I was told I'd be a late bloomer, but I was born with the potential to achieve great things!

"You won?"

"We won!"

"5 to 1 odds, I've finally waited for this... A huge profit, a massive profit this time!"

After a brief silence, a gambler with red eyes slammed his fist down, causing a startling roar from the sidelines, drawing the attention of everyone at the Bajiquan Martial Arts Academy.

The man let out a long sigh, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with smugness and mockery.

Bajiquan is good, but it's actually a martial arts school.

"Idiot, idiot!"

"They were so close to winning, yet they made such a basic mistake at such a crucial moment."

But at that moment, the group of senior and junior brothers who had bet on Feng Hui behind this person roared and waved their fists, which were as big as sandbags.

The man shrank back, not daring to turn around, feeling a chill down his spine, fearing he would be ganged up on.

The same scene unfolded in every corner of the arena, with those who won the bet secretly delighted, unable to suppress their smiles.

The guy who lost the bet unexpectedly wanted to go down on the field and beat Feng Hui, who was still lying in the dust, to a pulp. He felt that this guy was too much of a cheat.

He's a typical spoiled brat, all looks and no substance.

However, some astute individuals felt that although Feng Hui had carelessly lost Jingzhou, Zhou An of the Seven Mysteries Sect was indeed quite capable.

He is very clever and also has considerable skill in boxing.

"This young man is quite good. Even in times of crisis, he can turn the tide. He is a talented individual."

In the chief seat, Wang Xuan, the middle-aged sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth. As if he were reliving his eighteen-year-old self, he nodded frequently to the elders beside him, while occasionally glancing at the master of the Eight Extremes Martial Arts Hall.

He could see it clearly: the three turtles had excitedly poked their heads out just moments before, but now they were frozen in place, unable to move forward or backward, which was quite amusing.

"Thank you for the praise, Sect Master. Zhou An is indeed a worthy candidate for cultivation. He once aspired to become a sword immortal while cultivating in the sect."

I think the sect can provide him with cultivation resources; if he can reach the Bronze Skin Realm, that would be ideal.

Upon hearing this, Guo Tao, who was sitting below, immediately stood up, cupped his hands, and said.

Setting up a challenge at the Bajiquan Martial Arts Academy is a big deal, especially since it involves a newcomer who has only been training for about three months. It's essential to find out the specific details.

Therefore, when Guo Tao heard that Zhou An was going to have a martial arts competition, he rushed over immediately.

Although he felt that Zhou An lacked youthful vigor and seemed too mature when they were cultivating in the sect, it did not stop him from speaking well of the person he had brought out.

"Copper sheet?"

Wang Xuan, the sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect, waved his hand, his voice loud and frightening.

"If we were to defeat Feng Hui, who was only at the Bronze Skin level, before he even reached it, wouldn't it make us, the Seven Mysteries Sect, laugh at us for mistreating our disciples and failing to recognize talent?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect spoke loudly to Zhou An, who was panting heavily on the arena, in front of everyone.

"Zhou An!"

"Disciple is here."

On the stage, Zhou An deliberately reacted a beat slower, panting heavily as he straightened his chest and replied loudly.

"After this battle, my Seven Mysteries Sect will give you a chance to try and obtain gold-tier resources as a reward."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Putting aside whether that panting kid on the stage can condense a golden skin, the cultivation resources alone are enough to make people envious.

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

Zhou An was moved to tears and kowtowed.

But in that moment of bowing his head, his feelings were quite complicated.

The sect leader is still too impulsive; he got so excited just because he won the first match by sheer luck.

Even if there's a reward to be bestowed, it should be discussed privately.

If he announces it in such a public way, wouldn't his performance have been in vain? How can he then keep a low profile?

As for the resources needed to cultivate to the Gold Skin level...

"Can I get a refund? I've already upgraded my skin to gold. Can I exchange it for silver, or for resources to forge bones?"

Various thoughts flashed through Zhou An's mind, more complicated than exciting.

"Thank you, Brother Feng, for helping me rise to prominence. If you will not abandon me afterward, I would like to become your friend."

Suddenly, Zhou An's eyes lit up when he saw Feng Hui, whose head was still buried in the dust. He immediately bowed again.

That kid is too cunning; he hasn't gotten up yet.

He clearly didn't use much force; this was obviously an act, making people think that Zhou An was hiding his true strength, while his actual combat power far exceeded the level of "skin-smoothing".

They have a terrible conscience.

Almost the instant Zhou An finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from all around.

Only then did everyone realize that Feng Hui was still lying on the ground.

Seriously injured?

impossible.

This is clearly shameless.

"You unfilial son, come back here right now!"

On the viewing platform, the head of the Bajiquan Martial Arts School finally found an opportunity, and as he sat down, he roared angrily.

"call!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Hui, who was lying on the ground, kicked up a cloud of dust.

He was genuinely in pain, and he also felt that Zhou An was truly hiding his true abilities and was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

He had originally planned to faint while he was unconscious and then be carried away.

It's better to be too ashamed to face anyone than to leave in the face of ridicule.

But his father's words forced him to get up, and his gaze toward Zhou An was now filled with resentment and bitterness.

"you……"

Feng Hui wanted to say something, but choked up.

"Brother Feng, there's no need to say more. If you hadn't been so eager to win, I, Zhou, would never have had this stroke of luck."

Zhou An adopted a very humble posture, his face full of relief.

His own sect leader garnered a lot of attention for him in public, and countless people are probably jealous, envious, and resentful of his resources.

The only option now is to try my best to extricate myself from the situation.

As for whether it's useful or not... it's better than doing nothing at all.

After all, his current strength is not enough to defeat everyone present.

"Am I in a hurry?"

Feng Hui was surprised, and there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.

The defeat just now was so sudden that it left him bewildered.

Was it just good luck on the other side? Or was I too impatient, exerting too much force and revealing a fatal flaw?

Feng Hui carefully recalled the whole process. Zhou An seemed to have been struggling the whole time, relying entirely on his agility and wit to hold on. In the end, he was almost defeated by Feng Hui's punch.

"Could it be that I was really careless?"

"It was really because I was too eager to succeed that my footwork and strength became slightly scattered, which allowed the opponent to seize the opportunity?"

Zhou An cupped his hands again, his breathing somewhat unsteady: "Senior Brother Feng's Bajiquan is undoubtedly fierce and powerful."

I used a trick in this battle; please forgive my arrogance.

Feng Hui watched Zhou An's "lucky" victory, feeling the lingering soreness and numbness in his right elbow and the faint pain in his left shoulder...

He opened his mouth, but in the end said nothing. He simply left with a livid face, clasped his hands in a fist salute, amidst the mocking gazes of the crowd.

He felt something was wrong, but the game was already lost, and there was no point in saying anything more.

Everyone believed that he lost because he was too eager and careless.

Watching Feng Hui's retreating figure, Zhou An slowly lowered his hand and gently shook his "somewhat numb" arm.

Deep within his eyes, there was a serene calm.

"Brother Zhou, congratulations!"

Back in the waiting area of ​​the Seven Mysteries Sect, everyone showed him respect. Liu Shuqing even jumped up, very happy for her friend and Qianbao.

"You are very good."

Wang Yi was equally excited, but he managed to hold it in, his face turning red before he finally managed to squeeze out a single sentence.

Zhou An even suspected that the Great Emperor Wang might say something like, "I am no less than you."

"Brother Zhou, thank you very much."

Sun Wenhao was also relieved and said gratefully.

Zhou An won.

This proves that he did not misjudge him, and there is no need to worry that his family will strip him of his rights because of the previous setbacks, causing everyone to lose their eligibility to be affiliated.

Zhou An smiled and nodded at him, then looked at Qian Youde.

"How much money did you win?"

"Ahem!"

Before Qian Youde could excitedly raise his five fingers, a cough suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the manager, Li Shanming, and Guo Tao walking over.

"Greetings, Instructor Guo; greetings, Steward Li."

Everyone raised their hands and bowed to Zhou An.

"No need for formalities."

Li Shanming quickly tried to stop him, but after offering his congratulations and confirming that Zhou An was alright, his expression became serious, and he asked a question.

"Are you still able to fight?"

"Does Manager Li want me to play a second match?"

Zhou An pondered for a moment, then glanced at the location of Sect Leader Wang Xuan and the others before asking in a low voice.

Li Shanming knew that Zhou An wasn't asking him a question, but rather referring to the sect leader, and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"I was worried that something might happen if you went to play the second game, but since you're so alert, I suggest you take the gamble."

At this point, Li Shanming glanced at the people around him and lowered his voice.

"The second battle is about weapons. Just like the first battle, you are not required to win. You are only asked to probe the enemy's intelligence."

The more information you gather, the greater the reward you'll receive afterward.

Most importantly, under such public scrutiny, the other party cannot kill, and you have the ability to fight for yourself.

Zhou An remained silent and looked at Guo Tao.

"I won't go into any more nonsense. The second person to go on the other side is Lu Yangping, the 'Willow Leaf Blade'."

This person has honed his skills in skin refining for over three years, and his knife skills are no less than mine.

"If it's a contest of fist techniques, you'll undoubtedly lose; he's definitely not as stupid as Feng Hui. But if it's a contest of weapons..."

At this point, Guo Tao looked at Zhou An with a meaningful expression.

"I heard from Steward Li that you are about to master the sword's aura. If that's true, you can escape unscathed without worrying about being attacked."

"You have time to think it over. Whether you go or not, the resources promised to you will not be reduced in any way."

Li Shanming added.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on Zhou An, their gazes burning with desire, wishing they could take his place.

......