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

"Do you think they have ulterior motives?"

Qin Ge lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "Since there is no benefit in winning or losing, it means that they may not care about the outcome at all."

"As long as Shadow Martial Hall accepts the challenge, their goal will be achieved. Of course, it would be even better if they could win."

"What could it be?"

The two looked at each other and then fell silent.

"A test!?"

Qin Ge and Yang Xin'er spoke almost simultaneously, each becoming even more certain of their guesses.

The people of Dongyang are truly still up to their old tricks, but what can they do after they've tested the waters?

They dare to even try to take advantage of the Shadow Martial Hall; they're really bold!

"Is no one willing to accept the challenge?"

Yu Jinghong let out a sword cry, looking down at the people of Dongyang from her high position, like a fairy.

"You came to the Shadow Martial Arts Hall with such fanfare to challenge them, only to end up with a zero-win record. Not a very impressive sight, is it?"

"If you're afraid of dying, then stay in Dongyang and practice your fancy but ineffective martial arts. Why are you trying to do these challenges?"

Spending too much time with Qin Ge has made me much better at talking.

Yu Jinghong actually managed to provoke two young men to go on stage. Those two were not as strong as Miyamoto Yuzheng, and they only went on stage impulsively because they couldn't swallow their pride. As a result, they were killed one by one by Yu Jinghong!

Wu Nanxiong didn't stop him, probably thinking that someone so impatient wouldn't amount to much in life, and that if he died, he might as well die; going back to Dongyang would just be a waste of rice.

"Since no one is willing to fight, let's end it here!"

"Goodbye and don't bother seeing me off!"

Qiao Song originally planned to settle the score with Wu Nanxiong over the ambush that Shen Yulan had suffered after the arena challenge ended.

Since Miyamoto Yusei had already been killed by Yu Jinghong, and several people from Dongyang had also died, he generously let it go.

"The Shadow Martial Hall is indeed full of talented people. Our challenge was presumptuous and made us a laughing stock."

Wu Nanxiong stood up. "Master Qiao, then I'll take my leave of you today."

"Sparring is bound to result in injuries and deaths, but I have always respected Master Qiao and Shadow Warrior. I hope that today's exchange will not cause any unpleasantness."

"I was truly unaware of what Nan Zhi and the others did in Jinling. I hope the Shadow Martial Hall won't hold any grudges because of those things."

"You'd better really be unaware, or you might not be able to bear the consequences!" Qiao Song said with a serious face, but he almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That old bastard Wu Nanxiong is really good at enduring things. It's not like it's my man who died. As long as you're happy.

"Wait a minute." Qin Ge was displeased as he saw Wu Nanxiong about to leave. "Old man Dongyang, aren't you going to fight me?"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Nanxiong's eyes. "As Hall Master Qiao has just said, today's sparring session ends here."

"If we gain some insights into martial arts in the future, we will definitely visit you again to exchange ideas."

After he finished speaking, he led his men to carry the corpse away, each of them hanging their heads dejectedly, as if their spirits had been castrated.

"Is he really leaving like this? How pointless!"

Qin Ge suddenly felt utterly bored. It was truly baffling that these people from Dongyang would travel thousands of miles just to deliver their own deaths!

He waved to Yang Xin'er and Yu Jinghong, "Let's go too!"

"Young Brother Qin!" Qiao Song strode forward, a broad smile on his face. "If you're not in a hurry, why don't you stay at the Shadow Martial Hall for a few days?"

"I didn't know you were such a capable person before, and I have been very disrespectful to you."

"How about I do my part as a host to express my apologies?"

Shen Yulan's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Her master actually called Qin Ge "little brother"?!

And their attitude is so... humble!

In the blink of an eye, he realized he was now a generation lower than Qin Ge, and consequently, a generation lower than Yu Jinghong.

"Master Qiao, that's not the truth of your words."

"Just tell me what secrets you want to uncover from me. Why all the polite talk!"

Qin Ge glanced at Yu Jinghong, "I can't stay here, but if you really want to treat me to a meal, that's fine."

He didn't care where they lived, but Lin Yao was still unconscious and needed him to treat her with his spiritual energy every now and then.

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you!"

Qiao Song laughed heartily, grabbed Qin Ge and started walking, asking her questions all the way.

He's a martial arts fanatic; he can't stop talking about martial arts, and once he starts asking Qin Ge a question, he just can't stop.

As long as it doesn't involve matters of principle or violate the rules of the Shadow Martial Hall, he is still very kind and approachable.

Shen Yulan was stunned as she followed behind; she had never seen her master so easygoing before!

Qiao Song had a large table of sumptuous dishes prepared to entertain Qin Ge, and he even brought out his own rare wines that he usually couldn't bear to drink.

Yang Xin'er ate a little something with them and then left, while Qiao Song and Qin Ge continued their pleasant conversation.

In reality, only Qiao Song was happy. Qin Ge was quite helpless. There was really nothing to talk about with this old man. Basically, he would just answer whatever the old man asked.

Shen Yulan found an excuse to pull Yu Jinghong away, as both of them also found the topic that Qiao Song and Qin Ge were discussing rather boring.

"Jinghong, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you."

"I saw you weren't doing well before, but I was too embarrassed to ask. If I don't ask this time, I don't know when we'll see each other again."

Shen Yulan looked serious, her eyes full of hope.

"You want to ask me about martial arts, to know how I broke through to the peak of the Earth Realm in such a short time?"

How did you know that was what I was going to ask?

Yu Jinghong smiled faintly. Of course she knew. Looking at Shen Yulan now was like looking at her former self.

Didn't she ask Su Wenxi the same question back then?

"Then...can you tell me?"

"If it's difficult for you, then forget it. I understand."

Shen Yulan was very much looking forward to it, but she still tried her best to maintain a sense of boundaries.

"It is indeed a difficult situation, but it's not that I can't say it."

Yu Jinghong looked around for a while, and seeing that no one was around, continued, "Do you really want to know?"

"Then I'll tell you, but I don't think you'll believe me."

She beckoned to Shen Yulan and whispered a few words in his ear. After she finished speaking, her pretty face flushed red.

"Are you... are you serious?" Shen Yulan froze, two blushes spreading across her face, all the way to her ears, several shades redder than Yu Jinghong.

"It's absolutely true." Yu Jinghong was a little embarrassed. "I don't know how to explain it to you, because I don't know the reason either."

"However, I can assure you that everything I just said is true, not a single word is false!"

That bastard is probably going to get away with this again. I'll have to ask him for compensation later, a hefty one!

Shen Yulan's head was buzzing. So, when Yu Jinghong said "difficult," she meant "embarrassed."

This is indeed a difficult thing to say. If it were her, she would absolutely not be able to say it unless the other person was someone she had a life-or-death bond with.

Even life-or-death friendships need to be carefully considered!

But she still couldn't figure out why doing that kind of thing could help her break through martial arts.

If this is true, then what does all her hard work over the years mean? Does it mean she's just diligent?

Could it be that Jinghong was tricked by Qin Ge? Is there actually another way to break through, but she just didn't notice it?

However, if being tricked into breaking through two minor realms simultaneously doesn't seem so bad...