The situation became extremely tense, with swords drawn.

Princess Liuyu snorted, raising her delicate chin and looking at Zhan Xinjia as if she were looking at a dead man.

"Wan Jun is one of the top martial arts geniuses in our Southern Prefecture. If you surrender now and offer a toast to apologize, we might spare your life. But it will be too late to beg for mercy once the fight starts!"

Zhan Xinjia smiled slightly, expressing deep regret.

"Oh dear, it seems that you in Nanjun don't have the saying that villains usually die from talking too much."

A large space was cleared on the field, and the two slowly stepped forward, while everyone watched with tense, breathless eyes.

Zhan Xinjia glanced briefly at the crowd. Yan Huishi and Yan Xiyue were seriously discussing whether the blood would splatter on them later. Her master also looked calm, and her parents were completely relaxed, already eating sunflower seeds.

That's trust. After all, he's the person closest to her, the one who knows best what she's capable of. If she couldn't even beat this pathetic warrior, she might as well give up on her career; it would be too embarrassing.

Wan Jun clenched his fists, which made a cracking sound, his eyes blazing as he looked at the boy in front of him with pity.

"I won't take advantage of you. Pick a weapon yourself, and I'll fight you bare-handed."

It wasn't that he was arrogant, but the boy's waist wasn't even as thick as his arm. Wan Jun even felt that he could easily crush the boy's bones with a little force. So what if the other party chose a suitable weapon? The outcome was already decided anyway.

Zhan Xinjia shrugged.

"Keep pretending for now, I'll give you that sentence back in a bit."

As soon as the drums sounded, the competition officially began.

Everyone thought this sparring match would be quite exciting, with back-and-forth exchanges, powerful blows from masters, and a three-hundred-round battle showcasing various martial arts techniques.

But what no one expected was that the drumbeats rose and fell, and in the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided—

Swift as thunder, fast as lightning!

Before anyone could even catch a glimpse of the boy's afterimage, she had already moved like a ghost and flashed behind Wan Jun. With such thin arms, she actually grabbed Wan Jun in one go, threw him down, and pinned him to the ground without hesitation, gripping his neck tightly and restraining him.

In an instant, it was as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open, with dust and ash flying everywhere.

With a loud "bang!", Wan Jun's knees slammed into the ground.

Everything happened in an instant.

Not to mention the onlookers, even Wan Jun himself was stunned.

His ears had barely heard the drumbeats before his body could react when a blade of blade slashed down from behind, causing his vision to go black. Caught off guard, his body went numb and he collapsed to his knees in a disheveled state.

He couldn't even catch a glimpse of the boy.

He didn't even know how he was approached or how he was pinned down.

Wan Jun's pupils trembled, a deep-seated fear welling up within him. In disbelief, he slowly turned his head to look at the smiling boy standing behind him. The other man had only used one hand, yet he felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down on him, and he couldn't break free no matter what he did.

How... how is this possible...

Is this even human?

"good!!"

A chorus of applause and cheers erupted from the banquet hall, with civil and military officials showering the young man with praise.

No wonder they're from the Zhan family; the Zhan family produces geniuses generation after generation!!

On the other side, Liuyu, unconvinced, put her hands on her hips and started shouting.

"This round doesn't count, that was clearly a sneak attack! How can a sneak attack count? Have you no shame?! If you're so capable, have another fair and square match with Wan Jun."

"oh?"

Zhan Xinjia bent down and patted Wan Jun's face dismissively, smiling with narrowed eyes.

"Do you also think this was a sneak attack?"

Do you even understand the true value of the saying "speed is the only way to break through all martial arts"?

However, before Wan Jun could reply in fear, Zhan Xinjia kindly let go of his hand and walked back to the other side of the field.

She stretched lazily, feeling utterly bored.

"Looks like some people can't handle losing, but it doesn't matter. Why not give you another chance? That's what makes us, the men of Dasheng, so broad-minded and generous. Sigh..."

On the ground, Wan Jun scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state. He was breathing heavily, his eyes were bloodshot, and his muscles were trembling violently. He looked like an enraged wild beast.

He had never been humiliated like this before.

At first, he might have just wanted to deflate the other party's arrogance, but at this moment, Wan Jun had no other thoughts in his mind. His goal was extremely clear: he only wanted this arrogant young man to die!

He couldn't let the eldest princess and the princess down; he represented the entire Southern Prefecture!

The drums sounded again, and this time Zhan Xinjia stood still, calmly watching the burly man, who looked like a small mountain, charging towards him.

Exclamations rose and fell throughout the room, and everyone held their breath for the boy. But even as Wan Jun rushed in front of him, Zhan Xinjia didn't lift his eyelids once and was still yawning.

The moment the fist, as big as a casserole dish, came swinging down, Zhan Xinjia raised her hand to block it without expression. Throughout the entire process, she didn't even move her position, easily neutralizing the opponent's attack by standing still in place.

Turning the palm and rotating the arm, stepping lightly and opening the hips, chopping the hand and returning like clouds...

Her attacks were slow and gentle, seemingly light and powerless, but the moment they landed on Wan Jun, they were like an overreacting alchemy furnace exploding. The enormous explosive force raised a strong wind, sending sand and stones flying, and the force soared into the sky, shoving Wan Jun away violently. He crashed heavily into the wall and "pfft!" a mouthful of blood gushed from his throat.

Wan Jun fell awkwardly from the wall to the ground. The excruciating pain from his internal organs tormented him, causing his vision to blur and his ears to be filled with auditory hallucinations. His brain felt like it was about to split open, and he was in excruciating pain.

He had no doubt that he had broken several ribs.

Zhan Xinjia remained standing in the same spot, her clothes fluttering gently in the breeze.

She casually brushed the dust off her sleeves, but smiled without saying a word.

Wan Jun trembled as he reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, he no longer cared about the rules of the competition, nor did he want to pay attention to the strange looks from others. He suddenly looked up and stared fiercely at the boy, his scarlet eyes fixed on him.

Laughing? He's actually still laughing?!

Before anyone could react, Wan Jun, his eyes bloodshot, roared and suddenly drew his longsword from the scabbard of a nearby guard, charging fiercely towards Zhan Xinjia.

He wielded this sword with intense killing intent, determined to fight to the death.

Amidst a commotion, Zhan Xinjia, unfazed, raised his leg and elbowed Wan Jun hard in the waist and abdomen, using his arm to block Wan Jun's wrist. With a slight tremor, the long sword in Wan Jun's hand slipped from his grasp due to the numbness in his tiger's mouth.

She caught the sword with one hand and then casually flicked it away.

The longsword resonated with a clanging sound due to the vibration of its blade, and finally, it plunged straight into the floor tile, standing firm.

All the onlookers saw was the young man's clothes fluttering, light as wings, like a crane dancing in the blue sky, the hem of his robe drawing a clean and bright arc.

In an instant, she had already landed behind Wan Jun without anyone noticing. She raised her leg and kicked him hard in the back of the knee without any mercy. When Wan Jun lost his balance and fell to his knees, Zhan Xinjia reached out and pressed down on the back of his neck, forcing him to press his face tightly to the ground.

Finally, she released her grip, straightened her back, and slowly raised her boot to stomp on Wan Jun's face.

This is her favorite way to end the act; it's not very harmful but extremely insulting.

The loser should obediently kneel on the ground and lick the ashes.

Zhan Xinjia's brow bone is slightly raised.

"Genius? Genius is merely the threshold to my understanding."

Young people, the more you practice, the better.

Wan Jun stared in resentment, but his throat was blocked by blood and foam, and he could only futilely utter a hoarse "hoarse!" He coughed violently, spitting out blood mixed with fragments of broken internal organs all over the ground.

This turn of events was unexpected by everyone.

Princess Liuyu was so anxious she was about to cry, and shouted, "You've won, so let him go!!"

Wan Jun was her bodyguard who had served her for many years. In her heart, he was as important as family. Even if it meant losing face, even if Wan Jun would be a cripple in the future, she would protect his life.

However, Zhan Xinjia has always been selectively deaf.

She strolled to the side, pulled out the longsword that she had previously deflected and then embedded in the floor tile, and without even blinking, she raised the sword and pierced Wan Jun's neck through it.

In an instant, blood gushed out and splattered, and Princess Liuyu's shrill screams of despair echoed across the field.

"Aaaaaah!!! You actually killed him, how dare you!!"

Zhan Xinjia casually tossed the sword aside with a clang.

She wiped the bloodstains splattered on her cheek with her sleeve, then calmly walked down from the platform, striding confidently with an imposing air.

Anyone who dares to challenge the authority and dignity of the Great Sheng Emperor shall be executed.

With this lowly, despicable head of a foreigner, I, a humble subject, wish my Great Dynasty eternal prosperity and its land everlasting strength!