First Class (1)

Qi Yu won, and Zhou Qing's arrogance instantly deflated.

He knew his opponent had held back. Struggling to his feet, he cupped his hands toward Qi Yu, then clutched his chest and rasped, "I concede," before turning and leaving the arena cleanly.

"Qi Family, Qi Yu, wins!"

Since the match had been decided in a single move, the minor official by the arena sounded unusually fired up and instinctively announced it again.

The declaration rang out loud and clear, carrying to many of the surrounding arenas.

At the neighboring arena...

Hearing it, Chu Xiao grew anxious, and his attacks became increasingly frantic.

Yet his opponent, Liu Zhen, was no easy target. With Chu Xiao's mind in turmoil, he failed to gain the upper hand and instead took a heavy punch head-on. He hurriedly gathered his thoughts, suppressed his impatience, and focused completely on facing his opponent anew.

The two exchanged blows back and forth. After nearly a hundred exchanges, Chu Xiao finally caught an opening and drove a heavy blow into Liu Zhen's left chest.

A sharp pain immediately burst through Liu Zhen's chest, numbing half his body. Knowing the situation was beyond saving, he shouted, "I concede!"

Chu Xiao was the sixth to finish his battle.

Soon, the seventh arena ended as well.

Only the last one remained.

And that last one... was still Zhen Ke'ai.

A familiar voice rang out.

The minor official repeatedly asked, "Tan Sheng, are you conceding? Are you conceding?!"

Yet no matter how many times the minor official asked, the martial artist named Tan Sheng merely clenched his teeth and said nothing. Like a sandbag, he endured the fierce attacks of the pure-eyed youth before him.

However, Tan Sheng's body was clearly far tougher than Cao Jin's had been. Despite taking blow after blow, he still managed to cling stubbornly to consciousness and hold on.

Just then, a middle-aged man's anguished voice came from below the arena. "Guanghe Gang, Tan Sheng, concedes!"

The minor official turned toward the voice and asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man clasped his fists and hurriedly replied, "I'm Tan Lin, leader of the Guanghe Gang. Tan Sheng is my son. I'm conceding on his behalf."

Upon hearing this, the minor official immediately announced loudly, "Stop!"

Zhen Ke'ai clenched his fists, still wanting to attack, but then remembered the rules of the martial contest and could only withdraw his hand in frustration. He glared resentfully at the unwelcome intruder who had interrupted him, his face full of displeasure, looking as though he had not yet had his fill of fun.

The minor official then announced in a ringing voice, "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, wins!"

Tan Lin entered the arena and helped up his son, who was already at the end of his strength.

Only then did Tan Sheng begin gasping heavily. A muffled groan of pain escaped him as he stammered, trying to say something. "Father, he..."

Tan Lin cut him off. "Enough. We'll talk when we get back."

The eight finalists were set.

Aside from Qi Yu, Zhen Tianshuang, Han Yan, and Chu Xiao, there was Chen Feng, also from the Black Bear Martial Hall, along with three other martial artists who were not from the eastern part of the city.

The eight stood silently in the arena, waiting for the arrangements for the next round.

On the elevated platform...

Zheng Bao's thick brows were tightly furrowed as he said in a low voice, "That kid named Zhen Tianshuang uses some rather strange techniques."

Mei Ying did not respond.

Though he was a seventh-grade martial artist, killing was not his forte. Otherwise, he would not have been assigned to Mount Wei City as a permanent inspector.

Still, he had noticed something abnormal about Zhen Tianshuang. In both of his consecutive matches, his opponents had seemed nailed to the arena floor. They neither conceded nor fell, and were beaten like sandbags.

After a brief moment of thought, the chief examiner said indifferently, "The path of martial arts is full of wonders. How can we hold prejudice merely because someone's cultivation method is unusual?"

With that, he selected the names of the four seeded contestants he considered strongest.

Qi Yu, Zhen Tianshuang, Han Yan, Lin Wuming...

The four names were placed alone at the very top, each assigned to a separate group. This arrangement was meant to prevent these top experts from encountering one another too early and allowing others to pick up the scraps.

Only afterward did Mei Ying write down the names of the other four contestants, assigning each to a group.

The semifinals began...

"Qi Family, Qi Yu."

"Green Mountain Martial Hall, Huo Wenwen."

Qi Yu looked up. Across from him stood a bright, youthful girl with a ponytail. She looked to be around sixteen, dressed in a blue martial uniform trimmed in white. Her posture was straight, and above her head floated the values "27~51."

Huo Wenwen carefully sized him up, then suddenly broke into a smile, revealing two small canine teeth. "You know Sister Song Xue, don't you?"

Qi Yu nodded.

Huo Wenwen's eyes lit up, and she said brightly, "I heard the minor official announce your victory so quickly just now. You must have defeated Zhou Qing with a single punch, right? Then you're definitely much stronger than me.

"Sister Song Xue always used to say you were a spoiled young master, but now that I've seen you, you don't seem like one...

"Oh, I've been talking so much that I haven't introduced myself. I'm Sister Song Xue's closest friend. We trained outside together before. Go easy on me later, all right?"

Qi Yu was stunned for a moment.

Had he already made a name for himself?

The gong sounded. Huo Wenwen did not rush to attack. Instead, she spread her feet and assumed the distinctive defensive stance of the Green Mountain Martial Hall. Her fists were held in a steady frame, her gaze focused, and her posture clearly showed that she intended to strike second and await his attack.

Qi Yu did not underestimate her. He immediately began circling, winding around her like a snake around an old tree as he attacked without pause...

Their fists and palms struck one another continuously, ringing out with a series of "thumps" and making for quite a spectacle.

One exchange.

Two exchanges.

Ten exchanges.

Huo Wenwen realized that her opponent was giving her the advantage.

She suddenly retreated half a step and called out, "I concede!"

Then she winked at Qi Yu and said in her clear voice, "I was bound to lose anyway, so I won't wear you out. You still have to fight for the Top Three."

Qi Yu smiled. "Thanks."

"What are you thanking me for? You're really amazing! I can't beat you!"

Then she lowered her voice and added, "If you run into Zhen Ke'ai, be careful... I was close by during the previous match. When they carried Tan Sheng off, I heard him mumble, 'His body was out of control. I couldn't even speak.'"

Qi Yu's pupils contracted slightly, and he nodded.

This information had not even been recorded in his cousin's "secret manual."

The three matches ended quickly.

The winners were exactly as chief examiner Mei Ying had expected: Qi Yu, Han Yan, and Lin Wuming.

But the fourth battle was still underway...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang bang bang!!

A figure stood rigidly in place like a battered sandbag, allowing the pure-eyed youth to pound him relentlessly.

Fist shadows fell like rain. Every blow landed solidly on flesh, producing muffled impacts that made the heart tremble.

The exceedingly familiar scene had left the minor official speechless. He could only stare blankly before repeatedly asking the familiar question: "Chu Xiao, are you conceding? Are you conceding?!"

But Chu Xiao said nothing.

He stubbornly remained upright, knocked down again and again only to climb back up again and again. His lips moved soundlessly, and his teeth chattered.

Bang!!!

Another punch.

Another heavy blow smashed brutally into his face. Two bloodied teeth flew out with a crisp crack, while scarlet spittle sprayed across the yellow earth of the training ground.

The innocence in Zhen Tianshuang's eyes grew even stronger. Like a child who had discovered a fascinating new toy, he happily circled Chu Xiao.

Just as he was about to attack again, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the distance, accompanied by the sound of clothing slicing through the wind.

Someone was approaching at speed!

Zhen Tianshuang's eyes suddenly widened. As his pure gaze shifted, a strange glint flashed through it. He grinned, and a palm wind erupted as he ruthlessly struck toward the crown of Chu Xiao's head!

A furious roar came from the distant figure. "Chu Xiao concedes!! I'm his master, Qi Qinghong! I'm conceding on his behalf!"

It turned out that after seeing the young leader of the Guanghe Gang leave the arena in dejection, Qi Qinghong had wanted to go over and ask what had happened. Unfortunately, the matches had followed one another too quickly, and he had been unable to do so.

He had also sensed that something was strange about Zhen Tianshuang, so he had taken precautions and simply left the spectators' stand early to wait outside the arena.

Now, seeing that his beloved disciple was in a bizarre state, he immediately followed the example of the Guanghe Gang's leader and conceded on his behalf.

Whoosh...

The palm wind howled, but no dull impact followed.

Zhen Tianshuang was very obedient. He seemed to know that injuring someone after this point would count as a violation, so although the palm had been struck with tremendous force, it stopped above Chu Xiao's head without landing. Instead, it followed through downward and lightly brushed the blood from his collar.

The minor official hurriedly announced, "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, wins!"

At the announcement, the dazed, foolish youth immediately beamed. He turned around, hopping and skipping as he waved his arms and cheered, "I won! I won..."

Qi Qinghong let out a long breath. The taut string in his heart finally loosened.

However...

After Zhen Tianshuang had taken several steps away, Chu Xiao, who had been standing rigidly behind him, suddenly raised his right fist. Blood-colored energy roiled around it.

Fear and disbelief intertwined in Chu Xiao's pupils. His body was completely beyond his control. In the next instant... after the minor official had announced the result and his opponent had already turned away, he suddenly lunged forward, his fist aimed straight at the back of Zhen Tianshuang's head!!

Everyone was stunned by the sudden sneak attack.

Yet Zhen Tianshuang seemed to have anticipated it. His body spun like lightning, and he twisted like a top before sweeping out with a side kick. A piercing kick struck Chu Xiao squarely in the chest.

Bang!!

Crack!!!!

The dull impact was accompanied by the crisp sound of breaking bones, echoing through the arena.

Chu Xiao flew backward and slammed heavily into the ground. He struggled twice on his back, then fell silent, his life or death unknown.

Zhen Tianshuang bounced about on the spot, clapping his hands with childish innocence as one word after another burst from his mouth. "Despicable! Shameless! Sneak attack! Bad man! No martial virtue!"

The sight left Qi Qinghong rooted to the spot... His hands and feet turned cold, and his heart sank into utter despair.