Chapter 218: Suspicion of Cheating

The sect's grand competition continued. Yan Yuqing entered the arena two more times. With her previous significant victory, her mindset was excellent, allowing her to perform beyond her usual ability. She secured two consecutive wins.

"Uncle-Master, if I win one more time, I'll be in the top ten," she said, looking radiant. This was her best performance in multiple competitions.

However, as the final ten matches were scheduled, the smile vanished from Yan Yuqing's face. These last ten matches involved the top-performing disciples competing against each other, naturally making them more challenging than previous rounds. The ninth match featured Yan Yuqing against a female disciple named Luo Tianjiao.

"It's actually her?" Cheng Xiaoleng rubbed her forehead. "Yuqing, did you not check the almanac before you left today?"

Chai Yingrong looked sympathetic. "You're just too unlucky! Among the disciples competing in this event, the two strongest are Feng Haoyuan and Luo Tianjiao. You've encountered both of them!"

Yan Yuqing also made a wry face. "How could I be a match for Senior Sister Luo? Her strength is even a bit stronger." Then, teasingly, she added, "Uncle-Master, if you can spot any injuries on Luo Tianjiao, don't forget to tell me!"

Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "She's perfectly fine."

Just as Yan Yuqing's wry smile deepened, Jiang Fan said, "However, there should still be some time before your match. During this time, I can help you improve your strength a little. As for whether you can win, that will depend on you."

Yan Yuqing looked incredulous. Cheng Xiaoleng was even more blunt: "Don't just make wild claims!"

Chai Yingrong also shook her head. "There's only an hour left until Yuqing's match. How can the gap between them possibly be closed?" Both of them cast a sidelong glance at Jiang Fan, thinking he was getting ahead of himself after merely pointing out Feng Haoyuan's leg injury and helping Yan Yuqing win a match. Luo Tianjiao, after all, was in peak condition and couldn't be defeated by simple tricks.

Jiang Fan, however, had his own reasoning. He asked, "Yuqing, the palm technique you cultivate must be quite renowned, right?"

Yan Yuqing showed a hint of pride. "Of course! While our Divine Physician Peak doesn't prioritize martial arts, my master has extensive connections. He never lacks top-tier cultivation methods. The one I practice is called the 'Cloud Net Palm,' reputed to be the best palm technique in the Nine Sects' lands. Among high-grade Profound-tier techniques, it stands out as one of the very best."

Cheng Xiaoleng and Chai Yingrong sighed with envy. "Exactly! The Divine Physician Peak is never short on cultivation methods. Otherwise, why would everyone want to become a disciple of Elder Shangguan?"

Jiang Fan understood. This matched his observations perfectly.

But he continued, "Then, do you think your palm technique has reached its full potential?"

Yan Yuqing, who had just been so proud, suddenly looked ashamed. "My comprehension isn't good enough, and I'm the only one cultivating this technique. I have no one to ask for guidance, so I've been fumbling through it on my own."

"No wonder," Jiang Fan replied. "I observe your palm technique: the forms are strong, but the power is weak, like a child wielding a heavy hammer. You possess a powerful weapon, yet you can't even unleash half its might. There must be a major flaw in your cultivation. Do you have the cultivation method for this palm technique with you?"

Yan Yuqing paused. "Yes, it's with me. Do you want to see it, Uncle-Master?"

Jiang Fan nodded. "Yes, I'll examine it for you. Let's see if I can guide you to cultivate it to its full potential. If successful, you'll still have a chance against Luo Tianjiao."

A stunned silence fell. Not only were Cheng Xiaoleng and Chai Yingrong dumbfounded, but even Yan Yuqing looked bewildered, uncertainly asking, "Uncle-Master, do you mean... you'll comprehend this technique and help me learn it within an hour?"

Jiang Fan said nothing more, simply stating, "Let me see it."

Yan Yuqing hesitated. This was her most prized possession, her greatest secret. No one was ever allowed to see it. Yet, faced with Jiang Fan's request, she reluctantly took it out and handed it to him. She thought, *Anyway, in such a short time, Uncle-Master can't possibly learn much from it, right?* With this thought, she relaxed slightly.

Jiang Fan took the cultivation method and scanned it, reading ten lines at a glance. A high-grade Profound-tier technique posed little difficulty for him. After closing his eyes and comprehending for a moment, he gained insight.

His eyes sharpened as he uttered a resounding phrase: "Ice and Fire Dual!" He casually pushed a palm forward, and from his palm, two opposing forces of ice and fire simultaneously erupted. They intertwined, striking the iron chair in front of them and creating an indentation the depth of an index finger.

Yan Yuqing's eyes widened. "Uncle-Master, you... you..." She couldn't believe it. The first layer, which had taken her a whole year to comprehend, her Uncle-Master had mastered in less than a quarter of an hour!

Jiang Fan retracted his palm. "Your spiritual energy circulation path must have been incorrect, which is why the palm technique's power was not as expected. Sit cross-legged and remember the circulation route."

Yan Yuqing sat blankly in front of Jiang Fan, allowing a wisp of his spiritual energy to enter her body and circulate within. Yan Yuqing memorized the energy circulation route with a mixture of belief and doubt, then quietly practiced it.

"Yan Yuqing, Luo Tianjiao, to the stage!"

A shout broke Yan Yuqing's quiet cultivation. She opened her eyes, flustered. "Ah? So fast? I... I haven't mastered it yet!" She had been so engrossed in her practice that she hadn't noticed how quickly time had passed. Suddenly asked to go on stage, she became disoriented.

Jiang Fan calmly said, "Actual combat is the fastest way to improve. Go!"

With no other choice, Yan Yuqing bit the bullet and walked onto the arena, beginning her match against Luo Tianjiao, a top talent among her peers.

Li Shiqian watched Yan Yuqing, snorting softly. "Let's see how she wins this time! Last time, she won against Feng Haoyuan by luck and now thinks she's someone important!"

Wang Yungge reclined in his chair, glancing at Yan Yuqing indifferently. "Win? What will she win with? Junior Sister Luo is the strongest prodigy of our Green Bamboo Peak in ten years, unrivaled among her generation. I personally tested her strength. Yan Yuqing will definitely lose in three moves!"

However, soon enough, Wang Yungge couldn't help but sit upright. He watched the two figures intertwined on the arena, a hint of surprise in his eyes. "Strange! Why do I feel like Yan Yuqing's palm technique has changed?"

Li Shiqian also said, her face full of astonishment, "Remove 'feel'! Her palm technique *has* indeed changed. The moves are the same, but the power has doubled! Only, why does it look so unpolished?"

Hua Xiangchen also revealed a look of shock. He was most familiar with Yan Yuqing and knew her strength intimately. Yet, Yan Yuqing's palm technique now was completely transformed. What had happened? In the previous round, her palm technique was still the same, lacking power. How could it have undergone such a drastic change in just one hour?

Within just a few breaths, the two had exchanged three rounds of blows! Due to her unfamiliarity with the technique, Yan Yuqing was steadily pushed back by Luo Tianjiao.

"Is this all a Divine Physician Peak disciple amounts to? She can't even execute her palm technique smoothly, heh heh!" Jiang Qin wasn't the only female disciple who envied Yan Yuqing; there were many others.

Yan Yuqing, however, remained calm and composed, continuing to refine her palm technique at an incredibly fast pace through actual combat.

After twenty moves, Luo Tianjiao gradually sensed that something was amiss; she could no longer suppress Yan Yuqing. And after fifty moves, she was astonished to find that Yan Yuqing was already able to unleash incredibly powerful palm strikes, matching her own! This unnerved her. Yan Yuqing, on the other hand, grew increasingly surprised as her palm strikes became more powerful, thus growing stronger with each passing moment of the fight!

When the two had exchanged a full two hundred moves, Luo Tianjiao, finally unnerved by the drastic change in her opponent's technique, exposed a flaw in her stance. Yan Yuqing, quick-witted and decisive, struck her chest with a palm.

Luo Tianjiao staggered back, falling off the stage.

The referee, with a tone of surprise, loudly announced, "The winner is Yan Yuqing!"

A dead silence fell over the entire arena. Everyone's eyes were wide, unable to accept the result. Upsets were a common occurrence in every grand competition, but for the usually mediocre Yan Yuqing to defeat Luo Tianjiao, the "heavenly prodigy" of martial prowess—who could possibly stomach such a monumental upset?

Luo Tianjiao herself couldn't accept it. She scrambled back onto the stage, shouting indignantly, "I refuse to accept this! Yan Yuqing cheated! She cheated! How could her cultivation technique change so drastically in just one hour?"

This... The referee was also very perplexed. For the sake of fairness, he sternly demanded, "Yan Yuqing, how do you explain this?"

Yan Yuqing's heart skipped a beat. How could she possibly bear such an accusation in front of the sect master and numerous elders? She quickly replied, "Reporting to the referee, my Uncle-Master guided me with my palm technique."

Uncle-Master?

Countless gazes collectively darted towards the quiet, fair-skinned young man sitting calmly.