I have a martial arts panel.

Chapter 56 Tao Jin's Defeat

The assessment is still ongoing.

The first round of the Blue and Yellow Card Challenge quickly came to an end.

In Taojiazhuang, both Tao Qingyuan and Tao Jin retained their yellow cards.

Tao Qingyuan won relatively easily.

His talent is almost comparable to that of Tan Fengying.

Aside from Xu Ning's unparalleled strength, Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying are top-tier among the newcomers.

However, Tan Fengying has now fallen to the yellow card level and no longer has the opportunity to challenge again, so she can only be classified as a blue card.

In contrast to Tao Qingyuan, Tao Jin had just won with great difficulty.

When facing challengers, Tao Jin still has a clear advantage in terms of theoretical strength.

However, when they actually fought, Tao Jin appeared very timid and hesitant in his attacks. If it weren't for her overwhelming strength, she would have been defeated.

Soon, the second round began.

This time, Tao Jin was challenged right from the start.

His poor performance in the first round of challenges was noticed by the other green card holders.

The challenger to Tao Jin was a newcomer from Songjiazhuang, also a young woman named Song Qingwei.

"Tao Jin".

"Song Qingwei".

The two men, armed, kept their distance from each other.

With Tao Jin making the first move, the two engaged in a fierce battle.

Tao Jin seems very impatient...

Xu Ning watched the two exchange and remarked, "They seem a bit flustered."

The deeper the fight went, the more passive Tao Jin seemed to become, according to Xu Ning.

According to Xu Ning's deduction, Tao Jin and Song Qingwei should be of similar strength, both possessing internal strength and external skills, plus a highly accomplished external martial art.

However, Tao Jin has been at the Inner Realm for a long time, while Song Qingwei has only recently advanced. In a true comparison, Tao Jin still has the advantage.

However, when they actually clashed, Tao Jin immediately tried to achieve a hard suppression, and her attacks were extremely fierce. She didn't make any probing moves, as if she was eager to defeat her opponent quickly.

This looks like it's driven by emotion.

Her opponent, Song Qingwei, clearly noticed this as well.

Instead of rushing to gain the upper hand, she engaged in a tug-of-war with Tao Jin to prevent her from launching an attack.

Tao Jin appeared fierce, but she couldn't gain any real control. The more she did this, the more anxious she became, and her movements ended up with several openings.

Song Qingwei remained clear-headed and swiftly struck when she saw Tao Jin's weakness.

On several occasions, Tao Jin felt a great threat.

"If this continues, there's going to be problems..."

Tao Qingyuan was also keeping a close eye on the two of them.

His brows were furrowed, and he was filled with worry.

In this state, once Tao Jin falls into a disadvantageous position, it is impossible for her to calmly deal with the passive situation.

"I can't lose!"

At this point, Tao Jin, having failed to achieve her goal after a long and fruitless attack, had completely lost her composure.

Especially after several mistakes, Tao Jin felt that she was on the verge of defeat.

"I have been the center of attention since I was a child. Everyone in Taojiazhuang said that I was a genius like Tao Qingyuan and that I would definitely become a martial arts master in the future."

The more Tao Jin fought, the more thoughts unrelated to the battle surfaced in her mind: "If I lose now, then others will think I'm nothing special. They'll say that my previous achievements in martial arts were all due to my grandfather's resources..."

"I can't lose... I can't disgrace Grandpa..."

For a moment, only the voice of "We can't lose" echoed in Tao Jin's mind.

Her movements also began to distort.

"We're going to lose."

The same thought simultaneously crossed Xu Ning's and Tao Qingyuan's minds.

As expected, Tao Jin once again revealed her weakness in a reckless move.

Upon seeing this, Song Qingwei's eyes lit up, and with a sweep of her long staff, she struck Tao Jin in the waist.

Tao Jin felt the pain and her movements faltered.

Song Qingwei seized the opportunity again and struck Tao Jin in the lower abdomen with the tip of the long stick.

Tao Jin had no time to resist and was knocked off the stage.

For a moment, Taojiazhuang was completely silent.

Meanwhile, cheers erupted from Songjiazhuang.

Song Qingwei couldn't suppress her smile.

"You're too kind!"

Song Qingwei clasped her hands in a fist salute to Tao Jin, who had fallen off the stage, before returning to the cheering crowd.

"We lost..."

Tao Jin struggled to her feet.

She stared blankly in Song Qingwei's direction.

Her clothes were worn and tattered, and she had abrasions on her wrists and arms, but she seemed unaware of it.

"Tao Jin..."

Upon seeing this, Tao Qingyuan quickly came over and helped Tao Jin up.

Tao Jin turned her head slightly, glanced at him, and then looked at the crowd in Tao Family Village.

Everyone stared at her, their eyes filled with surprise, disappointment, and mockery.

These so-called complex glances were all read by Tao Jin herself.

"Get out of the way."

Tao Jin flung Tao Qingyuan's sleeve away.

He walked straight through the crowd and left the training ground.

After passing through the crowd, Tao Jin and Xu Ning brushed past each other.

Xu Ning wanted to say something, but considering that their relationship was just so-so, she didn't say anything in the end.

"Tao Jin..."

Tao Qingyuan watched Tao Jin's retreating figure, his eyes filled with worry.

Since they started learning martial arts, the two have been under the same spotlight and have grown up together.

Tao Qingyuan still cared about this partner.

"I just hope that she can calm down afterward, stop caring about other people's opinions, and understand that cultivation is her own business. If she can have this realization, then she will have gained something this time."

Tao Qingyuan sighed inwardly.

A high platform in the distance.

"It seems that some newcomers are still quite fragile in their mentality."

Wei Changqing observed Tao Jin's behavior.

Although his words were critical, his tone was relatively calm.

"This Tao Jin is the granddaughter of Tao Jingxing from Taojiazhuang."

Qu Dayou said, "I guess she was favored since childhood and had a smooth life. When she encounters difficulties, she has a hard time coping. Just now, her move was both reckless and timid. She clearly had the advantage, but she dragged it into a disadvantage and had no way to turn the tide."

"So she's Tao Jingxing's granddaughter... She's considered a core member of the Tao family in Tao Village..."

Wei Changqing murmured.

He seemed to have thought of something and sighed.

"Family...is both an honor and a burden."

For a moment, Wei Changqing's thoughts were complicated.

……

Another hour passed.

The assessments are all over.

In the end, Taojiazhuang managed to keep both Xu Ning and Tao Qingyuan from receiving yellow cards.

Overall, the license holders' rank has not changed much.

After re-registering their badge levels, everyone dispersed.

Those who have been promoted are all in high spirits at this moment.

Those who had their cards down, like Tao Jin, had already left the game, while the others who hadn't left looked dejected.

"Xu Ning, come here."

As everyone began to disperse, Qu Dayou called out to Xu Ning.

At this moment, everyone in the arena looked at Xu Ning with envy.

Commander Qu's attention to and high regard for Xu Ning was now completely undisguised.

"Greetings, Lord Wei and Lord Qu."

Xu Ning was summoned by Qu Dayou to stand in front of him and Wei Changqing.

"Xu Ning, how did you manage to advance two realms in just three months?"

Qu Dayou seemed to be in a good mood: "Have you been neglecting your duties and spending all your time practicing martial arts?"

Qu Dayou's words sounded like a reproach, but his tone was teasing.

"I do my job diligently, of course. I've just been lucky and have recently grasped some key points."

Xu Ning's answer was also appropriate.

"Xu Ning, it seems you have quite a bit of talent now."

This time, it was Wei Changqing who spoke. Although he was the most prominent figure in Kangyun County, he was not very sharp and was very approachable.

"I've met some outstanding young people in Cloud Eagle City. You're not necessarily much worse than them."

Wei Changqing continued, "I hope you can cherish your talent and maintain your current form. As long as you can stay focused, the spot to go to the Origin Sect will be yours."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ning's heart skipped a beat. Had Commander Wei Changqing made a promise to him...?

"Cloud Eagle City, Yuansheng Sect, that is the true holy land of martial arts in Flying Cloud Prefecture."

Wei Changqing stood up and patted Xu Ning on the shoulder: "By the way, now that you've advanced to the Qi Sensing Realm, it's time to officially appoint you as a Captain of Maple Willow Lane..."

"Commander Qu, it just so happens to be the end of the month, and Xu Ning will officially take office as a captain. Give him last month's bonus as well."

Wei Changqing said to Qu Dayou.

"Understood, sir."

Wei Changqing accepted the order.

"Monthly bonus?"

Xu Ning was puzzled, but didn't ask directly.

Clearly, this is a perk reserved exclusively for captains.

(End of this chapter)