Over by the Songhe Martial Arts Hall contingent, a young junior sister in a yellow dress, heartbroken, helped her senior brother down from the arena stage. Tears streamed uncontrollably from her red-rimmed eyes.

"I can’t believe Senior Brother lost! He won’t get to join the Law Enforcement Team... That Su Yu is the worst! How could Senior Brother possibly lose to him!" Her voice was loud, carrying over to where Su Yu and the others stood.

Yang Ai bristled at the comment. Her eyebrows shot up in anger, and she was about to charge over to argue, but Yang Zhen grabbed her arm and gently shook his head.

"Ahem... Junior Sister, watch what you say!" Liu Yansong hastily clapped a hand over her mouth.

He had just crossed blades with Su Yu and knew firsthand how terrifyingly strong his opponent was. ’A man like that is no big fish in a small pond; he’s destined to soar to great heights. The Songhe Martial Arts Hall can’t afford to make an enemy of him.’

"Enough! A loss is a loss. Help your eldest senior brother get some rest."

Hall Master Huang Jin of the Songhe Martial Arts Hall strode over. Though he was past fifty, his steps were firm, and his Qi and Blood were potent yet restrained—the clear mark of a Muscle Forging Realm expert.

He glanced at his disciple and sighed inwardly. ’Losing the match cost him a spot in the Law Enforcement Team. A truly great opportunity has been missed.’

Then, his gaze shifted to the composed young man on the other side.

’In that last fight, the boy’s saber technique perfectly blended hard and soft styles, and he was clearly holding back.’

Huang Jin was inwardly full of praise. Putting on a genial smile, he strode forward and cupped his fist in salute. "Master Su, I am Huang Jin, Hall Master of the Songhe Martial Arts Hall."

Su Yu immediately returned the salute. "Hall Master Huang."

’Anyone who can run a martial arts hall must be powerful,’ he knew. ’This Hall Master Huang is certainly no exception.’

"Master Su, you are truly a hero in the making," Huang Jin said with admiration. "My young disciple was simply outmatched; he accepts his defeat completely. As for my young disciple’s outburst just now, I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive her."

With that, he produced an exquisite porcelain vial from his robes and offered it to Su Yu. "This is a Black Scale Blood Orifice Pill. It should aid your daily cultivation, so please, you must accept it. In the future, if you have the time, Master Su, feel free to visit us at the Songhe Martial Arts Hall. My disciple and you can now say you’ve become acquainted through this fight."

’A Black Scale Blood Orifice Pill!’

Su Yu’s heart skipped a beat. ’A single one of these pills is worth dozens of taels, and it’s exactly what I need for my cultivation after opening my First Acupoint. This Hall Master Huang certainly knows how to play the game.’

"You’re too kind, Hall Master Huang. I will certainly pay a visit in the future," Su Yu said with a smile, accepting the vial.

...

The atmosphere back with the White Ape Martial Arts Hall contingent was instantly electric.

"Haha! Junior Brother, you’ve really been holding out on us!" Jiang Liuchuan slung an arm around Su Yu’s shoulders, fanning himself with his Feather Fan. He couldn’t help but tease, "See? My eye for talent is truly flawless! Investing in you was a brilliant piece of business. When you make it big, your Senior Brother here will be able to swagger all over the Outer City!"

This was no empty flattery from Jiang Liuchuan; he was genuinely astonished by Su Yu.

Every time he went a while without seeing Su Yu, his strength seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds.

This time, he’d given him a massive surprise!

And now that Su Yu was the Master’s Direct Disciple, their fates were truly intertwined—they would rise and fall together.

’Still, Junior Su’s strength is improving way too fast. If this keeps up, he’s going to surpass me soon...’

’Sigh, no more slacking off. I have to go back and train hard!’

’How will I keep my dignity as his senior brother otherwise!’

No sooner had Jiang Liuchuan released Su Yu than Yang Ai fluttered over like a small butterfly.

"Brother Su..."

But before she could get any closer, a curvaceous figure stepped in her way.

Lin Wanzhu smiled, neatly positioning herself to block Yang Ai’s path. "Junior Su, that was an excellent performance. Come with me to report the good news to Master."

"Yes, Senior Sister." Su Yu, for his part, was completely oblivious.

The two walked off, one following the other.

Yang Ai pouted in frustration. ’How does Senior Sister Lin always show up at the perfect moment!’

Behind her, a thoughtful Yang Zhen watched them go, his gaze shifting between Lin Wanzhu’s curvaceous figure and Su Yu.

’Could there be something going on between Senior Sister Lin and Brother Su?’

’No, that’s impossible. Senior Sister Lin is already in the Flesh Refining Realm. Any future husband she finds will have to be a Flesh Refining Realm expert at the very least!’

’Then again, Brother Su is young and promising, with a limitless future. Maybe Senior Sister Lin just has a favorable impression of him and high expectations.’

「Far away, at the edge of the crowd.」

Jiang Mu had just started to step forward when she saw Su Yu leaving with his senior sister from the hall. She froze, her excitement instantly turning into deep disappointment.

Behind her, Old Man Jiang was so angry he yanked out a tuft of his beard, glaring at his granddaughter with utter exasperation.

Lu Qu, standing beside them, sighed with emotion. "I never thought that fisherman’s boy you casually introduced would be on the verge of making a name for himself in Black Stone City! Good thing I gave him that token back then and kept the connection alive."

"I had a good feeling about Su the kid from the start," Old Man Jiang said. "I thought he had a bright future, but I never imagined he’d be this incredible. How long has it been, and he can already defeat Liu Yansong of the Songhe Martial Arts Hall! Now that he’s in the top twenty of the Martial Examination and will be joining the Law Enforcement Team... Mu’Er, he’s out of your league now..."

Hearing this, Jiang Mu bit her lip, trying to hold back her sorrow. Tears welled in her eyes, and finally, she couldn’t stop them from falling.

It pained Old Man Lu to see. The mischievous, clever girl he knew would never have acted this way in the past.

’This business of love is truly agonizing.’

But he knew Old Man Jiang’s intention was simply to make the girl give up any lingering hope.

...

「That evening, at the Zhenxiu Building.」

The building was brightly lit, a lively banquet in full swing.

Qin Fangqiong was in high spirits today, his face flushed with pleasure. He raised his cup and roared with laughter. "Excellent! In today’s opening matches, both Chen Fan and Su Yu were victorious! Your master is deeply gratified! Come, drink up!"

Everyone raised their cups in unison and drained them.

After a few rounds of drinks, Qin Fangqiong set down his chopsticks, his expression turning serious once more. "Entering the second round means you’ll be fighting for a spot in the top ten. Win one more match tomorrow, and you’ll become squad leaders in the Law Enforcement Team!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Chen Fan and Su Yu, before dropping another bombshell. "And what’s more, your master has just received news. The rewards for this Martial Examination have been increased again!"

All eyes in the room instantly focused on him.

After speaking, Qin Fangqiong looked to Jiang Liuchuan, motioning for him to explain to his junior brothers.

Jiang Liuchuan immediately grinned. "This was personally decreed by Commander Pang of the Black Stone Army. To contend with the increasingly grim situation, the top ten contestants will each receive an additional reward: an Upper-tier Martial Arts technique!"

"And if you can make it into the top five..." Jiang Liuchuan’s expression grew solemn as he spoke each word with emphasis, "The reward is the Black Stone Army’s ultimate defining art: the Black Stone Body Forging Skill!"

"HISS—!"

The moment he spoke, a collective sharp intake of breath echoed around the banquet table.

"It’s actually the Black Stone Body Forging Skill!"

"That’s the legendary ultimate art that the Black Stone Army never teaches to outsiders! It’s said that once mastered, your body becomes like an iron fortress, impervious to blades and spears, granting boundless strength! You’d be nearly invincible against anyone in the same realm!"

Seeing that Junior Su and the others had never heard of this Cultivation Technique, Jiang Liuchuan continued his explanation.

"As you all know, the Martial Arts we normally practice, whether they’re Lower Grade or Upper Grade, are all considered Mortal-tier Martial Arts. The tier above that is Xuan-tier Martial Arts!"

"The power of a Xuan-tier Martial Art far surpasses that of an ordinary one. Take the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall’s Nine-Turn Iron Armor Skill, for instance. It’s already extremely close to the Xuan-tier category. Sun Yan was only at the Third Turn, yet he was already terrifyingly strong! And the Black Stone Body Forging Skill, at an equivalent level of mastery, is even stronger than the Iron Armor Skill!"

"So, if you two can make it into the top five, you must give it your all!"

Su Yu and Chen Fan’s breathing quickened in unison.

’A Xuan-tier Martial Art!’

’In the Outer City, where even a Mortal-tier Martial Art is treated like a family heirloom, a Xuan-tier Martial Art is the key to a higher realm of power!’

’I have to get it!’

Su Yu tightened his grip on his wine cup. ’My combat prowess is formidable now, but my physical conditioning is clearly a weakness.’

’Ever since seeing Sun Shi’s formidable Iron Armor Skill, I’ve been wanting to learn a Body Refining Technique.’

’Now’s my chance!’

...

「The next morning. Martial Arts Plaza.」

Today was the crucial battle to determine the top ten, and the atmosphere was even heavier and more tense than the day before.

Su Yu and Chen Fan stood side by side before the lot-drawing table.

Soon, the results were announced.

"Group C, Third Match: Su Yu versus Cheng Yan!"

"Group B, Third Match: Chen Fan versus Zhou Heng!"

Seeing the results, the expressions of everyone from the White Ape Martial Arts Hall changed at once.

"This is trouble."

Jiang Liuchuan’s expression was grave as he said in a low voice,

"Cheng Yan is the talented young master of the Cheng Family from the city’s east side. He wants for no resources and has been consolidating his power at the First Acupoint stage for a long time. The trickiest part is his family’s inherited Ghost Cloud Step, a bizarre and unpredictable Body Technique reputed to be the fastest in the Outer City! He’s consistently ranked in the top ten on the Thousand Mechanism Tower’s Celestial Pride Record!"

"The Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber is powerful, but against an expert who specializes in such a Body Technique, it’s easy to find yourself unable to bring your strength to bear."

Qin Fangqiong’s expression was also grave, but he was more worried about Chen Fan.

"Zhou Heng..."

Qin Yu said through gritted teeth, "The genius disciple of the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall!"

"He also has a Top-Grade Root Bone. He’s vicious and ruthless, and he cultivates the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall’s Bone Shattering Fist Technique and Bone-shattering Frenzy Saber. He’s ranked seventh on the Celestial Pride Record—even higher than Junior Brother Chen!"

"This is... truly a fateful clash of rivals!"

The White Ape Martial Arts Hall and the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall had always been rivals, and the enmity between them ran deep.

Previously, when their Eldest Senior Brother, Qi Linfeng, had gone to challenge their hall, he was defeated and injured by Zhou Mo of the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall. It had taken him more than half a year to recover.