Chapter 127: The God of Cheating

"It is settled then," Tie Shudeng said with a smile. He then looked toward Qiu Xiang and said, "Chief Dean, I concede."

Upon hearing Tie Shudeng’s concession, not only was Qiu Xiang stunned, but the stands erupted into an uproar. However, the noise was somewhat less chaotic than the previous day; after all, as Tie Shudeng was about to be named the Crown Prince, no one dared to curse him.

*How clever... you, Ye Xin, are truly formidable! You even managed to bribe the Third Prince to do you a favor? This level of shamelessness truly knows no bounds!* Countless students harbored this thought.

In the stands, Guan Hanyu, who was beside Shen Wangji, smiled and said, "My Lord, the Third Prince’s temperament has matured much more than before."

Tie Xinsheng nodded with satisfaction. "I fear there was no better way to handle this than to concede."

Just as Tie Shudeng stepped off the platform, the brothers Han Yuanzi and Han Yunzi approached him. Han Yuanzi whispered, "Third Brother, this was the perfect opportunity for you to establish your authority. Why did you concede?"

"Ye Xin has great utility," Tie Shudeng replied with a smile. "I did not wish to sour our relations."

"We are all brothers; surely he wouldn't hold a grudge against you just because he won?" Han Yuanzi asked, puzzled.

"Ye Xin is determined to win this grand tournament; he has repeatedly let it be known that he will take the championship," Tie Shudeng shook his head and said. "If I were to fight him, it would be improper regardless of the outcome. If I beat him, his hopes would be dashed, and given the rumors of him cheating, the criticism against him would only intensify. He might not say anything on the surface, but resentment would inevitably fester in his heart. If I were to lose to him, it would be detrimental to me. My Father has already hinted that I will be officially named Crown Prince soon. At such a critical juncture, I would rather do nothing than damage my own reputation."

"I understand. Third Brother is truly thoughtful," Han Yuanzi sighed.

The fact that even the dignified Third Prince was participating in the cheating made the students of Longteng Martial Arts Academy feel as if they were about to burst from suppressed anger. That evening, the number of notices condemning Ye Xin suddenly increased to over two hundred.

But no matter how angry they were, the tournament proceeded according to schedule. On the fourth day, the quarter-finals began, and Ye Xin’s opponent was Tie Huizhen.

The stands remained packed with people, and Tie Xinsheng and the envoys from various nations were also present. In truth, Tie Huizhen was under immense pressure. Many friends had sought her out, urging her to defeat Ye Xin and wash away the shame of the Longteng Martial Arts Academy. They claimed that if Ye Xin were allowed to slip into the semi-finals, the Academy would have no future.

Moreover, Tie Huizhen was the one who should have hated Ye Xin the most, as he had been sent to the Heavenly Sin Battalion specifically for offending her. That was precisely why her friends pinned their hopes on her.

When Tie Huizhen uttered the words "I concede" to Qiu Xiang, the stands erupted completely. Even though Tie Huizhen was a daughter of heaven, the spectators could no longer restrain their fury.

Ye Xin advanced to the final four, his score reaching an astonishing seventy-five points. According to the academy's rules, the theoretical maximum score was one hundred and five. However, even the legendary, invincible Ye Guanhai, who had emerged years ago, had only managed to score ninety-two, breaking the highest record set since the founding of the Longteng Martial Arts Academy.

With Ye Xin already at seventy-five points, it meant that as long as he won the championship, he would certainly shatter Ye Guanhai’s record and become the true pinnacle of strength.

Qiu Xiang ordered the war drums to be struck, barely managing to suppress the clamor. Beside Tie Xinsheng, Ning Gaowu, the Duke of Poshan from the Great Ren Kingdom, shook his head. "Conceding again? Is this really a grand tournament?"

Ning Gaowu had originally been interested in Ye Xin, who had defeated Zhuang Buxiu, but the string of concessions made him realize that the Great Wei Kingdom simply wanted to pave the way for Ye Xin. But what was the point of a commander who was merely propped up? How could he withstand the forge of blood and fire on the front lines?

Tie Xinsheng felt displeased. His gaze shifted to the young man beside Ning Gaowu, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: "Duke of Poshan, is this beloved subordinate of yours the champion of this year’s Great Ren tournament?"

"Indeed," Ning Gaowu nodded.

"The final four have been selected. Why not let your beloved subordinate enter the arena and spar with our Great Wei’s finalists? It would be quite a spectacle," Tie Xinsheng smiled.

"This... I fear that would be inappropriate," Ning Gaowu said, feeling somewhat awkward; he did not want to dampen Tie Xinsheng’s spirits.

"Let the children spar with one another; it will be beneficial for them all," Tie Xinsheng insisted.

A flicker of irritation rose in Ning Gaowu’s heart—after all, he had to maintain his own nation’s dignity. After a pause, he turned to the young man beside him and said, "Gui Bei, go down then. Be gentle; do not injure anyone."

The dark-skinned young man stood up, his posture as straight as a javelin. He nodded and slowly walked toward the arena.

Tie Xinsheng felt even more dissatisfied. *Do not injure anyone? What is that supposed to mean? Does he think the young talents of my Great Wei are made of tofu?!*

In fact, aside from the matches involving Ye Xin, the other bouts were quite spectacular. Zong Yunjin, Zong Yunxiu, and Wei Qingfan—the three other finalists—all displayed extraordinary combat prowess for their age, winning countless cheers.

Ye Xin had already been preparing to leave when he heard the cheers erupting from the stands again. He was a bit surprised. Xie En walked over and whispered, "My Lord, Gui Bei is about to step in."

"What does he have to do with our Longteng Martial Arts Academy? Why is it his turn to fight?" Ye Xin asked, puzzled.

"It is the will of those in power. Even Chief Dean Qiu Xiang was surprised," Xie En replied.

The people in the stands knew that Gui Bei was the champion of the Great Ren Kingdom, and hearing that he would spar with the Great Wei finalists made them instantly excited. While it wasn't a real war, it still made their blood boil. *Let the Great Ren Kingdom see what true talent is!* Of course, they didn't count Ye Xin. They had confidence in the Zong siblings and Wei Qingfan, who all possessed formidable strength.

"Must I save the people from fire and water yet again?" Ye Xin sighed softly.

Gui Bei was a fierce warrior from the Heavenly Sin Battalion. If he hadn't revealed his intention to return to the Great Ren Kingdom early on, he would certainly have had a place in the core of the Heavenly Sin Battalion. A warrior who had returned from endless slaughter was by no means comparable to those flowers grown in a greenhouse.

The facts unfolded exactly as Ye Xin had predicted. The cheers that had just erupted in the stands were replaced by a deathly silence. The match had ended as soon as it began, followed by cheers that immediately turned back into silence.

Zong Yunjin, the strongest among them, lasted only two moves against Gui Bei before being kicked off the platform.

In less than twenty breaths, all three fights were lost, including the time it took for the contestants to walk onto the stage and for Qiu Xiang to announce the start. It was simply too fast.

Tie Xinsheng’s face turned livid. He had intended to teach Ning Gaowu a lesson, but he hadn't expected Gui Bei’s combat power to be so ferocious.

Ning Gaowu sighed and turned to his attendant. "Tell little Bei to come back." In his view, there was no need for that fame-chasing fraud, Ye Xin, to even appear.

"My Lord, Ye Xin has not yet stepped out," Shen Wangji whispered.

"Right, where is Ye Xin?" Tie Xinsheng instantly snapped out of his frustration and shouted.

Ning Gaowu sighed again. *They really refuse to give up until they see the coffin, don't they? Is it really necessary to keep up this charade until the end?*

Ye Xin finally made his grand entrance, climbing onto the platform as he had before. Regardless of the deathly silence in the stands, no one believed that Ye Xin could regain any face for the Great Wei Kingdom.

Qiu Xiang, struggling to control his emotions, actually walked up to welcome Ye Xin and whispered, "Ye Xin, you must win this fight at all costs!" He could see that Gui Bei’s strength was overwhelming, but he had no choice but to pin all his hopes on Ye Xin.

Ye Xin nodded and turned his gaze toward Gui Bei.

Having won three matches in a row, Gui Bei had remained as calm as still water. But upon seeing Ye Xin, his expression finally changed. His hand, gripping his war spear, turned white from the intensity of his grip, and his lips trembled slightly.

Ye Xin saw it all and felt a sense of relief; he had not misjudged the man. The friendship forged in life and death would not change just because of different origins—at least, it had not changed Gui Bei.

"Can we begin?" Ye Xin asked.

Without waiting for Qiu Xiang to speak, Gui Bei suddenly raised his voice: "I concede!"

*What?* Qiu Xiang could hardly believe his ears. *Conceded?* The stands remained in a deathly silence; the people were still unable to process what had happened.

*What?* Ning Gaowu, the Duke of Poshan, nearly jumped out of his chair. *What madness has seized that boy? He is the champion of the Great Ren Kingdom—and he concedes?*

*What?* Tie Xinsheng, who had been tense to the point of white-knuckled fists, suddenly felt as if he might faint. *Conceded? Hahaha... he actually conceded?*

"Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?" Ye Xin said, feeling helpless. "Since the tournament started, all I’ve done is climb up and climb back down... it’s so lonely..."

"Young Master Ye still has the semi-finals and the finals; you can find company for your loneliness then," Gui Bei replied with a smile.

Thunderous cheers suddenly erupted in the stands. People were relieved that the Great Wei Kingdom had saved face, yet they found it all too unbelievable. *That Ye Xin... he is simply the god of cheating! How could he even bribe the champion of the Great Ren Kingdom? The question is, how did Ye Xin guess that Gui Bei would enter the arena today? With such uncanny intelligence, why not use it on the right path?!*

As soon as Gui Bei returned to his seat, the Duke of Poshan, Ning Gaowu, asked in a deep voice, "Gui Bei, why did you concede?"

"I am no match for him," Gui Bei replied calmly.

"You hadn't even begun to fight; how could you determine who was stronger?" Ning Gaowu insisted, sensing something strange.

"Intuition," Gui Bei replied, remaining indifferent.

*Intuition?* Ning Gaowu knew that Gui Bei had no reason to lie. He turned his head and stared fixedly at Ye Xin from afar. Nearby, Zhou Pulu and Wu Qiushen’s expressions had changed as well. Yesterday, they hadn't given Ye Xin a second glance, but today, they were forced to take him seriously.

Having seen Gui Bei, they all envied the Great Ren Kingdom for producing such a true young talent. *Could it be that this Ye Xin is even more formidable than Gui Bei?!*