46: Chapter 46 I misjudged!

Silence!!!

The Martial Arts Arena fell into instant silence; one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stared at Chen An, who stood there with a calm expression, his clothes unruffled and not a single strand of hair out of place, as if he hadn't moved at all from the very beginning, his figure standing tall and straight.

Then, their gazes fell upon Liu Qingyun, who was lying motionless at the edge of the arena like a dead dog; their minds went blank, unable to process what had just happened for a moment.

Just a moment ago, wasn't Liu Qingyun clamoring to beat Chen An to death?

The terrifying pressure of his Ninth Stage of Condensing Qi was still vivid in their minds, and their lingering fear had not yet dissipated.

How, in the blink of an eye, did he end up lying on the ground like a dead dog?!

What just happened?!

In the crowd, Shen Qinglan's foot, which had just been about to step forward, suddenly froze. The coldness on her pretty face instantly turned into astonishment as she stared blankly at the figure on the arena.

On the high platform, the Innate True Qi within County Academy Instructor Fan Suiyun suddenly stalled, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Beside him, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze landed on Chen An, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a flash of appreciation flickered in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ancestor Zhou Tong, sitting in the corner of the high platform, felt the playful smile that had been hanging on his lips suddenly stiffen, and his expression darkened.

He stared fixedly at Liu Qingyun, who was lying motionless at the edge of the arena, then looked at the calm and composed Chen An, a trace of gloom and anger rising in the depths of his eyes.

"Holy crap! What just happened?!"

"How did Liu Qingyun suddenly fly out? My eyes couldn't even keep up!"

"It was clearly him who launched the fierce attack first; how did he end up flying backward in the blink of an eye?"

"Is that it?!"

"What the hell! Isn't Chen An only at Condensing Qi Stage 6? How is it that Liu Qingyun is the one who fell?!"

The students only then came back to their senses. Looking at the change on the arena, their faces were filled with disbelief, and they were all completely baffled.

They didn't know what exactly had happened on the arena in that instant.

Only Shen Qinglan, who was at the Acquired Realm or above, the County Academy Instructors, and the martial arts experts on the high platform could see what exactly had happened in that instant!

"Such powerful movement technique and palm technique! The timing of the dodge was perfect, and the palm strike was as swift as lightning, executed with impeccable precision. Truly, the younger generation is formidable!"

In the corner of the high platform, Head Elder Wei Linyuan, whose gaze was fixed on Chen An standing on the arena with his hands behind his back and a calm demeanor, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

He remembered it vividly; it was only yesterday morning that this young man, Chen An, had personally handed him the evidence of Instructor Liu Zhixing coercing students to abandon the exam and forcing them to work as guards for merchant firms, allowing him to excise this long-festering tumor from the County Academy.

At first, in his eyes, Chen An was just an ordinary student with decent courage, and he hadn't paid much attention to him.

He hadn't expected that he had actually misjudged him!

Based solely on the hair-thin dodge and the lightning-fast counter-kill from just now, Head Elder Wei Linyuan was certain that with the real combat strength Chen An had displayed, even if he were to face a Martial Artist at the Perfection of the Qi Condensation Realm, he might not necessarily fall at a disadvantage.

"What a ruthless brat, actually using such a vicious move against a fellow student!"

Ancestor Zhou Tong's murky eyes narrowed slightly. He locked his cold gaze onto Chen An on the arena, his expression indifferent yet carrying a hint of chill, as he spoke slowly, "The angle of that palm strike was tricky, striking directly at the Dantian. I'm afraid the Dantian of that kid, Liu Qingyun, has already been shattered."

His tone was flat, yet it carried a trace of ghastliness: "Once the Dantian is broken, all cultivation is lost. From now on, he will be a complete cripple in the martial arts, with no possibility of ever stepping on the path of cultivation again."

Hearing these deliberately targeted words from Ancestor Zhou Tong, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming curled the corner of his mouth slightly and said with a calm expression, "Senior Zhou, you are exaggerating!"

"The County Exam is a martial arts competition meant to select talent for the Imperial Dynasty and choose Martial Arts Prodigies for the Human Race."

"Once on the arena, there are only opponents; how can there be any talk of fellow-student sentiment?"

"Furthermore, Liu Qingyun had already been mocking and repeatedly provoking others off the stage, and his attacks just now were vicious, aiming straight for vital points. If Chen An had been even half a step slower in dodging, the one who would be defeated, severely injured, or even dead right now would be him."

"County Magistrate, your words are very true!"

Instructor Fan Suiyun also nodded and interjected, "According to the rules of the Imperial Dynasty's Martial Examination, life and death do not matter on the arena!"

"Even if one dies, one can only blame one's own poor fate; it has nothing to do with anyone else!"

"Liu Qingyun had murderous intent first and struck viciously; that student named Chen An was merely counterattacking in the flow of battle to protect himself. This Instructor actually feels that such actions cannot be considered ruthless!"

"Hmph!!!"

Hearing County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming and Instructor Fan Suiyun singing the same tune, both exonerating and defending Chen An, Ancestor Zhou Tong's face grew increasingly gloomy. He let out a very heavy cold snort from his nose, but ultimately, hindered by his status and the occasion, he sullenly shut his mouth.

Seeing that Ancestor Zhou Tong no longer made a sound, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming and Instructor Fan Suiyun exchanged a glance, a hint of hidden amusement flashing in the depths of their eyes.

This Ancestor Zhou Tong had always relied on his age and seniority, coupled with his profound cultivation at the Late Stage of the Innate Realm, to be arrogant, overbearing, and tyrannical in Wurong County. He loved to act old and lecture others, often resorting to Yin and Yang to mock even the County Academy Instructor and the County Magistrate.

This time, being able to make him suffer a setback through this County Exam, and even causing him to lose an earth-grade breakthrough pill, was effectively making him bleed heavily; it would be enough to make his heart ache for a long time.

...

On the arena!

Chen An glanced at Liu Qingyun, who was lying on the ground, having passed out, with a calm expression. He felt not a shred of satisfaction from having severely injured the person who had insulted and provoked him.

In his heart, Liu Qingyun, who had been jumping around in front of him, acting arrogant and domineering, and spouting wild words, was nothing more than an annoying, buzzing mosquito flying around him.

How could a person get angry at a mosquito that didn't know its own death was coming?!

It was enough to just slap it to death with one palm!

"Instructor, should this duel continue?!"

Looking at the referee standing to the side, who seemed not to have reacted yet, Chen An frowned slightly.

This referee seemed a bit incompetent!

The Instructor acting as the referee only came back to his senses upon hearing Chen An's words.

In fact, this really couldn't be blamed on the Instructor.

After all, what had just happened was simply too fast.

Originally, in the Instructor's mind, that duel should have been very exciting, or at the very least, a one-sided slaughter of Chen An by Liu Qingyun.

But who could have imagined that in just the time of a single breath, the duel had ended, and the one lying on the ground had become Liu Qingyun, whom he had favored.

"Ahem, wait a moment!"

A flash of embarrassment crossed the Instructor's face. He then hurriedly strode to Liu Qingyun's side, glanced at Liu Qingyun, who had fallen into a baby-like sleep, and his eyelid couldn't help but twitch slightly.

Immediately afterward, the Instructor stood up, faced the crowd below, circulated his True Qi, and projected his voice throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena.

"The winner of this assessment!"

"Chen An!!!"