Why do I have so many masters?

The Confucian scholar's yell was like poking a stick into a hornet's nest.

The assessment and ratings concerned academic credits, and high credits came with many conveniences. If they were low, not only would one struggle to lift their head among their peers, but there was also the risk of being judged as lazy and inept in martial arts, potentially leading to being expelled from the Academy—so new students cared immensely.

The few who were still watching the excitement on the field were first stunned; then, their eyes landed on Wang Anfeng, with a struggle appearing in their gazes. A young man with a wooden sword clenched his teeth, yelled a warning, and swung down towards Wang Anfeng's shoulder from behind.

The young man hadn't estimated the allure of the Confucian scholar's words sufficiently and hadn't anticipated how easily it would affect the students' emotions. At that moment, he was entangled with the scholar by a chain, restricting both, preventing either from escaping or retaliating. He gritted his teeth and circulated his Inner Qi, ready to withstand the blow.

Just then, a wooden spear suddenly thrust out obliquely, accurately hitting the blade of the wooden sword with a crisp snap, deflecting it. The Military Family youth whom Wang Anfeng had previously defeated advanced with a spear, protecting Wang Anfeng and without looking back, he waved his spear to create a flurry of shadows, saying:

"God of Stove, run fast!"

"Even if you're formidable, you're no match for hundreds of them attacking together!"

He bellowed with exertion as his Inner Strength flowed, using his spear technique to fend off the young man with the sword. Wang Anfeng heard "hundreds attacking together," and although he was taken aback, feeling it too incredible to believe, he didn't neglect to react.

Flicking his wrist, he loosened and retracted the chain, twirled his longsword, and enveloped two other approaching enemies under a heavy cascade of sword shadows.

Now both seriously engaged, he didn't hold back; his swordsmanship was executed with sixty to seventy percent of his skill. In that instant, the sword edge whistled, tearing through the air repeatedly, deftly turning a spear and staff assault into a disjointed mess with just his longsword.

The two youths overwhelmed by his Sword Intent also felt apprehension, having already used their skills to the limit, yet swords shadows still enveloped them like a dense forest.

Knowing full well that if he intended to kill, he would simply have to convert these feints into strikes, they wouldn't even know how many times they had been hit, and a cold sweat broke out on their foreheads, mixed with fear and self-disdain.

At that moment, two crisp clangs were heard as their weapons were swept aside by Wang Anfeng's longsword. Staggering backward, they then saw him panting, which startled them into a momentary relief, thinking his move was formidable but it must also have drained him, not as seemingly invincible as they had thought.

The young man relaxed slightly, figuring the panting act was about enough, and withdrew his longsword, saying:

"Gentlemen, let's stop here..."

"My martial arts may not be superior, but it won't be so easy for either of you to defeat me quickly."

While saying this, he stealthily glanced to the side, but the Confucian scholar had disappeared, not only taking the pot but the entire stove as well, reigniting the flames of frustration in his heart until he was itching with annoyance.

At that moment, Yi Xiuwei, the Military Family youth, disarmed his opponent with his spear, but turning around, he saw Wang Anfeng still there, and urgently called out:

"Why are you still here?"

"Didn't I tell you to leave quickly?"

While speaking, he suddenly remembered Wang Anfeng's identity, annoyance crossed his face, and he stabbed his spear hard into the ground, saying:

"Ah! You... I forgot you're a Library Guardian, you really don't realize how tempting that 'A' rating is for students!"

The young man paused and said:

"But it's just a comment... Is it that important?"

A young man with wide ears who had lost to him earlier sighed and said:

"When the emperor loses the deer..."

Another continued:

"All under heaven pursue it..."

As the voices faded, there seemed to be a growing clamor, and within moments, faces glowing with excitement appeared in sight, holding wooden weapons. Looking around, there were almost a hundred individuals from various families, who took a breath and shouted:

"Who is Wang Anfeng? Step forward!"

Before Wang Anfeng could speak, several gazes landed on him, the intensity causing his scalp to tingle. Glancing around, he saw that the few who were present just before had moved in unison three steps to the left. Yi Xiuwei looked at him, helplessly smiled, and then seeming to recall something, he mischievously grinned, bowed with hands folded, and said:

"God of Stove, take care."

"After today, I'll visit you at Reviving Spring Hall."

Understanding they were not his match, the other three didn't make a move. Seeing the Academy students lunging at him like a pack of wolves on the hunt and looking at Wang Anfeng who was already dashing away, they watched his retreating figure with bemused expressions, and all together they folded their fists in salute, calling out:

"Have a safe journey!"

Wang Anfeng heard the odd cries from behind, gritted his teeth, allowing his Thunder Vigor to circulate naturally, yet deliberately suppressing it. Not only that, but he also restricted his Golden Bell energy, unleashing less than fifty percent of its potential.

A few young men, seemingly from the Military Family, joined forces and launched a strong attack. Their ages were similar to Wang Anfeng's, but their martial arts skills were slightly inferior. Wang Anfeng took a step, using only 30% of his Inner Strength, his body leaped up, just as several spears enclosed to thrust at him.

He brushed past the spear points, close to his feet, and as his body fell, he landed firmly on the shafts of the spears.

"Disperse, annihilate with Fish Scale Formation!"

The young man blocked behind called out crisply, and the other few moved like extensions of his limbs, swiftly dispersing, spinning around with steps, the spear tips then thrusting towards Wang Anfeng.

They were moving in Military Formation; individually, they were not imposing, but their collective tactics to cut down the enemy were quite ingenious, momentarily holding Wang Anfeng back from breaking free.

The Academy's Military Family divided into two branches: one revered ancient fierce generals who could charge through enemy ranks and slay commanders single-handedly, boosting the morale of troops; the other believed in strategizing before engaging in battle, declaring victory only after waging war, considering this the true path of the Military Family, adept in the Mystical Arts and Military Formations.

When these two elements combined, they often triumphed against greater odds.

Wielding a sword, Wang Anfeng fought back, meanwhile becoming gradually surrounded, as if by prior arrangement. He let these members of the Military Family attack at will, meanwhile calling over friends to gather around. Suddenly, he realized what the Confucian Scholar had said earlier—he never mentioned it would be a one-on-one fight.

Which meant group attacks were allowed too.

In that moment, boiling with frustration and feeling aggrieved inside, his sword moves became fiercer yet not chaotic, parrying the incoming wooden spears one by one.

If it had been a matter of life and death, he could have channeled his Gang Thunder Force into his Inner Strength and shattered those wooden spears, or he could have fully activated his Golden Bell Shield, protecting himself with an explosive release of Inner Qi, sending those around him flying. But this time, his efforts were solely to showcase his swordsmanship.

And what better time than now, with so many onlookers?

You can't hide the foundation of your martial arts, so why not declare it outright?

So what if he failed?

It would be best if he lost.

It would show that, although his martial arts were commendable, he was far from Yi Nanping, the Forgetful Celestial, and it would nicely dispel any suspicion towards him.

With that thought, he let go of the martial artist's innate desire for victory, and his swordsmanship unfolded freely. In reality, his martial arts skills were far superior to those of the five young men from the Military Family. Moreover, he was battle-hardened, and if he wasn't eager to escape, he handled the fight with ease and composure, with plenty to spare.

Initially, he had exerted 50% effort, but as the fight went on, he reduced his force even further, using only 30% of his Inner Strength to face the enemies, thus fully displaying all 72 techniques designed to defeat the opponent, back and forth in a splendid exchange.

These 72 techniques were just like Mr. Ying himself, possessing exceptional power, almost enough to break all martial arts in the world, and carried with them an elegant and free-spirited presence, standing a world apart.

Even if not used explicitly to break techniques, it was still a top-tier swordsmanship.

Disciples from the Academy who heard the news and came to watch were amazed to see a young man in blue, battling alone against five in a Military Formation, a longsword in hand. His figure was suave, his swordplay intricate, seemingly endless, facing five opponents alone. Although at a disadvantage, the exchanges were lively and surprising.

"This guy, what impressive moves, unbelievably strong."

"No... Look carefully at the reactions of the Military Family members. Wang Anfeng's strength clearly can't overpower these five, but his swordsmanship, it's so multifaceted, like the Zhou Tian Constellation itself, an overwhelming technique!"

"If his Inner Strength kept up, he could probably break the Military Formation in moments."

"It's good his Inner Strength is lacking; if he were not only skilled in swordsmanship but also strong in both Internal and External Cultivation, wouldn't he be a monster?"

Just then, someone lowered their voice and exclaimed:

"Look, he's running out of stamina!"

A grave expression took over the onlookers as they saw the young man in blue indeed slow down with his sword, seemingly on the verge of defeat. They all felt a pang of regret and frustration for being too slow to act.

Suddenly, a strange cry rang out, and from a tall tree beside them, a young man crashed down like a colossal stone onto the ground behind the five military formation fighters, right on top of the Strategist young man. The Strategist, skilled in Military Formations but not in External Cultivation, with a rather frail body, was instantly knocked out cold.

Without the Strategist to coordinate, the Military Formation fell into disarray, no longer able to keep up with the rhythm of Wang Anfeng's longsword. The spears were lost, and the young man who had fallen from the tree staggered to his feet, giving Wang Anfeng a hearty smile.

"Don't be afraid! I've come to rescue you..."

Wang Anfeng's composed expression instantly turned blank.

It was as if he was about to win a game of chess when suddenly a rash fellow comes barreling in, flipping the chessboard with a slap.

The other students from various disciplines who were disappointed a moment ago now burst out in excitement.

"The Military Family group lost!"

"Brothers, let's go in shoulder to shoulder!"

"Don't let him get away!!"