Just when everyone thought Shang Yanting would be defeated, a massive sword aura descended from the sky.

The protective mirror in front of Zhu Hongxiu was torn apart, and a long wound was slashed across his chest. The wooden stake behind him was split in two, and cracks three fingers deep were split into the bluestone ground.

"A Radiant Gold Weapon? He actually has a Radiant Gold Weapon!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed. "Holy crap, could he be a disciple from some powerful family who's been secretly training?"

A radiant gold weapon is expensive and extremely rare. How could a cultivator from a powerful family possibly possess one at such a young age?

The disciples watching instantly realized they understood, "No wonder the peak master traveled all this way to support him!"

On the other side

With the addition of the Radiant Gold weaponry to compensate for their weaknesses, Zhu Hongxiu suffered repeated defeats.

Before long, he was swept off the stage by Shang Yanting's sword energy, and the outcome was already decided.

"Oh dear, it was just a little bit short!"

"What a pity!"

The disciples who had bet on Zhu Hongxiu to win were all disappointed. Who would have thought that Qing Shuang Peak, this dark horse, would relentlessly push all the way to first place?

Everyone turned their attention to the sword in Shang Yanting's hand—the radiant gold magic weapon was indeed powerful.

On the other side

After leaving the arena, Zhu Hongxiu approached Shang Yanting and asked, "Student Yan, I'd like to ask, is your cultivation level really only at the Martial Realm?"

He didn't believe his defeat was solely due to the Radiant Gold Magic Weapon. During the battle, he always sensed that his opponent's strength was far greater than what he displayed.

Especially in the later stages, when he had already broken through to the late stage of the Martial Realm and his internal energy was beginning to deplete, his opponent, on the other hand, remained completely at ease, as if he had inexhaustible internal energy.

Zhu Hongxiu's intuition was slightly correct.

The mental cultivation method described in "The Cultivation Source Manual" cultivates spiritual power.

The difference between spiritual power and internal strength is not a matter of quantity, but a matter of quality!

The biggest difference between a Martial Master and a Martial Realm expert is whether they can cultivate and use spiritual energy. Shang Yanting's current strength can be said to be close to the early stage of a Martial Master. If he hadn't suppressed his spiritual energy into internal force to prevent anyone from discovering the special nature of his cultivation method, he would have won long ago.

"It was just luck."

Shang Yanting nodded slightly, "Student Zhu, you flatter me."

Zhu Hongxiu: ...

His calm expression, devoid of any joy at winning the championship, makes it hard to believe that he is telling the truth.

##

The surrounding stands

The disciples of Qing Shuang Peak began celebrating even before they had left.

In recent years, Qing Shuang Peak has declined. Although they put on a brave face, they know in their hearts how much the other three peaks and certain powerful teachers look down on them.

He won first place in the newcomer competition, and he did so in front of the four peak masters and the dean of the academy.

Damn it, let's vent our anger!

Even Luan Zhenfeng couldn't help but laugh, his eyes gleaming with smugness as he looked at the other three peak masters. In an instant, the names Qing Shuang Peak and Yan Qing became the most talked-about terms throughout the entire Holy Capital Academy.

Inside Qing Shuang Peak.

Because Shang Yanting won every single time, his fellow disciples... made a fortune!

The second senior brother, as the mastermind behind the entire operation, achieved considerable success, earning one tael of silver from two copper coins. The eldest senior brother, being the most cautious, earned five hundred coins with minimal effort.

Surprisingly, Jia Xitong earned the most.

She was stunned when she discovered that she suddenly had several silver notes in her pocket, and after carefully calculating, she realized that there were nearly a thousand.

She has so much hidden money!

For this, she gave her second senior brother five taels of silver as a reward, which made him surpass the eldest senior brother's savings and become the fattest person on the entire Qing Shuang Peak besides Shang Yanting!

The second senior brother couldn't resist picking up Jia Xitong and wanting to kiss the raccoon a couple of times.

"Senior brother, please have some self-respect."

Shang Yanting took the raccoon back and put it in the basket next to him.

##

When they returned to their room, the prize for first place had already been served.

A set of gleaming golden armor appeared before everyone, with faint patterns on it.

Wow!

The senior students' eyes were glued to it, and they couldn't resist touching it. "Junior brother, hurry up and put it on so we can see!"

Jia Xitong nodded vigorously.

Amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Shang Yanting donned his armor.

Dazzling and incredibly handsome.

Holy crap!

That's so cool.

The eldest brother took out his fine steel sword, held the blade close to the armor and brandished it, then immediately pulled it back before slamming it down on his hand.

It's best not to test the armor's hardness.

He didn't have the money to buy new ones for either his sword or his armor, which had been chipped or damaged.

Such a celebratory occasion deserves a big meal for Junior Brother Zai!

As long as Junior Brother Yan is around, every day feels like New Year's Day.

Inside Qing Shuang Peak

The middle-aged chef was herded up along with two cows.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the air atop the mountain, and the fellow disciples were all beaming with joy.

Just as everyone was enjoying themselves, a loud cough, like the beating of a drum, broke the joyful atmosphere.

"You've really got some nerve, extorting money from the head steward of Lianxin Pavilion and secretly participating in gambling."

Luan Zhenfeng walked over with an unhappy expression, immediately silencing all the disciples. No one expected that the usually amiable peak master would settle scores later.

His gaze swept over the group of people, finally settling on Shang Yanting. "Yan Qing, come with me."

The two left, leaving the other disciples to speculate quietly.

"Why did the Peak Master call my junior brother over alone?"

"Does this mean you're going to take my junior brother as your personal disciple?"

"No way! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! You jinx!"

The disciples who were speculating about the possibility immediately felt uneasy—the peak master was cursed to have no disciples; they were afraid their joy would turn into sorrow!

##

Qing Shuang Peak Main Hall

Luan Zhenfeng led Shang Yanting in one after the other.

He suddenly stopped and said, "Yan Qing, you are an excellent disciple with outstanding aptitude, comprehension, and talent."

"Thank you, Peak Master."

"But I will not accept you as my personal disciple."

Upon hearing this, Shang Yanting looked up at him.

Luan Zhenfeng's expression turned serious. "You have a lot of resentment in your heart, which is reflected in every move you make. If you can't change your mindset, you're very likely to go astray."

Have you encountered anything unusual in the past? Or do you have any doubts about your cultivation?

"Thank you for your guidance, Peak Master. This disciple has no worries."

Shang Yanting's eyes were calm and expressionless.

Luan Zhenfeng stared at his expression for a long time, and when he saw that he had no reaction, he sighed slightly.

This child appears gentle and mild-mannered, but in reality, he is obsessive and harbors a deep-seated murderous intent. It's unclear why he developed this character; he cannot be reformed in a short time.

"The reason I called you here alone is for the Four Peaks Grand Competition."

With his hands behind his back, he decided to change the subject, saying, "I want you to be the leader of Qing Shuang Peak in this Four Peaks Competition."

"Peak Master, this disciple is still too inexperienced to lead the overall situation."

"If you can get into the top two, I will allow you to go to the fifth floor of the library."

As he spoke, he looked at the raccoon clinging to Shang Yanting's arm and said, "Maybe there's a way to heal the wounds on your magical beast."

I have to say, he's really good at it!

"good."

Shang Yanting accepted the task.

"The Four Peaks Competition is in half a month. In the past, your senior brother was in charge of this event. Let him assist you..."