Tides Changing

「 Hey stupid melon. 」

...

'Nope.' Jin Jianyu closed the notification.

「 Hurry up. The Tournament is starting. 」

Jin Jianyu sighed. He picked up his sword and slung it over his shoulder. He headed for the door.

Jin Jianyu was about one step from being outside when he suddenly fell on his back. He gasped for air. His hands pulling the sword's strap from his throat.

Oh F*ck!

'I'm not used to wearing this thing!' He stood up and brushed himself off after catching his breath. 'Perhaps I should get a storage ring...'

Suddenly, a system notification popped up.

「 System has built in storage... 」

'Great! How do I use it?'

「 You? Haha. 」

「 You can't. 」

'...' Jin Jianyu was stunned for a moment. 'How do I-'

「 New Quest: Eat a spirit stone. 」

「 Quest Reward: Small Storage Space 」

'...'

Jin Jianyu was seriously shocked this time.

Was he really supposed to eat... A spirit stone?

'System, are you trying to ruin me? I just got handsome! If I do this I won't have any teeth left! Maybe I should just swallow it whole?'

「 ... 」

Jin Jianyu looked at the notification window and then looked down into his purse.

'Ah.' Jin Jianyu said. There wasn't even a single tael in his purse. 'I've been abused so much lately I forgot I'm poor!'

「 The corner is right there. 」

Cough... Cough...

Jin Jianyu thought for a moment. He remembered his teacher saying something about a reward for the tournament. 'The top student getting some kind of pill? Perhaps I can use that...'

'I guess that means I have to come in first place.' Jin Jianyu's mind was filled images of him standing above Wei Cheng's pushing his face into the dirt with his arm wrapped around a beautiful maiden. 'Hehe.'

As Jin Jianyu left his house he passed by a group of outer sect disciples standing near his house. They were staring at the mess of trees he left earlier. He overheard the outer disciples talking.

"My apple trees..." one member sobbed.

"The baby apple trees..." another added.

"All gone..." a third person cried.

"We'll be kicked out of the sect!" a fourth said crying.

Jin Jianyu didn't stop walking.

In fact, he looked away and sped up a little.

Jin Jianyu made his way to the examination room at the academy. He joined the line and waited until it was his turn.

If one wished to participate in the tournament, they first would have to go through an examination. Then, they would be ranked based on their results and students who displayed a sufficient rating would be allowed to participate.

This was similar to entering the inner sect. Students who reached rank 50 or higher in the tournament were considered for attendance at the inner sect academy. The higher you rank in the tournament also affect your privileges and how much allowance you would receive.

"Next."

"Name?"

"Jin Jianyu"

A few disciples in line looked at Jin Jianyu in shock.

The instructor looked at Jin Jianyu and sighed. "I don't have time for pranks today."

"Eh?" Jin Jianyu looked at the man in front of him.

"Look. Jin Jianyu looks like a mangled wild beast. How can someone like you be Jin Jianyu? If you're Jin Jianyu, I'm a beautiful fairy."

The disciples behind Jin Jianyu nodded. The instructor was making a lot of sense. They began to laugh at the idea of this handsome individual being Jin Jianyu. There is no way. The heavens would run away at a single look from Jin Jianyu.

Jin Jianyu wanted to bite his shirt and die.

"Senior, it's really me. I promise! I am that ugly mangled beast! I recently encountered a fortuitous experience." Jin Jianyu was prepared this time. He pulled out his dinged up student seal. "I swear, here, look!"

The instructor channeled his Qi into the seal. His jaw dropped to the floor. The handsome young male in front of him was indeed Jin Jianyu. The instructor wanted to bite his shirt and die as well. 'The heavens are too cruel. How come a piece of trash is so lucky?'

The instructor sighed and shoved the seal back into his hands. "Indeed. It seems that you really are Jin Jianyu."

Shocked gasps came from the students standing behind in line.

Jin Jianyu was the famous black duck of the entire sect. There was not a single sect member who didn't know about the face that made one want to projectile vomit. Now, it was confirmed that this handsome male, with looks that made maidens glow, was Jin Jianyu.

There were many sect members who wanted to bite their shirt and die.

The heavens are too cruel.

Jin Jianyu put away his seal and walked up to the stone pillar.

There were two functions of the stone pillar that stood in front of Jin Jianyu. Students would focus their Qi and strike with all of their force. Once struck the pillar would light up and display a number. This number would take into account the channeled Qi and the force of the strike to rank students.

Jin Jianyu took a deep breath as he got into position. His legs shifted, knees bent, arm pulled back, tucked at the waist with the other hand raised. It was a single swift motion.

The entire room went quiet.

Jin Jianyu focused his Qi down through his arm into his clenched fist. He let out his breath as he thrust his fist forward.

***

Wei Cheng stood outside the examination room. He looked at the ranking board, but didn't see Jin Jianyu's listed anywhere.

"I knew it." Wei Yue said, flipping her hair and turning around. "An imposter, trying to get one over on us. Perhaps he has already fled the sect."

BOOM

Wei Cheng was about to respond when a loud sound came from inside the examination room and the ranking board shuffled around.

"An imposter you say?" Wei Cheng said. He smashed his clenched fist into the wall, leaving a small crater. He looked towards Wei Yue, a dark smile spreading across his face. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Wei Yue took a step back when she saw the ranking board.

1. Jin Jianyu

...