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

Shen Yixi, who hadn't been watching the fight, finally raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on the center of the arena.

There seemed to be a different kind of light in his eyes.

As the boots stepped out, his upright, pine-like figure exuded a sense of majesty and awe.

He was dressed in a black brocade robe today, which, combined with his fair complexion, added to his heroic air.

Ye Ci raised his hand in a slight bow, his gaze calm and his voice low:

"My name is Ye Ci, and I am not skilled in martial arts."

These words, when heard by the warriors, gave the impression of weakness.

Xiao Hua, sitting in the audience, snorted softly, thinking to himself that he already knew this, otherwise why wouldn't he have dared to go on stage and compete with him?

Li Hu seemed to understand something instantly, grinned, revealing two rows of slightly yellow teeth:

"You're quite honest. You dragged your feet and fought with Zhao Lei for ages. It was so frustrating for me."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was surprised and puzzled.

Before anyone could react, Li Hu spoke again:

"I hope you can demonstrate the same skill you had in killing Qian Jin, the Dwarf Tiger, so that I can also learn a thing or two from you."

As soon as he finished speaking, the martial arts masters below the stage showed expressions of surprise.

Previously, the Commandant Cheng said that this Ye Gongfeng had rendered meritorious service in killing bandits, but did not specify who he had killed.

Even if you've never met a truly renowned master of internal strength, you've at least heard of them.

This Qian Jin was no ordinary bandit arrested by the county constables; he was a renowned martial arts master, and in his thirties, he was in his prime.

"I had heard that someone had been killed in the street yesterday, which is why Commander Qin left his seat halfway through the meal. So that's what happened..."

Some people suddenly realized.

Upon seeing Ye Ci step onto the stage, the experts from the Shen family, who possessed internal strength, had already bent down on the nearby barricades, wanting to get a clear look. Unexpectedly, upon hearing the name "Dwarf Tiger," one of them immediately let out a low exclamation.

"Wu Tan, did you hear that? He killed Dwarf Tiger, that guy is a veteran of internal strength, no less skilled than you."

In the corner, Feng Ji gritted his teeth. Qian Jin, one of his men, had been beheaded by Ye Ci in the street.

However, he secretly felt a bit of contempt for Ye Ci.

It's just reckless courage.

He hastily killed Qian Jin, without even finding the mastermind behind it all.

But upon closer reflection, it seems that since Hu Yu is injured, he won't be able to deal with Ye Ci in the short term.

No sooner said than done, before the crowd could continue their discussion...

The situation on the ring suddenly changed.

Li Hu moved suddenly, without the slightest probing, and threw a punch fiercely.

He knew more than those brutes.

What is an ordinary Qian Jin compared to this? The key is that Qian Jin is a demonic cultivator, and cannot be easily judged by his hidden strength.

Facing Ye Ci, Li Hu must do his best.

call--

Ye Ci took a half step forward, and his figure instantly passed Li Hu.

In the blink of an eye, the two were standing side by side, their positions perfectly aligned, even their shoulders were level.

No one saw when Ye Ci drew his sword. They only saw a flash of cold light, and the long sword in his hand was already pressed against Li Hu's throat. The hilt was in front and the blade was behind. The hilt was slightly tilted forward, and the blade was close to the side of Li Hu's neck, the coldness penetrating straight to his skin.

Li Hu's fist was still suspended in mid-air, his expression instantly froze, his eyes filled with disbelief, and his aura dissipated like a candle flame in the wind.

He could even feel the coldness of the blade, and the rock-solid strength emanating from Ye Ci's fingertips.

The force was such that if Li Hu dared to move even slightly, his throat would be torn open by the force of his own strength.

The audience was deathly silent; the martial arts practitioners even forgot to breathe.

People were whispering about "Dwarf Tiger" until a moment later, when all was quiet, they saw this scene.

No unnecessary movements, no stalemate, the game was decided in one move.

Li Hu didn't dare to move.

The surrounding martial artists all gasped in shock.

At this moment, Gao Jing from the Black Dragon Martial Arts School and Chong Yue from the Fierce Tiger Martial Arts School exchanged glances, then looked towards Yang Huaichuan in tacit agreement.

The latter, seemingly content, took a sip of wine.

At this moment, the wealthy families who knew nothing about martial arts finally realized what was happening, and then the whole place erupted in cheers and applause.

"Master Ye is quite skilled in martial arts, not at all!" an old man said with a smile.

"Excellent! Brilliant! Too modest!"

A middle-aged man also praised loudly.

"Chushan!"

Just then, Commandant Qin beckoned and gave a deep shout.

As soon as the words were spoken, a man dressed in tight-fitting clothes with a long sword at his waist stepped forward and leaped onto the arena in a few steps:

"Chu Shan! He practices the Eight-Step Mad Saber."

"please."

Ye Ci said calmly.

At this moment, Li Hu, who was standing next to him, slowly dodged the blade, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Ye Ci, and left the arena.

Seeing this, Chu Shan didn't waste any words and immediately drew his sword.

The cold light was biting.

Before Ye Ci could react, he swung his sword and slashed straight down.

The blade moved with fierce force, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound.

"Clang—"

Ye Ci first used the move "Sweeping Away the Wilds" to deflect a blade, then his figure flashed and his right foot exerted force, actually shattering the bluestone ground. His figure moved like a ghost, appearing behind Chu Shan almost like a phantom.

"Bang!"

With a powerful kick to the back of his knee, Chu Shan's legs buckled, and he half-knelt down with a thud.

Ye Ci spun around to the side, his long sword smoothly wrapping around Chu Shan's neck, as if a close friend were putting his arm around his shoulder. The blade pressed against his neck, its chilling edge piercing to the bone. Ye Ci gripped the hilt tightly in his hand, his strength controlled with remarkable stability.

Without the slightest delay, the outcome was decided in two breaths.

Chu Shan was completely stiff, his hands dangling in the air, holding his breath and daring not to move an inch.

His eight-step sword technique ended in the first step.

At this moment, Chu Shan on the stage dared not turn around, only feeling goosebumps rising on his back and arms.

The murderous aura was almost tangible.

He couldn't believe who he was up against.

What has this person been through?

Why does it give people such a heart-pounding feeling?

He wanted to kill.

I'm sure I'll die!

An uproar erupted from the audience, filled with gasps of surprise.

"Another one-hit kill!"

"That movement technique is absolutely amazing! You can't even see the movements!"

"..."

Yang Huaichuan's lips curled slightly when he saw this scene:

"Mastery of footwork."

He then glanced at Xiao Hua and sighed, "This is how to use the Moon Chasing Step."

Qi Wang seemed to be deep in thought, and nudged Jiang Du beside him:

"I think Lao Liu is a bit arrogant."

"No...no..." Jiang Du tried to speak.

Qi Wang interjected, "I mean, what he sees isn't people, but just pieces of trash that need to be dealt with. Sigh... I can't express it clearly. I think he's like a butcher, or... like a pig butcher."

The Commandant Cheng, sitting in the second seat, was about to take a sip of wine when he saw this scene in the blink of an eye, and his eyelids twitched immediately.

This is the real killing technique.

The real killing technique is not a specific skill or move, but rather the simplest, most effortless, and fastest way to defeat an opponent.

It requires experience, and it also requires ruthlessness.

At this moment, all the masters of internal strength from the Shen family gasped in shock, and one of them nudged Wu Tan with his elbow.

"Didn't you say that Master Ye is inferior to you?"

"That's not entirely true," someone nearby scoffed. "Even if Wu Wushi's throat is cut, he might not die. If his trachea is open, he'll breathe fresh air and have more energy."

In fact, even if you don't die, this first strike gives you the upper hand. How can you possibly retaliate afterward?!

The person who said this was a master who had fought to the death, and he spoke without any politeness.

Wu Tan stared in disbelief, seemingly oblivious to the mocking words, his mouth agape for a long time.

Upon seeing Chu Shan's defeat, the soldiers were initially surprised, but then they couldn't help but join the others in applauding and whispering among themselves.

"Chushan actually lost!"

"This guy's pretty good!"

The soldiers in the county garrison are actually easy to get along with; you just need to have exceptional skills.

After witnessing Chu Shan's defeat, they actually developed a great deal of admiration for Ye Ci.

"Damn it! No wonder the Commandant gave him face!"