* * *
Knock, knock, knock!
A series of knocks echoed at the door.
“Come in!” Lu Feng said, looking down at his documents, without lifting his head.
“Old Lu, Old Lu.” Wang Qifeng called out to Lu Feng with excitement in his voice.
A hint of helplessness flickered across Lu Feng’s face. He put down the documents and said irritably, “What is it? You’re so flustered.”
“This kid Gu Yuan is truly something else, is he a genius or what?”
Lu Feng chuckled. He could understand Wang Qifeng’s feelings perfectly. After all, it had been many years since Tian Yuan City had produced a contestant in the top 50.
Moreover, it was under his management that a contestant capable of representing Zhongzhou Prefecture in the National High School Martial Arts League had emerged. This would be immensely beneficial for his future promotion.
Wang Qifeng, with a face full of smiles, said to Lu Feng, “You must reward Gu Yuan handsomely.”
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t mistreat Gu Yuan,” Lu Feng nodded seriously.
“Then it’s settled. Reward Gu Yuan handsomely.” Hearing Lu Feng’s promise, Wang Qifeng waved his hand and turned to leave the office.
“What a simpleton!” Lu Feng shook his head with a laugh, and continued to review his documents.
Meanwhile, on the competition grounds, Gu Yuan had already left the stage and gone to the spectator stands. He would continue to watch the other matches.
Although he had no more matches today and had already entered the top 10, knowing oneself and one’s enemy ensures victory in every battle.
Watching others compete would greatly aid him in his upcoming matches.
Footsteps approached from behind. Gu Yuan turned his head curiously and saw Cang Tianhua.
Cang Tianhua pointed to the seat next to Gu Yuan and smiled, “Mind if I sit here?”
Gu Yuan shook his head and turned back to watch the match. Cang Tianhua plopped down in the seat next to Gu Yuan.
“Are you confident about the upcoming matches?” Cang Tianhua asked Gu Yuan with a smile.
Gu Yuan shook his head and said, “I don’t know. It depends on the trump cards of the other contestants.”
“If none of them have long-range attack methods, I’ll likely defeat them,” Gu Yuan’s face showed a confident smile.
Cang Tianhua nodded in agreement. He knew that at this stage of Body Tempering, Gu Yuan’s long-range attack methods were something others lacked, making him extremely threatening.
Cang Tianhua began to meditate, closing his eyes. Because he was defeated by Gu Yuan, his ranking had dropped to 20th place. He would have another chance to compete and win other rankings.
Gu Yuan’s current ranking was also not stable. As the rankings became more fixed towards the end, everyone would still have an opportunity to challenge others. Therefore, until the very last moment, the rankings were not set in stone.
Gu Yuan watched the match for a while, feeling that this particular duel posed no significant threat to him. He decided to meditate as well, calmly recovering his stamina and circulating his vital energy.
* * *
*Ding!*
His phone chimed. Gu Yuan opened his eyes, took out his phone, and checked the message.
He saw that the official had sent him a match notification. He was scheduled to fight a contestant in the afternoon.
If Gu Yuan won this match, he would advance to the top 10 matches the next day. Conversely, he would fall out of the top 10.
Just like Cang Tianhua, his final ranking would be determined through combat.
In another spectator stand.
Tian Qing, a recruitment teacher from the First Martial Arts University, had just finished a conversation with the dean.
The dean had explicitly instructed him to recruit Gu Yuan into the First Martial Arts University, making him a student there. He was authorized to pay a significant price to secure him.
Tian Qing took a deep breath and looked across at Gu Yuan, who was meditating with his eyes closed in the spectator stands. Various thoughts raced through his mind as he pondered a condition that Gu Yuan couldn’t refuse to join the First Martial Arts University.
Gu Yuan was unaware that the principal of a top university was already paying attention to him.
Time ticked by, and it was soon time for Gu Yuan’s match.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the next contestants for this duel: our contestant Gu Yuan and the eleventh-ranked contestant Jiang Qingya!” the host’s resonant voice echoed through the arena.
Hearing the host’s voice, Gu Yuan opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up, heading towards the stage below.
Jiang Qingya, 18 years old, peak Body Tempering realm, is the youngest daughter of the Prefect of Zhongzhou Prefecture.
She possessed extraordinary talent. On the day of her birth, a celestial fire descended from the heavens, a truly wondrous phenomenon. Her vital energy contained a violent heat.
“This must be another immortal descending,” Gu Yuan mused inwardly about Jiang Qingya’s origins.
On the stage, the two faced each other.
After a mutual bow, and at the referee’s command.
All three of Gu Yuan’s blood sacs erupted, releasing a torrent of vital energy that caused his muscles to swell slightly.
*Giant Whale Form!*
From his brows, the divine power of the Li Xiang appeared directly on Gu Yuan’s hands, radiating intense heat.
*Li Xiang: Crimson Flame!*
He activated the *Fleeting Wind Steps*, stomped forward with his feet, and his figure shot out instantly, leaving afterimages in his wake.
Jiang Qingya’s dark eyes narrowed. Her heroic face was filled with solemnity. Vital energy surged from within her, enveloping her body in a layer of red, cloud-like mist that radiated intense heat. Her graceful figure exerted force, and she moved, charging directly at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan understood. This was likely the legendary unique trait she possessed. He wondered about its power.
The two collided. Gu Yuan’s fists rained down on Jiang Qingya, creating a tremendous roar.
Jiang Qingya gritted her teeth, trying desperately to keep up with Gu Yuan’s rhythm. However, there was an inherent gap between males and females that cultivation could not bridge.
*Blazing Sun Fist!*
Gu Yuan’s arm surged with power, his muscle lines bulging. The coiling crimson flames erupted like bombs, striking Jiang Qingya’s abdomen with immense force. The crimson flames exploded, unleashing their destructive power.
Jiang Qingya’s face turned pale. She felt an overwhelming force erupt in her abdomen, causing her body to arch backward like a cooked shrimp, flying backward.
However, as the Prefect’s daughter, she possessed combat awareness. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reached this ranking.
Mid-air, she somersaulted and landed stably on the ground.
Jiang Qingya clutched her abdomen, the immense power surging within her, causing a trickle of blood to escape her lips.
Gu Yuan flexed his shoulders, a slight smile on his lips.
In a flash, his hand produced the monstrous form of the Heavy Profound Crimson Serpent.
He drew his bow, aiming at Jiang Qingya from afar. The arrow, crafted from fine iron, gleamed coldly, catching Jiang Qingya’s eye.
This caused a look of helplessness to appear on Jiang Qingya’s face.
Clearly, she lacked any long-range attack methods to counter Gu Yuan’s assault.
Against Gu Yuan’s high-speed arrows, those without long-range attack methods could only surrender.
After all, at the Body Tempering realm, how could one possibly block an arrow that surpassed the speed of sound?
With no other choice, Jiang Qingya raised her hand to concede.
“Gu Yuan wins,” the referee announced loudly.
In the spectator stands, several recruitment teachers exchanged glances.
Zhao He said with a sigh, “This kid has no understanding of tenderness.”
The others shook their heads, smiling in silence.
Gu Yuan retracted the Heavy Profound Crimson Serpent and turned away from the stage, ignoring Jiang Qingya, who was still on the platform.
This made Jiang Qingya somewhat annoyed. “Don’t I appeal to men anymore?”
After officially defeating Jiang Qingya, Gu Yuan’s ranking stabilized at 9th place.
His popularity online also exploded.
“Gu Yuan is amazing.”
Chu Ling watched Gu Yuan’s performance in the match, genuinely happy for him.
At this moment, her phone began to ding-dong repeatedly.
Chu Ling opened it and immediately became furious, her little face turning red.