The Martial Saint rose to power starting as a substitute bridegroom.

Chapter 46 Response

Linjiang City covers an area of ​​about 100 li.

A river flows through the center, dividing the area into two districts, east and west.

The morning's competition has come to a successful conclusion.

Fortunately, although Lu Qing's injuries looked serious, most of them were actually superficial wounds. After being bandaged at the hospital, he took a Qi-gathering pill to aid his recovery and meditated for half an hour. He has now recovered to his peak condition.

After lunch, the members of the Qingniu Martial Arts Society found a pavilion by the river to rest.

Lin Chong was in a good mood after two disciples with internal strength advanced to the finals.

"Fight hard, the real highlight is the afternoon's matches."

"Yes, Master Lin," Li Yuan and Lu Qing replied in unison.

The two returned to their seats, each attracting envious glances and occasional whispers of admiration.

Yang Cheng sat on the outermost side, leaning against the red pillar of the pavilion, a straw dangling from his mouth, gazing wistfully at the river.

His eyes were filled with disappointment.

He was clearly upset about today's competition results.

"I'm really getting old..."

""

He is 34 years old this year, and next year will be his last time taking the Wuhan University of Science and Technology entrance exam.

For a martial artist, thirty-four years old should be the peak of their vitality.

However, he clearly felt that his cultivation had almost stagnated in the past two years.

Six months ago, he tried to break through to the Transformation Realm, but he was stuck at the bottleneck and not only failed, but also almost damaged his meridians.

"Actually, Senior Brother Yang, you don't need to take it too seriously. You're already very strong. After all, not everyone is as gifted as Junior Brother Lu and Junior Brother Li," Luo Shan said, seeing through Yang Cheng's thoughts.

A bitter smile appeared on Yang Cheng's face.

Very strong?

Twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Once upon a time, he was also the junior brother with "extraordinary talent" in the eyes of his senior brothers, and he also carried all of Master Lin's expectations.

He also enjoyed the adoration and admiration of his fellow students.

Now, his younger disciples, who are ten or twenty years younger than him, are all standing out, while he has been stuck in the same place for many years. Who knows the bitterness of this?

In the martial arts club, Lu Qing has completely taken his place.

And Li Yuan has become a rising star.

If you're alone, the road ahead will only go downhill.

Thirty-five is a turning point; after that, one's qi and blood will inevitably begin to decline.

Not only did he not have the opportunity to participate in the martial arts examination again, but he also had virtually no chance of breaking through to the Transformation Realm again.

The path of martial arts has essentially been severed.

Lin Chong's gaze swept over everyone and landed on Lu Qing once again.

"Everyone, please be quiet," he said.

The once noisy pavilion has now become quiet.

The disciples fell silent, their eyes turning to Lin Chong, knowing he had something to say.

"None of the twenty finalists are ordinary. But the one we need to pay the most attention to is Xiao Yichen from Tianlong Martial Arts School. Xiao Yichen has been at the peak of Dark Force for many years, and is probably half a step into Transformation Force now. His fist techniques are profound and skillful, and you are no match for him. I don't need to say more. If you encounter him, just admit defeat, and I will not blame you."

Lin Chong vividly remembered the scene of Lu Qing being seriously injured at the Mingjin Small Gathering, and he did not want any of his disciples to repeat the same mistake.

"Besides these, there are also Fang Chong from Longteng Martial Arts School, Shi Dazhuang from Tiequan Villa, and Dong Guan from Huwei Martial Arts School, whose strength is also top-notch. If you encounter them, you must not be careless."

"Fang Chong of Longteng Martial Arts School has mastered the art of external strength training, reaching the peak of the half-step Dark Force stage, and his Jingjiao Fist is already highly proficient. Compared to my Dragon Form Fist, his Jingjiao Fist is less agile but more powerful. When encountering him, one should focus on entanglement and not engage in direct combat."

"Shi Dazhuang's Iron Wire Fist is superb, and he himself is at the peak of Dark Force cultivation, so he should not be underestimated. However, Shi Wanquan, the master of Iron Fist Manor, has always been on good terms with me, so he will not go all out on the stage. Just adapt to the situation when you go on stage."

"Dong Guan of Tiger Might Martial Arts School is cunning and ruthless. He was already at the late stage of Dark Force a few years ago, and with the Xie family's unreserved support, he has probably already broken through to the peak of Dark Force."

With each sentence Lin Chong spoke, his gaze swept around the room before settling on Lu Qing.

Clearly, these words were mainly meant for Lu Qing.

The disciples looked at Lu Qing with envy in their eyes.

At this moment, Li Yuan suddenly stood up and looked at the arched bridge in front of him.

It attracted everyone's attention.

"What's wrong, Li Yuan?" Lin Zhong asked, puzzled.

Following Li Yuan's gaze, everyone found nothing unusual.

"It's alright, Master Lin." Li Yuanzhong sat down again. "I might have misread it."

Just now, a boat traversed the water, passed under the arched bridge, turned to the other side, and disappeared from sight.

That sampan looked somewhat familiar; it seemed to be Gu Laoqi's boat.

But at this time, my adoptive father and the others shouldn't be in the city.

Li Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Perhaps I misread it.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Lin Chong said to Li Yuan. "Just do your best! Treat this year as training; the next year should be more successful!"

"Yes, Master Lin."

On the other side, Lu Qing rolled her eyes in annoyance and muttered under her breath, "She really knows how to attract attention."

He was in a bad mood because Li Yuan's actions had interrupted his previous treatment of being the center of attention.

A few streets away.

Gu Laoqi moored the boat on the shore.

Gu Qi'er crawled out of the cabin and looked at the sun high in the sky.

"Dad, aren't we too early? The afternoon's competition hasn't even started yet, and besides, we can't even get into the examination hall..."

""

Gu Laoqi chuckled and said, "What do you know? We need to come early so we can find a good spot near the notice board for the martial arts exam results. Otherwise, we won't be able to squeeze in when the results are posted."

Gu Qi'er frowned slightly, then nodded. "That makes sense!"

"That way I can see immediately whether my brother's name is on the list."

"Silly child," Gu Laoqi chuckled twice, lit a pipe, held the pipe in one hand, and waved with the other, "Let's go, let's go now."

"But... Father," Gu Qi'er covered his belly with his hand, his stomach rumbling, and he smiled sheepishly.

I haven't eaten anything since I left this morning.

"You brat!" Old Gu gave him a loving look. "I knew it."

Then he took out two vegetable buns from his pocket.

He bought this in advance.

For poor families, white flour steamed buns were a rare treat, only eaten during festivals, let alone vegetable buns.

Gu Qi'er's eyes immediately lit up, and she grabbed one and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Dad...you eat too!"

Inside the examination hall, the final round officially began.

Li Yuan stuffed the number nine ticket into his pocket and waited for his number to be called.

In this round, the draw was random.

There are twenty lots, each with a number. If you draw the same number, you are opponents.

I wonder who the other person who drew number nine is.

Li Yuan frowned slightly, and felt that unfriendly gaze coming from the Xie family's stands again.

Dong Guan.

Dong Guan saw Li Yuan look back at him, narrowed his eyes, and gave him a contemptuous sneer.

.

His injuries had not fully healed, and his arm was still wrapped in bandages.

"This kid is really lucky to have won the arena match," Xie Yu said casually.

"Ah, what a pity," Dong Guan sighed, "He just didn't meet me, otherwise he would be a cripple lying in a hospital bed by now."

He squeezed the number eight lot in his hand. "If I meet him in this round, I will not only verbally humiliate him, but also personally eliminate him from the competition, break all his meridians, and make sure he can never touch the martial arts again."

"You can do whatever you want without worry. The Xie family will handle the aftermath for you." A cold glint appeared in Xie Yu's eyes.

What does "clean up the mess" mean? Do you understand what it means?

At that moment, amidst the hustle and bustle, Sun Lu and several disciples from the Tiger Might Martial Arts School happened to pass by not far away.

Sun Lu seemed not to hear anything and continued to chat and laugh with her disciples as they walked.

After a short while, Sun Lu quietly called Li Yuan into the passageway.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Li Yuan's number nine draw.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness. Dong Guanyu is not good for you, but he drew number eight."

Since they were both at the Tiger Might Martial Arts Academy, Sun Lu could easily find out Dong Guan's signature number.

She told Li Yuan what she had overheard.

"Thank you." Li Yuanyi clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute, already having a response in mind.

.