Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 111 Survival

Before the competition even began, more martial artists stepped onto the stage.

At this time.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, they watched as Duan Wu slowly ascended the steps and stepped towards the center of the arena.

His eyes were cold as he glanced indifferently at the stage.

That gaze was condescending, looking down upon all living beings in all directions.

Immediately, all the martial artists on the stage had solemn expressions, furrowed brows, and stood in silent confrontation, the air thick with a tense and murderous atmosphere.

The crowd erupted in a flurry of whispers and murmurs.

"Why are the general's men here too?! Is he going to open a martial arts school?!"

Shh! Don't talk nonsense in this world.

"Don't you even remember how glorious the three major martial arts schools used to be? Today, they don't even have a reserved seat anymore. The world has changed a long time ago."

"Even if the general's men take one spot, there are still four spots left. At worst, we can have four major martial arts schools in the future."

"...

'

Below the stage, Gao Jing from the Black Dragon Martial Arts School also arrived. Standing in the crowd, he was clearly distinguished from the ordinary people. He was wearing a black cloak, and there were several disciples around him.

Now that Chongyue is dead, he is the face of the Songjiang County militia.

The members of the five major families were also in the crowd, surrounded by servants, each forming their own groups.

"General, Shen Wanzhou has left the city; he seems to be trying to escape."

A soldier hurried up to the high platform and whispered something to Zhang Guan.

"When did this happen?"

"More than an hour ago, they said they were going on a picnic, but the spies who were following them discovered that they had split up into different carriages and scattered in different directions, which is very unusual."

"Um?"

Zhang Guan's eyes turned cold, and his mood suddenly soured.

He felt that Shen Wanzhou was rather ungrateful; he had only wanted some money, but this old man was clearly courting death.

Song Rongyi spoke up from behind, "I'll go and bring him back. That guy surnamed Shen must have some experts with him; an ordinary person might not be able to handle him."

Fang Yelan advised, "Old Song, with your skills, chasing after Shen Wanzhou is making a mountain out of a molehill."

Zhang Guan glanced at Fang Yelan: "The Shen family has been gone for over an hour, and they don't know which way they're going. Could an ordinary person catch up with them?"

Fang Yelan immediately fell silent.

As he spoke, Zhang Guan waved his hand again: "Uncle Song, there's no need to chase after them. Just kill them as soon as you find them, so as not to attract attention by bringing them back."

"Yes."

Song Rongyi accepted the order and withdrew.

Zhang Guan raised his chin towards the arena, tilted his head, and asked Fang Yelan, "Has Ye Ci from the Shen family arrived?"

Fang Yelan glanced around and shook his head, saying, "No, he must have run away with Shen Wanzhou. I saw him in the shadows when he killed Qiu Tang. Duan Wu said he wanted to serve you, but I didn't expect him to dare to defy you now."

Zhang Guan waved his hand: "Since they've escaped, kill them all."

"Alright, it's getting late, let's begin—"

Before they could finish speaking, the two caught a glimpse of a slender figure rushing out from the crowd.

The man was dressed in rags, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in mud and bloodstains.

The man stumbled to the edge and scrambled onto the stage. He roared at the martial artists on the stage with all his might, but only a whooshing sound of wind breaking came out.

Everyone looked on in surprise and then realized that the man was Wei Ting, whose tongue had already been cut out.

Isn't he crazy?

Zhang Guan wouldn't allow him to die, so he's lived to this day.

Wei Ting knelt down and took out a piece of burlap from his bosom. On the burlap were four large characters written in fresh blood.

【The sky is clear】

He raised the burlap high, stared intently at everyone present, and slammed his forehead down heavily.

"Thump"

"Thump"

"Thump"

"

""

one more time.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

Wei Ting was extremely weak.

He felt he had done everything a scholar could do.

The heavens are blocked from hearing, so His Majesty cannot hear it, but the soldiers present can.

He stood up, straightened his clothes one last time, let out a mournful "ho ho," and then leaped headfirst off the stage.

He wanted to prove his innocence by dying.

A gust of wind suddenly rose, and afterimages flashed by. A figure as swift as lightning appeared at the edge of the arena.

He stretched out his long arm with a powerful and forceful pull, forcefully lifting the falling figure back up.

Wei Ting closed his eyes and struggled, making a "whoosh" sound in his throat. He thought it was Zhang Guan's men again.

They insisted on torturing him, not letting him die.

Ye Ci didn't speak.

He was pinned to the ground with his backhand, his strength leaving no room for escape.

Wei Ting opened his eyes and looked at the person in front of him, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar.

He remembered.

This person is named Ye Ci. I met him at Wenyuan Hall, where Meng Zhaoting was present that day.

After that, I heard that Ye Ci killed Qiu Tang and avenged Meng Zhaoting.

"Hehehe—" He opened his mouth wide.

"Live on."

"Keep watching."

Then, Ye Ci turned around, raised his eyes, and swept across the entire room with an icy gaze, sharp and cold.

"He is still very obedient."

Zhang Guan patted Fang Yelan beside him and pointed to the arena: "I asked him to come and fight, and sure enough, he didn't leave the city with Shen Wanzhou. I said Wei Ting couldn't die, and he wouldn't let him die."

"A good dog!"

Zhang Guan burst into laughter.

He wanted to rip out the tongues of scholars and break the spines of warriors.

Laughter drifted on the wind.

At this moment, Wei Ting couldn't help but look up, at the unrestrained figure high above, and then at the back of the person in front of him.

He felt somewhat dazed.

At this moment, the drums for the martial arts competition sounded.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

Ye Ci's steps and the drumbeats were in perfect harmony.

The wind rises.

The tight-fitting clothes fluttered in the wind.

When the drumbeats stopped, Ye Ci, sword in hand, was already standing on the arena.

******

The drumming stopped.

There were more than twenty martial artists on the stage, but no one dared to move, all their eyes were fixed on the center of the stage.

Duan Wu looked down at the crowd with disdain.

He was dressed in a black outfit, with a belt inlaid with copper scales and jade around his waist. His dark hair was tied high in a jade crown, and his gaze swept coldly over the crowd on the stage.

He was satisfied with everyone's performance and nodded slightly: "I am Duan Wu, a deputy general under the General Who Conquers the South. Today, I have come up on stage for only one purpose: to recruit all the warriors of Songjiang."

"From this day forward, no more scattered martial arts schools are permitted in Songjiang. All martial artists will be placed under the general's command, trained and commanded in a unified manner. You may still practice martial arts and rely on your skills to make a living, but your status will no longer be that of common martial artists, but rather soldiers under the command of the General Who Conquers the South."

"There are only five spots, or maybe four. If someone can beat me—then they'll definitely count as one."

After he finished speaking, there was a deathly silence all around.

The warriors on the stage exchanged glances; the news differed slightly from what they had previously received.

Duan Wu took in the expressions of everyone and slowly said, "Those who obey me will enjoy wealth and honor, those who oppose me will face certain death."

He then scanned the crowd below the arena, his gaze finally settling on Gao Jing of the Black Dragon Martial Arts School: "Those of you who wish to come up may do so again. But after today, no one may teach martial arts except those on the stage."

The latter frowned slightly.

Gao Jing thought that Duan Wu was too arrogant. He admitted that Zhang Guan had some strength, but what was Duan Wu?

He didn't want to offend Zhang Guan, but he wasn't afraid of Duan Wu.

But then he saw Xiao Hua stand in front of Duan Wu. He didn't even bring a knife. He just slowly rolled up his sleeves, pointed at the other man, and said in a deep voice, "I'm going to kill you. I'll kill you in front of the entire county. But this has nothing to do with the Panshi Martial Arts School. It's my decision alone."

He wasn't afraid of Duan Wu, but he couldn't beat Zhang Guan.

Upon hearing these words, Duan Wu felt that the man was somewhat naive, so he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and shook his head slightly: "How unwise it is for you to betray the general at a time like this."

Then, he raised his voice slightly, his tone tinged with mockery: "Whoever kills Xiao Hua will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Hua heard a piercing sound of something cutting through the air behind him, and for a brief moment he was stunned.