Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

An internal injury might not heal for three to five years. A severe one could cripple you for life.

"The second is named Cao Rong. He’s the third young master of the Cao Family, one of the Four Great Clans of Qingyuan. He has already achieved Marrow Cleansing."

He didn’t say much more about Cao Rong. The two words "Marrow Cleansing" were enough to demonstrate his power.

"The third is Yun Feng, the fifth young master of the Yun Family, another of the Four Great Clans of Qingyuan. His older brother placed second in the last examination, and Yun Feng himself has also achieved Marrow Cleansing."

Two at Marrow Cleansing and one at Half-Step Marrow Cleansing. The competition for the top spot was indeed terrifying.

’If I go all out, using both my Vajra Skill and Mixed Element Strength, I wonder if I could even take on a Bone Marrow Cleansing Master,’ Xu Yang mused.

Of course, it was just a thought. He had no intention of fighting for first place.

Not only was their Cultivation higher than his, but they also came from powerful clans. They had definitely practiced techniques beyond what was taught at the Martial Arts Hall and couldn’t be underestimated.

"Kong Yu doesn’t even have a chance at the top spot?" Lu Ren asked, a little surprised.

Sun Tao shook his head. "In this examination, Kong Yu’s Root Bone is probably the best, but he’s been training for too short a time. The few contenders for first place have been practicing for at least three years."

"Besides those three, I’ve heard of another person who is also quite formidable."

Fang Xing suddenly spoke up. "His name is Qin Ze, a disciple of the Spiritual Monkey Boxing Hall. It’s said that he has also grasped the subtleties of Hidden Strength."

Once the topic was broached, all sorts of masters began to be mentioned.

Xu Yang realized he couldn’t underestimate the experts of the world. Besides himself, there were four others who had grasped the subtleties of Hidden Strength. Even the masters who hadn’t were from impressive backgrounds and possessed powerful Secret Martial Arts.

"My older brother is also very strong. He has already mastered the Gu Family’s Eighteen Forms of Scattering Hand to a profound level. Fellow disciples, if you run into him, you must not fight. Concede immediately. For my sake, he won’t make things difficult for you," Gu Fang said.

Her brother had a shot at the top three, but it was only a shot.

The Martial Arts Examination was seventy percent skill and thirty percent luck.

If he had to fight match after match, his stamina and True Qi wouldn’t hold up, and problems could easily arise.

Her words were both a warning and a hope that she could reduce the number of matches for Gu Haoming, allowing him to conserve his stamina and True Qi to make a run for the top three. This was the main purpose of her banquet tonight.

By building up Gu Haoming’s reputation, weaker opponents would concede immediately during the examination, making a top-three finish more likely.

"Of course."

"How could we dare to fight Young Master Gu?"

...

Xu Yang watched coldly from the side, saying nothing. Whether he would concede or not depended on when he encountered him.

If he met him in the very first match, he wouldn’t yield—not to Gu Fang’s brother, not even to Sun Tao.

"It’s not just about Young Master Gu Haoming. I think if any of you encounter Senior Sister Lin Wei, Senior Sister Gu Fang, Senior Brother Sun Tao, Senior Brother Jiang Ping, or Senior Brother Zhao Zhifei, you should also concede immediately. Don’t waste our seniors’ True Qi and stamina. Let them save their strength to aim for a higher rank.

But if you run into disciples from Gale Hall or other boxing halls, you should do your best to wear down their True Qi."

Lu Ren suddenly stood up and spoke, an air of self-righteousness about him.

Xu Yang sneered inwardly. ’So this is the real purpose of this so-called banquet. Not only do they want us to concede when we face them, but they also want us to help wear down their opponents’ stamina and True Qi.’

’What a brilliant scheme, calculated down to the last detail. The Martial Arts Examination is seventy percent skill and thirty percent luck... so this is where the thirty percent luck comes from.’

The once proud and arrogant Lu Ren had actually become a bootlicker.

The change had caught him completely off guard.

"And you, Senior Brother Lu Ren! You also have a chance at Dragon Ascension. We should concede to you as well," a disciple named Zhao Hui said.

"Then I thank you, Junior Brother Zhao Hui." Lu Ren immediately raised his cup to Zhao Hui in a toast.

"We are all disciples of the same hall. Naturally, we can’t fight amongst ourselves. We must present a united front against outsiders," Fang Xing added.

"That’s right. If we at Weiyuan Hall fight among ourselves, it will only benefit others. The weaker disciples should just concede when they face a stronger senior," Xiong Kui also chimed in.

Following that, everyone began to declare that they would concede if they encountered Jiang Ping and the others. Some also promised to do their best to wear down their opponents’ True Qi to create opportunities for their seniors.

The smiles on the faces of Jiang Ping, Zhao Zhifei, and the others grew increasingly amiable as they rose one by one to offer toasts of thanks.

"Xu Yang, are you unwilling? You want to contend with your seniors?" Zhao Hui asked, turning to Xu Yang, who had remained silent the entire time.

As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to Xu Yang.