi Country.

How can our Lin Family embarrass him with such actions?”

“Pulling strings is out of the question!”