Know-it-all: All-In on Lu Yun

West of the city, within an exquisite little courtyard.

Mu Zijun and Xiao Longcheng stood in the courtyard, speaking quietly.

"I heard Lu Yun under Qin Jue is quite capable. In this centurion selection battle, you must not let your guard down."

Mu Zijun warned him with a grave expression.

He had long since boasted to the other thousand-commanders that the first centurion would definitely come from his ranks.

If anything went wrong, where would he put his face?

Wouldn't that old thief Qin Jue seize the chance to squeeze him to death with mockery?

"Thousand-Commander Mu, rest assured. Even if Lu Yun was lucky enough to break through to Bone Forging these past few days, he could never be my match."

Xiao Longcheng gazed at the sky with arrogant eyes.

He had always had only one opponent: himself.

Surpassing his limits step by step and ascending to the peak of martial arts—that was the heart of his martial path.

Geniuses were merely the threshold to encountering his true self. He had already seen countless geniuses like Lu Yun.

Before every battle, which one of them had not bragged that their talent stood at the very pinnacle? Yet in the end, didn't they all bow their heads before him?

He had long grown accustomed to challengers like this.

"Among this generation of recruits, Xiao Longcheng is invincible!"

"I only hope the other side can last a few more moves on the arena."

Inside a small courtyard near the barracks.

Ye Quan was arguing reasonably with several elders of his clan, his face flushed red. "Trust me this once. Betting on Lu Yun this time will definitely win..."

Ever since he had watched Lu Yun smash Yang Shengrong apart with two spear strikes, he had begun to place blind confidence in Lu Yun.

Even if the opponent was Xiao Longcheng, he firmly believed that his boss would win.

"Trust you? Are you sure?"

"You said the same thing last time, and didn't we still lose everything down to the bottom? The family's months of hard work all went down the drain. This time, we must bet on Xiao Longcheng."

An elder in blue blew out his beard and glared.

They had lost quite a few origin stones betting on Yang Shengrong's match.

If they lost again, an entire year's work would be for nothing.

"Xiao Longcheng has risen all the way, defeated countless powerful enemies, and never lost even a single battle. Betting on him is safer. Our Ye Family cannot withstand any more turmoil..."

Another elder in white sighed softly.

Can Brother Lu really beat that monster Xiao Longcheng?

Under the elders' repeated persuasion, Ye Quan could not help but begin to waver.

He knew Lu Yun was strong, but his opponent seemed even fiercer.

"Sigh... then let's bet on Xiao Longcheng."

"Brother Lu, it's not that I don't think highly of you. Next time, when you face another opponent, I'll definitely bet on your victory..."

Ye Quan muttered to himself inwardly.

East of the city.

Zhuo Feifan sat in a chair, looking utterly bereft of hope.

He had never expected that this batch of recruits would produce not only a Xiao Longcheng, but also a Lu Yun.

Those two monsters had forcibly pressed him down into third place among the recruits, leaving him thoroughly stifled.

Otherwise, with his talent, he would have been the undisputed first centurion in any of the previous dozens of classes.

"Sigh... I was born at the wrong time."

Zhuo Feifan let out a bitter sigh.

However, after his earnest persuasion, his family had prepared a large number of origin stones and intended to bet them all on Xiao Longcheng.

As long as they won this gamble, the gains would be considerable.

In his view, with Xiao Longcheng's jade-like brilliance before him, Lu Yun could at most settle for second place.

South of the city, the Shen Family grounds.

A group of people stood within the courtyard.

Know-it-all Shen Weihong's gaze was resolute. "For this round of betting, we'll go all-in with one thousand origin stones and bet on Lu Yun's victory."

"I asked about the odds. They're roughly one to two."

"If Lu Yun wins, we can earn at least two thousand origin stones."

An elder in black to Know-it-all's left frowned. "Why? Anyone with eyes can see that Xiao Longcheng is stronger."

The other six elders also wore thoughtful expressions.

Although they all trusted Know-it-all, the family's business prodigy, who rarely ever failed when he made a move.

Still, one thousand origin stones was no small sum.

"There is no reason. It's just intuition. Lu Yun is not a simple man."

Shen Weihong's gaze remained firm.

He had seen both Xiao Longcheng and Lu Yun.

If Xiao Longcheng was a blazing sun hanging high in the sky, so dazzling it stabbed the eyes.

Then Lu Yun was a towering mountain, soaring into the heavens. That confidence and composure were something he had never seen in anyone else.

It was as though Lu Yun could control everything around him, making him impossible to see through.

"Fine, then we'll bet everything on Lu Yun."

The First Elder made the decision outright.

He trusted his grandson's eye. Over the years, the other's methods in business had never disappointed them.

Their Shen Family had also gradually grown from a low-ranking family into a regional powerhouse.

Shen Weihong's contributions were indispensable.

This time, he would definitely win as well.

Night was as still as water.

In a corner outside the house, Lu Yun sat cross-legged on the ground in silence, seemingly deep in thought.

There were still more than twenty days until his battle with Xiao Longcheng. To secure the position of first centurion beyond all doubt, he would likely need to deduce his defensive martial art and movement martial art to high grade.

Those two weaknesses had somewhat dragged down his overall strength. When facing powerful opponents, they would become increasingly apparent.

He would never underestimate any top-tier genius.

Xiao Longcheng must have encountered many fortuitous opportunities as well. Otherwise, he could never have reached this point.

Should I rob the Canal Gang again?

The moment the thought surfaced, Lu Yun discarded it.

He had only made his move a few days ago. They would certainly be extremely vigilant now.

The odds of success were not actually high, and he might end up covered in trouble.

Even if he wanted to make another move, he would have to wait for some time.

At that moment, Lu Yun looked toward the river running through the city, and his heart stirred.

This river within the city was a tributary of the Cang River and could likewise connect to the deep sea.

There had to be plenty of spiritual treasures at the bottom of the Cang River. If he could gather some, breaking through with his martial skills should not be a problem.

Besides, with the strength of his physical body, he could withstand the pressure dozens of meters underwater.

The forbidden zones on the riverbed that other martial artists could not reach would all become treasure troves for him to explore.

Once his strength became sufficient in the future, he could even venture into the distant deep sea to unearth treasures.

At this thought, Lu Yun's heart surged with excitement.

The only difficulty now was holding his breath underwater.

He turned his gaze to [Turtle Breath Art] (Mastery).

Though this secret art could not increase his combat strength, its profundity was not inferior even to some high-grade martial arts.

For ordinary martial artists, reaching perfection was nearly impossible.

But for Lu Yun, he only needed to add lifespan to it.

"Add points."

Lu Yun immediately pressed the button behind [Turtle Breath Art].

The Mastery-level Turtle Breath Art instantly became Perfection.

His lifespan also decreased by two years.

Remaining lifespan: 3 years.

Now everything was ready; all he lacked was the east wind.

He began circulating the [Turtle Breath Art].

His whole body seemed to enter a wondrous rhythm of breathing. Every breath he drew brought the air outside into the deepest parts of his body.

After several dozen consecutive breaths, Lu Yun gradually felt a sense of fullness.

At this rate of consumption, even if he did not breathe for two hours, it would not affect his movements.

"What a powerful effect."

The Mastery-level [Turtle Breath Art] could only last about half an hour. He had not expected that after reaching Perfection, it would increase so much.

Replacing his air once every two hours would multiply the efficiency of searching for spiritual treasures.

Then Lu Yun gathered his thoughts and swiftly dashed toward the riverbank.