Chapter Twenty-Nine: Victory and a Bye

The two of them ascended the stage, immediately igniting enthusiastic cheers and shouts from the audience below. On one side stood the youngest prodigy of the competition, on the other, one of the rare female contestants, both attracting considerable attention.

At the judges’ table, Instructor Zhu stood beside Li Linliu, a gentle smile on his face as he introduced, “That young man is Chen Fan, the youngest disciple of our White Cloud Martial Hall. He is only thirteen.”

Li Linliu nodded, smiling, his sharp gaze lingering on Chen Fan, finding him somewhat familiar. However, his only encounter with Chen Fan had been a fleeting glimpse months ago. Now, Chen Fan had long shed the frailty of his youth; his body was stronger, his stature and features changed enough to render him almost unrecognizable.

He smiled and nodded, “He looks promising—truly a gifted youth.”

Despite his youth, Chen Fan’s delicate and handsome face held a striking charm, making him quite likable. Instructor Zhu nodded, “For Chen Fan to have made it this far speaks volumes of his talent. It’s a pity his background is ordinary and he’s still so young… this is likely his limit.”

Several martial arts leaders from Feiling County nearby also looked over with curiosity, having heard rumors of a disciple achieving sudden insight during the matches, intrigued by the spectacle.

Li Linliu narrowed his eyes. “A prodigy from a common family, reaching this point is truly remarkable. Regardless of whether he advances further, we must nurture him carefully…”

Given Chen Fan’s age and current ranking, he was already a rarity worth investment from the White Cloud Martial Hall.

Suddenly, the gong echoed through the arena!

The referee announced the official start of the match with a resounding call.

Li Wen’s eyes brimmed with curiosity as she regarded Chen Fan across from her, adopting the air of an elder sister, “Are you really not yet fourteen? You look more like fifteen or sixteen to me.”

Chen Fan, however, stepped forward without hesitation and struck out with his palm.

Though Li Wen was beautiful, he treated her no differently than a wooden post.

Her movements were light and swift, yet she found herself at a disadvantage facing Chen Fan.

Had it been an ordinary boy her age, he’d likely have blushed and grown flustered, but unfortunately for her, she was up against Chen Fan.

In another setting, Chen Fan might have enjoyed chatting with a pretty girl about dreams and life, but now was not the time.

He attacked with remarkable speed and ferocity.

“So fast!” Li Wen’s long eyes narrowed as she hastily raised her arms to block, bracing them before her chest.

With a crisp smack, she lost her balance and stumbled backward.

Chen Fan pursued relentlessly, launching several more palm strikes—still practicing his White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm, hoping that true combat would bring about a breakthrough.

Li Wen indeed lived up to her place among the county’s top thirty, her strength formidable, even surpassing all Chen Fan’s previous opponents.

Yet despite her power, compared to Chen Fan, her vitality and physique were lacking.

Chen Fan could withstand ten blows without trouble, but a single hit against her would take its toll.

The two exchanged well over a hundred moves, yet Chen Fan never felt much pressure.

In truth, the girl’s skill surpassed Zhang Feihong’s by a margin, but she lacked his reckless abandon.

Against a stronger opponent, Chen Fan felt even less pressure—an irony that left him slightly exasperated. Realizing he could gain nothing more from her, his attacks grew even more ruthless.

Exhausted and breathless, Li Wen struggled to maintain her strength.

Some disciples below, indignant, shouted encouragement to Li Wen, the male supporters outnumbering the females by far.

Undeterred by the growing chorus cheering for his opponent, Chen Fan pressed forward without a hint of embarrassment or mercy.

With another crisp slap, and after only a few more exchanges, his palm landed squarely on Li Wen’s shoulder, who was already gasping and spent.

She was sent tumbling to the ground.

“That brute!” someone groaned from the audience.

Chen Fan paid no heed, advancing once more, palm raised to strike Li Wen as she struggled on the ground.

A look of resignation flashed in Li Wen’s eyes and she suddenly raised both hands. “I concede!”

With a swift motion, Chen Fan’s palm halted in midair. He paused, cupped his fists, and said, “Thank you for the match, Sister Li.”

Li Wen huffed, casting him a sideways glare as she rose.

The referee announced loudly, “Chen Fan of White Cloud Martial Hall, victory!”

Li Wen’s face flushed red, her narrow eyes shooting Chen Fan another glare. “Hmph. I have a top-grade foundation. If my true skills weren’t still in progress and not yet fully converted, you wouldn’t have beaten me!” With that, she leaped off the stage in a huff.

Chen Fan maintained calm, breathing evenly, unconcerned by her words. He simply smiled, turned to salute the referee, and descended the stage.

…

“Damn it! That boy is too arrogant…”

“No pity for the fairer sex at all!”

“Bullying a girl like that—what’s so great about that?”

The audience erupted into heated discussion over the match. Chen Fan’s victory seemed to be due largely to his physical advantage.

In theory, martial artists should not be divided by gender, but in reality, people’s sympathies always tilted toward female fighters.

Yet Li Wen’s skill was by no means inferior. To have mastered a first-class technique—there were few in all of Feiling County who could claim as much. Her talent stood at the very top.

Su Qingyang and Lin Mo, watching Chen Fan win yet again, wore bitter expressions. Surrounded by the crowd’s chatter, they felt a mixture of envy and admiration.

Both straightforward men, they cared little for notions of chivalry. Whether the opponent was male or female, victory was all that mattered.

Unlike the lay audience, the seated heads of the various martial halls and instructors all saw Chen Fan’s extraordinary potential.

Li Linliu smiled, holding a white jade fan. “Though young, Chen Fan’s strength is impressive.”

The others nodded in agreement.

“The White Cloud Martial Hall truly overflows with talent!”

“This boy is remarkable—his constitution must be special. Judging by his state, he hasn’t even exhausted his stamina. His true limit must lie beyond this!”

All the masters present were at least martial artists of the fifth or sixth tier. What they valued was not gender but genuine talent.

Li Linliu narrowed his eyes, then leaned toward Instructor Zhu and whispered, “If you see Chen Fan later, tell him that if he can advance again, I’ll have a generous reward for him.”

The subsequent matches soon concluded. Chen Fan noticed that the few strong contenders he knew had, by coincidence, all avoided facing each other.

“Feihu Sect is manipulating things again…” he thought, but was unbothered.

As anticipated, Yan Lincu, Feng Yuancheng, and others all won easily. The scion of Four Symbols Sect, Yu Xingzheng, was also exceptionally strong—Chen Fan couldn’t be sure he could overcome him.

The top fifteen were decided.

At this point, aside from Chen Fan, there were three other disciples from White Cloud Martial Hall in the top fifteen. Yet, to Chen Fan’s surprise, while several of the fifteen were inner energy martial artists with solid foundations, none of his hall’s disciples had fully mastered the White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm!

The strongest, Feng Yuancheng, was just on the verge of mastery, still a step away.

“Could it be that the truly gifted inner energy martial artists who have mastered the technique simply don’t bother with this exchange? Or is there another reason?”

Even if only one in a hundred succeeded, there should still be some who mastered it before eighteen.

In other halls, there were inner energy martial artists who had mastered first-class techniques or had begun practicing true skills.

Feng Yuancheng, for instance, was close to mastering two first-class techniques.

Chen Fan’s time in the hall had been brief; much remained unclear to him.

When the draw for the top eight began, Chen Fan’s luck held—he got a bye and entered the quarterfinals without a fight.

This stroke of fortune sparked even livelier debate among the audience.

After all, Chen Fan was already considered by many to be one of the weaker members of the top fifteen, his only advantage being his remarkable insight.

Bao Tianyou and the others cheered for Chen Fan’s good luck.

Sometimes, results matter more than process. There is a world of difference between being among the top eight and the top fifteen under eighteen in Feiling County.

Su Qingyang and Lin Mo exchanged looks below the stage, their faces full of speechless envy.

…

After the draw, the various hall masters chatted.

Teng Bo, master of Feihu Hall, smiled as he watched the stage. “Chen Fan not only has strong insight but also good luck. He is sure to become a formidable figure in the martial world.”

Li Linliu looked at Teng Bo, nodding with a subtle smile.

“He is indeed lucky…”

As hosts of the competition, Feihu Sect had managed the top thirty draw in a way that separated the top seeds—a clear sign of manipulation.

And now, in the top eight draw, the one who advanced by default was the one considered the weakest—Chen Fan. That, too, was no coincidence.

The Feihu Sect master laughed heartily. “For Chen Fan to reach the quarterfinals at not even fourteen years old, regardless of how it happened… I doubt I’ll forget this competition for many years!”

The experienced crowd quickly grasped his intent.

It was a gesture of goodwill to the White Cloud Martial Hall, and added a touch of legend to this year’s contest, drawing greater public interest and attention.

After all, someone had to get the bye.

Gao Yi, master of Four Symbols Sect, couldn’t help but remark, “If only those in Yandu City could see the glory of Feiling County and take us more seriously, perhaps more of our martial youth could make it into the Martial Academy…”

In reality, the capital paid little mind to a county’s events, no matter how legendary the competition. But in a sense, Chen Fan’s luck was undeniable.

Instructor Zhu, standing beside Li Linliu, felt increasingly awkward. He had planned to wait until after the draw to tell Chen Fan about the hall master’s promised reward for advancing. Instead, Chen Fan had advanced without a fight.

Unable to help himself, he quietly asked, “Master, do you still wish to give Chen Fan his ‘gift’?”

He had intended to speak to Chen Fan after the draw, but hadn’t expected the boy to advance so easily.

Li Linliu paused for a moment, at a bit of a loss himself.

…

Half an hour later, the next round began in earnest.

Feng Yuancheng, Ge Yuantong, Yan Lincu, and a powerhouse from Plum Blossom Pavilion all advanced successfully.

Yan Lincu in particular stood out—his vigor and physique seemed only to strengthen with each match.

Watching Yan Lincu’s performance and his seemingly inexhaustible energy, Li Linliu and the others marveled.

“This Yan Lincu, with such abundant vitality and strength, could it be he’s reached the level of a typical sixth-tier martial artist, with an unbroken body and ceaseless flow of energy?”

“If so, then with true skill, he’ll face no obstacles before the sixth tier—his path will be smooth.”

“With such endurance and recovery, he could wear down any opponent below the third tier of first-class foundations!”

Yan Lincu’s display of vitality was not just impressive—it was cyclical and unending, drawing even greater attention from all present.