The Supreme God of Martial Arts
Chapter 31 The Promotion Contest For Grunt Disciples (Part One)

Seeing the overwhelming confidence of Matias, Austin sneered andridiculed, "Is that so? You seem so confident."

"There's only one way to replace out. Let's try, shall we?"

Matias responded solemnly. It seemed that he started to considerAustin as an equal adversary.

The audience was hoping to see the two fight to replace out who was thestrongest.

"To tell you frankly, I am looking forward to our match. It's been quite awhile since the last time I competed with a strong opponent like you,”declared Matias again. He glared at Austin with soaring fighting spiritas he clenched his fists.

However, Austin appeared to be unusually calm. He stood firm with hishands behind his back, devoid of any dismay.

Not a single sign of anger or agitation could be seen in Austin as iffighting Matias was something he wasn't worried about.

When Matias sensed that Austin wasn't interested in fighting him, hisfacial expression had changed.

He then said coldly, "But first, I'll teach you what respect is and theprice you should pay for your arrogance!"

With that said, he directed his powers to his clenched fist and preparedto launch an attack.

"Stop!"

When Matias was about to attack, a thundering sound came.

Everyone in the area immediately felt a strong presence sooverwhelming that they could hardly breathe. Whoever it was, hisstrength appalled everyone.

To have this strong presence, he must be a powerful warrior at EarthRealm.

There's no doubt about it! Only those who are at least at that realmcould have that level of strength!’

Austin thought to himself.

Suddenly, a floating figure appeared in the sky. He glanced around withhis sharp and angry eyes, and all disciples lowered their heads to avoidhis gaze. Everyone was quiet and careful not to make any unnecessarynoise.

The man was no other than Steward Lu!

The grunt disciples immediately recognized him as soon as heappeared from the sky.

Steward Lu was in charge of the personnel matters in the sect,particularly managing the grunt disciples. But he kept a low profile andrarely appeared before the grunt disciples.

"The promotion selection contest will be held two months from now.The winner of the said contest will be promoted to an outer disciple.But before then, any duel, regardless of the reason, is forbidden. Anydisciple who will disobey will immediately be expelled!"

After his announcement, he glanced over the crowd as if threateninganyone who dared to oppose.

He then stared at Austin, Matias, and the latter's followers for a whilebefore he turned his gaze away.

It was obvious that the conflicts between his grunt disciples were of nointerest to him.

There were also a dozen injured people, but Steward Lu didn't botherto ask.

Becoming a steward wasn't easy for Steward Lu. Before he became asteward in the sect, he had gone through many challenges. He hadovercome the difficulty in entering the Earth Realm until his cultivationwas stabilized.

After overcoming every obstacle, he finally became a steward. But hisassignment was something he hadn't expected-managing the affairs ofthe grunt disciple.

Other stewards were assigned to oversee the outer disciples, whilesome were given the role to manage the inner disciples. Others wereassigned in Medicine Hall, Discipline Hall, or Martial Arts Hall.

All stewards were important positions, except for him. He was made incharge of the humble grunt disciples who were neglected and despisedby the sect.

Disheartened, he had always been indifferent of his role. Most of thetime, he made himself busy with other things to get through the day.However, this time, the sect was in urgent need of outer disciples. Theyhad specially instructed him to pay attention to this matter.

Steward Lu thought that if some of his grunt disciples could bepromoted to outer disciples, he would finally gain the respect andinfluence he had always wanted.

So, for the first time since he became steward, he paid his gruntdisciples a visit to announce the news in person. He was hoping thatthe grunt disciples would figure out how important the contest wasthat he delivered the news himself.

After Steward Lu's announcement sank in, the grunt disciples starteddiscussing the matter with themselves.

The promotion for grunt disciples was held every four years and theannouncements were usually made several months prior to the start ofthe competition.

The next promotion contest was ought to start next year, but now, itwould be held in 2 months. When the grunt disciples heard it, theywondered why it was held ahead of schedule.

Some exchanged comments in a low voice speculating Steward Lu tookit wrong.

"Silence! I'm speaking on behalf of the sect, so no further discussion isallowed. Better prepare for the contest if you want to be promoted!"snapped Steward Lu as he glanced coldly around. He was starting toget impatience

when something caught his attention. It was Austin.

He asked in a casual way, "Are you Austin Lin?"

Upon being asked, Austin hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, andanswered politely, "Yes, Steward Lu. I am Austin.”

He spoke with utmost politeness and respect. He was trying his bestnot offend the steward in fear of being wiped off from the sect.

"I remember that you were turned into a fool. But what happened? Whyare you sober now?"

Steward Lu asked curiously.

"I was, Steward Lu. But a few days ago, I just recovered.”

"Well, that's good to hear. You have a good foundation, and if youworked hard, you might regain your strength,” said Steward Lu casually.He had heard about Austin before. The boy was the top disciple amongthe outer disciples. But due to an unfortunate incident, he wasshamefully turned into a fool.

Austin's recovery had piqued his interest.

After all, he was an excellent disciple with great potential and a firmfoundation in cultivation. If he could regain his strength before thecompetition proper, it would be beneficial for Steward Lu, too.

"Thank you for your kind words, Steward Lu. I will prove my worthy ofyour confidence.”

“Excellent!”

Steward Lu was satisfied with Austin’s deferential attitude.