Chapter 514: Who Knew He Was So Weak?

"Madame!" Yuan Gang's towering frame bent at the waist, his face creased into a warm smile as he stepped forward to greet her.

The woman was dressed with exceptional grandeur today. Her waist was slender as a willow, her figure curvaceous, exuding a dignified air. She was accompanied by six youths, among them a charming young girl who clung affectionately to the woman's arm.

This girl had legs as long as reeds, a pointed chin, and a face shaped like a goose egg. Her deep-set eyes shimmered, and she wore a short green dress, resembling a forest nymph.

"Brother!" She waved at Lu Changfeng.

Lu Changfeng shot her a glance and scolded, "Are you sick? Wearing such a short dress to the Arbiter examination today?"

The woman sighed. "I've told her, but this child is as stubborn as you, disobedient."

"I'll wear what I please." Lu Xiaolu pouted. "I'm young and beautiful and will dress how I wish."

"Careful, or I’ll mark you zero for propriety!" Lu Changfeng retorted.

"Psh! Scared of you? Dad’s already taken care of it. I’m getting full marks, better than your record even." Lu Xiaolu laughed softly.

"Keep your voice down!" The woman quickly pinched her, alarmed.

Such things shouldn’t be spoken about openly, especially here. Although it was a common enough statement, if someone with the right skills heard and spread it, the repercussions wouldn’t be good.

"I know!" Lu Xiaolu stuck out her tongue, unconcerned.

Meanwhile, Commander Yuan Gang whispered a few details to his son, Yuan Shaoyang, before approaching the woman, lowering his voice, "What about the Lu Yao matter?"

"I’ve tested him. He’s a nobody," the woman responded.

"Changfeng told me," Yuan Gang frowned slightly, his voice cold, "In these times, too many are too bold, tragically unaware of their impending doom."

"Let him be. A fly nibbling on leftover rice harms none," the woman said.

"Indeed." Yuan Gang nodded.

Hearing this, Lu Changfeng shrugged and muttered to himself with a smirk. "Lu Yao’s leftover rice might just choke someone… probably on his way to the bridge of regret by now."

Just then, two figures approached from the direction of the Guard Pavilion. A tall woman clad in celestial armor and a divinely handsome young man stood before them.

"Lu Xiaolu! Lu Xiaolu!" Two young girls tugged at her clothes urgently, pointing at the youth in white. "Look, he's incredibly handsome."

Lu Xiaolu paused for a moment and turned to look, her mouth dropping open in astonishment. "Who is that? He looks like a prince of the Celestial Court."

"Lu Yao?" Lu Changfeng, standing nearby, widened his eyes in disbelief.

He knew well that Yan Song had ascended to true immortality!

"Did that old fool eat that celestial peach and decide to mock me? Can't even butcher a chicken right?" Lu Changfeng was getting angry. Frustrated, he could only come up with one explanation; the boy had slipped away first.

"Commander Liu."

Liu Mumu, also the supervising commander of today's examination, held a higher status, and many parents immediately came out to curry favor with a smile.

"The examination is about to begin. So, I'd like to ask all parents to please leave the Guard Pavilion," Liu Mumu commanded sternly.

"Of course."

Many parents left with sheepish smiles, forced to withdraw.

As they left, they muttered among themselves, "If any top-tier noble's offspring were examining this year, wouldn't Liu Mumu be kneeling to welcome them?"

"This pretentious woman is the worst."

Only the Madame remained among the elders, a testament to her standing. Once the parents had left, the hall was left with over 100 young Immortals. And indeed, these hundreds were all under 30 years old, each capable of projecting their Genesis Spirits, True Immortals by their own right.

Most were second-generation Immortals, with profound presence and illustrious backgrounds.

Yuan Gang gave Liu Mumu a strange look and said, "Commander Liu, we are about to review the registrations, and all parents have left. Your disciple..."

"He's an examinee," Liu Mumu stated flatly.

"An examinee?" The Madame, Yuan Gang, and Lu Changfeng all paused in surprise.

Lu Changfeng pursed his lips, somewhat at a loss for words. "Without reaching the realm of true immortality, one should not..."

Before he could finish, Liu Mumu cut him off, "You are mistaken, the rule is, without the combat power of a True Immortal, one cannot take the examination."

"He has the combat power of a True Immortal?" Yuan Gang frowned.

"According to the rules, one may take a preliminary private test before applying. I have already tested him. Yuan Gang, you are today's chief examiner, you might want to test him yourself soon," Liu Mumu suggested. Her words were succinct and powerful, full of force that carried an oppressive air.

"The combat power of a True immortal?" Lu Changfeng raised an eyebrow, recalling Yan Song, his expression darkening.

"..." Yuan Gang's face turned serious. He glanced at the calm Madame, then turned to his son and said, "Shaoyang, you're 18 years old and just ascended to the realm of true immortality at the beginning of the month. You test Lu Yao."

"How old is he?" Yuan Shaoyang, chewing on some Immortal candy, tilted his chin up, his gaze impatient as he looked at Lu Yao.

"Twenty seven years old," Liu Mumu said.

"Really old. What use is there in becoming an Arbiter at that age? A lifetime of running errands," Yuan Shaoyang chuckled.

A burst of laughter erupted!

Thinking of Lu An, the young ones couldn't help but laugh uproariously.

"Silence!" Yuan Gang slapped the back of Yuan Shaoyang's head, commanding sternly, "I asked you to act, not to speak!"

"Yes!" Humiliated in front of everyone, Yuan Shaoyang's temper flared. He beckoned to Yun Xiao with a hooked finger, sneering, "Lu Yao, step forward!"

Yun Xiao advanced a few steps without a word.

The crowd parted, and the front hall cleared to form an arena.

"You're an Inscription Cultivator, right? You call it—how do we fight?" Yuan Shaoyang said.

"With fists," Yun Xiao replied.

"Fists?" Yuan Shaoyang could hardly believe his ears. He was a Martial Cultivator! To compete in physical strength against him?

"Go!" Yuan Gang roared from behind.

"To hell with it!" Yuan Shaoyang stared down Yun Xiao and roared, his muscles exploding with the thunderous power of a tiger and leopard, his eyes blazing like golden torches, his body surging with immortal energy.

BOOM!

He threw a punch!

The punch gathered a vast momentum, focused and sharp, not causing any spatial tremors or outflow of celestial power, making it seem less ferocious at a glance. Yet, the very absence of visible force often meant that the power of the punch was extremely concentrated!

This was the Celestial Fist of the Immortal Path!

Yuan Shaoyang, fierce as a golden ape, hurled his fist towards Yun Xiao's face.

In that lightning-quick moment, Yun Xiao, calm as a gentle breeze under a clear moon, reached out. His hand, like a Taiji vortex, caught Yuan Shaoyang's fierce punch and with a rearward flick, he effortlessly redirected the devastating force.

"Huh?" Yuan Shaoyang's eyes widened in disbelief. His punch, having struck only air, released all its energy, causing a ripple in the space behind him. The recoil gathered in his muscles and bones, crackling loudly.

"You are too naive for your age," Yun Xiao said. Catching Yuan Shaoyang's punch with his right hand, he spoke as his left fist, equally focused and condensed with the spectral image of a platinum manticore, shot out explosively.

BOOM!

This punch, though less violent than Yuan Shaoyang's, was faster, like lightning.

Before another word could be spoken, Yun Xiao's punch struck Yuan Shaoyang squarely in the chest.

CRACK!

The impact caved in Yuan Shaoyang’s chest, his ribs shattering and piercing into his organs.

"AGHHH!" He screamed, spitting out fragments of his innards, and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the ground.

With a thud, Yuan Shaoyang hit the ground, and a spray of blood flew from his mouth, a grim testament to the severe internal injuries he had sustained.

"Shaoyang!" Yuan Gang had not anticipated this turn of events!

How could a mere Early Yang Immortal possess the overwhelming combat power to crush a True Immortal?

The punches had flowed seamlessly, one after the other—how had he managed that? And how could he possibly know the Celestial Fist?

Cradling these doubts, Yuan Gang picked up his son, only to see that amidst his pain, the boy was utterly bewildered.

"Commander Yuan, I truly didn't expect he wouldn't be able to handle it," Yun Xiao's innocent voice echoed through the hall.

At these words, a hush fell over the hall. The young onlookers, Lu Xiaolu included, stared at Yun Xiao, a mix of confusion and awe in their eyes.

"Xiaolu, do you know him?" a girl beside her asked.

"I do! Ten years ago, I was six—I remember him, but he wasn’t this striking back then," Lu Xiaolu replied.

"Being handsome is useless now. He's really made enemies today," the girl said.

"True! Good looks are the least useful asset…" Lu Xiaolu glanced at her brother, Lu Changfeng, sensing he might be the angriest of all.

"Dad, I'm badly hurt, aren’t I?" Yuan Shaoyang suddenly cried out.

"Your organs are damaged; you need to rest and heal," Yuan Gang said gravely.

"Dad!" Yuan Shaoyang clutched his father's arm desperately, his eyes wide with urgency. "I need to become an Arbiter this year to advance my standing!"

"Next year," Yuan Gang shook his head.

"No!" Yuan Shaoyang was irrepressibly irate as he glared daggers at Yun Xiao, shouting, "You took this chance to harm another unfairly, showing none of the virtues expected of an Arbiter. You shouldn't be allowed to participate either!"

"..." Yun Xiao smiled, choosing to remain silent.

"Enough, let's not waste time," Liu Mumu turned and seated herself behind a desk, her voice stern, "All candidates, present your family records. We will review each one."

This was the first hurdle of the Arbiter examination. The inquiry would trace back six generations! Any criminal history would disqualify a candidate from becoming an Arbiter.

Of course, this also meant that the examination had officially begun.

Yun Xiao stepped forward, presenting the loyal and valorous records of the Lu Family.

As he set down the documents, Yun Xiao whispered to Liu Mumu, "Ten years ago during the exams, Lu Changfeng killed Lu Yao."

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Hearing this, Liu Mumu's fingers twitched.

"Surprised?" Yun Xiao asked.

"Not surprised," Liu Mumu replied.

This confirmed that she and Lu An had been aware, but without evidence.

Without evidence, what could be done?

From a distance behind him, Lu Changfeng whispered coldly to Yuan Gang, "No more hesitations, right? Let's finish him off again!"

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