On the stage.
Feng Jiuge quickly regained her composure after a brief moment of panic, her expression returning to normal.
"I lost," she said.
Then she grabbed her spear and prepared to jump off the stage.
"Wait!"
Jiang Ning quickly called out.
Hearing this, Feng Jiuge paused and turned to look at Jiang Ning.
"Miss Feng, I have something to ask you later. Will you have time?"
Feng Jiuge studied Jiang Ning for a moment, her gaze lingering on his face.
Then she said, "Daytime is fine, but not at night."
Jiang Ning: "..."
What kind of logic is that?
Jiang Ning couldn't help but make complaints in his mind.
Then he said, "How about this afternoon, Miss Feng? Would that work?"
"Sure," Feng Jiuge nodded. "Come find me at the Moonlit Residence this afternoon. I'll be there."
After saying this, she gripped her spear, leaped off the stage, and disappeared into the crowd in an instant.
"Brother Jiang, a man of taste!" Qin Xuan, who had just returned to the side of the stage, smiled slightly as he spoke to Jiang Ning.
Hearing this, Jiang Ning was somewhat surprised as he looked at Qin Xuan.
This was the first time Qin Xuan had spoken to him since arriving here.
He was also the first Martial Academy student to actively initiate a conversation with Jiang Ning, showing goodwill.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Ning understood.
It was his recent performance that had earned Qin Xuan's recognition, prompting him to reach out and express goodwill.
Understanding the reason, Jiang Ning smiled. "Don't misunderstand. That was purely accidental."
"I get it," Qin Xuan chuckled. "In this regard, I have some experience. Women dislike men who are too direct. So, to win a girl's heart, you need these kinds of accidental coincidences."
"Quite the expert!" Jiang Ning praised.
Qin Xuan smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. "I'm Qin Xuan."
"I'm Jiang Ning," Jiang Ning responded in kind.
The two exchanged smiles.
Qin Xuan wanted to befriend Jiang Ning, and Jiang Ning had no reason to refuse.
After all, having more friends is always better than having more enemies.
The more friends you have, the easier it is to get things done.
Especially someone like Qin Xuan, who had both status and influence.
At this moment.
While the two were talking, the remaining two competitors on the stage had already begun their fight.
This battle was a contest of fists and feet.
One excelled in fists, the other in kicks, embodying the raw, physical romance of martial arts.
As they fought, the sound of fists meeting flesh echoed continuously.
"Brother Jiang, who do you think will win?" Qin Xuan asked.
"I'm not sure," Jiang Ning shook his head.
Qin Xuan then asked, "What do you think of Feng Jiuge?"
"She's quite impressive. Her spear technique is the best I've seen so far. It's like fire, full of aggression and offensive power!" Jiang Ning thought for a moment before answering.
Qin Xuan: "..."
He couldn't help but look slightly exasperated.
Then he said, "I meant, don't you think Feng Jiuge is quite attractive?"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning recalled Feng Jiuge's appearance.
Her phoenix-like eyes, pearly teeth, and eyebrows like painted strokes, with a high ponytail exuded a unique charm.
Jiang Ning nodded. "Indeed, she's quite striking. Her phoenix eyes and pearly teeth, along with her heroic demeanor, make her stand out."
Hearing Jiang Ning's words, Qin Xuan understood.
If Jiang Ning hadn't been somewhat interested, why would he remember Feng Jiuge so vividly?
"It seems Brother Jiang has taken a liking to Feng Jiuge! No wonder you said you had something to discuss with her," Qin Xuan said with a slight smile.
"I do have something to discuss with Feng Jiuge," Jiang Ning continued. "But as for romance, I'm still young, and my martial arts journey is far from complete. I don't have such thoughts for now."
"Admirable," Qin Xuan said.
As the two talked, their eyes remained fixed on the stage, observing the fist-and-kick battle between the two competitors.
After all, one of them would soon be their opponent.
At this stage, with three people vying for the last deputy commander position, no one wanted to fall short after coming this far.
After a while.
The winner was decided.
The man with a wasp-like waist and ape-like arms emerged victorious.
From Qin Xuan's explanations during the fight, Jiang Ning learned that the winner was named Yuan Fei, who specialized in the White Ape Backfist Technique.
The White Ape Backfist Technique was a mid-tier martial art.
When mastered, a single punch could produce thirteen distinct sounds, signifying perfection.
Such a punch could easily shatter boulders.
Additionally, this technique had the effect of tempering the body's tendons.
From Jiang Ning's observations, Yuan Fei's strongest punch produced two distinct sounds.
This indicated that Yuan Fei had at least begun to master the White Ape Backfist Technique.
This also suggested that Yuan Fei, who appeared to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven, might be just one step away from reaching the seventh rank in martial arts.
And this was the key to his victory.
When the gap between competitors was small, and both had mastered mid-tier martial arts, the advantage in the martial arts realm often became the deciding factor.f
On the stage.
With Yuan Fei's victory, only Jiang Ning, Qin Xuan, and Yuan Fei remained on the vast stage.
"There are three of you. How do you want to decide the order?" the man overseeing the competition asked.
"We'll follow your arrangement, sir!" Yuan Fei clasped his hands and spoke first.
Jiang Ning also said, "We'll follow your arrangement, sir!"
Qin Xuan echoed the sentiment.
"Good!" The man nodded. "Since all three of you agree, I'll make the arrangements."
"As you command, sir!" Yuan Fei said.
The man looked at the three and thought for a moment before saying, "Here's what we'll do. The youngest among you will wait on the side, while the two older ones will fight first."
"I'm twenty-four," Qin Xuan glanced at the other two and spoke first.
Yuan Fei's face darkened. "Twenty-seven."
"Eighteen," Jiang Ning said without hesitation.
Hearing this, the three looked at Jiang Ning in surprise.
Although Jiang Ning's age wasn't a secret, and many people knew how old he was, the three of them hadn't been aware.
Before today, Jiang Ning hadn't even been on their radar.
They hadn't bothered to investigate his background.
And just by looking at him, they could only guess his approximate age, not the exact number.
So, until now, they hadn't realized Jiang Ning was only eighteen.
"Brother Jiang is that young?" Qin Xuan looked surprised.
Yuan Fei's gaze also sharpened as he looked at Jiang Ning.
Knowing Jiang Ning's age, he was deeply shocked.
He knew all too well how difficult it had been for him to reach his current level.
For them, reaching the ninth rank in martial arts wasn't hard. From the start of their training, it could take as little as a year or two.
Reaching the point where their skin was as tough as bronze, impervious to blades, wasn't too difficult either.
With his talent, it had taken him two years.
But by then, he was already eighteen.
Advancing from the ninth rank to the eighth rank wasn't hard either. Tempering the muscles and increasing strength by five hundred pounds was enough to be considered eighth rank. With external aids, it could be achieved in just a few days.
But relying on external aids wasn't particularly meaningful.
It only allowed for a quicker increase in strength.
The hardest part of the eighth rank was tempering every muscle in the body.
This meticulous process couldn't be aided by external means.
It required an extremely high level of control over internal force and a deep understanding of the body.
This step required a slow, grinding effort.
Back then, it had taken him three months to advance from the peak of the ninth rank to the eighth rank.
But to truly reach the point where every muscle in his body was perfectly tempered, it had taken him a full five years.
A point where no further progress could be made.
As far as he knew, aside from relying on this slow, grinding effort, there were few shortcuts.
Unless one had extraordinary natural talent. The higher the talent, the more efficient the muscle tempering process, allowing one to save time.
Another way was to have exceptional mental strength, reaching a level where one could visualize the entire body.
With strong mental strength, control over the body would be higher, especially if one could visualize every untempered muscle.
This would allow for the precise application of internal force to temper those muscles, greatly increasing efficiency.
Yuan Fei knew he was neither of these.
He was well aware of his natural talent.
At best, it could be considered above average.
Above-average talent might make one a prodigy in a small place.
But in the Martial Academy, it was nothing special.
The reason he had reached this level wasn't due to exceptional talent but rather his family's resources.
And his decent comprehension.
Mastering a mid-tier martial art was proof of his comprehension.
Because of his past experiences, Yuan Fei understood just how astonishing Jiang Ning's talent was to have reached such a level at the age of eighteen.
A once-in-a-century talent!
These words flashed through Yuan Fei's mind.
When he thought of "once-in-a-century," he wasn't referring to Luoshui County but to the Martial Academy of Dongling Prefecture.
As far as he knew, in the past few decades, no one in the Martial Academy had reached the peak of the eighth rank at the age of eighteen.
Only over a hundred years ago had there been a prodigy in the Dongling Prefecture Martial Academy who reached the seventh rank at eighteen.
That person later became a grandmaster, renowned for a time.
Thinking of all this, Yuan Fei's gaze toward Jiang Ning grew even more solemn.
At this moment.
The man overseeing the competition nodded slightly at Jiang Ning. "Eighteen? Impressive! Very impressive!"
Then he said, "Do any of you have objections to my decision?"
Qin Xuan shook his head. "I have no objections."
Then Qin Xuan added, "Youth often means less combat experience, but it also represents greater potential and talent. Naturally, there should be some preferential treatment."
After saying this.
Qin Xuan stepped forward, walking to the center of the stage.
He held his sword, its tip pointing slightly downward. "Brother Yuan Fei, do you choose hand-to-hand combat or weapons?"
Qin Xuan appeared calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.
Yuan Fei's gaze shifted to the tip of Qin Xuan's sword.
"I've heard your swordsmanship is exceptional, but you're not as skilled in hand-to-hand combat. I, Yuan Fei, won't take advantage of you. Let's compete with weapons!" Yuan Fei said with a steady tone.
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Qin Xuan's lips.
At this moment, Yuan Fei turned to the man overseeing the competition. "Sir, could I trouble you for an iron staff?"
"Here!" The man immediately grabbed an iron staff from the weapon rack and tossed it to Yuan Fei.
Yuan Fei leaped up, catching the staff with one hand.
Boom
As he landed.
Dust flew, and the sound of his feet hitting the ground echoed.
Whoosh
Yuan Fei swung the iron staff effortlessly, creating a flurry of staff shadows. The wind from the staff's movements scattered the dust on the stage.
Seeing this, Qin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
He realized he might have underestimated Yuan Fei.
Yuan Fei's arms were long, naturally hanging down to his knees a sign of innate talent for fist techniques.
But as Yuan Fei gripped the iron staff, Qin Xuan noticed a change in his demeanor. Yuan Fei seemed more confident, more assured.
"Qin Xuan, are you ready?" Yuan Fei grinned, revealing his white teeth.
"Let's go," Qin Xuan replied calmly.
In the next moment.
Boom
Yuan Fei's right leg kicked off the ground, the powerful force propelling him like an arrow toward Qin Xuan.
In an instant.
Whoosh
The staff came down with a whistling sound.
Clang
Qin Xuan used a technique to deflect the staff with minimal force, but the moment their weapons clashed, his expression changed slightly.
In the next moment.
Yuan Fei's staff, having been deflected, rebounded and swung down even faster.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning saw Qin Xuan in a situation similar to his own earlier, forced to retreat repeatedly, clearly at a disadvantage.
As time passed.
Yuan Fei's attacks grew more and more ferocious, leaving Qin Xuan no room to catch his breath.
One strike after another, the staff's shadows formed dozens of afterimages, completely enveloping Qin Xuan.
Amid the clashing of metal and the sparks flying, Qin Xuan was forced to retreat further and further.
During this, Jiang Ning could see through the flurry of staff shadows that Qin Xuan's face was flushed, clearly struggling to catch his breath.
Moreover, beads of sweat were forming on Qin Xuan's forehead.
"It seems Yuan Fei is going to win," Jiang Ning thought to himself.
After just a short while.
Qin Xuan found himself in the same position Jiang Ning had been in earlier.
Half a zhang (about 1.5 meters) behind him was the edge of the stage.
All around him were the relentless shadows of Yuan Fei's staff.
At this moment.
Yuan Fei thrust his staff forward, and Qin Xuan lightly tapped the tip of his sword against it, using the staff's momentum to float backward like a weightless leaf, landing off the stage.
"Brother Yuan, you're truly impressive. I admire your skill," Qin Xuan said, clasping his hands in respect even as he stood off the stage.
Even in defeat, his demeanor remained composed, the picture of a graceful nobleman.
As he spoke, Qin Xuan quietly exhaled.
On the stage, he hadn't been able to catch his breath. If he had faltered even slightly, Yuan Fei's staff would have broken through his defenses.
Being pushed to this point by Yuan Fei was something he had never expected.
Faced with the prospect of humiliation, he had chosen to preserve his dignity.
Being knocked off the stage by Yuan Fei's staff was something he could never accept!
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