First Class (2)

For a martial hall, a disciple's defeat is merely a matter of inferior skill. While it damages their reputation and reduces new student enrollment, it can be recovered. But... if a "sneak attack fails and the attacker is killed on the spot," then it signifies a complete loss of martial skill and ethics, enough to cast a lasting infamy upon the entire martial hall.

One can imagine that after today, "Spirit Serpent Martial Hall's genius sneak attacking his opponent in the Provincial Examination" will become a hot topic of discussion on every street corner. Many will point at the martial hall's plaque, poke their own spines, and gossip endlessly.

On the high platform...

Three examiners sat in silence, none intervening.

In Zheng Bao's eyes, there was even a fleeting hint of admiration.

Song Qinghong's entire body trembled slightly. What could he say?

Accuse the opponent's technique of being bizarre and their attack ruthless?

Such words, once spoken, would be nothing short of self-humiliation, only further tarnishing Spirit Serpent Martial Hall's reputation and making it an even bigger laughingstock.

Among the onlookers were those with sharp eyes who realized the martial artist named Chu Xiao was being toyed with. However, everyone watched with cold indifference, merely making a mental note of it.

And more people, in fact, were those who hadn't understood what was happening. Furthermore, most people were standing quite far away, only seeing "Zhen Tianshuang held back, the match ended, Chu Xiao attacked, and was then killed by Zhen Tianshuang."

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd: "I recognize him! He's Chu Xiao, the genius from Spirit Serpent Martial Hall! Hall Master Song personally guided his closed-door training for over a month before the match!"

Song Qinghong's head snapped around, but he couldn't find the speaker. The person was hidden in the crowd, shouting their piece before disappearing.

Like a stone thrown into a thousand ripples, various voices immediately erupted.

"I know this person too! He was taught a lesson by people from Black Bear Martial Hall at Pin Hai Restaurant not long ago!"

"I thought the Hall Master's personal guidance would produce a brilliant disciple, but I didn't expect... he taught him how to sneak attack."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. As the superiors act, so shall the inferiors follow. Truly, a great teacher produces great disciples!"

Such heart-wrenching remarks surged like a tide.

Song Qinghong suddenly clenched his fists and roared, "Black Bear, don't push your luck!!"

"Black Bear" was the former nickname of the Black Bear Martial Hall's master, and no one had called him that in a long time.

However, there was no response. Instead, someone nearby muttered, "Making baseless accusations again."

Soon, two disciples from Spirit Serpent Martial Hall hurried onto the stage. Amidst whispers and strange glances, they lowered their heads and carried Chu Xiao off.

The commotion was seen by the other three arenas.

Qi Yu glanced at Zhen Tianshuang, who was hopping around on the stage, his eyes narrowing slightly with a hint of surprise.

Zhen Tianshuang's displayed stats were: 20~60.

This...

Was a joke?

It was much lower than he had anticipated.

He had initially thought Han Yan, with his lower-grade cipher aptitude, was already strong with "27~59." So, Zhen Tianshuang, with his upper-grade cipher aptitude, should be outrageously powerful.

But that wasn't the case.

Thinking carefully...

Qi Yu understood.

Han Yan was a martial arts prodigy, and Chu Xiao was his equal. Zhen Tianshuang, however, was not... He was a foolish, simple-minded youth who, after being stimulated, had a drastic change in his state of mind and developed a penchant for killing. His cipher aptitude was upper-grade, but his martial arts aptitude was truly lacking.

From that "20" combat power minimum, Qi Yu knew that without his cipher aptitude, Zhen Tianshuang wouldn't even be as good as Sun Li, might not even achieve the title of "Martial Scholar," let alone enter the third round.

Qi Yu swept his gaze over Zhen Tianshuang, then shifted it to Song Qinghong.

In that instant, Song Qinghong seemed to age decades. His back stooped, and with a heavy sigh, he silently turned back the way he came. Laughter still erupted from the crowd from time to time, utterly heart-wrenching.

The once robust physique now held only silence, the contours of his profile faintly sketching bitterness.

"Uncle Song!"

Qi Yu suddenly called out.

Song Qinghong paused and looked at the young man not far away, forcing a smile. "Fight well."

Qi Yu asked, "Are you leaving, Uncle Song?"

Song Qinghong nodded dejectedly.

Qi Yu said loudly, "Uncle Song, although I am from the Qi family, my martial arts are all inherited from Spirit Serpent Martial Hall. The Provincial Examination is not yet over. Why don't you stay and watch a bit longer?"

Song Qinghong froze at his words.

At this moment, Zhen Tianshuang on the stage was still hopping and making faces, shouting shrilly, "Spirit Serpent Martial Hall, no martial ethics! Sneak attack! Bad guy! Shameless!"

Qi Yu said no more, calmly turning towards the arena. He raised his hand and beckoned to the frenzied figure.

Zhen Tianshuang immediately brightened, as if discovering a new toy. His face was full of excitement, and he stared intently at Qi Yu. "Are you from Spirit Serpent Martial Hall too?"

Qi Yu replied, "Yes."

Zhen Tianshuang tilted his head and asked, "Are you going to sneak attack too?"

Qi Yu said calmly, "No need for these tricks. Let's settle it with fists."

Zhen Tianshuang clenched his fists, his eyes bursting with bloodthirsty excitement. He said word by word, "I'll beat the shit out of you."

Below the stage, Song Qinghong's body paused slightly. His old eyes, weathered by time, even became a little red.

Qi Yu said gently, "Uncle Song, go to the viewing platform to watch."

Song Qinghong took a deep breath. His chest rose and fell as he nodded heavily.

However, he ultimately did not move to the viewing platform.

Even though the surrounding gazes felt like needles pricking him, he stubbornly stood his ground, his back straight.

He had accepted and remembered this child's intentions.

He had already made up his mind: if Qi Yu were to truly face Zhen Tianshuang later, he would stare intently at the ring. Once he sensed anything amiss, even if it meant breaking the rules, he would intervene immediately to save Qi Yu and concede on his behalf!

On the command platform, the chief examiner Mei Ying took in all the commotion below.

He pondered for a moment and directly separated the names of Qi Yu and Zhen Tianshuang.

Then, he set the order:

Qi Yu of the Qi Family versus Lin Wuming of the Green Mountain Martial Hall;

Zhen Tianshuang of the Zhen Family versus Han Yan of the Black Bear Martial Hall.

The gong sounded...

Qi Yu stepped onto the arena, and the man opposite him also walked in.

The man had thick eyebrows and big eyes, wearing the same dark blue and white trim martial uniform as Huo Wenwen had earlier. However, his demeanor was very steady, and his combat power displayed above his head was "28~56".

This was the only person he had seen, besides Song Qinghong and Ghost Hand Seven, whose combat power upper limit was exactly double its lower limit. This indicated that the opponent had excellent aptitude and had been practicing martial arts for many years.

As the two sized each other up, Han Yan's rough voice suddenly boomed from the other ring.

"I concede!"

After shouting his concession, the burly figure strode away without looking back, leaving the entire venue stunned.

The minor official was stunned for two breaths before loudly announcing, "Zhen Tianshuang of the Zhen Family, wins!"

This sudden turn of events made both Qi Yu and Lin Wuming freeze.

Qi Yu didn't understand why Han Yan would concede so quickly.

Even if they were both from the Umbrella Sect, that... shouldn't be the case.

Han Yan's combat power was 27~59, and Zhen Tianshuang's was 20~60.

Theoretically, Han Yan had at least a fifty percent chance of winning.

But then, he realized that "others cannot see combat power."

Perhaps... Zhen Tianshuang's "superior aptitude, coded" had deterred Han Yan, making Han Yan, with his lower aptitude, admit inferiority and become timid before the fight even began.

On the other side, Lin Wuming also reacted. He cupped his fists towards Qi Yu and said apologetically, "Young Master Qi, I saw everything that just happened. If it were any other day, I would have let this match go and allowed you to fight Zhen Tianshuang. However, today's Provincial Examination is crucial for the top three rankings, and it is of utmost importance to me... I can only offend you."

In Qi Yu's previous matches, he had either stopped just short of a decisive blow or won in a single move. In the last match, Huo Wenwen had voluntarily conceded after ten exchanges. Strictly speaking, his stamina had been minimally depleted.

But now, he had to finish quickly.

"Brother Lin's demeanor is extraordinary. However, this match... I also need to resolve it quickly."

Every steady, perfect step imbued his fists with different power.

Hunyuan Contending Force gave him the ability to see through most movements.

Lin Wuming chuckled, "Young Master Qi, you'd best not be careless."

With that, he sank his stance and adopted a fist posture, rooted like a giant rock, exuding a calm and steady aura that was unmoved by external forces. He shared the same lineage as Huo Wenwen, but his was even more profound and heavy.

Qi Yu said, "Forgive my offense."

Immediately, he stepped to the side, his body like a slithering snake.

Lin Wuming was unhurried, his arms like a seal, guarding his vital points.

As Qi Yu moved, he suddenly lunged forward!

Lin Wuming's pupils constricted, and he raised his hand to meet the attack.

The two figures rapidly closed in.

The next moment, fists and arms clashed, erupting in a storm of rapid exchanges.

However, after only a dozen breaths, the dazzling offense and defense suddenly... stopped abruptly.

Lin Wuming's arms were forced apart, and a black fist, emanating white mist, was already at his throat. As he looked on in stunned disbelief, it gently pressed forward...

"I yield."

Qi Yu gasped for breath.

Lin Wuming said with a wry smile, "I concede."

However, no sooner had he finished his wry smile than he saw Young Master Qi across from him also wearing a wry smile. "Brother Lin has caused me great suffering."

Lin Wuming gave a wry smile. "How have I caused you suffering, Young Master Qi?"

Qi Yu's wry smile deepened, his face full of it. "Brother Lin's defense is watertight. To break through your defense, I poured in twelve parts of my strength. Right now..."

He rubbed his head and sighed deeply. "The muscles here are still throbbing."

Lin Wuming was stunned for a moment. Knowing the other man was being polite, he couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Good! I'll be your friend, Lin Wuming!"

He then added, "Brother Qi, in that case, none of us four have actually expended too much energy. Perfect timing. I can face Han Yan in my prime, and you, Brother Qi... can finally meet Zhen Tianshuang as you wished."