49: Chapter 49 There's Only One Truth!

On the arena!

Looking at the spot where Zhou Shuyan had just fallen, Chen An's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Others might not know.

That punch just now, although it looked extremely powerful, as if it had knocked an 11th-stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivator who had also reached Minor Achievement in the Thunder-Splitting Gale Palm off the arena.

But as the person involved, he knew very well that he had kept his cultivation suppressed at Condensing Qi Stage 6 for that punch.

And even with Major Achievement in the Mountain Crushing Force, it would be impossible to seriously injure Zhou Shuyan to the point of vomiting blood and falling off the arena with a single punch.

Therefore, there could only be one truth!

Just now, Zhou Shuyan was acting!

"Interesting!"

Watching the spot where Zhou Shuyan fell, the corners of Chen An's mouth curled up slightly.

As far as he knew, the students in the County Academy were all fighting tooth and nail for the spots in this Martial Examination.

He hadn't expected that there would be such an anomaly as Zhou Shuyan.

Most importantly, the other party came from the Zhou Family of Wurong County.

If the Bai Family could be considered upstarts in Wurong County, then the Zhou Family could be called a true Martial Arts Family, the local titan of Wurong County.

In particular, the Zhou Family had an Old Ancestor in the Innate Realm, one of only three such powerhouses in the entire county, which allowed them to suppress all other families in Wurong County.

"This examination..."

"The winner is Chen An!!!"

Just then, the referee for this match walked onto the arena and announced the result with a loud, crisp voice.

As the words fell, an uproar erupted from the crowd below, and countless eyes fell upon the tall figure in black martial robes on the arena.

The referee immediately turned to look at Chen An, his expression serious as he spoke: "Chen An, you have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to rest!"

"After one incense stick, you will engage in the final showdown with Shen Qinglan to compete for the championship title of this Martial Examination. Do you have any objections?!"

"No need, I concede!"

Hearing the referee's words, Chen An's gaze fell upon the cold, ethereal figure below the arena, and he shook his head faintly.

As soon as he spoke, the whole arena fell silent instantly.

No one had expected that Chen An, the dark horse who had defied the odds to fight across stages and even defeated Zhou Shuyan with a single punch, would directly give up on the final and voluntarily concede to Shen Qinglan.

Instructor Fan Suiyun and the others on the high platform also raised their eyebrows, their eyes filled with surprise.

However, everyone quickly reacted.

In this Martial Examination, although Chen An had performed in a Heaven-Defying manner, fighting across stages and winning consecutive battles, stunning the entire audience.

But who was Shen Qinglan?!

She was the recognized number one of the younger generation in Wurong County, with talent that surpassed her peers, possessing an Earth-grade Martial Bone and having opened three of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, a martial arts powerhouse at the Middle Stage of the Acquired Realm.

Even though Chen An's strength had been Heaven-Defying before, the Qi Condensation Realm and the Acquired Realm were separated by a major Realm.

Even the most ordinary Martial Artist at the Early Stage of the Acquired Realm would be like an adult fighting a child against a Martial Artist at the Perfection of the Qi Condensation Realm.

The two were simply not on the same level!

In everyone's view, Chen An winning against Zhou Shuyan was already his limit; if he faced Shen Qinglan, his chances of winning were slim, and there was almost no hope of taking the championship.

Rather than suffering a crushing defeat in the final battle, losing his momentum and his dignity, it was better to voluntarily concede and retreat gracefully, which would preserve his reputation and avoid self-humiliation.

In an instant, everyone thought they understood Chen An's thinking and nodded one after another, discussing in low voices:

"So that's how it is. I was wondering why he suddenly conceded; it turns out he knew he couldn't compare to Shen Qinglan."

"Indeed, Shen Qinglan is the ceiling of our county's younger generation, with an Earth-grade Martial Bone and Middle Stage Acquired Realm cultivation. Even if Chen An's combat power is strong, so what? He is still only at the Qi Condensation Realm?!"

"He who understands the times is a wise man. A hard fight means certain defeat; conceding voluntarily preserves his dignity, not a bad trade."

"If it were me, I would make the same choice. There's no need to go up there and get crushed just to embarrass myself."

On the high platform!

After hearing Chen An's choice, Instructor Fan Suiyun, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming, and the others were not disappointed by his voluntary concession; instead, they smiled and nodded, their eyes filled with increasing appreciation.

In their eyes, Chen An's decisiveness and calmness were far rarer than fighting for a moment of pride.

Knowing that the gap in their foundations was vast, not acting recklessly like a brute, and knowing how to assess the situation and when to advance or retreat—to have such composure at such a young age was far beyond that of an ordinary reckless Martial Artist.

Moreover, he had fought his way out from the arena, defeating several classmates of higher minor Realms in succession, having already displayed his astonishing combat power and Comprehension Ability.

Now, conceding so frankly actually made people feel that he was not fighting for empty fame, but was calm and composed.

"Chen An?!"

At this moment, Shen Qinglan lightly tapped her toes and leaped, landing on the arena.

"Why did you concede?!"

Shen Qinglan's willow eyebrows slightly furrowed as she looked at Chen An with burning eyes, saying, "I don't need you to let me win. I want to fight you!"

"Fight what fight?!"

Seeing Shen Qinglan's serious expression, Chen An shook his head and laughed, "It's not like we haven't fought before. When have I ever won?! Or are you saying you think I, a Qi Condensation Realm cultivator, can defeat a Acquired Realm powerhouse by crossing a major Realm?!"

"You..."

However, before Shen Qinglan could say more, Chen An turned his head to the referee and said, "Instructor, please announce it!"

The referee looked at Chen An and Shen Qinglan, then turned to look at the high platform. Seeing Instructor Fan Suiyun nod slightly, he turned back and announced to the crowd:

"Because Chen An has voluntarily conceded!"

"The winner of this Wurong County Martial Examination is — Shen Qinglan!!!"

Wow!!!

"As expected, Shen Qinglan is the well-deserved number one Prodigy of our Wurong County Academy!"

"It's over!"

"Great, I'm exactly in 30th place. I got into the Prefectural Academy!"

"Woooooo!!!"

As the Instructor referee loudly finalized the rankings, the entire Martial Arts Arena instantly boiled over.

Some were ecstatic, clenching their fists and cheering, while others wept with joy, having survived many rounds of bitter fighting on the arena and having just barely squeezed into the list for the Prefectural Academy, their eyes red with excitement.

There were even more students who had failed to be selected, dejected and filled with unwillingness, looking towards the arena with melancholy and sobbing softly.

The surrounding discussions, cheers, sighs, and sobs intertwined, witnessing the conclusion of this County Academy Martial Examination.

The sun set in the west, and the drifting clouds on the horizon were dyed into a magnificent crimson by the setting sun. The dim, golden afterglow slanted onto the high platform of the Martial Arts Arena, as if plating the entire stone platform with a layer of warm gold, shrouding it in a faint, warm veil.

The noise gradually dissipated, and the dust slowly settled!

Led by the managing Instructor, the thirty winning students who had stood out in this Martial Examination walked in an orderly fashion to the foot of the high platform, their postures straight, their expressions respectful yet unable to hide the excitement in their hearts, standing together before the three Innate Realm powerhouses.

This was perhaps the closest they would ever be to Innate Realm powerhouses in their lives!