Chapter 134

Xu Yang also went to say "Congratulations." Although they were no longer in the same circle, the friendship from the past remained, and saying "Congratulations" wouldn't make him lose a piece of flesh.

Come to think of it, after Qian Jiaxing, the people he had the best relationship with were Qiu Wenjie and Zhang Hong; he wouldn't be so stingy as to not even say "Congratulations."

Zhang Hong was surrounded by people, and Xu Yang returned to his original position to continue standing in his stance.

"Brother Xu!"

After standing in his stance for a while, he saw Zhang Hong, who had rarely sought him out, come over.

Xu Yang ended his stance training and said: "Does Brother Zhang have something to say?"

He was very calm, while Zhang Hong's expression was somewhat unnatural: "Jiang Ping, Zhao Zhifei, and Senior Sister Gu Fang are organizing a banquet tonight, and they asked me to invite you."

Xu Yang's brows furrowed slightly. Jiang Ping, Zhao Zhifei, and these people had always looked down on him, and he didn't want to have any interaction with them.

Just as he was about to refuse, Zhang Hong seemed to see through his thoughts and added: "This is a gathering between the disciples of the Weiyuan Hall who are participating in the Wu Ke Examination. Senior Brother Sun Tao is also one of the organizers, not just Jiang Ping and the others.

Senior Brother Sun Tao said you must go. At the banquet, he will announce some information about experts from other martial arts halls and will also talk about some rules and techniques for the examination."

Xu Yang nodded: "I will be there on time."

He could give no face to others, but he had to give it to Sun Tao. Although Sun Tao and he didn't have much of a friendship, Sun Tao acted fairly. Even when he and Lu Ren had a dispute, Sun Tao had never been biased.

Just for this point alone, Sun Tao was worth him truly calling "Senior Brother."

To elaborate further, Sun Tao also had the grace of teaching him arts.

Leaving behind the time and location, Zhang Hong turned and left, shaking his head inwardly.

To this day, many people had realized that Xu Yang's talent was not inferior to Lu Ren's, but Xu Yang had no heart of a strong person and was also somewhat self-righteous.

For resources, Lu Ren could agree to a marriage alliance with a woman from the Huang family, and to obtain stronger martial arts and more resources, he could bear the infamy of being treacherous and switch to the Gu family.

Zhang Yong also married into a small family for resources.

He himself risked his life for resources.

Only Xu Yang was unwilling to marry into a family, nor did he dare to risk his life for resources; his behavior was incredibly ridiculous, which was also the reason why many people looked down on him.

Fulin Tower!

All the disciples of the Weiyuan Hall participating in the Wu Ke Examination gathered in one hall, a total of fifteen people—strictly speaking, only fourteen.

There was still one disciple who had registered but hadn't reached Qi Gathering Major Success and hadn't come today.

The reason it was still fifteen people was because Lin Wei had come.

As Lin Cheng's daughter, although she learned martial arts at the Sunu Hall, she was also considered a Weiyuan Hall disciple.

Today she wore a floral dress, carrying a bit of coquettishness within her heroic spirit, becoming the person who attracted the most attention in the entire venue, and many people often stole glances at her.

Once the dishes were served, Gu Fang stood up first: "I toast all the senior and junior brothers, thanking everyone for giving me face."

She was paying for tonight's expenses, so she was considered the host, and the banquet was also initiated by her.

Xu Yang only learned about this after he arrived and listened to the idle chatter of the people present.

Gu Fang's eldest brother, the Gu family's eldest young master Gu Haoming, had hopes of winning the top three, which was why the Gu family was sparing no financial resources to pull strings and find allies everywhere.

"A toast to Senior Sister Gu!"

"Senior Sister Gu is too polite!"

Everyone also politely raised their glasses in response.

"Senior Brother Sun, do you know who has the most hope of winning the top spot this year?"

After three rounds of drinks, everyone had eaten enough, and someone couldn't help but ask.

Qingyuan County was not large, but it wasn't small either. Without channels, one truly wouldn't know which experts were out there.

Upon hearing this, Sun Tao put down his chopsticks and said: "There are three people most likely to win the championship this year. The first is Han Xing of the Tongbi Fist Hall. It is said that this person can already cleanse his marrow, but because the Wu Ke Examination is imminent, he has no time to stabilize his cultivation base, so he is forcibly suppressing it without breaking through. Moreover, it is rumored that he has already grasped the Heaven-Piercing Strength of the Tongbi Fist."

"If you encounter this person, it is best to admit defeat immediately."

Heaven-Piercing Strength was actually Wind-Thunder Strength; it was just that the martial arts were different, so the names were different.

Hearing about such an expert, everyone subconsciously nodded. Heaven-Piercing Strength was a lethal move aimed at Qi Gathering Major Success experts, specifically attacking the internal organs. If one encountered it, it was indeed best to admit defeat quickly.

Once the internal organs were injured, it might not heal in three or five years, and in serious cases, one might be crippled on the spot.

"The second is named Cao Rong, the third young master of the Cao family, one of the four great families of Qingyuan. He has already cleansed his marrow."

He didn't say much about Cao Rong; the two words "cleansed marrow" were enough to explain Cao Rong's strength.

"The third person is named Yun Feng, the fifth young master of the Yun family, one of the four great families of Qingyuan. His eldest brother was the runner-up in the previous examination. This person has also already cleansed his marrow."

Two who had cleansed their marrow, one half-step to cleansing marrow—the battle for the top spot was indeed terrifying.

"If I were to go all out, with the Diamond Body Technique and Hunyuan Strength both unleashed, I wonder if I would be an opponent for a marrow-cleansing expert," Xu Yang pondered.

Of course, it was just a thought; he didn't want to compete for first place.

These people not only had higher cultivation bases than him, but they also came from noble families and definitely practiced things outside of the martial arts hall; they could not be underestimated.

"Kong Yu actually has no hope of winning the championship?" Lu Ren was somewhat surprised.

Sun Tao shook his head: "In this examination, Kong Yu's innate talent should be ranked first, but his time practicing martial arts is too short. The few who have hopes for the top spot have practiced martial arts for at least three years."

"Besides these three, I have also heard of one person who is also not simple."

Fang Xing suddenly spoke up: "This person is named Qin Ze, a disciple of the Spirit Monkey Fist Hall. It is said that he has also grasped the profound mystery of hidden strength."

Once the floodgates were opened, all kinds of experts emerged.

Xu Yang discovered that one could not underestimate the heroes of the world. Besides him, there were four others who had grasped the profound mystery of hidden strength, and the other experts, even if they hadn't grasped it, each had their own background and possessed powerful secret martial arts.

"My eldest brother is also not weak. He has already practiced the Gu family's eighteen scattered hands to a profound realm. If any senior or junior brothers encounter him, you must not fight; admit defeat immediately. For my sake, he will not make things difficult for you," Gu Fang said.

Her eldest brother had hopes for the top three, but it was only hopes.

The Wu Ke Examination was seventy percent strength and thirty percent luck.

If one needed to fight match after match, and their physical strength and true qi couldn't keep up, it was very easy for problems to arise.

Her words were both a reminder and a hope to reduce some of the fights for Gu Haoming, allowing him to conserve physical strength and true qi to charge for the top three. This was also the main purpose of her holding this banquet tonight.

By blowing up Gu Haoming's reputation, those with insufficient strength would directly admit defeat during the examination, and the top three would be within reach.

"That is naturally so."

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

Xu Yang watched coldly from the sidelines, not expressing his stance. Whether to admit defeat depended on when they encountered each other.

If they encountered each other in the first round of combat, let alone just Gu Fang's eldest brother, even if it were Sun Tao, he wouldn't yield.

"Not just Young Master Gu Haoming, I think if everyone encounters Senior Sister Lin Wei, Senior Sister Gu Fang, Senior Brother Sun Tao, Senior Brother Jiang Ping, and Senior Brother Zhao Zhifei, you should also directly admit defeat. Don't waste the true qi and physical strength of the senior brothers and sisters; let them have more energy to charge for higher rankings."

"If you encounter the Gale Hall or disciples from other fist halls, then try your best to consume their true qi."

Lu Ren suddenly stood up with a look of righteousness and spoke.

Xu Yang sneered inwardly. Today, this so-called banquet—I fear this was the true purpose. Not only did they want them to admit defeat if they encountered them, but they also wanted them to help consume the physical strength and true qi of their opponents.

This plan was truly calculated with a loud clatter. The Wu Ke Examination was seventy percent strength and thirty percent luck—so it turned out the thirty percent luck was here.

The once unruly and conceited Lu Ren had actually become a sycophant.

This change caught him off guard.

"And you, Senior Brother Lu Ren, you also have hopes of ascending the dragon. If we encounter you, we should also directly admit defeat," a disciple named Zhao Hui said.

"Then many thanks, Junior Brother Zhao Hui." Lu Ren immediately toasted Zhao Hui with a glass of wine.

"We are all disciples from the same sect; naturally, we cannot fight among ourselves. We must be united against outsiders," Fang Xing added.

"That is how it should be. Internal fighting in the Weiyuan Hall will only benefit others. If those with weak strength encounter senior brothers with strong strength, just directly admit defeat," Xiong Kui also spoke up.

Next, everyone expressed their stance one after another that if they encountered Jiang Ping and the others, they would admit defeat, and some also indicated they would do their best to consume the opponents' true qi to win opportunities for the senior brothers.

The smiles on the faces of Jiang Ping, Zhao Zhifei, and the others became increasingly amiable, and they stood up one after another to toast and express their gratitude.

"Xu Yang, you are unwilling? Do you want to compete with the senior brothers?" Zhao Hui looked at Xu Yang, who had not spoken the whole time.

Once these words were out, everyone looked at Xu Yang. ===== CHAPTER 135 =====