Miracle

Chen Mo leaped into mid-air, a trace of crimson staining the corner of his mouth, his body arched like a bow.

Clenching his fist, his posture resembled one reaching for the moon in the heavens.

In an instant.

This punch crashed down with a roar!

Bang!

The moment the force of the punch landed, the guard the latter had raised shattered instantly.

The kinetic energy surged forward, slamming into his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his body flying out of bounds like a fledgling bird with broken wings, rolling a dozen times before coming to a stop.

Chen Mo, on the other hand, quickly steadied himself after landing, wiped away the blood that had spilled from his lip when the opponent struck his shoulder, and then slowly rose to his feet.

"Hiss..."

Gasps of cold air rose from all around.

Chen Mo had defeated Zhang Chong?!

This gave the onlookers a profound sense of unreality. In their minds, Zhang Chong possessed the strength to easily secure a spot in the top ten, with a high probability of reaching the top five.

Yet now... the one lying on the ground was Zhang Chong, while the one standing was Chen Mo.

At this moment, they looked like rows of geese stretching their necks, astonishment written all over their faces.

"A miracle, truly a miracle!"

Someone began to shout.

"Entering the Dark Jin overnight, and defeating a late-stage Dark Jin practitioner the moment he breaks through—tsk tsk, someone like this hasn't appeared in many years."

"I wonder if he can put up a fight against the strongest, Xie Jinyou?"

Chen Mo listened to the voices outside, his heart remaining largely unmoved. He merely glanced at Zhang Chong, who was struggling to rise with the help of several Zhao Family servants, his face, chest, and limbs all covered in bloody abrasions.

A terrifying fist print was clearly imprinted on his chest.

Zhang Chong's current state looked exactly like the scene when Yue Lun was carried away that day.

As he was being helped away, the onlookers at the edge of the arena cleared a path, fearing they might be tainted by something.

Chen Mo scanned the surroundings.

The young girls who had previously been infatuated with Zhang Chong were now pale with shock, standing there as if they had lost their souls.

Not far away, Zhao Huayuan's face turned a leaden blue. Their gazes locked in mid-air, and the other man suddenly gave a cold laugh.

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and walked toward the edge of the arena.

At this moment, the members of the Tianqing Martial Hall rushed over, swarming around Chen Mo.

Ji Chang even lifted him high into the air, but he accidentally tugged at his shoulder wound, causing him to wince in pain.

Seeing this, Yin Shanshan hurriedly told Ji Chang to put him down, asking with concern, "Your injury... are you alright?"

Chen Mo shook his arm, then shook his head. "It's nothing, I can still continue the competition."

Yin Tianqing, standing to the side, said nothing, but he let out a breath of relief.

The humiliation that Zhang Chong and the Zhao Family had manufactured was now thrown back at the Zhao Family by Chen Mo's own strength.

"Zhang Chong has the strength of the top three this year; he is guaranteed a spot in the top ten and will surely be on the rankings..."

"That little apprentice of yours named Chen Mo, even if he wins the first round by luck, he won't be able to advance any further..."

Zhao Huayuan's previous taunts echoed in his mind, then slowly dissipated into the air.

Just then, an elderly man with silver hair walked slowly toward Chen Mo and said with a chuckle, "Master Yin, young friend Chen Mo, I am Qi Sheng of the Qi Family."

Qi Sheng was the second master of the Anyang Qi Family.

Yin Tianqing immediately bowed. "So it is the senior from the Qi Family. A pleasure, a pleasure."

Qi Sheng waved his hand and said, "We are of the same generation; why call me senior? We can address each other as brothers."

He paused. "I saw young friend Chen Mo defeat Zhang Chong earlier. Zhang Chong is one of the top three in strength this year, which means young friend Chen Mo is even higher than that. I won't beat around the bush—I would like to invite you to practice martial arts at my Qi Family. You will certainly not lack any resources."

Hearing Qi Sheng's words, Chen Mo's fellow disciples were all filled with envy.

The Anyang Qi Family was a prestigious, long-standing clan.

Even a guest of the Qi Family received stipends and resources that smaller families could not compare to.

Moreover, Qi Sheng was inviting Chen Mo to practice at the Qi Family without requiring him to take on any duties.

Yin Tianqing watched Chen Mo silently, not interfering.

He wanted Chen Mo to make his own decision.

Qi Sheng also waited quietly on the side.

After a moment of thought, Chen Mo looked up. "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Qi. I am flattered, but this matter is of great importance. I would like to consider it carefully first."

Qi Sheng was not disappointed; the smile remained on his face. "No matter. Once young friend Chen Mo has decided, if you are interested in my Qi Family, just come and find me."

After saying this, Qi Sheng turned and walked away.

In truth, Chen Mo was uncertain whether refusing the Qi Family was right or wrong; after all, the Qi Family was a major clan in Anyang County, and such an opportunity was rare and highly sought after.

A major clan meant deep waters, and without first understanding the situation within their family, blindly agreeing could potentially drag him into some unknown feud.

However, he was not born into the Qi Family and was merely practicing martial arts there, so the influence they could exert on him was limited.

Furthermore, even if he were affected, as the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes; it wouldn't be a big deal to just dust himself off and leave.

Thinking of this, Yin Tianqing suddenly spoke up and asked, "Are you agonizing over your decision just now?"

Chen Mo nodded, "I hope for your guidance, Master."

Yin Tianqing continued, "Based on your performance over these past two days, even the Xie and Qi families of Anyang will favor you. Therefore, when the time comes, it will be you choosing them, not them choosing you."

"Because a Dark Jin practitioner who has broken through twice, and who can defeat a late-stage Dark Jin practitioner while only in the early stage, has limitless potential."

"The fact that you didn't immediately agree on the surface shows that your reason exceeds that of an ordinary person. You did the right thing!"

Chen Mo felt enlightened after hearing this.

Although Yin Tianqing had not yet reached Hua Jin, he had been at the peak of Dark Jin for several years, and he had encountered ten times more people and events than Chen Mo.

Therefore, Chen Mo believed that his words must be correct.

At this moment, Xie Jinnian walked over quickly with a beaming smile on his face, "Brother Chen, from today on, you will be famous throughout all of Anyang County! Having a friend like you, I, Xie Jinnian, will have something to boast about at the dinner table and a topic of conversation for the future."

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Chen Mo asked with a suspicious expression.

Xie Jinnian nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, "To tell you the truth, the elders of our Xie Family already know of your exploits. Knowing that you are new to Anyang County, they have instructed me to treat you well."

Hearing this, Chen Mo's expression became subtle.

He hadn't expected his master's words to come true so quickly.

The Xie and Qi families were both making their moves at the same time.

If they bet correctly, they would gain a young martial artist with extraordinary talent.

Even if they bet wrong, it would only be a loss of some resources, which, for such a major clan, was like a drop in the ocean.

Chen Mo immediately cupped his hands, "Brother Xie, I still have another match. Let me focus on preparing for it first, and we can chat in detail after the competition ends."

Xie Jinnian readily agreed and patted him on the shoulder, "You are now among the top fourteen in the skill trials. Everyone here is an elite among the youth of the major factions, but unless you run into my cousin, I'm betting on you to win, haha."

Chen Mo also laughed along.

He calculated inwardly that even if he lost the next match, combined with his results from yesterday's strength trials, he should still be able to make it into the top ten.

He just wondered, exactly how strong was that peak Dark Jin practitioner, Xie Jinyou?