Yan Xiu had destroyed his opponent in the previous round. However, in this round, he seemed much weaker.

In the previous round, Yan Xiu charged recklessly against Chen Yuanfang's raw power.

However, in this round, just when everyone thought Yan Xiu would do the same thing, he used the Wind Shadow Technique. He looked like he was playing dodgeball.

From start to finish, he never attacked a single time.

The candidate facing off against Yan Xiu was stunned. He was preparing to defend when he saw Yan Xiu skirting around the stage. He felt like he had been slapped in the face.

"Trick?"

"Is he trying to fool me into thinking he's weak?"

"Is he trying to lure me in? Then finish me off?"

Questions flew by in the candidate's mind, but they were quickly dismissed. In a duel, only the weaker side would use trickery.

However, was Yan Xiu the weaker one here?

Clearly not.

So...

What was Yan Xiu trying to do?

"Yes, stalling time!" The candidate had a revelation. That being said, he did not like the feeling of being toyed around with.

Just as he was thinking about it, a sword ray flew towards him.

The candidate was stunned.

Oh? I thought he was delaying time?

"Boom!" Even before the candidate could react, the sword ray impacted his body and sent him flying.

It was a good thing that he landed at the side of the stage and not off it.

Furthermore...

The sword ray was not very sharp. He only suffered minor injuries and no bones were broken.

It was clear that Yan Xiu did not use his full power.

If the candidate still didn't understand what Yan Xiu was doing by now, he was really an idiot. Yan Xiu was dragging time, but doing so in such a way that would not draw the ire of the officials.

As such, Yan Xiu decided to use him as a sandbag.

"I'm going for it!" The candidate was a proud man. It's okay if you want to stall for time, but how can you treat me as a sandbag? That is unacceptable!

Anyone who could pa.s.s so many rounds was not weak.

Sword rays began to radiate from his hand. They glowed radiantly and looked powerful.

However, Yan Xiu made them look f*cking useless.

Using the Wind Shadow Technique, Yan Xiu managed to dodge all of them. The sword rays did not even manage to slice a portion off Yan Xiu's clothing.

He took another blow from Yan Xiu exasperatingly, his body sailing through the air.

After fifteen minutes, the candidate had already endured countless blows and had been sent flying countless times. Each time, he 'luckily' missed falling off the stage.

All of the spectating officials watched the "intense" battle unfold, "Is this really the second round of the preliminary court examinations?"

30 minutes went by.

45 minutes went by.

One hour...

The battle continued even after many fifteen minutes. With each clash, the person sent flying was always the same.

The officials all frowned as they wiped the sweat from their foreheads. This battle was going on for too long. It was almost high noon.

The sun was getting more and more intense.

However, no one raised any objection. After all, the emperor was still here, who would dare leave?

Furthermore, this was the preliminary court examinations. Who would dare disturb an ongoing contest? Even though they knew that Yan Xiu was buying time, all they could do was suck it up.

However, how long more was this going to go on for?

The officials sat there bitterly, unable to voice their discontent.

In actual fact, the candidate battling Yan Xiu was the one suffering the most. His clothes were tattered and torn.

Even though he was not critically injured, he had a mult.i.tude of minor injuries.

More importantly, this duel was both physically and mentally torturous. He was on the verge of crumbling. He could not defeat Yan Xiu... did he really have to concede?

Yes, he could concede!

"I can't take it anymore, I concede!" The candidate's eyes brightened. He really could not take this bullying and public humiliation anymore.

"Boom!"

The candidate's body was thrown into the air. This time, he did not struggle, tumbling through the air and off the stage.

The entire crowd went silent.

He conceded?!

All of the officials looked at one another, smiling bitterly. Anyone in his position was also likely to concede.

"Yan Xiu is victorious!" The invigilator was on the verge of falling asleep. He was awoken by the sound of the candidate cras.h.i.+ng off the stage. He announced Yan Xiu's victory as he glanced at the sun.

"It's almost noon?"

When Ping Yang heard what the invigilator said, her eyes glimmered. She pouted and looked at the emperor with pitiful eyes.

"Father, we have watched this duel for so long, I'm hungry!"

"Oh, Ping Yang is hungry?" Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Ping Yang in a pampering manner.

"Your highness, we are almost an hour from noon, why don't..." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stood forward when he heard Ping Yang.

"Why don't we what? I am hungry, and I want to eat now!" Ping Yang glared at him.

"Yes yes yes, the princess is hungry. I will get someone to prepare food for you!" Yu Yiping nodded, then turned to the invigilator, "Start the next round. I will prepare her meals personally, just hang on for a while!"

"Yes, your honor!" The invigilator knew exactly what Yu Yiping wanted. Before Ping Yang could speak, you announced, "Next round, Nangong Mu vs Fang Zhengzhi!"

All of the officials smiled when they heard the invigilator. No matter how Yan Xiu tried to delay and how Ping Yang tried to stall, they could not prevent the inevitable.

They all waited for the invigilator to announce Fang Zhengzhi's withdrawal.

Just at that moment, a lazy voice rang out from inside the crowd.

"I'm here..."

Soon after, a figure walked out from within the crowd. He sauntered on stage, murmuring to himself, "I arrived just in time. It is a good thing I made a good choice by taking the highway for a while. It is a good thing I am not late!"

"Please call me the timely youth!" The figure walked on stage and smiled sincerely at all the waiting officials.

All of the officials froze when they saw the figure walk on stage. All of them recognized this man

"It... it's Fang Zhengzhi?!"

"He actually made it, but... what did he just say? Not late?!"

"Timely youth? Can this guy get any more shameless?"

All of the officials fumed. If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi was late, Yan Xiu would not have tried to stall for time. Then, they would not be sitting in the hot sun!

"You seemed to have slimmed down over the past few months. I have brought some meat with me. Once the duel is over, I will grill some for you?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu on the stage.

"That's good, that's good, I want some too!" Before Yan Xiu could reply, Ping Yang began whooping.

"Since when did I include your share? You haven't even paid me rent!" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang scornfully.

All of the officials were stunned by Fang Zhengzhi's words. It was a great honor that the princess liked something you did. Not only did he not want to give her a share, he was asking the princess for rent?

Then, they all remembered the rumor Ping Yang spread.

15,000 silvers a night!

Could it be true?

"Oh please! I stayed at Uncle Fang and Auntie Qin's place, not yours! Who are you to ask for rent!" Ping Yang looked back at Fang Zhengzhi with disdain.

"Uncle Fang? Auntie Qin?"

Fear began to show in the official's eyes. Ping Yang was a princess, yet she just called two commoners uncle and auntie, this was...

"Ping Yang, don't shout willfully." Emperor Lin Mubai knew the implications of what just happened. He had no other choice but to remind Ping Yang.

"Oh!" Ping Yang stuck out her tongue, but did not speak. She glared at Fang Zhengzhi, almost as if she was saying, I'm not giving you anything, what are you going to do about it?

Fang Zhengzhi ignored Ping Yang, turning back to Yan Xiu, "So what about it, do you want some?"

"Sure!" Yan Xiu nodded and walked off the stage calmly. However, his lips twitched slightly as he heaved a sigh of relief internally.

"Fang Zhengzhi!" Nangong Mu had made his way up on stage, a glimmer in his calm eyes. This was not emotion, it was a burning battle intent.

"Oh, I haven't seen you in months! You seemed to be tanner!" Fang Zhengzhi greeted Nangong Mu.

"Let's fight!" Nangong Mu was much more straightforward than Fang Zhengzhi.

"Fight now? I don't think that's very good." Fang Zhengzhi said sincerely.

"I was born ready!" Nangong Mu retreived his Green and Blue Dual Blade, the battle intent thick in the air.

"Okay then..." Fang Zhengzhi nodded exasperatingly. Then, he sauntered over to Nangong Mu, "Let's shake hands before the battle?"

Nangong Mu was stunned. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi with his hand outstretched. After a moment's hesitation, he placed both blades in his left hand and extended his right.

"Take my secret weapon!" Just as Nangong Mu extended his right hand, a silver ray of light shot out from Fang Zhengzhi's arm, enveloping Nangong Mu in an instant.

All of the officials looked on in confusion. Didn't he say they would shake hands? Why did he use a secret weapon?

The change was too quick!

"Shameless!"

"Utterly shameless!"

"A sneak attack!"

All of the officials began to curse and swear.

"This guy... I never expected him to be this shameless!" Ping Yang's lips parted in shock. She never expected this from Fang Zhengzhi.

Even so, the guilty Fang Zhengzhi continued normally.

Fang Zhengzhi had witnessed Nangong Mu's power. He had also seen the power of the Green and Blue Secret Art personally.

It was only normal for him to throw a curved ball at such a powerful opponent. Only a fool would charge in recklessly!

Furthermore...

Nangong Mu had said that he was ready!

"Clink clink clang clang!" All of the silver needles fell to the ground. Nangong Mu did not retreat. He used the blades in his left hand to block the attack. A mirror like ice block appeared in front of him.

All of the needles failed to find their mark.

"Fang Zhengzhi, you haven't changed a single bit!" Nangong Mu was not at all surprised by the sneak attack. He even felt respected by Fang Zhengzhi.

It seemed like a roundabout way of thinking.

In fact, it wasn't.

In the World of the Sage, Fang Zhengzhi had used such innovative ideas to fool Ying Shan!

If Fang Zhengzhi had gave up that method and fought a serious, moral battle...

Nangong Mu would feel that Fang Zhengzhi was not trying his best.

"Thank you for the compliment!" Fang Zhengzhi accepted Nangong Mu's 'compliment'. Then, he squeezed a black object in his hand.

Flash bang!

In an instant, the stage was enveloped in a piercing white light.

"Oh my G.o.d, my eyes, my eyes!"

"What the h.e.l.l was that?!"

"Why can't I see anything?!"

All of the officials began screaming. The light was too bright. It was almost as if countless rays of light were attacking their eyes.

The entire crowd was in chaos.

However, quickly, the white began to disappear. Then, the saw a small glow within the blurriness.

It was a subtle blue glow.

It was quite bright within their otherwise white field of vision. Then, the glow began to solidify. It looked more and more like a sapphire. However, there were rays of light twirling on its surface.

Twirling, twirling, twirling...

"What the h.e.l.l is that?!"

"Why do I feel a little... faint!"

"Plonk!"

One of the officials fell off his chair. Then, a second one followed. Before long, many of them fell to the ground.

They did not know if the two contestants had fainted. However, many of the spectators did...

How impressive!