The Battle of Entering the Ranks, Three Moves Again!

Liu Chu entered the Inner Court and found the hall master, Yang Wenhuai.

"What? You broke through and entered the ranks?!"

Yang Wenhuai had been reclining in a grand chair. When he saw Liu Chu enter, he merely narrowed his eyes without getting up.

Only after Liu Chu respectfully reported his news did he look at him in surprise, examining him from head to toe before rising to feel the skin membrane on Liu Chu's arm.

"Not bad, not bad. You really did break through and enter the ranks, stepping into the Ninth Grade Skin Refining Realm!"

Yang Wenhuai clicked his tongue in wonder. "Who would have thought? I had assumed your natural endowment was ordinary and that you would most likely find it difficult to break through and enter the ranks."

He had not thought highly of Liu Chu to begin with. He believed Liu Chu's talent was mediocre, and with his background as a fisherman and his impoverished family, it would be hard for him to break through and enter the ranks within three months.

And if he could not break through and enter the ranks within three months, then with his poor family circumstances, he would basically lose his potential and find it difficult to achieve much in the future.

In comparison, Yang Wenhuai had thought more highly of Xu Haoran. The other boy had decent natural endowment and a passable family background, so his chances of breaking through and entering the ranks were greater.

Yet he had never expected to misjudge so badly. Liu Chu had actually been the first to break through and enter the ranks!

"A while ago, I happened to obtain a Treasure Fish. After eating it, I felt its effects were quite good, and it helped me greatly in breaking through and entering the ranks."

Liu Chu used the Treasure Fish as his explanation.

"I see. It seems your body absorbed the Treasure Fish rather well."

Understanding flashed through Yang Wenhuai's eyes. He then patted Liu Chu's shoulder and said, "Since you have already broken through and entered the ranks, earn some silver in the future and continue buying Treasure Fish to eat."

He continued, "From now on, you may cultivate in the Inner Court. The annual tuition is twenty taels of silver, including medicinal soup. These people are all your senior brothers and sisters."

He pointed at the twenty-odd people in the Inner Court.

Liu Chu knew that they were all martial artists who had broken through and entered the ranks!

"Only twenty taels of silver a year for tuition?!"

What surprised Liu Chu was that after entering the Inner Court, the tuition had actually decreased rather than increased. It had changed from twenty taels for three months in the Outer Court to twenty taels for an entire year!

"Everyone in the Inner Court is my disciple. Could this old man possibly still profit off his disciples?"

Yang Wenhuai smiled. "Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall mainly earns money from Outer Court apprentices. Once you enter the Inner Court, the tuition you pay is mostly for the medicinal soup."

"Of course, if you amount to something in the future, just do not forget to show some filial respect to this old man."

Yang Wenhuai had many disciples, and quite a few came from good families. The money they offered him in filial respect each year was already no small sum.

Therefore, once someone entered the Inner Court, he basically would not try to earn much more from their tuition.

"Thank you, Master! If this disciple amounts to something in the future, I will certainly never forget Master!"

Liu Chu was somewhat moved by his words.

He had thought cultivation in the Inner Court would cost even more silver, but it had instead become several times cheaper. He only needed to pay for the medicinal soup.

With that, he would not need to worry too much about money.

Yang Wenhuai nodded in satisfaction. "All right, go cultivate. If there is anything you do not understand, come ask your master."

Liu Chu's eyes lit up at once upon hearing this, and he immediately asked, "Master, do you have any saber techniques? I wish to learn one."

Back in the Outer Court, apprentices were not qualified to ask Yang Wenhuai questions. Usually, it was senior brother Chen He who taught everyone how to cultivate.

Yang Wenhuai only showed himself occasionally to offer some guidance.

As for wanting to learn a saber technique, that had been something they could not even dream of.

But now that he had entered the Inner Court, he could freely seek Yang Wenhuai's instruction. Thus, he immediately thought of the saber technique he had wanted to learn!

"A saber technique?"

Yang Wenhuai frowned and sternly rebuked him, "He who grasps at too much chews none of it well. Focus first on cultivating Combat Technique. Once you have cultivated it to mastery, then think about saber techniques."

"But I have already cultivated Combat Technique to mastery!"

Liu Chu blinked. "Combat Technique does not seem very difficult to cultivate."

"What?!"

Yang Wenhuai's eyes widened. "You have cultivated Combat Technique to mastery??"

Suspicion filled his gaze as he stared at Liu Chu. "Do not try to deceive your master!"

"How would this disciple dare deceive Master?"

Liu Chu answered just as seriously.

Seeing this, Yang Wenhuai nodded slightly and beckoned to a disciple not far away. "Xu Liyuan, spar with junior brother Liu Chu. Do not hold back."

Xu Liyuan looked at Liu Chu in surprise. "Is this junior brother Liu Chu? I heard that while he was still in the Outer Court, he had already cultivated Combat Technique to minor mastery?"

Yang Wenhuai chuckled. "He has now cultivated Combat Technique to mastery."

"Combat Technique at mastery?!"

Xu Liyuan's expression changed in surprise, and he looked at Liu Chu doubtfully. "Junior brother, have you truly cultivated Combat Technique to mastery?"

Liu Chu nodded, assuming the stance of Combat Technique as he said calmly, "Senior brother will find out with a try."

"Fine! Then let me see it for myself!"

Xu Liyuan did not believe Liu Chu had cultivated Combat Technique to mastery. After all, it had taken him a full two years just to cultivate Combat Technique to minor mastery.

Seeing Liu Chu brimming with confidence, he immediately drew a deep breath. A sharp light burst from his eyes as he too assumed his stance.

"This will be a good show!"

"Huh? Why would Master have Xu Liyuan spar with a junior brother who just entered the ranks?"

Seeing that someone was about to spar, the Inner Court disciples stopped cultivating and gathered around to watch.

"Liu Chu! He broke through and entered the ranks too?!"

Among the crowd, Gu Heng's expression changed. His gaze locked tightly onto Liu Chu, and a trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.

"Hey, Gu Heng, isn't that the junior brother who defeated you in three moves in the Outer Court?"

Suddenly, a disciple beside him nudged him with an elbow and said with some glee at his misfortune.

Gu Heng did not answer, his expression unpleasant.

Yet the disciple seemed not to notice his expression and deliberately continued in a provoking tone, "Gu Heng, how many moves do you think junior brother Liu Chu will need to defeat Xu Liyuan?"

Gu Heng pursed his lips and said sharply, "I do not know how many moves Liu Chu will need to defeat Xu Liyuan, but I think... he can defeat you in three moves!"

"Heh heh..."

Seeing signs that Gu Heng was about to get angry, the disciple sneered and stopped provoking him. Still, inwardly, he did not agree at all.

Defeat him in three moves?

Did Gu Heng really think he was as useless as him?

"Liu Chu actually broke through?!"

Chen He, who had just emerged from the dining hall, froze when he saw the two people about to spar, astonishment filling his heart.

At that moment, he felt exactly as Yang Wenhuai had. He had never expected Liu Chu to actually break through.

He carried a wooden bucket of medicinal food, yet stopped walking and could not help lingering to watch.

"Senior brother, please go first!"

As the two faced each other, Liu Chu saw that Xu Liyuan still had not made a move and reminded him.

"Junior brother should go first!"

Xu Liyuan, however, was quite gracious. Unlike Gu Heng, he was not going to bully the younger with the elder's status and still act righteous about it.

"No, no, senior brother should go first."

Thinking of the power of his mastery-level Combat Technique, Liu Chu decided he should give his senior brother some leeway.

It was only a spar. There was no need to take it too seriously.

"Junior brother, please!"

Xu Liyuan insisted on maintaining his grace.

"Senior brother should go first!"

"Junior brother should go first!"

The two continued exchanging courtesies, the elder brother respectful and the younger brother modest.

Everyone: "..."

"Are you two going to fight or not?!"

Yang Wenhuai watched the two waste time with their elder-brother respect and younger-brother modesty, and his blood pressure shot up. He quickly said to Xu Liyuan, "Xu Liyuan, you attack first!"

Xu Liyuan was somewhat unwilling to be made to strike first by his master, but he still respectfully answered, "Yes, Master."

After saying that, he looked at Liu Chu again and warned him, "Junior brother, be careful!"

Then his figure suddenly burst forward like a striped tiger leaping from the forest. Agile and fierce, he kicked up a gust of wind and appeared before Liu Chu in the blink of an eye. His fists shot out like a tiger pouncing in for the kill.

Liu Chu felt the fierce wind rush at his face, and two fists had already torn through the air before him, one to the left and one to the right, sealing off his space to evade.

Yet Liu Chu did not dodge. His hands rose like twin flood dragons lifting their heads, forcefully spreading upward from below. They happened to wedge between the two fists, splitting them apart like a wild horse's mane and leaving Xu Liyuan's center wide open.

"Not good!"

Xu Liyuan was startled. He felt as if his opponent had long since seen through his move. Without time to think, his fists suddenly turned into claws, strength surging through his five fingers as he grabbed at Liu Chu's arms.

But Liu Chu seemed to have already anticipated his reaction. His arms suddenly dipped down again, causing Xu Liyuan's claws to grasp empty air.

"How is that possible?!"

Xu Liyuan felt as though he were trying to catch a slick, slippery loach. Every change in his moves seemed to have already been seen through, his opponent anticipating the enemy before the enemy moved!

Boom!

Xu Liyuan's claws missed, and he already knew something was wrong, but he had no time to react. Pain suddenly exploded in his abdomen, and his entire body staggered back several steps.

Whoosh!

When he raised his head, a fist was already pressed before his throat, fierce wind blowing against his face.

"I lost..."

Xu Liyuan's eyes widened, his expression dazed for a moment.

Three moves!

In only three moves, he had been defeated!