I Want to Take Senior Brother Bai's Surname

The timeline jumps back to the previous day.

In the disciples' confinement rooms on the back mountain.

A deacon stopped before the third stone chamber and pressed a mechanism to open the door.

Light spilled into the stone chamber. In the very center, a youth sat cross-legged on a futon, his eyes closed, his lips deliberately pursed, and his nose slightly flared.

“Yu Wuyong, your confinement has ended. Make sure you do not make the same mistake next time.”

Yu Wuyong did not respond.

He slowly opened his eyes, pinched his fingers to calculate, and said, “No. The tribulations of I, Wuyong, still require seven days to reach great perfection.”

“...”

The deacon smiled gently and said, “You behaved well, so you are being released early.”

“Hm? Could it be that my sincerity has touched Yujing?!”

“...” The deacon took a deep breath, maintaining his gentle smile. “Come with me first. Elder Yu is waiting for you outside.”

Hearing that name, Yu Wuyong shuddered.

Senior Brother Bai would not fear anyone... Senior Brother Bai would not fear anyone... He repeated this in his heart, his emotions gradually settling. Rising calmly, he said, “Very well. Let us go.”

The two of them walked through a narrow stone passage, climbed the stairs, and stepped through a door. The view before them suddenly opened up.

It was an antique stone hall. The decor carried a unique charm, bringing a sense of peace to anyone who saw it.

Standing on the red carpet in the center of the stone hall was a tall, elderly man who looked to be in his fifties.

He possessed a naturally imposing appearance and an extremely robust build. A loose Daoist robe was stretched tight across his frame, looking more like a form-fitting martial outfit.

Meeting the elderly man's gaze, Yu Wuyong swallowed hard, completely out of instinct.

He silently chanted in his heart once more, and his calm demeanor returned.

“Father, is it you who wished to see me?”

The veins on Elder Yu's temples throbbed.

Ignoring his rebellious son, he looked at the deacon. “Little Lin, thank you for your hard work these past few days.”

“Ah, Elder Yu, you flatter me.” Deacon Lin bowed and smiled tactfully. “Elder Yu, your esteemed son has been delivered. I shall take my leave now.”

He stepped out of the stone hall, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Once the deacon's footsteps could no longer be heard, Elder Yu immediately barked in anger, “Rebellious whelp! How dare you start a brawl in the dining hall! Do you even know who you are anymore?”

“Who... am I?” Yu Wuyong asked, looking lost.

Seeing this, Elder Yu turned pale with fright. He rushed over to Yu Wuyong and grabbed his shoulders with hands as large as cattail-leaf fans.

“My son! Do not scare your father! Your name is Yu Wuyong!”

“Yu Wuyong?” Yu Wuyong tilted his head slightly, putting on a look of reminiscence. “It has been a long time since anyone called me that. I only remember them calling me... Little Yujing.”

Thud!

Elder Yu retracted his fist expressionlessly. Looking at the rapidly swelling bump on Yu Wuyong's head, he asked, “Are you sober now?”

Yu Wuyong did not make a sound, though his face flushed red and the veins on his neck bulged.

He did his utmost to keep his facial expression from changing. Only when the pain finally subsided did he feel like he had returned to the land of the living.

Father, I, Wuyong, am sober now... Yu Wuyong was about to reply like that, but suddenly felt it sounded too weak. Senior Brother Bai would never speak so submissively. Thus, he changed his words: “Father, I, Wuyong, have never felt so refreshed.”

Elder Yu's fist clenched again. After hesitating over whether to strike him once more, he finally suppressed his rage.

“Rebellious whelp! You do nothing but cause trouble for me! Move! If you dare embarrass me like this again, see if I do not beat you to death!”

“Also, you must secure first place in the promotion assessment's martial competition the day after tomorrow! Otherwise, do not tell anyone you are my son!”

Yu Wuyong said confidently, “Rest easy, Father. Bearing the name of Little Yujing, I, Wuyong, will not suffer defeat. With Senior Brother Bai absent, I am the undisputed number one in the Outer Court.”

“Talk big now, and see if I do not break your legs if you fail to get first place,” Elder Yu said. “I do not object to you imitating Chief Disciple Bai, but look at what you have copied. You have not learned a single one of Chief Disciple Bai's virtues. Have you actually reflected on anything during this month in confinement?”

“Yes. I, Wuyong, have achieved sudden enlightenment.” Yu Wuyong stopped in his tracks, his expression incredibly earnest.

“Oh?” Elder Yu's heart stirred.

As an influential elder of the Disciplinary Hall of the Wanxing Martial Academy, getting Yu Wuyong out of confinement was a simple matter of a single word for Elder Yu.

But seeing the days go by and his only son—whom he had fathered late in life—becoming increasingly strayed, even committing such a profligate act a month ago, he had steeled his heart and let him be locked up, hoping the boy would grow up.

Now, it seemed there was indeed some effect.

In the past, Yu Wuyong had always been immersed in his own world, indifferent to everything else. He had never shown such a serious expression before.

He looked at Yu Wuyong with anticipation.

He watched as the youth took a deep breath, his expression as though he had resolved to make a major life decision. In an incredibly solemn tone, he said, “Father, I want to take Senior Brother Bai's surname.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Yu Wuyong felt as if the surroundings had suddenly plunged into darkness. The father before him grew colossally huge, and the fist he swung was larger than his entire body.

Bam!

His consciousness cut out right then and there.

With a dark face, Elder Yu hoisted Yu Wuyong onto his back and strode outside.

...

On the morning of the following day, Zhuang Xun controlled Yan Pingsheng to arrive at the grand martial arts field to participate in the final phase of the promotion assessment—the martial competition.

After obtaining his match number, he wandered aimlessly through the crowd. Catching sight of Li Zigeng, he walked over to strike up a conversation.

“Zigeng, I did not expect both of us to make it this far. Come to think of it, we have never fought each other before. If we end up matching against each other, make sure you do not hold back.”

“...Right.”

Li Zigeng squeezed out a smile but said nothing else.

Hmm? Seeing the other's odd expression, Zhuang Xun quickly recalled his own words, but there did not seem to be anything wrong with what he had said.

Though puzzled, Zhuang Xun quickly changed the subject, no longer mentioning the martial competition.

After a short while, Li Zigeng also adjusted his mood and chatted idly with Yan Pingsheng until the referee on the martial arts stage called his name, at which point he took his leave.

I didn't say anything wrong just now, did I? Oh well, whatever. Looking at his number, his turn was coming up soon. Zhuang Xun also headed over to wait beneath the martial arts stage where he would soon compete.

“Next match: Yan Pingsheng versus Yu Xiao!”

To think I would run into someone this strong in the very first round. I was hoping to coast my way into the top ten. Cursing his bad luck inwardly, Zhuang Xun stepped onto the stage.

On the other side, the burly, calm-faced Yu Xiao also walked onto the stage.

The two exchanged bows, assumed their stances, and began to probe each other.

But the moment they clashed, Zhuang Xun noticed something was off.

He was incredibly weak.

Yu Xiao also possessed Nine Stones of strength and martial arts at great perfection, making his strength on par with Yan Pingsheng's.

When Zhuang Xun only displayed the level of strength Yan Pingsheng was supposed to have, the two should have been evenly matched, fighting tooth and nail.

But this... Zhuang Xun looked at Yu Xiao, who had been pushed back by a single punch. He held back some of his strength, and after another exchange, he got his answer.

The other party was throwing the match.

Connecting this to Yu Xiao's status as someone funded by the Liang family, Zhuang Xun suddenly understood why Li Zigeng had acted that way earlier.

They must have received orders from Liang Shaohua and Chen Jinzhu to forfeit immediately if they ran into him.

Tsk, isn't this just drawing aggro for me? I could have made it into the top ten on sheer strength alone... Zhuang Xun was utterly speechless.