Chapter 53

"Brother Li, good skills."

Just as Li Rui walked off the stage, Wu Tu came up to meet him.

He grinned and laughed repeatedly.

"I'm old and useless now."

Li Rui chuckled and stood back into the crowd as if nothing had happened.

Wu Tu's expression became strange.

With that performance just now, you can call yourself old?!

Don't look at how easily he won; anyone with a discerning eye could see that Sha Jinliang actually wasn't weak, but Li Rui was stronger.

The assessment continued.

The fighting between hall masters and deacons was far more intense than that of ordinary disciples; swords and sabers crossed on the ring, and every move and style was exquisitely incomparable, making people's blood boil.

The disciples below the stage were like they had been injected with chicken blood, howling incessantly.

The more they fought, the uglier Wu Tu's expression became.

Because among the four leaders who joined the Tiandi Alliance from the Anba Sect, he was the only one left who hadn't gone on stage; the others had all lost, and even wanting to be a deacon who guards the venue had become an extravagant hope.

Wu Tu didn't think he was much stronger than the other three.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been fighting openly and secretly in the Qinghe side-doors for so many years.

The strength was only a hair's breadth apart.

Besides deacons, many hall masters were also challenged, with both wins and losses.

This time, the Qinghe branch could be said to have had a major blood transfusion.

More than half of the hall masters and deacons had been replaced.

Tang Sheng stroked his handlebar mustache and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad."

He had long anticipated this scene.

Alliance Leader Ning's strength had greatly increased, so naturally, it would attract experts to come and join; if the personnel remained unchanged, that would be what's abnormal.

The more intense the competition, the more motivation there is to practice martial arts and become stronger.

Only then would the Tiandi Alliance develop better.

He was naturally happy to see it happen.

If the rankings in the great competition hardly changed, it would mean that this branch was a pool of stagnant water, or that someone was making trouble behind the scenes; neither was a good phenomenon.

Just at this moment, a burst of exclamation suddenly sounded from below the stage.

"That is... Ge Hong, how did he also come to our branch?"

"Hiss~ it really is School Master Ge of the Iron Saber Martial Arts School."

Li Rui looked at the middle-aged man with a square face and a burly build standing on the stage.

"Ge Hong."

The name Ge Hong was far too famous in the Qinghe martial arts school circle.

In the Qinghe martial arts schools, there had always been the saying of "Bear Fist, Eagle Sword, Willow Leaf Saber," referring to the masters of the three most powerful martial arts schools in the city; Ge Hong was that Willow Leaf Saber.

"Who will he challenge?"

Ge Hong was a long-established Eighth-Rank expert; a hall master could simply not satisfy his appetite.

Therefore, he must be challenging a vice helmsman.

The master of the Iron Saber Martial Arts School challenging a vice helmsman—this duel was definitely worth watching.

Zhao Wei clenched his fists, his heart tightening.

He had long known that Ge Hong had come to the Tiandi Alliance; although he wasn't afraid, he really didn't want to run into Ge Hong in advance.

There are no false names under a great reputation.

Especially in the Jianghu, those with big names basically had some real skills.

After a battle with Ge Hong, having exhausted his physical strength too early, Zhao Wei was afraid he wouldn't have the energy to compete for a higher ranking, and the Huaqing Sect spot might also slip through his fingers.

Ge Hong looked over the four vice helmsmen—Zhao, Zhang, Zhou, and Qian—one by one.

Finally, he raised his hand and pointed at Vice Helmsman Qian.

"Brother Qian, please."

Vice Helmsman Qian secretly complained, but since he had been chosen, he had no choice but to go on stage for a battle.

His expression was solemn.

Unlike the previous assessments, where even if you lost, it was just a change in ranking and you were still a vice helmsman, this time if he lost, his position as vice helmsman would be gone.

Although he had actually made quite a few preparations.

Qian took a deep breath and cupped his hands: "Brother Ge, please enlighten me."

Exchanging blows with Ge Hong, who had quite a reputation in Qinghe, put him under immense pressure.

He slowly drew the sword at his waist, took half a step forward with his right foot, held the long sword in front of his eyebrows, and struck a neat starting pose.

Ge Hong also drew his saber.

His saber was very different.

The blade was thinner than a normal saber, resembling a willow leaf.

That was why he had earned the title of Willow Leaf Saber in the Jianghu.

"Is this the famous Willow Leaf Saber?"

Li Rui observed carefully.

Back when he was a groom in the Zhu residence, the name Willow Leaf Saber was already deafening, but he had never had the chance to see it with his own eyes.

The two engaged.

Clang!

With a crisp sound of metal collision, Ge Hong and Qian finally engaged.

Ge Hong used a saber, but in his hands, it was like a soft sword, fluttering around Qian, making it impossible for people to defend against.

Only a few moves.

Qian's clothes were already slashed with several openings.

Who was more skilled was clear at a glance.

Qian's expression was gloomy; he glanced at his tattered clothes.

His swordsmanship wasn't bad; if he had to blame someone, he could only blame Ge Hong for being truly too strong.

They fought for about ten more moves.

Just when everyone was enjoying the fight, Qian suddenly withdrew and retreated, saying: "I lost."

"Vice Helmsman Qian actually admitted defeat voluntarily; it hasn't even been thirty moves, right?"

"The Willow Leaf Saber is truly worthy of its reputation."

The disciples below the stage discussed noisily.

On the stage, Ge Hong sheathed his saber and cupped his hands: "You let me win."

Qian didn't return to his seat but consciously walked off the stage.

He was no longer a vice helmsman.

At least until the next duel, he wasn't.

Qian was very decisive.

He realized he couldn't win against Ge Hong and immediately admitted defeat; rather than continuing to exhaust his physical strength with Ge Hong, it was better to preserve his strength to challenge others, so that at least he could keep his position as vice helmsman.

Qian lost, and the remaining few vice helmsmen also revealed solemn expressions.

Their positions were also hard to keep stable.

The duels became increasingly intense.

Although no vice helmsman went on stage for the time being, several vice hall masters had been replaced.

During this time.

Wu Tu also went on stage; with the help of Li Rui's elixir, he had recovered to the level of his peak period, and was even a fraction stronger.

After more than a hundred moves, he finally defeated his opponent.

His waist token also rose from "18" to "17".

Don't look at it as just rising one place; the gold content was far higher than in previous years.

Being able to keep his position, Wu Tu was already satisfied.

"Brother Li, do you want to go on stage and try again?"

Wu Tu looked at Li Rui.

Li Rui had already been challenged once; according to the rules, he didn't need to go on the ring to fight again.

Even if he thought highly of Li Rui, he didn't feel that Li Rui had any need to go on stage.

As for the Great Offering of the Civil and Martial Hall promised by Zhang Yang.

Top eight.

It might have been about right in the past, but in this day and age, it was more than enough to be the Hall Master of the Civil and Martial Hall.

The Helmsman plus five Eighth-Ranks already occupied six positions, so the top eight was equivalent to fighting for the top two; the difficulty was not ordinary, not to mention that the current top two were the Hall Master of the Civil and Martial Hall and the fierce saber-wielder Chang Qi.

Neither were characters to be trifled with.

Li Rui smiled slightly: "Then I'll go up and try."

"!!"

Wu Tu's eyes widened; he hadn't expected that Li Rui was actually going to go on stage, and just as they were speaking, Li Rui strode onto the ring.

He cupped his hands toward a man with a scarred face: "Please."

The movement here quickly drew everyone's attention.

Just because the number hanging on the waist token of the person Li Rui wanted to challenge was—

"11"!

(End of chapter)