Caleb Thompson knew that Dean wanted an outstanding disciple to step up and showcase their skills, bringing honor to the academy, so he immediately shouted, “Ethan Marshall, step up!”

Henry Grant was the strongest in terms of power.

But when it came to body refining aptitude, the best was Ethan Marshall, who had only broken through to the fourth level of body refining and become an upper academy disciple eight months ago, and in just eight short months had advanced to the sixth level of body refining.

Henry Grant, on the other hand, had taken even longer—over a year. It was just that his saber techniques were extremely domineering, so his combat strength ranked first.

Chapter 11 Charles Bennett’s Heart

“Yes!”

Olivia Marshall responded and stepped forward, standing tall.

He was also about fifteen or sixteen years old, but his build was sturdier and more robust than his peers. He wore a set of high-quality martial robes, cowhide shoes, a hard leather waist guard, and leather bracers on both arms—a standard outfit for a mid-level martial artist.

On the training ground, Ethan Marshall knocked over a stone post with a punch.

Then, wielding a steel saber, his figure spun and leapt, his moves as graceful as flowers hidden among leaves and butterflies dancing in pairs, each move flowing seamlessly into the next.

The strength assessment at North Slope Academy had only two requirements: one was to prove you had the power of the sixth level of body refining, and the other was to prove your martial skills had reached the intermediate level. As long as you proved both, you passed the assessment.

Ethan Marshall’s strength was obvious, and he quickly passed the test.

“Ethan Marshall! Six hundred jin of force, reaching the sixth level of body refining! ‘Eight Gates Golden Lock Saber’—saber technique at the intermediate level. Assessment passed!”

Caleb Thompson announced loudly.

“Senior Brother Marshall is so strong! Well done!”

“Senior Brother Marshall broke through to the sixth level of body refining in just eight months, and even mastered the ‘Eight Gates Golden Lock Saber.’ This is definitely the fastest cultivation speed North Slope Academy has seen in decades! Who can match this kind of talent?”

Many young students who were close to Ethan Marshall cheered loudly, showing their support.

“Do you even know who I, Ethan Marshall, am! Advancing from the fourth to the sixth level of body refining in eight months is nothing. It won’t be long before I reach the ninth level and become a national-level saber master. After this graduation assessment, I’ll return to the royal city. North Slope Academy is too small—there aren’t any worthy opponents here. The royal city is where I, Ethan Marshall, will show my true skills. Sooner or later, I’ll become the strongest martial artist in the royal city!”

After passing the strength assessment, Ethan Marshall laughed heartily with several of his close brothers, his loud voice showing no attempt to hide his arrogance.

As soon as he said this, more than two hundred students looked over with side glances and disapproval. “Even if he’s from the prestigious Ma family of Wu Kingdom, he doesn’t have to be so arrogant!” “Among us students, there are plenty from other noble families of Wu Kingdom, but none are this brash and unrestrained.”

Charles Bennett didn’t feel anything special after hearing Ethan Marshall’s words. As a commoner, he was used to the arrogance of noble family disciples in the academy—it was nothing new to him.

“Which family is this Ethan Marshall from, to be so conceited? Are all the students at North Slope Academy a bunch of arrogant brutes?”

James Jennings, watching from not far away, frowned slightly, his expression changing.

Dean Taylor was also secretly anxious. He hadn’t expected Ethan Marshall to speak so carelessly and unintentionally offend James Jennings, who had just come from the capital of Wu Kingdom.

“Ethan Marshall is a direct descendant of the Ma family, one of the five great noble families of Wu Kingdom. His father, Brian Marshall, is a first-rank national general and a top martial expert. Ethan Marshall was promoted from the lower academy to the upper academy seven months ago, and has cultivated to the sixth level of body refining. His martial talent is quite outstanding. In the past ten years at our academy, Ethan Marshall is probably the fastest cultivator. He’s young and ambitious, so it’s inevitable he’s a bit impulsive.”

Dean Taylor thought for a moment and tried to smooth things over.

“So he’s from the upstart Ma family! The Ma family has only risen in Wu Kingdom for a few decades, and he dares to boast about being the strongest? He really doesn’t know his place.”

James Jennings snorted coldly, full of disdain. He was the youngest and most outstanding martial artist in the capital of Wu Kingdom, a direct disciple of the imperial preceptor, and would soon break through to the Primordial Spirit stage to become an immortal cultivator and join a great sect. The son of a mere general, reaching the sixth level of body refining in eight months—what’s so impressive about that?

After Ethan Marshall passed the assessment, more than ten other students also passed the academy’s strength assessment one after another.

Of course, quite a few students failed—some were still short of the sixth level of body refining, while others didn’t meet the standard for intermediate martial skills.

James Jennings grew more and more bored, shaking his head repeatedly.

Until another strong martial artist from the academy, Emily Wade, stepped up.

Only then did James Jennings’s eyes light up, and he nodded in praise.

“The martial skills of all the senior brothers and sisters are really strong, and their moves are so varied!”

Charles Bennett kept his eyes fixed on every student who took the stage. It wasn’t often that he got to see his fellow students show off their best skills—this was a great opportunity to learn from their experience.

Charles Bennett still hadn’t taken the stage.

Most of the students in the upper academy were his senior brothers and sisters. Only after everyone else had finished their assessments would he be eligible to step up for his own strength assessment.

Three hours passed.

“Now, a total of forty-seven people have passed the academy’s strength assessment, thirty-four have failed, and the rest have not yet been assessed. Is there anyone else who wants to take the strength assessment? If not, then this year’s mid-year strength assessment at North Slope Academy will come to an end…”