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

"Senior Brother Lu..."

In the waiting area of ​​the Bajiquan Martial Arts School, Feng Hui saw Lu Yangping walking over. His lips moved, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

His feelings at that moment were extremely complicated.

Whether for the sake of the overall competition or as a fellow disciple, he should feel sorry for him.

But when Lu Yangping was actually defeated, Feng Hui's heart... that sense of relief and joy not only did not dissipate, but also grew rapidly, like moss in a ditch.

Because Lu Yangping lost, the controversy and punishment that will fall on him will be much less.

"Junior Brother Feng, you're right. This kid is definitely not simple; he's hiding his true abilities."

Lu Yangping's gaze swept over the disciples of the Bajiquan Martial Arts School, and finally he spoke to Feng Hui.

He is not Feng Hui; he has been honing his skills for many years in order to achieve the gold skin.

Although Zhou An's performance on the stage always seemed like a fluke, Lu Yangping could clearly sense something was amiss when he carefully recalled what had happened.

Because every time that person was on the verge of defeat, the opponent's sword moves surprised him.

"As expected, I knew he was hiding his true abilities."

Feng Hui clenched his fist, his expression clearly showing a jolt.

With this senior brother Lu as a witness, he would have a basis for his argument when facing his father later, and wouldn't have to worry about having his legs broken.

"I wonder how Senior Brother Feng came to the conclusion that he was hiding his true abilities?"

Feng Hui's eyes were full of anticipation.

"His sword has a spiraling force. Although it looks like the Qingfeng Sword Technique, the Qingfeng Sword Technique is not like that."

Lu Yangping closed his eyes and thought it over carefully, then came to a conclusion and opened his eyes to speak.

If it weren't for that spiraling force, he wouldn't have been given an opportunity at the last moment.

Upon hearing this, Feng Hui was taken aback.

Lu Yangping could clearly see his junior brother's expression stiffen, and his anticipation cooled down at a visible speed.

"Senior Brother Chen, you may have forgotten that the Seven Mysteries Sect has a fist technique called Whirlwind Fist."

Feng Hui took a deep breath, his expression a mixture of regret and complexity.

"The Whirlwind Fist can unleash a whirlwind of power, causing a person's strength to surge several times over in a short period of time, and then your swords clash..."

Feng Hui didn't say anything more, and just left dejectedly.

"Um?"

"Whirlwind Fist!"

Lu Yangping recalled in his mind the last sword strike that sent him flying. It seemed powerful, but Zhou An's expression was quite ugly.

"He wasn't using swordsmanship; he was using his fists to drive his swordsmanship... which is why that final collision happened."

Lu Yangping stood there dumbfounded, muttering to himself, and subconsciously looked at the scalpel in his hand.

.......

"Winning two games in a row, whether it's just good luck or the opponent is too stupid, I'm destined to be noticed."

The people present weren't fools; there were many experts among them. They would surely be able to see through the clues.

Back in the waiting area of ​​the Seven Mysteries Sect, Zhou An slowly sat down with the help of the crowd. His face was "pale," but his heart was extremely calm, and he quickly analyzed the current situation.

"In this battle, I did not display the sword's edge, but only showed footwork at the minor completion level and whirlwind fist technique that was close to the minor completion level."

Add to that my constant teetering on the edge of the ring, Lu Yangping's urgency, and that final sword strike... that talent that blended fist and sword.

"Hmm, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Looking back on the entire game, if ten points is a perfect score, Zhou An felt he could get eight.

This provides a plausible explanation for a lucky victory, and also allows the sect to seize the opportunity to demand a sword technique from the sect, relying on that final strike.

However, there's always a chance of something going wrong.

Ultimately, he won two games, even if it was by luck, which proves that he is a talented person and is also likely to be targeted.

This also means that if someone wants to eliminate him, this rising prodigy of the Seven Mysteries Sect... to be on the safe side, they will most likely send someone at the Bone Forging Realm to kill him.

Even without the restrictions of the arena, Lu Yangping alone would be enough to kill him in the open.

However, if the opponent were Zhou An himself, sending an assassin of a higher level would ensure absolute success.

"As long as it's not someone at the internal organ level who comes, I have nothing to fear."

Upon realizing this, Zhou An finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"how?"

Seeing that Zhou An's complexion was beginning to improve, Li Shanming, who had been waiting there for a long time, asked him a question.

His gaze was complex; when he looked at Zhou An, there was obvious appreciation and a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Although this kid drank a lot of his blood-nourishing powder, he always managed to exceed his expectations, which was quite impressive.

"Thank you for your concern, Steward. I am fine, it's just... I just overexerted myself."

Zhou Anqiang tried to stand up, but fell back down halfway because he was "weak." Liu Shuqing, who was quick-witted and agile, caught him and then bowed with a look of shame.

"It's alright, you just need to get some rest."

Li Shanming was gentle and quickly offered words of comfort, but in the end he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Your final sword strike didn't seem to be from the Qingfeng Sword Technique; it had some resemblance to the Whirlwind Fist?"

"The manager has a keen eye; it is indeed the Whirlwind Fist."

Zhou An nodded.

Now that Li Shanming had given him a reason, he didn't need to find any other excuses and explained directly.

"More than a month ago, my senior brother Wu Tao from Yunxia Station taught me Whirlwind Fist, but I have never been able to grasp the true meaning of this fist technique."

Originally, I planned to combine this fist technique with the Qingfeng sword technique to see if I could reach the realm of sword light.

But I failed and could only barely imitate the spiral force by relying on the twisting technique from the Thirteen Basic Sword Techniques.

Fortunately, the ending was good; they barely managed to defeat the impatient Lu Yangping.

At this point, Zhou An gave Guo Tao a grateful look before continuing.

"Disciple, I have a request, though I'm unsure whether I should make it."

"You've won two matches in a row, so the outcome of this arena competition is already decided."

As long as it's not an unreasonable request, feel free to speak your mind; I'm sure the sect leader will grant it accordingly.

Li Shanming nodded, which was considered a promise.

"This disciple wishes to request a low-rank sword technique from the sect so that I can condense my sword energy as soon as possible, in order to avoid retaliation from the Bajiquan Martial Arts School and the Black Tiger Gang."

Zhou An clasped his hands in a gesture of supplication, his eyes and tone extremely sincere and earnest.

"I can inform the sect leader right now, and I'll give you a reply within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Do you have any other requests?"

"I am already satisfied with being able to obtain a disciple with a low-level sword technique. As for anything else, I can't think of anything else for the time being."

Zhou An looked grateful.

In fact, he wanted to ask for more, but there were too many people around, so he could only offer subtle hints.

"Don't worry, you've won two matches in a row, the sect won't treat you unfairly."

Li Shanming gave Zhou An a meaningful look, then turned and left.

In fact, Zhou An's performance today has already impressed some of the powerful elders in the sect.

But... it's just... the Wind Chaser Step.

This footwork technique was Huang Huayuan's unique skill, and Huang Huayuan had only recently passed away.

Although some people in the sect won't say anything because of his two consecutive victories, they will probably have to wait and see before considering including Zhou An in the core disciple training program.

However, the deserved rewards will not be lacking.

Even if there are disputes between them, when it comes to matters of great importance such as serving the sect, personal biases and carelessness are not allowed, especially with the sect leader present.

Soon, Li Shanming returned from Wang Xuan, the sect leader of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

"The sect leader has agreed and decided to exceptionally teach you the 'Free and Unfettered Wind-Riding Sword Technique'!"

Meeting Zhou An's gaze, Li Shanming, having successfully completed his mission, smiled and said, as if to say, "You've gotten a great deal, kid."

......