Chapter 12: The Mantis Stalks The Cicada

Though Liu Ruyan was somewhat bewildered, the fact that she was capable of advancing to the top four of the major tournament and standing out among the martial academy students, meant that she was definitely no fool. She had a feeling that Wu Yuan had deliberately lost to her.

But why? Doesn’t Wu Yuan want to enter the Cloud Martial Hall?

Liu Ruyan's thoughts were a mess.

Moreover, if he’s indeed pretending to lose, his strength must be truly frightening.

The more she mulled it over, the more stunned she became. Did Wu Yuan deliberately manipulate her last spear thrust? If they were in a real fight, he could easily kill her in a few strokes! That was a terrifying thought.

However, despite the confusion in her heart, Liu Ruyan didn't show it on her face. She showcased a beaming smile, as though elated that she had won this battle. Who could refuse the chance to enter the Cloud Martial Hall?

This girl, did she really not notice? Or is she also an actress?

Wu Yuan's heart was calm, but he wore a pained, regretful expression, as though he was truly upset to have lost the battle.

Wu Yuan stood up, hanging his head as he hastened back to the waiting area. Wu Sheng and Luo He, who had been waiting, immediately came up to him.

"Brother Yuan, what happened?" Wu Sheng couldn't help but ask.

"Brother Yuan, don't lose heart, you are younger than all of them, losing a match is just a minor setback," Luo He comforted.

"I'm fine." Wu Yuan shook his head, forcing a smile onto his face.

"Hmph! Wu Yuan, I thought you were supposed to be exceptional, but it seems you'll be coming to the Southdream Martial Academy with us," a mocking voice rang out, "The one entering the Cloud Martial Hall this year will be Senior Brother Xu!"

All eyes converged on the speaker. The voice belonged to one of Xu Yuanhan's followers, also a martial academy disciple.

As the son of the general of defense, along with his formidable strength, Xu Yuanhan had his own legion of followers in the martial academy. It was particularly so for the children of the Southdream Army's soldiers, who naturally sought to rally under his banner.

"Cheng Xiao, are you asking for a beating?" Wu Sheng glared. Others might fear Xu Yuanhan, but Wu Sheng did not cower. His father was a hundred-soldier captain of the city guard, a rank significantly below the general of defense, but there was a natural animosity between the army of defense and the city guard. As the two critical military forces of the county city, their mutual restraint and opposition were strategically maintained by the high echelons of the Cloudstride Sect.

"Wu Yuan, keep your men in line," Xu Yuanhan spoke up, his tone frigid.

"Wu Sheng is my brother, not my man," Wu Yuan retorted with a smirk, "Furthermore, I hope you can keep your dogs in check, and prevent them from going around biting people. Dogs that bite should be whipped."

"We're leaving." Wu Yuan headed for the spectator stands designated for martial academy disciples. Wu Sheng and Luo He exchanged wry glances and quickly followed.

"He called me a dog?" The martial academy disciple named Cheng Xiao seemed to have just grasped the insult and immediately chased after them.

"Keep quiet." Xu Yuanhan frowned, "The decisive battle is imminent. If you continue to be disruptive, I'll send you away to the spectator stands."

"Senior Brother Xu, I was wrong," Cheng Xiao smiled sheepishly.

Xu Yuanhan looked at Wu Yuan’s distant silhouette with a sense of puzzlement. Did Wu Yuan truly lose to Liu Ruyan due to carelessness?

It doesn't matter! Now, the only one standing between me and the Cloud Martial Hall is Liu Ruyan.

Xu Yuanhan took a deep breath.

Entering the Cloud Martial Hall was his goal.

Liu Ruyan? He never considered her a threat.

...

He actually lost.

Seated in the stands, Huan Xinyan lightly furrowed her brows as the outcome of the match was announced. Liu Ruyan is quite powerful, only falling short of Xu Yuanhan by a hair's breadth. But in the past few major tournaments, she was clearly no match for Wu Yuan.

Outsiders who only witnessed the previous minor tournaments didn't have much insight into their abilities. It was quite simple to misjudge Wu Yuan, Xu Yuanhan, and Liu Ruyan as having similar combat prowess.

But as a teacher at the martial academy, Huan Xinyan had personally witnessed the previous minor tournaments. Wu Yuan appeared to have just a slight advantage over the two. But in reality, Liu Ruyan and Xu Yuanhan were powerless to fight back.

Could it be that Wu Yuan intentionally lost the duel?

Huan Xinyan was slightly taken aback.

But it was too... authentic.

Losing on purpose wasn't hard. But to lose just right, such that one couldn’t find a single flaw, was harder than winning outright! Huan Xinyan herself was unsure if Wu Yuan had lost on purpose.

..."Wu Yuan lost?" A glint of surprise flashed through General Xu's eyes.

"Haha," Headmaster Zhang chuckled, "General. I told you, Wu Yuan knows when to advance and when to retreat. With this, no one should have anything more to say."

"Hm." General Xu nodded his head, understanding what the headmaster meant.

Had Wu Yuan simply decided to withdraw from the major tournament without competing, even if he used the excuse of his age, there would still be a potential risk of the matter being exposed if someone reported it to the patrol team. But since he was publicly defeated in the major tournament, what's more by someone other than Xu Yuanhan, there was nothing left to say.

It was truly a perfect cover-up.

"But did Wu Yuan really lose to Liu Ruyan on purpose? Or did Liu Ruyan cooperate with him?" General Xu's brows drew together in a deep frown.

As a fourth-grade expert, how keen was his perception? The blow that Liu Ruyan landed on Wu Yuan was as swift as lightning. From what he observed, it couldn't possibly have been an act. And it wasn’t just him - of the six Adept experts of the patrol team, none noticed any anomaly.

"General, where the water is too clear, there are no fish [1]," gently intoned the Headmaster.

General Xu pondered for a moment. "Fine, I understand. Let's put this matter to rest. For now, it all depends on whether Xu Yuanhan can defeat Liu Ruyan."

"Xu Yuanhan possesses extraordinary physical strength, he clearly holds the advantage," the headmaster stated confidently, "Although that girl Liu Ruyan is a decent fighter, she is noticeably weaker." He considered himself deeply knowledgeable about his disciples.

Merely a quarter of an hour later.

"He lost!"

"Xu Yuanhan actually lost to Liu Ruyan?" Headmaster Zhang was aghast, "How is this possible?"

General Xu's face turned ashen.

In their shock, both men failed to notice the nearly imperceptible smile that graced the lips of the middle-aged man, adorned in a blue official robe, who was perched on the central seat. He quietly murmured, "Xu Shouyi, anyone can enter the Cloud Martial Hall, except your son!"

He was none other than the county mayor of Li City, a third-ranked official under the Cloudstride Sect — Jiang Dongque.

"General Xu, it's a shame about Xu Yuanhan." Jiang Dongque said in a loud voice, his face etched with regret, as if feeling genuine pity for Xu Yuanhan.

"Thank you for your concern, County Mayor Jiang." General Xu's countenance was icy cold. He rose to his feet abruptly and exited the arena. His accompanying martial officers also promptly departed, leaving behind the county mayor's officials and lieutenant colonels, as well as members of the patrol team.

"Patroller Liu, please present the token to the champion of the major tournament. After which, I will bestow the silver." County Mayor Jiang was all smiles.

Those in possession of a Cloud Martial Token could enter the Cloud Martial Hall, and the 500 taels were the sect's reward.

The platform, surrounded by a multitude of magnates and common folk alike, was a hive of speculation and discussion.

"Liu Ruyan won!"

"She actually defeated Xu Yuanhan, that last spear thrust was indeed breathtaking."

"She won, she truly won! After so many years, another lady from Li City will finally be entering the Cloud Martial Hall."

Almost no one had expected this result. Liu Ruyan, a seemingly unremarkable young maiden, had defeated the two hot favorites Wu Yuan and Xu Yuanhan in sequence, and claimed first place in the major tournament.

Although there were numerous powerful female martial artists in the Middle Land, their natural physical disadvantages made them relatively scarce.

On one side of the arena platform.

"Xu Yuanhan actually lost to Liu Ruyan?" Both Luo He and Wu Sheng found it hard to believe. After all, before Wu Yuan won first place in the minor tournament, Xu Yuanhan had been the reigning champion over ten times. And yet, he lost in a situation where Wu Yuan had already been eliminated. It was like a ship capsizing in a gutter! [2]

A ship capsizing in a gutter? No!

Wu Yuan frowned.

The spear technique that Liu Ruyan utilized was completely different from the one she displayed when battling me. She had never exhibited it before in the martial academy.

This spear technique was not particularly brilliant. In fact, it had many shortcomings, which were all fatal weaknesses in Wu Yuan’s eyes.

But her opponent was only fifteen-year-old Xu Yuanhan. With a little deduction, Wu Yuan understood that this undisclosed spear technique was probably something Liu Ruyan practiced specifically to counter Xu Yuanhan. Just enough to restrain Xu Yuanhan's weapon and strength advantage. In the end, she won by a hair’s breadth!

That's right, during the fight with me, Liu Ruyan barely expended any physical strength, while Xu Yuanhan had already fought multiple rounds and was greatly exhausted. Moreover, from the way the two engaged in combat, Xu Yuanhan obviously underestimated his enemy and found himself at a disadvantage right from the start.

In contrast, Liu Ruyan went all out as soon as the fight began. One was fully prepared while the other completely underestimated his opponent!

It was true that greater physical strength was an important advantage. However, both sides possessed similar levels of skill. In the end, Xu Yuanhan was defeated, a result not undeserved.

In duels between martial artists, strength was not absolute. One's ability to think on their feet, as well as will to fight were all important factors that swayed the final outcome.

Indeed, man proposes but heaven disposes.

Wu Yuan shook his head subtly.

The intention behind his participation in the major tournament was to finalize this matter, eliminate other potential risks, avoid the attention of the higher-ups in the Cloudstride Sect, and ease the worries of both General Xu and the headmaster.

Wu Yuan did not wish to waste time on such trivial matters. But in the end, Xu Yuanhan did not manage to claim the first place?

A troublesome development.

A hint of frost surfaced in Wu Yuan's gaze.

I hope that the Xu family will act sensibly.

He did not wish for trouble, but should it be unavoidable, he could only find a way to resolve it.

...

The major tournament concluded, and the tens of thousands of audience members gradually dispersed without any commotion.

Liu Ruyan enrolled in the Cloud Martial Hall, and the county martial academy began to confirm the final list of those entering the Southdream Martial Academy.

Just as many martial academy disciples expected, Wu Yuan chose to decline the offer.

“Next year, I will participate in the martial academy major tournament again, and do my utmost to enter the Cloud Martial Hall.” Wu Yuan's reasoning was more than understandable. So understandable that the recruitment instructors of the Southdream Martial Academy couldn't refute him. If one had hope of entering the Cloud Martial Hall, why would one wish to join the Southdream Martial Academy?

"Brother Yuan, we'll have to part ways. I thought you'd be accompanying us to the Southdream Martial Academy," Wu Sheng said with a tinge of sadness.

"Exactly!" Luo He sighed, "That's where the Wu Clan's main family resides. If Brother Yuan were to attend the Southdream Martial Academy with us, our time there will be much more comfortable."

"The Wu Clan isn't much stronger than your Luo family. And your father is the patriarch." Wu Yuan playfully punched Luo He in the chest and laughed, "Alright, we should all strive to do our best."

"You'll only be spending three years in the Southdream Martial Academy. The training conditions there are not bad, far superior to the county martial academy. Train hard and aim to return as a martial virtuoso."

Becoming a sixth-grade martial virtuoso was the minimum requirement imposed by many large families on their heirs.

"Brother Yuan, I'll strive to become an Adept expert." Wu Sheng declared, his chin raised, "We’ll return at the end of the year and meet you again then."

"A martial virtuoso?" Luo He pulled a face.

Wu Yuan and Wu Sheng looked at Luo He and burst into laughter.

...

The crowd of martial academy disciples soon dispersed. Headmaster Zhang did not invite Wu Yuan for a private conversation. Wu Yuan naturally didn't wish trouble upon himself, and left the martial academy right away.

Just as he reached the gate, he spotted a carriage a short distance away. Standing in front of it were Chieftain Wu Qiming and his mother Wanqin.

"Chieftain, mother?" Wu Yuan looked in surprise at the two people waiting for him.

Many members of the Wu Clan had come to watch the major tournament in the morning. Though Wu Yuan had not claimed first place, the fact that he made the top four was enough to lift their spirits. However, time had been tight then, and Wu Yuan hadn't gotten an opportunity to speak to Chieftain Wu Qiming and the others at length.

"Chieftain, mother." Wu Yuan approached them.

"Are you going to Southdream Martial Academy?" Wu Qiming asked straight away.

"No. I'll participate in the major tournament again next year, and enter Cloud Martial Hall." Wu Yuan replied.

"That works too." Wu Qiming nodded, "The Cloud Martial Hall is far superior to the Southdream Martial Academy, I support your decision to train for another year."

Wu Yuan nodded. The chieftain always kept a clear head when it mattered.

"Chieftain, you and my mother aren't here just to ask about this matter, right?" Wu Yuan questioned. This matter had already been discussed before the major tournament.

Wu Qiming went straight to the point. "The reason we are here is to discuss your marriage."

1. idiom: One cannot be too picky. ?

2. idiom: to fail miserably (where failure was not expected) ?