Chapter 43: Mutation

The crowd seemed drawn by an invisible force, rapidly swarming toward that direction and forming a swirling wall of people.

Whispers spread like a tide, carrying a complex mixture of shock, fear, and morbid curiosity.

"...The Songfeng Martial Arts Hall is truly ruthless!"

"Qin Lie is finished. What a waste of such talent."

"Who told him to run into Gao Sheng?"

"Zhou Liang has fallen hard... he's lost all face..."

"I heard those two families have been feuding for decades... this just deepens the grudge."

"Move! Everyone, move!"

Sun Shun's roar erupted from within the crowd.

*Swish! Swish!*

The crowd instantly parted, creating a path through the center.

Zhou Liang walked at the very front. The habitual smile on his face had long since vanished, replaced by an irrepressible panic and anxiety.

Sun Shun and several other Zhou Academy disciples followed closely behind, carrying a simple stretcher.

Lying limp on the stretcher was none other than Qin Lie.

At this moment, how could any trace of his former arrogance or high-spiritedness be found?

He was like a heap of mud, his body twisted at unnatural angles. His arms and legs, in particular, were in a gruesome state that was clearly not mere bruising or dislocation, but the unmistakable marks of bones and tendons being deliberately shattered.

His expensive training uniform was caked in mud and bloodstains, even bearing several glaring shoe prints.

As they watched Zhou Liang and the others hurry away, a series of deliberate, low-pitched, yet malicious sneers drifted from the direction of the Songfeng Martial Arts Hall.

"Who did this good deed?"

The moment Chen Qing saw this, he was utterly bewildered.

Wasn't this the martial arts examination?

How did Qin Lie end up being crippled like this?

Before he could think further, as soon as this round of matches concluded, a new round of drawing lots began.

Once the lot positions were distributed, Chen Qing stood by the side of the field, focusing intently on the upcoming combat matches.

Since the martial arts examination concerned one's future destiny, every martial student on the field fought with everything they had, engaging in exceptionally fierce combat.

Aside from gaining experience through personal combat, observing masters exchange blows to study their techniques and patterns was equally beneficial.

Among them, several fighters even made Chen Qing's heart race with apprehension.

Particularly Mo Ziyu of the Blood River Gang; three years ago, he had already achieved Great Success in the Hidden Strength realm. He had been diligently refining his foundation, building momentum to break through to the Transformation Strength realm, making him nearly peerless below the Transformation Realm.

Those who drew his name could do nothing but sigh in despair, their faces turning ashen.

"Young brother, your skills are clean and decisive. Truly admirable."

At that moment, Lin Sheng approached with a face full of smiles. "The martial masters are gathered here today. I am Lin Sheng, formerly of the Jinghong Martial Arts Hall. May I ask your honorable name? We are destined to meet; how about we become friends?"

Chen Qing glanced at him and smiled. "I am Chen Qing."

Seeing that Chen Qing had taken the bait, Lin Sheng immediately got to the point. "So it is Brother Chen! A pleasure to meet you! Today's drawing is truly all down to luck. May I ask which number you drew? Tell me—if we happen to face each other, perhaps I can show some mercy, haha!"

He laughed hypocritically, leaning forward slightly in an eager attempt to extract the answer.

When Lin Sheng saw Chen Qing's lot number, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes, and he left after a few more bits of idle chatter.

Once Lin Sheng was far away, Chen Qing whispered to the bodyguard Hong, whom he had just met, "Bodyguard Hong, what is that man's background?"

Conversations and exchanges were common on the martial arts field, and Bodyguard Hong had acted quite normally while greeting Chen Qing, but Lin Sheng's excessive enthusiasm had raised Chen Qing's suspicions.

Bodyguard Hong followed Chen Qing's gaze and said indifferently, "He was from the Jinghong Martial Arts Hall before. His skills aren't weak. Later... some things happened, and he left the hall. Now he serves as a retainer for the Huang family."

Bodyguard Hong's tone was subtle, as if he were holding something back.

Chen Qing understood instinctively: for someone with Hidden Strength to leave a hall, they either sought a better path or were kicked out for doing something sordid.

Three more matches followed, and Chen Qing passed each one with a "narrow victory."

*That's about enough,* Chen Qing thought to himself.

Four consecutive wins was already an impressive record.

The opponents he encountered subsequently were mostly seasoned, ruthless experts who had been famous in the county for years.

To fight for a ranking in the examination and to make a name for themselves, these people gave their all, unleashing lethal strikes that were exceptionally dangerous.

Two of them were even seriously injured and crippled on the spot, carried out on stretchers.

The top fifty in the examination were all recorded as Martial Scholars; the specific rank held no substantial practical benefit.

To risk one's life for mere empty prestige?

Furthermore, Qin Lie being crippled set off alarm bells in Chen Qing's mind.

"Brother Chen, such impressive skill!"

Lin Sheng strolled over again, his face beaming. "If your luck were a bit better, you would have a great chance of making it onto the First Tier list, wouldn't you?"

As he spoke, his gaze seemed to inadvertently sweep toward the lot in Chen Qing's hand, while in his heart, he was cursing the kid for having such damn luck, meeting several mediocre opponents in a row to achieve four consecutive wins.

Chen Qing's expression remained calm. "Brother Lin overpraises me. This time, I drew Number A-6."

"A-6!?"

Lin Sheng's eyes lit up. He instantly suppressed his wild joy and hurried away after a few perfunctory words.

After asking several times, he had finally been matched with Chen Qing this time. He rushed to report to Xu Xiuhua, patting his chest and guaranteeing that he would humiliate Chen Qing utterly on the stage.

Soon, a minor official shouted loudly, "A-6, take the stage!"

Lin Sheng leaped onto the stage impatiently, then barked fiercely toward Chen Qing's direction, "What are you dawdling for? Get up here! Are you afraid? I heard you had some skill; today, let me test you properly to see if you're the real deal or just a piece of trash who's all talk!"

He deliberately emphasized the word "trash," drawing the attention of the surrounding spectators, intending to humiliate Chen Qing and vent his anger for his master.

Chen Qing looked at Lin Sheng as if he were looking at an idiot.

Lin Sheng sneered, "What? Scared witless?"

However, the person who stepped onto the stage was not Chen Qing.

Instead, a burly man with a face as cold as iron stepped slowly onto the platform, the chill radiating from him almost making the air stagnate.

"It's Mo Ziyu, the Young Leader of the Blood River Gang."

"Has Lin Sheng gone mad? How dare he insult the Young Leader of the Blood River Gang like that?!"

"He has a terrible temper."

The smile on Lin Sheng's face froze instantly. His expression shifted spectacularly from wild joy to shock, and his face turned deathly pale in an instant.

He jerked his head to look at Chen Qing below the stage, only to see Chen Qing standing with his arms crossed, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips. Chen Qing even gave him a slight eyebrow wag, as if saying: "Surprised? Unexpected, isn't it?"

Lin Sheng's mind went numb with a loud *buzz*. He understood—he had been played!

Chen Qing had simply made up a number on the spot!

Or rather, that kid Chen Qing had seen his actual lot number and intentionally reported that one.

And he, himself, had spent a long time screaming provocations at his true opponent—the calamity of the Blood River Gang!

"Come then."

Mo Ziyu's face was so dark it could drip water, and his voice was bone-chilling. "Didn't you want to test me to see if I was the real deal?"

It was over!

Lin Sheng's heart trembled with terror. A chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He waved his hands frantically, "Young Master Mo! A misunderstanding! This... there is a massive misunderstanding here..."

"A misunderstanding?"

Mo Ziyu gave a cold laugh. His figure suddenly lunged forward, an iron fist tearing through the air, carrying a suffocating gust of wind as it struck straight for Lin Sheng's face.

(End of Chapter)