"What?" The young man, who was excitedly watching An Jing dominate the match and was about to yell, 'Put some muscle into it!' 'Knock that guy down!' was suddenly dumbfounded. He incredulously raised his finger to himself, "Knock down An Jing?"
"Me?"
This young man was one of the three who had completed the course but had not challenged An Jing. His name was Cang Linzu, and indeed, his strength was respectable; he had even attended the Da Chen Martial Arts Academy and had a keen eye.
Because of this, he knew all too well that An Jing was probably just a bit 'tired' the day before yesterday, while he himself had almost exhausted all his energy; this difference in physical endurance was hard to make up for.
It's valuable to know oneself, why make things difficult?
However, being called out by the instructor like this intrigued Cang Linzu, and he looked toward the stage.
At this moment, after defeating nine people in a row, An Jing did indeed show some signs of fatigue.
Since it's not going to cause serious injury... this is indeed a good opportunity!
"Alright, let's try."
-- Don't blame me, An Jing. You are too strong, I can only take a little advantage to share the stage with you.
Thinking so, Cang Linzu stepped into the martial ring--and the original tenth challenger had already admitted defeat.
An Jing turned his head, looking at Cang Linzu.
He wasn't actually tired, but after defeating the fifth challenger, An Jing had noticed a change in Instructor Li's behavior.
He wasn't foolish. Upon reflection, he understood that the 'challenge' secretly encouraged by Hanging Fate Manor, including the meat he had been served, was all meant to encourage disciples to compete against each other.
Next, training within the manor would become increasingly strict. Instructors would encourage inter-disciple challenges and combat, to select the elite who were skilled in both abilities and martial force. And before the final graduation, they would determine the true 'Eldest Senior'.
But the premise was that the position of 'first' would change, provoking all disciples to compete for it.
Being too strong could dampen others' enthusiasm, facing an opponent they couldn't possibly win against, everyone would simply give up.
No wonder Instructor Li was so troubled.
But that was no longer his concern.
An Jing wasn't going to lose. He would just pretend to be a bit more tired from winning, making others feel like they might have a chance.
"No offense!"
Cang Linzu didn't take any weapon, and An Jing also discarded his hand-held stick, clearly opting to compete in hand-to-hand combat.
Both parties saluted each other, and the next instant, with the sound of wind, Cang Linzu stepped forward and threw a Straight Cannon Fist.
The Da Chen Martial Arts Academy spread throughout the territory, and the imperial court used it to seek heroes from the nation, enrolling gifted youths who were at least at the level of Inner Breath like Tide, sufficient to guard a region.
Cang Linzu hadn't spent long at the academy before he faced Frost Calamity and became a refugee. However, precisely for this reason, his martial skills were forged through blood and fire. This cannon fist was distinctly different from the other challengers, carrying a malevolent force, strong as thunder, aiming directly at the heart.
An Jing narrowed his eyes. He raised his left hand to block, meeting Cang Linzu's attack head-on—their bodies slightly trembled upon impact. Then, An Jing ostensibly reached forward with his right hand, but actually, he took a step forward with his right leg, stepping towards his opponent's foot.
But Cang Linzu's steps were solid as well. He flicked his left foot, avoiding An Jing's step, hooking behind his leg, making it hard for An Jing to dodge. Twisting his waist, exerting force, he sent out another coherent punch, aiming straight for the chest.
An Jing had anticipated this much, realizing that Cang Linzu's strikes and footwork were solid, truly those of a professionally trained fighter with real combat experience. Still, even with his greater experience, it was difficult to spot vulnerabilities as before and defeat his opponent with a single move.
Therefore, even before Cang Linzu had thrown his punch, An Jing had already lunged forward with his right hand, powerfully striking at his opponent's right shoulder.
This counterattack, aiming to exchange blows beyond Cang Linzu's expectations, diminished his energy significantly once he was hit on the right shoulder. Having lost his aim, he managed only to hit An Jing's left shoulder, his fist feeling as though it had struck a sack wrapped in hard sand.
Each landing a strike, both men took a step back, seemingly evenly matched, but only a few spectators could discern who held the upper hand.
—Terrible!
Realizing he had lost the initiative, Cang Linzu quickly crouched and rolled on the ground, and sure enough, An Jing had already darted forward, missing a knee kick in the air.
Taking advantage of the moment, Cang Linzu attempted to counterattack but was met by An Jing's left elbow strike, forcing him to clash fiercely once again, his body freezing in place.
This time, Cang Linzu was at a disadvantage. He had just prepared to step back to dodge the brunt of the attack, but An Jing was already slamming into him from the side.
Cang Linzu had thought to lift his leg for a groin kick to force An Jing back, but An Jing had already stepped on his other foot, causing him to lose his balance. Simultaneously, leaning heavily into him, An Jing knocked the wind out of him, almost rendering him unconscious.
"I concede!"
Struggling to stand, he finally collapsed to the ground. An Jing did not pursue him further. Cang Linzu lay on the ground and shouted to the sky in utter despair, "Brothers and sisters, anyone who's still holding back, please make your move now. If you want to defeat An, today might be your only chance!"
An Jing, catching his breath, also looked around at everyone present with a smile.
But no one made a move. Even though Instructor Li signaled intensively with his eyes, no one was willing to step forward.
From start to finish, the match, comprising eleven consecutive fights, lasted no longer than an hour and a half. An Jing emerged as the undisputed Eldest Senior, with the next challenge set for ten days later.
Yet everyone knew that no one would challenge An Jing even then, unless someone made an extraordinarily abnormal improvement. Otherwise, no one would bother.
"Ah, that's enough. An Jing has won!"
Instructor Li quite unenthusiastically announced An Jing's victory, and amid the cheers of Gu Yeqi, Zhang Ying, and others, he started instructing grumpily, "Begin training!"
He intensely drilled the young people, making them all cry out for mercy. Even An Jing shuddered under the very targeted intensive squat and horse stance training until Instructor Li returned to the center of Hanging Fate Manor, the Medicine Pavilion.
"Vice Envoy of Medicine."
With due respect, he addressed the elder, who had been watching the entire ordeal from the fifth floor of the Medicine Pavilion, overlooking the Martial Arts Field, "An Jing is indeed the most talented this time, but I hadn't imagined him to be so powerful that others don't even wish to challenge him anymore."
"The first place is fixed. Now what do we do?"
"The first place is fixed?" The elder turned around, looking at Instructor Li as if he were a fool, "Since the first is fixed, let the second and third also have their share. Doesn't that solve it if these kids compete for the second and third places?"
"Or even better, let the top five have their share. Just add a bit more to the portion."
"Are we lacking that much meat?"
After scolding Instructor Li, the Vice Envoy of Medicine turned back to look at the Martial Arts Field with interest, "Indeed… This batch of disciples is of high quality, with some unexpected surprises."
After pondering for a moment, the elder nodded, "Then let's start ahead of schedule. Eliminate the weakest disciples, and allocate the saved resources to others."
"It's time for them to fall in love with the feeling of 'eating meat'."