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

Qi Lian signed the document below and lazily stepped onto the arena.

"Kid, you're pretty arrogant," Qi Lian said.

Snapped!

Without even a greeting, Xiao Hua rushed forward at lightning speed and slapped Xiao Hua across the face.

The slap made Qilian's cheek visibly swell up.

Ye Ci shook his head from the stands: "How dare they! They dare to be so arrogant within seven steps. But Xiao Hua was slapped in the face by the people from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School before, so this slap should be revenge."

"We need to be wary of this kid; he holds grudges very well."

Ye Ci calmly sipped his tea, then glanced out of the corner of his eye at the short, stocky man on the wall, who was watching the battle with great interest.

It seems he has no intention of assassinating anyone.

Ye Ci put down his teacup, secretly planning his next move.

In that case, it's better not to alert him and instead follow him to see where he came from.

He also possessed the Moon Chasing Steps technique, and tracking was his forte. By utilizing his footwork and the city's terrain, he could definitely remain completely undetected.

In this way...

Ye Ci's lips curled into a smile: "Don't blame me for finding your hideout."

"This kid's got some skills!"

The guards from the Shen family's side, who were skilled in internal martial arts, were whispering among themselves.

"Ye Ci is also from the Rock Martial Arts Academy, could he be just as skilled as him?"

"I don't think so. I heard that Xiao Hua became a disciple a little later than Ye Ci, but he is already a closed-door disciple, which means that Master Yang values ​​him more."

"..."

Shen Zonghan narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at Ye Ci, who was drinking tea in front of him, and then at his father, Shen Wanzhou.

Shen Wanzhou, on the other hand, didn't care at all, and occasionally clapped and praised.

Sitting in the back, Shen Yixi yawned without even lifting her eyelids; she had no interest in these men anyway.

She also disliked Xiao Hua to some extent, or rather, she hated all arrogant men.

In the field.

Qilian's five fingers, like sharp claws, brought a sharp whistle, which was his ultimate move, "Fierce Tiger Climbing the Mountain".

This attack is relentless; once you're hit by one claw, you're bound to be followed by a barrage of painful blows.

Xiao Hua was agile, frequently dodging the incoming claw winds, and occasionally throwing a punch, forcing Qi Lian to switch from offense to defense.

The two had fought for more than forty rounds without a clear winner.

Suddenly, their fists and palms clashed.

The sound of metal clashing echoed throughout the arena!

"Such powerful force!"

Qi Lian felt as if he had been hit by a boulder. The force surged through his arm, causing him to stagger back half a step. Then, he pushed off with his foot and switched from defense to offense once again.

The two figures clashed for more than ten rounds.

Xiao Hua gradually became familiar with Qi Lian's offensive moves and finally found an opening. Taking advantage of Qi Lian's wave of his hand, Xiao Hua suddenly lowered his body and threw a punch that hit Qi Lian's armpit.

There was a click.

Qi Lian's shoulder bone was strained, and half of his arm went limp.

"I lost!"

Qilian quickly admitted defeat.

At this moment, a tsunami of cheers erupted from below the arena.

The fight between those two was incredibly exciting and dazzling.

In the arena, Xiao Hua suddenly pressed down with one palm, making a shushing gesture.

There was a moment of silence around him as everyone turned to look at him.

Xiao Hua coldly scanned his surroundings, then fixed his gaze on the Shen family's stands.

Xiao Hua stopped a disciple who wanted to go on stage with a cold, suffocating gaze.

He then took a few steps forward, reaching the edge of the arena, and looked towards the Shen family's stands.

"Senior Brother Ye, what did you say?"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him clearly.

"Senior Brother Ye? That Shen family retainer? Is this a challenge?"

"A challenge? To fight my own fellow students from my own martial arts school?"

In the small town of Songjiang, some people may not know Ye Ci or have seen what he looks like, but they have heard a lot about the Dark Force Offering.

They naturally knew that Ye Ci belonged to the Pan Shi Martial Arts School.

Therefore, whether they knew each other or not, everyone was looking towards the Shen family's stands at this moment.

"That's interesting."

On the highest platform, Qin Duwei smiled.

On the one hand, he believed that Xiao Hua had some ability; on the other hand, he really wanted Ye Ci to take the stage.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't be sure that Ye Ci was the one who threw the dog at him that day.

But if Ye Ci were to appear, he would definitely be able to spot some clues.

Xiao Hua calling out names was exactly what Commander Qin wanted.

"Senior Brother Ye, what did you say?"

Xiao Hua shouted again.

Ye Ci calmly put down his teacup and flicked his index and middle fingers forward:

"Good job."

"reward."

"Good work? Shall I give you a reward?"

The people around were stunned.

Shen Wanzhou, however, realized what was happening, raised his hand, and said calmly, "Manager Pang, reward him with five thousand taels of silver."

Behind him, Steward Pang stood up and shouted loudly towards the arena:

"Rock Rock Martial Arts School is awesome! Master Ye said—'Well done!' The Shen family patriarch has awarded five thousand taels of silver!"

As soon as Old Master Shen spoke, the other four major families seemed to realize what was happening.

"Impressive! Five thousand taels from the Han family!"

"A promising young talent! Five thousand taels of gold from the Jin family!"

"..."

In previous years, it was customary for each family to give tips, firstly to demonstrate their status, secondly to encourage martial artists, and thirdly to give face to the martial arts school... In short, there are many reasons for this.

In the arena, Xiao Hua stood frozen, as if he were in the middle of nowhere, letting the cold wind blow in his face.

I don't want a reward!

Besides, a genius like him would never ask for rewards; they would be offered them to him.

Did they make a mistake?

On the high platform, a gaze as sharp as a sword looked over. Ye Ci calmly met its gaze, and sparks seemed to fly between their eyes.

Ye Ci sensed that Commandant Qin wanted him to participate, but he didn't shy away from his gaze and made his stance clear.

We will not let them have their way today.

Firstly, there were assassins lurking around.

Secondly, a martial arts contest is tantamount to revealing one's hand in public.

Now that the enemy is lurking in the shadows, how could he possibly reveal his hand? He must at least find out who is trying to assassinate him.

"Oh? That's somewhat interesting."

After exchanging glances with Ye Ci, Commandant Qin suddenly smiled knowingly.

"Commander, move the grand banquet after the martial arts competition to the drill ground of the county garrison."

"what?"

Commandant Chen Chuan was somewhat puzzled.

Commandant Qin suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha... I have a brilliant plan!"

Chen Chuan secretly curled his lip; the captain's biggest flaw was his pride.

If it weren't for pride, I would have grabbed someone by now that night.

Why create so much trouble afterward?

Meanwhile, in the stands of the Pan Shi Martial Arts Academy, Huang Guoshu was also clutching his stomach and laughing heartily.

"Him? He thinks he can fight Brother Ye? Hahaha... My brother is a respected elder; why would he bother fighting you?"

"Several tens of thousands in tips..." Qi Wang sighed wistfully.

Huang Guoshu's smile gradually faded, and he cursed, "Damn it! I'm definitely going to get up and practice martial arts tomorrow morning. I'll also ask my older brother to lead the way in giving me a reward for next year's competition. I want ten thousand."

"This is how it should be between fellow disciples."

Yang Huaichuan said to the group, "Look at Ye Ci, he did a great job. He didn't fight with his fellow disciples and make a fool of himself, and he even earned money for Xiao Hua."

Qi Wang, grinning, nudged Jiang Du with his elbow.

"Qi Wang, I'm talking about you. You need to be a team player."

Qi Wang: "..."

"Xiao Hua is inexperienced and hasn't seen much of the world. He just stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do..."

Yang Huaichuan sighed, then turned to Qi Wang and said:

"This isn't a martial arts exam; there's no need to fight to the very end. Beating Qilian is enough. The three major martial arts schools still need to save face for each other. Go and call him down!"