Great Victory (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Great Success Black Ape Fist!"

Lei Wanjun's pupils constricted as he saw the shadows of fists before him growing faster and faster, as if shifting in a thousand ways.

He had not expected his opponent to be hiding his true strength all this time, only revealing this move during the latter half of the bout.

Zhou Yun did not speak; his eyes, reinforced by the true intent of the Black Ape, could now more clearly discern his opponent's weaknesses and openings.

Bang!

A fist landed solidly on Lei Wanjun's waist and abdomen. Lei Wanjun's brows knit together sharply as he forcibly retreated to create distance.

"Brother Zhou, you certainly hid your strength well..."

Lei Wanjun wiped the corner of his mouth, his gaze turning sharp.

"The feeling is mutual. I wonder how many more of my punches you can take?"

Zhou Yun did not give the man a moment to rest. With a few quick steps, he lunged in front of Lei Wanjun and engaged him in close-quarters combat once more.

This time, Lei Wanjun's speed was noticeably slower. The dull ache in his waist and abdomen tugged at his nerves, forcing him to endure the pain.

"I didn't expect Junior Brother Zhou to still be holding back!"

On the viewing platform, Chen Jingping let out a sigh of relief.

It appeared that not only did Zhou Yun possess offensive capabilities equal to Lei Wanjun, but his footwork was even superior.

At the very least, he now had a chance to hold out until exhaustion; as for whether he could win, that would depend on how the situation unfolded...

"Good fist technique!"

Lei Wanjun took another punch from Zhou Yun, though this one was blocked by his forearms.

He grinned, finally ceasing to hide even a fraction of his strength as his figure suddenly began to flicker.

"Minor Success footwork?"

Zhou Yun frowned slightly. Lei Wanjun's attack pattern had suddenly shifted, with whip kicks lashing out from time to time.

He could only defend passively while searching for an opening to counterattack.

But the gaps left for Zhou Yun were minimal, almost entirely covered by Lei Wanjun's Minor Success footwork.

"What a nuisance..."

Zhou Yun muttered to himself. It seemed that if he wanted to end this bout quickly, he could no longer hold anything back...

"It is over."

Shen Cangyue rose calmly. Since his closing-door disciple had unleashed his final trump card, the one called Zhou Yun no longer had any power to fight back.

Whether the bout continued as a war of attrition or a direct exchange of blows, it would end quickly now that the disparity in their mastery of footwork had been leveled.

Lei Wanjun had been at the Great Success stage of Bright Force for a long time and was only a step away from breaking through to Dark Force; the internal energy in his dantian was naturally incomparable to that of a mere Minor Success Bright Force practitioner like Zhou Yun.

At the Chen family's seats, Chen Jingping's expression darkened.

He had not expected Lei Wanjun to be hiding his strength either. It seemed they had too little information on the talents of Black Stone County; they would have to increase their investment.

It was a pity for Junior Brother Zhou. He had a chance to make a name for himself by winning a cross-rank bout, only to encounter such a stroke of bad luck...

"The Sky Sea Martial Arts Hall helping the White Phoenix Martial Hall in this bout is a signal in itself..."

Chen Jingping stopped worrying about the outcome of the fight and began to plan for more long-term intelligence and interests.

However, just as everyone thought the victor had been decided:

On the stage.

Zhou Yun suddenly caught one of Lei Wanjun's kicks. Just as his opponent tried to retreat, Zhou Yun closed the distance with even greater speed.

This speed was several times faster than before—so fast that many in the audience failed to react.

"This, this is..."

Lei Wanjun was stunned. This speed clearly transcended the scope of Minor Success footwork; it was Great Success footwork, or perhaps even the realization of a martial true intent!

How old was this person? To be able to master both an offensive martial art and a movement technique to the Great Success stage simultaneously!

Before Lei Wanjun could react, a massive fist came rushing toward his face.

He gritted his teeth and dodged, only to realize it was merely an afterimage.

"It's over."

Zhou Yun's voice rang out from behind him. Lei Wanjun felt his center of gravity collapse, and then he lost consciousness entirely.

Seeing this, the previously boisterous martial arts hall fell into a deathly silence.

The disciples of the White Phoenix Martial Hall looked as if they had swallowed wax; they had been rejoicing at the preservation of their hall, never expecting it to be a hollow victory.

"The winner of this bout is... the Chen family's external retainer... Zhou Yun!"

With the White Phoenix Martial Hall master issuing the decree himself, the bout was finally brought to a complete end.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you have actually mastered both Black Ape Martial Arts techniques?"

Chen Jingping stood beside Zhou Yun, shedding his usual scholarly and easygoing demeanor to say with a hint of envy:

"Even for a senior brother like me, I have only mastered one palm technique, while my movement technique is merely at the minor success stage... It seems you will surpass me in no time, Junior Brother..."

"Senior Brother, you jest. This Junior Brother has only reached the minor success stage of Bright Force; how could I compare to someone at the Dark Force level?"

Zhou Yun took Chen Jingping's words as a joke. This Senior Brother Chen was a genuine Dark Force expert and hailed from a prominent forging family in the main city.

It might be true that he only had one mastered palm technique, but if anyone claimed he didn't know a weapon-based martial art, Zhou Yun would never believe it.

"Regardless, since you helped our Chen family win the sparring match, the ten percent share of the mine's profits we promised you will certainly be honored."

Chen Jingping took a pouch of silver from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Yun, saying, "Here is twenty taels of ready silver. Since you have now mastered two martial arts, the original level of sponsorship is clearly no longer appropriate..."

"How could I accept this..."

Though Zhou Yun declined with his words, his hands were very honest as they took the silver pouch.

He even took a moment to weigh it, confirming it was indeed exactly twenty taels.

"Haha, among martial masters, strength is what speaks... If you ever break through to the Dark Force realm, your monthly stipend will naturally increase further."

Chen Jingping patted Zhou Yun on the shoulder: "I have some business to attend to, so I will have my carriage take you back to the martial hall."

With that, he gave instructions to the coachman and hurried away in another carriage.

"Young Master Zhou, please."

The coachman said to Zhou Yun respectfully.

Zhou Yun had no objections; enjoying the carriage all to himself, he took the opportunity to summarize his recent gains.

He had spent quite a bit of silver on weapons earlier, but today he had recouped his losses thanks to Chen Jingping.

However, the mine under the White Phoenix Martial Hall would take at least a month before it started yielding any returns.

Furthermore, in the early stages of mining, receiving fifty taels of silver as a ten percent share would already be considered quite good.

"Right now, I have fifty taels of silver in savings, and adding the escort fee promised by Shen Qingxue, I should have around sixty taels."

Zhou Yun made a quick estimate and felt it was time to buy some Blood Coagulation Pills to prepare for breaking through to the Dark Force realm.

It wasn't for any other reason than the approaching Three Halls Martial Tournament. Although he had at least two mastered martial arts and a spear technique under his belt, his own cultivation level remained a significant weakness.

If he wanted his mother and Sister Ning Yue to move into the main city, a Dark Force cultivation level was the bare minimum, regardless of whether he could place in the top three of the Three Halls Martial Tournament.

"Master, please take me to the nearest Martial Master Chamber of Commerce."

Zhou Yun called out to the coachman in front, choosing not to go to the martial arts market near his home, but instead opting for the more formal Martial Master Chamber of Commerce.

The carriage passed through several streets and soon stopped in front of a four-story pavilion.

As soon as Zhou Yun walked through the entrance of the chamber, he spotted an old acquaintance.

"Shen Qingxue? Why are you here?"

Shen Qingxue was evidently in the middle of selecting something and looked surprised to see him: "Zhou Yun, didn't you just win the sparring match at the White Phoenix Martial Hall? Why have you come to the Martial Master Chamber of Commerce?"

"To buy some Blood Coagulation Pills. What are you here to buy?"

Zhou Yun asked instinctively.

"Me? I'm here to buy an inner armor as a gift."

Shen Qingxue's expression turned slightly strange, but she feigned composure as she spoke.

"Inner armor? Right, I almost forgot that martial masters also have the path of protective gear."

Zhou Yun sighed inwardly; here was yet another way to spend money.

He often risked his life in battles, so a piece of soft, close-fitting armor was certainly essential.

It was just that such items were generally extremely expensive, and he couldn't bear to buy one just yet.

"What are you looking to buy? This Martial Master Chamber of Commerce is sponsored by my Sky Sea Escort Agency; I can offer you some advice."

Shen Qingxue quickly changed the subject and asked Zhou Yun in return.