The old man finished speaking, and the expressions of the dozen or so people varied. The peak master called "Old Liu" appeared relaxed and at ease.
The others were the complete opposite, looking as if they had swallowed flies, suffering in silence.
Zhang Ergou and Lin Ran's battle also drew the attention of other young disciples in the square, who were discussing their performances.
Some said Lin Ran would win, as he had been the aggressor from start to finish.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ergou was forced to defend, seemingly being beaten down.
Li Zhan and several other youths from the northwest secretly sneered at the discussions in the square.
If these people knew Zhang Ergou's ability to play the weak and strike decisively, they would not be supporting Lin Ran so readily.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, Zhang Ergou's spear was held horizontally in front of him, skillfully blocking the two golden maces attacking from front and back.
"Marvelous."
The peak master surnamed Liu cheered, showing no attempt to hide his delight.
The faces of the other peak masters and elders darkened further.
"Three moves are done. It's my turn next."
Zhang Ergou withdrew his spear, knocking away the opponent's golden maces, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Before Lin Ran could even retract his golden maces, Zhang Ergou launched a sudden attack. He swung his spear like a heavy club, raising it high.
With a mighty swing towards Lin Ran head-on, the spear's momentum kicked up a dust storm from the ground. Lin Ran was greatly alarmed and hastily raised his mace to block.
However, Zhang Ergou's earlier deception had caused him to misjudge Zhang Ergou's strength.
In a single misstep, he was forcefully struck to the ground by Zhang Ergou's spear, unable to rise for a long time.
...
After a long while, the crowd slowly awoke from their shock. The overwhelming spear momentum from moments ago had left them shaken.
"Haha, good, good! It seems my Xuan Tian Peak will have another true disciple."
Even without seeing Zhang Ergou's subsequent fights, the peak master surnamed Liu had already recognized Zhang Ergou's potential based on his reaction and combat experience.
"Old Liu, are you being shameless? The competition has just begun, and who knows how this young man will perform later. Besides, he might not even want to go to your broken peak."
Liu's words immediately drew a barrage of rebuttals, with more voices chiming in to agree.
Seeing the scene devolve into chaos, with the peak masters bickering like children over a promising young disciple.
The old man sitting in the center watched their arguments calmly, making no move to intervene.
The more fiercely they argued now, the more miserably they would cry when they knew the truth.
The old man seemed to foresee their expressions upon learning the outcome, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his face.
Hua Xu, who had been sitting at the lower seat, also noticed the dispute among the peak masters and the old man's subtle expression.
However, his status was indeed a step below those peak masters, so he naturally wouldn't join their fray.
Since the old man hadn't said anything, he certainly wouldn't seek trouble for himself.
Over the next two days, Zhang Ergou participated in two more arena matches. In each, he feigned weakness.
He first displayed his seemingly low cultivation and ability to fight, lulling the opponent into a false sense of security.
Then, during the opponent's aggressive assault, he gauged their capabilities and, when they relaxed, delivered a sudden, fatal blow.
This rendered the opponent completely unable to continue fighting.
Using the same method, Zhang Ergou's strategy was unfailingly successful each time.
Every opponent felt that the gap in strength between themselves and Zhang Ergou was not significant and that they could defeat him if they used their full power.
However, by the time they lay defeated in the arena or below, they realized that everything they had seen was an illusion.
Alas, it was too late for regret.
In just two days, Zhang Ergou had gradually made a name for himself among the thousands of participants.
What made him famous was not his profound cultivation or fierce magical techniques.
The deeds he was known for were his performances of playing the weak and striking decisively, clearly possessing superior cultivation but deliberately portraying himself as a weaker fighter.
Soon, a rumor spread among the crowd: a cunning strategist had appeared in this selection tournament, one who never played by the rules.
Those who encountered this person were warned to be vigilant and not be fooled by appearances.
Regarding this cunning strategist, it was advised not to believe his demeanor, not even a single strand of his hair.
Otherwise, they would surely be the ones to suffer.
Upon hearing people describe him this way from Li Zhan, Zhang Ergou's face showed anger. He grabbed his spear, ready to charge out of the room and eliminate the gossips one by one.
"Rumors, all rumors! They are definitely jealous of my talent and handsomeness, which is why they are slandering me."
He slammed his spear onto the ground and said fiercely, but did not rush out of the room.
The triumphant expression on his face starkly contrasted with his words.
Li Zhan and the others looked at Zhang Ergou with disdain. This fellow was clearly enjoying the rumors and had even made them worry that Zhang Ergou might be affected emotionally.
Which would be detrimental to his subsequent matches.
Now, they saw no sign of him being affected in the slightest.
They even suspected that this rumor might have been spread by Zhang Ergou, the shameless fellow himself.
Simply to undermine the confidence of his future opponents.
"Li Zhan, you don't suspect...?"
"It's not suspicion."
"That's my good brother! No wonder I've always trusted you so much."
"It's certainty."
Suddenly, Zhang Ergou's arm, which was about to rest on Li Zhan's shoulder, froze mid-air. A burst of laughter erupted in the room.
"Met the wrong people, what sorrow!"
Zhang Ergou exclaimed dramatically, further lightening the atmosphere in the room.
...
Similar to the sword dao selection tournament, the one Zhang Ergou was participating in also took a break after the top ten were determined.
The purpose was naturally to allow the top ten disciples to perform at their peak in the final matches.
It also prevented young disciples who advanced by luck from passing through unnoticed.
Zhang Ergou smoothly entered the top ten, and over several rounds, he did not expend much energy.
He hadn't even used fifty percent of his strength.
This was mainly because his opponents' cultivation levels were significantly lower than his. With his deliberate concealment of strength, those opponents, underestimating him, were quickly dealt with by Zhang Ergou.
Next up was the alchemist competition.
Although the alchemist competition had few participants, there were many spectators, including the youths who had previously been injured, all appearing in the square.
And when Zhang Ergou appeared on the competition stage.
Both the peak masters on the rostrum and the over a thousand youths in the square widened their eyes in disbelief.
"That kid is also an alchemist?"