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

Chapter 52 is him

Inside the clinic.

A heavy, oppressive feeling.

The disciples waited in the courtyard, sighing and lamenting.

"How could this happen?" Some disciples who did not attend the martial arts exam still cannot believe it.

Junior Brother Lu Qing is the strongest disciple in the Green Ox Martial Arts Society.

He is Master Lin's most valued genius disciple, his only true disciple, and the one who will inherit his mantle in the future.

He is an idol in the hearts of many disciples, and a goal they have always strived to reach.

He is a master of internal strength, and one of the top ten contestants in the martial arts exam.

How could this happen?

"Who is this guy?" someone asked in a low voice.

"Xiao Yichen from Tianlong Martial Arts Academy is also a genius. In the last martial arts exam, he was defeated by only half a move and missed the top ten. He can be said to be the number one seed in this year's martial arts exam and the one with the highest chance of winning the championship." Someone in the know whispered.

Master Lin repeatedly urged Junior Brother Lu to give up the ranking match against Xiao Yichen... but Junior Brother Lu refused to admit defeat, and Xiao Yichen's moves became increasingly fierce...

'

A collective sigh escaped everyone's lips.

Among the disciples, some shook their heads and sighed, while others gloated... Especially Qi Xiuyuan, although he tried his best to look sad, he still couldn't suppress the gleam in his eyes and the slight upturn of his lips.

He crossed his arms, leaned against the door and wall, and tried to put on a sympathetic expression.

But if it weren't in front of everyone, he probably would have laughed out loud long ago.

Lu Qing, that peasant, made him lose face back then, and today he finally got what he deserved.

"Alas, Junior Brother Lu is Master Lin's true disciple, yet he disobeys his master. Today's defeat can only be attributed to his inferior skills."

He paused, then continued with a "worried" expression, "Master Lin has suffered such a huge blow this time. All those years of hard work... sigh, if he wants to make a comeback, our future days won't be easy."

in the ward.

Lin Chong's eyes were lifeless.

Lu Qing's spine was broken inch by inch, but fortunately, his life was saved by the precious herbs and medicines.

But Lin Chong knew in his heart that even if Lu Qing survived, he would probably never be able to pursue martial arts again.

All the hopes of the Green Ox Martial Arts Society and all of Lin Chong's hard work have been shattered.

Yang Cheng busied himself preparing medicinal soup for Lu Chen, and occasionally offered words of comfort to his master.

With Yang Cheng's constant reassurance, Lin Chong finally regained some semblance of life. "No matter what, at least my life has been saved."

He glanced at Lu Qing again, and then sighed once more.

"It's gone, it's gone..."

"His voice trembled slightly."

A few streets away.

Li Hao huddled in a haystack near the dock, feeling the cold wind and his rumbling stomach.

He had already lost as expected, failing to even pass the preliminary rounds.

Looking back on those moments, I am filled with remorse.

The more spirited they were, the more pathetic they are now.

He had always been carefully learning from others, trying to become a qualified genius.

It was for this reason that he pretended to be rich, fearing that his friends would stop associating with him if they knew about his family's financial situation.

So much so that at various banquets, they would vie to pay the bill.

He also declined several offers of temporary positions from small shops.

Now, Ye Wenqing has left him.

The fellow students at Qingfeng Martial Arts School had long since taken it as a source of amusement.

Who would even glance at him now?

His family has placed all their hopes on him... How is he supposed to go back and face them?

Fortunately, I was quick-witted enough to have a familiar villager send word home that the martial arts exam went well, that my fellow disciples were hosting a banquet, and that I would be able to return home in a few days.

Let's keep it a secret for as long as possible.

Qualifying is still ongoing.

After two rounds, it was finally Li Yuan's turn.

"Next match, please have the player who drew number five come up for the duel!" the official announced as usual.

.

The other person was a lean young man with a mustache, who looked to be in his early thirties, and had small, darting eyes.

Pang Guier.

He came from a small martial arts school, but his own strength was inferior. He was also a master of internal strength who had been practicing hard for many years and had gone through many martial arts examinations. He was very experienced.

Moreover, I've heard that he has superb agility and is extremely fast!

But in terms of speed, no one can surpass him among all the competitors.

Li Yuan pondered to himself.

Now that it's in the top ten, its ranking has little impact.

Those who have made it this far are no pushovers.

Even if we were to fight them head-on and win, we would inevitably suffer wasted energy.

Moreover, the higher the ranking, the more attention it attracts.

Whether it will arouse jealousy or cause unnecessary trouble is still unknown.

The aura of Xuan Sha must never be used.

Otherwise, a moment of pleasure will inevitably lead to an abyss later on.

Having made up his mind, he decided to concede defeat in this match.

Li Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to the other party and said, "Your skill is superb, I am..."

'

Before he could finish speaking, the other person's voice rang out at the same time.

Pang Guier clasped her hands in a fist and bowed deeply, saying, "I admit defeat!"

He was already very satisfied with getting this far.

With a wife, children, and elderly parents at home, risking injury for a vague and uncertain ranking is simply not worth it.

Li Yuan was taken aback.

Isn't that a coincidence?

Um?..

The room was completely silent.

No one had time to react.

These two, these two old men, collided?

After speaking, Pang Guier raised her head, met Li Yuan's gaze, and her expression instantly became quite interesting.

Because, from Li Yuan's gaze, Pang Guier interpreted it as an intention to admit defeat, and considering the earlier remark, "Your skill is exceptional..."

Pang Gui'er's face twitched violently, and he couldn't help but beat his chest and stamp his feet.

Damn it!

Only after the words were spoken did I realize that the other party also intended to concede.

"Qingniu Martial Arts Society, Li Yuansheng!" the official announced.

Pang Guier slapped herself on the corner of her mouth.

It's all because of that mouth, it's too fast!

Twilight Quadruple.

Such a big incident happened at the Qingniu Martial Arts Club. All the disciples huddled together in the training ground, whispering amongst themselves; no one left.

Before anyone knew it, Lin Chong had already appeared at the entrance of the inner hall.

All the disciples scattered like frightened birds.

"Is today's competition... over?" Lin Chongdu's voice was hoarse and desolate.

"It's over," Li Yuan replied.

"Um."

After looking around at his disciples, Lin Chong turned around and went back to the inner hall, his back view showing an indescribable loneliness.

It seems unlikely that anyone will be able to win today's competition and go any further.

The atmosphere in the entire courtyard was incredibly oppressive.

Li Yuan had no intention of lingering there any longer, so he simply packed his things quietly, turned around, and left the training ground.

Just an hour ago, in the ranking competition, Li Yuan's opponent was Shi Dazhuang from Iron Fist Manor.

As soon as Li Yuanfu stepped onto the field, he cleanly and decisively conceded defeat and left the field.

In that case, I would be in fifth place, in the middle, neither high nor low.

By ensuring his own safety, he was also giving face to Iron Fist Manor, his "ally."

Luo Shan glanced at Li Yuan's departing figure, then turned and walked into the inner hall.

"Teacher Lin."

"Teacher Lin."

Several calls were made, but Lin Chong stared blankly out the back window, showing no reaction.

Rosanne moved closer.

Lin Chong finally came to his senses and turned to look at her. "Xiao Luo, is something the matter?"

In an instant, Luo Shan noticed that Lin Chong's temples had turned even whiter, as if he had aged ten years.

"Master Lin, Junior Brother Li Yuan won the ranking competition and made it into the top five," Luo Shan said cautiously, rubbing the hem of her clothes.

"What? What did you say?" Lin Chong's eyes widened suddenly, his voice filled with a hint of panic.

"Junior Brother Li made it into the top five."

This time, Lin Zhong was certain he hadn't misheard.

He sat up abruptly, his expression shifting rapidly from relief to感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion), then to shame, before finally settling into an excited smile.

He didn't know where to put his hands and feet, so he simply paced back and forth in the room.

"Alright, alright. It's him, it's actually him! How come I didn't notice sooner... Xiao Luo, go and call Li Yuan in, I have something to say to him."

"Junior Brother Li... he's gone..." Luo Shan said softly, her head bowed, a hint of resentment in her eyes.

Lin Chong trembled, stopped in his tracks, and sat back down in his chair.

Instantly, a feeling of annoyance and regret welled up in my heart.

"What's wrong with me... what's wrong with me... oh dear..."