Chapter 455: 230 Shaking the whole field (One more update)_2
A clamor hit him in the face as he entered.
Gu Jiao walked expressionlessly into the funnel, the wall behind her slamming shut with a thud.
After it closed, the clamor at the front seemed to have been amplified.
At the end of the corridor was a large martial arts arena, a three-story wooden building, with two floors for viewing booths. In the middle of the first floor, there stood four cold and solemn arenas, with three of them currently in the midst of combat.
Gu Jiao arrived in front of the counter, gently rapping her knuckles against the surface of the desk.
The somewhat drowsy shopkeeper yawned: “Participating in a match or placing a bet? It’s ten wen for a match, a hundred wen to bet. If you need a room, that’s an additional two hundred…”
Before he finished speaking, a small fishbone card fell in front of him.
The shopkeeper took a look at the small fishbone card, visibly taken aback, most of his drowsiness instantly dissipated.
He promptly stood up, his face transformed into a smile, and cheerfully asked, “Young Master Li, how come you’re here? Weren’t you here a few days ago?”
Gu Jiao didn’t say a word, just glanced at the roster by his hand.
Understanding her meaning, the shopkeeper reminded her in a low voice: “East Arena.”
Gu Jiao stepped towards the East Arena.
The people lining up behind Gu Jiao to receive their combat tiles were dissatisfied. One of them protested to the shopkeeper: “What’s going on? We’ve been lining up for a long time and still haven’t gotten in. How did he get in? Didn’t you say you need a tile to enter?”
The shopkeeper sneered at these novices, displaying the fishbone card in his hand: “Do you know what this is?”
The crowd shook their heads.
The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow and arrogantly stated: “This is a Master’s Token.”
Those who were just now voicing their dissatisfaction towards Gu Jiao fell silent.
Could this weak-looking young man actually be a martial master?
In the martial arts academy, the seniors who taught Kung Fu were called masters. However, in the martial arts arena, only those who have won a hundred battles are entitled to be called a master.
“He, he’s won fifty battles?” somebody said in shock.
Commonly, only individuals who have won fifty battles can be called a master.
The shopkeeper tutted, impatiently correcting, “What are you talking about? He just won one match!”
He beat a master in just one fight.
The rule in all major martial arts academies in the Capital City is that if you challenge someone at a higher level and win, you can take their rank.
But not everyone has the qualifications to challenge a higher rank. Apart from signing an agreement to risk your life, a significant deposit is also required. If you lose, this deposit will be completely forfeited to the challenged.
When the young man first arrived, he boldly declared he wanted to challenge the academy’s best fighter that day.
According to the academy’s rules, you can at most challenge someone two levels higher, but the young man deposited a full 1,000 taels of silver. The academy made an exception for him and allowed him to challenge three levels up.
The master was initially unwilling to accept the challenge, but the academy convinced him on the condition that the young man added another 500 taels of silver, finally persuading the master.
Challenge a higher level, take full responsibility for life and death – that’s the rule.
Everyone assumed that the young boy was doomed to lose; not a single person bet on him to win. In the end, everyone lost their money.
A young man holding a sword disdainfully sneered, “Nh~ Winning a single match against a master, what’s so great about that? I hear several martial arts masters arrived at your academy today. There’s no way he’ll get lucky again!”
The crowd nodded in agreement, “Indeed, he’s so thin, how could he possibly defeat a master? He must have gotten extremely lucky!”
Gu Jiao, unaware of this heated debate, likely wouldn’t care even if she did.
The eastern, western, southern, and northern arenas were each assigned to different skilled fighters each day. The shopkeeper signaled the East Arena, which meant the strongest fighters were likely there.
“Master Yen, the Triple-Blade Warrior, wins! Is there anyone else who dares to challenge Master Yen?”
On the stage, a boy dressed in the academy uniform, drumming a gong and banging a mallet, called out.
Master Yen had defended the arena all morning, defeating countless fighters. No one else dared to fight him now.
“If no one else does, Master Yen wil-” The boy was just about to conclude the challenger round when a small, agile figure leapt onto the arena.
Meanwhile, Old Marquis Hou was copying military books in the Imperial Palace as punishment. After copying for an entire day and night, he finally finished the last one.
This was more exhausting than practicing martial arts. He copied until he felt dizzy and numb, as if he had sustained an internal injury from copying.
Indeed, he had suffered from internal damage due to copying!
Ever since Marquis Xuanping sneaked out, he hadn’t returned yet. No one knows what he was up to.
Old Marquis Hou ignored him, pushing against the table to get up. Due to numbness in his legs, he almost stumbled, looking indeed like a man in his sixties.
Old Marquis Hou dragged his weary body, presented the copied military books, and went to the Imperial Study Room to apologize to the emperor.