Chapter 56

**Ding, ding, ding...**

The three chimes of the bell signaled that the final decisive moment of the Inner Courtyard competition was about to begin. At the entrance of the martial arts square, a flash of light appeared, and two young men, one in blue and one in purple, arrived together and walked into the square.

The young man in blue had eyes as bright as stars and was unarmed. The young man in purple had a rough and bold expression, exuding an astonishing aura. When they appeared, the crowd automatically parted to make way for them.

"It's Senior Brother Ye Guyu!"

"And Senior Brother Fang Jingshuo!"

Some people exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt. "Why hasn't Tang Gu come yet? Is he afraid?"

"Definitely. Today's battle is no comparison to yesterday's. Making it to the top three is already a stroke of luck for him. There's no chance for first or second place, so he's probably avoiding humiliation by not coming."

"Heh... I said it before. With Tang Gu's strength, making it to the top three is already a stretch. Dreaming of first or second place is just wishful thinking..."

At that moment, a white figure flashed, and Tang Gu, with his calm and gentle demeanor, appeared at the entrance. The few Inner Courtyard disciples who had been discussing Tang Gu's fear of battle suddenly turned red in the face, as if their throats had been clamped shut, unable to utter a word.

Tang Gu smiled at them but said nothing. He quickly caught up and joined the other two, each taking a bamboo chair in front of the stage.

Seeing his arrival, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo, who was sitting in the middle, suddenly turned his head and chuckled to "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu, who was seated at the head of the table.

"Brother Guyu, do you know why Senior Sister Qingjun hasn't come? Sitting alongside a peasant like him in the top three, and possibly even facing his challenge, would be a disgrace to us."

"Ha ha!"

Beside him, another young man in blue, who was also seated at the head of the table, smiled. He glanced at "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo and then at the newly arrived Tang Gu, who was dressed in white and seemed ethereal. He seemed to understand something.

He smiled slightly and said, "That's not entirely true. Junior Brother Tang is also a dragon among men, a rising star. We should still support him, but he needs to have some discernment. He shouldn't dream of reaching the heavens in one step and eating swan meat."

As he spoke, he emphasized the words "rising star."

"As for Senior Sister Qingjun..."

"Snake Hand" Ye Guyu paused, as if recalling something, and then said enviously, "I know a bit about it. Senior Sister Qingjun has already been chosen by the Upper Pavilion... This time, our competition is more about the list for the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion's trial. So, she has automatically given up and isn't competing with us ordinary disciples."

"Ah, what a pity, what a pity, how envious... It's a pity that our strength is low, and we don't have the chance to be directly accepted by the Upper Pavilion without the trial.

"But we envy Senior Sister Qingjun, who, at such a young age, has this opportunity. She will surely shine brightly in the future, and even in the Upper Pavilion, she will be one of the top talents!

"As for us, even if we get the trial opportunity, whether we can truly join is still uncertain."

Hearing this, even "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo, who was usually arrogant, couldn't help but show a worried expression.

After a moment, he laughed and said, "Brother Guyu, rest assured. With your strength, even if the Upper Pavilion's trial is difficult, you have a good chance of joining. Just be careful not to make a mistake and lose to this peasant, which would be a laughingstock.

"As for the trial, there's still more than half a year until next August, giving us plenty of time to prepare. Breaking through to the fifth or even sixth level of the Qi Dao is not impossible. So, don't worry, don't worry..."

Hearing this, "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu laughed heartily and said, "That's true. Ha ha, if so, I'll take your good words, Junior Brother Fang. I wish you the same success next year, and we can join the Upper Pavilion together."

"Great!"

The two clapped their hands in agreement, completely ignoring Tang Gu, as if they were already members of the Supreme Autumn Wind Pavilion, congratulating each other.

Seeing this, Tang Gu's expression became even calmer. He closed his eyes to rest, completely ignoring their conversation, waiting for the final decisive moment to arrive.

Finally, the sunlight shifted, and the bell rang again, signaling the arrival of the first hour of the day.

A flash of blue light appeared, and the weakened figure of an Inner Courtyard elder floated to the stage, announcing loudly, "The ranking battle for the top three begins. The first match: Tang Gu versus Fang Jingshuo!"

"Boom!"

The entire audience, who had been waiting all morning, erupted in excitement. On the other side, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo, dressed in purple, straightened his sleeves and stood up.

He adjusted his clothing and then smiled faintly at "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu. "I'll go first. Brother Ye, please wait. I'll deal with this character in ten moves and then come back to have tea with you."

Hearing this, "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu's eyes flickered, and he smiled. "Good, go ahead!"

With a long laugh, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo turned and, like a great roc, soared up with a whoosh, appearing on the final stage in a flash of purple light, looking extremely graceful and ethereal.

"It's the Purple Roc Technique! Senior Brother Fang's cultivation has improved!"

The audience below was in an uproar. Even "Snake Hand" Ye Guyu, sitting on the bamboo chair, couldn't help but show a hint of admiration and wariness in his eyes.

"The Purple Roc Technique?"

Seeing this, Tang Gu slowly stood up and walked step by step up the stairs to the stage. His demeanor caused the audience to burst into laughter.

Even "Ice Maiden" Li Youxue and "Blazing Sun Fist" Yan Shan, who were watching from the crowd, couldn't help but shake their heads, feeling disappointed.

"Paper Scholar" Xiao Qingbi, who usually had little interaction with Tang Gu, turned away, unwilling to watch. "Boring, overestimating himself!"

In the back of the crowd, two figures hid behind the other Inner Courtyard disciples, silently watching Tang Gu on the stage, their eyes filled with venomous hatred.

If looks could kill, Tang Gu would have been torn to shreds and left with nothing.

These two were none other than "Iron Sword" Du Pengfei and "Silver Sword" Du Zhongjing, who had disappeared after their defeat a few days ago.

Since learning that Tang Gu would face "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo today, they had quietly returned to watch the spectacle.

Amidst the attention of the crowd, Tang Gu finally walked slowly to the stage. On the other side, "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo, who had been waiting impatiently and was almost fuming, sneered and, without waiting for the elder to announce the start, strode toward Tang Gu.

"Boy, I will make you pay double for the pain you inflicted on my cousin Du. Today, I will make you walk onto the stage and crawl off it!"

With that, he didn't waste any more words. His foot stomped, and with a "bang," the entire stage shook violently, as if an earthquake had occurred, almost splitting it apart, and dust flew up.

A powerful and overwhelming aura suddenly rose from "Thunder King" Fang Jingshuo!

"Rattling Thunder Fist!"

With a loud shout, he punched out. Midway through the punch, his right sleeve shattered, revealing a bronze arm glowing with intense purple light, surrounded by lightning.

The stage was momentarily spectacular, with thunder and lightning flashing continuously, and the sound of snakes hissing could be heard faintly.

Blue light flashed, and purple lightning streaked across the sky. A powerful and terrifying snake hiss sound wave rushed toward the ears of everyone in the audience. Many couldn't withstand it and fell to their knees on the spot.

The weaker ones had blood trickling from their ears, their faces pale. Several disciples with weaker constitutions were in such pain that they rolled on the ground.

"Not good, it's a high-level second-grade fist technique!"

On the stage, the elder in blue also changed his expression. In a hurry, he waved his sleeve, and four white light barriers flew out, forming a giant cage around the stage, like a mirror, slowly dissipating the sound wave.

Outside the light barriers, all the Inner Courtyard disciples stood up again, their faces pale. Even with the barriers, they instinctively took several steps back, still feeling the aftereffects.

Only when they felt safer did they dare to look back at the center of the light barriers. In just a moment, the situation on the stage had changed, and Tang Gu seemed to be at a disadvantage.

**PS: Third update, please give 1 recommendation.**

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