Chapter 167: The Arena

Chapter 167: The Arena

In the wooden shed.

Zhao Hu grinned at Jiang Ning, his expression filled with provocation and pride.

Then, he turned to look at Li Qing behind Jiang Ning, his face equally smug, and he smiled, baring his gums.

It seemed as if he was saying, "Look! I, Zhao Hu, have also achieved this!"

Then, Zhao Hu looked at Wang Jin.

"Master, I have to go over there!" As he spoke, Zhao Hu pointed towards Liu Zhao Nan.

"Why are you going there?" Wang Jin asked.

Zhao Hu replied, "I promised Liu Zhao Nan from the Liu Clan that if he wins the position of Squad Leader, I will join his command."

"Oh, I see!" Wang Jin nodded slightly and said, "Go ahead then!"

Just then, a loud drumbeat thundered across the training ground.

"Next, I will announce the procedure for the Squad Leader position."

"Let's go out together!" At these words, Wang Jin gave the command.

"We'll go out too!" Yu Yuan, standing nearby, also spoke up.

The next moment, the group exited the wooden shed.

By this time, the crowd surrounding the training ground had thinned significantly.

It was noon, and not only was the sun scorching, but it was also mealtime.

As the group emerged from the shed, they saw that the man conducting the examination was still standing on the arena.

Below the arena, a dense crowd remained.

The examiner glanced down at the crowd and announced again.

"As for the others, they must fight as the arena master within one incense stick's worth of time. If no one challenges them within that time, they will win the position of Squad Leader."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin, who had just stepped out of the shed and was standing below the arena, frowned.

"Such outrageous rules?"

"Indeed, they are a bit outrageous!" Jiang Ning nodded.

Zhou Xing also furrowed his brows, "With these rules, unless one's strength is absolutely invincible, the influence of luck and connections seems a bit too much."

"So, do you still want to compete for the Squad Leader position?" Wang Jin asked.

"Master, I'd like to observe first!" Zhou Xing replied.

"What about you?" Wang Jin turned to Jiang Ning.

"I'll observe for now!" Jiang Ning continued, "Based on the results of the examination, there should be more than ten vacant Squad Leader positions."

Just then, the man on the arena added, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, there are only fifteen Squad Leader positions available now!"

"I know some of you want to participate in the competition for the Deputy Commander position later, but the prerequisite is to win the Squad Leader position first."

As his words fell, a loud voice resounded from below the arena.

"I'll go first!"

The next moment, a pale and thin man leaped from the crowd, soaring through the air for several zhang.

Boom!

He landed heavily on the arena.

"It's him!" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

This man was the one who had left the deepest impression on Jiang Ning today.

Referred to as 'Young Master' by the examiner, his status was clearly exceptional.

Moreover, he possessed Born Divine Strength.

In the entire training ground, this man was one of the more challenging opponents in Jiang Ning's eyes.

The reason he wasn't the most challenging was that above this 'Young Master' on the arena, there were two Seventh Rank Martial Artists in the training ground.

After sparring with Liu Qing Song, Jiang Ning realized that the strength of a Seventh Rank Martial Artist was typically far beyond that of an Eighth Rank.

The increase in strength from a higher rank naturally brought more pressure than that of He Jinyun, the 'Young Master' with Born Divine Strength.

In the direction of the three major families of Luoshui County.

"Cao Zijian, aren't you going up?"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Cao Zijian glanced at Liu Zhao Nan beside him and continued, "This 'Young Master' has an unattainable status, and with the strength he just displayed, do you think I'd go and compete with him for the Squad Leader position?"

"Besides, there are still over ten positions, so what's the harm in letting him have one?"

Hearing this, Liu Zhao Nan, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Brother Cao makes sense. Since you're not going, I won't go either!"

At this moment, those in the training ground who were qualified to compete for the Squad Leader position had similar thoughts.

Especially the Martial Academy students, none of them had any intention of going up to the arena to challenge He Jinyun.

In their Martial Academy branch, He Jinyun had entered the Eighth Rank not long ago and was already among the top three in the branch.

They didn't know He Jinyun's current strength in the Divine Strength Realm, but they knew he was much stronger than a few months ago.

Because He Jinyun was the 'Young Master' of the Marquis Mansion.

As the 'Young Master' of the Marquis Mansion, he lacked no resources in the early stages of the Martial Dao, nor did he lack heavenly materials.

Several months were enough for He Jinyun to make significant progress in the Eighth Rank Martial Artist realm.

After a while.

"Boring!" He Jinyun took the silver Identity Token from the examiner and jumped down from the arena, muttering to himself.

"Who's next?" the examiner asked, looking at the crowd.

At that moment, the crowd below the arena fell silent, and then someone jumped up.

This person wore a luxurious black golden robe and landed lightly on the arena.

"It's Qin Xuan!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"This person is even stronger than He Jinyun, the Young Master, a few months ago!"

As the crowd discussed, the Eighth Rank Martial Artists who had been thinking of challenging He Jinyun lost their courage.

On the other side, Zhou Xing said, "These Wu Yuan Academy students are really strong!"

Wang Jin replied, "It's only natural that Wu Yuan Academy students are strong, since it was founded by the Great Xia Martial Saint and has a history of hundreds of years!"

Wang Jin continued, "But you don't have to be discouraged, they have access to better Martial Dao resources than you, so it's only natural that they're stronger."

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Master said that!"

After another while, no one came to challenge Qin Xuan.

As Qin Xuan took the silver Identity Token and left the arena, Liu Sansheng eagerly said, "I, Liu Sansheng, will now take the stage!"

At the same time, Liu Sansheng's arranged crowd began to discuss loudly.

"Liu Sansheng is taking the stage so quickly, he must be very confident!"

"Of course, he's a direct descendant of the Liu family and has entered the Eighth Rank Martial Artist realm early. He's likely to become the future head of the Liu family and has access to exceptional Martial Dao resources!"

"With that said, Liu Sansheng's strength shouldn't be weak!"

As these discussions spread, Zhou Xing couldn't help but comment, "Another strong Martial Artist in the Divine Strength Realm, Wu Yuan Academy is really overwhelming!"

Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Zhou Xing, do you think the people discussing Liu Sansheng might have been arranged by him in advance?"

Zhou Xing's eyes lit up, "You mean, he's just pretending to be strong?"

Jiang Ning nodded, "It's possible."

Zhou Xing suddenly realized, "That makes sense!"

On the other side, He Jinyun watched Liu Sansheng on the arena and smiled at Qin Xuan.

"Liu Sansheng is really cunning, using our reputation to take the stage and arranging people to pretend to be strong!"

Qin Xuan shook his head, "He's not confident like us, and his strength hasn't improved."

He Jinyun nodded, "I should have waited and taken the stage later, I would have made him understand what real strength is."

Suddenly, a bald man shouted and jumped onto the arena.

"You Wu Yuan Academy students are all talk, let me show you what real strength is!"

The crowd below the arena gasped.

He Jinyun smiled, "Now it's getting interesting! Liu Sansheng's turn has made this Eighth Rank Martial Artist from Luoshui County lose his patience."

Qin Xuan said, "Let's see if he can win, if not, he'll lose face."

At that moment, Zhou Xing looked at the arena with a serious expression.

"This man is called Fu Shiquan, the top escort of the Changfeng Escort Agency."

"He not only has the strength of an Eighth Rank Martial Artist but also rich combat experience. Even I'm not confident I can handle him."

"I don't know if he can defeat Liu Sansheng from Wu Yuan Academy."

The next moment, the two stopped talking and started fighting.

Fu Shiquan used a steel staff, while Liu Sansheng used a long sword.

As soon as Fu Shiquan made a move, his steel staff produced a tiger's roar, with an overwhelming aura.

"This is the Eighteen Demon Subduing Sticks!" Zhou Xing explained, "It's said to be a Lower Tier Martial Art from the Buddhist family, with a total of eighteen moves."

"If he can complete all the moves, the power of each move will be stronger than the last. If he can smoothly execute all eighteen moves, the final move can even move mountains. In Fu Shiquan's hands, no Seventh Rank Martial Artist can match him."

Fu Shiquan pushed the use of the steel staff to the extreme, his staff shadow overlapping and covering a distance of over ten zhang in front of him.

The staff's momentum was like a surging flood, giving Liu Sansheng no chance to catch his breath.

With this move, Fu Shiquan unleashed his full strength, holding nothing back.

Liu Sansheng's face changed slightly, and he retreated again and again.

Facing the steel staff's overwhelming force, Liu Sansheng dared not confront it head-on, only daring to rely on his longsword to redirect the force.

"Looks like Liu Sansheng is going to lose!" Qin Xuan exclaimed from below the arena.

Just at that moment—

Liu Sansheng, who had been retreating, suddenly stopped and advanced. His longsword moved with the speed of a thunderbolt, swift as a beam of light.

Whoosh—

A burst of air was split apart by the sword's edge.

"Let go!" Liu Sansheng exclaimed lightly.

Fu Shiquan's steel staff was sent flying in response.

At this moment, Fu Shiquan's hands were covered in blood.

"Thank you for the match!" Liu Sansheng sheathed his sword and bowed.

"I concede defeat!" Fu Shiquan said dejectedly.

With those words, he turned and walked to the edge of the arena.

Then, he leaped down from the arena.

Zhou Xing's expression turned solemn: "Liu Sansheng's sword techniques are truly exquisite! Especially that sword move as swift as thunder, I didn't even have time to react! If I were up there, I wouldn't be any different from Fu Shiquan, or even worse!"

Jiang Ning nodded casually, his gaze falling on the proud and confident Liu Sansheng on the arena.

Should he go up now?

This question was on his mind at this moment.

After witnessing the clash between Liu Sansheng and Fu Shiquan, he knew that Liu Sansheng's strength was far inferior to his own.

Against Liu Sansheng, he would only need one strike to defeat him.

After pondering for a long time—

"Forget it!" Jiang Ning thought to himself, then shook his head.

Although the previous incident had left him feeling displeased with Liu Sansheng,

He decided to let Liu Sansheng be, not wanting to block his path to becoming the Squad Leader.

At this moment—

Liu Sansheng on the arena remained silent, quietly waiting for time to pass.

After witnessing Fu Shiquan's defeat, no one in the crowd dared to challenge Liu Sansheng.

Liu Sansheng's flawless victory over Fu Shiquan had proven his strength and his qualification to become the Squad Leader.

There were still enough Squad Leader positions available, and there was no need to take the risk of fighting Liu Sansheng for this position.

After all, if one lost, they would completely lose the qualification to compete for the Squad Leader position.

So, everyone felt it was unnecessary to challenge Liu Sansheng.

As for the Wu Yuan Academy students, they would never go up.

Because the Inspection Bureau Patrol Guards were like cattle and horses, and the Squad Leader was the one in charge! So, before they came, they had already established a rule of non-essential non-competition.

In the blink of an eye—

An incense stick's worth of time had passed.

Liu Sansheng took the silver token symbolizing the Squad Leader position from the examiner, and his face lit up with joy.

Then, he turned and looked towards the crowd below the arena, quickly spotting Jiang Ning in the crowd.

Liu Sansheng leaped down from the arena and walked straight to Jiang Ning's side.

"Ning, did you see this?" Liu Sansheng raised the silver token representing the Squad Leader position.

Then Liu Sansheng continued, "Now that I'm the Squad Leader of the Inspection Bureau, and since my brother entrusted me with this task, you should join my team! As the leader, I'll definitely take care of you!"

Seeing the power Jiang Ning had just displayed, Liu Sansheng was also covetous.

Each Squad Leader could have nine Patrol Guards under their command.

But the Patrol Guards were mostly Ninth Rank Martial Officials, and if assigned by the higher-ups, they would vary in strength.

It would be different if he chose them himself.

If he could recruit someone like Jiang Ning, who was young and had reached the Eighth Rank Senior Divine Strength Realm, it would be a powerful addition to the team.

This way, the stronger the team, the higher the leader's status.

So, after seeing Jiang Ning's display of power and realizing his initial misjudgment, Liu Sansheng had already set his sights on Jiang Ning.

"No!" Jiang Ning shook his head at Liu Sansheng's recruitment.

"Why?" Liu Sansheng asked.

"Ning, your sister-in-law is also my sister. We're family! You joining my team would be a powerful alliance! I won't mistreat you! I can even arrange for my cousin to marry you, making us family!" Liu Sansheng offered what he considered generous terms.

Seeing Jiang Ning's refusal, Liu Sansheng immediately offered what he saw as a tempting condition.

Jiang Ning chuckled upon hearing these words.

Then he said, "Because I also want to compete for the Squad Leader position!"

As his words fell, Jiang Ning stamped his right foot on the ground.

Boom—

His figure suddenly soared into the air, and in mid-air, he abruptly changed direction, sweeping horizontally towards the arena!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end