Chapter 196 - 131

Lu Sheng couldn’t figure it out. Li Chang’an had obviously been hit, so how was he completely unscathed?

But Li Chang’an clearly had no intention of explaining.

With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent the three darts held between his fingers flying straight at Lu Sheng. "I wonder," Li Chang’an said coolly, "if you can neutralize the poison on your own darts."

His fingers were long and powerful.

He threw the darts with a speed that far surpassed Lu Sheng’s.

Lu Sheng sensed the danger and frantically twisted and dodged with all his might, but he only managed to evade a single dart.

The other two struck him in the chest and an arm.

Lu Sheng’s expression turned foul as he stared at the poisoned darts embedded in his body.

But he didn’t dare delay for a single moment. The poison had been personally concocted by his master, and its effects were no laughing matter.

Without the antidote, it would kill a person in a matter of breaths.

He fumbled with trembling hands, trying to pull the antidote from his pocket, but Li Chang’an wasn’t about to give him the chance. He closed the distance and slammed a fist into Lu Sheng’s throat.

"CRUNCH!"

Li Chang’an hadn’t used his full strength, yet the punch still easily pulverized Lu Sheng’s larynx. Lu Sheng clutched his throat, his face quickly contorting in agony.

The surrounding Demon Sect Disciples were stunned. They all wanted to rush onto the tournament grounds to save their Saint Heir.

As the chief examiner, Shi En appeared on the grounds. He glanced down at Lu Sheng, whose face was turning purple, then back at the nonchalant Li Chang’an. With a complicated expression, he announced, "Lu Sheng has lost!"

With that, he kicked Lu Sheng toward the Demon Sect Disciples.

The Demon Sect Disciples scrambled to find the antidote Elixir in Lu Sheng’s pockets, while another disciple skilled in medicine rushed to treat his shattered throat.

The area instantly dissolved into a chaotic flurry of activity.

Once that was done, Shi En glanced at Li Chang’an. To prevent any misunderstanding, he explained, "He is the Demon Sect’s Saint Heir. Killing him would likely invite retaliation from that Female Demon."

Li Chang’an couldn’t care less. He just smiled. "He’s nothing but an insect. You can deal with him however you see fit, sir."

Shi En stared at him for a long time.

Beyond the shock and complexity in his eyes, a hint of approval emerged. He nodded in praise. "Excellent. Fearless and ever-advancing, full of the sharp, enterprising spirit of youth. His Majesty was not mistaken about you!"

Li Chang’an didn’t reply.

He turned to the young monk, who was observing him from a short distance away. Li Chang’an then walked over to the Buddhist Sect’s area and announced, "The Demon Sect’s Saint Heir is taken care of. Now, it’s the Buddhist Sect’s turn!"

Seeing Li Chang’an arrive at his station right after dealing with Lu Sheng, the young monk’s expression remained placid. He gave a silent bow. "Young Hero, your skills are impressive. This humble monk will face you for only three rounds. If I cannot claim victory within those three rounds, I will concede."

It wasn’t that the young monk didn’t want to fight Li Chang’an for longer.

It was just that the power Li Chang’an had displayed was simply too terrifying.

Killing Xiong Qi with a single punch was one thing, but for the renowned Saint Heir of the Demon Sect to be unable to last a single move—whether he used hidden weapons or fought openly—was another entirely.

He was confident that he was stronger than Lu Sheng, but they were still Martial Artists of the same Realm.

The difference in their strength was limited.

If Li Chang’an could beat Lu Sheng half to death in a flash, he could likely do the same to him.

However, to concede without even daring to fight, right in front of everyone, would be a devastating blow to the reputation of both the Buddhist Sect and himself.

Thus, after careful consideration, the young monk made what he believed to be the perfect compromise.

Surrendering after failing to defeat Li Chang’an in three rounds wouldn’t be disgraceful.

But he was clearly too optimistic, or perhaps he had severely overestimated his own combat strength. He actually thought he could last three rounds against Li Chang’an.

In reality, he didn’t even last one.

A single punch from Li Chang’an shattered his Golden Body. Cracks like those on porcelain spread across his skin, gushing blood. In moments, the young monk had become a Blood Gourd.

Having done this, Li Chang’an withdrew his fist and walked to the final tournament grounds.

The grounds of the Taoist Sect.

The instant the Taoist Sect disciple on the platform saw Li Chang’an approaching, he raised a white flag, terrified that a second’s delay would get him sent flying by a single punch.

He had challenged the strongest heir of each of the Three Great Sects and defeated them all in under ten minutes.

If people hadn’t witnessed it all with their own eyes, none of the examinees present would have ever believed such a thing could happen.

"He’s insane! Where the hell did this monster come from?"

"His Majesty himself appeared just to recruit him. Don’t tell me this guy is some hidden trump card raised by the Li Yang Imperial Court?"

"Are you an idiot? If the Li Yang Imperial Court could produce an expert of this caliber, why would they be so weak they can’t even control their own provinces?"

"A young expert loyal to the Imperial Court has emerged from this Martial Arts Examination. When word of this spreads, it’s going to cause an uproar throughout the entire Jianghu, isn’t it?"

The examination may have been over, but that didn’t stop the rampant discussion among the other examinees.

Clearly, the battles they had just witnessed had completely shattered their worldview, to the point where many candidates began to suspect Li Chang’an had ties to the Liyang Dynasty.

They even wondered if the whole thing was a staged act, a show put on for their benefit.