At the arrivals gate of the airport.

Quite a few people were crowded around the exit, waiting to pick up travelers.

Off to one side, a group of people stood out. This group consisted of eight men, all dressed in black tunic suits, their expressions solemn. Each man's hair was immaculately combed, and they stood like a squad of strictly trained operatives. Even their auras seemed subtly connected, intertwining as if they were a single entity.

Seeing this group standing by the gate, the crowd began to murmur. Even a fool could tell they were there to pick someone up. But they wondered what kind of person could warrant such an entourage. Although there were only eight of them, they gave off the presence of eighty men.

The crowd instinctively gave the group a wide berth, afraid of getting too close. Then, everyone's gazes turned toward the exit. Besides waiting for the people they had come to meet, they were also curious to see who this group was there to receive.

Just as everyone was looking on with anticipation, the crisp sound of high heels echoed from the gate…

TAP. TAP. TAP.

The first thing to catch everyone's eyes was a pair of black high heels, followed by the hem of a black skirt. A middle-aged woman in a black qipao walked out gracefully. Though her face showed the traces of age, her every gesture radiated the grace of a high-born lady.

Upon seeing her, the crowd exclaimed in surprise. "She has such a powerful presence."

"She must be the matriarch of a powerful family."

As the murmurs reached her ears, the dignified woman gave them a slight smile in acknowledgment. She then walked straight toward the eight men in tunic suits and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."

"I hope my sudden notice that I was coming to Tianhai didn't disrupt your schedules too much," she added.

The eight men replied in unison, "Not at all, Madam!"

The woman smiled. "Let's be on our way. I'll have my husband reward you generously later."

"There's no need! Thank you, Madam!" the eight replied in unison once more.

Though their timing wasn't as uncannily perfect as that of the Yin-Yang Elders, it was flawlessly uniform. Even at a low volume, the combined voice of eight men drew attention, and many people waiting at the airport turned to look.

Seeing this, the woman gave a helpless sigh and headed straight for the building's exit. "Let's go!"

"Yes, Madam," the eight men chorused, following close behind.

As they were leaving, she asked, "Have you found the person I asked you to look for?"

"We have! He appears to be at the Tianhai Central Gymnasium right now."

"The gymnasium?" The woman furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"We heard that the Martial Alliance Leader selection competition is being held today."

"I see." A smile touched her lips. "In that case, let's head there directly."

"Yes, Madam."

The woman was then escorted by the eight men into a black van with a license plate of all fives. This scene caused another stir among the onlookers.

Who is this big shot?!

After she boarded, the vehicle started up and swiftly departed from the airport. The woman gazed out the window at the rapidly passing scenery and murmured, "Benefactor, I've finally found you..."

***

After Yuan Shang and the others cleaned the ring, the match between Qian Jun and Sikong Mao concluded very quickly. Qian Jun had no interest in putting on a show for the crowd and won with the same overwhelming force he always displayed. Even fighting with all his might, Sikong Mao couldn't land a single blow on him.

Seeing this, the spectators gasped, though their expressions showed they had expected as much.

"Qian Jun is still just as strong!"

"As expected of the successor Wong Ting chose. I heard Qian Jun is even stronger than Wong Ting was at twenty-nine. I wonder if it's true."

"It probably is. It was only because Wong Ting had a fortuitous encounter later on that he could become a War God overseas…"

"So you're saying Qian Jun is really stronger than Wong Ting was at the same age?"

"Exactly!"

"Then Xu Ke was doomed from the start! So what if he wasn't poisoned or crippled? How could he possibly beat a Qian Jun who's even stronger than the Wong Ting of back then?"

"That's right!"

While the crowd whispered amongst themselves, discussing Qian Jun's strength, he and Sikong Mao stepped down from the stage. Jin Hankang then announced the end of the morning's matches, telling the audience to return for the finals and the third-place match in the afternoon.

"The contestants for this afternoon's final match are Qian Jun and Xu Ke."

"For the third-place match: Sikong Mao versus Li Ming. As Li Ming has sustained severe injuries and forfeited the match, Sikong Mao automatically takes third place."

"The morning session has concluded. Please return this afternoon!"

The crowd was stunned by the announcement. "What? Li Ming forfeited, but Xu Ke didn't?"

"Is he insane? He probably couldn't beat Qian Jun even at his peak, let alone now that he's practically a cripple. Why won't he give up?"

"I heard from someone in the Qin Family that Xu Ke is refusing to concede because he doesn't want to damage his manly pride or lose to Wong Ting."

"Tch, what a fool. His life is what's important now, but he's going to fight Qian Jun over some vague notion of manly pride? Isn't that just asking to be killed?"

"Ancient heroes endured hardship and humiliation for the sake of future vengeance. This guy's just an idiot."

"So what if his brain is fried? Is that not allowed?"

Some were shocked, others jeered. They seemed to have forgotten that just yesterday morning they were calling Xu Ke a coward for not fighting, and now they were calling him a fool for not conceding.

Afterward, the spectators rose to leave, but they weren't disappointed in the slightest. Although they were verbally mocking Xu Ke for his foolishness, they were inwardly thrilled. They hadn't expected him to stay in the competition. The afternoon's match was going to be a hell of a show!

***

「Tianhai Central Gymnasium — A changing room.」

"Here are the hidden weapons you wanted."

Yuan Shang carried a cloth bag that clinked softly. Xu Ke could see that the bag's edges had already been sliced open by the sharp blades within. Seeing this, Xu Ke was secretly amazed.

The quality of these weapons is really something else!

"Thanks," Xu Ke said with a smile, taking the bag.

Yuan Shang waved his hand. "Why be so formal with me?"

"You should have seen it. Right after I collected all those hidden weapons, Jin Hankang came and demanded I give them back to Li Ming. When I refused, he looked like he was about to have a stroke right then and there."

"That's when I realized these aren't the hidden weapons Li Ming normally uses. They're a batch of high-quality weapons Qian Jun specially procured after he found out Li Ming would be fighting you."

"In other words, you came out ahead!" Yuan Shang said, raising his eyebrows and chuckling. His earlier anger at being forced to go "pick up trash" completely vanished. Being able to infuriate Jin Hankang was enough to put him in a great mood.

So that's what happened! Xu Ke realized.

He had been wondering how Li Ming got his hands on so many high-quality hidden weapons. It turned out they were brought in specifically for his fight against him.

"Tsk, tsk. They really spared no expense to deal with me," Xu Ke muttered, shaking his head.

Seeing that anyone who fought him seemed to receive a trove of fine equipment, Xu Ke was almost tempted by the prospect of defeating himself.

After they finished talking, the two left the changing room together. Xu Ke headed home to rest, awaiting the start of the final match that afternoon.