Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

Chapter 324: Chapter 183: Third

"Xu Yang, you bastard..."

Lu Ren scrambled up from the ground, flustered and exasperated, only to see that Xu Yang had already stepped aside.

"I went easy on you!" Xu Yang said with a smile, cupping his fist as he looked at the footprint on Lu Ren’s face.

"You..."

A tremor ran through Lu Ren. Only then did he realize that if Xu Yang hadn’t held back, that kick would have been enough to flatten his nose.

He had lost!

He had lost to Xu Yang again, and in such a humiliating fashion.

He had saved his Fuyue Bear King’s Palm specifically to fight Xu Yang, yet he hadn’t even lasted ten moves before it ended like this.

He had waited three years for this battle, yet he was still the one who lost.

"How could this be?"

Lu Ren simply couldn’t believe he was the one who had lost. It had always been common knowledge that his talent surpassed Xu Yang’s. Whenever people spoke of Xu Yang, they would only say his talent was *comparable* to his, Lu Ren’s.

But they had fought twice, and both times, he was the one who lost.

From all around, he felt every gaze was filled with mockery and contempt, as if they were saying, ’So you’re just another clown like Su Zhe—all bark and no bite.’

"I..."

Lu Ren wanted to make an excuse, but he found he had nothing to say. He had been in peak condition for this fight, yet Xu Yang had defeated him head-on. Even in a battle to the death, he would likely have been the one to die.

"Don’t say anything yet. Wipe that footprint off your face first. It’s not a good look," Xu Yang reminded him kindly.

"You bastard!"

Lu Ren’s eyes blazed with fury. ’That son of a bitch must have stepped on my face on purpose.’

He wiped the footprint from his face and shot Xu Yang a vicious glare. Without another word, he turned and unwillingly leaped off the stage.

"Even Lu Ren lost to Xu Yang!"

"So he was the real dark horse all along!"

"If anyone ever says Xu Yang’s talent is just ’comparable’ to Lu Ren’s again, I’ll fight them. Lu Ren is nowhere near his level."

"The Ten Heroes have been re-ranked again! Xu Yang is the true sixth of the Ten Heroes."

...

As Lu Ren leaped off the stage, the Martial Arts Arena erupted. No one had expected that after defeating Xie Zhan, Xu Yang would also defeat Lu Ren—and even faster than he had defeated Xie Zhan.

"He defeated Lu Ren again, and while Lu Ren was in his peak state. He’s really no match for him." Zhang Yong’s face was filled with disbelief.

Among their cohort, the most talented one wasn’t Lu Ren after all. It was Xu Yang.

"Haha... I told you! If my brother could put him in his place once, he could do it twice." Xu Qing laughed happily.

Sun Tao was also beaming. "Junior Brother Xu made it into the top three!"

He felt as if he were in a daze. Who could have imagined that Xu Yang would make it into the top three of the Purple Sun Sect’s Outer Sect Grand Competition? Even just before today, many people still didn’t believe it was possible.

But he knew that with Xu Yang’s strength, even taking first place wouldn’t be a problem.

"Even Lu Ren lost to him... We were so stupid to cut ties with someone like that."

Liu Qian gazed at that high-spirited figure, filled with regret.

Third place in the Outer Sect Grand Competition. She could train for several more years and never achieve such a result.

"Even Lu Ren lost to him! How is that possible? How could that mud-legged peasant make it into the top three..."

Su Zhe was going mad with jealousy. ’Why wasn’t I the one who defeated Lu Ren and Xie Zhan?’

If he had placed in the top three, he would have been a great hero to the Su Family, a pillar of the clan who turned the tide.

’He made the top three, so he’s guaranteed to become an Inner Sect Disciple. What does my Ding Family have left to entice him with?’ Regret also bloomed in Ding Yuan’s heart.

If he had known Xu Yang was this capable, what would it have mattered if they didn’t form a marriage alliance?

There would be no need to worry about someone like him betraying the Ding Family, because the Ding Family could never truly control him. He would belong to the Purple Sun Sect for life.

Qin Ze, Qiao Yong, Zhou Zhichao, Yuan Gang, and others who had some connection to Xu Yang all had their own reactions at this moment.

Top three in the Grand Competition!

Among the hundreds, even thousands, of Outer Disciples in the Purple Sun Sect, only three people achieved this each year.

As evening fell, the Purple Sun Sect’s annual Outer Sect Grand Competition came to a close.

Han Feng took first, Xiong Kun second, and Xu Yang third. Lu Ren defeated Xie Zhan again to claim fourth place, while Xie Zhan, having lost four consecutive matches, ranked fifth.

Xu Yang didn’t fight Xiong Kun. He couldn’t be bothered to put on a show and conceded before even getting on stage, leaving the battle-hungry Xiong Kun utterly speechless.

For him, securing a top-three spot to waive the assessment missions was enough. There was no difference between second and third place.

Ding Xu didn’t come looking for him again. They knew that Xu Yang no longer needed a great family to back him.

Once he entered the Inner Sect, his backer would be the Purple Sun Sect itself. He would have no need to fear any of the great families in Cyan Yang City.

"Junior Brother Xu, now that you’ve made the top three, you have to treat us," Sun Tao and Zhang Yong said with a smile as they approached.

Soon, Qiu Wenjie, Xu Qing, and Tian Li also walked over.

"To the tavern! We’re not going home until we’re drunk tonight," Xu Yang said with a laugh.

"Brother Xu, going for drinks without me?"

Jiang Fan strode over, cupped his fist, and said, "Congratulations, Brother Xu, on placing in the top three. I didn’t expect you to have hidden your strength even deeper than I did."

The two looked at each other and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The group made their way to the tavern. Along the way, everyone they encountered greeted Xu Yang with a smile, cordially calling him "Brother Xu."

Regardless of whether he knew them or not, Xu Yang returned the gesture by cupping his fist, marveling to himself at how all the Purple Sun Sect disciples had suddenly become so friendly and enthusiastic.

He stepped into the tavern with Jiang Fan and the others, little knowing that the impact of him placing in the top three of the Grand Competition was only just beginning.

...

「Li Fire Peak」

Bathed in the evening glow, Gao Lin walked out of the fire field. As Elder Huoyun’s head disciple, he handled nearly all the affairs of their lineage.

As he passed a roadside pavilion, he overheard several Inner Sect Disciples talking about "Xu Yang" and "the biggest dark horse." Curious, he walked inside and asked, "Junior brothers, what’s happened with Xu Yang? Why are you all talking about him?"