The crowd below the stage had strange expressions on their faces.

They all made a mental note: ’Best to stay clear of those two in the future.’

’Too damn devious!’

Dao Ji was a veteran fighter and knew the wisdom of never committing more than seventy percent of his strength. Unburdened by his own momentum, he decisively pulled back and retreated.

This was the difference between a Ghostwriter and an ordinary Sect Disciple.

When Ghostwriters fought, their primary goal wasn’t just killing their opponent—it was staying alive.

Any Ghostwriter who had survived for three years knew to save thirty percent of their strength when swinging their saber.

That thirty percent was reserved for retreating.

Bai Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly.

’So, once you reach the Strong Organ Pass, ordinary tricks no longer work.’

’Since the Devil’s Pepper didn’t work, I’ll have to do this the hard way.’

He swung the Blood Tiger Scimitar in his hand in a full arc, cleaving the red mist before him. He aimed straight for Dao Ji’s vitals, showing no mercy just because this was an arena match.

Dao Ji was even more vicious. He abruptly halted his retreat to trade blows with Bai Yuan.

He unleashed an endless stream of tricks: throwing darts, Poison Needles, disorienting smoke—he used them all.

The two fought relentlessly for over a hundred exchanges, yet no victor emerged.

The longer Dao Ji fought, the more frightened he became.

Because this young man before him seemed completely immune to fatigue; his saber hand was terrifyingly steady.

Another two hundred exchanges passed.

Dao Ji felt the hand holding his saber begin to tremble. His stamina was almost completely depleted.

A Strong Internal Martial Artist’s stamina was great, but it couldn’t hold up under this level of exertion.

Just when the crowd thought the two would fight for another hundred rounds—

Dao Ji leaped off the Dragon Gate Platform.

"I surrender."

Seeing this, many of the disciples had to resist the urge to shout, "Son of a bitch, I want my money back!"

And just like that, the final duel ended in an anticlimactic, bewildering fashion.

Dao Ji’s expression was blank, showing neither joy nor sorrow. He walked into the crowd alone and departed.

He was already certain he was no match for the young man. Rather than being maimed, it was better to wait half a year for the Dragon Gate Platform to open again.

A Ghostwriter only ever cares about the bottom line.

Watching Dao Ji’s retreating figure, Shi Bai Mountain’s old face twitched.

"Excellent! He deserves a reward!"

Murong Tian broke the silence. He was in high spirits, for the Divine Mansion Sect had seen two excellent disciples emerge.

As the Sect Leader, he always had to maintain an appearance of fairness.

Take Bai Yuan on the Dragon Gate Platform today. The rules may have been unfair to him, but if he truly managed to seize a spot as an Inner Sect Disciple, his reward would be just as generous. This was the art of maintaining balance.

This was the only way to make both Dong Wanjun’s and Shi Bai Mountain’s factions feel the outcome was just.

Seeing that the outcome was set in stone, Shi Bai Mountain flicked his sleeves and stormed off.

Murong Tian personally took Bai Yuan to the Martial Hall and wrote Bai Yuan’s name in the register.

"Junior Brother Dong, you’ve taken on a fine disciple."

Before leaving, he made sure to offer Bai Yuan a few words of praise.

He would never be stingy with something that cost him nothing yet inspired such loyalty.

A disciple from a humble background, upon hearing such words, would surely be willing to live and die for the Divine Mansion Sect.

Of course, Bai Yuan was not one of them.

After Murong Tian left, You Shengnan finally spoke up, her voice full of excitement. "Junior Brother, when did you break through the Strong Organ Pass?"

"A few days ago."

You Shengnan couldn’t help but marvel.

She knew Bai Yuan’s circumstances well. He wasn’t some scion of a great family, practically brewed in medicinal elixirs. For a hunter from a small town to have come this far was almost unheard of.

Xiongshan grinned good-naturedly. "Junior Brother Bai, I guess I don’t have to worry about anyone beating you up anymore."

"..."

Dong Wanjun walked ahead of the three, hands clasped behind his back. He said only one thing, his tone light: "Not bad."

You Shengnan and Xiongshan both showed looks of envy.

After all, in all the years since they had joined the sect, it was the first time they had ever heard Dong Wanjun praise one of his disciples.

But Dong Wanjun’s "Not bad" wasn’t because of the ferocity of Bai Yuan’s Blood Tiger Saber, nor the speed of his cultivation progress. After all, could the boy possibly be faster than him?

The "not bad" was because Bai Yuan understood the importance of hiding his true strength and knew when to pick his battles.

Throughout the entire battle, Bai Yuan had not revealed that he knew the Tiger Form and Crane Style.

Had he used the Tiger Form and Crane Style, his victory on the Dragon Gate Platform today would have been far more spectacular. But Dong Wanjun had made too many enemies within the Divine Mansion Sect, and his disciples were often caught in the crossfire. This meant endless trouble for Bai Yuan’s future.

Once he revealed all his trump cards, it would be that much easier for his master’s hidden enemies to target him.

The reason Dong Wanjun hadn’t challenged Shi Bai Mountain’s arrangement was precisely to test Bai Yuan.

With Bai Yuan’s strength, even without this chance, he was guaranteed a spot in the Inner Sect competition a year from now. There was no need to risk a major loss over a moment of pique.

In fact, that was exactly what Bai Yuan had done.

That was why Old Dong had offered such rare words of praise.

"Your repertoire of techniques is still too small. I have three Cultivation Techniques here. Take them and learn."

As if performing a magic trick, three Cultivation Technique manuals appeared in Old Dong’s hands.

Bai Yuan quickened his pace and took the ancient books from Old Dong’s hands.

Night Wanderer Step

Myriad Divine Mechanisms

Hundred Poison Hand

If any other master gave their disciple three completely unrelated Cultivation Techniques at once, they would surely be accused of leading them astray.

But coming from Dong Wanjun, it was perfectly reasonable, because that was exactly what he himself did.

Bai Yuan looked at the three Cultivation Technique manuals in his hands, and a warmth spread through his heart.

Although Old Dong had given him the books casually, it was obvious that these three Cultivation Techniques had been carefully chosen and were exactly what Bai Yuan needed right now.

The Soul-Hooking Step was good, but it was from the Soul-Chasing Tower, after all, and not suitable for use in public.

Myriad Divine Mechanisms was a technique for using hidden weapons and contraptions. Elder Dong must have seen that his disciple had been outmatched in hidden weapons during his fight with Dao Ji and chosen this technique for him.

As for Hundred Poison Hand, this Cultivation Technique was extremely unorthodox. It wasn’t about refining poisons, but about the methods of using them. It was insidious and treacherous, making it nearly impossible to guard against.

For these three Cultivation Techniques to be chosen by Old Dong, their grade must be high.

The higher the grade, the harder they were to practice, naturally.

An ordinary Martial Artist would need to spend ten years just to master one, let alone practice three at the same time.

Luckily, Bai Yuan had a cheat...

Seeing this, You Shengnan felt a pang of envy.

Old Dong clearly saw Bai Yuan as a disciple worthy of inheriting his legacy.

But she wasn’t truly jealous.

Because both she and her senior brother Xiongshan had tried to walk this path before, and without exception, they had both failed.

Simultaneously cultivating hundreds of techniques was not something an ordinary person could do. Even the prodigies of the Divine Mansion Sect couldn’t do it.

But Bai Yuan had done it, and he had done it well.

To have earned Old Dong’s favor was a testament to his true ability. It was something she and Xiongshan simply couldn’t emulate. There was no comparison, so there was no room for jealousy.

However, You Shengnan didn’t feel inferior, either.

Just as Old Dong once said, techniques are tools for people to use. One could become invincible by cultivating a hundred techniques, but one could also become invincible by cultivating just one. It all depended on the person.

Just like the Sect Leader, Murong Tian. He had only ever cultivated a single Cultivation Technique in his entire life, yet he still became one of the most renowned experts in all of Ling Province.

In the climb of the Martial Dao, there has never been a single, absolutely correct shortcut. As long as a path suited you, it was the right one.