Why do I have so many masters?

Chapter 71 Fortuitous Opportunity (1/2)

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Xue Qinshuang noticed the change in his expression and realized that he was quite moved. She lightly tapped her cup, drawing Wang Anfeng and the others' attention to her, and said with a smile:

"It seems Master Fu Mo will still need some time, and it's boring to just wait around here."

"The arena is just a dozen steps away from here, why don't we go take a look?"

"When the Master comes out, we can leave together. It won't take much time. What do you all think?"

Wang Anfeng felt a stir in his heart upon hearing this.

Before this trip, he hadn't paid much attention to how his skills compared with his peers, but after this trip, it was as if a thorn was stuck in his throat. If he wanted to know about the matters of White Tiger Hall, he would inevitably have to face the most outstanding young martial artists of Great Qin. He couldn't help but take it to heart.

Thinking of it now, even if he couldn't spar with that young hero from the Constellation Ranking List, observing the duels of other martial artists would give him a rough idea of the level of ordinary martial artists' skills. He became quite interested.

Baili Feng's face lit up with joy. He put down his tea cup and said:

"This sounds great, I've been restless for a while."

Tuoba Yue's face showed a hint of hesitation.

Her features were delicate, and she carried herself with a regal air, yet among the four, she was the most meticulous and conservative. She worried about potential complications but then thought that since they were inside State City of Great Qin and only a dozen meters away from the Middle Third Rank Master, there likely wouldn't be any trouble.

Moreover, as a foreigner, she had a lot of interest in Great Qin's Constellation Ranking List and eventually shook her head to indicate she had no objection. Yet she couldn't help but say:

"Just don't get too engrossed."

Seeing that these young people were about to go out and enjoy the spectacle, Hua Xin's heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile as she interjected:

"Since you young heroes are interested, why not just watch from the second-floor window sill? With the accompaniment of music and aromatic tea, why bother squeezing in with those martial folks?"

Baili Feng stood up and laughed:

"We are martial folks ourselves, naturally, we should squeeze in with them. Thank you for the kind thought, Miss Hua Xin."

"When the Master comes out, we'll trouble you to let us know."

The woman's smile stiffened a bit, but with the conversation having reached this point, she could only bow and agree, watching as the four youths left. She felt rather annoyed with herself for bringing up the suggestion.

Yet, she also wondered why these distinguished youths didn't care for their status and insisted on squeezing in with those pungent martial artists, lowering their own standing.

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The architecture of the Rare Treasure Pavilion was the grandest in North Martial City, claiming to have everything one could possibly need. Whether it was a conveniently handheld bamboo pole or an unbreakable beggar's bowl, they would not be lacking inside.

That North Martial Inn could secure such a large space directly opposite the Rare Treasure Pavilion in this expensive locality was a testament to its wealth and grandeur. The arena set up was also quite impressive; although crowded, it wasn't so packed that there was no room to move.

The four made their way into the throng. If they had been ordinary people of Jianghu practicing External Kung Fu with bulky muscles, they wouldn't have fit, but these four were still young and had no problem getting through. Some bystanders, eyeing Tuoba Yue's beauty, felt the urge to get closer and tease her, but they were promptly glared at by the youth with a brutal weapon on his back, who was following directly behind Tuoba Yue.

They immediately felt as if a shiny longsword was placed at the back of their necks. Shuddering, they realized they couldn't afford to mess with her and laughed it off, pretending to scratch their own necks with their previously advancing hand, trying to look harmless and simple-minded.

Once the four pushed their way to the edge of the stage, there were already two combatants engaged in a fight.

One was a rugged man wearing only a short jacket, open at the chest to reveal a bear-like thatch of chest hair. He wielded a Decorated Large Axe, moving with grounded, solid footwork. Despite his rough appearance, the techniques he used were as intricate as axe carving, producing a cold gleam like rolling waves, with Vigorous Qi that didn't dissipate and even seemed to layer upon itself. This made his fight style, despite its intricacy, also possess the power and heft unique to heavy weapons, being exceedingly difficult to counter. Wang Anfeng's eyes lit up with admiration.

Swordsmanship from Shaolin Temple wasn't like that.

Forceful techniques often lacked versatility, and intricate moves tended to have less momentum. It was rare to find a balance—it felt as though there was some unseen rule requiring that among the many martial arts, there had to be a balance, like the axe technique employed by the man before him, which Wang Anfeng hadn't seen before.

The young man's heart stirred, and he focused intently, observing the man's movements. Though the core method of Qi Force exertion was not evident, he could still see that the man was accumulating momentum through intricate movements, gradually building up like a confluence of rivers into a mighty force.

He couldn't help but compare this to his own sword training and felt that achieving such a profound and heavy aura would be possible with his own sword techniques. But for now, the thrilling back-and-forth of the duel on the stage kept him from pondering further as he heard a thunderous roar from the rugged man.

Seemingly unable to control the vast Qi Force, he brought down his Decorated Large Axe towards the platform with a crash.

His opponent, a sturdy youth in his twenties, was defending with a Qimen crutch as a weapon. He had been barely managing to hold his own but hadn't expected this thunderous blow. Thanks to regular training, he reacted in time, but still, the axe struck his weapon, and his complexion instantly turned pale.

Achieving complete control over martial arts, especially with heavy weapons, was extremely difficult. The sound of snapping was heard as the iron crutch shattered into pieces. The young man screamed and flew backward several meters, landing on the ground spitting blood, his eyes tightly shut, body trembling slightly—evidently, he was seriously injured.

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The burly man on stage wielded his Decorated Large Axe in a swing, smashing it into the ground with a thunderous roar that drew the gaze of everyone around. He bellowed with a coarse and gruff voice:

"Who else dares to come up?!"

His spirited and fierce demeanor, coupled with the triumph of his previous victory, caused a silence where no one dared to respond. He had just demonstrated a stacked and resonating Qi Force that those below the Ninth Rank Martial Artist could not achieve. Many present were incapable of it; even Wang Anfeng overheard whispers saying that if this man were not so advanced in years, he might have a chance at being on the Constellation Ranking List.

Just then, a clear laugh suddenly rang out from among the crowd.

"This humble one would like to learn a thing or two."

As the words were spoken, a white figure spun out from the crowd. The burly man's eyes, as large as copper bells, widened in astonishment. He raised his axe to block, but his expression changed drastically as he was forced to stagger backward under great pressure. Meanwhile, the white shadow spun outward, revealing itself to be a folding fan held in hand, which snapped open with a crack to display a painting of a delicate landscape.

The person holding the fan lightly tapped their toes and gracefully ascended the stage. He had a handsome face, narrow eyes, was dressed in a yellow shirt, and wore a fine piece of jade at his waist. Although not extremely striking, he stood out as refined amidst the rough-looking martial artists. His initial move already made the crowd below gasp in amazement.

Wang Anfeng's eyes widened slightly; the move had seemed plain, yet the reaction of the axe-wielding man suggested it concealed a massive, indescribable force. This piqued Wang Anfeng's interest.

The young man on stage then saluted the four directions, saying:

"My father organized this arena, and I only intended to witness the prowess of you heroes. But my heart yearned to join the fray, so here I am. I hope none will take offense."

After speaking, he bowed slightly, his demeanor and grace superior to most. Common folk of Jianghu usually applaud such performances, so naturally, there were loud acclamations. The man with the axe spat contemptuously, furrowing his brows and rasping out:

"Heh, thinking of stepping over me to take the stage? Brave spirit!"

With an angry shout, he swung his axe at the youngster with an overwhelming momentum that matched the one he had used to defeat his former opponent, causing the martial artists below to cry out in alarm. However, Wang Anfeng frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled. Read latest chapters at empire

The awe of the earlier performance entirely depended on the continuous build-up of power; this strike, albeit a sudden offensive, was nowhere near as brilliant as the previous one.

The young man sidestepped just in time, seeming to anticipate the axe's descent. He allowed the giant blade to graze past him as he snapped his folding fan shut and tapped the burly man's wrist, causing the latter's body to tremble, almost as if he had been struck heavily, bringing him close to kneeling.

With a flick of his wrist, the young man unfurled his fan to block his opponent's vision and kicked the burly man's knee, forcing him to continuously retreat. In just a few moves, he had gained the upper hand, maintaining his poised demeanor in stark contrast to the axe-wielding man, who was frustrated and irate. The crowd cheered loudly, but Wang Anfeng felt more and more that something was not adding up.

If his observation was correct, the young man's martial arts seemed quite ordinary, but his acting was superb.

Better even than the female warriors on the stage.

At the very least, Baili Feng and Tuoba Yue hadn't noticed.

After several more bouts, the young man dispatched his competitors cleanly and decisively, drawing waves of applause. Wang Anfeng, however, found it rather dull; he had seen many forthright and bold martial artists before but had not expected such deception in Jianghu.

He had thoughts of leaving but remained composed due to the presence of Baili Feng and the others.

His mind raced with confusion.

What was the purpose of this act?

Whether it was informing various factions or setting up this arena in front of the Qimen Pavilion, it would all cost a significant amount of money. His father, a wealthy merchant of the city, surely wouldn't be spending such sums just for show...

Seeing that no one had the courage to enter the stage, the young man's lips curled into a slight smile. He reached into his robe and drew out a jade box, declaring loudly:

"Today on the arena, we fight to see who is superior in martial arts. Anyone who steps onto this stage becomes an opponent."

"Since the heroes here choose not to act, the prepared Lost Treasure shall fall to me. I shall give it to the Flying Cloud Swordsman as a gift on behalf of others, with all of you as witnesses!"

As he spoke, it seemed as though the Flying Cloud Swordsman was present among them. The crowd was initially startled before they grew excited and cheered. Wang Anfeng's pupils narrowed, his gaze instantly fixing on the jade box.

Lost Treasure!

This item was what Mr. Ying had asked him to look out for, and its value depended on its use. Some were worth a fortune, while others bore only the name of Lost Treasure without any peculiarities, slightly more valuable than ordinary jade but still hard to find.

Despite the world's immensity, such treasures were not uncommon, yet searching for them was no easy task, purely reliant on fate.

He had found no clues in the Qimen Pavilion, yet unexpectedly encountered one here.

If he had known, he would have entered the fray earlier.

At this thought, Wang Anfeng began to feel a touch of regret.

PS: First update