Watching Lu Ren get carried away, Xu Yang shook his head to himself.

’My life is my own,’ he thought. ’I won’t sell it to anyone.’

By evening, the Martial Arts Examination had finally concluded, and the top three contestants were decided.

First place: Cao Rong!

He didn’t face Yun Feng until the very end. The two fought a bitter battle, but Cao Rong’s skills proved superior, earning him the top spot. Yun Feng placed second.

As for third place, it wasn’t the favorite, Han Xing, nor was it Gu Haoming, who had sacrificed his sister. It was Qin Ze.

Ironically, Gu Haoming had sacrificed his sister Gu Fang’s chance at Dragon Ascension to land a palm strike on Qin Ze. In the end, however, he never got to face Qin Ze again, as he was matched against Han Xing early on.

Their fight left them both grievously wounded. When Gu Haoming finally encountered Qin Ze, he was defeated with ease, allowing Qin Ze to claim third place.

Xu Yang saw Gu Haoming grinding his teeth in frustration, but there was nothing to be done. Ultimately, he had just been unlucky; all his intricate schemes had amounted to nothing.

Han Xing, in comparison, was far more composed, standing with a placid expression.

The contestants filed out of the examination grounds. Most were injured, and all were eager to leave.

Xu Qing hadn’t come today.

The fighting was brutal, and he had been worried it would frighten her, so he’d told her not to come.

When he returned to Bai Shi Workshop, the neighbors all greeted him warmly.

Thanks to Xu Lan and Xu Qing spreading the word, everyone knew he was already a shoo-in for the title of Martial Scholar.

"Brother, how did it go?"

As he pushed open the door, Xu Qing ran up excitedly, grabbing his arm to ask.

A smile spread across Xu Yang’s face. "I achieved Dragon Ascension!"

’My brother achieved Dragon Ascension...’

The prestige of Dragon Ascension was something the title of Martial Scholar couldn’t even begin to compare with.

Young as she was, she knew that the top families in Qingyuan had only risen to prominence because one of their own had achieved Dragon Ascension.

"Aaaah...!"

The young girl let out a piercing shriek, her face flushing red with excitement.

Xu Yang smiled, not stopping her.

He had achieved the Martial Arts Ascension Dragon, and the young girl was truly happy for him.

But moments later, the young girl’s voice died away and her face fell. "You’ve achieved Dragon Ascension... does that mean you’re going to leave me?"

She had finally realized that Xu Yang achieving Dragon Ascension meant he would be leaving Qingyuan.

The excitement in her heart vanished, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

The two of them had relied on each other since childhood, growing up together. The thought of being separated from Xu Yang filled her with a sudden, deep sorrow.

"Don’t be sad. Once I get settled over there, I promise I’ll come get you."

Xu Yang instinctively reached out to pat her head, but seeing that she was now tall enough to reach his shoulder, he sheepishly drew his hand back.

"Okay! You have to keep your promise, or I’ll ignore you forever." The young girl finally smiled through her tears.

Xu Yang nodded. "Alright. Now go get me some food, I’m starving."

"Coming right up!"

The young girl hurried away.

’Before I leave, I have to make sure she’s well taken care of.’

Xu Yang sat down and began to think about what would happen after he left. He could ignore everything else, but he couldn’t rest easy until he knew Xu Qing was settled.

’In a couple of days, I’ll go ask Master about the Sect and then make my plans.’

Xu Qing quickly brought a steaming hot meal to the table, and the siblings began to eat.

"Was it very dangerous today?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

Xu Yang froze for a moment, then shook his head. "Not dangerous."

Xu Qing shook her head. "You’re lying. If it wasn’t dangerous, you wouldn’t have forbidden me from watching. Yang Jun was carried home this morning. I heard his back was broken, and now he’s paralyzed."

Xu Yang was taken aback. ’No wonder I didn’t see Yang Jun. So he was crippled.’

He wondered who could have been so vicious. Normally, one wouldn’t deliver such a crippling blow without a deep-seated grudge.

Of course, he had also seen a few contestants use brutal tactics to establish their dominance and intimidate others into forfeiting, thus reducing the number of matches they had to fight. A grudge wasn’t always necessary.

Perhaps Yang Jun was simply weak and had been made an example of by someone looking to assert their power.

He put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "So, do you still dare to practice martial arts? This was just the examination tournament; that’s why he’s still alive. Against a real enemy, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

"The path of martial arts is one of flashing blades and bloody slaughter. It’s kill or be killed.

"If Yang Jun hadn’t practiced martial arts, he might have lived a long, peaceful life. But he trained for over a year, and look where it got him."

Since the young girl already knew this much, he decided he might as well settle the matter today and make his plans for her accordingly.

Yang Jun’s case was a perfect example, and since they knew him, the young girl would be able to understand the gravity of the situation.

"Of course I dare!"

The young girl lifted her chin, fearless as a newborn calf before a tiger. "With you around, big brother, who would dare bully me? Yang Jun was useless. I’m not like him." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xu Yang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He knew it wasn’t that her heart was set on the Martial Dao or that she was without fear; it was simply that she had never witnessed true bloodshed and couldn’t grasp the cruelty his words contained.

Anyone who could reach Qi Gathering Great Success as quickly as Yang Jun was no weakling. It was just that on the path of the Martial Dao, while talent and temperament were important, luck was a factor that could never be ignored.

There were plenty of contestants in the Martial Arts Examination with a similar level of Cultivation to Yang Jun, yet he was the one who ended up crippled. That was just bad luck.

"Just try not to get scared and come crying about it later."

Xu Yang didn’t say any more on the subject.

Whether Xu Qing practiced martial arts or not made little difference to him; he would have to protect her regardless. Still, if she had some ability of her own, he would be able to rest a little easier.

She was growing up and eventually had to be allowed to see the world for herself. If he arranged everything for Xu Qing, she would only grow up to be a reflection of him.

Besides, practicing martial arts could extend one’s life. Even if it didn’t grant immortality, everyone returned to dust sooner or later. There was no need to be afraid of every little thing. And if she practiced, she might even be able to stay by his side for a few more years.