First Place (1)

After Qi Yu won, Zhou Qing's arrogance immediately deflated.

He knew his opponent had held back. Struggling to get up, he cupped his hands towards Qi Yu, then clutched his chest and rasped, "I concede," before turning and leaving the stage decisively.

"Qi Family, Qi Yu, wins!!"

Since it was a one-hit victory, the announcer's voice was filled with excitement as he repeated the declaration.

The announcement was loud and clear enough for many surrounding stages to hear.

On the next stage...

Hearing this, Chu Xiao felt a surge of urgency, and his attacks became more rapid.

However, his opponent, Liu Zhen, was also quite formidable. With Chu Xiao's impatience, he gained no advantage and instead took a heavy punch. He quickly collected himself, suppressed his anxiety, and refocused on the fight.

The two exchanged blows, fighting for nearly a hundred rounds. Finally, Chu Xiao seized an opening and struck Liu Zhen's left chest with a heavy blow.

A sharp pain shot through Liu Zhen's chest, numbing half his body. Knowing he couldn't turn the tide, he immediately shouted, "I surrender!"

Chu Xiao was the sixth to finish his match.

Soon, the seventh stage also concluded.

Only one remained.

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

A familiar voice called out.

The announcer repeatedly asked, "Tan Sheng, do you surrender? Do you surrender!?"

However, no matter how the announcer inquired, the martial artist named Tan Sheng on the stage gritted his teeth and remained silent, like a sandbag, enduring the fierce attacks of the pure-eyed young man opposite him.

Still, Tan Sheng's body was clearly much tougher than Cao Jin's before. Despite taking hit after hit, he managed to hold on by sheer will.

Just then, a mournful voice came from below the stage: "Guanghe Gang, Tan Sheng, surrenders!"

The announcer looked down and asked, "Who are you?"

The middle-aged man cupped his fists and replied rapidly, "I am Tan Lin, the leader of the Guanghe Gang. Tan Sheng is my son. I surrender on his behalf."

Upon hearing this, the announcer immediately declared loudly, "Stop!"

Zhen Ke'ai clenched his fist, ready to strike again, but then remembered the rules of the match. He reluctantly retracted his hand, shot a resentful glance at the uninvited guest who had interrupted him, his face full of displeasure, as if he hadn't had his fill of fighting.

The announcer then announced clearly, "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, wins!"

Tan Lin stepped onto the stage and helped his son, who was at his limit, to his feet.

Tan Sheng finally gasped for air, letting out a pained groan. He tried to say something intermittently, "Dad, he..."

Tan Lin interrupted him, "That's enough. We'll talk later."

The top eight were decided.

Besides Qi Yu, Zhen Tianshuang, Han Yan, and Chu Xiao, there were Chen Feng from the Black Bear Martial Hall and three other martial artists from outside the east of the city.

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

On the high platform...

Zheng Bao frowned deeply and said in a low voice, "That kid named Zhen Tianshuang, his martial arts style is a bit unorthodox."

Mei Ying did not respond.

Although he was a Seventh Rank, he was not skilled in combat. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to Mount Wei City as a resident inspector.

However, he had also noticed Zhen Tianshuang's peculiarity—in two consecutive matches, his opponents seemed to be nailed to the stage, neither surrendering nor falling, and were simply beaten like sandbags.

The chief examiner pondered for a moment and said calmly, "The path of martial arts is inherently varied. How can we be prejudiced just because a technique is unusual?"

With that, he picked out the names of the contestants he considered potential top four seeds one by one.

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

The four names were placed at the very top, divided into four groups. This arrangement was to prevent these top contenders from meeting too early, allowing others to gain an advantage.

Afterward, Mei Ying wrote down the names of the remaining four contestants one by one, assigning them to their respective groups.

The quarter-finals began...

"Qi Family, Qi Yu."

"Green Mountain Martial Hall, Huo Wenwen."

Qi Yu looked up. Facing him was a youthful and beautiful girl with a ponytail, appearing to be around sixteen years old. She wore a green uniform with white trim, standing tall. Above her head floated the numbers "27~51."

Huo Wenwen examined him carefully, then suddenly smiled, revealing two small canine teeth. "Do you know Sister Song Xue?"

Qi Yu nodded.

Huo Wenwen's eyes lit up, and she said cheerfully, "I heard the announcer say you won so early just now. You must have defeated Zhou Qing with one punch, right? That's definitely much more impressive than me. Sister Song Xue always said you were a playboy, but you don't seem like one now..."

Oh, I've said so much and haven't even introduced myself. I'm Sister Song Xue's close friend. We went out for training together before. You'll have to go easy on me later."

Qi Yu froze for a moment.

Has he made a name for himself?

The gong sounded. Huo Wenwen didn't rush to attack. Instead, she widened her stance, adopting Green Mountain Martial Hall's unique defensive posture. Her fists were steady, her gaze focused, ready to counter and waiting for her opponent to make the first move.

Qi Yu didn't underestimate her. He immediately began to move, coiling like a snake around an old tree, constantly launching attacks...

Fists and palms continuously met, making "bang bang" sounds. It was quite a spectacle.

One round.

Two rounds.

Ten rounds.

Huo Wenwen realized the opponent was going easy on her.

She suddenly took half a step back and announced loudly, "I concede!"

With that, she winked at Qi Yu, her voice clear and crisp, "I was going to lose anyway, so I won't waste your energy. You still need to compete for the Top Three."

Qi Yu smiled and said, "Thank you."

Huo Wenwen replied, "No need to be polite. You're really amazing! I can't beat you!"

Then, she lowered her voice and said, "If you encounter Zhen Ke'ai, be careful... I was close by last match. When Tan Sheng was carried away, I heard him mumble something about 'my body not obeying me, I can't even speak.'"

Qi Yu's pupils contracted, and he nodded.

This information wasn't even recorded in his cousin's "secret manual."

The three matches ended quickly.

The winners were no surprise to the examiner, Mei Ying: Qi Yu, Han Yan, and Lin Wuming.

But the fourth match was still ongoing...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang bang bang!!

A figure stood rigidly in place like a broken sack, enduring the onslaught of the innocent-looking youth.

Fist shadows rained down, each one landing squarely on flesh and bone, emitting heart-stopping thuds.

The all-too-familiar scene made the clerk forget to speak. He just stared blankly at the spectacle, then repeatedly asked the familiar question: "Chu Xiao, do you concede! Do you concede!?"

But the latter wouldn't speak.

He stood stubbornly, falling down repeatedly, only to get up again, his lips trembling, his teeth chattering.

Bang!!!

Another punch.

Another heavy blow landed squarely on his face. Two bloody teeth flew out, and scarlet blood sprayed onto the yellow earth of the training grounds.

Zhen Tianshuang's innocence intensified, circling Chu Xiao like a child discovering a new toy.

Just as he was about to strike again, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from a distance, accompanied by the sound of wind rushing through clothes.

Someone was approaching rapidly!

Zhen Tianshuang's eyes widened sharply. A flicker of something unusual flashed through his innocent gaze. He grinned, and a fierce palm strike shot out, aimed mercilessly at the crown of Chu Xiao's head!

A figure in the distance roared, "Chu Xiao concedes!! I am his Master, Qi Qinghong! I concede for him!"

It turned out that after the young leader of the Guanghe Gang had dejectedly withdrawn, Qi Qinghong had wanted to go up and inquire about the situation, but the matches had followed too quickly, and he hadn't had the chance.

He had also noticed Zhen Tianshuang's strangeness, so he had been cautious and decided to wait outside the viewing platform beforehand.

At this moment, seeing his beloved disciple in such a bizarre state, he immediately imitated the Guanghe Gang leader and conceded on his behalf.

Whoosh...

The palm strike whistled through the air but didn't land with a dull thud.

Zhen Tianshuang was obedient. He seemed to know that injuring someone now would be a violation. Thus, the fiercely delivered palm strike hovered above Chu Xiao's head without striking. Instead, it swept downwards, lightly dusting off the bloodstains on his collar.

The clerk hurriedly announced loudly, "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, wins!"

The dazed, silly youth heard this and immediately beamed, hopping and skipping as he turned around, cheering with joyous abandon, "I won, I won..."

Qi Qinghong let out a long sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing.

However...

A few steps after Zhen Tianshuang turned away, Chu Xiao, who had been standing rigidly in place behind him, suddenly raised his right fist. Blood energy surged around it.

Fear and disbelief warred in Chu Xiao's pupils. His body was completely out of control. In the next instant... after the clerk had declared the winner, after his opponent had already turned away, he lunged forward ferociously, his fist aimed directly at the back of Zhen Tianshuang's head!!

Everyone was stunned by the sudden sneak attack.

Zhen Tianshuang, however, seemed to have anticipated this. His body spun like lightning, a whirlwind of a side kick. A heart-piercing leg strike landed precisely on Chu Xiao's chest.

BANG!!

CRACK!!!!

A dull thud accompanied by the crisp sound of bone cracking echoed outwards.

Chu Xiao was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground. He struggled for a moment on his back before falling silent, his life or death unknown.

Zhen Tianshuang leaped and bounced in place, clapping his hands with innocent purity. He blurted out word after word: "Despicable! Shameless! Sneak attack! Bad guy! No martial ethics!"

This scene left Qi Qinghong stunned on the spot... his limbs grew cold, his heart turned to ash.