The Su and Liu Family Heads standing beside her didn't hear Li Cangyun's voice. They were too busy laughing and teasing her.

"Sister Li, the reinforcement you've invited is certainly confident, actually wanting to fight in a gauntlet match!"

"It's good for a young person to be confident, but overconfidence becomes arrogance. The reinforcement you've brought is just an arrogant brat!"

Hearing their words, Li Cangyun furrowed her brow slightly and looked up at Chen Zheng, as if asking for his thoughts.

Chen Zheng simply smiled and nodded at her, his eyes showing no hint of retreat, only immense confidence.

"Are you... certain you want to fight a gauntlet match?" she asked.

Chen Zheng nodded. "Of course, I'm certain!"

Li Cangyun narrowed her eyes, her gaze fixed on Chen Zheng as if trying to discern the source of his incredible confidence. But to her frustration, she couldn't see anything, and his expression remained steadfast.

She exhaled slowly. "Fine. We'll do as you say. A gauntlet match it is!"

As soon as she said this, everyone present was stunned. The entire square fell silent.

"Sister Li, isn't this going a bit too far?" the Liu Family Head asked, shaking his head helplessly. The Li Family had lost the Grand Competition for two years straight and was desperate to reclaim their honor this year. But he never expected the Li Family Head to be as extreme as their hired reinforcement, actually agreeing to a gauntlet match!

The Su Family Head snorted. "Sister Li, you've really got some nerve!"

Li Cangyun paid them no mind, standing proudly with her head held high.

"Sister, are you out of your mind?!" Li Cangmu roared angrily. "Do you have any idea what kind of losses our Li Family will suffer because of this?"

Although he couldn't beat Chen Zheng, and even he didn't know how strong Chen Zheng truly was, Li Cangmu still acted tough. It was a laughable display, considering even a junior from the other two families could likely send him flying with a single punch.

"I have already made my decision!" Li Cangyun said coldly.

"Your decision?! This is *your* decision?!" Li Cangmu yelled. "Our parents never should have let you become the Family Head! One day, the Li Family will be ruined by your decisions!"

Hearing this, Li Cangyun couldn't help but laugh. "If we lose this match, how about you take over as Family Head? Do you dare? With your strength, you can't even beat a junior. Do you really dare to sit in my seat?"

At her words, Li Cangmu was rendered speechless. Although he acted arrogantly within the family, for a family that passed down traditional martial arts, personal strength was everything. No matter how much of a fuss he made, he could not change that fact.

But the others didn't see it that way. Hearing Li Cangyun's words, everyone was taken aback.

Was she really that confident?! She even dared to wager her position as Family Head?!

All eyes in the crowd couldn't help but turn to Chen Zheng, wanting to see just how strong this man really was. But they saw nothing. They just thought he was a bit handsome, that's all.

"Brother Liu, since Sister Li is so confident, let's get started!" A spark of excitement flashed in the Su Family Head's eyes.

The Liu Family Head, however, looked at Li Cangyun with confusion. "Sister Li, this..."

Li Cangyun simply waved her hand, saying nothing more. The Liu Family Head could only let out a sigh and turn to Liu Maoshan beside him. "Go on!"

"Yes!" Liu Maoshan nodded and walked straight to the arena.

Su Baiyu sneered at Chen Zheng. "You might actually have some strength, but you're too arrogant, choosing a gauntlet match!"

Chen Zheng didn't even bother to glance at him. He just nodded toward Li Cangyun. "Thanks for giving me the chance to earn an extra service fee. Don't worry, I'm a greedy man. I'll definitely win."

Li Cangyun nodded slightly. Though she remained silent, the beads of sweat on her forehead betrayed her nervousness.

Chen Zheng turned to face the two men on the stage.

"Baguazhang, Liu Maoshan!" Liu Maoshan said, cupping his fist in a salute.

"Tai Chi, Chen Zheng!" Chen Zheng returned the gesture.

Liu Maoshan then spoke. "Brother Chen, the attack patterns of my Baguazhang are extremely tricky. Please be careful. But since this concerns my family's honor, I won't be holding back!"

Hearing this, Chen Zheng smiled and nodded.

This guy from the Liu Family seems a bit simple-minded. First, his Family Head, like some kindly old man, kept advising Li Cangyun to reconsider. Now Liu Maoshan himself is giving me a warning... Genuinely straightforward people like this are a rare sight in modern society.

"Enough with the pointless chatter! Why don't you go first? It doesn't matter. I'm going to be the last one standing today anyway. You'll both be my defeated opponents!" Su Baiyu jeered.

Su Baiyu might have a nasty personality, but he seems a bit simple-minded too. Modern people are all smiling tigers, hiding daggers behind their smiles. But these people from traditional martial arts families... it's like they've put all their brainpower into training, leaving them without any guile.

At that moment, the elder from before stepped onto the arena again. "Now, the Grand Competition officially begins!"

Instantly, the square quieted down once more. Everyone was eager to see what kind of strength Chen Zheng possessed that made him so confident as to choose a gauntlet match.

Su Baiyu and Liu Maoshan both assumed ready stances. Their opening forms were quite similar, yet there were subtle differences.

"Let's go!" Su Baiyu bellowed, forcefully pushing off the ground as he rushed toward Chen Zheng.

Liu Maoshan moved at the same time, but his path was more intricate, his footwork synchronized with his breathing. The entire square was filled with martial arts practitioners, so they could naturally spot the differences between the two.

Chen Zheng, however, just stood there calmly, not moving an inch as he watched them approach.

"Heh, he doesn't even have a ready stance? Is that supposed to be Tai Chi?"

"Ha! I think the Li Family got scammed by a charlatan. I wonder what dirty tricks he used to make the Li Family Head so confident in him!"

"What a loser. I bet even I could go up there and take him down easily!"

Below the arena, the crowd couldn't help but start murmuring, most of them looking down on Chen Zheng and thinking he was a fraud.

Just then, Su Baiyu arrived in front of Chen Zheng. He twisted his body, his right fist shooting ferociously toward Chen Zheng's face. Bajiquan was just that direct and brutal.

But Chen Zheng had no reaction at all, simply standing there as Su Baiyu's fist flew toward him.

What surprised Su Baiyu, however, was that he felt no impact of hitting a solid body. He quickly looked, only to find his fist was still a short distance from Chen Zheng's face. He hadn't landed the blow at all!

How is this possible…

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