Chapter 70, I Am Fei Xingchou! Martial World, Here I Come!

Translator: StarReader

 

Defeating Wang Fugui was a relatively easy first fight. A few words from Su Chen had revealed Wang Fugui’s fatal character flaw, making it easy to defeat him.

 

But the next two fights proved much more challenging.

 

One was the Wu Region’s small groups’ Eagle Claw Group’s number one young expert, whose attacks were unusually fierce. The other was a young expert from a martial clan in a county who was cultivating the Golden Canopy through external hard practice, specializing in defense and counterattacks.

 

Ah Chou struggled for half an hour to defeat these two, consuming a large portion of his True Qi.

 

After all, not everyone was like Wang Fugui, the proud scion of the Wang Clan, who lacked the bloodthirstiness of aggression and whose weakness was discovered by Su Chen’s keen gaze, allowing him to exploit it ruthlessly.

 

With other young experts in the martial world, the same tactics would not be effective, and ultimately, one would have to compete on skill level and the depth of inner strength.

 

Fortunately, Ah Chou had a solid foundation and often had the opportunity to spar with Su Chen, a peerless expert.

 

Su Chen had a keen eye, and each sparring session focused on attacking Ah Chou’s weakest points, forcing him to correct those flaws. Over the years, Ah Chou’s weaknesses thinned out.

 

If one had to point to a deficiency in Ah Chou, it was that his True Qi as a mid first-rate disciple wasn’t deep enough to defeat a late first-rate expert.

 

Anyone else below that would be pressed hard to defeat him.

 

The crowd of martial disciples gathered around the arena in the South Plaza erupted in cheers and shouts.

 

“Good!”

 

“That ugly fellow is amazing!”

 

“This ugly man, though unsightly, is surprisingly formidable, defeating three powerful young experts in succession! Wow, it seems that our Wu Region martial world is about to produce another rising star!”

 

“This ugly brother, may I ask your name? It will be good to have someone to watch out for each other in the martial world!”

 

“Yes, tell us your name. Perhaps we can share strong wine and journey together on the martial path! To be acquainted with such a young expert is truly delightful!”

 

The arena had already witnessed over two hours of fighting, with twenty or so young experts taking the stage. Very few had managed to achieve three consecutive victories.

 

After all, young experts who had cultivated themselves to a first-rate level were, without exception, among the most outstanding disciples in their respective groups.

 

To achieve three consecutive victories in the arena demonstrated not only exceptional strength within one’s own group but also marked them as a standout amongst their peers throughout the entire Wu Region martial world.

 

Ah Chou had done just that.

 

The crowd, numbering in the thousands, erupted in cheers, and many martial disciples loudly greeted Ah Chou, eager to make his acquaintance.

 

“I am Heaven Falcon Group’s Ah Chou, or Fei Xingchou! As a new martial artist making his debut, I thank you all for your support!”

 

Ah Chou, having achieved three consecutive victories, had his face flush with excitement at the enthusiastic cheers from around the arena, and he quickly bowed towards the numerous martial disciples who were cheering him on.

 

He had taken the stage today mainly to earn the one hundred silver taels, but the opportunity to build his reputation and achieve fame on the martial road was a golden opportunity that he would certainly not miss.

 

That was a dream of his youth.

 

Back when he was a server at the Heaven Falcon Inn, together with Brother Chen, he dreamed of one day becoming a Wu Region martial hero and earning lots and lots of silver taels.

 

A few years ago, that would have been a foolish fantasy.

 

Now, he had diligently cultivated for five years, and this dream was rapidly becoming reality. Over these years, his strength had grown remarkably with the assistance of medicinal formulas drawn by Brother Chen for body tempering and replenishing his vitality.

 

The Wu Region, a realm brimming with prodigious talents, was a hotbed of martial prowess. He, Ah Chou, had already become a mid first-rate expert, finally emerging from obscurity!

 

If he could achieve five consecutive victories, he would no longer be an insignificant figure. At least, the thousands of martial disciples watching from the arena would remember his name.

 

“Ah Chou! That’s not a very pleasing name, and his looks are admittedly a bit unattractive… But never mind, what matters for a martial disciple isn’t their appearance but their strength!”

 

“So he’s a first-rate expert from the Heaven Falcon Group!”

 

“No wonder he’s so formidable. He’s also a disciple of the four major groups, the Heaven Falcon Group. Almost all of the young experts with three consecutive victories in the arena today are elite disciples from the four major groups.”

 

“Only such large groups can cultivate experts as outstanding as this! Smaller groups simply crumble when they step onto the stage; it appears they cannot compete with them!”

 

“Brother Ah Chou has considerable strength; if we meet him in the martial world, we should invite him to join us on an adventure.”

 

Below the arena, numerous martial disciples enthusiastically discussed, looking favorably upon Ah Chou.

 

…

 

South of the city, on the main street, was a high-end restaurant.

 

On the third floor, a luxurious private dining room with large windows offered a wide view of the street. The arena’s fights could be clearly seen from this vantage point.

 

Outside and inside the restaurant, dozens of young guards from the Heaven Falcon Group were stationed, their vigilance on high alert.

 

Inside the luxury suite, Manager Liu of the Heaven Falcon Group was enjoying a drink alone.

 

In recent days, the Heaven Falcon Group had been extremely busy. Tomorrow was the Laba Festival, when Daoist Han Shan and Magistrate Wang would invite leaders from all the groups across the Wu Region to attend the first-ever martial competition.

 

Additionally, with the group’s busy schedule over the past few months, Manager Liu had been handling everything without a moment to rest.

 

Today’s affairs, he had more or less arranged for his subordinates to handle. Passing by the grand arena in the southern part of the city, he suddenly felt a surge of interest and decided to take a break here, enjoying a few cups while watching the young martial prodigies compete on stage. The private room offered an unobstructed view through its windows, allowing him to easily observe the sparring taking place in the distant arena.

 

Han Shu arrived at the tavern with a group of young heroes and approached Manager Liu.

 

“Greetings, Young Miss!”

 

Inside the restaurant, a steady stream of Heaven Falcon Group guards and disciples saluted Han Shu. Han Shu entered the luxurious private room and, upon seeing Liu Rufeng, smiled brightly. “Uncle Liu, you’re here, as expected. I didn’t see you at the main hall and only just found out you were here watching the fun.”

 

Liu Rufeng, upon seeing Han Shu enter, put down his cup and said with a smile, “Young Miss, your smile clearly shows you have something to discuss with me. Tell me, what is it?”

 

“This competition is a rare opportunity, with the young elites of all the major groups gathered in Gusu City. I saw this as a great opportunity to connect with them. I’m planning a banquet tonight at the Heaven Falcon Inn, inviting dozens of the most outstanding young disciples from all the major and minor groups. This banquet can’t be lacking, so it’ll cost several thousand taels of silver. What do you think, Uncle Liu?”

 

Han Shu smiled.

 

The Heaven Falcon Group’s leader, Han Ya, was either in seclusion or rarely within the sect. He handed over the group’s financial control to his trusted right-hand man, the always steady and measured Manager Liu.

 

Although Han Shu was Han Ya’s sister and the future leader of the Heaven Falcon Group, she was still young and currently held no real power within the sect.

 

Manager Liu handled the day-to-day operations and finances of Heaven Falcon Group. Without his approval, not a single hundred taels of silver could be disbursed from their coffers. This was why she had come to see Manager Liu now—to request this substantial sum.

 

She had come to find him because she wanted to withdraw this large sum of silver taels.

 

“Now that Young Miss learned to socialize in the martial world, it’s a great thing to get to know some of the most outstanding young warriors! How could I possibly refuse?”

 

Manager Liu couldn’t help but laugh.

 

A few thousand taels of silver was nothing, and he didn’t put it to mind.

 

The fact that Young Miss Han Shu could inherit the mantle of the leader and carry forward the Heaven Falcon Group was what he cared about the most.

 

Manager Liu pointed toward a distant stage outside the window and addressed Han Shu.

 

“Young Miss, have you noticed that Heaven Falcon Group’s disciple over there? Ah Chou is a martial arts fanatic but has shown great potential in martial arts, developing into an expert within just four or five years. His talent is remarkable!

 

Such a young expert is exactly the kind of talent the group needs! I and the leader are both getting old, and the activity in the Heaven Falcon Group Sect is slowing down, so sooner or later they will have to be handed over to Young Miss. It’s also necessary for Young Miss to go through the trouble of drawing some more young talents for the group.”

 

At first, he suspected that Ah Chou’s rapid progress in cultivation might be due to the influence of other groups, possibly a spy aiming to infiltrate Heaven Falcon Group’s upper echelons. However, after thoroughly investigating Ah Chou’s background, he was surprised to find that he was an orphan with no known lineage. From a young age, Ah Chou had been working as a lowly server at Heaven Falcon Inn, with both his parents serving in the same capacity before passing away. His meteoric rise within the martial world remained a mystery, leaving many questions unanswered.

 

Later, Ah Chou joined the Heaven Falcon Group when he was in his teens and became a lowly indentured servant within the sect. His social circle was almost nonexistent; he only grew close to an errand disciple from the Medicine King Group. But even that errand disciple was of little consequence, not worth mentioning.

 

Ah Chou, though of humble origin, cultivated with exceptional determination. He spent four hours daily on intense cultivating sessions, occasionally using low-grade herbs for body tempering. This level of dedication would have reduced any ordinary person to a cripple. Yet Ah Chou thrived, growing stronger with each passing day. In just four years, he skyrocketed to become a first-rate expert.

 

His followers conducted thorough investigations but found no ties between Ah Chou and other prominent figures. The only explanation was his extraordinary natural talent and unique physiology—traits that were rare but not unheard of in the Wu Region’s martial circles, appearing every decade or so.

 

“Hmph, he’s merely an ordinary first-rate expert within our group; why would I need to draw him closer? Our Heaven Falcon Group has thousands of disciples, with five or six dozen first-rate experts in each hall; many are more impressive than him. There’s no need for me to go out of my way to bring him over to us.”

 

Han Shu sniffed dismissively, glancing toward the arena. There stood a Heaven Falcon Group disciple with a patchy blue complexion and an ugly face. In her opinion, Manager Liu had praised Ah Chou far too highly.

 

She frequently interacted with outstanding young talents from the Four Great Gangs in the Wu Region—individuals of power, status, and exceptional talent. Compared to them, Ah Chou’s ugliness and lowly background made him utterly unremarkable.

 

Moreover, as a Heaven Falcon Group disciple, wasn’t it his duty to serve her, to serve the Heaven Falcon Group? How could he possibly warrant her personal attention?