Star Martial Soaring Cloud

The early spring sunshine bathed the capital city, giving it a light, rosy glow.

But the capital city doesn't need the dawn to wake it up; before daybreak, countless people are already busy heading towards a new day.

Street sweepers, vegetable vendors rushing to the early market, breakfast stall owners setting up their stoves... the aroma of cooking rises earlier than the dawn, spreading in wisps and strands throughout every long and short street in the capital.

Wang Xiao and Zhou Qian sat in a long-established mutton noodle shop, with a table full of various bowls and plates.

This noodle shop is quite famous in Beijing. Its signature mutton soup has a rich and savory broth, tender and non-gamey mutton, and chewy and smooth noodles. One bite and your mouth is filled with a fresh and sweet aftertaste.

Besides their signature noodles, the two also ordered braised beef, roujiamo (meat-filled flatbread), douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and jiaoquan (fried dough rings)... they ordered almost every delicious dish in the restaurant.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you. We've got plenty of money now!" Wang Xiao couldn't help but laugh and tease Zhou Qian as he wolfed down his food.

With his mouth full of sesame cakes, Zhou Qian mumbled indistinctly, his cheeks bulging, "You have no idea, these past few days I've been eating steamed buns and millet porridge every day, with a dish of bland pickled vegetables. My mouth is practically tasteless."

The reason the two did not have breakfast at Shun'an Inn was because the inn's fat owner was too stingy.

Breakfast has been the same for days on end: steamed buns with millet porridge and a side dish of pickled vegetables, so monotonous it's boring.

Zhou Qian had complained about it countless times in private, after all, so much money had been spent.

Although Wang Xiao didn't say it, he was already fed up with it.

However, the three of them were short of money, and the inn's daily expenses amounted to four thousand taels of silver, so they had to be frugal and make do with what they could.

But now, they no longer have to hold themselves back.

Since I finally have some extra money, I naturally want to treat myself.

"Speaking of which, where did you get this money?" Zhou Qian swallowed a mouthful of tender mutton and suddenly looked up to ask curiously.

Wang Xiao chuckled, picked up his teacup, and took a sip: "It's a secret, but I'll teach you how to make money later, and I guarantee we'll be rolling in it!"

"Huh?" Zhou Qian was startled, and almost dropped the mutton he was holding with his chopsticks.

Making a fortune every day?

How many bandit dens would that take to destroy?

After the two returned to Shun'an Inn yesterday, Wang Xiao did not go straight to his room to rest as usual. Instead, he went to find the fat innkeeper and handed him a letter, instructing him to go to Jixia Academy in person and find the dean himself, and not to be easily dismissed by others.

Tempted by the sum of 100 gold coins, the fat boss certainly wouldn't refuse.

The letter Wang Xiao delivered was very simple, containing only one short sentence: "Whether to advance or retreat, it's a matter of money. I wonder if there's any chance of getting five thousand gold coins?"

Didn't the dean say that he should treat Jixia Academy as his home?

It's not only natural to ask your family for money when you don't have any!

Besides, if I'm doing this for the Dean, why would the Dean slap himself in the face?

A bowl of mutton noodles was quickly emptied. Wang Xiao was scooping up the broth from the bottom of the bowl when he caught a glimpse of several figures walking slowly toward the noodle shop.

Three men and one woman, dressed in distinctive clothing from southern Xinjiang, were easily recognizable.

Wang Xiao could tell at a glance that they were the ones who failed this assessment.

Although the group possessed considerable cultivation, they lacked the youthful vigor and high spirits typical of newcomers to Jixia Academy. Instead, they were shrouded in a heavy sense of resentment and bitterness, their eyes filled with pent-up anger.

The leader was a tall, thin man in his thirties with a handsome face, but his eyes were sinister and unfriendly, carrying a hint of aggressiveness.

He walked straight to Wang Xiao and Zhou Qian's table, stood there, and looked down at the two of them with a contemptuous attitude.

"Hey, isn't this the 101st place in this assessment?" The tall, thin man deliberately dragged out his words, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to carry over to the surrounding tables, drawing the attention of the diners.

Wang Xiao put down the soup bowl and calmly looked up.

"What do you mean 101st? He just got lucky. Who knows what his real skill level is?" The short, fat man next to him immediately chimed in, his tone full of sourness.

"Anyone with self-awareness who knows they qualified by luck would have withdrawn from the competition long ago. But some people..." The tall, thin man sneered, leaving his words unfinished, his sarcasm obvious.

Wang Xiao instantly understood what the others were thinking.

These students who failed the exam harbored resentment and had nowhere to vent it, so they deliberately came to pick a fight with me.

He had anticipated that someone would come looking for trouble after the assessment, but he didn't expect that the first to come to his door would not be the forces of the Ye family or the Yun family, nor the spies of various forces in the capital, but a few unskilled soldiers who had failed the exam.

Upon closer examination, this makes sense; this type of person currently constitutes the largest group.

Jixia Academy explained that the three exceptionally admitted students were both fortunate and capable, thus encouraging everyone to stay true to their original aspirations and strive for excellence.

While the reasoning is sound, it cannot convince everyone, and some people inevitably feel resentful and bitter.

Are these three unexpected candidates truly stronger than the others who failed the exam?

They might not think so.

They didn't dare to provoke the deeply rooted Jixia Academy.

They would never even entertain the idea of ​​challenging the young master of the Ye family in Southern Xinjiang.

Zhou Yan chose to withdraw voluntarily.

Wang Xiao, who unexpectedly gained the number 101 ranking, became the perfect easy target for them to vent their resentment.

"What brings you here?" Wang Xiao asked calmly, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Nothing much, just wanted to see for myself the prowess of the 101st-ranked candidate in the Jixia Academy assessment." The tall, thin man crossed his arms, a thick sneer playing on his lips. "Young Master Lu, would you dare to spar with me?"

The group showdown between Lu Yang and Ye Xin had already spread throughout the capital, becoming a hot topic of conversation on the streets.

But most people's attention is focused on Ye Xin: the young master of the Ye family, the younger brother of the top-ranked person, and a "perseverer" who survives adversity.

To the people of Beijing, Wang Xiao and Zhou Qian were just two nobodys; nobody knew who they were, and nobody cared who they were.

Wang Xiao suddenly laughed, slowly stood up, gently brushed the dust off his robes, pointed to his chest, and said loudly and confidently, word by word, "What is my status now? 101st in the Jixia Examination! Young Master Ye Xin's exclusive opponent! And what is your status? Mere failures, unable to even touch the threshold of Jixia Academy, yet you dare to challenge me?"

His voice was loud and clear, and every word he spoke was clear and resounding.

The tall, thin man's face turned ashen instantly, rendered speechless by these words.

Their intention was to mock Wang Xiao for getting 101 by sheer luck.

But little did anyone know that Wang Xiao regarded this as an immense honor.

What's going on?

The surrounding diners whispered among themselves, their faces filled with disbelief.

"Just being number 101, what's so glorious about that?"

"How can he say that with such confidence? It's outrageous!"

"Forget about being at the top, even the top 100 aren't as arrogant as him!"

The tall, thin man was frozen in place by everyone's gaze, caught in a dilemma, and gritted his teeth, saying, "You—"

Wang Xiao interrupted him sharply, looking as if she had suffered a great humiliation and was filled with righteous indignation: "I can't stand your questioning and contemptuous looks! Today I will prove myself! Prove that this 101st place is what I deserve, and no one can take it away from me!"

He spread his fingers and clenched them into a fist, the veins on the back of his hand slightly taut, as if a few words of doubt were the greatest desecration of his supreme glory.

The onlookers were completely stunned, and murmurs of discussion rose and fell.

"Did I hear that right? 101st, not at the top!"

"Could this truly be the most glorious and impressive achievement of his life?"

"The world is full of wonders, this is the first time I've seen someone so proud of getting 101st place!"

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Wang Xiao showed no shame whatsoever. Instead, he stood even taller and declared confidently, "Of the three exceptional candidates selected in this assessment, I'm number one! One hundred and first place! Isn't that something to be proud of? Anyone want to challenge me? A thousand gold coins! Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"

"What?!" The four disciples from the Southern Frontier widened their eyes at the same time, their faces filled with astonishment.

"A thousand gold pieces for a sparring match." Wang Xiao repeated with a smile, his eyes carrying a hint of mocking provocation. "What, scared?"

The tall, thin man was so angry that he was trembling all over.

Is this a matter of being afraid?

This is a matter of money.

One thousand taels of gold, equivalent to one hundred thousand taels of silver, is enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for several years.

Even for cultivators like them, it was an enormous sum of money.

As more and more people gathered around to watch the spectacle, the tall, thin man's face flushed red and then paled. If he were to slink away like this, he would have no face to stand in the cultivation world in the future.

The group quickly huddled together and whispered for a moment before finally gritting their teeth and compromising. They each pulled out silver notes and pieced them together, slamming a total of one thousand gold coins onto the table.

"Good! That's awesome!" Wang Xiao clapped his hands and cheered, then pointed to Zhou Qian beside him and said casually, "You fight him first."

The tall, thin man frowned and said angrily, "We're challenging you!"

Wang Xiao stood with his hands on his hips, looking utterly arrogant and self-righteous, utterly infuriating: "What is my status? The 101st ranked person in Jixia Academy, what supreme glory! Do you think you can just challenge me like that? If you make a move so casually, how disrespectful would I be?"

He patted Zhou Qian on the shoulder and continued sarcastically, "He fought me before and lost. You all have to get past him before you're qualified to fight me. What, are you feeling insecure? No way, no way?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he added loudly, deliberately emphasizing his words: "By the way, he ranked ninety-third in this assessment, but compared to me, he's still a little lacking! I'm one hundred and one, the one and only one hundred and one!"

The surrounding diners started talking again, their expressions a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"That's outrageous! One hundred and one, what's he so arrogant about?"

"Am I not good at counting? Is 101 earlier than 93?"

"Why didn't the person ranked ninety-third refute him?"

"Could these ninety-three people really be his defeated opponents? The difference in their physiques doesn't seem to suggest it!"

Wang Xiao ignored all the discussions, still holding her head high and looking like she was the epitome of glory and unparalleled in the world.

"Is this how to make a fortune every day?" Zhou Qian looked at Wang Xiao blankly, then silently stood up, stretched his wrists, walked up to the tall, thin man, and said succinctly and calmly, "Zhou Qian, ranked ninety-third in the assessment, please enlighten me."

"He Fei, please give me your guidance!" the tall, thin man said in a deep voice.

The group originally intended to provoke Wang Xiao and test his strength, but unexpectedly, they were outmaneuvered by him.

But things have come to this point, and if they can defeat Zhou Qian, who is ranked ninety-third, they can at least save face and achieve their goal.

The Nine Provinces have always revered martial arts. Even in the capital city, where land is incredibly valuable, there are martial arts training grounds of all sizes scattered throughout the streets and alleys, which is enough to show the importance that the Great Qian Dynasty attaches to the path of cultivation.

These training grounds are paved with meteorites, making them incredibly hard. They are also surrounded by stable formations that can absorb and neutralize the impact of cultivators' supernatural powers.

Even though the capital city has a protective array to suppress cultivators' cultivation levels, the destructive power of cultivator duels should not be underestimated. It is these martial arts arenas that prevent the chaos caused by sparring and fighting, such as the destruction of houses, loss of life, and disturbance of the city.

Otherwise, where would the dignity of the capital be? Where would the principle of coexistence between cultivators and mortals, which is revered throughout the Nine Provinces, be?

The group quickly moved to a nearby martial arts training ground.

The area was about ten zhang square, with a ground as black as ink and as smooth as a mirror. Stone pillars engraved with array patterns stood all around, with faint spiritual light flowing around them, ready to activate the defensive array at any time.

He Fei and Zhou Qian stood facing each other, three zhang apart, poised to strike.

"Let's finish this quickly, don't delay our money-making!" Wang Xiao whispered to Zhou Qian, then strode to the sidelines, appointed himself referee, and shouted, "The duel begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Qian moved.

Without testing or hesitation, he went all out from the start, his attack extremely fierce.

The spear swept across the sky, unleashing a divine power with a thunderous roar!

"Spiritual Fire Crosses the Thousand Heavens!"

A crimson fire dragon roared from the tip of the spear, its huge mouth wide open, flames soaring into the sky, rushing straight towards He Fei, instantly turning half of the martial arts arena crimson and scorching hot.

He Fei's expression changed drastically. He quickly crossed his hands in front of him and activated his protective spiritual light with all his might.

Before he could form a solid defense, Zhou Qian's second divine power arrived in quick succession.

"Heavenly fire engulfs mountains and rivers!"

A crimson dragon burst from the ground, spiraling and attacking from below, joining forces with a fire dragon in the sky above.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qian swiftly turned the tip of his spear, and the third divine power suddenly appeared.

"A raging wind whips up crimson flames!"

The raging winds and flames intertwined to form a storm, spinning wildly and roaring, causing the air currents throughout the venue to tremble.

It is covered by heavenly fire above, locked by the earth's veins below, and attacks the human body in the middle.

The triple attack creates layers of restraint, sealing off the sky and locking down the earth, leaving the opponent nowhere to escape.

He Fei was completely enveloped by the raging flames, and his protective aura collapsed under the triple attack.

Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his eyes were filled with horror.

Before he could even admit defeat, Zhou Qian's spear was already at his throat, its sharp edge gleaming and its chilling aura palpable.

A little further on, and he was decapitated.

From the start to the end of the war, it was only a breath.

"Thank you for your kind offer." Zhou Qian sheathed his spear, cupped his hands, and said calmly.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

The onlookers stared wide-eyed and mouths agape, unable to recover for a long time.

"This...this is the strength of the ninety-third place candidate in the Jixia Academy assessment? That's incredibly strong!"

"The three fire-based divine abilities flowed seamlessly together, coordinating perfectly; such control is far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators!"

"No wonder those 101 dared to be so arrogant; they had a powerful backer!"

He Fei's face was deathly pale, and his lips moved several times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The other three disciples from the Southern Frontier were also completely stunned, their eyes filled with shock.

Wang Xiao strode to the center of the training ground, hands on his hips, head held high, and declared triumphantly, "Now you know how powerful I am, number 101!"

The onlookers were both amused and bewildered, and there was much discussion about it.

"Why is he so annoying?!"

"Why is he so smug about being beaten?"

"They're just borrowing the tiger's power; they only have the backing of ninety-three experts!"

"And the worst part is, he looked so proud of it!"

"Why didn't the person ranked ninety-third refute him?"

"Could it be that he really...?"

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Wang Xiao raised his voice again: "Anyone else want to challenge? The challenge begins now, the fee is two thousand gold!"

The crowd below the stage gritted their teeth instantly.

"He did it on purpose! He absolutely did it on purpose!"

"This is clearly a scam!"

"Those two are clearly in cahoots, using their superior skills to inflate prices—they're so cunning!"

"There's nothing we can do. With ninety-three experts guarding the area, no one can possibly defeat them!"

The onlookers were furious, shouting, "Someone go up and teach him a lesson! He's too arrogant!"

"I'll do it!"

A steady voice suddenly rang out.

A young man dressed in a blue robe stepped out from the crowd. He was tall and strong, with steady and powerful steps. A faint spiritual light flowed around him, and his cultivation level far exceeded that of the others.

"Two thousand gold coins." Wang Xiao's smile grew even brighter as she stepped forward and extended her hand.

"I just can't stand his smug face!" someone said angrily.

"Why don't you go up and give it a try?"

"I'm not stupid. I can't beat that guy at 93. Going up there would just be throwing money away!"

The young man in the green robe gritted his teeth, took out the silver notes, and handed them all to Wang Xiao.

Zhou Qian suddenly twitched his spear, revealing its sharpness. He unleashed three fiery divine abilities at once, combining the Fire Dragon, Flood Dragon, and Crimson Flame Storm into one fluid and seamless move.

The man in the green robe tried his best to defend, but he only managed to hold on for a short while before being forced back several steps by the force of the spear. His blood surged, his face turned pale, and he had no strength left to fight.

"You flatter me." Zhou Qian put away his gun and stood up.

Wang Xiao waved a thick stack of silver notes in his hand, beaming with joy, and raised the price again: "Any more challengers? Challenge now! The fee is three thousand gold coins per round! Everyone should seize this opportunity; once it's gone, it'll be gone forever!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"How could Jixia Academy have chosen such a person? He's clearly a profit-driven, unscrupulous businessman!"

"He's blatantly raising prices on the spot, and nobody can do anything about it!"

"With a master ranked ninety-third here, you can't argue with him!"

"They didn't force him; the challenger paid voluntarily. He's just too shameless!"

Just as everyone was discussing it, a clear female voice came from outside the crowd.

"You're Lu Yang?"

The crowd parted automatically upon hearing the sound, making way for someone.

A woman dressed in a light purple dress walked slowly towards them. She had a beautiful and delicate appearance, with a charming and charming look in her eyes, as well as a touch of heroism and willfulness.

She wore a jade pendant identifying her as a student of Jixia Academy, a mark of her official enrollment.

"It's Miss Yun Zhi from the Yun family!" someone in the crowd recognized her at a glance and exclaimed in surprise.

"I've heard that this Miss Yun has a willful and unruly nature; many wealthy young men in the capital have suffered at her hands!"

"This is going to be interesting! She's a genius freshman who ranked fiftieth in this assessment!"