Martial arts have become extinct worldwide, yet I am forced to have a large family.

The edge of the stadium.

"Huh?! Yang Xian, you're back..."

As soon as Nan Shunian opened her mouth, a hand quickly reached out and covered her mouth.

"Shh!"

Yang Xian lowered the brim of his hat, revealing only a pair of eyes filled with speechlessness.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

He is now wearing a full-face mask and a baseball cap, completely covered up, as if afraid of being recognized again.

That scene just now was truly terrifying.

The freshman competition was turned into a huge fan meeting by those overly enthusiastic classmates. He managed to get away by making an excuse to go cultivate.

If Nan Shunian were to shout out his identity now, he would probably be surrounded by a throng of people again.

Nan Shunian blinked her signature dead fish eyes, as if she understood the situation, and then nodded.

Yang Xian then released his grip.

"Tsk, I thought you weren't going to show up. I was just about to leave." Nan Shunian took out a new lollipop from her pocket, tore open the wrapper, and put it in her mouth.

She gestured with her chin towards the arena not far away.

"The people who came on today are either in the late stage of the second realm or the early stage of the third realm. None of them are people I can beat. As a mid-stage second realm cultivator, I feel like I can basically give up."

Even being at the mid-stage of the Second Realm would be giving her too much credit.

Nan Shunian's specialty lies entirely in refining Gu poisons; she has virtually no ability to engage in direct combat.

If you really let her go on stage and fight someone head-on, she probably wouldn't even be able to beat someone at the early stage of the second realm; she'd just be throwing her life away.

"I'm just a nobody, what makes me think I can compete with others for a top-three finish?"

Nan Shunian, with a lollipop in her mouth and a look of utter despair, said, "Professor Du thinks too highly of me. Let's have a feast!"

Yang Xian glanced at her and couldn't help but complain, "If you had put more effort into practicing the Void Instant Shadow Step, you wouldn't be completely helpless."

If one can master this god-level movement technique to a minor degree, even if one cannot win a fight, it will be more than enough to maintain a draw in the arena.

Unfortunately, this guy is incredibly lazy, and he's only at a beginner level so far.

"That's it!" Nan Shunian shrugged, completely giving up on thinking. "I'm going back to catch up on my sleep, I'm so tired..."

She yawned deeply, tears welling in her eyes, and turned to leave before she could finish speaking.

"etc!"

Yang Xian grabbed her wrist, feeling a wave of helplessness wash over him.

Really!

They always make a scene when something goes wrong, and in the end, I'm the one who has to clean up their mess.

Does this person really have no ambition at all?

Nan Shunian was pulled back by him, and lazily turned around: "What? Are you feeling sorry for me and planning to take my place?"

"You wish!" Yang Xian retorted irritably.

"Tsk!" Nan Shunian clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "Then what do you mean by not letting me go back? Do you expect me to sleep in your arms right now? I don't really care..."

Before she could finish speaking, she closed her eyes and collapsed limply into Yang Xian's arms.

Yang Xian: "..."

He instinctively reached out to support her, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

This guy has the word "give up" ingrained in his bones.

"Listen to me," Yang Xian said, holding her shoulders and forcing her to stand up straight. "If you can't beat them, there are ways to fight them. Have you ever heard of 'stealing a chicken'?"

"Stealing chickens...?" Nan Shunian finally opened her eyes, a hint of doubt in them. "That one at the gambling table?"

"That's right." Yang Xian leaned closer. "The principle is simple: it's just to bluff people."

"The competition has just begun, and everyone assumes that those who go on stage on the first day are all very strong players. So, if most people feel that the gap in strength is too large, they will not easily go on stage to challenge in order to keep their only three chances."

"Look at these people in the audience right now, aren't they the best proof?"

Yang Xian pointed around.

Although the stadium was packed with people, very few dared to go on stage; most people were whispering and looking at each other.

Yang Xian continued to explain:

"So, if you want to successfully 'steal a chicken,' the most important thing is to 'create momentum'!"

"Make others mistakenly believe you're so strong that they won't dare come up on stage to challenge you!"

"But actually, you've already done half of that..."

Nan Shunian may be a salted fish, but others don't know that!

On the surface, she is a descendant of a martial arts family, possesses divine-level skills, and is often seen with Yang Xian...

Even without her making a move, anyone would think she was extraordinary.

She's definitely a chosen one!

"Huh?" Nan Shunian was clearly not following his train of thought. "Yang Xian, you're not kidding me, are you? It would be so embarrassing if I got killed in one move."

"Why would I lie to you? What good would it do me?" Yang Xian rolled his eyes.

"For the other half, all you need to do is act convincingly when you go on stage and don't give yourself away."

"Show them your usual deadpan, fish-eye attitude, and intimidate them!"

Just then, the referee on the ring announced loudly:

"The ninth qualifying spot has been decided! Only one spot remains today!"

"For the tenth round, would any student volunteer to come up on stage and be the first champion?"

As soon as the referee finished speaking, the crowd below stirred again, but still no one stepped forward.

"Dude, weren't you just bragging about being at the peak of the second realm and a sure thing in the top ten? It's your turn to perform."

"No way, no way! Didn't you see what kind of amazing people went up there just now?"

"Let's play it safe for now. The freshman competition will last for several days, so there's no rush. After all, everyone only has three chances to go on stage, and each one is one less chance we have."

"Let's see how it goes tomorrow..."

The whispers from the audience perfectly confirmed Yang Xian's judgment.

Yang Xian nudged Nan Shunian beside him with his elbow, his tone full of encouragement:

"Hey, your chance has come!"

"This is the last spot today, and also the easiest one to 'steal'."

"Everyone's trying to conserve their strength, and nobody's willing to make a move. If you go up now, there's a high chance no one will dare challenge you!"

"Damn! You're serious?" Nan Shunian asked, biting her lollipop, her eyes darting around.

She admitted that Yang Xian had a point.

She really had no confidence whatsoever when it came to going up and fighting.

But letting her go up and show off... doesn't seem like a bad idea?

"If you just stand there and wait a few minutes without anyone challenging you, you'll automatically advance?" she confirmed.

"Yes." Yang Xian nodded.

Nan Shunian was still a little hesitant: "Then... what if someone really dares to challenge me?"

"If I challenge you, you'll just have to admit defeat," Yang Xian said casually.

"Using a potentially meaningless opportunity to gamble on a direct qualification spot—it's a win-win situation, isn't it?"

"Besides, aren't you supposed to be completing Instructor Du's task?"

"If you're not brave enough, then forget it. You can go back to sleep now."

After Yang Xian finished speaking, he stopped trying to persuade her, crossed his arms, and looked like he was saying, "You decide for yourself."

He knew very well that there was no point in saying anything to someone like Nan Shunian; he had to let her make her own decision.

Time passed by, second by second.

The referee on the ring had already started urging them on:

"Any other students would like to come up on stage?"

"If no one else participates, today's freshman competition will be over!"