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Xunuo pondered for a moment and decided not to speak further with Guo Shujiang. Instead, he made his way directly to the Arena at the Training Ground. Upon reaching the Arena, Xunuo cupped his hands and addressed the disciples below, saying, "Lu Zaisheng requests an audience with the Sect Leader."
Xunuo deliberately raised his voice so that it could be heard on stage. Sure enough, a calm voice from Ximen Tower echoed from above, "Come up."
Xunuo ascended the steps to the Arena.
Seeing that the Sect Leader and several Hall Masters and Vice Hall Masters were present, he approached each of them to pay his respects before speaking. "I have a request, and I hope the Sect Leader will grant it."
Ximen Tower smiled slightly and replied, "Speak your mind."
Xunuo declared proudly, "I have come solely to claim victory. Now that I have entered the Inner Sect, if I continue to fight in the usual manner, my strength may inadvertently harm my opponents. Even injuring them severely would be inappropriate. Therefore, I ask for permission to challenge all the Newly Admitted Inner Sect Disciples. If no one can defeat me, then I shall consider myself victorious. If anyone can last ten exchanges with me, I will accept that as my defeat."
His words resonated from his Dantian, filling the entire arena. The New Disciples below listened and immediately some of them scoffed.
Ximen Tower looked at Xunuo in surprise, then glanced at his fellow disciples beside him. Seeing their stunned expressions and silence, he thought to himself: It seems they have tacitly accepted this challenge. I am curious to see how this disciple intends to defy expectations. He then said, "Since none of the Hall Masters have any objections, we shall make an exception. It is granted."
As soon as these words were spoken, a dozen disciples who ranked on the leaderboard stepped forward.
Xunuo stood in the center of the Arena with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing calmly at the distant mountains.
The crowd below buzzed for a moment before a burly man jumped onto the stage. Xunuo recognized him as the third-ranked disciple on the leaderboard.
After considering for a moment, Xunuo walked over to the disciple who was beating the drum and said, "May I borrow your padded armor for a moment?"
In the chilly spring, a strong wind swept across the arena. The disciple beating the drum had put on a cotton armor over his white robe to keep warm. Confused but hesitant to question it, he quickly set down his drumsticks and handed the cotton armor to Xunuo.
Xunuo tossed the cotton armor aside, wrapping it around his hand, and addressed his opponent who had just jumped onto the stage, "Please."
This opponent also practiced Tongbi Fist and was quite robust. Although he had heard of Xunuo's fearsome reputation, he mostly dismissed it. Seeing Xunuo speak arrogantly today, he thought to teach him a lesson. Without hesitation, he shouted and launched a dual-fisted attack, aiming straight for Xunuo.
Xunuo did not block or evade; instead, he met the incoming fists with lightning speed. He struck first, landing a punch squarely on his opponent's chest. The man fell like a kite with its string cut, crashing down onto the arena. He rolled over and tried to push himself up with one hand but instead coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Xunuo loosened the cotton armor wrapped around his hand and tossed it back to the drumming disciple, then stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.
The drumming disciple was already dumbfounded. It wasn't until the cotton armor landed on his head that he snapped back to reality and hurriedly struck the victory drum.
Once the drumbeats ceased, a disciple in charge of hosting the match approached the edge of the arena to call for the next challenger. However, as soon as he stepped forward, he hesitated and returned.
Ximen Tower asked, "Why is no one challenging?"
The disciple nodded and then shook his head. "To be precise, there is no one left."
It turned out that Xunuo's single punch had knocked down the disciple ranked third on the leaderboard. The other disciples below were well aware of their own capabilities. Those ranked at the top were not significantly different in skill level.
The top two contenders realized that if they went up against Xunuo, they would likely be taken down with just a punch or kick. They quickly dismissed any thoughts of embarrassing themselves. When they saw Xunuo throw away the cotton armor again, it was clear he intended to hold nothing back against whoever came next. So they turned around and left. Seeing that even those ranked at the top dared not act recklessly, the remaining disciples naturally dispersed in a hurry.
Tian Feiyu laughed heartily while slapping the table, unable to contain himself. Ximen Tower couldn't help but join in the laughter as well; Xunuo's punch had shattered everyone's ambitions for victory.
Azure Wind had long been eyeing Xunuo and recently exchanged some unpleasant words with Tian Feiyu. Now seeing Tian Feiyu's smug expression, Azure Wind pointed at him and remarked, "How come you're acting just like Gao Weiji? You show no restraint as an elder at all."
Gao Weiji couldn't help but laugh at the scene before him. However, upon hearing Azure Wind's words, he felt a bit displeased and retorted, "Don't drag me into your petty squabbles."
It turned out that Gao Weiji was quite protective of his own. There was an occasion when the Outer Sect Disciples were sparring, and one of his disciples won impressively. He jumped up in excitement, causing confusion among the other disciples. Even his victorious disciple turned beet red from embarrassment.
Ximen Tower noticed that several of his junior brothers were bickering with in front of. He cleared his throat and said, "Since no one else is challenging, this year's first place belongs to you. The remaining matches will only determine second place."
Xunuo quickly interjected, "I have a request, Master. Please allow me to bring it up now."
Ximen Tower replied, "The champion can make a request every year; it doesn't matter when you say it."
Xunuo spoke earnestly, "With our Senior Brother absent from the mountain, it has caused many inconveniences for Seven Star Sword Hall. I ask the Master to lift the punishment on Senior Brother Zhang Shoufeng."
Ximen Tower clapped his hands and said, "It's commendable that you think of your fellow disciples. I will certainly grant your request. I will send someone to call Zhang Shoufeng up now."
Xunuo replied, "Thank you, Master. I should go personally for this matter."
Ximen Tower laughed heartily and said, "Very well, off you go then. Don't delay down the mountain."
Xunuo acknowledged and left the Arena.
When Xunuo arrived at the spring at the foot of the mountain, he saw Zhang Shoufeng stretching on a patch of grass. Xunuo approached and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Junior Brother, please accompany Senior Brother back to the mountain."
Zhang Shoufeng asked in confusion, "Isn't the Outer Sect Competition supposed to end tonight?"
Xunuo chuckled and replied, "I rushed ahead and secured first place. The others are still fighting for second."
Zhang Shoufeng was utterly confused. "Explain yourself clearly. The final decision can only determine the first place; how can you run ahead?"
Xunuo recounted what had just happened, and upon hearing it, Zhang Shoufeng burst into laughter. He pointed at Xunuo and said, "Junior brother, you always manage to stir things up, but it's quite impressive. You really bring honor to our Seven Star Sword Hall."
With no more worries, Zhang Shoufeng took Xunuo's hand, and they ascended the mountain together.
The Outer Sect Competition had finally come to a conclusion, and both Xunuo and Guo Shujiang were satisfied. Guo Shujiang entered the Divine Mechanism Hall, which aligned perfectly with his goals. After all, the Divine Mechanism Hall had a wide variety of martial arts equipment, ensuring he could find something suitable for himself. Unlike the Seven Star Sword Hall or the Divine Blade Hall, which focused solely on one style, if one couldn't break through, there were no other options.
As for Xunuo, although he no longer worried about establishing himself in the Wuhua Sect, he had gained some notoriety. This fame had brought him more troubles; he didn't even dare to step down the mountain anymore, truly a case of gains and losses.
Now that Xunuo had some free time, he planned to think carefully about his future path. However, news soon spread that the Seven Star Sword Hall would hold a formal apprenticeship ceremony. Tian Feiyu would officially take Xunuo as his disciple since previously he had only been a nominal student. This event was not delayed; it took place the day after the Outer Sect Competition in the main hall of the Seven Star Sword Hall.
Xunuo arrived early and saw five chairs set up at the front of the hall, with another row of over ten chairs behind them and an altar in front. Dozens of second-generation disciples from the Wuhua Sect stood on either side, including several of his senior brothers. Leading on one side was Zhang Shoufeng, the eldest disciple of the Seven Star Sword Hall, and on the other side stood Liu Yunfei, a closed-door disciple from Ximen Tower.
Hastily, Xunuo took his place beside Bi Changjian. Seeing such a grand setup, he asked his senior brother, "Is the apprenticeship ceremony in Wuhua Sect always this grand? Was it like this for you back then?"
Bi Changjian shot Xunuo a glance and replied, "We didn't have your kind of prestige. It was just our master and a few senior brothers present; we simply went up to bow our heads."
Someone beside Xunuo chuckled and said, "Bi Shidi is right; when I first came here, I thought we were going to worship our ancestors."
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