Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

If Gao Yuan hadn't kept putting food on his plate, he probably wouldn't have dared to move at all.

How could a mere servant dare to drink with the young masters?

The reason why he got along well with Gao Yuan was simply because Gao Yuan's past as a beggar made him feel that they had a common ground and were not worlds apart.

During the meal, Gao Yuan couldn't help but strike up a conversation with Huang Shang: "Brother Huang, where are you from? Have you come to Xuzhou to visit a friend?"

"I'm from Nanping, Fuzhou. To be honest, the weather in Fuzhou is just too humid. Although I was born and raised in Nanping, I've never been able to get used to it and can't concentrate. The weather in Xuzhou is much more pleasant, so I'm planning to prepare for the exam there."

He will return to his hometown to take the autumn examination.

Upon hearing Huang Shang reveal his hometown, Gao Yuan thought to himself, "Finally, it matches up. It really is him."

It seems Huang Shang comes from a wealthy family; otherwise, his family couldn't afford for him to travel far away to prepare for the exam.

"Brother Huang, are you interested in learning martial arts?"

"Practicing martial arts?"

Huang Shang frowned upon hearing this: "Brother Gao, why do you ask such a question?" Then he shook his head: "I have no interest in martial arts. I only wish to study the classics, pass the imperial examinations, and govern the world."

"That's not right!"

"Brother Gao, what's wrong?"

"Uh! It's nothing..."

Gao Yuan didn't have any designs on the Nine Yin Manual. You should know that Bei Ming was in no way inferior to the Nine Yin Manual, and was even superior to it.

He was simply curious about Huang Shang's legend, who single-handedly created a martial arts myth.

pity...

Although Gao Yuan was very interested, Huang Shang seemed to have no interest in martial arts at all. Out of politeness, he only gave perfunctory answers to his questions.

I don't know how he suddenly became enlightened. Could it be that reading too many classic texts can actually lead to the discovery of some unparalleled martial arts?

To be honest, Huang Shang was a little confused by Gao Yuan's explanation, and patiently explained:

"I have no knowledge of martial arts, but Brother Xu's family is the lineage of the Broken Jade Soul-Severing Blade of Pingjiang Prefecture. His family has a profound tradition of martial arts. If you are interested in martial arts, you can discuss it with him."

"The Jade-Shattering Soul-Severing Blade?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xin suddenly interjected:

"Yes, Brother Xu, although you do not practice martial arts, your mother's family's name, the Jade-Breaking Soul-Severing Blade, is known to everyone in Pingjiang. This style of swordsmanship is famous for its Jade-Shattering Force. When the blade is drawn, there is a sound of jade shattering. This is called Jade-Breaking."

Wang Xin paused deliberately: "The brothers who came with Brother Xiang Sheng were sent by his mother's family to protect him, and they practice the Tong family's Shattered Jade Strength."

Gao Yuan seemed to understand something, and glanced at the burly man standing behind Xu Xiang Sheng.

This person remained silent throughout, yet exuded a chilling aura.

Gao Yuan's gaze naturally caught the attention of the burly man. He slowly raised his head, and in an instant, their eyes met.

Goodness, he's a trained fighter!

Xu Xiang-sheng, fearing it would seem like he was boasting, remained silent, but he clearly noticed their actions, his eyes narrowing as he thought to himself, "Interesting."

Shen Yanqing, however, picked up the conversation quickly and said:

"Mr. Fan's reputation as a chess master is known throughout Xuzhou, and Old Master Tong's infamous Jade-Breaking Soul-Severing Blade is legendary. But is it the chessboard that's harder, or the blade that has the slight advantage?"

Li Chenghuan and Shen Yanqing exchanged glances:

"Brother Yuan has been living in the Master's mansion for a long time, learning martial arts, unlike us who only watch chess. His martial arts skills must be extraordinary. Brother Xiang Sheng is a top-notch guard in the Broken Blade Sect. Why don't we let the two of you have a match, so that everyone can see for themselves and give a fair evaluation of whose martial arts are superior in Xuzhou and Pingjiang?"

Huang Shang and the other man had already learned about Gao Yuan's background during their casual conversation. Gao Yuan had only been learning martial arts for a short time and was not satisfied with even half of it.

As the saying goes, martial arts skills mature with age, and techniques are refined with years of experience.

A novice is no match for a seasoned veteran, and Li Chenghuan's actions were clearly intended to embarrass Gao Yuan.

Li Chenghuan raised his voice further: "How is it? Yuan-ge'er isn't answering. Could it be that Mr. Fan's technique is inferior to the Tong family's knife skills?"

He meant that Mr. Fan's martial arts skills were inferior to the Tong family's knife skills, not that Gao Yuan's martial arts were inferior to Xu Xiangsheng's. The different titles have different meanings.

Shen Yanqing directly called out Mr. Fan's name, but Gao Yuan still refused to participate in the competition, which proved that he had no courage. He was criticized for his teacher's indifference and inevitably earned a reputation for being cowardly and weak.

If it's the next game, hey!

He didn't believe Gao Yuan could defeat the Xu family guards.

Shi Tou was young and was about to argue with him when Gao Yuan, who was sitting next to him, pulled him back.

"Um?"

Gao Yuan had long harbored resentment towards Li Chenghuan, and lightly adjusted his sleeve, saying, "You've sullied Mr. Fan, and you're a despicable person who betrays your teacher."

"you-!"

Li Chenghuan was secretly pleased with himself when he suddenly heard these words. His eyes widened and he looked up at Gao Yuan.

Wang Xin admired Gao Yuan for his outspokenness, while Shen Yanqing wore a long face, and Huang Shang and the others also showed surprise.

Gao Yuan smiled and stood up:

"Isn't that so? Brother Li and Brother Shen listened to the chess game at Mr. Fan's residence. Although there was no formal gift of tuition, there was indeed instruction. In private, they can be considered students of the Fan family, right? You all study the classics and the rites of Zhou. What are you if not petty people who tarnish the reputation of your teachers?"

"How dare you!"

Li Chenghuan stood up abruptly, staring coldly at Gao Yuan: "You little brat..."

"Shut up."

Wang Xin made no attempt to hide his disdain: "Li Chenghuan, your mouth is full of foul language. Just as Yuan-ge'er said, your moral character is corrupt. Don't try to smear the gentleman."

Wang Xin spoke up to stop him, and Li Chenghuan blushed and dared not refute, his five fingers clenched tightly.

He was filled with regret and didn't know what to do.

"Chenghuan, your words were indeed inappropriate. The competition is about communication, and the outcome depends on the individual. How could you bring Mr. Fan into it?"

Shen Yanqing feigned a reprimand, but was actually giving him a way out, turning his head and smiling:

"Cheng Huan was just being impetuous. I don't think he meant to discredit Mr. Tong's martial arts as inferior to the Tong family's swordsmanship. Just as Yuan-ge said, we can all be considered Mr. Tong's disciples in private. Let's not ruin our friendship as classmates."

Li Chenghuan's words were suspected of slandering Fan Bailing, and Shen Yanqing could not argue back, but he had to speak up for him to avoid being stigmatized as heartless. In his heart, he cursed Li Chenghuan for being a pig-brain.

At this point, all Li Chenghuan had to do was offer a few words of apology, as Shen Yanqing had suggested, and the matter should have ended there. However…

A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out.

"Xuzhou and Pingjiang are not far apart and have a reputation for being the two associations and three gangs, with the saying 'the chess piece and the broken knife.' The two associations and three gangs are self-explanatory, and the 'the chess piece and the broken knife' refers to Mr. Fan and Old Master Tong, but the two have never competed against each other."

"Friends in the martial arts world have always ranked Xuanqi ahead of Duandao, but my master, out of consideration for his reputation, has never cared about such empty titles."

"But as the old saying goes, there is no first place in literature, but there is a second in martial arts. I just overheard a few gentlemen chatting and learned that you are studying under Mr. Fan. I dare not presume to ask Mr. Fan for personal instruction, but I am very eager to learn. May I ask you for a few pointers?"

All eyes turned to the burly man who had been standing behind Xu Xiang-sheng, who stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and spoke.

"Brother Xiang Sheng..."

Huang Shang was interrupted by Xu Xiangsheng with a wry smile before he could finish speaking:

"Brother Huang, to be honest, Brother Gu is not actually a bodyguard. It's just that the Dongshan Society and the Qingzhu Gang are currently locked in a fierce battle for territory, and the Zoroastrianism is also stirring up trouble in the martial arts world. My mother is worried about my safety, so she asked Brother Gu to protect me on this trip to Xuzhou."

"If we're really talking about seniority, I should respectfully address you as Senior Brother Gu. I wouldn't dare to actually order you around, so please don't put me in a difficult position."

Everyone understood that Xu Xiang-sheng was making excuses. After all, Gu Feng was still a disciple of his mother's family. Just because he couldn't move him didn't mean he couldn't be persuaded.

It seems Xu Xiang-sheng is someone who enjoys stirring up trouble.

"Regardless of the outcome of this exchange, I am determined not to reveal a single word to anyone."

Seeing Gu Feng's frank words, Gao Yuan thought that he had no choice but to accept the offer; if he hesitated any longer, he would appear petty.

Wang Xin was about to get up to help Gao Yuan decline when he felt his clothes being tugged. He turned around and saw Gao Yuan gently shaking his head at him.

He sighed, thinking about how Yuan-ge'er was young and reckless, and had gotten into a fight out of spite.