Earth Skin Drum

"The victor—Zhao Tiehe of Three Mountains City!"

The referee's declaration finally landed, and almost at the same moment, Zhao Tiehe's fiercely punching figure crashed to the ground.

His injuries were actually far heavier than Lin Zhengli's, and his stamina had long since reached its limit. In the end, he had been swinging purely on willpower.

Now he went limp, lying supine on the ground.

Beside him, Lin Zhengli had been nearly hammered into the pit by his fists, already unconscious.

The arena was littered with broken stones, severed vines, deep craters, splashed water, bloodstains... a scene of utter devastation.

And it was only then that the applause from outside the arena began.

At first it was sparse and scattered, because neither combatant was a fellow townsman to the spectators, but soon it exploded into thunderous noise.

This battle had been too spectacular, and it made everyone recognize the tenacity of the Three Mountains City cultivators.

They admired Zhao Tiehe, and through him, their view of the city behind him shifted. Perhaps this was exactly what they had fought to the death to prove.

Born in barren lands, in mountain ranges overrun with ferocious beasts, they were no savages. They had their own loves and hates, their own pursuits, their own... honor.

"That was incredibly hard-won." Ling He clapped until his hands were red. He was perhaps the only person present who had never once sneered at the Three Mountains City cultivators as "Mountain Barbarians."

Because he understood what it felt like to be looked down on, he never looked down on others.

But Zhao Rucheng was focused on another issue: "Those two beat each other into that state—Third Brother gets a walkover win!"

Huang Azhan had already started calculating: "One win is ten Dao Merit. Those two fights are won without even fighting. The Three Cities Dao Discussion first-year champion gets double Dao Merit reward. Add it up... fifty Dao Merit. Half a Vein-Opening Pill! He has to treat us!"

If not for Jiang An'an's presence, he probably would have blurted out "Three-Part Fragrance Pavilion."

"What's Dao Merit? Is it valuable?" Jiang An'an asked curiously.

"Yeah." Zhao Rucheng already knew the story of Jiang An'an earning money to "repay a debt," and teased her: "One point of Dao Merit is worth more than that chest of treasure you earned!"

Jiang An'an counted on her fingers, calculated very seriously for a while, then spread her hands wide and drew a big circle. "That really is a lot!"

After the first round of the rotation battle ended, there was only a very short recovery time. It was somewhat unfair to Zhao Tiehe, who had just endured a bitter fight, but the rules were the rules.

After the referee asked repeatedly, Zhao Tiehe still stood shakily in place. He was going to keep fighting.

Jiang Wang stood across from him, hand on his sword, gaze heavy and focused.

"Step down," Sun Xiaoman said.

She looked like a little girl, and her voice sounded like a little girl's, but the words she spoke were not something Zhao Tiehe could ignore.

He turned his head and looked at Sun Xiaoman. "I still have one life to gamble."

His tone was not intense, but rather calm, because he was stating a fact.

Jiang Wang was no weakling—he had defeated Yang Xingyong in a head-on clash, and he was in peak condition right now.

At this moment, he truly had nothing left to gamble except his life.

"Your life is very important. Three Mountains City needs you badly." Sun Xiaoman said very seriously: "I allowed you to risk your life before because you still had a chance. I won't allow it now because the chance is gone. You've had many resources piled onto you. Your life cannot be wasted in vain."

Something in her words convinced him. Zhao Tiehe turned around and staggered off the arena.

Whether it was an illusion, in that moment he turned, Jiang Wang seemed to catch a flash of tears in his eyes.

A man like that could actually cry?

Jiang Wang could not understand these Three Mountains City cultivators' almost obsessive fixation on victory and defeat.

He had already given his all—why would he grieve over not being able to fight to the death?

With this question lingering, Jiang Wang faced the third round of the rotation battle—by this time, Lin Zhengli had not even woken up yet, and Lin Zhengren once again conceded on his behalf.

And so Jiang Wang became the first-year champion of this Three Cities Dao Discussion. Because of the mutual defeat of his opponents, it didn't seem very convincing, but...

"Who cares! Dao Merit in hand is what's real," Zhao Rucheng said.

By now, Jiang Wang had withdrawn to the sidelines, becoming a spectator alongside Ling He and the others.

The people of Maple Forest City were quite generous to the cultivator who had brought them glory, and they actually cleared a spot for the resting Jiang Wang.

Jiang An'an and that arrogant little girl were now sitting side by side in the very front row, while Jiang Wang and the others sat behind them, chatting idly.

The only thing that surprised Jiang Wang was that the Cloud Blanket spread on the ground as a seat was not Zhao Rucheng's handiwork, but had been brought by the old man who had escorted the little girl Qingzhi.

This Cloud Blanket was extremely light in weight and incredibly soft to the touch—a luxury that ordinary families could not enjoy. Yet Qingzhi's family had taken out such a large piece to lay on the ground.

Jiang Wang could only sigh. In the world of the wealthy, there was always a mountain beyond a mountain.

He thought back to his own upbringing—his family had land and a shop, and they never lacked for food or drink. But ever since he met Zhao Rucheng, he often felt like a beggar.

The hunchbacked old man studied Jiang Wang for a few moments, then suddenly spoke: "I didn't expect you would return that chest of treasure. Little friend Jiang has taught his sister well."

The old man's voice was very kind, but paired with his shifty appearance, it was hardly convincing.

Jiang Wang was not one to judge by appearances, so he did not respond with disrespect: "It was only right. It was just a childish game between kids—how could it be taken seriously?"

"The Master said: 'Wealth and rank acquired by unrighteous means are to me like floating clouds.' Little friend Jiang's words carry quite a Confucian spirit."

Discussing Confucian spirit with a Daoist Sect disciple in the Zhuang Kingdom—this hunchbacked old man had probably read too many books and addled his brain.

Jiang Wang let out a casual laugh and said, "The match has begun."

The Three Cities Dao Discussion had divisions for first-year, third-year, and fifth-year students, but the competition rules were generally the same.

Li Jianqiu and Wang Changxiang took the stage simultaneously, and three matches proceeded at once.

Jiang Wang focused his full attention, observing the overall situation.

Li Jianqiu's opponent came from Three Mountains City. This duel was still very exciting, with both sides displaying exquisite Dao technique manipulation, trading blows and entangling for a long time. In the end, Li Jianqiu defeated his opponent with fire-element Dao techniques.

Wang Changxiang's battle against the Wangjiang City cultivator was comparatively simpler. After the fight began, he first used a Dao technique to summon fog, obscuring his opponent's vision. Then he calmly formed hand seals, and with a single Breath-Blowing Tornado, sent his opponent spiraling into the sky.

A top-grade Dao technique like Breath-Blowing Tornado was nearly unsolvable at this level of combat. Jiang Wang remembered that in Small Forest Town, a single Breath-Blowing Tornado had been enough to drain Wang Changxiang dry, and he had been curious whether the latter had given up on subsequent fights.

But after the battle ended, Wang Changxiang immediately pulled out a Dao Essence Stone and began absorbing it...

It was clear the Wang family had gone all out this time, determined to seize the top spot in the third-year division.

But what the Maple Forest City commoners cared about most was the match of the mysterious black-robed figure from Three Mountains City.

When the black robe was removed, revealing a delightfully comical little fatty, the gathered Maple Forest City residents let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

In their imaginations, beneath the black robe should have been a scar-faced Great Devil King, or at the very least, someone with a fierce appearance. It absolutely should not have been a soft, pudgy person who looked easy to bully.

But to keep them from being completely let down, this little fatty was very strong!

As the duel began, perhaps due to the consecutive losses of his teammates, the third-year cultivator from Wangjiang City unleashed his full power.

He led with five Water Awls, and treacherously concealed Wind Blades between them.

Then came Earth Spikes, and finally, he formed hand seals in preparation for Raging Waves.

A mixed use of water, wind, and earth-element Dao techniques, a series of transitions that dazzled the eyes.

And the little fatty from Three Mountains City did only one thing from start to finish—charge.

He charged forward recklessly, almost bulldozing through the overwhelming barrage of Dao techniques.

He charged right up to his opponent.

Then he raised his fist and brought it down.

The battle was over.

The little fatty's clothes were riddled with holes from the assault, yet the exposed flesh remained fair with a rosy tint.

As for his opponent, he had already fallen.

A whole crowd was stunned.

"His physical defense is too strong!" Ling He exclaimed in awe.

"Is he a pure martial artist?"

"No, that last punch was the Stone-Covered Fist. He used a Dao technique."

"There's no sign of Stone Skin Art or anything similar, so why is his defense this formidable?"

These few were young and inexperienced, and after much discussion, they still had no clue.

"It's the Earth Skin Drum, a permanently solidified Dao technique." Out of nowhere, the hunchbacked old man who had been listening nearby spoke faintly.

But regarding the specifics of this Dao technique, he refused to say more.

Thanks to reader Deer Talk Time for the tip! Also, the little fatty is charging around demanding recommendation tickets! If you don't give, he'll ram you!