Just as Ji Hanming, who was off to the side, was about to draw a slip of paper from the wooden box—

You Shengnan, who had been sitting primly in the Grandmaster’s Chair, shot to her feet.

"Master?!"

At these words, Magistrate Zhang, Tie Tu, Ji Chang, and Old Xue all looked astonished.

It was obvious to everyone who the person You Shengnan called "Master" was: the Thousand-Handed Butcher, Dong Wanjun!

’He actually came!’

Old Xue was inwardly alarmed.

According to the original plan, only those who passed the second trial would be qualified to meet Dong Wanjun. Those he took a liking to could then become disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect.

No one had expected him to show up early.

An old man in gray robes emerged from the crowd.

Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up. This was Dong Wanjun, his future master.

Dong Wanjun glanced at the participants drawing lots on the fighting stage, his gaze finally landing on Bai Yuan.

"If you can defeat all eight of them, this old man will make you an Inner Sect Disciple on the spot."

His words caused an uproar.

An Inner Sect Disciple of the Divine Mansion Sect!

Only Martial Artists at the Strong Organ Pass were qualified. Even You Shengnan and Xiongshan were merely Inner Sect Disciples.

But Bai Yuan could become one immediately upon entry. It was an opportunity that would make anyone green with envy.

You Shengnan and Xiongshan were also stunned.

As disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect, they knew the weight an Inner Sect Disciple carried. Even reaching the Strong Organ Pass didn’t guarantee one could become an Inner Sect Disciple.

Every single Inner Sect Disciple had to pass numerous trials to earn their title.

She and Xiongshan were no exception.

Dong Wanjun turned to the other eight. "Whoever can defeat him will get the spot of Inner Sect Disciple."

The eight men, including Ji Hanming, were ecstatic.

To think such a heaven-sent fortune would fall into their laps!

Individually, none of them were a match for Bai Yuan, but now it was eight against one. The situation was completely different.

Bai Yuan was strong, but he was still at the Yijin Pass.

’To win against eight opponents? Does he really think he’s a Strong Internal Martial Artist?’

In an instant, all eyes were on Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan stood tall and smiled faintly.

"This disciple respectfully obeys Master’s command!"

Seeing Bai Yuan accept the challenge, Ji Hanming and the others trembled with excitement. They were all thinking about how they could be the first one to defeat him.

You Shengnan had already consciously given up the Grandmaster’s Chair.

Dong Wanjun sat down in the Grandmaster’s Chair with an imposing air, a smile playing on his lips as he waited for the show to begin.

’Since he’s already mastered the Tiger-Crane Form, defeating eight opponents should be expected. If he can’t even do that, he isn’t qualified to be my, Dong Wanjun’s, disciple.’

...

Only ten people remained on the fighting stage.

Bai Yuan stood alone in the center of the stage, surrounded by the other eight, their expressions wary.

The oppressive atmosphere made the crowd below hold their breath.

Tie Tu rolled a pair of well-worn walnuts in his right hand, which made a soft rumbling sound.

Among the eight were two disciples from his Iron Saber Gang, which meant the gang had the highest chance of succeeding.

He certainly didn’t think Bai Yuan would succeed.

It wasn’t that he underestimated Bai Yuan, but that a prodigy of this caliber had never appeared in the history of Qinghe County. Such a talent was exceedingly rare not just in Qinghe County, but in the entire Huanglong Prefecture.

He had long since looked into Bai Yuan’s background. Old Xue was nothing special, so his disciple couldn’t be either.

On the other side, Elder Xue had straightened his posture.

He never expected Dong Wanjun’s appearance to turn the situation into this, and he couldn’t help but sweat for Bai Yuan.

One against eight?

’Difficult!’

’Too difficult!’

Even his own master, the Black Evil Elder, couldn’t have fought eight Martial Artists of the same rank. Not to mention, these eight were all young talents of the Yijin Pass.

You Shengnan stood obediently beside Dong Wanjun, glancing at her master from time to time.

She really couldn’t figure out why her master was doing this.

’If he thinks highly of that boy Bai Yuan, he could just take him as a disciple directly. Why go through all this trouble?’

’But if he doesn’t think highly of him, why offer an Inner Sect Disciple spot as a reward?’

Subconsciously, she didn’t believe Bai Yuan could pull off such a feat either. After all, a true dragon cannot be raised in the shallow waters of Qinghe County.

On the fighting stage, Ji Hanming and the other seven exchanged glances, then simultaneously unleashed their signature techniques and charged at Bai Yuan.

The killing moves coming from all directions were enough to make one’s scalp tingle. It was impossible to imagine how anyone could defend against them.

Just as the crowd held their breath and stared with wide eyes—

A huge cloud of red mist exploded across the stage!

"Cough, cough..."

"Cough..."

The intense, acrid smell nearly suffocated the audience below, and coughing echoed through the area.

If it was like this for people dozens of meters from the stage, one could only imagine what it was like for the eight on it.

Blinded by the sudden red powder, Ji Hanming took out a Clear Heart Pill and swallowed it, but it had no effect.

"What the hell is this stuff?"

He couldn’t help but curse loudly.

The Clear Heart Pill, which could counteract a hundred poisons, was useless against this red powder!

The red mist dispersed quickly.

The crowd saw that Bai Yuan now held a handkerchief over his entire face. Though his vision was obstructed, his movements were completely unaffected, as if he had grown an extra eye.

The Firewood Cutting Saber on his back was finally unsheathed.

The Blood Tiger Saber!

With a dull thud.

An older Martial Artist, one of the eight, was struck on the back of the head with the spine of the blade and instantly lost consciousness.

Seeing this, You Shengnan’s eyes widened.

"The Blood Tiger Saber!"

She was well-versed in the martial arts of the world, but she never expected the Blood Tiger Saber, which had been lost for half a century, to reappear in a small county.

What shocked her even more was that Bai Yuan possessed immense Inner Strength—it was clearly the Tiger-Crane Form!

’It really is him!’

You Shengnan couldn’t help but look down at Dong Wanjun.

Dong Wanjun’s expression didn’t change in the slightest; he had obviously known all along.

’He actually came from a small town?’

’Is this really the kind of person who could appear in a small county?’

Cries of pain continuously rang out from the stage as, one by one, people were knocked unconscious by the spine of Bai Yuan’s blade.

Until the last man, Ji Hanming, was struck on the forehead with the back of the blade, raising a welt the size of half his face as he fell with a look of indignation.

The battle was over...

The crowd below had strange expressions on their faces.

Bai Yuan had indeed won, but his methods were dishonorable.

He played dirty!

If it weren’t for that red powder, the eight of them might not have lost.

Tie Tu and Ji Chang both looked at Dong Wanjun, waiting for an explanation.

Dong Wanjun rose slowly to his feet, in a very good mood.

’This disciple of mine really has a bit of my style from back in the day.’

’In a fight, winning is all that matters. The methods are irrelevant.’

He had always followed a simple creed: if you can win, kill them; if you can’t win, launch a sneak attack; if that doesn’t work, use poison. There was always a way.

It was precisely because of this that he earned the name "Thousand-Handed Butcher" in the Jianghu.

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd—

Dong Wanjun spoke slowly.

"From this day forward, you are this old man’s disciple!"

At his words, the entire arena fell silent.