Chapter 70: Eight Kills, The Fastest Concluded Melee in History

"The monster refers to me."
Zhou Yan suddenly understood. He shook his head lightly, leaned against the tree to recover his strength, and said nothing.

"Alright, you’re being cautious, and it’s normal you don’t want to come over. The three of us are fine like this—at least we can look out for each other." Seeing that Zhou Yan hadn’t approached, one of them laughed in understanding.

Half a minute later, Zhou Yan felt his energy had returned. He lifted his sword and stood upright, then walked toward the two.

They were wary, instantly raising their swords and shouting, "Hey, what are you doing? Stop right there!"

Zhou Yan chuckled, raising his sword to the side of his face and assuming the opening stance of "Red Thrust."

He spoke softly, "Sorry, but I’m in a hurry. Once I take care of you two, I’ll be done here."

Seeing Zhou Yan’s posture, the other man suddenly trembled, gripping his sword tightly with both hands. "You… did you take out those six people?"

Zhou Yan nodded slightly.

At that, fear seized both men.

They seemed to want to say something, but Zhou Yan had no intention of wasting words.

He pushed off with his ankle, using the sparrow-step technique to surge forward in a blur of motion. In the blink of an eye, he’d crossed several meters, appearing right before the two.

Both shouted furiously, swinging their swords at Zhou Yan.

But Zhou Yan’s figure flickered—he sidestepped, evading their combined attack and creating a perfect opening.

He spun and flipped, his sword flashing upward to strike one enemy’s visor.

The "Harrier Flip"!

The struck man stiffened and collapsed.

The last remaining opponent saw his comrade fall before him. His gaze met Zhou Yan’s, and before he could react, a cold gleam flashed.

With a ruthless thrust, Zhou Yan’s sword pierced his chest in the instant the other man was still reeling back from his partner’s fall.

The heavy impact sent the last man tumbling backward. A moment later, his armor locked, registering a fatal wound.

Zhou Yan slowly withdrew his blade, standing in place and catching his breath.

"Eight eliminated!"

"Four survivors! The melee is over!"

Two consecutive announcements shattered the unexpected silence that had fallen over the arena.

The entire hall erupted in a clamor.

In the central front row, the Lord of the Hall, Cong Shiyun, had a brilliant gleam in his eyes and a look of satisfaction on his face. He turned to those beside him and asked, "Who is that student? Excellent, truly excellent!"

Although he didn’t mention a name, his deputies all knew whom he meant. One quickly replied, "Zhou Yan, a representative student from the Southern Light Sword School in Tianzun City. The head instructor is Luo Xuan."

"Luo Xuan?" Cong Shiyun paused, a thoughtful look crossing his face, then he smiled. "I never imagined that Luo Huayi’s daughter would not only be a genius in swordsmanship herself, but also have such a keen eye for discovering other talents. If her father could see this, he’d be truly gratified!"

He began to applaud, his voice resonating through the hall, "Splendid! It’s been many years since we’ve seen such a scene in Yicheng. To defeat eight opponents single-handedly and end the melee—Head Instructor Luo Xuan, you have an extraordinary talent under your wing!"

With the Hall Lord’s applause, the previously murmuring crowd broke into thunderous applause as well.

Of course, not everyone was pleased. For instance, Zheng Keren and his father, who’d been watching with detached amusement, now looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"I didn’t expect that kid to have some real skill. I misjudged him," Zheng Keren muttered.

Sitting beside him, Zheng Zhichang frowned, then turned to his son. "Aren, that guy is a student of that wretched Luo woman. Even so, you can easily match or surpass his level. If you have the chance to face him, go all out—make sure he never dares pick up a sword again!"

"No problem!" Zheng Keren grinned. "Don’t worry, Dad. He’s still not good enough. I’ve got this."

Meanwhile, amid the resounding applause, the dense forest where Zhou Yan had stood was quickly transformed. The perimeter walls sank slowly, and all the trees were withdrawn into the ground by mechanical means.

The entire simulated combat field was soon exposed to the front of the hall.

The defeated, immobilized participants were also removed along with the changing field.

Only Zhou Yan and the three others who had grouped together remained.

As the crowd of hundreds saw Zhou Yan, the applause grew even louder.

Zhou Yan pressed his lips together, a faint smile appearing beneath his visor.

Now, perhaps Luo Xuan would no longer be underestimated.

*

As the applause and congratulations continued, staff members quickly entered the field, escorting Zhou Yan and the other three into the hall.

They were led up onto the high platform, where the Hall Lord Cong Shiyun approached from below.

"Well done…

"Keep it up…

"Don’t get complacent as you go forward…"

The first three accepted his handshake and encouragement awkwardly.

It was obvious, even to themselves—the only reason they’d managed to qualify was that they’d been far enough from Zhou Yan and hadn’t crossed his path of destruction.

At last, the Hall Lord stood before Zhou Yan.

This figure, previously so distant and lofty, was now standing directly in front of Zhou Yan, looking at him with satisfaction.

"Zhou Yan, you were outstanding." Cong Shiyun’s smile was gentle. "To be honest, even I didn’t expect that such a tale of a rising genius could unfold here in Yicheng. In the martial world, anything is possible!"

Zhou Yan nodded lightly, returning the smile without arrogance or humility. "You flatter me, Hall Lord. I still have far to go."

"No need for false modesty," Cong Shiyun replied, clearly satisfied with Zhou Yan’s answer. He continued, "How long have you been studying under Luo Xuan?"

Zhou Yan paused, thought for a moment, then decided to be honest. "Hall Lord, I’ve been learning for about a month."

He knew that with his golden finger, his rate of progress would only draw more attention in the future, and many things would be looked into.

Since that was the case, he might as well state it plainly from the start and establish himself as a prodigy. Perhaps he could even gain additional support.

"A month…?" For the first time, Cong Shiyun’s expression showed true astonishment before quickly growing serious. He lowered his voice, "Zhou Yan, had you practiced martial arts before?"

Zhou Yan replied calmly, "Hall Lord, to tell you the truth, I’m an amnesiac. Over a month ago, Instructor Luo took me in and began teaching me swordsmanship. As for whether I had trained before, I truly don’t know…"

Cong Shiyun paused, pondering for a moment before saying, "Very well, you may return for now. I’ll speak with you and Luo Xuan later."

"Understood." Zhou Yan nodded quietly.

Thus, the simple ceremony of recognition and encouragement ended.

Zhou Yan stepped down from the platform and returned to Luo Xuan and Luo Ke.

Before Luo Xuan could say anything, Luo Ke had already jumped up excitedly, grabbing Zhou Yan’s arm. "Zhou Yan! You were amazing—eight kills! You ended the match all by yourself!"

Zhou Yan smiled, tapping her on the forehead. "So, did I embarrass you?"

"Of course not! I’m so proud, I could burst!" Luo Ke’s smile was so wide her molars showed.

Luo Xuan waited until her sister had finished her excitement, then motioned for Zhou Yan to sit down and asked quietly, "The Hall Lord seemed to speak with you for quite a while?"

"Mm." Zhou Yan replied as he sat, "He asked how long I’d been learning swordsmanship. Aside from my breathing, I basically told him everything."

Luo Xuan nodded. "That’s as it should be. No need to exaggerate or deliberately conceal anything. Your performance is outstanding enough; the Hall Lord will definitely have people investigate anyway. As long as our deeds are upright, we need not fear shadows."

Zhou Yan felt a bit awkward at her words.

She truly had nothing to hide. The problem was that Zhou Yan himself felt a little guilty.

*