Chapter 89

"I..."

Huang Ping’s face had swollen into a pig’s head, and his mind was blank.

Who could have imagined that among those few mud-legged peasants, three Dragon-Ascension geniuses would emerge? How did they do it without money?

"Ascending the dragon, my Qiu family is about to rise."

On the other side, Qiu Wenjie’s family was incredibly excited.

Everyone knew that Xu Yang was supported by the Qiu family. Now that Xu Yang had ascended the dragon, there wouldn't be many people in Qingyuan who dared to provoke the Qiu family in the future—at the very least, they wouldn't provoke the Qiu family over small matters. As a result, business would be easier to do and would naturally grow larger and larger.

The battle for the top three continued. After Xu Yang took the stage, he found that his opponent wasn't from the Fierce Wind Hall and directly conceded.

He had already obtained a Dragon-Ascension spot, so there was no need to risk his life.

"Stupid brat!"

On the high platform, Lin Cheng cursed in his heart when he saw Xu Yang directly concede.

He thought Xu Yang had changed his nature, but he hadn't expected him to be as cowardly as ever.

Having grasped the Wind-Thunder Power, he also had hope of competing for the top three.

He thought Xu Yang had been hiding the Wind-Thunder Power to prepare for competing for the top three, but he hadn't expected Xu Yang to have no intention of competing for the top three at all, actually conceding directly.

Sun Tao also saw that his opponent wasn't from the Fierce Wind Hall and conceded on the spot, walking off the ring.

Zhang Yong had originally promised to help Gu Haoming fight, but his injuries were very serious, so he also conceded as soon as he got on stage.

Added to Lin Wei, who had also successfully ascended the dragon, the four gathered together after conceding to watch the fierce fighting between the experts of the various factions competing for the top three.

"Senior Brother, why are they so obsessed with competing for the top three?" Xu Yang asked curiously.

As far as he knew, there wasn't much difference in the ranking order among the sixty people who obtained Dragon-Ascension spots.

It wasn't just them; those who didn't stand with any faction also conceded after taking the stage in this match, not risking a fight with others.

"It is said that the treatment for the top three joining the sect is different from others, with a higher starting point." Sun Tao said.

Xu Yang suddenly realized; no wonder these noble families spent so much money to help their descendants compete for the top three—it turned out there were benefits, not just for empty fame.

"How is the treatment different?" Zhang Yong asked.

Sun Tao shook his head: "It seems the resources are different, but I don't know the specifics. Things about the sect are rarely disclosed to the outside world. These noble families in Qingyuan have long had people join the sect, so they know more about the sect’s affairs."

Quite mysterious!

Xu Yang thought to himself.

"Lu Ren is about to lose!" Lin Wei suddenly said.

At this moment on the ring, Lu Ren was dueling with an expert said to be from Han Xing’s faction.

His body was already covered in wounds, his hair disheveled, but as a hired thug for the Gu family and a follower cultivated for Gu Haoming, he had no choice.

As Lin Wei’s words fell, a crack was heard; Lu Ren was blasted by his opponent’s fist, his chest bone shattered, and he fell from the ring, spitting blood in mid-air.

Sun Tao, this qualified senior brother, leaped high and caught Lu Ren in mid-air, avoiding him falling to the ground and suffering further injury.

After landing, he slapped several acupoints on Lu Ren’s body, helping him stop the bleeding and stabilize his injuries.

Lu Ren’s teeth were clenched, his face as white as paper, looking very miserable.

His injuries were very heavy; if his opponent’s power had been any greater, he might have lost his life directly.

Seeing Xu Yang standing leisurely to the side, unbound by anything and not having to risk his life for anyone, the shame of losing to Xu Yang made him feel even worse.

He had fought for his life, paid so much, borne infamy, and handed his life over to others, only to lose to Xu Yang in the end.

Not only did he lose, but he wasn't as leisurely and carefree as Xu Yang; heaven was truly so unfair.

"Why?"

Lu Ren roared in his heart. In his anger, he spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, minor officials soon came forward to carry him away for treatment.

"If I were used by those noble families, although I might not have to worry about resources, I would have to risk my life for others just like him."

Watching Lu Ren being carried away, Xu Yang shook his head secretly.

His life would only be his own; he wouldn't sell it to anyone else.

By evening, the martial arts examination had finally ended, and the top three candidates had been determined.

First place: Cao Rong!

He and Yun Feng finally met at the end, and the two fought a fierce battle; in the end, Cao Rong was slightly more skilled and took the top spot, with Yun Feng placing second.

As for third place, it wasn't the most popular Han Xing, nor Gu Haoming, who had sacrificed his sister, but Qin Ze.

It was ironic; Gu Haoming had sacrificed his sister Gu Fang’s Dragon-Ascension chance to strike Qin Ze with a palm, but in the end, he hadn't met Qin Ze, having met Han Xing early on.

The two fought until both were heavily injured; in the end, when he met Qin Ze, he was easily defeated, allowing Qin Ze to take third place.

Xu Yang saw Gu Haoming’s steel teeth almost shattered, but there was nothing he could do; he ultimately lacked a bit of luck, and all his calculations ended in nothing.

Han Xing was much more indifferent than him, standing there with a calm expression.

All candidates walked out of the training grounds, most with injuries, all in a hurry to disperse.

Xu Qing hadn't come today.

Because the fighting was cruel, he was worried about scaring Xu Qing, so he hadn't let her come to watch.

Returning to White Stone Workshop, the surrounding villagers greeted him warmly.

Because of the publicity from Xu Lan and Xu Qing, everyone knew he was already an internally designated Martial Licentiate.

"Brother, how did it go?"

Pushing open the door, Xu Qing ran over excitedly and grabbed his arm to ask.

Xu Yang wore a smile: "I ascended the dragon!"

My brother ascended the dragon...

The gold content of ascending the dragon was something a Martial Licentiate couldn't compare to.

No matter how young she was, she knew that the top families in Qingyuan had developed because they had clansmen who ascended the dragon.

"Ah..."

The little girl let out a shrill scream, her face flushed with excitement.

Xu Yang laughed, not stopping her.

Ascending the dragon in the martial arts examination—the little girl was truly happy for him.

But not long after, the little girl’s voice stopped abruptly, and her face fell: "You ascended the dragon, does that mean you’re going to leave me?"

She ultimately reacted; if Xu Yang ascended the dragon, he would leave Qingyuan.

The excitement in her heart faded away, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

The two had relied on each other since childhood and grown up together; thinking of separating from Xu Yang, she couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow.

"Don't be sad. When brother is settled over there, I will definitely come to pick you up."

Xu Yang subconsciously wanted to rub her head, but seeing her height, which was now level with his own, he couldn't help but withdraw his hand awkwardly.

"Good! You must keep your word, otherwise I won't talk to you anymore." The little girl then broke into tears and smiled.

Xu Yang nodded: "Hmm, hurry and get me some food, I’m starving."

"Right away!"

The little girl hurriedly left.

"Before I leave, I must get the little girl settled."

Xu Yang sat down and began to ponder things after he left; he could ignore other things, but he wouldn't be at ease if Xu Qing wasn't settled.

"In two days, I’ll ask Master about the sect and then make plans."

Xu Qing soon brought hot food to the table, and the siblings began to eat.

"Was it very dangerous today?" Xu Qing suddenly asked.

Xu Yang was stunned and shook his head: "Not dangerous."

Xu Qing shook her head: "You’re lying. If it weren't dangerous, you wouldn't have forbidden me from going to watch. Yang Jun was carried back this morning; I heard his waist was broken and he’s paralyzed."

Xu Yang was stunned; no wonder he hadn't seen Yang Jun—he had actually been crippled.

He didn't know who had been so ruthless; usually, if there was no grudge, one wouldn't use such ruthless force.

Of course, he had also seen several people use ruthless force to establish their prestige and reduce the number of battles, so it didn't necessarily have to be a grudge.

Perhaps Yang Jun’s strength was weak, and he had been used as a target to establish prestige.

He put down his chopsticks and said seriously: "Then do you still dare to practice martial arts? This was just an examination battle, so he could still live. If it were a real enemy, he wouldn't have had a chance to survive.

Practicing martial arts means facing sword light and sword shadows, fighting; either you kill others, or others kill you.

If Yang Jun hadn't practiced martial arts, he might have lived a stable life, but look at him—he practiced for over a year, and now this is the result."