Defending the Arena

As dawn broke, the east showed the pale white of a fish's belly.

After a night of breathing and regulating his qi, Xia Qi'an stood in the room like a robust green pine.

At this moment, he was full of energy and spirit, his mind alert.

Suddenly, a loud rooster crow pierced the silent night sky like a sharp sword.

Xia Qi'an's eyes snapped open, the crimson color within them receding like a tide.

All night, it had been using its Crimson Pupils to observe its own body, mobilizing Bloodline Power to circulate continuously through the acupoints and meridians of its entire body.

Back and forth.

When one could clearly see their own meridians, even a simple breathing technique could maximize its effectiveness.

Seeing that the time was approaching, Xia Qi'an suddenly got up and walked out of the training room.

After carefully washing up, he put on his official uniform neatly and went to the backyard.

In the backyard of the Xia Manor, a new mourning hall had been built.

Inside the mourning hall, three memorial tablets were arranged in front and back.

The memorial tablet in the center was naturally Xia Qi'an's grandfather's.

The other two memorial tablets belonged to Xiao Cao's parents.

Logically speaking, Xiao Cao's parents were not related to Xia Qi'an by blood, so there was no need to set up memorial tablets for them.

However, since they were now family with Xiao Cao, Xiao Cao's parents were naturally considered family.

Now, every morning after waking up, Xia Qi'an would come to the mourning hall and light a few sticks of incense.

This gradually became his daily habit, as indispensable as his three meals a day.

After offering incense and slightly cleaning the ash beneath the tablets, Xia Qi'an headed to the Wei Dao Si branch to gather.

Today's assessment was a major event for the Jinling Wei Dao Si, and all the Hound Guards in Jinling Prefecture would be present.

Those who held Hound Guard identities but had never been on missions, the scions of noble families, would also appear.

This kind of ghost employment was the work of the former Hound Guard commander, Wang Yangshuo.

He himself came from a noble family, so it was understandable that he would secretly allow some other scions of noble families to enter the Wei Dao Si.

However, the Wei Dao Si headquarters had suddenly established the position of Executive Officer.

The whole matter felt unusual, giving Xia Qi'an a sense of impending storm.

Stepping into the Wei Dao Si branch.

Everyone present turned their gaze to Xia Qi'an.

Some were acquaintances, while others were unfamiliar faces he had never seen before.

Their thoughts varied: some hoped Xia Qi'an would make a fool of himself, some were indifferent and just wanted to see who Xia Qi'an was, and some harbored undisguised hostility.

Xia Qi'an walked through the crowd with a cold expression.

He walked to Si Nanyue's side and stood solemnly.

Seeing that most people had arrived, Si Nanyue spoke, "Since all colleagues are here, I declare the assessment officially begun."

"The assessment will take place at the ruins of the former imperial city in Jinling City."

"I have instructed the Snake Guards to set up four arenas within the ruins. You will all need to head there on your own!"

"And the three people I have nominated will be the defenders of the arenas."

"Colleagues who intend to participate in the assessment for the Executive Officer position can challenge these three individuals."

"The last person standing in the arena will be awarded the position of Hound Guard Executive Officer!"

After Si Nanyue finished speaking, the Hound Guards present displayed their unique skills and methods, rushing towards the ruins of the old city like birds in flight.

As one of the arena defenders, Xia Qi'an could not fall behind. He moved, his feet generating wind, and he sped off like a bolt of lightning.

This old city ruin was located on the outskirts of Jinling City. It was once a prosperous and thriving large city.

However, after countless wars and the erosion of time, only a dilapidated ruin remained.

The glory of the past was long gone, leaving only rubble everywhere, as if silently narrating the vicissitudes of the past.

Although the buildings here were dilapidated, one could still discern their former grandeur.

The city's squares, palaces, temples, and other important buildings only had remnants left, but from these remnants, one could still feel the solemnity and majesty of that time.

Within these ruins, there was a wide open space.

In the open space, a magnificent martial arts arena was set up every hundred meters.

Xia Qi'an stood tall, his steps steady, his eyes firmly fixed on the arena on the far left.

With his dragon-like stride, he quickly walked to the center of the arena.

The moment he stepped onto the stage, an invisible aura surged from him.

He then crossed his arms over his chest, standing straight in the center of the stage, quietly awaiting the appearance of challengers.

Soon.

This assessment officially began.

A youth with a sinister expression sneered as he climbed onto the stage where Xia Qi'an stood.

"You're merely at the Early Bone Forging Realm, and you dare to contend for this deacon position!"

"Even with Lord Sinan's endorsement, you should have some self-awareness..."

The youth was named Wei Ren, a martial artist at the Early Bone Forging Realm.

He immediately began to mock and ridicule Xia Qi'an.

Wei Ren's words also represented the thoughts of most people present.

But Xia Qi'an had no intention of engaging in a verbal spat at this moment.

He knew very well that this guy was just the first challenger, and more people would challenge him later.

Therefore, talking was useless; it was better to act with thunderous speed and finish it quickly.

"Swish..."

In the blink of an eye, Xia Qi'an's figure suddenly vanished. Like a phantom, he instantly appeared before Wei Ren, a large hand reaching out to grab him.

Wei Ren's pupils contracted sharply. His body instinctively used the Eagle Claw Technique, striking back at Xia Qi'an's Dragon Claw.

Xia Qi'an's right hand was like a dragon's claw, incredibly swift. His five fingers seemed forged from adamantine.

"Crack..."

The Dragon Claw Hand and Eagle Claw Technique clashed head-on.

With a crisp sound of bone cracking, the outcome was beyond suspense.

Wei Ren let out a miserable howl. His five fingers were twisted and deformed irregularly.

Clearly, Xia Qi'an had forcefully broken his finger bones.

Immediately after, without giving Wei Ren time to react.

Xia Qi'an kicked out again, sending Wei Ren flying off the stage.

The onlookers below were silent.

"What's going on?..."

"Wei Ren lost already?"

This was not the scene they had expected.

This was not the scene they wanted to see.

However, Wei Ren was just the first.

The truly powerful experts from the noble families, like leopards hidden in the dark, observed silently, secretly weighing Xia Qi'an's strength.

As expected, after Wei Ren, two more Hound Guards stepped onto the stage to challenge.

The challengers, a man and a woman, had met Xia Qi'an once before when he first joined the Hound Guards.

The man was named Zou Cheng, skilled with a saber, and the woman was Li Mei, wielding a whip-like rattan spine.

As soon as these two stepped onto the stage, they launched a coordinated attack on Xia Qi'an.

Zou Cheng took the offensive, with Li Mei providing support.

Two martial artists at the Mid Bone Forging Realm working together, they didn't believe Xia Qi'an would have any chance to fight back.

Zou Cheng let out a cold shout and ferociously drew his saber.

A powerful downward strike, "Splitting the Hua Mountain," aimed directly at Xia Qi'an's crown.

A cold glint flashed in Xia Qi'an's eyes. He raised his hand and threw a punch, like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, colliding with the saber's edge.

However, to everyone's surprise, Xia Qi'an's fist was not cut open.

"Clang..." A sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Zou Cheng's expression changed drastically. His saber strike felt like it had hit metal or stone.

The immense recoil force caused the tiger's mouth of Zou Cheng's saber-wielding hand to tear, bleeding profusely.

His long saber also flew out of his grasp involuntarily.

Not only that, but Xia Qi'an's punch had immense power, forcefully breaking through his technique.

This caused Zou Cheng to lose his balance after his saber flew out of his hand.

And Xia Qi'an, seizing the moment when Zou Cheng's saber was gone and his stance was unstable.

He used the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to close the distance.

Then, his fist transformed into a claw, and he grabbed Zou Cheng by the throat.

Xia Qi'an held Zou Cheng suspended in mid-air, much like an eagle snatching a chick.

Xia Qi'an could have punched right through his chest.

But this was just a sparring match, and striking to kill would surely invite criticism later.

In contrast, Zou Cheng was lifted by Xia Qi'an with one hand, unable to break free no matter how he struggled.

His face slowly turned a bruised, liver-like color.

His eyes, fixed on Xia Qi'an, were filled with fear.

Although they were merely acquaintances who nodded to each other in passing, he had never truly respected Xia Qi'an.

As a scion of a noble family, he possessed an innate sense of superiority.

However, their brief exchange had shattered that superiority like a mirror.

Now, he was filled with dread towards this young colleague, Xia Qi'an, who, apart from missions, rarely interacted with others.

"Hiss...!"

Seeing this, some of the onlookers gasped.

"Has his Iron Body technique reached this level?"

"Zou Cheng, who is in the Mid Bone Forging Realm, couldn't even last one round against him!"

People below the stage whispered amongst themselves, discussing in hushed tones.

Meanwhile, Li Mei, who was overseeing the match on the stage, was also taken aback.

She had planned to go through the motions with Zou Cheng, just for show.

She never expected Zou Cheng to lose so quickly.