"As for space, we can always squeeze in a bit," Wang Xu, who wore a silver stud in his left ear, remarked half-jokingly.

The oval-faced girl glanced at Wang Xu. "Then you go call him."

"Why should I go? Why don't you?" Wang Xu leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and rolled his eyes.

"Whoever suggested it should be the one to do it."

The oval-faced girl scoffed, glancing at the young man with a trimmed beard.

The short-bearded man's eyes twinkled. Just as he was about to speak, a burly man with a buzz cut chimed in, "Alright, he only got in because he paid. He wasn't recommended by a Direct Disciple. As for strength... his file says he's just average. It doesn't matter whether we include such a filler character or not; he won't significantly affect our plans."

"Yeah, no need for us to spoil the mood over such a trivial matter. Drink tea, drink tea," someone else chimed in.

It was a short, round-faced young man, whose smiling eyes made him look quite amiable. He reached for the teapot on the table and proactively poured tea for everyone.

The atmosphere at the table relaxed slightly.

"COUGH, COUGH..."

The short-bearded man, who had spoken first, cleared his throat and took the lead again, "Having made it to the candidate list and come this far, we are all essentially fellow disciples. But, after all, there's only one spot for a Direct Disciple..."

"Cut the long-winded speech!" the oval-faced girl interrupted impatiently. "Just tell us how we should deal with Xiao Mubai."

The short-bearded man was cut short, and the burly man with the buzz cut immediately picked up the thread.

"Right, the main goal is to team up against Xiao Mubai."

The buzz-cut man's deep voice naturally drew everyone's attention.

"You should have all reviewed Xiao Mubai's file. He has achieved PracticeOrgans, comprehended our Crane Sect's Fist Skill Supreme True Skill, and even developed Vigor... In a one-on-one fight, none of us here are his match."

The table fell into a brief silence. After a moment, someone spoke in a gruff voice, "Being the strongest doesn't necessarily mean he'll have the last laugh. Even if we take turns challenging him individually, how many of us can he actually defeat?"

"That's the point." The buzz-cut man nodded, then continued, "But even in a battle of attrition, someone needs to go first to wear him down. I don't think anyone here wants to be cannon fodder, right?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

"Then the problem is simple." The buzz-cut man's intense gaze swept over everyone at the table as he stated coldly, his face expressionless, "First, we join forces to eliminate Xiao Mubai. After that... the position of Direct Disciple will be decided by our own abilities."

"Agreed."

"Couldn't be better."

"That's how it should have been from the start."

No one objected; this was, after all, why they had gathered.

Seeing that a preliminary consensus for cooperation had been reached, the buzz-cut man smiled faintly, his fingers tapping a rhythm on the tabletop. He continued, "This assessment will be a melee. The last one standing in the assessment chamber will be the Direct Disciple. I believe the Sect Master arranged it this way to encourage us to do precisely this. Now, let's discuss how to eliminate Xiao Mubai."

"I have some information on Xiao Mubai here, much more detailed than what you've seen," the short-bearded man, having had his turn to speak cut off twice, eagerly interjected. "Xiao Mubai injured his left shoulder last month, and it might not have fully healed. When the time comes, we can focus our attacks on his left shoulder. Also, I've carefully studied over a dozen videos of his fights and noticed he has a habitual elbow movement whenever he's about to kick. You all should watch out for that..."

"You've studied him so meticulously; I'm sure you've also carefully analyzed the weaknesses and fighting habits of everyone here, right?" the oval-faced girl sneered at the short-bearded man. The latter twitched the corner of his mouth, his expression noncommittal.

The buzz-cut man ignored the subtle tension between them and smiled. "The intelligence Junior Brother Hua provided is excellent. Xiao Mubai primarily practices Fist Skills. I'll go first and try to pin him down. Then, you all can attack his lower body together..."

"Actually, we could also use poison," the round-faced young man, who had been mostly silent, chimed in with a grin. "Once the fight starts, I can seize the opportunity to throw poison powder in Xiao Mubai's face. It'll make his face itch, give him diarrhea, and cause fatigue... The longer we drag it out, the lower his chances of winning."

"Won't using such despicable tactics get us disqualified?" Everyone was startled and couldn't help but ask.

The round-faced young man, however, just shook his head, smiling. "The assessment rules don't forbid it, so it's naturally allowed. I don't know if you're aware, but the Sect Master himself was an expert in this back in his day. A grandmaster of poisons, his skills terrified countless miscreants. Using poison might actually win us more favor with the Sect Master..."

Hearing this, everyone was surprised, their faces showing intrigue.

Someone asked, "Then why don't we poison him now? Make him sick for two or three days so he can't even get out of bed on the assessment day!"

"It's feasible, but poisoning him before the assessment has a high probability of being a rule violation. I don't dare to risk it. If any of you do, feel free to try. I can even provide the poison free of charge..."

"Never mind then..."

"Junior Brother Mao's idea is quite brilliant. Poisoning him on the spot is indeed a good plan," the buzz-cut man praised, then habitually reached for the teacup before him to take a sip. Suddenly, remembering that it was the round-faced young man who had just poured the tea, he quickly and discreetly put the cup back down.

"Does anyone else have any ideas?"

Wang Xu, who had been listening patiently from the side for a long time, spoke up, his eyes flickering, "Since poison is on the table, could we perhaps try to target his family or friends before the assessment? Then we could leak some information to Xiao Mubai to unsettle him."

"The Martial Arts Circle has always abided by the rule of not involving family members in conflicts. However, pretending to target those close to him is feasible. From what I know, Xiao Mubai has a sister whom he values greatly. When the time comes, I can find someone to mimic her voice and tone and call him one minute before the assessment officially begins..."

"Great idea!"

"We should decide which part of Xiao Mubai's body to attack first when the fight begins. It's better to sever one of his fingers than to injure all ten. First, let's disable one of his legs or arms. I'd like to see if he can still be so arrogant then."

"That's a good suggestion. Didn't Junior Brother Hua mention earlier that his left shoulder was recently injured? Then we'll aim to break his left arm!"

"Since poison is allowed, can we take performance-enhancing drugs ourselves? I know of a drug that can significantly boost one's potential for half an hour after ingestion, though it causes three days of debilitation afterward..."

"Do you have a source for it? If so, get me a dose. Even if I don't use it this time, it could be useful later."

"Quick, let's get out the rules for this assessment and study them together thoroughly. I'm suddenly getting so many ideas; I just don't know if there'll be a chance to use them!"

"Same here."

The five people at the small table grew increasingly animated as they talked. Soon, they felt the spot was too conspicuous and cramped, so they all stood up to find another place to continue their discussion.

***

"BURP—"

Lu Yuan let out a satisfied burp, wiped his mouth, and stood up.

Looking up, he realized Wang Xu's group had already left. He had been so focused on his food that he hadn't noticed what they were doing. It seemed they hadn't ended up eating in the restaurant after all.

Could it be they found the food here unappetizing and decided to eat out elsewhere?

Lin Zhiquin said the format of this assessment will be quite flexible, testing one's overall capabilities. A chaotic brawl isn't out of the question... Judging by their behavior, they might team up during the assessment to eliminate me and that standoffish white-haired guy first... Lu Yuan mused, recalling what Lin Zhiquin had told him a day ago.

But he soon relaxed.

Those five, plus that supposedly strongest white-haired fellow—even if all six of them ganged up, their combined combat power would still be mediocre.

Predators walk alone; only sheep flock together. Anyway, I'll have to crush them one by one eventually, so it doesn't matter if they team up or not...

Lu Yuan was currently more concerned with his comprehension of the mysterious inner power that was the hallmark of a Crane Sect Direct Disciple.

In the past two days, aside from the other candidates, he had also met nearly all the current Direct Disciples of the Crane Sect. His mental library of [Imaginary Enemy] targets was significantly expanded.

Sparring in turns with several Direct Disciples, sensing the mysterious inner power surge within them when they made a move, Lu Yuan felt that only a paper-thin barrier separated him from a certain realm. He was just a light touch away from completely breaking through.

After dinner, Lu Yuan walked straight back to his lodgings. He strolled in the courtyard by the entrance for a while before returning to his room.

The room Liu Si had arranged for Lu Yuan was quite spacious, giving him ample room for his Martial Arts training.

Lu Yuan first practiced the Spirit Crane Body for a while to aid his digestion.

Ever since achieving minor success in cultivating flesh, with both his constitution and agility enhanced, Lu Yuan's progress with the Spirit Crane Body had taken a leap. Previously, he could only manage up to the 70th movement before faltering. Now, he could execute over a hundred movements in one go.

During practice, his skin and muscles felt as if they were being pulled by some invisible force. It pulled at his bones, producing a series of collision sounds that only Lu Yuan himself could hear. The further he progressed, the deeper this pulling sensation became, gradually even involving his internal organs.

Lu Yuan knew clearly that while he was cultivating his bones, flesh, and skin, he was also touching upon the realm of PracticeOrgans. Combined with the muscle control afforded by lv2 [Special Burst], the body-tempering effects of the Spirit Crane Body became increasingly pronounced.

Lu Yuan's muscles rippled like quicksilver, flowing like waves. Beneath his skin and flesh, bones collided, and his internal organs hummed faintly. It felt as if a fire was burning in his chest, growing hotter and more intense.

WHOOSH—

Inexplicably, what sounded like a surging tide seemed to echo in Lu Yuan's ears.

In that instant, it was as if a switch flipped in his mind, and countless inspirational images erupted like a geyser.

In a moment of inspiration, Lu Yuan flexed his fingers and extended his arms. Mysterious inner power gathered at his fingertips. In the air before him, several visible white streams of energy flickered and vanished.

SWOOSH—

Lu Yuan stopped his movements, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.

He took two steps forward and found several shallow yet distinct scratch marks on the wall, over three meters away.

Is this the power of the mysterious inner power?

A casual swipe from three meters away, and the force of his attack tore the wallpaper. Although this was amplified by his imitation of a claw-type Sure-kill Skill from the Crane Sect's Spirit Crane Skill, the power was still astonishing enough to cause amazement.

[Flash of Insight]... at critical moments, you always give me a hand...

Lu Yuan looked down at his right hand; he could now clearly feel the subtle strands of inner power flowing and accumulating at his fingertips. Though faint and invisible to the naked eye, it was undeniably real.

This inner power was usually hidden within his flesh, blood, and bones. It would only emerge when he used special techniques to force his muscles, flesh, and bones to compress and collide. It was miraculous—this was the "Extraordinary Power" of a Fighter.

Constitution is also a crucial prerequisite. If one's constitution wasn't strong enough, the flesh, blood, and bones simply couldn't generate this inner power. Lu Yuan summarized, then opened his class panel.

As expected, a notification had already appeared on the panel.

[You have comprehended a new skill - [Crane Strength lv1]]

And on the [Fighter]'s panel, a brand-new skill had appeared.

[Advanced Professional Skill: ...

Crane Strength lv1 (1/100)]

Crane Strength...

Lu Yuan looked at the name of this skill, his face glowing with excitement, an indescribable sense of exhilaration washing over him.

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