"Flying Eagle Castle, Ji Jiutian!"

"Huwei Arts Hall, Bai Yuan."

Yes, Bai Yuan’s opponent was none other than Ji Jiutian, the Young Master of Flying Eagle Castle.

Ji Jiutian was the legitimate son of the Flying Eagle Castle Lord, Ji Chang. He was the first among more than one hundred children, which was why he was called Young Master, not Eldest Young Master.

His talent for the Martial Dao was immense, even greater than that of Ji Hanming.

This was why Ji Hanming had been constantly trying to recruit other Martial Artists.

Ji Jiutian calmly looked at Bai Yuan. He had a faint impression of this young man who had refused his younger brother’s recruitment offer.

But that was the extent of it.

As the most outstanding Martial Artist of his generation in Qinghe County, he was sufficiently confident.

’Running into me is like hitting a steel plate.’

Thirty years old and a Yijin Martial Master for four years—this was the source of his pride. He was even a cut above Chu Yuan, the senior disciple of Huwei Arts Hall.

"Please, enlighten me!"

Exhibiting true martial etiquette, Ji Jiutian cupped his fist toward Bai Yuan as he spoke.

"Please."

Bai Yuan returned the gesture.

Ji Jiutian’s long sword left its scabbard. He immediately unleashed his strongest Flying Eagle Swordsmanship, holding nothing back simply because Bai Yuan was younger.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Wielding his Firewood Cutting Saber, Bai Yuan precisely parried Ji Jiutian’s vicious, piercing thrust.

’He had to admit, this Young Master of Flying Eagle Castle really has some skill.’

In his hands, the Flying Eagle Swordsmanship was a huge cut above Ji Hanming’s. He gave the same swordsmanship a treacherous quality that was impossible to defend against.

Such skill would be considered top-tier even among Yijin Martial Masters.

Seeing this, the members of Huwei Arts Hall broke into a cold sweat for Bai Yuan.

On the fighting stage, even those who knew nothing about martial arts could see that Bai Yuan was weary from defending and had already fallen into a disadvantage.

Bai Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly.

This was a real pain.

’Whether it’s the Tiger Form Crane Style, the Blood Tiger Saber, or the Soul-Hooking Step, it seems none of them are fit to see the light of day.’

The body count left by his Black-faced Ancestor was too great, and his name was still on the Xuan Yang Dynasty’s bounty list to this day.

This was also why Old Xue had changed the name of the Blood Tiger Saber to the Black Tiger Saber.

Although it had been many years and no one paid it any mind, there was no guarantee the two from the Divine Mansion Sect wouldn’t recognize its origins.

’After thinking it over and over, the only thing he could openly use is the Five Animals Fist.’

...

The atmosphere on the stage gradually changed.

He fled, he pursued, but there was no escape.

Ji Jiutian chased and hacked at Bai Yuan for a full hour, only to be defeated in the end.

That’s right, he lost from exhaustion.

Standing below the stage, he watched the still-energetic Bai Yuan, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

’Is this guy even human?!’

Bai Yuan smiled faintly.

His two hundred years of Tiger Form Crane Style cultivation were no joke. Even a Strong Internal Martial Master might not be able to outlast him.

He relied on his heaven-defying stamina to drain Ji Jiutian’s energy, then defeated him with the Five Animals Fist.

Of course, he had used his full strength in that punch.

With the amplification of a thousand-jin force from his Tiger Form Crane Style, even the crudest fist technique would become astonishingly powerful.

Ji Jiutian had been sent flying from the stage by that one, seemingly unremarkable punch.

Below the stage, Ji Jiutian clutched his wound and struggled to his feet, his face showing no trace of indignation.

’A loss is a loss. Even if we fought again, I would still lose.’

He just hadn’t expected this little-known disciple from Huwei Arts Hall to possess innate Divine Power. Otherwise, that punch could never have been so terrifying.

Ji Jiutian’s face was full of bitterness.

Today’s defeat had completely dashed any hope he had of entering the Divine Mansion Sect.

"Thank you for the match."

Bai Yuan stood on the stage and cupped his hands.

Ji Jiutian was quite a character himself. He quickly composed himself and said, "I am no match for you."

"Bai Yuan is victorious!"

Magistrate Zhang announced the result of the duel with surprise.

As the highest authority in the county, he knew the city’s Martial Artists like the back of his hand. If nothing unexpected had happened, there was no reason Ji Jiutian shouldn’t have made it to the final round.

But the reality was that a dark horse had emerged, and Ji Jiutian had truly been eliminated.

Fate truly plays tricks on people.

He couldn’t help but take another look at Bai Yuan.

’This young man’s future is surely limitless!’

Seeing this, the crowd surrounding the stage was so shocked their jaws dropped.

They didn’t really understand martial arts, but they knew of Ji Jiutian, the great figure of Qinghe.

For that unknown boy on the stage to have defeated Ji Jiutian was simply unbelievable.

"I know him! He’s Bai Yuan from Baisha Town!"

Someone from Baisha Town who had come to watch the excitement shouted out.

Hearing this, the crowd burst into an even greater uproar.

For a small town to produce such a hidden dragon was simply unheard of!

Just as the crowd was marveling at Bai Yuan’s genius—

Seated on the high platform, You Shengnan’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Bai Yuan with a playful expression.

"Hiding his true strength?"

How could she not see that Bai Yuan was intentionally hiding his true power?

He had fought a grueling battle with Ji Jiutian for so long without revealing a single clue about his origins, clearly showing he still had strength to spare.

At the very least, he hadn’t revealed his final trump card, which undoubtedly piqued You Shengnan’s interest.

"Senior Brother, what do you think?"

She turned her head to look at her senior brother, Xiongshan, who was standing beside her.

Xiongshan frowned in thought for a long while before saying in a booming, muffled voice, "This kid is very strong."

"..."

You Shengnan rolled her eyes. ’He thought for that long just to come up with those four words?’

Bai Yuan was good, but he was just a Yijin Martial Master. To receive such an evaluation from her senior brother was enough to make anyone proud.

"I mean he’s hiding his real, life-preserving cultivation technique. Do you think it could be..."

Xiongshan shook his head.

"It’s been fifty years since anyone in the sect has successfully cultivated the Tiger Form Crane Style. Besides, that style cultivates Inner Strength, and this boy is clearly on the external martial arts path."

You Shengnan nodded.

"What Senior Brother says makes sense."

The three cultivation techniques that had been lost in Qinghe County had already been recovered. Only the Tiger Form Crane Style remained.

This cultivation technique was extremely special; even within the Divine Mansion Sect, very few people had ever mastered it.

Just as Xiongshan had said, the Tiger Form Crane Style was for cultivating Inner Strength.

While there were those who trained in both internal and external arts, most of them had bleak prospects. It took a lifetime to master a single cultivation technique to its peak; training in two was simply too greedy.

The boy on the stage was already outstanding in external arts. It was nearly impossible for him to also be proficient in Inner Strength at the same time.

The second round of trials continued.

The remaining fights were mostly one-sided victories, and the winners were decided quickly. In the end, only nine people were left on the field.

Only one more round of matches was needed to determine who would participate in the final trial.

As expected, Cheng Li was ultimately eliminated.

The remaining nine were all Yijin Martial Masters of considerable skill.

Ji Hanming and the other eight Martial Artists all looked at the freak that was Bai Yuan with apprehension. They knew that if they were to face him, their fate would be even more miserable than Ji Jiutian’s.

Innate Divine Power plus superhuman stamina—he was practically born with a Saint Body made for the fighting stage!

’Can’t beat him, can’t outlast him... how is anyone supposed to fight that?’

They could only hope not to run into Bai Yuan—and, of course, that crazy woman with the surname You.

Magistrate Zhang once again approached the group with a wide smile, holding the wooden box.

This time, he thoughtfully let Bai Yuan, who was standing at the very end, draw first.

Bai Yuan didn’t stand on ceremony, reaching into the wooden box and pulling out a slip of paper with the number "3" written on it.

Now, all that was left was for an unlucky soul to appear.