For a martial hall, a disciple's defeat could still be chalked up to inferior skill. Though it would damage their reputation and reduce the number of newcomers, the situation could still be salvaged. But... if it was a case of "failing to ambush the opponent, only to be beaten to death on the spot," then both martial skill and martial virtue would be lost, enough to make the entire martial hall bear the stain of infamy.
It was easy to imagine that after today, "the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall's genius ambushed his opponent during the Provincial Examination" would become hot gossip in every street and alley. Many would point at the martial hall's signboard, jab fingers at their backs, and chatter endlessly.
High on the platform...
The three examiners sat silently, and none opened his mouth to intervene.
A hint of barely perceptible admiration even flashed through Zheng Bao's eyes.
Song Qinghong's entire body trembled faintly. What could he say?
Accuse the other side of using strange techniques and striking too viciously?
Once those words left his mouth, it would be no different from bringing humiliation upon himself. It would only make the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall stink even worse and become an even greater laughingstock.
Among the surrounding spectators, there was no shortage of sharp-eyed people who had seen that the martial artist named Chu Xiao had been toyed with. Yet everyone watched coldly from the sidelines, quietly taking note.
Most of them, in fact, had not understood what they had seen. Besides, the majority stood relatively far away and had only witnessed "Zhen Tianshuang holding back, the match ending, Chu Xiao launching a sneak attack, and then being killed by Zhen Tianshuang in return."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd. "I know him! He's the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall's genius, Chu Xiao. Before the match, Hall Master Song personally instructed him in seclusion for over a month!"
Song Qinghong whipped his head around, but he could not find the speaker. The man had hidden in the crowd, shouting once before ducking away.
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. In the next moment, all kinds of voices rang out.
"I know this guy too. A while back, he was taught a lesson by people from the Black Bear Martial Hall at Pin Hai Restaurant!"
"I thought the hall master's personal instruction would produce some outstanding disciple. I never expected... he was teaching him how to ambush people."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. When those above act a certain way, those below will surely imitate them. Truly, a famous teacher produces a brilliant disciple!"
All manner of words meant to pierce the heart surged forth like a rising tide.
Song Qinghong abruptly clenched his fists and growled, "Black Bear, don't push people too far!!"
"Black Bear" had been the former nickname of the Black Bear Martial Hall's hall master. It had been a very long time since anyone had called him that.
Yet no response came. Instead, someone nearby muttered, "He's slandering people recklessly again."
Before long, two disciples from the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall hurried onto the platform. Amid whispers and strange looks, they lowered their heads and carried Chu Xiao away.
Such a huge commotion had been seen from the other three arenas as well.
Qi Yu glanced at Zhen Tianshuang, who was hopping around on the platform, and his eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of surprise showing on his face.
The data above Zhen Tianshuang's head read: 20~60.
This...
What kind of joke was this?
It was considerably lower than he had expected.
He had originally thought that Han Yan's lower-grade secret-script aptitude, already at "27~59," was extremely strong. As a holder of upper-grade secret-script aptitude, Zhen Tianshuang's figures should have been absurd.
Yet that was not the case.
After thinking it over carefully...
Qi Yu understood.
Han Yan was a martial arts genius, and Chu Xiao was actually not much inferior to him. Zhen Tianshuang, however, was different... He was a dazed and foolish youth who had suffered a shock, undergone a drastic change in temperament, and developed a penchant for slaughter. His secret-script aptitude was upper-grade, but his martial aptitude was truly lacking.
From that "20" lower limit for combat power, Qi Yu could tell that without his secret-script aptitude, Zhen Tianshuang would not even be as good as Sun Li. He might not even have been able to obtain the title of Martial Scholar, let alone enter the third round.
Qi Yu swept his gaze over Zhen Tianshuang, then turned it toward Song Qinghong.
In that instant, Song Qinghong seemed to have aged several decades. His back stooped, and amid a heavy sigh, he silently walked back the way he had come. Laughter still erupted from the crowd from time to time, each word vicious enough to pierce the heart.
That once-powerful body now held only silence. The outline of his profile faintly revealed bitterness.
"Uncle Song!"
Qi Yu suddenly called out.
Song Qinghong stopped and looked toward the youth not far away. He forced out a smile and encouraged him, "Fight well."
Qi Yu asked, "Uncle Song, are you leaving?"
Song Qinghong nodded gloomily.
Qi Yu said loudly, "Uncle Song, although I'm a member of the Qi Family, all my martial arts were passed down by the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall. The Provincial Examination isn't over yet. Why not stay and watch a little longer?"
Song Qinghong froze when he heard that.
At that moment, Zhen Tianshuang was still hopping around on the platform and making faces, shrieking, "The Spirit Serpent Martial Hall has no martial virtue! Ambushes! Bad people! Shameless!"
Qi Yu said nothing more. He simply turned calmly toward the arena, raised his hand, and crooked a finger at that frenzied figure.
Zhen Tianshuang instantly brightened. As if he had discovered a novel toy, he stared straight at Qi Yu with excitement filling his face. "Are you from the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall too?"
Qi Yu replied, "Yes."
Zhen Tianshuang tilted his head. "Are you going to ambush me too?"
Qi Yu said indifferently, "There's no need to play those tricks. Let your fists do the talking."
Zhen Tianshuang clenched and unclenched his fists. Bloodthirsty excitement burst from his eyes as he pronounced each word, "Beat... you... dead."
Below the platform, Song Qinghong's figure paused. His old eyes, weathered by wind and frost, actually reddened slightly.
"Uncle Song," Qi Yu said gently, "go watch from the platform."
Song Qinghong inhaled deeply. As his chest rose and fell, he gave a heavy nod.
Yet in the end, he did not move to the viewing platform.
Even with the gazes around him pricking like needles and thorns, he stubbornly stood where he was, his spine straight.
He accepted this child's intentions, and he would remember them.
He had already made up his mind. If Qi Yu truly faced Zhen Tianshuang later, he would keep his eyes fixed on the arena. The moment he noticed anything amiss, even if it meant violating the rules, he would intervene at once, save Qi Yu, and concede on his behalf!
On the matchmaking platform, chief examiner Mei Ying took in everything happening below.
After pondering briefly, he directly separated Qi Yu's and Zhen Tianshuang's names.
Then he finalized the pairings:
Qi Family's Qi Yu versus Green Mountain Martial Hall's Lin Wuming;
Zhen Family's Zhen Tianshuang versus Black Bear Martial Hall's Han Yan.
The bronze gong rang...
Qi Yu stepped into the arena, and the man opposite him walked in as well.
The man had thick brows and large eyes. He wore the same blue martial outfit with white trim that Huo Wenwen had worn earlier, but his bearing was extremely steady. The combat power above his head was "28~56."
Aside from Song Qinghong and Ghost Hand Seven, he was the only other person Qi Yu had seen whose combat power upper limit was exactly twice the lower limit. This showed that the man's aptitude was exceptionally good and that he had practiced martial arts for many years.
The two were sizing each other up when Han Yan's rough voice suddenly rang out from the arena on the other side.
"I concede!"
After shouting his concession, the burly figure strode away without looking back, leaving the entire venue dumbfounded.
The minor official stood stunned for two breaths before finally calling out, "Zhen Family, Zhen Tianshuang, wins!"
This sudden turn of events left both Qi Yu and Lin Wuming stunned.
Qi Yu did not understand why Han Yan had conceded so quickly.
Even if they both belonged to the Umbrella Sect, that... surely did not warrant this.
Han Yan's combat power was 27~59, while Zhen Tianshuang's was 20~60.
In theory, Han Yan had at least a fifty percent chance of winning.
But then he realized that "other people couldn't see combat power."
Perhaps... Zhen Tianshuang's "upper-grade secret-script aptitude" had discouraged Han Yan, causing him, as someone with lower-grade aptitude, to admit inferiority and lose his nerve before the fight had even begun.
On the other side, Lin Wuming also came to his senses. He cupped his fists toward Qi Yu and said apologetically, "Young Master Qi, I saw everything that happened earlier. Under ordinary circumstances, I would have yielded this match and let you fight Zhen Tianshuang. However, today's Provincial Examination concerns the title of Top Three, which is of vital importance to me... I have no choice but to offend you."
In Qi Yu's previous fights, he had either stopped after making his point or won with a single move. In the previous match, Huo Wenwen had even conceded on her own after ten exchanges. Strictly speaking, he had expended very little stamina.
But from this point onward, he had to finish the fight quickly.
"Brother Lin has extraordinary bearing. However, in this match... I also need to finish things quickly."
Every step had been perfectly steady, giving his fists something different.
Hunyuan Contending Force granted him the ability to see through the vast majority of movements.
Lin Wuming laughed. "Young Master Qi, you'd better not be careless."
With that, he lowered his waist and settled into a horse stance, spreading his fists before him. He seemed like a massive rock taking root, possessing a steady bearing that could not be moved by the eight winds. He came from the same lineage as Huo Wenwen, yet appeared more profound and weighty.
Qi Yu said, "Offend me."
Then he stepped to the side, his body moving like a serpent swimming.
Lin Wuming remained unhurried. His arms moved as though sealing and closing, protecting the vital points around his body.
As Qi Yu drifted from side to side, he suddenly lunged forward!
Lin Wuming's pupils shrank. He raised his hand to meet the attack.
The two figures rapidly closed the distance.
In the next instant, fists and arms collided, erupting with the sound of an encounter as fierce as a violent storm.
After barely a dozen breaths, the dazzling offense and defense suddenly... came to an abrupt halt.
Lin Wuming's arms had been knocked apart. A black fist steaming with white vapor was already pressed against his throat. Amid his stunned expression, it gently tapped forward...
"You're too kind."
Qi Yu panted heavily.
Lin Wuming smiled bitterly. "I concede."
Yet as soon as he finished smiling bitterly, he saw Young Master Qi opposite him also wearing a bitter smile. "Brother Lin, you've made things so difficult for me."
Lin Wuming smiled bitterly. "How did I make things difficult for Young Master Qi?"
Qi Yu's bitter smile grew even more pronounced, his face full of ruefulness. "Brother Lin's defense was watertight. To break through it, I poured in twelve-tenths of my strength. Right now..."
He rubbed his head and let out a long sigh. "The muscle here is still twitching."
Lin Wuming was stunned for a moment. Realizing that the other man was giving him face, he could not help laughing heartily. "Good! I'll make a friend of you!"
Then he added, "Brother Qi, in that case, none of the four of us has expended too much. As luck would have it, I can face Han Yan at full strength, while you... can fulfill your wish and meet Zhen Tianshuang."
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