Chapter 119: Contest Turn of Events, All Sides Unhappy (Request Subscription)

Yanshan County Martial Arts Academy.

The provincial exam results were as stable as those of Poyang County.

But Yanshan County hovered steadily around fifth or sixth place, unlike Poyang County, which always ranked last.

Both counties’ martial arts academies arrived simultaneously in Raozhou City, so Su Lingchuan had to wait.

Yet this wait brought another group into view.

Lin Chen sensed the stir among the other students and turned his gaze toward another gate entrance.

Once he recognized the two figures in the group, he understood why the commotion had arisen.

The Yanshan County contingent had arrived.

He saw Wu Ming and Zhu Tao.

The convergence of the three counties at the city gate drew attention from passersby.

Raozhou City’s rules forbade gatherings and noise at the gates, yet the soldiers guarding the gate ignored the three academies’ presence—especially Poyang County’s decision to stop and wait—as if they saw nothing.

Rules applied to ordinary people; these guards had enough sense to recognize who mattered.

Yanshan County arrived first; Su Lingchuan exchanged smiles and conversation with the Yanshan County Wuzhengsuo director, while the students from both counties exchanged glances.

But the Yanshan County students’ gazes toward Poyang County carried clear disdain.

Neither side had any desire to speak.

Yet with the arrival of the Yanshan County students, the atmosphere shifted instantly.

The Yanshan County students fixed their eyes on Poyang County; Wu Ming’s gaze toward Lin Chen held unmasked hatred.

The Yanshan County students didn’t know Lin Chen, but following Wu Ming’s stare, they locked onto him.

Lin Chen showed no change in expression at their stares.

“Lin Shixiong, the two men standing at the front are Zhang Qi and Shen Ge from Yanshan County.”

The Yanshan County students’ eyes shifted over Lin Chen; similarly, the Poyang County students fixed their gazes on the two leading figures of the Yanshan County lineup.

Lin Chen also looked at Zhang Qi and Shen Ge; the three locked eyes, and Lin Chen smiled and gave a slight nod.

His gesture startled Zhang Qi—he turned his head away without responding—but after a moment’s pause, Shen Ge smiled back politely.

To Lin Chen, representing Poyang County meant he wouldn’t hold back in combat, but that didn’t mean he had to make enemies with every Yanshan County martial artist.

Competition first, friendship second.

That was Lin Chen’s view; if the other side didn’t want friendship, he wouldn’t beg to befriend them.

“Lin Chen, I heard you defeated Wu Shidi. I hope on the day of the contest, you won’t disappoint me.”

Zhang Qi, feeling his earlier turn away had weakened his authority, quickly recovered and spoke to Lin Chen.

At these words, all Yanshan County students perked up, eyes fixed on Lin Chen.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

Lin Chen’s lips curled slightly; though not one for verbal sparring, he wasn’t the type to remain silent.

“I hope so.”

Seeing Zhang Qi end his words there, the Yanshan County students looked disappointed; in their eyes, Brother Zhang should have delivered a barrage of threats—back in March, Brother Zhang—no, Brother Shen—had unleashed wave after wave of cutting words, truly devastating the opponent’s spirit.

Why was Brother Shen so quiet this time?

The Yanshan County students watching the scene, seeing Poyang and Yanshan exchange only brief words, wore expressions of boredom.

Shouldn’t they be cursing each other, hurling threats?

Is this even how teenagers behave?

Especially you Yanshan County—haven’t you abandoned your old tradition of starting every fight with a verbal assault?

Yanshan County Martial Arts Academy’s reputation for verbal combat was known across all counties of Raozhou; it was said to have been pioneered by a past powerhouse, who would launch a barrage of words before combat to enrage and destabilize his opponent.

With no spectacle to be had, the three counties’ students entered the city separately.

Inside the city, they entered the Wuzhengsuo, which led Lin Chen’s group to a courtyard.

Lin Chen, Gu Shan, and Fu Ang shared one courtyard.

“This contest will be a tough battle.”

Tai Rubai hurried into the courtyard and looked at Lin Chen and the others: “By Yanshan County’s tradition, they always begin combat with verbal sparring. Yet today, at the city gate, they showed almost no verbal aggression. There’s only one possibility...”

Gu Shan and Fu Ang stared at their academy director; Lin Chen paused, then instinctively replied: “The dog that barks doesn’t bite; the dog that bites doesn’t bark.”

“Exactly! That’s precisely it, Lin Chen—you put it perfectly.”

Tai Rubai clapped his hands; though crude, Lin Chen’s phrasing was spot-on.

Yanshan County isn’t using verbal attacks because they’re certain they’ll win this contest—no need for words.

“Today, Senior Su will report your cultivation bases to the Wuzhengsuo. Yanshan County will inevitably detect that Lin Chen took the Tongqiao Pill.”

Tai Rubai worried that once Yanshan County learned Lin Chen had taken the Tongqiao Pill, they’d take them too—Zhang Qi would then open sixteen meridians, and Shen Ge, who placed first in March’s contest, still had two Tongqiao Pills; if he took them, he’d break through to seventeen meridians.

“Lin Shixiong, you took the Tongqiao Pill?”

Fu Ang’s face showed surprise at Tai’s words; taking the Tongqiao Pill now was a waste.

Gu Shan also thought Lin Shixiong’s move unwise; they had ten Tongqiao Pills, and Yanshan County had some too. This county contest only rewarded the top three—but if taking the pill ensured a reward, it might be worth it. The problem was: if you took it, your opponent would too.

Lin Shixiong taking the pill now forces Yanshan County to follow suit—it’s a pyrrhic victory: eight hundred wounded, eight hundred lost.

“Lin Chen took the Tongqiao Pill to have a shot at the top three. Gu Shan, you don’t need to.”

Tai Rubai warned Gu Shan not to copy Lin Chen; if you have no chance at top three, taking the Tongqiao Pill is pure waste.

“This county contest has twenty students from each county, and the rules differ from past years: if you’re confident, you may choose to fight multiple opponents at once. If you win, you not only eliminate them but double your points. The county with the highest total points wins. Rankings: the final victor is first; second and third are determined by total points earned.”

Gu Shan and Fu Ang looked bewildered; Lin Chen, however, pondered deeply—this rule was a golden opportunity for students far stronger than the rest.

“Director, do those who choose one-vs-many get to pick their opponents?”

Lin Chen asked the question he cared about most: if he wanted to fight multiple opponents, but Yanshan County sent Zhang Qi and Shen Ge, his plan would collapse.

Conversely, if Zhang Qi and Shen Ge tried this route, he could simply step forward to challenge them—denying them the chance.

“Five or more opponents, you may choose them yourself.”

Tai Rubai gave the answer—set by Senior Su and that Zhang official.

You may be confident, you may want to farm points—but you must truly have the strength. You must select at least five opponents.

Gu Shan and Fu Ang stared, mouths slightly open; challenging five opponents? They couldn’t even imagine it.

Take Poyang County: even its weakest student had opened thirteen meridians. Besides Lin Chen, Song Yu and Fei Hong had opened fourteen.

Even if Zhang Qi and Shen Ge had opened fifteen meridians, taking on five students with thirteen opened was no easy task.

“There’s another rule: once defeated, you lose all future challenge opportunities.”

When Tai Rubai first heard Senior Su mention this, he was puzzled—until Senior Su’s explanation made it clear.

Arrogant fools are idiots!

“So someone like me? I’m just walking points.”

Fu Ang understood the rule and spoke dryly.

Only the top three get rewards; there are no further rankings. He was essentially here to help opponents farm points.

Tai Rubai fell silent. He wanted to comfort Fu Ang, but realized Fu Ang was right.

“Hmph, even if they want to farm me, I’ll make them lose a few teeth. Lin Shixiong, don’t worry—if Zhang Qi and Shen Ge choose multi-opponent fights, I’ll endure injuries to make them suffer.”

Fu Ang quickly adjusted his mood; he never expected to rank in this county contest.

But Gu Shan, beside him, looked gloomy.

This rule hurt the top ten students most—they lacked the strength to fight five at once.

Lin Chen noticed Gu Shan’s dejection and reassured him: “Gu Shidi, don’t be down. With my strength, even if I chose one-vs-five, I wouldn’t pick you or the others. Zhang Qi and Shen Ge will think the same—they’ll target students like Fu Shidi. To win overall, you still need to win your single matches.”

Hearing Lin Chen’s words, Gu Shan’s expression brightened slightly. Lin Shixiong was right: Zhang Qi and Shen Ge would only challenge students ranked around tenth to twentieth—they’d never dare pick those in the top ten from March’s contest.

Fu Ang, watching Gu Shan’s mood lift, silently wondered: Is Lin Shixiong telling the truth?

He had long understood Lin Shixiong’s humility.

“Rest well and conserve your energy. Don’t overthink—especially you, Lin Chen. Remember Senior Su’s warning: the Dao of cultivation is long. Don’t fixate on temporary gains or losses.” Tai Rubai concluded.

“Disciple understands.”

…

…

Wuzhengsuo, Yanshan County students’ quarters.

All eight academy directors, including Zhang Qi and Shen Ge, were gathered in one courtyard.

“Sir, Lin Chen opened fourteen meridians—he clearly took the Tongqiao Pill?”

“To take a Tongqiao Pill for a county contest? Does he think only Poyang County has them?”

Zhang Wangshan frowned; Lin Chen taking the Tongqiao Pill surprised him—he hadn’t expected Su Lingchuan to do this.

In Zhang Wangshan’s mind, Lin Chen taking the pill must have been ordered by Su Lingchuan.

“Sir, since Lin Chen took the Tongqiao Pill, I’ll take one too. Brother Shen doesn’t need to.”

Zhang Qi spoke up: “After taking the pill, I’ll open sixteen meridians—I’ll handle Lin Chen easily. As for first place, I won’t compete with Brother Shen.”

Zhang Qi deeply respected Shen Ge; Shen’s Tongqiao Pills didn’t need to be used now. If Zhang Qi took one and defeated Lin Chen, that was enough.

“Good. Zhang Qi, your initiative pleases me greatly. Rest assured, after this contest, I won’t let you down.”

Zhang Wangshan was pleased with Zhang Qi. Zhang Qi smiled slightly—this was precisely why he spoke up. Shen Ge held two Tongqiao Pills; if he took one, Zhang Qi couldn’t match him. Better to gain favor with Senior Zhang now.

“Sir, taking the Tongqiao Pill requires one or two days to absorb. But we only have one day left before the contest—there won’t be enough time.”

“No problem. I’ll petition the Director-General to delay the contest between Yanshan and Poyang by one day. Let the other counties compete first. This special case will be approved.”

Zhang Wangshan was confident—and he’d spread word of this, letting every county know how shameless Su Lingchuan was: risking students’ futures for a county contest.

……

……

The next day!

Lin Chen, Fu Ang, and Gu Shan were preparing to go to the Wuzheng Office cafeteria for a meal when Master Tai blocked them.

“You don’t need to go to the cafeteria today—Secretary Su has already arranged with the cafeteria staff to have meals delivered to you.”

Seeing Tai Rubai’s gloomy expression, Lin Chen and the other two exchanged glances; Fu Ang asked, “Master, has something happened?”

“Yanshan County has demanded a one-day delay to the county duel, citing Lin Chen’s use of the Tongqiao Elixir. The Director has agreed, and word has spread to other counties.”

“So what if it’s delayed by a day? It shouldn’t matter much.”

Fu Ang still didn’t understand. Tai Rubai glanced at Lin Chen: “In this county duel, no other county’s students took the Tongqiao Elixir. Your taking it has stirred up talk.”

Talk?

More like mockery.

Lin Chen now understood why Master Tai had told him not to go to the cafeteria—his use of the Tongqiao Elixir was seen by students from other counties as cheating.

Although every county had used such cheating methods in the past, no one did so anymore; by using it, he had broken the unspoken rule, and naturally, the students from other counties had nothing but harsh words for him.

“Many martial artists from Raozhou Prefecture will come to watch the duels. The schedule is set—since our duel with Yanshan County is delayed by one day, tomorrow’s match will be Degao County versus Yudong County, and both are already dissatisfied.”

The county with the worst ranking fights earliest.

Now that Degao County and Yudong County are scheduled for tomorrow’s duel, uninformed martial artists might assume they’re at the bottom—naturally, both counties are resentful.

The Raozhou Prefecture’s biennial examination draws great attention from its martial artists, but most care only about the students’ rankings, rarely about the counties’ standings.

This resentment cannot be directed at the Wuzheng Office, so it falls on Poyang County—and on Lin Chen.

Lin Chen understood this was Master Tai’s way of protecting him. Though he wasn’t afraid of gossip, he had no reason to refuse the master’s kindness.

The best way to silence critics is through strength.

(End of Chapter)