Ah!

Zheng-Fu's words startled the young woman sitting tensely nearby. She knew he was referring to her because she had constantly interrupted and taunted him.

"I never said you couldn't go! And I never forbade you, so… I… I… I… I don't know anymore!" Qing-Qi stuttered, her embarrassed gaze shifting away as she turned at the end of her sentence.

"Since Elder Sister doesn't mind, after finishing today's maneuver, both of you should come to my clan, all right? This time, I promise our clan will prepare food and liquor to welcome you. Not only that, we'll—"

"No need to go that far, Brother Ye-Liu! I don't want you to make a big deal out of this or cause trouble because of me. I'm just an ordinary outer disciple, not someone worthy of such treatment," Zheng-Fu interrupted hastily. He truly didn't want a grand reception, as it would only make things unnecessarily complicated.

"No! No matter what, we must hold a thank-you party for you! You helped us obtain the Heavenly Level Weapon at the auction, which made our clan even stronger. How can we not repay you? But if the banquet isn't enough, may I introduce my other elder sister to you? She's incredibly beautiful, and—Aaargh!!!"

"Stop right now, Ye-Liu! What are you saying? You know Younger Sister Shui-Qing doesn't like this kind of talk. Are you seriously trying to drag her into this?" Before Ye-Liu could finish, Qing-Qi's hand smacked his head, and she yelled at him in displeasure.

"Come on, Elder Sister! You know that Shui-Qing doesn't have anyone she likes. Besides, she and Younger Brother Zheng-Fu seem like a good match. But why are you the one upset instead of Shui-Qing? Or… are you really have a thing for Younger Brother Zheng-Fu?"

Ye-Liu's words stunned everyone nearby, especially Zheng-Fu and Qing-Qi.

"You bastard!!!"

Whirr!!!

Huh?

"The second round of the maneuvers has already started!?" At that moment, the identification badges of Zheng-Fu and Jiang-Long vibrated. It was the signal for the start of the second round of maneuvers.

Ah!

"That's right! There are two rounds of maneuvers for the outer disciples. So, Brother Zheng-Fu and Brother Jiang-Long, you should return to the outer disciple area. After the maneuvers are over, let's meet at the courtyard in front of the academy entrance!" Ye-Liu suddenly remembered the additional round required for a large number of outer disciples.

"All right! Let's meet after the maneuver is over!" Zheng-Fu agreed before heading back to the outer disciple maneuver arena with Jiang-Long.

"Junior Brother Zheng-Fu, are you really planning to visit the Sky Thunder-Heavenly Star Clan?" Jiang-Long asked as they walked for a while.

"Of course, Senior Brother Jiang-Long! Why? Do you have some problem with the Sky Thunder-Heavenly Star Clan? You look worried," Zheng-Fu asked, noticing Jiang-Long's expression.

"No, not at all! They've never had any issues with me. I'm just… a little concerned," Jiang-Long replied hesitantly. He wasn't facing any direct problems; he simply felt uneasy and unsure of what to expect.

Ah!

"Come on, Senior Brother, you can go with me. You don't need to worry," Zheng-Fu said reassuringly. The two soon arrived at the outer disciple maneuver arena.

By now, only five thousand outer disciples had qualified for the second round, most of them advanced Heavenly Root stage cultivators. Zheng-Fu's first opponent was the two-hundredth-ranked outer disciple.

"We'll have to split up here since we're in different arenas. Let's meet at the agreed meeting point after the maneuvers are over!" Since the battle arenas for the two were different, Zheng-Fu bid farewell to the young man and arranged to meet again after the second round of the competition.

"All right!"

At maneuver arena number ten…

"Outer Disciple Zheng-Fu and Outer Disciple Kong-Ming, enter the arena!" the referee announced loudly, signaling the start of the first match.

Flap!!! Flap!!!

"So, you're the one who defeated Guang-Hong? Hmm! From what I see, you don't seem very skilled. Or did you beat Guang-Hong by paying him off?" Zheng-Fu's opponent, a tall, slender, and good-looking young man, sneered as he stepped into the arena. His words dripped with insult, clearly doubting Zheng-Fu's capability to defeat the thirteenth-ranked outer disciple.

"I don't know. If you think I did it, then I did it," Zheng-Fu replied indifferently, shrugging off the insult.

Huh!

"You're good at talking! Let's see if your skills are as sharp as your words!"

[Sky Gliding Saber Stance Skill]

Zing!!!!

As the young man initiated his attack stance, a Qi saber materialized. This skill was only a low-level Legendary Skill, and its power was far inferior to Guang-Hong's stance skill. It could be said that Zheng-Fu hardly needed to exert himself to defeat this opponent.

"That's not a bad saber stance. But if this is your best attack, let me tell you—you can't defeat me!" Zheng-Fu said confidently, showing no fear or concern for the attack.

Tch!!

"Stop talking so much and face my attack first!"

Yaah!!!

Zing!!! Zing!!!

Huh!!

[Moonlight Dragon Sword Skill]

Rooaar!!!

Boooooooom!!!

As Zheng-Fu activated his Moonlight Dragon Sword Skill, the energy wave it produced pushed back the young man's Qi saber. The saber exploded and disappeared in a burst of light and sound.

"No, this can't be true! How could this happen? I don't believe it! That was my strongest stance! Even an initial Heavenly Foundation Building stage cultivator couldn't resist it—so how did you…?"

"I'm sorry I destroyed your Qi saber, but it was too weak and unstable. So, defeating it—and you—wasn't difficult for me!" Zheng-Fu replied calmly.

Yaah!!!

Flop!!!

Argh!!!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After speaking, Zheng-Fu rushed forward and delivered a powerful punch to the young man's stomach. The blow sent the young man flying backward, coughing blood. Exhausted and defeated, he collapsed onto the floor.

"The winner is Outer Disciple Zheng-Fu!"

The referee announced the result as soon as the battle concluded.

"That he could beat a thirteenth-ranked outer disciple like Guang-Hong isn't something to dismiss lightly. Who started those rumors about him paying off opponents?"

"Damn it! Do I really have to face this guy in the next round?"

"In this maneuver arena number ten, aside from that guy ranked two hundredth, I was only worried about the one ranked one hundred thirtieth and the fifty-eighth. But now, there's him too. How am I supposed to pass this round?"

The outer disciples in maneuver arena number ten began murmuring complaints. Initially, many believed qualifying for the next round would be easy, but Zheng-Fu's performance made them realize their chances had significantly diminished.

Not far from maneuver arena number ten, under a large tree...

"Is that the guy who defeated the thirteenth-ranked disciple, Guang-Hong? His abilities aren't bad at all. From what I've seen, he hasn't even used half of his energy," a muscular, bulky young man observed after watching Zheng-Fu's battle. This man was one of the top ten outer disciples and was known as the mightiest fortress in the outer disciple section.

"Pao-Gui, aren't you overestimating him? Even if he beat that fool Guang-Hong, it doesn't mean he can defeat us. The top ten outer disciples aren't pushovers. Even a single rank difference in the top ten means a significant gap in talent," said another young man, who was also among the top ten disciples.

"Hiu-Lin, it's better not to underestimate him. From what I've seen, even you might lose to him. We don't yet know the extent of his abilities, so we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I hope either you or I get to face him in the next round to truly gauge his talent," Pao-Gui replied, cautioning his companion.

Huh!

"I don't care how strong he is. If we fight, he'll lose to me!" Hiu-Lin said with a smug expression. He was confident in his strength, being at the third level of the Heavenly Foundation Building stage and capable of defeating opponents two levels above him. He saw no reason to fear Zheng-Fu.

Hmm!

"If you're so confident, I have nothing more to say. Now it's my turn to start my maneuver. The two of us might meet in the next round, so don't lose before then!" Pao-Gui remarked, shaking his head at Hiu-Lin's overconfidence.

Ha ha ha!

"Of course, we'll meet. In this second round, besides me, only Miss Jin-Xiang-Li is ranked in the top ten. And I don't plan on losing to her!"

"Then good luck!"

With that, the two young men parted ways, returning to their respective maneuver arenas. However, it wasn't just Pao-Gui and Hiu-Lin watching Zheng-Fu. In other corners of the area, several young men and women—also ranked in the top ten of the outer disciples—kept their eyes on Zheng-Fu's maneuvers, intrigued by his performance.

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