I bought a secret manual of the Hehuan Sect for ten yuan.

"Bang bang—"

Two muffled thuds sounded very close together.

Qin Ge and Qiao Song each pressed their fists against the other's chest, their eyes locked, and time seemed to stand still.

"I knew I wasn't wrong. Although I don't know how you managed to completely conceal your true energy so that no one could sense any fluctuation, I still guessed that you were quite strong."

"Although I only used one-tenth of my strength in that punch, you were able to take it so easily. Among your peers, I'm afraid no one can match you!"

"Good lad, you didn't even use your full strength in that punch, did you?"

Qiao Song spoke first, making no attempt to hide his admiration.

"You weren't even using your full strength, how could I possibly beat up an old man like you!"

"I used two-tenths of my strength, only two percent."

Qin Ge smiled, secretly assessing Qiao Song's strength.

If Qiao Song is telling the truth, then at full power... he is indeed much stronger than Yu Xiaoyun!

"I hope your skills are as impressive as your words; don't let me down!"

As soon as Qiao Song finished speaking, the two of them tacitly withdrew their fists and threw another punch.

Two more muffled thuds, much louder than the previous one, but the two remained motionless.

Qiao Song was moved this time. He had already used 30% of his strength, but he still couldn't shake Qin Ge at all. Instead, his chest felt numb and aching.

"Master Qiao, didn't you have breakfast today?"

"..."

Qiao Song withdrew his fist and attacked again, using 50%, 70%, 90% of his strength...

Outside the courtyard.

"Jinghong, why didn't you try to persuade him?"

"Aren't you worried at all?"

In Shen Yulan's heart, her master could never lose!

Of course, she didn't think her master would kill Qin Ge, but in martial arts sparring, there's always the possibility of something going wrong.

Besides, Qin Ge has such a gossipy mouth; if she angers her master, it's not impossible that she might lose control.

"Who's worried about him? He deserves to die!" Yu Jinghong wasn't really worried at the moment. If Qin Ge had been forced to accept the challenge, she might have been anxious.

But it's different if Qin Ge takes the initiative to challenge someone. Would he do something that would put him at a disadvantage?

To put it another way, letting Qiao Song beat him up might not be such a bad thing.

Yang Xin'er was even calmer than Yu Jinghong; she was just a little disappointed that she hadn't witnessed the two sparring together.

"boom--"

The three were chatting when a sudden loud noise made their eyelids tremble.

A figure burst out of the courtyard, smashing a large hole in the wall, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

Yu Jinghong and the other two were stunned for a while, then looked at each other in bewilderment, and then took off running.

"Master?!"

"Master Qiao?"

The three men dug the person out of the cement and rubble, and were stunned when they saw his face.

Qiao Song was covered in dust and looked extremely disheveled; it was clear at a glance that he hadn't flown out voluntarily.

So, he lost?

"Master, are you alright?" Shen Yulan didn't care about winning or losing at this moment; she only cared about whether her master was injured.

"Cough cough..." Qiao Song coughed lightly twice as a tactic, his face flushed. "I'm fine."

"Didn't I tell you to take them to rest first? Why did you end up here?"

As the head of a branch of the Jinling Shadow Martial Arts Hall and a master of the Innate Realm, it was certainly shameful for him to lose to Qin Ge, but that wasn't the most shameful thing.

What was even more embarrassing was that three women saw it, one of whom was his apprentice, an apprentice who respected and admired him!

"Master Qiao, do I win this time?"

Qin Ge glanced at the hole Qiao Song had smashed, hesitated for a moment, then walked around to the doorway. "You keep your word, right?"

"I'm taking Jinghong with me. From now on, your Shadow Martial Hall is not allowed to cause her any trouble!"

He felt a sense of déjà vu about what he was seeing; this wasn't the first time he'd punched someone against a wall.

I'm starting to miss Su Wenxi's long legs. It's time to go back to Donghai.

However, Qiao Song is really strong. If he hadn't broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining, he might not have been able to win!

Don't underestimate people!

"While I, Qiao Song, wouldn't presume to say my word is absolute, I do keep my promises. You may leave now!"

Qiao Song dusted himself off, looking utterly defeated.

Although it was hard to accept at first, he still had the awareness that one should accept defeat gracefully.

And even if he cheats, can he stop Qin Ge?

He was deeply hurt. He was half-buried in the ground, and he had devoted his life to martial arts, but in the end, he was not as good as a young man in his early twenties.

God is most biased when it comes to giving everyone different talents. The difference between people is often greater than the difference between a person and a pig!

What shocked and frustrated him the most was that he felt Qin Ge hadn't even used his full strength!

That's so damn hurtful to my self-esteem!

However, Qiao Song remained optimistic, believing that young people are the future, and a stronger generation is essential for a stronger future.

But being open-minded doesn't mean being clear-headed. How exactly does one train to develop such strength at Qin Ge's age?

This was beyond Qiao Song's comprehension.

"Reliable!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about what happened today."

Qin Ge looked at Yu Jinghong and the other two, "They probably won't tell, but women are more gossipy. If they spread rumors, I won't be responsible!"

He glanced at Shen Yulan, a hint of regret in his eyes.

If I had known Qiao Song had such a beautiful apprentice, I should have fooled the younger one first, and then the older one. What a pity.

There must be very few Earth Realm martial artists who are this beautiful and possess the Primordial Yin Body in this world.

"You're the gossip!!" Yu Jinghong and the other two rolled their eyes at Qin Ge.

Qiao Song was speechless. He didn't think Qin Ge was being considerate in saving his face; instead, she was stabbing him in the heart.

"Alright, Yu Lan, you see them off!"

Qiao Song really wanted to talk to Qin Ge again; he had many questions he wanted to ask.

For example, Qin Ge's lineage, how he cultivated, whether he used his full strength just now, etc.

But thinking about it, I decided against it. Even if I asked Qin Ge, he might not tell me, and even if he did, it would probably only make him feel worse.

Most importantly, he's not in the mood right now and needs to go into seclusion to calm down and recharge.

Yes, he almost became depressed from the beating.

Qiao Song now understood why Yang Jianjun had specifically called to speak up for Qin Ge, but he felt that Yang Jianjun had gone a bit too far.

Not only did he not tell him the truth about Qin Ge's situation, but he also asked him to go easy on Qin Ge. Did he have the opportunity or the ability to do so?

"But Master..." Shen Yulan hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

She was well aware of the immense pressure her master was facing; before Qin Ge and the others arrived, the higher-ups were still putting pressure on her master.

If we let Yu Jinghong leave like this, how will we handle the Jinghe Chamber of Commerce?

Shen Yulan still can't accept the fact that her master lost. In her heart and in everything she has seen, her master is the strongest and would never lose!

She glanced at Qin Ge, wondering if he was really that strong.

Could it be that the master deliberately lost to promote a younger generation, out of a sense of appreciating talent?

Or perhaps they pretended to be outmatched in order to find an excuse to let Yu Jinghong go?

She knew very well why her master hadn't dealt with Yu Jinghong. Such a young peak Earth Realm expert—her master loved talent and couldn't bear to do it.

Most importantly, Yu Jinghong's master didn't think there was anything wrong with what she did; Wu Nanzhi and the others deserved to die!

As my thoughts raced, the phone rang.

"Master, Elder Chao Wu from the Enforcement Department of the Main Hall has arrived!"

"I came with people from Dongyang!"