"Since That Is the Case... This Official Will Still Bet on His Opponent to Win!"

Even the surrounding Mei Courtyard disciples noticed the anomaly.

Shen Xiuhan did not back down. Brushing past the crowd in front of him, he walked up to Luo Qiance and said calmly, "What is your guidance, sir?"

Luo Qiance's smile did not fade. He sized Shen Xiuhan up and spoke in a slow, unhurried manner, "Shen Xiuhan... I have heard of you. Your talent is indeed decent, but take a word of advice from me..."

The smile faded from Luo Qiance's face, replaced by a blunt, indifferent tone. "Do not meddle in muddy waters. There are some people and some things that you cannot afford to get involved in. Otherwise... no one will be able to protect you."

As his voice fell, the air seemed to freeze. The surrounding crowd held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Shen Xiuhan stared at his calm and composed expression. After a brief silence, a rebellious smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Whether I can wade through these waters is not something a few words from you can decide."

He raised his eyes to meet Luo Qiance's gaze, a battle intent gradually surging in his eyes. "If you have the ability... use your fists to convince me!"

Luo Qiance's expression froze, and the corner of his eye twitched slightly. He then stood up straight and dusted his fine silk robes.

"...Very well."

He gave Shen Xiuhan a deep look, then turned and walked away.

"See you on the stage."

...

On the spectator stand.

Zhao Zheng clapped and laughed heartily, his voice shaking the surroundings. "County Magistrate Luo, thank you for letting me win! I've won this round."

"...Congratulations, Colonel," Luo Changming's lips twitched as he forced a laugh, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "Regarding what was agreed upon earlier, this official will write a letter to arrange everything for the Colonel..."

"Eh!" Zhao Zheng waved his hand grandly, interrupting him. A hint of cunning flashed in his eyes. "Do not be in such a hurry, County Magistrate. Since the tournament is not yet over, why don't you and I place another bet?"

Hearing this, Luo Changming's gray brows furrowed slightly, and he grew wary. "What does the Colonel wish to bet on this time?"

Zhao Zheng leaned forward, his tone sounding somewhat helpless. "It is still about my second son. He has a flighty personality and cannot bear the hardships of the military. I wonder if the County Magistrate has any connections to get my worthless son into the inner sect of the Raging Sea Sect?"

"The inner sect?" Luo Changming's expression changed slightly. He raised his hand to refuse immediately, his tone resolute. "The Colonel must be joking! The Raging Sea Sect is a great sect of the Southern Sea. It has been established for hundreds of years and has strict rules. Inner sect disciples must possess extraordinary constitutions and go through layers of selection. This official is merely a magistrate of a county. How could I have such immense influence?"

Before he could finish, he saw Zhao Zheng hold up three fingers.

"Colonel... what does this mean?" Luo Changming asked in confusion.

"Three people, three years." Zhao Zheng said word by word, "If the County Magistrate wins, I am willing to select three youths from the Luo family to join my Zhenyue Camp. In three years, I will return three Anjin Rank experts to you!"

"Siss!" Hearing this, even Bai Qingcang, who was sitting to the side, could not help but look over, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Three years! Three Anjin Rank experts!

As expected of the Longxiang Army, this offer was truly shockingly generous!

In a place like Changyun County, a single Anjin Rank expert could prop up an entire elite family! When Huajin Rank experts rarely took action, Anjin Rank experts were the pillars of support. Having an extra Anjin Rank expert meant having more of a voice and greater deterrence.

Even for a family as powerful as the Luo family, excluding guest retainers, there were currently only four Anjin Rank martial artists with the Luo surname, and one of them was already elderly with declining blood qi.

Luo Changming's eyes flickered, clearly caught in a struggle.

Seeing him waver, Zhao Zheng sneered inwardly and decisively added fuel to the fire, "Since this Colonel arrived in Changyun, the provisions and barracks of my soldiers have all been provided with the County Magistrate's assistance. I have kept all of this in mind. Therefore... even if the County Magistrate loses this round, I am still willing to take one youth from the Luo family into the military to train him. I will never break my promise!"

Even if he lost, there was a guarantee! This was a guaranteed win-win transaction. Luo Changming was completely tempted.

Right at this moment, a Luo family manager quickly stepped onto the stand and whispered a few words into Luo Changming's ear.

Hearing this, Luo Changming's tense face instantly broke into a smile.

"Bam!" He slapped the table, causing the teacup to jump half an inch and splash tea out. "Good! Since the Colonel is in high spirits, this official will accompany you to the end. However, for this round... has the Colonel decided on whom to bet?"

"I still bet on Shen Xiuhan!" Zhao Zheng laughed heartily without hesitation.

Hearing this, the weight in Luo Changming's heart finally lifted.

As for losing? With Luo Qiance taking action, he really could not think of any Mingjin Rank martial artist in this place who could defeat him.

Luo Changming picked up his teacup, using the lid to hide his smile, and said, "Since that is the case... this official will still bet on his opponent to win!"

...

At the same time, below the arena for the Anjin Rank group, the crowd was similarly packed like a wall of water.

Shen Xiuhan squeezed to the front of the stage with a group of Mei Courtyard disciples, looking up to watch the battle.

On the stage before them, waves of air rolled and fierce winds howled.

Clad in tight-fitting practice robes, Jiang Qinghong was engaged in a fierce battle with a white-robed youth. Their fists and feet collided as fast as lightning.

The gray-robed youth was slender and had a cold expression; he was none other than Wang Xuanyang.

Both had already broken through to the Anjin Rank. The speed and destructive power of their exchange far exceeded those of the Mingjin Rank.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Fists and feet clashed, accompanied by the sharp, sonic booms of released force, sounding like muffled thunder.

Under their crisscrossing afterimages, wood chips flew from the hard red-pine stage, which was covered in shallow footprints and craters, drawing bursts of exclamations from the spectating commoners.

"What fast fists!"

"The son of the Zhendong General indeed lives up to his reputation!"

"That Jiang Qinghong from the Mei Courtyard isn't weak either. Her moves are incredibly fierce!"

However, what seemed to be an evenly matched battle to outsiders was a completely different story in Shen Xiuhan's eyes.

He could see very clearly that Jiang Qinghong's defeat was only a matter of a hundred moves.

Wang Xuanyang had broken through to the Anjin Rank two years ago. Now, he had already opened three of his nine acupoints. His foundation was extremely solid, and he was not far from the mid-stage Anjin Rank.

Every one of his moves was as steady as a mountain, and his force was continuous like a surging river, showing no signs of depletion.

On the other hand, although Jiang Qinghong's moves were fierce and aggressive, she had only recently entered the Anjin Rank, and her force was far from as deep and long-lasting as his.

Wang Xuanyang seemed to be retreating step by step, but he was actually advancing and retreating with measured precision, wearing down her strength like boiling a frog in warm water. After dozens of more moves, it would be time for his counterattack.

Therefore, Shen Xiuhan focused his mind on the unread intelligence.

【Intelligence 2: Luo Qiance, Great Perfection of the Mingjin Rank. Mentored by Xiahou Zun, an elder of the Raging Sea Sect of the Southern Sea. Practices the Raging Sea Raging Billows Art, a low-tier technique of the Raging Sea Sect's Divine Ability technique, the Mystic Dark Ice Fiend Sea-Overturning Scripture. Great Accomplishment of the Nine-Fold Raging Tide, Great Accomplishment of the Entangling Silk Soft Cloud Hand, Great Accomplishment of the Misty Rain Blade...】

Shen Xiuhan's pupils contracted slightly, and a massive wave of shock surged in his heart.