The prominent families, dignitaries, and Martial Artists of Yuhe County began to file out.

The setting sun’s afterglow edged the training ground’s banners in gold. As the last of the lavishly dressed dignitaries departed, the grounds, which had been bustling all day, finally fell quiet.

The disciples of Sun’s Martial Arts Hall gathered around Sun Yong, their steps light as they headed out, faces beaming with pride and relief.

The moment they stepped out of the training ground’s main gate, several young disciples eagerly crowded around Yang Jing, showering him with congratulations.

"Senior Brother Yang, congratulations! First place in Arena Seven! This is a huge deal for our Martial Arts Hall!"

"From now on, the whole county will know your name, Senior Brother!"

"I knew you were hiding your true strength, Senior Brother! You’re incredible!"

Surrounded by the others, Yang Jing wore a gentle smile. He cupped his fists toward them. "I was just lucky. It’s all thanks to Master’s daily guidance and the help of all my fellow disciples."

His humble tone, devoid of any smugness, only made the surrounding disciples respect him all the more.

Just then, Liu Maolin pushed through the crowd. Though his right arm was still bandaged, his face was split in a wide grin.

He and Yang Jing fell a few steps behind the other disciples, chatting as they walked.

Liu Maolin clapped Yang Jing on the arm and teased, "Well, now that you’ve taken first place in Arena Seven, your standing in the eyes of Master and our fellow disciples is going to be completely different."

He looked at Yang Jing, his eyes filled with emotion, his tone turning serious. "Honestly, I never would have guessed. You were even training a Body Technique, and you reached Bright Strength without a sound... I’ve been around you for so long, and I never noticed a thing. You really know how to keep a secret."

Liu Maolin chuckled. "I always thought Lin Yue had the best natural aptitude, that he was the most talented disciple in our Martial Arts Hall. But now, it looks like your comprehension is every bit as good as his. Lin Yue relies on his innate talent for his training, but you managed to cultivate two different skills to such a high level in a short time. That takes more than just hard work."

At this, a flash of genuine envy appeared in his eyes. He clicked his tongue. "When we get back, Master is definitely going to give you some private lessons. He’ll probably give you first dibs on all the treasured fist manuals and rare medicinal herbs. If it were me, I’d be secretly overjoyed for days."

Yang Jing listened and gently shook his head. "Senior Brother, I wasn’t hiding it on purpose. I had my reasons."

He didn’t elaborate, but his voice held a hint of resignation.

Liu Maolin saw this and immediately waved a dismissive hand. "I get it, I get it. Everyone has their secrets, right?"

He clapped Yang Jing on the shoulder, his expression softening. "Everyone has things they can’t easily talk about. If you don’t want to say, I won’t press you. The bottom line is, you brought honor to our Martial Arts Hall this time. That’s what matters."

The setting sun stretched their shadows long. They blended into the bustling crowd and, following the rest of their group from the Martial Arts Hall, slowly vanished at the far end of the county’s streets.

The din of the training ground had faded, but in the Martial Artist circles of Yuhe County, Yang Jing’s story was just beginning to be told.

....

P.S.

It’s 11:50 PM, and I’ve finally finished tomorrow’s three Chapters, all twelve thousand characters of them.

Some of you amazing readers might have noticed I’m still replying to Chapter comments at three or four in the morning. That’s when I start writing, and aside from breaks to eat, I barely rest at all.

My writing speed is actually pretty slow. At my slowest, I write seven or eight hundred characters an hour; at my fastest, only about fifteen hundred.

Even though the published content is twelve thousand characters, I end up cutting quite a bit, so I actually have to write around fourteen thousand characters to get there.

I’m mentally and physically exhausted, to the point where my eyes are too sore to stay open. Sometimes I really wish I could just write four thousand characters a day and relax, but I tell myself I can’t. I’ve worked so hard to get here, so I can’t give up now. More importantly, I can’t let down the readers who have supported me all this way!

During the writing process, I cut most of the content involving the villagers, basically glossing over it.

I also condensed the parts with Zhao Yuman, Sun Yong, and Sun Ningxiang.

As always, if you see any problems with the story, please leave a comment and let me know. I’ll fix it. I believe this is all part of the process of becoming a better writer.

Oh, and one more thing. I’ve seen comments from some readers saying I don’t post enough. You guys are just joking, right? If you want me to release even more Chapters, I’d have to use the Absorption Technique on that one author, "Eagle," who pumps out 30,000 characters a day. *Sob sob.*

Lastly, to all you handsome and beautiful people out there, please vote for me with your monthly passes!~