Chapter 29

"Master, you’re joking. Just now, I didn’t control my strength well and accidentally injured Junior Brother Ma Yuan. How could I have done it on purpose? Junior Brother Ma, are you okay?"

Ma Yuan’s teeth were already clenched so hard they were making a 'cracking' sound, and his eyes were almost spitting fire. Although Zhuang Tong was asking about his injuries, there was not a hint of regret in his tone, but rather a full sense of regret, as if he was lamenting that this kick couldn’t completely cripple him.

"Do I have any injuries or not, isn’t it clear in your heart, Zhuang Tong? I should thank you for holding back!"

Zhuang Tong’s eyes flickered, and he laughed reassuringly, "It’s good that you’re fine, Junior Brother! Otherwise, I, your senior brother, would feel guilty. Later, you can go to my steward and collect ten taels of silver. Just say I instructed it, and it’s for your medicine to heal your injuries. Do you know the way?"

Upon hearing this, not only Ma Yuan, but even Lin Han’s face turned green with anger.

Zhuang Wudao watched coldly from the side, his mind gradually calming down. He asked with a complex tone, "Do you know that the Green Robe Hall led by Shi Hu was already gone two days ago?"

Zhuang Tong raised an eyebrow, recalling that he indeed hadn’t seen many people from the Green Robe Hall in the past two days. But what could this have to do with the current situation?

Unable to figure it out, Zhuang Tong asked curiously, "The Green Robe Hall is gone? I’m not clear about it. It’s not much related to me; we only have a slight acquaintance. By the way, Senior Brother, you have been dominating Yuhua Street since you started. With the Green Robe Hall gone, isn’t this a great opportunity for you to rise?"

Zhuang Wudao sighed inwardly. Not everyone could be as well-informed as Beiting Wan'er.

Not only did he know that the Green Robe Hall had been destroyed, but Qin Feng had already established the Sword Robe Hall. He also knew that Shi Hu and Hu Tao, four people at the Bone Marrow Stage, had died at his hands.

Zhuang Wudao believed that if Zhuang Tong had known this earlier, he would certainly have thought thrice before acting today. Whether Wei Que had the courage to favor him was also questionable!

Shaking his head, Zhuang Wudao thought, how many 'ifs' are there in this world? Even if he had already dealt a heavy blow to Ma Yuan, touching his bottom line, from then on, they would be mortal enemies, and there was no need to show any mercy!

"Enough! I’ve noted today’s incident. Junior Brother, take care of yourself. I hope you won’t regret it in the future."

He didn’t want to say another word and directly helped Ma Yuan up, leading him to the outer courtyard. Although Ma Yuan’s injuries weren’t severe, his internal organs were shaken, and he couldn’t avoid a buildup of qi and blood. The academy had a dedicated physician, whose medical skills were not outstanding but was skilled in treating injuries. After taking the medicine, he might still be able to catch up with the ranking competition from ninth to sixteenth.

Zhuang Tong laughed loudly, thinking that Zhuang Wudao’s words were just formalities to maintain his own dignity and didn’t take them to heart.

Three months ago, when they fought, although he lost within fifty moves, the gap between them wasn’t significant. He truly lost due to a lack of combat experience and proficiency in leg techniques. He couldn’t compare to Zhuang Wudao, who had been rolling in the field of combat for years, with his boxing skills honed through countless life-and-death battles.

Now, he asked himself, his strength had already surpassed Zhuang Wudao by a notch. Even if he couldn’t win, he could at least maintain a draw!

This time, Ma Yuan was lucky to have an inner armor, suffering only minor injuries, which wouldn’t affect Zhuang Wudao’s state of mind. However, it didn’t matter; he was not afraid of a fair fight!

By the time Zhuang Wudao returned after settling Ma Yuan, the results of the sixteen-to-eight competition had already been decided. Zhuang Tong naturally won first, and in the end, Lin Han barely won his opponent with the Wind-Sweeping Sword, pulling down a Senior Brother ranked seventh to advance to the top eight.

However, by this time, Lin Han was almost exhausted. The Wind-Sweeping Sword was extremely fast and powerful, often disregarding form when used. It could challenge higher-ranked martial artists, but it consumed a lot of energy. If he couldn’t defeat his opponent quickly, he would tire himself out!

This battle had almost drained Lin Han’s energy. Even after taking earth marrow, which extended his qi and blood, Zhuang Wudao still didn’t have much hope for him.

However, at this point, Zhuang Wudao had no time to watch the match. He also needed to enter the top eight competition.

His opponent was a black and sturdy man named Wang Fang. At nineteen, he had been the top student in the academy after Yan Jun left, but in recent years, he had been pushed down to third place by Zhuang Wudao and Zhuang Tong. Although he had yet to break through to the Qi Condensation Stage, his Wind-Returning Palm was the best among the three hundred students in the academy.

However, when the instructor responsible for refereeing threw the silk handkerchief, Wang Fang didn’t move but sighed, "That guy is really cunning! Is he preparing to let the two of us fight to the death so he can benefit from it?"

Zhuang Wudao smiled, the match schedule was determined by Li Xiangnan. Since he had already made it clear that he was supporting Zhuang Tong, their encounter was inevitable. Wang Fang, with sixteen years of martial arts practice, had a powerful force and, as the third-ranked student, could drain some of his energy.

"He has made significant progress in the past few months. However, he is not a true martial artist at heart, fearing defeat and having the habits of a wealthy family. Without using some tactics, he would still worry about losing to me."

Seeing Wang Fang nod in understanding, Zhuang Wudao added solemnly, "Wang Brother’s Wind-Returning Palm is known for its versatility. After three months, I see that your qi and blood have reached the peak, and you are about to advance. Your Wind-Returning Palm must have made significant progress. We don’t often have the chance to fight, and it’s uncertain if we will have another opportunity to spar. I cherish this match today!"

Wang Fang shook his head freely, "I won’t fight you! I’m not your match