Direct Promotion?

As the saying goes, a man's reputation is like a tree's shadow.

Even though he hadn't made a move yet, just Shen Zhou standing there brought an indescribable pressure to the people of Splendid Martial Hall.

Du Shuisheng didn't say much, only nodded, then had her junior brothers step back to clear a battlefield.

Once she was in position, she cupped her fists and said with a serious expression, "Please enlighten me!"

Shen Zhou pulled the greatsword from his back and stepped forward to enter the fray.

Just then, Dongfang Pangpang suddenly came up from behind and whispered, "Hey Shen Zhou, she's a girl, you don't have to use the sword, do you? At least not so soon." Dongfang Pangpang raised an eyebrow at Shen Zhou, wearing a 'you know what I mean' look.

"This fatty actually knows how to be gentle with the ladies?"

Shen Zhou glanced at him in surprise, then thought it over and replied, "Then... I'll let her have three moves?"

Who would've thought Du Shuisheng would overhear that? She, a woman with no less spirit than a man, said, "No need. Go all out. I want to see for myself just how big the gap is between me and the 'Invincible Under the Transformation Yuan Realm.'"

'Invincible Under the Transformation Yuan Realm'?

Shen Zhou scoffed at that title.

I'm clearly invincible under heaven, aren't I?

Seeing that she was a martial arts fanatic, Shen Zhou abandoned any thought of holding back. He carried his sword onto the field and said, "Fine. As a sign of respect, I won't go easy. Be careful."

Du Shuisheng nodded gravely.

At that moment, she still didn't realize the gravity of the situation.

Then, the match began!

The instant they moved, Du Shuisheng's eyes sharpened. Her twin blades flew from their sheaths like a tiger baring its fangs, flashing with deadly edge in a split second.

She gripped the blades in reverse, her figure darting like a swallow's shadow, her feet weaving like a snake's steps as she closed in for a swift assault.

As the saying goes, strike first to gain the upper hand; strike second and you're done for.

Du Shuisheng aimed to catch her opponent off guard and seize the initiative.

If any other martial artist had been watching, they would've applauded that series of moves—a textbook example of the weak challenging the strong, flawless in execution.

But she had barely taken two steps in her fast attack, her blades not yet unleashed, when she looked up and saw a greatsword crashing down like a mountain.

Du Shuisheng's expression stiffened. "What? His speed is even faster than mine?"

No time to think. She raised both blades above her head to block, intending to weather the blow and then counter.

But the next moment...

With a loud bang, Du Shuisheng's mind went blank, and she flew backward like a kite with a snapped string.

In an instant, the people of Splendid Martial Hall froze.

Wh... what the hell? It's over just like that?

Then they snapped out of it and rushed to catch her.

Luckily, Shen Zhou had pulled his strength at the last moment, so Du Shuisheng wasn't badly hurt—just a little rattled, her qi and blood in disorder, her face pale from the shock.

As for Shen Zhou, he had already sheathed his sword, stepped back, and returned to his original spot. His movements were smooth and clean, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing this, Dongfang Pangpang covered his forehead and sighed. "This guy... hopeless..."

San Mazi, gritting his molars, kept sucking in cold air and muttering that Boss Zhou was way too 'straight.'

Even if he wasn't going to go easy, did he have to be that ruthless?

Wasn't he afraid of traumatizing the girl?

The crowd in the martial hall stared at Shen Zhou like he was a monster.

Du Shuisheng, coming back to her senses, bit her lip, her face full of disbelief.

Defeated in one sword stroke!

So this was the weight of 'Invincible Under the Transformation Yuan Realm'?

"You're too kind!"

Shen Zhou finally spoke. After saying that, he turned around, tore down the martial hall's signboard again, and without another word, led San Mazi and Dongfang Pangpang out the door.

This series of moves left Du Shuisheng, who had been about to thank him, with her mouth still open.

Finally, watching the three figures walk away, Du Shuisheng's emotions churned, and she could only sigh. "With strength like his, this championship is surely his for the taking!"

The people of Splendid Martial Hall fell silent.

Champion? So what?

Champion or not, he'll never get a wife!

After leaving Splendid Martial Hall, Shen Zhou immediately rushed off to challenge the next place.

The routine was the same every time: go in, register, listen to them blabber 'I won't let you have your way' and the like, then start fighting.

Shen Zhou treated everyone equally—one sword strike, send them flying, then move on to the next.

However, when they reached one particular martial hall midway, they unexpectedly found its Hall Master also present.

The man claimed he merely wanted to see "Dugu Qiubai" for himself and would not interfere with the match. Yet when Shen Zhou began sparring with his disciple, the Hall Master stared intently, trying to exert mental pressure on Shen Zhou.

Shen Zhou did not indulge him. Once the fight started, he held nothing back. With a single sword strike, he sent the disciple spitting blood and carried off the field.

This enraged the Hall Master so much that he nearly stepped in personally to spar with Shen Zhou.

Shen Zhou, however, did as he pleased. After taking the token, he turned and left without a backward glance.

The Hall Master finally shouted after him, "Kid, you just wait. Once the tournament is over, I'll personally visit your Hall Master to 'seek advice.'"

Shen Zhou gave a disdainful smile. "No need for our Hall Master to act. I'll be waiting for you!"

Midway, on the road to the next martial hall, Shen Zhou and his two companions found a snack stall, ordered some food, and took a break.

Taking this opportunity, San Mazi and Dongfang Pangpang pulled out their score tokens and tallied up. In just one hour, Shen Zhou had already taken down eleven more martial halls. If the morning ended, he might break past twenty.

Just as Shen Zhou was brimming with confidence and ready to press on with his challenges, who should show up but someone from Flying Bird Academy.

The visitor was none other than the very manager who had handled the academy's student recruitment.

After finding them, the manager introduced himself: "My surname is Mo. I am a managing elder of Flying Bird Academy and also the person in charge of this Citywide Martial Hall Tournament."

Seeing this guy, Shen Zhou and the other two exchanged glances, confusion hidden in their eyes.

Back when they had applied to Flying Bird Academy, this very man had rejected all three of them, even saying that those eliminated by Flying Bird Academy would never surpass its disciples even if they trained elsewhere.

Dongfang Pangpang had joined this tournament precisely to wait for Flying Bird Academy's disciples to compete later, so he could challenge them and prove himself.

Thus, none of the three held any goodwill toward Manager Mo.

In the end, it was Shen Zhou who looked up and greeted him. "May I ask what business Manager Mo has with us?"

Manager Mo was somewhat displeased with their attitude, but thinking that these three were young and accomplished, some arrogance was to be expected. So he kept his expression neutral and said in a flat tone, "I'm here on behalf of the City Lord's Mansion and the entire tournament to inform you that, due to your outstanding strength and remarkable performance, you no longer need to participate in the preliminary or secondary rounds. You will advance directly to the top eight. Congratulations!"

For anyone else, this might have felt like recognition of their abilities, and they would have gladly accepted.

But Shen Zhou and his group planned to finish off all their competitors in a single day and claim their prize tomorrow.

Thus, upon hearing this news, their first reaction was not joy but a frown.

After a moment's thought, Shen Zhou asked, "Can we decline the advancement?"

"..."

Hearing this answer, Manager Mo was stunned.

They were actually refusing?

Frowning, Manager Mo asked, "Why?"

Shen Zhou exchanged glances with the other two.

They certainly couldn't say it was so they could finish everything in one day and collect the prize tomorrow—the man would never agree to that.

So Shen Zhou paused, then replied, "We'd rather follow the tournament rules, step by step, and advance on our own merit. We don't want to cut corners."

Manager Mo's expression softened slightly as he explained, "Letting you advance directly isn't cutting corners. Our investigation shows that your strength is exceptional, and participating in the preliminaries would be pointless. Advancing to the top eight will let you compete for the championship with the other seven halls and also spar with Flying Bird Academy's disciples. That will benefit your martial path."

As he spoke the last sentence, a hint of arrogance seeped from Manager Mo's demeanor.

In his eyes, Flying Bird Academy was a cut above the rest, and allowing ordinary martial hall disciples to spar with them was already a great honor.

Shen Zhou and the others silently scoffed, their eyes showing disdain.

But since the man insisted on their advancement, it seemed hard to refuse outright.

Shen Zhou gave a perfunctory bow. "Fine, then. Thank you. If Manager Mo has nothing else, we'll be on our way."

With that, Shen Zhou and his companions paid for their food and actually got up to leave.

Seeing this, Manager Mo stood there stunned for a long time.

He couldn't put his finger on it, but the entire conversation felt off to him.

It was as if he had been offering warmth only to meet a cold shoulder.

After Shen Zhou and the others had walked far away, Manager Mo suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right—I still don't know what their martial hall is called."

In the end, Manager Mo learned the name of Flying Bird First Martial Hall. And that name, along with "Dugu Qiubai," spread throughout the city in no time.

Inside Wu Clan Martial Hall.

Upon learning that Dugu Qiubai hailed from "Flying Bird First Martial Hall" and had advanced directly to the top eight, Wu Chen's murderous intent blazed like wildfire across the plains, impossible to suppress.

"So that's why he dared to challenge my Wu Clan on the very first day—he's in league with that Shen fellow."

"It seems those people from White Deer Academy are dead set on opposing my Wu Clan!"

"Flying Bird First Martial Hall, is it? Dugu Qiubai, is it? ... Fine, fine, fine. When the top eight battle comes, I'll see for myself whether this 'Dugu Qiubai' truly lives up to being 'invincible below the Transformation Yuan Realm'!"

Wu Chen punched the tea table, shattering it.

Beside him, Wu Xu, pale and still recovering from severe injuries, cautiously said, "Young Master Chen, since Flying Bird First Martial Hall has already advanced to the top eight, no matter how furious you are, our hall has been eliminated. How will you teach that Dugu Qiubai a lesson during the top eight matches?"

Wu Chen replied coldly, "Since it's the top eight, other halls have advanced too. Send someone to keep watch and find out exactly who makes it. When the time comes, I'll personally go talk to those Hall Masters."

Wu Xu's expression shifted as he grasped the implication, then answered, "Yes!"