The entire venue fell silent.
A breath later, a thunderous round of cheers erupted from the Tianqing Martial Hall's side.
Yin Shanshan silently wiped the fine beads of sweat from her brow and let out a breath.
Yin Tianqing's expression was complicated, but mostly filled with delight.
On the sparring ground.
Luo Hou's face was filled with disbelief.
Chen Mo cupped his hands toward him and said, "I appreciate you yielding." The other man returned the gesture with a slight bow, then trudged over to stand behind Zhao Huayuan, head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.
Whispers rose from the crowd. Everyone looked at the young man who had defeated Luo Hou across a level, yet showed no arrogance or swagger, simply walking back to where the Tianqing Martial Hall disciples stood.
"A Ming Jin fighter beat a Dark Jin fighter, and the other guy was the Zhao Family head's disciple, no less. Tsk, tsk. Chen Mo's going to be famous for a while now."
"Where did this Chen Mo come from? How did he suddenly show up in Black River Town? I'd never heard of him before."
"Maybe he's some family's young master..."
Rumors flew, growing more and more exaggerated with every telling.
Chen Mo paid them no heed and walked over to Yin Tianqing and Yin Shanshan.
Yin Tianqing patted his shoulder. "How did it feel?"
Chen Mo thought for a moment. "I wasn't used to it at first, but I got a little better later."
Yin Tianqing nodded in satisfaction. He looked far more spirited than he had before!
Chapter Chong had crushed the Tianqing Martial Hall's pride, but Chen Mo had picked it back up.
Though Zhang Chong had become a thorn lodged in Yin Tianqing's throat, one he could never pull out, Chen Mo's performance today had rekindled some hope for this batch of disciples.
Outside the Hua Pavilion.
Zhao Huayuan shot Luo Hou a sharp glance, his face dark as iron. But he was a Hua Jin expert of long standing, and quickly composed himself.
He spoke loudly. "Chen Mo of the Tianqing Martial Hall defeated my young disciple. Truly, heroes emerge in youth. Let this sparring contest end here. I hope you will all seize victory and claim the banners at the Martial Examination."
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Liu Zongsheng of the Black Tiger Hall murmured a few words to Zhao Huayuan, then left with his attendants.
Yin Tianqing had no wish to linger either, and led his disciples back to the Tianqing Martial Hall.
After all, no one yet knew how Yue Lun was faring.
At the entrance, after Zhao Huayuan finished speaking, his face darkened slightly. He asked in a low voice, "How did you lose?"
Luo Hou paused, his face burning. He stammered, "That Chen Mo... every time he threw a punch..."
"Every time he did what?"
"His punches were strange and treacherous... This disciple truly couldn't adjust to them. If I run into him again..."
The teacup in Zhao Huayuan's hand suddenly shattered. A flying shard sliced a thin line of blood across Luo Hou's face, but he didn't dare move.
"You won't get the chance to run into him again..."
A trace of ruthlessness appeared in Zhao Huayuan's eyes. "Next time, we'll have Chong'er take action."
His mind was as clear as a mirror. Now that Chen Mo had defeated Luo Hou, what would people say?
In their eyes, a Ming Jin disciple of Yin Tianqing's could defeat a Dark Jin disciple of Zhao Huayuan's!
That was something the heads of Anyang County's great families would never tolerate!
Luo Hou stood with his head bowed, not daring to argue.
Just then, the Hansha Gang's deputy leader came down from the second floor and walked to the entrance. Seeing that he had something to say, Zhao Huayuan sent Luo Hou and the others away, then went inside with the deputy leader.
The deputy leader cupped his hands. "Hall Master, Chen Mo is a commoner who suddenly joined the Tianqing Martial Hall. He entered Ming Jin in half a month, then killed the men we sent to intercept the Wu Family caravan, and later killed two of our Ming Jin fighters. I suspect..."
"You suspect he has some mysterious cultivation method?" Zhao Huayuan asked at once.
The deputy leader broke into a cold sweat. "Yes. Nothing escapes your notice, Hall Master."
"Just say what you have to say."
The deputy leader swallowed. "Should we make him disappear before the Martial Examination and find out what he has on him?"
Zhao Huayuan sat down and slowly tapped his fingers on the rosewood table, lost in thought.
After a moment, he shook his head. "No. We've already submitted the Martial Examination roster. If we couldn't cripple him today, in a formal sparring match, and resorted to an assassination instead, the county or prefecture might start asking questions. If we haven't covered our tracks well, we'll only invite trouble."
The deputy leader nodded in agreement.
Zhao Huayuan stood up. "For the time being, make sure nothing goes wrong."
The deputy leader replied again.
Tianqing Martial Hall.
Yue Lun lay unconscious on a bed in the inner room. Nearby, a white-haired old man was preparing medicine.
Yin Tianqing asked urgently, "Old physician, how is my disciple's injury?"
The old man sighed. "He's suffered internal damage and won't recover anytime soon. He'll need several months of medicine and rest. We'll see how he is then."
Hearing this, Yin Tianqing's expression turned complicated. He and the old physician led the disciples out of the inner room, leaving Yue Lun to rest.
Once outside, Yin Tianqing cupped his hands to the old physician. "Old physician, tell me honestly. Is there any hope that my disciple will recover fully? If you can heal him, I'll repay you handsomely."
The old physician returned the gesture. "You're too kind, Hall Master. If there's even the slightest hope, I'll do everything I can. But his injuries... several of his tendons and bones were crushed."
"As the Hall Master surely knows, tendons are the foundation of martial arts. Once they're badly damaged, they're difficult to heal. I'm afraid your fine disciple will have a hard time returning to his former state. At most... he might recover thirty or forty percent."
"Thirty or forty percent..." Yin Tianqing murmured.
Some of the disciples nearby lowered their heads in silence.
For a martial artist, retaining only thirty or forty percent of one's strength meant there was no future in martial arts.
"Senior Brother Yue was so dashing just yesterday, and now he's like this. Sigh, damn that Zhao Family!"
Ji Chang punched a wooden post, furious.
Standing nearby, Chen Mo pondered.
The incident had served as a warning.
Since he possessed Mountain and Water Cultivation, giving him a shortcut ordinary people didn't have, there was no need to prove himself at every turn and put himself in danger. Keeping a low profile whenever possible was best.
And yet.
As the saying went, once you stepped into the martial world, you had no say in what happened to you.
The great waves sifted the sand; only by entering the game could you become the golden grain that ultimately shone.
Yin Tianqing came over and patted Chen Mo on the shoulder. "Chen Mo, come with me. I have a few things to give you."
Chen Mo paused, then followed Yin Tianqing.
The two entered Yin Tianqing's private room, one after the other.
Yin Tianqing closed the door. "Chen Mo, since you joined the hall, I haven't paid as much attention to you as I have to Zhang Chong, Yue Lun, Shanshan, Li Xuan, and the others. I've even paid less attention to you than Luo Heng and Zhou Pi."
His words were sincere, and entirely true.
Chen Mo listened calmly, in no hurry to respond.
Yin Tianqing continued, "But you've surprised me time and again. From today onward, perhaps I'll have to rethink my prejudice about your aptitude."
"With your Comprehension, there isn't much I can teach you. The only way I can help is with material resources."
As he spoke, he opened a drawer in the cabinet, took out a plain gray bottle, and handed it to Chen Mo.
"This is a bottle of Ningjin Pills. They'll help you break through to Dark Jin."
Chen Mo's heart gave a start.
Before you continue