Chapter 112: Leaping Dragon Gate

  Heavy rain poured down, the dark sky had not a single ray of light, this was the largest rain since autumn began. The coolness around also grew heavier and heavier, as if it had already entered early winter.

  In the streets and alleys, rainwater flowed into the sewers in a steady stream. The entire Imperial Wind Academy was shrouded in a layer of misty rain, filled with an ancient and heavy atmosphere.

  Unlike other administrative regions' prestigious schools, the Imperial Wind Academy's architectural framework is extremely ancient. Legend has it that this thousand-year-old martial arts academy was built by the Great Martial Ancestor Wu Yan Bridge overnight, carved out of the mountains in a single evening. The Imperial Wind Institute of Technology, on the other hand, was built later. The original Imperial Wind Academy had almost no trace of technological civilization, which is closely related to the "Tao Fa Zi Ran" advocated by Wu Yan Bridge's Great Martial Ancestor.

  The entire Imperial Wind Academy, the most distinctive area is the Subdragon Institute of the Elite Three Institutes.

  Qianlong Institute, located at the foot of the mountain behind the college, has nine squares, with buildings surrounding the squares. From high above, the land is like a dragon shape, winding into nine curves, so Qianlong Institute is also known as Jiǔqū Lóng Yuàn (Nine-Curve Dragon Institute).

  At midnight, at the first square entrance of the Penglai Pavilion, a strong gust of wind rose, scattering the rainwater in all directions.

  In the rain, Li Er's upper body was exposed, his muscles bulging like a dragon, making his figure suddenly taller. His originally robust and majestic physique now approached 4 meters in height, standing upright in the wind and rain, like a giant bronze statue cast from molten metal.

  However, it was a blood-stained statue, with dense wounds all over its body, and strands of fresh blood flowed down, dripping onto the ground, instantly washed away by the rain.

  "Hah......, hah......, hah......" Li Er's violent gasps for breath were chaotic, but his eyes remained unyielding, staring fixedly at the dozen or so young men in front of him.

  Across from him stood a dozen or so boys wearing the uniform of Imperial Wind Academy, with golden dragon embroidery on their sleeves, signifying that they were elite students of Hidden Dragon Institute.

  Next to these students, five wounded people were half-reclining, each with a splint on their body. Two of them had unnatural bends in their arms, apparently with fractured forearms, and they let out soft moans from time to time.

  Staring at the exhausted Erniu, several second-year students burst out laughing, with a look of disdain on their faces.

  "I was told by the academy since I was in first grade that I would become one of the gatekeepers for the 'Dragon's Gate' trial. Originally, I thought the people participating in the trial would be some kind of geniuses, but it turns out they're just a bunch of trash."

  "Simply cultivating the body and physique, but the progress of yuan force has come to a standstill. Such a result is indeed explosive in power, but without the support of inner yuan, how can one possibly last long in battle? Relying on cultivating the body and physique, even if one can defeat a few people, what's the use?"

  "Not bad, with the inner yuan cultivated to the third level of martial boundary, it can be achieved by circulating and repeating, life after life. Relying solely on physical cultivation, even if one possesses extremely strong destructive power, is merely taking a wrong path, and the future road of martial arts will be dark and gloomy."

  "It's not his fault, he was born unsuitable for cultivating yuan power and can only seek other paths. The funny thing is that this kid probably practiced body training to the point where his limbs are well-developed but his brain is too simple. He actually thinks he can pass the 'Dragon Gate' trial? Not to mention 99 elite students, even if there were only 9 students, he wouldn't be able to defeat them consecutively."

  "As far as I know, our college originally passed the 'Dragon Gate' trial just to make these body-refining students retreat in the face of difficulty. Who would have thought that there are still people who don't know their own strength, and rashly try to jump over the Dragon Gate, taking a shortcut to heaven? What an idiot."

  Every word, every sentence was like a sharp sword, piercing through Li Er's heart. His eyes instantly turned red with rage, as if he had become a blood-soaked devil, glaring at these people with ferocity.

  "I will definitely get through this, I will definitely fulfill brother's wish." Li Er said to himself with big mouthfuls of heavy breathing.

  Not far away, a middle-aged man with black hair and an eight-character beard was standing there, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. It was the staff member that Sun Yan met when signing up at Wanda Mountain.

  At this time, one of the students shouted: "Teacher Du, this kid is so stubborn and doesn't know when to give up. What do you think we should do?"

  Looking at the blood-soaked Lì èr, the middle-aged man called Dù Zhuō Jiào sighed and said: "Lì èr, you should now understand that it's impossible for you to pass the 'Dragon Gate' trial. Your brother Lì Shèng Běi defeated 24 students from the Hidden Dragon Institute in a row before finally dying of exhaustion. If you continue, you'll likely end up the same way. Withdraw now and the academy will make arrangements for you."

  "No!" Li Er shouted loudly, "Brother had once said that relying on his martial skills, he would definitely become a peerless warrior. I must fulfill brother's wish, come on!"

  Staring at the steady figure of Lian Er, Du Zhujiao shook his head helplessly and waved his hand, indicating that the trial should continue. Among this group of elite department students, a second-year student walked out, with a cold smile on his face, walking slowly towards the blood-soaked bald-headed boy.

  In the distance, there were also many people in the school buildings surrounding the square watching this scene.

  In a classroom on the seventh floor of a teaching building south of the square, Zhou Zhihao sat in a window seat, silently watching the battle in the square. Next to him stood another student, whose school uniform badge showed that he was a second-year student at Qianlong Academy.

  However, from an attitude perspective, this second-year student is extremely respectful to Zhou Zhihao, and his behavior even has a hint of flattery.

  Looking at Li Er's arduous victory over another opponent, he finally exhausted himself, half-kneeling on the ground. On Zhou Zhihao's beautiful doll-like face, a sympathetic expression emerged.

  "Ning Ge, can't we stop fighting now?" Zhou Zhihao said in a low voice.

  The youth known as Ning Ge smiled wryly and said, "Zhou Shao, this is the Emperor Wind Academy. Throughout the entire Odin Star Domain, there aren't many powers that can interfere with the academy's affairs. Very few students know about the 'Dragon Gate' trial, but I'm somewhat clear on some things. This trial was actually created to make those body refinement students give up in despair. The academy never thought that someone would actually come and participate in this trial. Think about it, continuously defeating 99 Dragon Gate Institute students, even if all of them were first-year freshmen, is almost an impossible task."

  Zhou Zhi's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he let out a light sigh: "Even if it's an impossible trial, this Second Brother Lei still dares to participate. This kind of courage is worthy of admiration; if on the battlefield, he would definitely be a fearless iron-blooded vanguard."

  "Unfortunately, this isn't a battlefield!" The young man called Ning Ge shook his head, "The martial theory of Body Refining was flawed from the start. The 'Great Ape King's Fist' created by the Academy back then was actually a technique that was drinking poison to quench thirst. Over-exerting one's body potential led to a sharp decline in lifespan for these Body Refiners. According to reliable sources, half of the original batch of Body Refiners have already shown signs of aging. The Academy foresaw this and immediately terminated this martial research."

  Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhi nodded and gazed at the bald young man struggling to get back up in the rain, a hint of regret on his face as he muttered: "It's such a pity that someone so strong would exhaust himself to death here. I really wish I could take his place in completing the 'Dragon Gate' trial."

  "No, absolutely not, Zhou Shao, you mustn't be impulsive." Ning Ge was shocked and dissuaded him: "'Leaping Dragon Gate' is to defeat 99 elite students of the Hidden Dragon Institute. This trial has been established from the beginning without any reason. Moreover, your identity is noble, if you encounter those with ulterior motives, it would be extremely bad for you. The Hidden Dragon Institute is a mix of dragons and snakes, you mustn't take risks!"

  "I'm just saying, don't be so tense." Zhou Zhihao shook his head and said, "To complete the 'Dragon Gate' trial, with my current strength, it's far from possible. If it were a year later, when I've advanced to second grade, maybe there would be some hope."

  ……

  Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh...

  Pea-sized raindrops fell slantingly on the square, and strands of fresh blood flowed with the rainwater, from dense to light, and then disappeared.

  Kneeling on the ground, Li Er used his left hand to support his body, his right arm trembling uncontrollably, apparently due to muscle weakness caused by loss of strength.

  Excruciating pain kept invading the brain nerves, and the consciousness of the bald young man had become blurred. Segments of memories flashed through his mind like a galloping horse.

  "No one is allowed to bully my brother, whoever dares to lay a hand on him again, I'll fight to the death with that person!"

  "Little brother, don't worry. The Emperor Wind Academy has specially admitted me, and big brother will definitely work hard to cultivate, vowing to become a peerless martial artist, so that no one dares to bully us again."

  "That old man, Father, always says that we two are useless and good for nothing, not his kind at all. When I come back next time, I, Li Qian, will definitely make him take back these words."

  In a daze, my memory froze at the age of six, with myself standing at the door, covered in scars, watching that tall and majestic figure disappear into the distance, yearning for a beautiful future not far away.

  However, two years later, what I got was the news of the death of my dearest brother and the ruthless ridicule from people around me.

  "But isn't it just a useless thing, yet it dares to leap over the Dragon Gate and ascend to heaven in one step?"

  "Trash should look like trash, don't embarrass yourself here!"

  "Haha, these two brothers have identical physiques, they're really a pair of useless siblings..."

  ……

  "No, my brother was right! I must fulfill his wish!"

  In the heavy rain, the bald young man let out a loud roar and stood up again. All the wounds on his body burst open, with fresh blood gushing out like a fountain. However, Lì èr's figure remained motionless, unwilling to retreat even a single step.

  This iron-like determination moved everyone present.

  Du Zhujiao let out a silent sigh and said softly, "Knock him out, we can't let him get hurt again."

  "Come on." Lü Er stepped forward, gritting his teeth, and let out a loud roar, "Continue, I can still fight!"

  His footsteps were staggering and floating, a large amount of blood loss had brought him to the limit of his physical strength, his knees softened, and he fell forward.

  But at this time...

  A hand came from behind, grasping Li Er's arm and supporting his stumbling body. Then the newcomer pressed both hands on Li Er's body a few times, and the yuan force light flickered uncertainly, stopping the bleeding in an instant.

  "Lei Er, you rest on the side. Let me take your place in the 'Dragon Gate' trial."

  In the pouring rain, a figure slowly emerged, a handsome young man with a calm expression, as if strolling in the rain. However, his pace was extremely steady, steady to the point of being unsettling.