The Ten Heroes Ranking Tournament continued on the second day. With several of the Ten Heroes absent and the Giant Spirit Army imposing martial law across the city, the tumultuous events of the previous night were impossible to conceal, sending a massive shockwave through the entire Yuehai Martial Arts Realm.

Zhou Lie, a True Inheritance disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect, was missing!

Five of the Ten Heroes: two dead, three injured!

And the one responsible for all of this was the biggest dark horse of this year’s Martial Arts Association, Zhao Qi of the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall!

"It’s unbelievable. I thought Zhao Qi was just a dark horse at the Martial Arts Association, but it turns out he’s a ferocious crocodile lurking beneath the surface! We’re talking about five of the Ten Heroes and a True Inheritance disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect!"

"But the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall is completely done for. Weng Xiaolin was arrested, and I heard their entire grounds were razed overnight. I’m afraid the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall will be erased from Yuehai’s history."

"He’s strong, alright, but he’s provoked the Giant Spirit Army. He probably won’t come to a good end. Look at the Southern Heaven Su Family back in the day. Their Doumu Primordial Soul Needle was a unique art in the Southern Martial Arts World, but weren’t they completely slaughtered by the Giant Spirit Army? Now only one successor is left alive, and they’re still being hunted by them."

"I don’t think so. If he’s ruthless enough, he could just hide, slip out of the Giant Spirit Army’s sphere of influence, and be like a dragon returning to the sea. It’s hard to say what he could become then. It all depends on whether he’s heartless enough to abandon his own master."

"..."

Despite the event that shook the entire Yuehai Martial Arts Realm last night, the Martial Arts Association had to proceed as planned. If the Association was postponed because of this incident, the prestige of the organizing committee, formed by the Four Great Sects, would plummet. It would be difficult to rally all the Martial Arts Halls in Yuehai to participate in the Association next time, and the title of the Ten Heroes of the Martial Arts Association would become a complete laughingstock.

Moreover, this Martial Arts Association was not just about the Ten Heroes ranking; it was also related to the matter of consolidating power over the martial arts halls. Therefore, not only did it have to continue, but it had to be done on a grand scale.

In the morning’s ranking matches, the absent Ten Heroes were replaced by lower-ranked Martial Artists to determine the new Ten Heroes. For the afternoon’s Martial Realm conference, the Giant Spirit Sect sent another representative to preside. Because this representative was a last-minute replacement and wasn’t as familiar with the relevant materials as Zhou Lie, the members of the organizing committee took the lead, which really let them have their moment in the spotlight.

In addition, the organizing committee planned a grand banquet, inviting not only Martial Artists from the various Martial Arts Halls but also many of Guangdong’s socialites and elites, all to showcase the local influence of the Four Great Sects.

Time flew, and night soon fell.

After the day’s agenda concluded, Xu Guitang, the Hall Master of the Taihe Tiger Form Boxing Hall, kept five of his strongest True Inheritance disciples by his side out of his ten total. These five had all reached the peak of Cross-Training. The first and second disciples had even taken the initial steps into the realm of Inner Cultivation. Zhong Daorong, who had tested Zhao Xuanqi at the train station, wasn’t even ranked among these five.

"Master, are we really not attending the banquet tonight? I heard the Four Great Sects invited a lot of Guangdong elites to put on a good show. It would be very beneficial for expanding our business." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Song Ze Feng, the first True Inheritance disciple of the Taihe Tiger Form school, said to Xu Guitang.

"We’re not going. It’s best to be careful during this time. You’ll all come with me in a bit. We won’t be staying at the Martial Arts Hall for a while—it’s too conspicuous. We’ll stay somewhere else for a few days to lie low."

Xu Guitang said, his eyes narrowed.

"Master, is that really necessary? I think you’re being overly cautious. The Giant Spirit Army is hunting him all over the city. That Zhao Qi is like a clay buddha crossing a river—he can’t even save himself. Why would he come looking for trouble with us? And so what if he does? With you, Master, plus me and Eldest Martial Brother—three of us at the Inner Cultivation level—and with our junior brothers to support us, if he comes, we’ll make sure he never leaves."

The second True Inheritance disciple, Du Changjing, said nonchalantly.

"You don’t understand how terrifying a person like that is. In any case, when you walk the Jianghu, caution is paramount. ’A careful ship sails for ten thousand years.’ Just be on high alert for a while. Once the Giant Spirit Army catches him, we’ll be completely in the clear."

Xu Guitang was a veteran of the Jianghu. At over fifty years of age, he was immediately horrified when he heard the news of Zhao Qi’s escape.

His disciples were still young and didn’t truly understand the power of a True Inheritance disciple from a top-tier school like Zhou Lie. For Zhao Qi to kill his enemies and escape an ambush by so many, even defeating Zhou Lie himself, a few practitioners of Inner Cultivation might truly not be his match.

Xu Guitang’s group got into a car. They drove in circles around the city before finally heading toward a residence in the western part of Guangdong.

However, what he didn’t expect was that his every move was being watched by professional operatives of the National Salvation Association. The information was passed to Rong Zhenyu and his people, and ultimately, into the hands of Zhao Xuanqi.

...

...

「West Sea Mansion Road.」

A residence with two courtyards—this was Xu Guitang’s current dwelling. He had stationed several elite disciples around the perimeter as hidden sentries.

In the main hall of the rear courtyard, a large round table was laden with a sumptuous feast. Xu Guitang and his five True Inheritance disciples were chatting and laughing as they ate heartily.

In reality, Xu Guitang wasn’t very worried about Zhao Xuanqi finding him. He had taken these precautions only because his years of caution prompted him to prepare for any eventuality.

For one, not many people knew about this residence. Secondly, it was just as his second True Inheritance disciple had said: Zhao Qi was being hunted all over the city and could barely fend for himself. It would have been difficult for him to attack the Martial Arts Hall, let alone find Xu Guitang now that he had moved. His opponent, who was like a cornered rat, couldn’t possibly learn of his new location.

But at that very moment, Xu Guitang, who was sitting in the seat of honor directly facing the main entrance, suddenly saw a shadow drop from the sky, as if leaping down from the roof beams.

THUD!!

A figure landed on the ground with a soft thud, shattering the harmony at the dinner table. Everyone immediately turned to look at the doorway.

A figure dressed like a farmer and wearing a conical bamboo hat stood in the doorway, blocking the view outside. The figure slowly removed the hat, revealing a young, calm face.

When Xu Guitang and his men saw the face clearly, their expressions changed drastically, and they all shot to their feet at once.

FWEET!!

The first True Inheritance disciple, Song Ze Feng, reacted instantly, his hand going to his waist. He pulled out a short whistle and blew it sharply, sending a piercing sound far into the distance.

He was signaling the elite disciples guarding the perimeter to immediately contact the outside. The Giant Spirit Army was all over the city and could arrive quickly.

"Stop whistling. The fact that I’m standing here means you few are the only ones left standing in this entire residence."

Zhao Xuanqi said calmly, his gaze fixed on Xu Guitang in the seat of honor.

"Hall Master Xu, you must own up to your actions and pay the debts you owe. If you step forward alone to accept your death, I can spare the others."