「The next day. Black Stone Avenue.」

This main thoroughfare, which cut through both the Inner and Outer City, had erupted with activity today.

Carriages and horses streamed by like a river, and banners blotted out the sun. The restaurants and tea houses lining the road had long been packed to capacity. On the second floors, windows were thrown open, and countless members of noble families, dressed in silks and finery, leaned out, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the Martial Examination’s brilliant talents.

「Four Seas Tea House, First Floor.」

At a window seat, Jiang Mu cupped her face in her hands, her clear, bright eyes staring unblinkingly at the distant arena entrance, like a little cat keeping watch.

Across from her, Lu Qu took a sip of tea and sighed, shaking his head. "Old Man Jiang, how did you raise this granddaughter of yours? It only took one meeting for someone to steal her heart away."

Hearing Lu Qu’s words, Old Man Jiang felt even more helpless.

’Oh, my girl,’ he thought, ’that Su Yu became a Martial Artist and still didn’t come looking for you. Either he doesn’t have you on his mind, or he’s just a fool obsessed with his training. Why can’t you get him out of your head?’

Jiang Mu didn’t hear a word, completely lost in her own thoughts.

’Brother Su, why aren’t you here yet?’

’I came to cheer for you. Will you be really surprised when you see me?’

’Have you just been training nonstop since you became a Martial Artist? You promised you’d come drink with Grandpa. How could you forget?’

’The Black Water River is so dangerous now. I haven’t been able to go fishing in so long. When can we go fishing together again...?’

The young woman’s thoughts drifted like layered, rolling clouds, one after another.

...

「Across the street, in a private room at the Drunken Immortal Tower.」

The Yang Sisters were craning their necks in anticipation.

The two had specially dressed up for the occasion. Yang Ai wore a fiery red short dress, as passionate as a flame, while Yang Zhen was in a long purple dress that gave her an imposing, noble air.

Though the two sisters were dressed differently, their equally beautiful faces drew frequent glances from the other patrons.

"Sis, why isn’t Brother Su here yet? I wonder if he’s wearing the clothes we made for him," Yang Ai said, growing a little impatient.

Yang Zhen held her teacup, appearing calm, but the frequent glances she cast out the window betrayed her true feelings.

...

"NEIGH!"

The horses whinnied sharply.

The Lin Family’s carriage finally stopped at the intersection. The curtain was thrown open, and a small figure shot out like a cannonball.

"Wahaha! From now on, this is the territory of the great Lin Xiaotian!" he declared, planting himself in the middle of the road with his hands on his hips, the very picture of arrogance.

After him, Su Yu, Lin Wanzhu, and the others filed out of the carriage.

"What a crowd."

Lin Wanzhu had changed into a sharp-looking Martial Artist Robe today. She seemed to have bound her chest, making it appear smaller than usual. Nevertheless, her prominent curves still strained against the fabric, stretching it taut.

She glanced at Lin Dong and his sister behind her, her gaze falling on the bandages wrapped around the web of Lin Dong’s thumb. "How’s your hand?"

"I’ve used the best ointment. It’s not a problem anymore," Lin Dong said, clenching his fist. The fighting spirit in his eyes was undiminished.

Lin Jing, however, was cracking her whip with an excited look on her face. "The more people, the better! It’s the perfect chance for me to make a name for myself!"

Su Yu’s expression was calm, unaffected by the surrounding atmosphere.

"Let’s go. We need to register first."

He had just taken a step when, from both sides of the street, two pretty figures came running toward him at the same time—one from the left, one from the right.

"Brother Su!"

"Brother Su!"

The two calls rang out almost simultaneously.

From the left, Jiang Mu ran up, panting, with glistening beads of sweat on her forehead. She wore a simple floral dress, exuding the fresh charm of a sweet, unassuming girl.

From the right, Yang Ai came dashing over in her red dress, followed by the gracefully swift Yang Zhen. They were adorned with jewels, looking dazzling and glamorous.

The three young women converged in front of Su Yu, and the air instantly froze.

Jiang Mu faltered, her joy at seeing Su Yu instantly replaced by a thread of nervousness and insecurity as she looked at the two lavishly dressed women before her, whose beauty rivaled her own.

Yang Ai, on the other hand, was wary. She sized up Jiang Mu; though the girl was dressed simply, she was very pretty and had an endearing air about her.

But the most dumbfounded of all was Su Yu himself.

He looked at Jiang Mu in disbelief. "Miss Jiang, what are you doing here?"

Seeing his surprised expression, Jiang Mu pouted. "After you broke through, Brother Su, you never came to have a drink with Grandpa. We didn’t hear a single thing from you. If I hadn’t seen you were in the Martial Examination..."

Hearing the complaint in her tone, Su Yu felt a pang of guilt. He had promised Old Man Jiang he would come for a drink, but he had been so focused on his training that he’d completely forgotten about it.

"Brother Su, who is this young lady? I’ve never heard you mention her before." Yang Ai came to Su Yu’s side and hugged his arm, pressing her entire body against him in an intimate display.

The distinct softness of a young woman’s body immediately pressed against him through his thin robes.

"Ahem. This is Miss Jiang, whom I met when we went out on a boat. Let me introduce you all."

"These are my junior sisters from the martial arts hall. The older sister is Yang Zhen, and the younger is Yang Ai."

"And this is Miss Jiang Mu. Miss Jiang is an excellent cook, especially with fish."

The simple introduction only made the atmosphere more awkward.

Jiang Mu looked at Yang Ai’s intimate gesture, and the rims of her eyes reddened slightly. She bit her lip, saying nothing, her usual liveliness completely gone.

’No wonder Brother Su never came to see me. So... he already had such wonderful girls by his side.’

’All we did was take one trip on the Black Water River together, and he happened to save my life. That’s all.’

’I was really just getting my hopes up for nothing.’

At that moment, the rest of their group caught up from behind.

Lin Wanzhu saw the flock of chattering girls around Su Yu and suddenly felt a surge of irritation. Her expression hardened as she said, "The matches are about to start. Su Yu, go register first."

Su Yu quickly replied, "Yes, Senior Sister."

Then he turned to the three young women. "Are you all here to watch the matches today? You can go wait by the arena."

With that, he followed the members of the Lin Family toward the registration area.

Lin Jing took a few steps, then glanced back at the three young women in surprise. ’Why are so many women here to watch Su Yu’s match?’ she wondered.

After Su Yu and his group had left, Yang Zhen was the first to speak. "Miss Jiang, since we’re all here to watch Brother Su’s match, why don’t we go together?"

Yang Ai was displeased to hear her sister’s words. ’This girl is obviously here to chase Brother Su,’ she thought. ’Why are we inviting her to come with us?’

Jiang Mu was taken aback. Seeing the kindness in Yang Zhen’s eyes, the sour feeling in her heart eased a bit, and she nodded silently.

...

After registering, Su Yu had just managed to greet the three young women again when Senior Sister Lin called him over before he could say much more. "Come on, let’s go see Master."

With no other choice, he followed his Senior Sister to the same private room on the second floor of the restaurant as last time. The White Ape Martial Arts Hall had once again booked the entire place.

Pushing the door open, he saw Qin Fangqiong feasting on a plate of braised chicken feet with great relish. It seemed Master Qin was in high spirits today.

"Master Qin," Su Yu said, bowing respectfully.

"Mm."

Qin Fangqiong spat out a bone, wiped her hands, and said, "Su Yu, although you’ve broken through to the First Acupoint, it hasn’t been long. If you encounter a veteran First Acupoint master in the arena, remember not to clash with them head-on."

"As for your Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber, although I haven’t personally instructed you, I heard from Xu Feng that your aptitude for saber techniques is quite good. I imagine you’ve reached the entry-level by now, right?"

Su Yu nodded. ’I guess the Skillful Realm counts as entry-level, right?’ he thought.

’So Master Qin still doesn’t know my actual saber technique realm.’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

’That makes sense. Right now, only Senior Sister Lin knows I’ve reached the Skillful Realm, and it seems she hasn’t told Master.’

He glanced at his Senior Sister, who winked at him.

Su Yu got the message. ’She wants me to give Master a good shock...’

’In that case, I’ll just reveal my true strength in the arena. Besides, I’m not the type to show off, anyway.’

"Alright, do your best. I’ll come watch your matches in a bit," Master Qin said, waving her hand to dismiss him.

After Su Yu left, Qin Fangqiong picked up another chicken foot and began to gnaw on it, lost in thought.

’That kid... First Acupoint plus an entry-level Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber... the top ten... maybe he actually has a shot.’

’But compared to Chen Fan, he’s still lacking. That Chen Fan kid’s saber technique is already about to cross the threshold into the Skillful Realm. Chen Fan’s chances of making the top ten are much higher!’

...

"WOOOOO—"

The mournful sound of a bull horn once again echoed to the heavens.

Atop the high platform, Pang Xuan, the Commander of the Black Stone Army, rose abruptly. His body was like an iron tower, and his voice boomed like a great bell:

"The third day of the Martial Examination, the arena battles, officially begin!"