I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 98 Finals!

Xie An turned around and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Tang Qingyun sitting on the armchair under the eaves, surrounded by a crowd of people. If Tang Qingyun had not been strong enough, Xie An would not have been able to hear it.

"coming."

Xie An waved to Tang Qingyun, then squeezed through layers of people and took a long time to reach the eaves at the door.

There were several tables under the eaves, as well as armchairs and a guy taking notes.

Obviously, this was the equivalent of a rostrum. Fang Baiyu and Tang Qingyun both sat here, responsible for recording the details of each test and using this to determine the winner.

Many of the participating deacons lined up at the long table and reached into a black ceramic jar to draw a slip of paper. It was marked with different numbers from 1 to 64. The first round of matchups was determined by the number 1 versus number 64... and so on.

Xie was placed at the end of the team and took turns drawing lots.

Xie An felt that this method was too rough.

If I draw Hong Lie in the first round... doesn't that mean he will be eliminated in the first round?

It would have been no problem for them to be in the top four, and becoming the incense master would have been a piece of cake.

But Xie An could understand that in troubled times...how could there be so many things to pay attention to?

It would be great if we could do this.

What's more, Xie An was eager to meet Hong Lie earlier.

It would be best to eliminate this guy in the first round, which would also help Wei Dian vent his anger.

Although Xie An initially had no intention of taking the exam, wanting to develop steadily, Wei Dian, Abao, Lin Yun, Liang Zhi, Zhang Lin, Wang Xiang, and others… all contributed to Xie An's decision to protect the Blood Ridge Black Market, wanting to preserve Wei Dian's life's work.

Xie An was not such a rigid person. Since he chose to stand up, he would stand to the end.

For many things, it is better not to do them. Once you do them, you must be decisive!
When it was Xie An's turn, the number he drew... happened to be 1.

So Xie An looked around, looking for number 64...

Many deacons who had taken numbers around were discussing fiercely and looking for each other.

"Lao Zhang, I'm number 18, what's your number?"

"16. What a pity, I'm not your opponent. Otherwise, I would beat you to tears."

"Please pull it out! If your sister hadn't begged me last time, I would have beaten you down long ago."

"Not convinced, huh? Come on, let's do it again."

"Just come."

Just then——

when!
The loud sound of a metal rod hitting a bronze chime was heard, and the lively atmosphere immediately quieted down a lot. People turned their heads to look at the eaves.

Xie An also looked over curiously, only to see Tang Qingyun holding a very delicate iron pestle in his hand and striking the bronze chime three times. After everyone was quiet, he spoke:
"Thank you to all the villagers from all over the country for coming here to watch this ceremony. Today is the day when the White Feather Hall of the Tiger and Wolf Sect will test the four incense masters. The villagers have sharp eyes, so please bear witness. The first four will serve as incense masters. The one who comes out on top will become the incense master of the Blood Ridge Black Market.

In the arena, life and death are decided by fate, and no one can interfere. Either you admit defeat, faint, or die.

Now, the first round begins. Numbers 1 and 64, please take the stage!

Wow!

The moment the words fell, the whole place became noisy, and countless pairs of eyes were looking for the people with these two numbers.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a young man in black tights slowly walked out of the crowd and stepped onto the two-meter-high stage step by step.

When he came on stage, the young man kept waving to the audience below, looking very proud, as if he was sure to win the game.

It goes without saying that this person is number 64.

Xie An, who held the number one position, was not in a hurry to go on stage, but observed for a while first.

In terms of hard power, Xie An is worthy of it.

But this was a test for the incense master level, and there were no restrictions on the methods used. Many people, in order to win, abandoned martial ethics and used insidious hidden weapons to attack. To be on the safe side, Xie An felt it was necessary to observe his opponent more carefully.

By observing your opponent's temperament, words, and actions, you can roughly tell whether they are ruthless and cunning. While you can't generalize, it's a good rough estimate.

"Tsk, who is this guy? He acts like he has a sure win." Wang Xiang couldn't help but complain.

Lin Yun said, "This man is a deacon from the western suburbs of the county town, named Liu Qiang. He's a master of the Bronze Skin Realm, skilled in the Mantis Blade, and quite powerful. However, he's a bold and daring person, and I haven't heard of him using any underhanded tactics. But Brother Xie, please be careful."

"Thank you, Brother Lin, for reminding me. I now know what's going on."

Xie An bowed, then slowly walked out of the crowd and headed towards the arena step by step.

Before even stepping onto the stage, he could feel countless pairs of fiery gazes looking at him, and shrill roars that made his eardrums numb.

He took a quick look at the villagers around him, and there were at least eight hundred of them, if not a thousand.

This was considered an exaggerated amount of abortion in ancient times.

Although the football stadium in his previous life could accommodate tens of thousands of people and the shouting was terrifying, there was no such large space here. The crowd was only three to five meters away from the ring, and the roar was extremely harsh, which made Xie An, who always liked quietness, feel uncomfortable.

Many contestants are very good in private, but they struggle on stage. This is because they are not used to the stage and the audience, and they also overthink things and are always afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of the audience.

Xie An, on the other hand, maintained a steady mindset. After walking a few steps, he adjusted himself to the new situation, cleared his mind of distractions, and stopped paying attention to the people around him.

He walked onto the ring and stared at the young man opposite him.

Although the young man had an arrogant expression, he was still polite. "I am the deacon of the Western Suburbs, Liu Qiang."

"Deacon of Blood Ridge, Xie An."

Ok.

Liu Qiang nodded, then looked at the many white hairs on Xie An's head, "I think you are quite old, maybe forty-five?"

Xie An originally felt that although this guy was a bit arrogant, he was a good person. He didn't want to ask about his age right away... What was he doing?

Xie An remained polite, "I'm fifty-one."

cough cough cough.

Liu Qiang couldn't help coughing. "Brother, it's not easy for me to miss you. You're already this old, why do you have to compete with us young people for opportunities? You're making it very difficult for me to do this. I can't bear to use any ruthless force. How about you just admit defeat?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience started to boo.

Xie An was speechless.

I don’t know if Liu Qiang is deliberately messing with people’s mentality, or if he just has this kind of temper.

If it was a matter of mentality, Xie An felt that the other party was overthinking it.

If I were thirty years younger, I might actually get angry about this, leading to excessive aggressiveness and recklessness.

But now... Xie An has long since let it go.

Xie An chuckled softly and said, "I'm originally the steward of the Blood Ridge Black Market. I'm used to the people and things around me, and I don't want to change the incense master. So... since you feel embarrassed, why don't you help me, an old man? Are you willing to admit defeat?"

"Fuck! I've been waiting for a chance to make a name for myself for five years, how can I give it to you? You're not even taking advantage of your age!" Liu Qiang was furious. As the sound of the bronze chime rang out again, Liu Qiang didn't hesitate any longer. He drew his sword from its sheath, took a few steps forward, and slashed down with all his might.

The knife is fast and powerful.

He fully demonstrated the strength and bravery that a bronze-skinned warrior should have.

Cheers immediately broke out from outside the stadium.

Soon, the sound seemed to be covered by something.

Xie An suddenly raised his unsheathed sword and thrust it forward with all his might. Suddenly, there was a loud clang, and an unimaginable force erupted. Liu Qiang's arms went numb, his knuckles cracked, and his head was buzzing as if it were about to split open. His entire body felt as if struck by a boulder, sending him flying five or six meters. Even after landing, he couldn't stop retreating, thumping back more than a dozen meters before crashing through the guardrail and falling off the stage. With a cry, he spat out blood.

He immediately acted like he really didn't want to lose, and immediately tried to roll over and get up. Just as he was about to say, "I haven't lost yet," he spat out another mouthful of blood. In his haste, he injured his internal organs, and he straightened up, then collapsed, unconscious.

All of this happened so abruptly, beyond everyone's expectations, that the cheering crowd was stunned into silence for a moment before erupting into a frenzy of discussion.

"This... is a loss?"

"Huh? Can anyone tell me what just happened?"

"Is this a fucking act?"

"I thought the opening match would be exciting, but this is it? It's so fucking boring..."

Xie An won.

But when he left the stage, he was booed by the crowd...

Xie An didn't care either.

He wasn't here to perform, so he didn't need to care whether the audience liked it or not, or whether they cheered or not. He just wanted to win.

Xie An still held back in that move just now.

Otherwise Liu Qiang would be dead.

Liu Qiang has reached the great perfection of the Bronze Skin Realm, but he can only lift 600 kilograms.

Xie An's strength was three times his own, and with his extraordinary five senses and sword-suppressing skills, there was no way the other party could even be a match for him. From beginning to end, Xie An only cared about one thing - whether the other party would use dirty tricks or hidden weapons.

In order to avoid any more trouble and not to reveal too many of my own cards, I had to get rid of him all at once.

However, Xie An always felt that although his strength was great, it was not so exaggerated... something seemed to be wrong.

Back in the crowd, Wang Xiang, Zhang Lin, and Liang Zhi were naturally full of praise. But they were deeply shocked, feeling that Xie An was becoming increasingly unfathomable. Meanwhile, Liu Qiang was being carried on a stretcher by two Baiyutang disciples to the pharmacy for treatment. As they reached a deserted corner, the two disciples suddenly felt a pain in the back of their heads and fainted.

It was Liu Qiang who climbed up from the stretcher, looked around and found that there was no one around, then he took out two pieces of silver and stuffed them into the hands of the two men carrying the stretcher.

"I'm sorry, both of you. I really didn't mean to do that. After all, I was just pretending to be unconscious. If the owner of the pharmacy found out... I wouldn't be able to save face. This small amount of silver is just an invitation for you to go find a girl at Cuihua Tower. Goodbye."

Liu Qiang ran, looking back every three steps and looking around every four steps.

In fact, he was worrying too much. Because of the test, almost everyone in the Baiyu Hall was attracted out, and there were very few people left inside.

But Liu Qiang felt guilty, so he rushed out of the hall through the back door and merged into the crowd. Only then did he completely relax.

"I actually lost to a fifty-one-year-old man. How shameful! It's so embarrassing. I'm going home right away... I won't be seen for the next few days."

It was true that he had been knocked back and injured during his first fight with Xie An. He'd realized then that he couldn't possibly defeat Xie An, but he couldn't accept it immediately, much less face the criticism and groans of the audience. So, as he retreated to the guardrail, he simply pretended to fall off the stage and fainted.

It's too shameful to admit defeat, but I don't dare to fight to the death. Pretending to faint is a more "dignified" outcome.

However, there are some things to be aware of when pretending to be unconscious. First, you can't pretend to be unconscious near your opponent, otherwise if you encounter a ruthless character who doesn't care about his life, he will really chop you down. Falling off the ring... is very safe.

These are all veterans’ experience...

……

Bai Yutang's test began with Liu Qiang pretending to faint.

The first round consisted of 32 matches, and since there was only one arena, the process was slow. However, this also had its advantages, as it allowed each contestant to carefully observe the other opponents.

Xie An was confident in his own strength, but he had to be on guard against hidden weapons and tricks.

From observation along the way, the first few games were relatively normal, and the winners were all decided by hard power.

When it came to the sixth game, Xie An suddenly felt a shock in his heart and his pupils dilated: a butler with a pointed chin and monkey face, when he was about to be defeated, suddenly pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed the opponent's throat directly.

Dark Sword counterattack.

Apart from a few young viewers expressing indignation, this incident did not cause any disturbance. It seemed that people accepted it.

This also reminded Xie An: it is easy to dodge an open spear, but it is difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark. The incense master level test can really kill people.

Since this was a life-or-death test, most people went straight to the plate and gave it their all, no fancy moves. However, progress was rapid. By the beginning of the afternoon, the first round was over.

Thirty-two contestants will be selected.

There is a one-hour lunch break at noon.

Lin Yun was in a good mood and took the initiative to pay for the meal. He treated Xie An, Zhang Lin, Liang Zhi, and Wang Xiang to a large meal, but did not dare to linger and hurried back to prepare for the afternoon exam.

The afternoon exam was obviously much more exciting, and there were a lot more people watching.

And as the rounds progress, the number of games in each round becomes smaller.

Xie An made it to the top 16 without exception. His technique was simple, using his scabbard to knock his opponent out of the ring.

The second round ended early, so the third round began.

Xie An made it to the quarterfinals without exception.

After the third round, it was already dark. Tang Qingyun declared the competition over for the day and continued the next day.

After a day of testing, some were happy and some were sad.

The deacons who were eliminated left in disappointment, while the deacons who made it to the quarterfinals were naturally elated and were surrounded by people as they left.

Xie An was naturally escorted away by Lin Yun and the others, but he didn't seem overly excited. After returning to the Blood Ridge Black Market, he ran the business as usual. He also took advantage of the night to go to the northern Blood Ridge mountaintop and bring some tributes to A Bao. He sat on the grave and talked with A Bao for a while.

Then, Xie An looked at the direction where Wei Dian had ridden away, lost in thought.

"Brother Wei, I don't know if you've found the antidote... I really hope good things happen to good people."

"I will guard this Blood Ridge black market."

……

The next day, Xie An got up early.

When I opened the door, I saw the familiar Wang Xiang, Liang Zhi, Zhou Xing and Zhang Lin.

Zhou Xing didn't go yesterday and stayed to manage the black market.

Looking at Zhou Xing's appearance today, he has to go no matter what.

Xie An naturally agreed and went to Shuideng Town early as usual. He had breakfast at Wang Po's shop and then arrived at the arena outside the hall to start the fourth round... the eight to four rounds of examination.

This is an extremely important test.

Once you get past that, you’ll be in the semi-finals.

At least he can become the incense master of Baiyutang.

For countless deacons, it would take ten years to come to such an opportunity.

The number of people coming to watch was 30% more than yesterday.

Xie An's opponent this time was a forty-year-old bearded man wielding a spear. He was a warrior at the Bronze Skin Realm, and while quite powerful, he couldn't withstand Xie An's attack after just three moves. Furthermore, Xie An hadn't even drawn his sword yet.

After holding on for the fifth move, the bearded man retreated. He tried to force Xie An to draw his sword, but it was obvious that he was not capable of doing so, and he finally bowed his head in defeat.

Xie An, entered the semi-finals.

The position of incense master is secure.

But it is obvious that Xie An's goal is far more than that.

Next round, four to two.

Xie An was looking forward to meeting Chen Qing or Hong Lie. But unfortunately... he was unlucky.

The opponent was still a warrior at the Copper Skin Realm, but he was very close to the Fine Flesh Realm. He was considered the strongest opponent Xie An had encountered since he took the test. However, without even drawing his sword, he defeated the opponent in just eight moves.

Xie An, enter the finals.

When he stepped down from the stage, there was thunderous applause and a lot of discussion all around.

"Initially, I wasn't optimistic about this old guy. I didn't expect him to be so strong at such an advanced age that he actually made it to the finals. I have to admit, he's still very strong."

"They haven't drawn their swords yet."

"There's nothing much to brag about. He was just lucky. He didn't meet Hong Lie and Chen Qing, two people in the Flesh Realm. He can only get this far."

"Fifty-one is not bad. Why are you so demanding?"

"Too."

"..."

Xie An ignored the crowd's discussions and returned to Lin Yun and the others. After accepting their congratulations, Xie An suppressed his emotions and turned to look at another four-to-two match.

He knew very well that this was the scene that deserved his most attention.

Chen Qing versus Hong Lie.

A showdown between two elite flesh realm masters.

when!
With the sound of the bronze chime, the examination began.

There were only two loud clangs of swords being drawn. It turned out that two men drew their swords from their sheaths simultaneously, then rushed towards each other swiftly. Their swords clashed, their blood surging, and their powerful collisions caused the arena to tremble.

A bright light finally appeared in Xie An's calm eyes.

Compared with the duel between the Bronze Skin Realm warriors, the duel between these two was obviously on a much higher level, and it was finally quite interesting.

Hong Lie excelled in the Fuyang sword technique, which was extremely skillful, powerful, swift, and agile, and should not be underestimated. However, Chen Qing's sword technique was clearly more profound, and his strength and aura were both on a higher level, constantly suppressing Hong Lie.

After dozens of moves, Hong Lie retreated step by step, showing signs of defeat.

Lin Yun breathed a sigh of relief. "Hong Lie is still very strong, but unfortunately he's only at the Beginning of the Essence Flesh Realm, while Chen Qing has reached the Minor Success of the Essence Flesh Realm. The realms are being suppressed, and the winner is about to be decided."

Xie An's face was solemn. "Although Hong Lie has been at a disadvantage, he looks calm and doesn't look like he's really going to lose. I'm afraid he has some tricks up his sleeve..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a scream of "Ah!" was heard from the stage.

But Chen Qing, who had been holding the upper hand, suddenly went crazy, suddenly dropped the knife in his hand, covered his head with both hands and screamed. In a few seconds, he curled up on the ground, rolling and shouting, screaming miserably.

"I'm poisoned... I give up, I give up!!"

Hong Lie won.

Enter the finals with Xie An.

hiss!
Lin Yun couldn't help but gasp, and turned his head to look at Xie An, "Really... I didn't even notice when Chen Qing was poisoned. Brother Xie, you have to be extremely careful. If you find that something is wrong, just admit defeat!"

Xie An's face was solemn: "I know what's going on."

Not long after -

when!
The sound of the bronze chime rang out again, announcing the start of the finals.

Tang Qingyun's voice also rang out, "Please invite Xie An and Hong Lie to the stage. The winner will take first place and become the incense master of the Blood Ridge Black Market!"

(End of this chapter)