The End

Another draw.

The bamboo slip felt cool in Cui Hao's hand. He looked at the number on it, already weighing his options.

He couldn't keep winning this round.

If he won again, he might well draw one of the elite scions from the great lineages in the city in the next round.

Their cultivation was solid, and they carried their families' secret techniques and pills. They would be hard to deal with.

Especially the young master of the Shao family. Rumor had it he was born with divine strength and could draw a four-stone bow to its full draw three times in a row. His temper was as fiery as a blaze, and he had already crippled several people in the ring.

But he couldn't lose, either. Faking a match or fixing the outcome carried severe punishment. He needed to find a balance.

"Yan Family, Yan Fang!"

A clear voice rang out. The woman opposite him clasped her hands in salute. She wore a gray training uniform, and her complexion had the familiar wheat-brown tan of a martial artist. Her features were bright and open.

Her eyes, in particular, were clear and luminous, sharp with concentration.

"Hongzhan Martial School, Cui Hao." Cui Hao returned the salute, calmly sizing her up. Her steps were light and her center of gravity steady. She clearly favored a nimble, swift style.

"Please!"

Yan Fang struck first. She didn't attack head-on. Her right arm snapped out like a whip, feinting at his face, while her feet skimmed nimbly over the ground like a water strider. In the blink of an eye, she slipped around Cui Hao's flank. Her left hand's fingers joined together like a crane's beak and darted toward the gap beneath his ribs—Flying Crane Martial Arts Academy's signature technique, "Crane's Beak Probes the Claw"!

Cui Hao turned aside to evade. His right arm drew back, then drove forward, his fist crashing toward her waist and abdomen with fierce force. Yan Fang's waist was astonishingly supple. She bent back like a willow branch in the wind, barely dodging his fist, then tapped the ground with her toes and swiftly opened the distance again.

After a few probing exchanges, Cui Hao had already made up his mind. Her footwork is nimble, and she's good at finding openings. Perfect...

His face betrayed nothing. His punches remained fierce and full of force, but in the subtle transitions between moves, they were just a little less fluid. After driving his strength through to his fingertips, he deliberately left the faintest, briefest pause.

Sharp-eyed spectators below the ring had already begun murmuring. "Cui Hao's punches pack a punch, but he doesn't have much variety. He relies too much on strength."

"He's young. All he wants is to hit hard. Someone with good footwork will give him trouble."

Yan Fang's attacks had failed to break through, and she was growing anxious. Her eyes stayed fixed on Cui Hao's movements. After one of his heavy punches, she saw his shoulder and arm seem to stiffen for an instant as he recovered, as though he'd put too much force into the blow. A tiny gap had opened in his central guard!

Now!

Her spirits lifted. She hurried her footwork, her figure slipping in again like a wisp of gray smoke. Both palms blurred into a sea of shifting images, mixing feints with real strikes as she attacked the opening in Cui Hao's guard.

Just as her palm strike was about to unleash its force, Cui Hao suddenly stumbled—his foot had landed squarely in a small puddle left by an earlier match, not yet dried!

His body lost balance and lurched backward, his hands instinctively spreading to either side!

His center was wide open!

Yan Fang didn't suspect a thing. Her lithe body followed close behind as she surged forward, her right palm gathering power. Carrying the Flying Crane palm's signature soft, penetrating force, it struck toward Cui Hao's exposed guard!

Cui Hao seemed only then to realize what was happening. He hurriedly crossed his arms to block.

"Thump!"

Their palms and arms collided with a dull thud. But instead of being knocked back as everyone expected, Cui Hao used the force to spin around. His left hand shot out like lightning, reaching for Yan Fang's right shoulder!

Yan Fang was startled, but reacted quickly. Her left palm sliced diagonally toward Cui Hao's wrist, while her right leg silently swept toward his lower body!

Cui Hao seemed to have anticipated it. His blocking arm sank with the motion and stopped her kick, while his other hand changed from a grab to a push, sending out a wave of yielding force.

Their strength met in that push and counterpush, each subtly canceling out the other. Neither could gain the upper hand.

In the blink of an eye, Yan Fang felt Cui Hao's fingertip press lightly against her wrist pulse. It wasn't an attack; it was more like a silent signal.

Her thoughts raced. Instead of relaxing her hold, she tightened her strength and shouted, throwing her whole body into Cui Hao's chest!

Cui Hao simultaneously surged forward to meet her!

"Bang!"

Their shoulders and arms collided, force bursting in every direction. Both lost their balance at once and toppled backward!

"Ah—!"

Amid the spectators' cries, the two figures fell from the ring almost simultaneously and hit the ground hard!

Dust drifted into the air.

The clerk froze for a moment, then hurried over to check on them. Cui Hao and Yan Fang had both already gotten to their feet and stepped back two paces. Their clothes were dusty and they looked a little disheveled, but neither appeared seriously hurt.

They looked at each other.

Yan Fang pressed her lips together, then clasped her hands in salute first. Her voice rang clear. "Brother Cui, your skills are impressive. Yan Fang is sincerely impressed. Since we both fell from the ring at the same time, the match should be a draw."

"Miss Yan, your footwork is exquisite. I learned a great deal as well." Cui Hao returned her salute. "Since we hit the ground at the same time, a draw is only fair."

The clerk looked from the two of them to the ring and scratched his head. At last, he called out, "Cui Hao and Yan Fang fell from the ring at the same time. The match is a draw! Both are eliminated!"

The spectators fell silent for a moment, then began to murmur.

"What a pity. They were both skilled..."

"Falling out at the same time is rare, but at least it's fair."

"Now they're both out this round."

The Flying Crane Martial Arts Academy's team leader let out a breath of relief and nodded slightly.

At Hongzhan Martial School, several junior disciples looked disappointed, but felt the result wasn't too embarrassing.

Just then, Yan Fang sensed that something was off and couldn't help taking another look at Cui Hao.

That light press on her wrist, the taciturn way they'd thrown themselves together... Had it really been a coincidence?

Cui Hao's expression remained calm. He met her gaze, gave a slight nod, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

Some things were best left unspoken.

The sun slanted westward, and the second round of the preliminary examination finally came to an end.

The examinees streamed away from the plaza in front of the City God Temple.

Sun Cheng, Liu Yan, Cui Hao, and the others walked with the crowd toward the martial school.

The moment they stepped onto the street where Hongzhan Martial School stood, they sensed something was wrong.

Usually, at this hour, the courtyard would ring with shouts as the disciples practiced their punches. Now, it was deathly quiet.

As they pushed open the courtyard gate, a heavy, oppressive feeling washed over them.

In the middle of the courtyard, Xu Dian stood with his back to the gate, hands clasped behind him. His shadow stretched long beneath the setting sun.

Xiao Li knelt before him, head bowed low.

Gao Feng and the other core disciples stood with their hands at their sides, faces grave and scarcely daring to breathe.

The air was thick with the smell of Wound Healing Medicine mingled with blood, and with the taut tension of a storm about to break.

Everyone's eyes turned, almost against their will, toward the master and disciple in the middle of the courtyard.

Xu Dian slowly turned around. His face was expressionless, but his gaze was terrifyingly still. He glanced first at Sun Cheng, Cui Hao, and the others who had just entered, then finally settled on Xiao Li, kneeling on the ground.

He spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but every word struck the hearts of those present. "Tell me."

"Today, in the ring, you broke both a man's arms and destroyed the foundation of his martial arts."

"Was that your own idea..."

Xu Dian's gaze suddenly sharpened, as though he meant to pierce Xiao Li's soul.

"...or did someone tell you to do it?"

"No one told me to." Xiao Li knelt on the ground, his voice hoarse. "We got carried away in the fight. I just... didn't pull my punches in time."

"Master, Junior Brother Xiao didn't do it on purpose," Tu Yan urged softly from the side. "In a match, fists and feet have no eyes. It's hard to avoid the occasional accident..."

"Master, Junior Brother Xiao knows he was wrong," Gao Feng added. "It won't happen again."

Xu Dian remained silent for a long time, his gaze lingering on Xiao Li's face.

Only after a long while did he say, "You're confined for ten days. You're not to leave the martial school. Every morning and evening, you'll go to the meditation room in the rear courtyard and reflect on your mistakes."

Xiao Li bowed his head even lower. "This disciple obeys."

Standing by the gate, Cui Hao watched the scene. Xiao Li didn't seem as honest as he appeared; Cui Hao had a bad feeling about him.