Chapter 68: The Disabled One—Zhou Yan

After practicing martial arts, especially after training with the breathing technique, Zhou Yan’s appetite grew considerably. The large amount of food brought by the sisters was devoured by him in one sitting, with almost a third gone thanks to him alone.

His elder sister, Luo Xuan, being a more advanced martial artist, ate even more than Zhou Yan, polishing off almost eighty percent of what remained. The younger sister, Luo Ke, had a much smaller appetite, typical for a girl her age, and she ate slowly.

Having finished his meal first, Zhou Yan casually turned to Luo Xuan and asked, "That Xiang Ping who was being friendly in the elevator just now said that the sword academy contestants with poor performance have to go through a round of 'chaos battle.' Xuan, do you know about this?"

"Yes, I know," Luo Xuan replied, wiping her mouth and nodding. "You’ll need to join this chaos battle, probably competing with about ten others for the top four spots. I believe you’ll be fine."

Zhou Yan sighed helplessly, "Xuan, you should have told me earlier so I could prepare myself..."

"There’s no need," Luo Xuan stood up, grabbing her sister as she rose. "It’s about time. Let’s go, to the first floor."

"Ugh... Why so rushed?" Luo Ke grumbled, a meat bun still in her mouth.

The three avoided the crowded elevator, choosing instead to descend via the stairs, quickly arriving at the first floor.

After Zhou Yan signed in at the entrance with Luo Xuan, he was guided by staff to the assembly area. The space was now filled with orderly rows of chairs, most of which were already occupied.

Their seats were assigned to nearly the last rows, and as Zhou Yan sat down, he glanced ahead and saw Xiang Ping and Zheng Keren, father and son, seated in the front.

It seemed the seating order was arranged according to the sword academy’s “performance.”

Luo Ke looked frustrated, "Sis, someday, they’ll actively invite us to sit in the very front row."

Luo Xuan paused, gently stroked her sister’s head, and said nothing.

Zhou Yan was silent too. He simply sat up straight, his gaze flickering.

If—he could seize the so-called chief position, surely the situation at Luo Xuan’s sword academy would change, even if just a little.

...

Time passed slowly, and once every chair was filled, a dignified, gray-haired middle-aged man strode onto the stage at the front, under the gaze of hundreds.

Upon seeing him, the hall quickly fell silent.

The middle-aged man swept his eyes over the crowd, his expression calm as he spoke. His voice resonated clearly throughout the hall without any amplification.

"I am Cong Shiyun, the master of the Lihuo Pavilion in Yicheng."

"Let’s keep it brief. This exchange conference is expected to last ten days. The first five days will be the annual sparring sessions for the academy representatives, designed to review the development of each sword academy over the past year... There are seventy-two academies present, three hundred and eleven participants signed in, seventy-two of whom are contestant representatives. Those notified in advance, please follow the staff to the waiting area."

"The ‘chaos battle’ to decide the last four spots in the main competition is about to begin."

As the pavilion master’s words settled, a staff member who had been waiting nearby approached Zhou Yan.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Zhou Yan? Please follow me to prepare."

Zhou Yan stood up and glanced at Luo Xuan and Luo Ke.

"Good luck, Brother Zhou Yan!" Luo Ke cheered, making a little fist, her face full of excitement.

Luo Xuan said nothing, only nodded to him, her gaze cold yet full of trust.

Zhou Yan smiled at them, then quietly followed the staff away. Along with him, eleven others stood from the back rows.

Amidst a few whispers, everyone in the hall turned their eyes toward Zhou Yan and the other eleven “bottom tier” contestants, their looks tinged with amusement.

As if they were appetizers before the main course.

After all, students from the worst-performing sword academies were rarely expected to be outstanding.

Once the twelve had left, a giant screen rose at the front of the hall, its center displaying a vast indoor forest. Around it, twelve real-time feeds showed the contestants tracked by cameras.

"These twelve will soon battle in this simulated arena until four winners emerge. It shouldn’t take too long—consider this a preliminary round before the official exchange," the pavilion master, Cong Shiyun, commented, settling into his seat.

*

After following the staff out of the hall, Zhou Yan was led to a closed room equipped with cameras.

The staff spoke directly, "Zhou Yan, I’ll now use a detector to check for prohibited items and equip you with standard protective gear. If you’re ready, shall we begin?"

"Alright," Zhou Yan nodded gently, raising his hands cooperatively.

The staff smiled politely, produced the detector, and as soon as it touched Zhou Yan’s hand, the red light flashed.

"Mr. Zhou, what’s this?" The staff looked puzzled, reaching out to touch Zhou Yan’s left hand through the glove, feeling something hard as metal. "A divine device?"

Zhou Yan nodded, calmly removed his glove to reveal his “Luo hand,” and smiled. "It’s my prosthetic. Do you need me to take it off?"

The staff looked embarrassed and nodded apologetically, "Sorry, only the main competition allows low-grade divine devices. There’s no such rule for the chaos battle, so I’ll need to keep it for you temporarily..."

Zhou Yan didn’t argue. He pressed a mechanism, detached the Luo hand, and handed it over. "Please take good care of it—it’s very important to me."

With Zhou Yan’s prosthetic removed, his disability was exposed.

In the external hall, as everyone watched the live feed from Zhou Yan’s room, a stir arose.

"No left hand..."

"Such a handsome guy, but he’s disabled..."

"Did you notice? His right eye too..."

"He’ll probably be eliminated soon."

Hearing the murmurs around them, Luo Ke clenched her skirt tightly, her face pained as she looked at Luo Xuan. "Sis, why can’t Zhou Yan use the divine device? That Luo hand only has the simplest circuits, with a single function—it can’t even be used for combat..."

Luo Xuan gently shook her head, lowering her gaze, and for once, offered her sister a few comforting words.

"Those are the rules. Wait until the main competition..."

In the room.

Receiving Zhou Yan’s Luo hand, the staff looked remorseful.

‘He’s already disabled, and I’m making things harder for him. Am I even human?’

So he quickly helped Zhou Yan don the standard white-and-red protective gear and handed him a common simulated sword used at the Nanming Sword Academy.

*