Chapter 78: An Unexpected Conclusion

On the stage, the duel between Cheng Ren and Duan Wuren was truly spectacular. Even Qian Qian and Peng Fei, usually so unruly, held their breath for a moment.

Boom—

The sound of explosive force echoed ceaselessly, as everyone witnessed a fierce wave of air forming around Duan Wuren’s fist. The tremors sent it hurtling toward Cheng Ren, who stood not far away. Seeing this, Cheng Ren’s expression grew somber. By now, each understood the other’s strength. Neither dared to underestimate their opponent.

Faced with the air wave’s impact, Cheng Ren remained unfazed, spinning aside to dodge it. Yet the real danger lay in Duan Wuren’s fist, barreling straight toward him—the true killing move.

“Heh—”

With a shout, Cheng Ren unleashed the astonishing power of his nearly 500S cell force. Boom! He didn’t choose to evade, but instead slammed his own fist forward, meeting Duan Wuren’s attack head-on.

A violent roar erupted between their fists, accompanied by rapid sonic booms. To think—these were only second-rank martial artists! The collision of their punches produced an intense air explosion. One could only imagine the terrifying destructive power of someone as seemingly ordinary as Zhao Jinghong, seated among the leaders.

“Remarkable strength!” Even Zhang Ze, reluctant to admit it, couldn’t help but mutter after witnessing the prowess displayed on stage. But he quickly returned to his usual self, mumbling, “I’ll have to teach Cheng Ren a lesson later—otherwise, how will I reclaim my spotlight?”

No one heard Zhang Ze’s banter. At this moment, the duel between Cheng Ren and Duan Wuren captivated all present. Truthfully, their battle hadn’t lasted very long. Only five minutes had passed before the two tacitly widened the distance between them.

By now, Duan Wuren’s advantage was no longer clear. Though his skills were refined and varied, Cheng Ren was no less formidable. After dozens of exchanges, both were gasping for breath. Their current posture foretold that the duel could end at any moment.

“You’re strong—” Duan Wuren suddenly relaxed, forcing a stiff smile toward Cheng Ren. Seeing this, Cheng Ren seemed thoughtful and ceased to remain on guard. Both stopped fighting in silent agreement. There was no need to continue.

Whether Duan Wuren could defeat Cheng Ren, it wouldn’t change the outcome: Jiuhua Sect was eliminated. The strength they had shown was already impressive enough. Among all the instructors and students present, few could recall Zhang Ze’s presence just moments before.

As Duan Wuren descended from the stage, Cheng Ren’s expression grew complicated. Notably, Duan Wuren glanced toward Zhang Ze’s direction as he left, as if to say, “Are you really my rival?”

“Brother Ze—”

“This guy seems to be looking down on you—” Noticing Duan Wuren’s provocative look, Qian Qian, fearing Zhang Ze might miss it, kindly explained it to him.

Zhang Ze, however, was unimpressed. He lifted his foot and kicked Qian Qian’s rear, laughing and cursing, “Are you telling me because I can’t see it, you idiot?” Yet, he quickly added, “Still, Duan Wuren is indeed strong.”

Zhao Jinghong stepped onto the stage. In fact, before he could speak, Duan Hong and the other two from Jiuhua Sect, led by Duan Qingkuang, were already heading straight for the training hall’s doors.

“Well done.” Zhao Jinghong smiled as he approached Cheng Ren. Cheng Ren responded with a smile but said nothing, returning directly to Changxing Martial Hall’s resting area.

On stage, Zhao Jinghong surveyed the surrounding instructors and students. He spoke in a deep voice, “I know the sudden appearance of Huizhou Logistics and Jiuhua Sect left many of you puzzled. After all, there’s no precedent for this in past martial arts exchange conferences.”

As Zhao Jinghong spoke, the crowd fell silent. No one dared interrupt.

“But I believe some of you understand what training as a martial artist is truly for.” “The challenges you students will face are far harsher than unexpected situations like this.” “You may even lose your lives at any moment.” His tone was heavy.

He didn’t elaborate further, only touched briefly on these points, then outlined the next arrangements, which caught Zhang Ze by surprise.

Essentially, of the eight who advanced from the first round of group competition, most would receive early admission to Anqing Martial Bureau. Of course, this “most” did not include the one who stumbled through by chance.

Specifically, those confirmed by Zhao Jinghong for early admission were:

Yongsheng Martial Hall: Zhang Ze
Liuqing Martial Hall: Fang Ying
Changxing Martial Hall: Cheng Ren
Yangyue Martial Hall: Leng Bingbing
Bangqing Martial Hall: Qi Lijun
Yuehu Martial Arts Club: Qian Xiaoming
Mengyang County Martial Hall: Jia Zhengyi

A total of seven people were confirmed for early admission to Anqing Martial Bureau. No one had anticipated this!

Frankly, upon hearing Qi Lijun’s words earlier, Zhang Ze had planned to ally with Fang Ying, Cheng Ren, and others to expose the “cheating” of the Duan brothers during the second round, so he could take the spotlight and send the three dunces from Jiuhua Sect packing. Afterwards, whoever was chosen by Zhao Jinghong would compete, and the strongest would prevail.

But hearing Zhao Jinghong’s decision, he realized that including himself, seven people would receive early admission! Soon enough, he would learn that seven was not the final count.

After a brief pause to let everyone absorb the surprise, Zhao Jinghong spoke again. “Additionally, I’ve decided to recruit Hu Yunzhang and Hu Yide from Huizhou Logistics into the Martial Bureau for training.” “Even among those who didn’t advance from the first round, two will be selected through tomorrow’s stage defense competition to enter the Martial Bureau!”

“Excellent!” As soon as Zhao Jinghong finished, cheers erupted from the students in the training hall. Eleven spots for Anqing Martial Bureau had been confirmed—a record!

Moreover, those who were eliminated in the first round now sensed another chance. How could they not be excited?

Of course, the happiness belonged to everyone else. Qian Qian alone was tormented! He kept crying in his heart, “Why?” “Why, out of eight who advanced, am I the only one not chosen?” “Is it because I’m too handsome?” “Is being handsome a crime?”

While Qian Qian suffered alone, Zhang Ze had no time to pay him any mind.

In a secluded corner, Zhang Ze hastily pulled out his still-vibrating phone.

“Hello—”

“Tiger, is that you?”

“……”

There was no reply from the other end, prompting Zhang Ze to check his screen several times before confirming that it was Cai Hu who called.

“Say something! What’s going on?” Suddenly, anxiety crept over Zhang Ze.