Seizing First Place! Rising to Fame!

In contrast, Lu Yun grew more excited the longer he fought, his blood and qi surging higher and higher.

Since breaking through to Bone Tempering, this was the first evenly matched opponent he had encountered.

The battle intent in his heart began to soar at breakneck speed.

Xiao Longcheng truly was extraordinary. Not only was his strength equal to Lu Yun's, but his speed was not inferior in the slightest. He deserved to be called a peerless genius.

Yet Lu Yun was still confident he could defeat him.

After all, beyond his attacks and speed, his defense was equally top-tier. It would be difficult for his opponent's attacks to break through it.

Then Lu Yun changed his moves.

"Kill."

After sweeping aside Xiao Longcheng's longblade with a thrust of his spear, his entire body glowed with a bronze radiance as he charged fiercely at his opponent.

In the blink of an eye.

He had arrived before Xiao Longcheng, swinging his fist down in a sudden smash.

Whoosh...

The fist wind howled, producing a piercing sound as it tore through the air. Its momentum was terrifying.

This sight stunned Xiao Longcheng, and he nearly failed to react in time.

He had not expected Lu Yun to be able to attack with his fists while wielding his spear.

I refuse to believe your fist is made of iron! You dare face my steel blade head-on?

A fierce glint flashed through Xiao Longcheng's heart as he slashed out with all his might.

Swoosh...

The blade light was even more dazzling than before, like a meteor falling into the mortal world, its assault incomparably sharp.

Fast—fast to the extreme.

The sudden change on the arena instantly rendered everyone silent.

No one had expected Lu Yun to dare use his physical body to withstand Xiao Longcheng's blade light head-on.

Wasn't this sheer fantasy?

Xiao Longcheng was no false genius like Yang Shengrong.

Without a body-tempering technique of high-grade martial skill rank, there was no way to block his attack. Even one's hand would be severed.

Quite a few people even began cheering for Xiao Longcheng, believing the outcome of this battle had already been decided.

The many martial artists who had bet on Xiao Longcheng's victory secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the side, a trace of worry appeared in Ye Quan's eyes.

"Brother Lu, you have to block it!"

Although the Ye Family had bet on Xiao Longcheng to win because of several clan elders, he still hoped for a miracle.

On the raised platform, Qin Jue sprang to his feet, ready to intervene and rescue him at any moment.

He did not want a genius under his command to suffer serious injuries.

It did not matter even if Lu Yun lost to Xiao Longcheng; he could win it back in the future.

It was not worth completely burying one's martial path for the sake of this battle.

He knew full well that martial arts were, in essence, a path of transforming the physical body into a god.

Without an intact body, how could one draw the heaven and earth's primordial qi into it?

Thus, the physical body absolutely could not be harmed.

Just as everyone's nerves tightened, another change occurred in the arena.

Clang...

The longblade and iron fist collided abruptly, releasing a piercing boom as violent force sprayed in all directions.

The scene everyone had expected did not occur. Not only that, Lu Yun's fist remained completely unharmed.

"Th-this... a high-grade external training martial art?"

The new recruits all gaped wide, their faces filled with disbelief.

They understood better than anyone how difficult external training martial arts were to cultivate. They were far more difficult than spear techniques and movement techniques.

"What kind of monster is this man? Is such absurdity really reasonable?"

Xiao Longcheng's expression turned solemn, and his mentality nearly shattered.

In all his life, he had never heard of anyone who had cultivated spear techniques, movement techniques, and defense all to the peak.

Even with the help of a rare treasure, he did not dare claim he could walk such a flawless martial path.

Cultivating blade techniques and movement techniques already consumed the vast majority of his energy.

Below the stage, Zhuo Feifan, Yan Changge, and the others all fell into a bout of self-doubt.

Among all the new recruits, they could also be considered geniuses.

But compared with Lu Yun, they were simply idiots.

Just how had this man cultivated? His talent for martial arts was too heaven-defying.

The discussions of the others did not affect Lu Yun on the stage.

His left hand formed a fist while his right gripped his spear. Attacking from both sides, he launched a fierce assault upon Xiao Longcheng.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The intense collisions resounded through the sky. With physical defense comparable to a high-grade mundane weapon, he had no need to evade at all, driving Xiao Longcheng back step by step.

Before long, he had forced Xiao Longcheng to the edge of the arena. No matter how Xiao Longcheng erupted with power, he could never break through Lu Yun's offensive.

At that moment, Xiao Longcheng was beaten into complete despair.

Could my path of invincibility end before it has even begun?

He had originally intended to defeat countless geniuses of the same realm, tempering that invincible heart to aid his charge toward the final Transcendent Realm.

Who would have thought that he would encounter a freak like Lu Yun here?

Lu Yun gave Xiao Longcheng no chance to catch his breath, every punch landing solidly as he attacked with wild ferocity.

"Aah!"

At this moment, Xiao Longcheng roared. Facing the incoming iron fist, he raised his guard with all his strength.

A powerful rebounding force sent Xiao Longcheng flying, forcing his entire body beyond the arena.

At this point, victory and defeat had been decided.

Lu Yun had claimed the final victory.

"Thank you for letting me win."

Lu Yun put away his spear and stood tall, a faint smile on his face.

At this moment, he felt somewhat emotional. After entering the city for a month, he had finally achieved his first goal.

He had successfully secured the position of First Centurion.

He had finally gained a foothold in the Red Flame Army and become an officer.

Next, he would flatten the Canal Gang and investigate the news of Sister Qing'er's disappearance.

Lu Yun had never forgotten that matter, from beginning to end.

Xiao Longcheng stood below the stage, his head held high as he stared at Lu Yun with burning eyes.

Though he had lost, he was not convinced.

He had merely lost in defense. In a life-and-death battle, he believed that with the rare treasure within his body, he could exhaust Lu Yun to death.

Unfortunately, the arena was not a fight to the death.

"The next time we fight, I will definitely defeat you!"

Xiao Longcheng solemnly swore an oath.

At the same time, he hardened his resolve. Once he returned, he would train like his life depended on it and improve his physical body as well.

This defeat had not crushed him. Instead, it ignited boundless fighting spirit within him.

"I'll wait for your challenge."

Lu Yun smiled faintly and returned Xiao Longcheng's pre-battle words to him exactly as they were.

If he had not deduced the [Indestructible Vajra Body] this time, victory and defeat truly would have been hard to determine.

It seemed that his path as a well-rounded warrior had indeed been a wise choice.

The next time they fought, he would still win!

And he would keep winning.

"Lu Yun! Lu Yun... First Centurion..."

At this moment, the many new recruits erupted into deafening cheers, their voices shooting straight into the heavens.

Countless people gazed fervently at the snow-white figure atop the stage, their reverence growing ever deeper.

In the army, strength was revered. Lu Yun was the strongest new recruit of this batch.

He was also the pride of all the new recruits.

"Brother Lu, I was really wrong. I shouldn't have listened to the clan elders..."

"If anyone tries to persuade me again, I'll kill them..."

Ye Quan slapped his own cheeks as he muttered to himself.

He had suffered crushing losses in both bets, and his mentality instantly exploded.

Especially this time, when he had clearly had a chance to win.

The several Ye Family elders looked at one another, their faces bitter.

Who could have known Lu Yun was so heaven-defying, that he could remain the dark horse to the very end?

Fine. The Ye Family had worked for nothing this year.

"Lu Yun is invincible..."

The small number of martial artists who had bet on Lu Yun all danced with excitement.

A twofold return—this round had been a massive profit.

Unlike the Ye Family, everyone in the Shen Family looked at Know-it-all Shen Weihong with admiration.

Who could have predicted this outcome before the battle began?

Shen Weihong's all-in gamble had directly made the entire Shen Family the biggest winner.

Countless people were filled with envy.

"Keep it low-key, keep it low-key..."

Shen Weihong shook his feather fan, unable to conceal the smugness on his face.

He was rather glad that he had not misjudged Lu Yun.

This hidden dragon had indeed soared into the sky, rising to heights that made others look up in awe.

Zhuo Feifan, the Zhuo Family, and the others all looked like defeated roosters.

They had also bet on Xiao Longcheng, suffering a direct loss of one thousand primordial stones.

On the raised platform, Qin Jue's face was brimming with excitement.

"Haha... this time, the First Centurion has finally appeared under my command, hasn't he?"

"Congratulations, congratulations..."

Several Thousand Centurions stepped forward one after another, smiling as they offered their congratulations.

"A genius like this will probably become a Thousand Centurion very soon. You won't have long to be smug."

Mu Zijun teased with a smile.

"Hmph... even if he rises in rank, he'll still be a brother-in-arms from the same camp."

Qin Jue immediately shot back.

Afterward, the people in the arena gradually dispersed, while Lu Yun and the others were taken to the true military camp.

The new recruit period had come to an end as well.

News of Lu Yun's championship quickly spread throughout Guangning Prefecture, sparking a wave of fervor.

Countless martial artists from the mountains and wilderness regarded him as an idol, hoping that one day they too could become renowned throughout Guangning Prefecture like Lu Yun.

Not only that, Oracle Bro officially placed Lu Yun at eighty-second on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, two places above Xiao Longcheng.

Lu Yun's reputation also entered the sight of the upper ranks of the Red Flame Army.