"Su Yu wins!"

As the referee’s loud cry fell, the Martial Arts Arena instantly erupted.

"He won! Su Yu won!"

"Amazing! What was that saber art? To have such power!"

"Two moves! In just two moves, he turned defeat into victory!"

The cheers washed over him like a tidal wave, but Su Yu simply sheathed his saber and stood with a calm expression.

"Quick, go tell the Young Mistress that Su Yu made it into the top ten!"

"The gift! Quick, double the congratulatory gift! Send it to Master Su as soon as the Martial Examination is over!"

Below the stage, Cheng Yan’s two pretty maids were crying their eyes out, supporting their young master on his left and right.

"Young Master, WAH... That Su Yu is too strong. Even you couldn’t beat him."

"Even though you lost, Young Master, you’re still the strongest in Xiaomei’s heart!"

"Tonight, Xiaolan will be sure to comfort you well, Young Master!"

Cheng Yan sighed. Looking at Su Yu on the stage, a sense of powerlessness washed over him.

’That last move... if he hadn’t held back at the final moment, I would have died on the spot.’

’Incredible. Truly incredible!’

’I absolutely cannot make an enemy of this Su Yu. He’s destined to soar to great heights!’

Thinking this, he pulled his hands from his maids’ soft bosoms, dusted himself off, and approached Su Yu once more. "Brother Su, that final move was truly stunning. What saber art was it?"

"Mountain-Suppressing Thunder-Breaking Saber," Su Yu replied with a respectful nod. "But Young Master Cheng’s Ghost Cloud Step also lives up to its reputation. If not for the limits of the stage, the outcome would have been hard to predict."

"Haha, Brother Su, you flatter me. I willingly concede defeat in this match! If you have time another day, you must come to my residence. We can drink and talk!"

"Definitely!"

Watching Cheng Yan’s departing figure, Su Yu nodded to himself.

’Many of these noble descendants aren’t the spoiled brats you’d expect. On the contrary, their social skills are quite polished.’

...

Back with the members of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Liuchuan was grinning from ear to ear. "Haha, top ten in the Martial Examination! Junior Su, you’re going to be truly famous in Black Stone City from now on!"

"Next time I go to Anle Square, I’ll have to bring you with me!"

"Shoo, shoo! Don’t be a bad influence on Junior Su!" Lin Wanzhu chided, swatting Jiang Liuchuan playfully. She turned to Su Yu, her beautiful eyes filled with a smile.

"Congratulations, Junior Su. I’m going to check on Lin Dong and the others’ matches. You guys go see how Junior Brother Chen is doing."

With that, Senior Sister Lin turned and left.

Yang Zhen immediately stepped forward and gently wiped the sweat from Su Yu’s brow.

Yang Ai, meanwhile, held a peeled orange segment to Su Yu’s lips. "Brother Su, have an orange! It’s sweet!"

In the distance, Jiang Mu stood alone behind the crowd, her gaze soft as she watched Su Yu, who was surrounded like the moon by stars.

Old Man Jiang tugged her sleeve and sighed. The young woman bit her lip, but ultimately decided not to go forward, turning to leave with Old Man Jiang instead.

Jiang Liuchuan watched from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement.

’Smooth! Absolutely smooth!’

’Junior Su walks through a field of flowers without a single petal sticking to him.’

’I invite him to Anle Square, and Senior Sister actually thinks *I’m* the one corrupting *him*.’

’How unfair! How utterly unfair!’

The group rested for a moment. Just as they were about to head over to Master Qin, Qin Yu unexpectedly rushed over, her expression grave.

"Junior Su, did you win?"

"I was fortunate enough to win."

"That’s great!" Qin Yu’s tightly knit brows instantly relaxed, and a genuine smile spread across her face.

’Junior Su actually won!’

’He always has a way of putting people at ease. As expected, he didn’t disappoint this time either! Dad really struck gold this time!’

"Junior Sister, how are things with Junior Brother Chen Fan?" Jiang Liuchuan asked curiously, snapping his feather fan open with a SWISH.

Qin Yu’s expression immediately turned grim. "He’s crippled!"

"What? Crippled? What do you mean, crippled? Was Junior Brother Chen crippled?" Jiang Liuchuan’s face paled in shock.

"No, Junior Brother Chen crippled Zhou Heng from the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall!" Qin Yu said, shaking her head.

As soon as she said this, everyone looked stunned.

In these tournament matches, even though death waivers were signed, it was better to resolve grievances than to create them. Most people would hold back.

The White Ape Martial Arts Hall and the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall had a long-standing feud, but for Chen Fan to directly cripple his opponent was still unexpected.

"Let’s talk as we walk. Dad is still waiting for you over there."

The group followed Qin Yu toward the Arena B stage.

"That Zhou Heng was very strong, and his fight with Junior Brother Chen was incredibly intense. In the first half, Junior Brother Chen was even being suppressed. Toward the end, Junior Brother Chen intentionally revealed an opening and took a Bone Shattering Palm from Zhou Heng head-on with his left arm!"

"What?!" Jiang Liuchuan exclaimed in shock.

The Bone Shattering Palm specializes in shattering bone. After a hit like that, would his arm even be usable?

A complex look flashed in Qin Yu’s eyes. "He risked crippling one of his own arms to seize the opportunity to counterattack. With one slash, he cut off the hand Zhou Heng was using to hold his saber. And then... with another slash, he severed the tendon in Zhou Heng’s right ankle!"

"That last slash was delivered after Junior Brother Chen had already won. And for it to land precisely on the ankle tendon... to say it wasn’t intentional..."

Hearing this, Su Yu’s eyes narrowed.

’Trading injury for victory... It seems Chen Fan really went all out to win this match.’

’And that ruthlessness he showed when crippling Zhou Heng... it’s not quite like the him I knew before.’

Jiang Liuchuan also clicked his tongue in wonder. "Junior Brother Chen doesn’t seem like such a ruthless person."

Qin Yu immediately explained, "Perhaps the pressure on Junior Brother Chen was too great. But he did well to pull out the weeds by the roots! Since he already injured Zhou Heng and made an enemy of him, that last slash should have been used to cripple him completely!"

...

Beside the Arena B stage, the atmosphere was tense enough to draw swords.

On one side were the people from the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall, their faces grim.

A physician was currently treating Zhou Heng, who was letting out blood-curdling screams. "Master, avenge me! Avenge me! Cripple him! Cripple him for me!"

Beside them, a middle-aged man in green robes stared over with ice-cold eyes. This was the master of the Bone-breaking Martial Arts Hall, Zhou Sinan!

On the other side, Qin Fangqiong stood with his hands behind his back, like a great mountain shielding his disciple as he faced off against Zhou Sinan.

Behind him, Chen Fan’s face was as white as a sheet, his left arm hanging limply. A physician was treating him while his First Senior Brother and the others helped.

"First Senior Brother, how are Junior Brother Chen’s injuries?" Qin Yu asked anxiously.

Qi Linfeng said gently, "The bone is shattered into several pieces, but luckily his meridians aren’t damaged. With the best bone-setting medicine, it should heal in a year or so. It’s just... his journey in this Martial Examination is likely over."

"As long as he’s not crippled!" Qin Yu let out a sigh of relief.

’Now that both of these junior brothers from the White Ape Martial Arts Hall have entered the top ten of the Martial Examination, their futures are bound to be bright. It would have been a complete disaster if one of them had a crippled arm.’

Chen Fan gritted his teeth, his forehead beaded with sweat. He saw Su Yu approach and forced a smile, asking, "Junior Su... did you win?"

"I won," Su Yu said calmly.

Hearing that Su Yu had won, Chen Fan’s heart sank, but he still forced another smile. "Congratulations... Junior Brother."

Su Yu didn’t know what Chen Fan was thinking at that moment and simply replied, "Focus on healing."

...

That night, there was no grand celebration at the martial arts hall.

Although both Su Yu and Chen Fan had advanced, Chen Fan was injured and still receiving treatment. Many people outside seemed to be aware of the White Ape Martial Arts Hall’s situation and didn’t come to deliver gifts.

As for Su Yu, he rested peacefully at the martial arts hall.

However, Senior Sister Qin made a special trip to Su Yu’s room.

"Junior Brother, the top ten ranking battles are tomorrow."

The red-clothed young woman sat at the table, her expression uncharacteristically gentle. "You’ve already made it into the top ten, so the position of Law Enforcement Team captain is secured. For tomorrow’s matches... act within your capabilities."

"If you draw a bad opponent, just concede. As long as the green mountains are there, you’ll never run out of firewood."

"Don’t worry, Senior Sister. I will act within my limits."

Su Yu knew Qin Yu was genuinely looking out for him, so he nodded.

"This is the latest information on tomorrow’s opponents. Take a good look at it."

"Thank you, Senior Sister!"