You Let Me Win

Before they knew it.

More than half the time had passed.

Half of the nine arenas were already stained with dust and grit. Seed cultivators battled fiercely atop them, fists whipping through the air and crashing against the bronze platforms with dull, repeated booms.

Some had only just stepped onto the stage before being blasted straight back down, drawing waves of laughter.

Others won several matches in a row, claiming generous prizes and striking it rich in one swoop, their smiles so wide they could not close their mouths.

Arena Seven.

A tall figure leaped high into the air. A broad-backed saber half a man tall carved a bright arc through the sky, and its savage force sent his opponent flying. The opponent slammed into the bronze ground and rolled more than a dozen zhang away.

For a time, his might had no equal.

This man was precisely the Zhou-family genius so lavishly praised by the stewards.

With five consecutive victories, he was currently the seed cultivator with the greatest gains and the most dazzling record at this tea gathering.

"Zhou Yan wins! Reward: fifteen contribution points!"

Deng Yuantong's aged voice rang out from the high platform, carrying a trace of undisguised praise.

Zhou Yan stomped heavily onto the edge of the bronze platform and drove his saber down at his side. The impact made the seed cultivators seated on the surrounding cushions turn to look.

"Are there any senior brothers or sisters willing to offer instruction?"

He held his head high, his sharp edge fully on display.

The area beneath the stage fell silent.

Among the seed cultivators who had yet to take the stage, there were certainly some stronger than Zhou Yan.

But he had clearly earned Steward Deng's favor. Barring any surprises, he would become another top-tier seed in the future.

Naturally, no one wanted to make trouble for him.

After waiting for a while.

Zhou Yan puffed out his chest, high-spirited and brimming with confidence. His gaze swept past the other arenas and landed directly on Lu He, who sat in the corner with his eyes closed in quiet rest. His voice boomed like a bell, carrying through the entire space.

"Lu He! Do you dare fight me?"

The moment those words fell.

The seed cultivators who had been whispering among themselves all fell quiet, their gazes converging on Lu He.

Even the stewards on the high platform, who had been secretly competing with one another, paused their dispute and looked over with interest.

Among the twelve figures seated at the very front, some also turned toward the arena, amusement flickering in their expressions.

A contest for first among the new seeds?

There was a show to watch!

At that moment.

Lu He, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. The laziness in his gaze faded, leaving behind a calm as deep as a bottomless abyss.

His fingertips lightly tapped the edge of his cushion—this was roughly the third hour of the tea gathering. By his reckoning, it was about time.

No further words were needed.

Lu He shifted slightly. His figure swept out like a clear breeze and landed steadily at the side of Arena Seven. His robes fluttered, yet there was not the slightest trace of haste.

He wanted to conserve as much strength as possible for the second round's ranking battles, but that did not mean he would remain unmoved in the face of provocation.

He might as well treat this as a warm-up in advance.

"Brother Zhou, please."

Lu He slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze passing over the other man's face as he spoke gently.

"You... aren't using a weapon?"

Zhou Yan's expression grew somewhat grave.

Experts saw the craft in the details. From Lu He's movement when he had just taken the stage, Zhou Yan already knew that his opponent was in no way weaker than himself.

"I'm used to fighting barehanded. Brother Zhou, just attack."

Lu He relaxed his stance and smiled.

Of course, the real reason was that after Bai Hao had cut his large iron hammer in half last time, he had forgotten to buy another one.

But then again.

With Lu He's current strength, ordinary iron Dao weapons were far less sturdy than his body.

Across from him.

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and deliberately straightened his back. With a flick of his wrist, the broad-backed saber landed against the edge of the arena with a clang.

"In that case, we'll spar barehanded. That way, no one can say I relied on my weapon and won dishonorably." He glared at Lu He, looking somewhat displeased.

"As you wish."

"Brother Lu, be careful!"

Before his words had even faded, Zhou Yan stomped hard against the bronze platform with both feet and sprang up like a violent ape. He turned his leg into a saber and chopped down at Lu He from above.

The strike was heavy and powerful. The air let out a shrill howl, and he had clearly used a true talisman.

Everyone beneath the stage held their breath.

Facing that fierce leg strike, Lu He's expression did not change. He merely shifted his feet slightly to the side and calmly avoided the heavy blow.

No wonder the other man was proud. Speed, strength... he had virtually no shortcomings.

With a boom.

The bronze platform trembled faintly.

Before Zhou Yan could withdraw his leg, Lu He extended one hand. His five fingers gathered into a palm, which he lightly sent toward Zhou Yan's chest.

The timing was flawless.

However.

"I've been waiting for that!"

Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes, a flash of smugness appearing on his face.

In an instant, he drew his knee and waist like a bow. The fist hidden within his sleeve clenched abruptly, gathering the strength of his entire body into a single point before blasting out.

Bang!

Palm met fist with a single dull sound, as though cotton wadding had wrapped around a heavy hammer.

The flesh-and-blood Dao patterns on Lu He's palm flickered faintly. That violent force was instantly dispersed by more than half, while the remainder surged back along Zhou Yan's arm.

The smugness on Zhou Yan's face froze abruptly, replaced by shock in the next instant.

In that instant.

An irresistible force struck him. Zhou Yan stumbled, unable to control his body as he flew off the arena like a kite with its string cut.

Before many people could even react, the battle had ended in a rush.

"Much obliged." Lu He smiled at Zhou Yan below the stage.

The entire venue fell deathly silent.

In an instant, dozens of gazes filled with shock and disbelief turned toward Lu He.

Wasn't this supposed to be the fight for first among the new seeds?

Wasn't it supposed to be a battle between dragon and tiger?

How had Zhou Yan, who had just displayed such terrifying strength, failed to last even a single exchange before losing for no apparent reason...

The two of them had clearly been entered into the seed registry at the same time.

Even if one was second-class and the other third-class, this... was still far too outrageous.

"Could he really be another Qin Lie?"

The newly promoted seeds were still all right, but despair flashed across the faces of the veteran seeds in unison.

Qin Lie was about to enter the Inner Garden.

The dark cloud pressing above their heads was about to disperse.

Yet in the blink of an eye, a new dark cloud had drifted over—and it had not even waited for the old one to clear!

"Damn it, heavens, can't you afford to play fair? Is this supposed to be fun?"

Many people could not help cursing inwardly.

At the same time.

In a corner below the stage.

Su Lingchan stared blankly, her mouth wide enough to fit a fist inside. The shock on her face lingered for a long time.

She bit down hard on her tongue. Only when the sharp pain came through clearly did she confirm that she was not dreaming.

"Just how does he cultivate?"

Su Lingchan's eyes were filled with disbelief.

Steward Lu's thousand-mu spirit fields could yield, at most, seventy or eighty contribution points during the harvest window.

This guy had clearly already spent twenty contribution points renting a cave dwelling. How many spirit pills could he possibly buy with what remained?

Even including the resources of a second-class seed...

It did not add up. None of it added up!

Brother Lu's cultivation progress completely defied everything she knew.

"Could living in a cave dwelling really be useful?"

A spark of realization flashed through Su Lingchan's mind. Then, as though she had suddenly remembered something, she poked Bai Hao, who was similarly standing there in a daze.

"Hey, you... are you really sure you want to spar with Brother Lu?"