The First Match, Becoming Captain!

The second round of competition ended, leaving only three candidates: Li Hu, Jia Hongyi, and Lu Feng.

To determine the ultimate winner, Strategist Wang Jun had them draw lots again.

This time, both Li Hu and Jia Hongyi drew the number one lot, while Lu Feng drew number two.

Thus, Lu Feng received a bye and advanced directly to the final round.

Looking at the number two lot in his hand, Lu Feng merely smiled faintly.

"Heh, seems my luck isn't bad."

He was indifferent to it either way—to become the new Captain, he had to take first place in the competition; the bye changed nothing.

But for Li Hu and Jia Hongyi, it was different. Now that Lu Feng's Martial Realm had been exposed, the pressure on them was immense.

Still, vying for the position of Captain, neither was willing to give up easily.

Soon, Li Hu and Jia Hongyi began their match. Both were at the same Martial Realm, both having reached the peak of Seventh-Rank Martial Artist.

The two exchanged over a hundred rounds on the Martial Arts Arena without a decisive victor.

Yet Lu Feng, watching from below the stage, could see that Jia Hongyi was already running out of stamina.

If the fight continued, the eventual winner would undoubtedly be Li Hu.

And the outcome was as expected. At the hundred-and-twentieth round, Jia Hongyi revealed a flaw, took a punch from Li Hu, and fell completely into a disadvantage.

Within ten more rounds, Jia Hongyi was knocked off the Martial Arts Arena, spitting blood in defeat.

Lu Feng looked at Li Hu on the stage, his expression one of approval.

This man not only had a solid foundation in martial arts but also considerable practical combat experience.

If Lu Feng hadn't advanced to Eighth-Rank Martial Artist, taking him down would have required some effort.

On the stage, Li Hu now turned his gaze toward Lu Feng, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes, as if he bore some grudge.

Seeing this, Lu Feng felt a flicker of doubt. He and Li Hu were merely acquaintances with no real dealings between them—why would the man suddenly show him such hostility? Something was definitely off.

Then Li Hu came down from the stage to rest. Once his strength had recovered, Strategist Wang Jun announced the start of the final match.

Lu Feng and Li Hu both stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena. After taking their positions, they made a fist and tucked their fingers in salute to each other.

The formalities over, Li Hu wasted no time and launched a direct assault.

Lu Feng stood his ground, countering each move with ease.

Soon, they had exchanged over twenty rounds. Seeing that ordinary punches and kicks couldn't take Lu Feng down, Li Hu turned his fist into a claw and suddenly struck at Lu Feng's throat.

This claw strike was clearly within the realm of Martial Skills. From what Lu Feng knew, the Martial Skill Li Hu practiced was the Black Tiger Claw.

If that claw hit its mark, his neck would likely be snapped on the spot.

It seemed Li Hu intended to kill him.

In a flash of insight, Lu Feng understood. He no longer held back and let out a light shout.

"Cloud-Dispelling Palm, Second Style: Cloud-Veiled Moon!"

His right palm chopped down from above onto Li Hu's tiger claw.

With a bang, the claw strike was shattered on the spot, and Li Hu was knocked back several steps.

Seeing his opponent staggered, Lu Feng pressed the advantage. With a swift step forward, he closed in and struck again with Mountain-Overturning Sea-Crushing.

Li Hu, still reeling, felt a dull ache in his right hand, but with another attack incoming, he gritted his teeth and used the Black Tiger Claw once more.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!~"

The next moment, the relentless palm strikes of Mountain-Overturning Sea-Crushing drove Li Hu backward. Seeing his opponent completely on the defensive, Lu Feng spun and delivered another blow—Dark Clouds Obscuring the Sun—straight to Li Hu's chest.

"Bang!~"

This time, Li Hu failed to block. The palm struck him square, and his entire body flew backward.

"Pfft!~"

Mid-flight, Li Hu spat blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Watching him crash to the ground, Lu Feng did not press the attack. He waited for Li Hu to concede.

With the force of that last palm strike, even if Li Hu still had some fighting strength left, he posed no threat.

But just then, Li Hu, still on the ground, suddenly pulled a dagger from his sleeve and hurled it straight at Lu Feng's face.

"Whoosh!~"

The dagger was about to hit its mark when Lu Feng's two fingers shot out and clamped it firmly.

Staring at the dagger in his hand, Lu Feng's eyes blazed with fury. "Li Hu! You dare use a dirty trick—you're asking for death!"

With that, he lunged forward in a single stride, raising his palm to strike Li Hu's head.

"Lu Feng, halt in the name of this official!"

A furious shout rang out from outside the Martial Arts Arena. Lu Feng's palm stopped just inches from Li Hu's face.

If not for that voice stopping him, Li Hu's skull would have been shattered by that blow.

Upon hearing this, Lu Feng turned to look in the direction of the voice, and saw that the speaker was none other than County Assistant Zhou Yongsi.

"Lu Feng, you have quite the nerve! To deliberately take a fellow officer's life during a sparring match—do you have no regard for the law? No regard for the County Magistrate?" Zhou Yongsi, seeing him look over, berated him again.

At these words, Lu Feng slowly withdrew his hand, first shooting a vicious glare at Li Hu, then turning to face County Assistant Zhou Yongsi as he spoke.

"County Assistant, when Li Hu used a dagger to ambush me, you did not speak up to stop him. Now that I defended myself lawfully, you claim I deliberately harmed a fellow officer. I wonder, what purpose does Your Honor have in targeting me like this?"

Lu Feng's words caused Zhou Yongsi's expression to stiffen slightly. Everyone present had seen Li Hu use the dagger to strike from ambush; under such circumstances, even if Lu Feng had truly killed Li Hu by accident, it would still count as lawful self-defense.

Thus, Zhou Yongsi could not refute Lu Feng's meaning.

Seated in the place of honor, County Magistrate Wang Lichuan, upon hearing this, did not immediately render a verdict but simply watched the two men.

Zhou Yongsi's face shifted, and he let out a cold snort. "Hmph! This official was momentarily inattentive and did not notice Li Hu using a concealed weapon. As for your claim that I am targeting you—utter nonsense!"

Lu Feng frowned slightly. This Zhou Yongsi was indeed a wily old fox, brushing the matter aside with a flimsy excuse. It seemed these officials were no simpletons.

Although Zhou Yongsi's words were technically unassailable, everyone present could see that he was singling out Lu Feng.

At that moment, the County Magistrate, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke. "Enough! This matter ends here. Strategist, you may announce the results of the competition."

Strategist Wang Jun, upon hearing this, immediately stepped forward to the Martial Arts Arena and declared, "I hereby announce that the winner of the Qinglu County Yamen's new Captain selection competition is Lu Feng. According to the competition rules, from today onward, Lu Feng shall be the fourth Captain of Qinglu County!"

As the words fell, some among those present were pleased, while others frowned.

Lu Feng, however, felt a surge of joy. After all these days of effort, he had finally succeeded in rising to the rank of Captain.

Then, Lu Feng cupped his hands and bowed to County Magistrate Wang Lichuan. "Your subordinate thanks the County Magistrate for his appreciation. This grace of recognition shall be engraved in my heart forever!"

Wang Lichuan gave Lu Feng a faint smile. "Heh, this Captain position was earned by you yourself. No need to thank me—thank yourself instead."

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