Starting with Xingyi Quan, it swept across the chaotic world.

Qian Yuan's voluntary admission of defeat left a large number of onlookers puzzled, and even many martial arts performers were completely baffled.

In their view, Qian Yuan's attack had already seriously injured Lu Li, and now the opponent was obviously at his last gasp. Instead of pressing his advantage, he was surrendering.

They were completely baffled.

But soon, the people from the Tai Chi martial arts school had no choice but to come forward and explain, which finally solved the mystery.

Only then did the minor official on the arena come to his senses, and said in a trembling voice:

"Match 18, Lu Li wins!"

As soon as the dust settled, the White Crane Martial Arts School erupted in excitement.

After the third round, they knew that Lu Li's title of Wu Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examination at the county level) was a foregone conclusion.

"Senior Brother Lu, congratulations!"

"Senior Brother Lu, would you do me the honor of joining us for a chat at Xianwei Restaurant tonight?"

The martial arts school disciples were all excited. After all, they were all disciples of the same school, and their fates were intertwined. Lu Li was just one step away from becoming a martial arts scholar, and the only thing left was for the list to be posted.

Once the list is posted, they can confidently say that their senior brother is a martial arts scholar when they go out.

Therefore, those who want to build connections are even more numerous.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lu Li had already received several invitations, and even some bold female disciples and young ladies from large and small families in the outer city were flirting with him.

Lu Li knew that if he showed even a hint of interest, the other party would most likely come over on their own.

"Junior Brother Lu, congratulations." Duan Kang walked over, and although he regretted not passing the imperial examination, he sincerely congratulated him.

"Are you alright?" Duan Kang asked again.

"It has some impact, but we can still manage," Lu Li replied.

Seeing this, Duan Kang only gave a few more instructions and then said nothing more.

As this round of battles ends, a new one begins.

When it was Lu Li's turn, he withdrew from the match, citing severe injuries.

This approach has been well-received by many.

Since my grades are already good enough to qualify me for the title of Martial Arts Scholar, why risk an uncertain possibility?

The martial arts student who was chosen to fight Lu Li was extremely excited.

Now that he's got a bye, his ranking can go up again.

Less than an hour later, the matches were all over.

To everyone's surprise, Shi Qingyang failed to win the championship and was instead defeated by an unknown person.

Now that the martial arts training has ended, the students have returned to their martial arts school with their masters.

However, a few members of the White Crane Martial Arts School team did not return to the school.

Liang Jing and Zhang Wu were sent to a clinic to recuperate because of their severe injuries, while Xu Fang went home on the grounds of "feeling unwell".

Many discerning people understood that Xu Fang was too ashamed to face all of this, which is why she went home.

However, this has little impact on the Baihe Martial Arts School team, and now the focus of discussion within the team is entirely on this year's martial arts champion.

"Who exactly is this year's champion? I've never heard of them before..."

"Yes, even Shi Qingyang, who had been preparing for a year, was defeated by him. This person is truly terrifying!"

All I know is that he's from the Tongbei Martial Arts School...

Upon hearing this, Duan Kang shook his head and said:

"This person is Huo Xiao, who was the top-tier talent who shocked the entire Lin'an City before Zhang Wu. He has been missing for a long time. I originally thought that such a person should not be so unknown. Now it seems that Tongbei Martial Arts School has kept him hidden for too long."

"Now that it's been released, it's truly a stunning achievement..."

Duan Kang's eyes were filled with deep solemnity. He had watched Huo Xiao and Shi Qingyang's battle today with great fear, as both of them were far stronger than him.

If he were on stage, he probably wouldn't even last ten moves.

Upon hearing this, the disciples hesitated.

"Tongbei Martial Arts School? Their master seems to have a long-standing feud with my master, this..."

"Luckily, no one from our martial arts school ran into Huo Xiao, otherwise..."

"If Huo Xiao were to reach the highest level of internal energy in the future, would he come and challenge us...?"

The more the disciples talked, the more alarmed they became.

If Huo Xiao truly has a deep bond with his master, it would be only natural for him to challenge the school after reaching the Transformation Realm.

However, Master Qin is old and his vitality is declining. Will he be able to withstand Huo Xiao, who is in his prime, in the future?

"Sigh... how serious are Senior Brother Zhang's injuries...?"

One of the disciples sighed.

Zhang Wu is Qin Yan's personal disciple, and it is his duty to serve his master in his old age, to shield him from attacks, and to deal with situations like Huo Xiao's.

However, Zhang Wu is now seriously injured. Even if Shi Qingyang held back, it is unknown how much he can recover or whether he will suffer any aftereffects.

If not, then who will they compare themselves to Huo Xiao in the future, and how should they deal with Huo Xiao...?

Duan Kang coughed lightly, stopping everyone's wild thoughts.

Lu Li had already listened to the disciples' discussion. Although his expression remained unchanged, alarm bells were ringing in his heart.

The excitement that had just risen in his heart due to his successful completion of the martial arts exam

Rather than hoping that Zhang Wu would recover so that he could block Huo Xiao's punches in the future, he would rather Zhang Wu not recover.

After all, Zhang Wu attained enlightenment overnight and has since become like a venomous snake; there's no guarantee he won't bite you in the future.

What if Zhang Wu recovers and breaks through to the Transformation Realm in the future? Would he be the first one to settle scores with you?

Lu Li's heart grew colder as he recalled Zhang Wu's boast on the stage that he would cripple him.

Zhang Wu must be crippled!

Furthermore... we must accumulate strength!

Lu Li had already made up his mind.

The situation in Lin'an City is currently very volatile. Although the martial arts examination has ended, the tug-of-war between the inner city lord and the supervising general is probably not over yet, and who knows what might happen in the future.

Moreover, there's also Huo Xiao, who poses a significant threat.

Now that he has become a martial arts scholar, Huo Xiao's focus might very well shift to him.

We must be vigilant!

Comfort is unacceptable!

We must enhance our capabilities as quickly as possible to cope with all the uncertainties that may arise in the future.

Even if you can't win... you have to run away!

"You should go back and get some rest. Don't worry about anything else."

Once back at the White Crane Martial Arts School, Qin Yan waved to disperse the crowd.

He wore a calm and collected smile, as if he had not suffered any setback.

Upon seeing this, everyone took their leave.

After everyone had left, Qin Yan returned to his room and let out a heavy sigh.

With many people around, he was the backbone of the martial arts school and could only pretend to be calm.

Otherwise, the martial arts school will only collapse even faster.

Qin Yan looked at his face reflected in the bronze mirror in the room.

There are quite a few more gray hairs on my head now.

The wrinkles on his face appeared even deeper due to his sorrowful expression.

From his radiant appearance during the day to his current sorrowful look, he seemed to have aged ten years in just one day.

He was naturally pleased with Lu Li's success.

However... there's just too much bad news coming from the martial arts school.

Zhang Wu and Liang Jing were seriously injured, and the rival martial arts school may soon have another master of the Transformation Realm.

He is still in good health, but youth has its advantages. Given time, can he really protect the disciples in his martial arts school?