Martial Arts Longevity Begins with the Equipment Slot

Chapter 75: The Underdog Overthrows the Superior, Causing a Sensation

The arena was deathly silent.

The gradually intensifying sunlight slanted across the bluestone slabs of the sword-testing arena, making the dark red bloodstains in the center of the arena stand out starkly.

Liu Chenyu's body lay face up in a pool of blood, his head having exploded.

Only blood was constantly gushing out from the cracks, spreading outwards along the patterns on the stone slab.

His eyes rolled out, his pupils dilated, and a very complex expression was frozen in them.

There was shock, bewilderment, and above all, disbelief.

Until the moment of his death, he probably never understood how he lost.

Chen Yu stood at the edge of the ring, his right fist pointing towards the ground.

The last drop of blood on the fist was slowly sliding down.

"Clatter!"

The blood droplets hit the stone slab and shattered into countless tiny red dots.

Chen Yu's expression was calm, and his breathing was so steady that it didn't seem like he had just gone through a life-or-death battle.

He had participated in far more brutal underground martial arts competitions before and had witnessed truly bloody scenes.

Although the level of martial arts was higher this time, the gap in strength between him and his opponent was smaller.

So much so that after the fight, there was nothing to do with it; there was neither the elation of victory nor the fear of killing.

Soon, Zhou Juncheng's gong rang out.

"clang--!"

Amidst the layers of echoing sounds, Zhou Juncheng's powerful voice followed closely behind.

"Chen Yu wins this life-or-death duel!"

Quiet, unusually quiet.

It lasted for about a breath.

Everyone was still reeling from the fatal punch, their minds struggling to process the outcome before them.

Liu Chenyu, the squad leader of the inner courtyard sword guards, who was said to have entered the first stage of bone refining through the "Eighteen Iron Bone Strikes", was really dead, killed by the fist of Chen Yu, a disciple of the middle courtyard.

A moment later, the stands of the Central Academy disciples began to clamor.

A wave of sound surged from the center of the stands, sweeping across the entire central courtyard area in the blink of an eye, causing dozens of disciples to spring up from their seats at the same moment.

Cheers, screams, applause, and stomping—a chaotic and frenzied cacophony of sounds surged toward the top of the arena like a tsunami.

"So cool, Brother Chen Yu!"

A boy who looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old blushed with excitement, shouting and waving his fists above his head.

His senior brother next to him was even more excited, and slammed his palm on the stone railing in front of him.

"I knew Chen Yu would win!"

A slightly overweight disciple turned around and shouted to the crowd behind him.

His tone was full of pride, as if he had contributed to the victory.

"That Liu Chenyu brags a lot, talking about being a beginner in bone refining and a squad leader of sword guards, but he doesn't actually have any real skills!"

"Haha, great minds think alike!"

The person next to him immediately chimed in, patting his chest and saying.

"I knew it a long time ago! From the moment Chen Yu stepped onto the stage, I knew the Inner Academy was going to lose this duel!"

"This inner courtyard is no good either! What kind of sword guard squad leader is he? He's dead anyway!"

These words were like a spark falling into a haystack, instantly igniting the emotions of many more people.

Those middle-court disciples who were usually overshadowed by the inner-court disciples.

Those outer court disciples who had been suppressed, openly or covertly, in various situations.

At this moment, they all found an outlet to vent their emotions, shouting with extra effort and loudness.

They have waited far too long for this day.

The inner courtyard's haughty attitude, its self-righteous arrogance and sense of superiority, were shattered at this moment by Chen Yu's punch.

"It's not that the inner court is incompetent, it's that Liu Chenyu is incompetent, and his senior brother Cai Zhongtie is just as useless!"

I don't know who shouted that.

The voice was sharp and bright, clearly penetrating the noisy crowd, drawing laughter and agreement from those around.

"Exactly, it's all hype. None of them have real skills. What geniuses, what elites of the inner academy—it's all just a makeshift operation. They might not even be as good as our middle academy!"

"What's the use of the inner court? Good disciples from the middle court are no worse than those from the inner court! Chen Yu is the best proof of that!"

Several bolder disciples, taking advantage of their numbers, stood up and started whistling towards the inner courtyard stands.

The sharp whistle swirled in the air above the sword-testing arena, like needles pricking the ears of the inner disciples.

Some people even imitated the arrogant manner of the inner court disciples, and shouted in a high-pitched, sarcastic voice, "Why aren't the adults of the inner court saying anything?"

These words drew another burst of unrestrained laughter from those around him.

Silence reigned in the inner courtyard stands.

No one spoke, and no one left.

The inner disciples' faces grew increasingly grim.

Their arrogant and overbearing attitude from just now has completely vanished.

Instead, there was a silent embarrassment and suppressed anger.

Every sarcastic remark from the other side hit their sore spots, leaving them wanting to refute but unable to find a way to speak.

The corpse lying on the arena was their inner courtyard's sword guard squad leader; that was an undeniable fact.

Among the many unpleasant expressions, Cai Zhongtie's face stood out the most.

He sat in the front row of the inner courtyard stands.

He was tall with thick eyebrows and a broad face, and usually had a calm and dignified appearance.

However, now, the expression on his face is so distorted that he is almost unrecognizable.

His lips were trembling, shaking violently.

"How could this happen?"

He stared intently at Liu Chenyu's corpse on the stage, his eyes bloodshot.

"Liu Chenyu had already passed the 'Eighteen Iron Bone Strikes' and entered the initial stage of bone refining, so how could he still die?"

He couldn't understand it.

"The Eighteen Strikes of Iron Bones" is a very famous bone-refining method. The training process is extremely painful, but it can increase the hardness of one's bones to a level far beyond that of ordinary people.

Liu Chenyu endured three long years of hardship in the Sword Guard Hall in order to enter the first stage of Bone Refining.

Now that he has successfully mastered the basics, his bone hardness has reached a point where ordinary swords and knives are difficult to damage him.

An ordinary sword strike from an outer or middle court disciple is like striking a sheet of iron; the impact numbs their hands but cannot break through his defenses.

But even such an iron will was shattered by Chen Yu's single punch.

"This Chen Yu,"

Cai Zhongtie shifted his gaze from the corpse to Chen Yu at the edge of the arena, his eyes filled with confusion.

"He doesn't even look like he's at the minor stage of Bone Refinement? Why did Liu Chenyu lose when they were at the same level?"

As the commander of the Sword Guard, Cai Zhongtie had spent many years working his way up in the inner court, and his eyes had seen countless people.

He could often tell the depth of a disciple's cultivation level with a single glance.

But the aura emanating from Chen Yu in front of him was unremarkable and ordinary. He didn't seem like a ruthless character who could easily kill a beginner in the Bone Refining stage.

But this seemingly ordinary disciple of the Central Academy killed one of his most capable henchmen with a clean and powerful punch.

Cai Zhongtie's mind worked incredibly fast.

He is not someone who easily gets caught up in his emotions.

He was angry, but what concerned him more was the consequences that would follow.

Liu Chenyu is dead, which means that his long-planned scheme has completely fallen through.

Next month is the annual competition of the Sword Guard Hall. According to his original plan, Liu Chenyu is the most crucial piece in his hand.

With Liu Chenyu leading the team, along with his two trusted confidants planted in the group, they should be able to secure at least second place out of the five sword guard squads.

With a bit of luck, they might even have a chance to take first place.

Once this achievement is confirmed, his influence within the Sword Guard Hall will increase significantly.

With a little more maneuvering, the position of Commander of the Sword Guards will be within easy reach.

But now, Liu Chenyu is dead.

All the plans.

All the layouts.

All those meticulously designed, interconnected links.

Everything vanished under Chen Yu's punch.

Cai Zhongtie suddenly stood up.

He stared at Liu Chenyu's corpse on the stage, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

He had so much to say.

He wanted to question Liu Chenyu about why he was so careless.

I want to ask if that dead idiot actually used the "Iron Skeleton Mountain" defensive technique that I taught him.

I want to scold him for underestimating his opponent, being arrogant, and deserving to die.

He even wanted to yell at the kid named Chen Yu on the stage: Do you know what you destroyed with that punch?

But he didn't say anything.

Because this is a testing ground for swords.

On the arena, life and death are determined by fate.

This duel was proposed by Liu Chenyu himself, and all procedures were in accordance with the rules of the clan.

Regardless of the outcome, Cai Zhongtie has no right to criticize anything.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, all he could do was suppress his anger and resentment, sit back down, and swallow his pride like a dignified person who could afford to lose.

But he still couldn't swallow it.

"I'll get my revenge, Chen Yu, just you wait!"

In stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in the inner courtyard stands was Xiahou Fei's expression in the outer courtyard stands.

He maintained a calm and composed demeanor throughout.

He was slowly waving the folding fan in his hand.

Several slender bamboo stalks are painted on the fan, and as the fan moves, the bamboo leaves appear to sway gently in the wind.

The surrounding noise and commotion seemed irrelevant to him, because everything was exactly as he had anticipated.

When Zhou Juncheng's gong sounded and Chen Yu's victory was announced throughout the entire sword-testing arena, Xiahou Fei snapped his fan shut and tapped his knee lightly.

"How so?"

He turned around and scanned the faces of the people around him one by one.

His tone carried three parts pride, three parts boasting, and four parts calm composure as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I told you my apprentice would win!"

The people around him all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Silence spread through the crowd.

Everyone seemed to suddenly develop a great interest in the tips of their shoes.

These people didn't look like this before the duel started.

Back then, they were all incredibly talkative.

Saying things like "It's not easy for the inferior to overcome the superior," "Brother Xiahou, aren't you too confident?" and "The experts in the inner court are not so easy to deal with," all implied a lack of confidence.

Now all of them have shut up.

After a long silence, someone finally spoke.

A middle-aged man sitting to Xiahou Fei's right.

He has a typical smooth and worldly face, with smiles plastered all over his face.

He suddenly spoke, his voice carrying just the right amount of warmth and flattery.

"As expected of Brother Xiahou's disciple! A great teacher produces a great student! Such skill and courage are unmatched in the entire outer courtyard!"

Xiahou Fei didn't reply, but simply patted the man's shoulder lightly with his fan, his smile deepening.

He knows these people too well.

They are never absent from adding flowers to brocade, but they are never there to help in times of need.

Another person came over, their tone even more sincere than the previous one.

"Chen Yu is truly remarkable for overthrowing his superiors! Now that he's entered the inner courtyard, you, as his master, will also benefit! Don't forget to give us old brothers a hand then!"

"Exactly!"

Those around immediately echoed, as if the doubts and sarcasm from before had never happened.

"Brother Xiahou has nurtured so many promising talents in the outer academy over the years, and Chen Yu is merely one of the most outstanding among them! If you ask me, among all the master instructors in the outer academy, Brother Xiahou has the best eye for talent!"

Xiahou Fei listened to these compliments, but his face still wore that indifferent smile.

He tucked the fan into his waistband, turned around, and patted Cheng Daqi on the shoulder beside him.

This shot is very realistic.

The hand landed on the shoulder with a dull thud, as if waking someone who was lost in thought.

Cheng Daqi was engrossed in watching when the slap startled him, causing his shoulder to twitch and bringing him back to his senses.

Xiahou Fei looked at his eldest disciple and understood perfectly well.

Cheng Daqi is a good kid in every way.

Down-to-earth, hardworking, and honest.

However, his talent is somewhat mediocre, and his comprehension of martial arts is lacking.

Over the years, he has taught so many students in the outer academy that he has a certain ability to judge people.

With Cheng Daqi's talent, without the right opportunity, he would at best remain a middle-level disciple for his entire life, and entering the inner court would be virtually impossible.

But he never said these words out loud.

A master should not dampen his apprentice's spirit.

"Great talent, you should learn from him."

Xiahou Fei's voice was calm and measured, carrying the gentleness and certainty of an elder.

"When your martial arts level reaches this level one day, you too can enter the inner academy! I will personally host a banquet to celebrate that time!"

Cheng Daqi's gaze remained fixed on Chen Yu on the arena.

He looked at his junior brother, who was a few years younger than him.

Looking at the corpse on the arena that had been so arrogant just moments before.

A complex mix of emotions surged within me.

It was shocking, absolutely shocking.

He has personally witnessed Chen Yu's journey from the outer courtyard to where he is today.

He has transformed from a young man who couldn't even hold a hammer properly when he first started out into a dark horse who can now defeat inner court masters on the arena.

This speed of growth filled him with a deep sense of admiration.

Beyond the shock, there was a deep sense of joy.

Along with the joy, there was also a tinge of inexplicable melancholy.

He took Xiahou Fei's words, "Study hard," to heart.

But he knew better than anyone that some things can't be learned just by studying.

Talent is something you can't see or touch.

But it's there, like an invisible barrier in front of you, which you can't break through no matter how hard you try.

"This level of skill...?"

Cheng Daqi slowly shook his head, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"I didn't know it would take decades of arduous practice to achieve this..."

He didn't speak loudly, but amidst the surrounding noise, Xiahou Fei heard every single word.

Don't be discouraged!

Xiahou Fei's tone suddenly rose a few notches.

He snapped open the fan in his hand and fanned Cheng Daqi's forehead twice.

"It's all about human effort! Even if it takes thirty years to achieve this, that would still be quite an accomplishment!"

"Look at your teacher. Back in the outer academy, I worked my way up step by step. I didn't enter the middle academy until I was thirty, and I didn't become a forging master until I was forty. And now I'm doing just fine, aren't I?"

"On the path of martial arts, those who walk fast may not go far, and those who walk slowly may not fail to reach the end. The key is not to stop."

After he finished speaking, he closed the fan, stuffed it into Cheng Daqi's arms, turned around and looked towards the arena, and said no more.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands at the Intermediate People's Court, a young girl in a blue dress was letting out a long sigh of relief.

Ouyang Qing's fingers were still clutching the hem of her clothes, the hem of which was soaked with sweat from nervousness.

Only at this moment was it confirmed that Chen Yu was standing safely on the arena.

As if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her shoulders, she leaned against the stone steps behind her.

The cool stone surface pressed against her back, and the momentary sensation sent a shiver through her, finally relaxing her long-tense nerves.

Ouyang Qing originally thought Chen Yu would lose.

Before the duel began, she even secretly calculated the worst possible outcome.

She had considered how she should collect Chen Yu's body if he really died on the stage, and how she should face Luo Ninghai and Fang Ke.

She is not a pessimistic person.

But when faced with such a life-or-death battle with such a disparity in strength, all rational analysis told her that the probability of Chen Yu surviving was extremely low.

But now he's not only alive, he's won.

They won decisively and cleanly.

Ouyang Qing's gaze passed through the excited crowd in the stands and landed on Chen Yu's handsome, calm face.

The wind on the arena blew Chen Yu's bangs, revealing a brow bone that was not wide but extremely straight.

He stood there, neither humble nor arrogant, neither proud nor impatient, as if he had just completed a trivial task.

Ouyang Qing suddenly felt that he had never really known this junior brother.

Sha Bao looked at Wu Chenyi with a smug expression.

"What did you just say? If Chen Yu wins, you have to kowtow to me three times?"

Wu Chen didn't respond.

He's a shameless scoundrel; he never admits to anything he's said.

"How boring! It's over already!"

On the highest level of the stands, Ye Chengying wore a listless expression.

"That was so fast! I didn't even feel a thing!"

She stood up, walked to the center of the platform, and slowly began to speak.

"This is a rare opportunity. Anyone else want a life-or-death duel? If you're interested, step forward! An upset is preferred!"

"The outer court disciple who defeats the middle court disciple will be rewarded with three hundred taels of silver and a manual of tendon-strengthening techniques."

"The disciple from the Middle Courtyard who defeats the disciple from the Inner Courtyard will be rewarded with nine hundred taels of silver and three copies of the Bone Refining Technique."

"Anyone else want to continue playing?"

Silence fell again.

Although the outer court disciples and the middle court disciples were all just talking nonsense before,

They said things like, "The inner court disciples are nothing special."

But deep down they all knew the truth.

The one who's truly impressive is Chen Yu, not them.

If I were to challenge an inner court disciple who is of a higher level, I would probably die a very bad death.

No matter how much Ye Chengying incited them, no one dared to step forward.

In the silence, Cai Zhongtie suddenly spoke.

"Young Master, what rewards will we inner courtyard members receive after we win?"

Ye Chengying rested his chin on his hand, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Even if the Inner Court defeats the Middle Court and the Outer Court, that doesn't count as skill; it's just the superior bullying the inferior!"

"However, if he defeats someone from the inner court, I can promote him by one rank!"

Upon hearing this, Cai Zhongtie was overjoyed.

"Young Master, since that's the case, then I challenge Chen Yu! I challenge Chen Yu to a duel to the death!"