Xuan Ying Seven Strikes

The plaza fell into a dead silence.

Lu Cheng turned his gaze sharply toward this Captain Shen.

The astonishment in his heart nearly spilled out in a shout.

"..."

Good grief, so you aren't here to save us.

What kind of reinforcements would suddenly backstab the ones calling for help?

The three quotas for the East Sun Sect were of immense importance to the Long Wind Escort Agency.

If these three quotas were utilized well, they would not only allow the overall strength of the Long Wind Escort Agency to rival the Chen Family and Lin Family.

They would also forge a much tighter relationship with the East Sun Sect.

Yet now, they had been easily severed by Shen Yi.

As for why Shen Yi would do such a thing.

It was actually quite easy to understand.

The primary function of the Martial Suppression Battalion was to suppress martial arts factions across the region.

Every one they could suppress was one less to worry about.

Having these three quotas divided among seventeen families was far better than letting them all remain with the Long Wind Escort Agency.

It seemed that the Martial Suppression Battalion and the Long Wind Escort Agency must have had a fairly good relationship in the past.

Otherwise, Feng Ji's first choice would have been to seek help from the Heavenly Spring Temple or the Emerald Cloud Abbey.

Whether he had misjudged the man or simply underestimated the situation.

In any case, the Long Wind Escort Agency had suffered a massive loss.

"Very well, since Head Escort Feng has already agreed, what do you say, Hall Master Zhang?"

Shen Yi turned his head again to look at Zhang Rensheng and the others.

"Ah... say... what?" Zhang Rensheng was momentarily stunned.

It wasn't until the master of the Black Tortoise Martial Hall beside him nudged him that he finally snapped back to reality.

What followed was uncontrollable ecstasy.

Without a second thought, he nodded hurriedly:

"No problem, no problem at all, everything will be as Captain Shen arranges."

Afterward, the look he cast toward Feng Qi was filled with unconcealable smugness.

The Long Wind Escort Agency had been taking in disciples for less than a year; they probably couldn't even scrape together three people at the Small Success stage of Internal Strength.

Unlike his side, where he could easily pick out several at the Late stage of Internal Strength.

The so-called competition was essentially a one-sided humiliation of the Long Wind Escort Agency.

Not to mention the three quotas for the East Sun Sect.

This was a true, unexpected windfall.

Shen Yi took in the sight of Zhang Rensheng's expression and chuckled:

"Since you all listen to me, then it's easy to talk."

"The Long Wind Escort Agency has provided their stake, and you seventeen families cannot fall behind."

"Hmm..." Shen Yi looked up at the sky, pondering for quite a while before coming up with a suitable price:

"Five thousand taels of gold, two thousand sets of Blood-Activating Powder, five hundred Hundred Essence Pills, and two hundred portions each of Bone-Strengthening Powder, Tendon-Changing Pill, and Jade Skin Ointment."

"..."

"Huh?"

Hearing the stakes listed by Shen Yi, Zhang Rensheng was greatly shocked.

These items were simply too numerous.

Setting aside the gold, the medicinal pills, while not as valuable as the three East Sun Sect quotas, were still substantial.

Yet, they were enough to cause them significant financial strain.

For a competition with no suspense, was it really necessary to prepare such generous stakes?

Zhang Rensheng looked at Shen Yi with some suspicion, but Shen Yi merely stared back at him, expressionless.

Perhaps he was overthinking it; Shen Yi was likely just trying to avoid appearing too biased.

Finding such an excuse, Zhang Rensheng nodded with a smile:

"Everything will be as Captain Shen arranges."

Shen Yi said:

"Then it is settled."

"Exactly three months from now is the disciple assessment for the Long Wind Escort Agency, so let's set the time for this duel for three months later as well."

After saying this, he turned and left with his men.

When he reached the doorway, he suddenly stopped in his tracks:

"Oh, right, count the Martial Suppression Battalion in for the duel, and we will put up the same stakes as you seventeen families."

"..."

The plaza fell into silence once again.

Watching Shen Yi's disappearing back, not only Zhang Rensheng, but the other sixteen families could no longer force a smile.

They couldn't just not smile; they felt like crying.

The two sides had fought each other, and while neither gained any advantage, the Martial Suppression Battalion had walked away with a belly full of spoils.

The Martial Suppression Battalion was backed by the imperial court; neither their cultivation methods nor their martial arts were things these families could compare to.

Now, the outcome of the duel was truly without suspense.

But the winner had become the Martial Suppression Battalion.

What a Shen Yi, he was truly worthy of being a standout among the younger generation of the Zhenwu Guard.

Even as he left, he had dealt a massive blow to the martial path of Yang City.

These resources would likely be enough to help him step directly into the perfection of Body Refining!

He was truly ruthless!

After a long while, Feng Qi sighed and looked at Zhang Rensheng:

"Master Zhang, are you satisfied with this result?"

Zhang Rensheng's lips twitched, but in the end, he shook his head.

He gave a casual cupped-fist salute to Feng Qi and left with his men without saying a word.

Inside Feng Zhan's room.

Feng Qi and Feng Ji sat on chairs, sipping tea.

Lu Cheng and Feng Zhan stood facing each other.

Sparse shouts drifted in from the plaza; clearly, everyone was distracted.

The atmosphere was somewhat stifling for a moment.

From start to finish, Feng Zhan and the others had never expected to be targeted by the Martial Suppression Battalion.

Had they known, they would have been better off risking injury to fight it out with Zhang Rensheng and his group.

"Three Head Escorts, if I understand correctly, this three-way duel only allows disciples from each family to enter the arena, right?"

Feng Ji glanced at Lu Cheng and offered a forced smile:

"Don't worry, since Shen Yi played us today, he won't let the Martial Suppression Battalion lay a heavy hand on you."

"As for those seventeen families, although they have martial artists at the late stage of Energy Refining, their strength is just so-so."

"In the Energy Refining realm, the gaps between stages aren't that large, and with your current progress, reaching the minor accomplishment stage in three months will be no problem at all."

"Moreover, we have decided to teach you the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk in advance; with your aptitude, learning it won't be difficult."

"There are very few in the Energy Refining realm who can master martial arts, which is enough to bridge the gap in cultivation stages."

"When the time comes, winning might be difficult, but protecting your life will be no issue."

Lu Cheng's original intention was to confirm whether any Body Refining martial artists would be entering the arena.

Three months was enough for him to reach the late stage of Energy Refining.

But upon hearing about the Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk, Lu Cheng swallowed his words.

"Second Head Escort, what does this martial art entail?"

Feng Zhan took over the explanation:

"Usually, one cannot come into contact with these things before the Body Refining realm, but given the special circumstances, there is no harm in telling you."

"A martial artist's strength is not determined solely by their realm."

"It is the result of the superposition of realm, cultivation method, and martial art."

"Among them, realm is naturally the most important; a martial artist in the Body Refining realm could stand still and let you hit them, and they wouldn't even be injured."

Lu Cheng nodded; that was indeed true.

Last night—no, early this morning—Feng Zhan's test had fully demonstrated this principle.

"But cultivation methods and martial arts cannot be underestimated either."

Feng Zhan looked at Lu Cheng and said earnestly:

"Whether it is a cultivation method or a martial art, they are divided into Heaven, Earth, and Mortal tiers, with each tier split into high, middle, and low grades. The difference in the effects produced by each grade is quite immense."

"While one cannot ignore the gap between major realms, within the same realm, even a single grade difference can lead to vastly different outcomes."

"A martial artist at the early stage of Body Tempering generally cannot defeat one at the middle stage, because the degree of physical refinement between the two is simply incomparable."

"A middle-stage martial artist has already begun tempering their skin and flesh; while they may not be impervious to blades, resisting wood and stone with their bare hands is no difficult task."

Resisting wood and stone?

Hearing this, Lu Cheng recalled the scene on the first day when Feng Zhan shattered a stone mill with his bare palms.

Could it be?

Feng Zhan noticed Lu Cheng's thoughts and waved his hand, saying:

"I am still a hair's breadth away from entering the middle stage; achieving that effect was entirely due to my cultivation technique."

"Let's not discuss this for now; listen to me finish."

"If an early-stage martial artist practices a high-grade technique, the effect of their tendon and bone tempering will far exceed that of a middle-stage martial artist practicing an ordinary technique. When the two clash, the early-stage practitioner may not necessarily fall behind."

"If you add a high-grade martial skill to the mix, it's hard to say who will emerge victorious."

"This Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk is a martial skill from my Long Wind Escort Agency that pairs with the Mystic Eagle Technique, and it is actually one grade higher than the Mystic Eagle Technique itself."

"The Mystic Eagle Technique cannot be practiced until one reaches the Body Tempering realm, but this Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk is fine to start earlier."

"The Martial Suppression Battalion naturally has martial skills, but those seventeen families don't have any that have reached a graded rank."

Lu Cheng obtained the information he wanted, and his already calm mood relaxed even further.

With the completion of the Strength Refining realm, plus the human-grade middle-tier Seven Strikes of the Black Hawk.

Perhaps he could try to suppress the Martial Suppression Battalion?

Thinking of the ten thousand taels of gold and the generous supply of medicinal pills, Lu Cheng suddenly found it hard to suppress his excitement.

"In that case, I ask the Third Escort Leader to teach me!"