In a small, remote courtyard in Yunyue Sect.
Ding! Ding! Dang!
Two young men, one holding a knife, and the other a sword, were successively crossing blows in the dim light of the night.
Among them, the man wielding the treasured sword hacked out a swift and fierce awn of wind that could split the air surrounding it. Plop, plop, chi! Strong wind and sword images intertwined, leaving sword traces on the ground nearby.
If there were ordinary experts present, they would definitely be extremely astonished.
This young man’s Inner Breath had reached the level of being released externally, injuring people from a distance through his weapon.
That sword image and awn of air that could split the air was enough to cut gold and metal. Even if several martial artists at the late Connective Meridian stage joined hands, they couldn’t get close to the young man.
Evidently, the cultivation of the man wielding the sword had reached the Visceral Tempering stage!
On the other hand, his opponent was a very outstanding man with thick eyebrows and tiger eyes. He was holding a simple and unadorned broadsword in his hands.
“Break!”
The gaze of the man, who was quite outstanding, resembled cold lightning. The ancient sword in his hands slashed out blade waves and traces of light. Berserk blade winds flooded in a three-meter radius around them.
Plop, plop, chi!
In a split second, he had unleashed an unknown number of slashes. There was a bit of a deranged look in his eyes.
Finally, a field of sword images overlayed against each other and formed a massive sword awn. It was just like the thunderous edge of a blade. A series of crackling sounds could be heard from a roaring gale that shook one to the core.
Chi—
That sword that resembled a sudden clap of thunder powerfully split apart the defensive layer of the man at the Visceral Tempering stage wielding the sword across from him.
The expression on the face of the man wielding the sword changed as Inner Breath wildly surged throughout his entire body. He hacked out a few rays of sword images and awns of air successively, causing the figure to fall a few steps back. Only then did he let the sword that resembled a sudden clap of thunder connect.
“I’m not fighting anymore.” The man wielding the sword shook his head with a bitter smile.
In that confrontation just now, the other party actually suppressed him with his cultivation at the Visceral Tempering stage. That really did make him feel sullen.
“Martial Brother Duan, I never thought that I actually can’t ward you off after I entered the inner sect and even broke through to the Visceral Tempering stage,” lamented the man wielding the sword.
Even in a sect, it was rare to see someone at the Connective Meridian stage pressuring someone at the Visceral Tempering stage, but there wasn’t too much shame or unexpectedness on his face.
That was because his opponent was Duan Xiaolong, the one who ranked first in combat strength in the outer sect.
Duan Xiaolong was a legend in the outer sect!
If he wanted to, he could have gotten first place in the Great Tournament two years ago.
“The reward for first place is truly enticing this time. If I don’t get first place, it wouldn’t be worthwhile at all.”
Duan Xiaolong shrugged.
“The Great Outer Sect Tournament? Aren’t you too much of a bully with this kind of strength you have?”
The man wielding the sword was somewhat speechless.
…
In a courtyard in front of an ancient and elegant building in Yunyue Sect.
Roar, roar!
Two massive purplish-green tigers let out an ear-splitting roar. A fishy wind, along with airwaves, whirled around, currently besieging a graceful young man.
Thump! Whoosh, whoosh!
An elegant young man was holding a folding fan as he dragged out a series of afterimages. He fought with two massive tigers elegantly and gracefully.
The size of these two gigantic tigers was comparable to the Metal Brown Bear King, but they were even faster and were more powerful.
“Not bad, not bad. The two ‘Purple Cloud Tigers’ I raised hardly differ in strength from those at the Visceral Tempering stage. You can actually contend with them without being defeated,” said an old man with a white beard, who was wearing a look of admiration on his face.
That graceful young man was the number one genius in the outer sect, Nangong Li.
“Based on my innate skill and your position in the sect, Grandfather, entering the inner sect should be as easy as turning my hand over, but I want to seize the placing as number one in the outer sect based on my own strength as fame follows merit,” Nangong Li said with a smile.
Ever since he was born, he had an extraordinary family background. His grandfather was even a Sect Elder.
The only thing was that Nangong Li wanted to rely on his own strength to reach the summit step by step and acquire his own laurels.
Not by… being a young master and relying on the Clan Head as well
“Your ambition isn’t too bad,” the old man caressed his beard and said with a smile, “The Space Metal Meteorite descended by lucky coincidence. The sect received a great bumper harvest and wanted to cultivate a new batch of elites vigorously. This Great Tournament could only increase the reward for the champion greatly under the influence of your Grandfather and the others.”
“Relax, grandfather. I successfully cultivated those two secret techniques. Placing first shouldn’t be a huge problem this time.”
Nangong Li was entirely confident.
He knew that his grandfather exerted his influential power and increased the reward for first place enormously. To some extent, that meant he had certain selfish motives as well.
As such, he had to seize first place even more.
Hu, bang, bang!
Nangong Li waved his fan and gave rise to a series of fan images and astral winds. They struck the two gigantic tigers. The latter’s head broke as blood flowed, causing them to roar out in a startled and angry manner.
…
At the same time, every single one of the powerful disciples in Yunyue Sect’s outer sect was currently rubbing their palms and fists together as they were secretly storing up their energy.
The reward for this year’s Great Outer Sect Tournament really was too generous!
Irrespective of who got the reward, a batch of elites was bound to be born in Yunyue Sect.
This definitely was a one-time opportunity that rarely appeared in the outer sect in 20 years!
Early the next morning, Chen Yu’s eyes were slightly closed as he regulated his breath while sitting cross-legged. He was currently adjusting his state and converging the three energies in his entire body.
His state was currently rising little by little.
“The Great Outer Sect Tournament happens only once a year. There is such a generous reward this time because of the favorable opportunity the Space Metal Meteorite brought about. It isn’t very possible that we’ll have such ample rewards next time.”
An intense thought that Chen Yu never had before in his life arose in his mind.
He had to… become an inner sect disciple during this Great Tournament.
He had to place in the top three at least.
Since he had an ordinary aptitude, Chen Yu couldn’t guarantee that he could definitely enter the inner sect even if he placed in the top three.
As such, he would undoubtedly strive to get first place in that Great Tournament!
To any outer sect disciple, including Chen Yu, the generous reward for placing first was a great fortune they could get once.
If they were successful, there was hope for them to soar up into the sky with one move like carps leaping over the dragon’s gate!
If they weren’t successful, with Chen Yu’s aptitude, it was possible he would be still for about a year and would even have to hustle and bustle for the rest of his life. He would then be incapable of visiting the true palace of the sect world.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
The sound of copper bells ringing three times in a row shook the skies and resounded in the entire Yunyue Sect.
“The Great Tournament is about to begin!”
Chen Yu took a deep breath as he slowly got up.
The sound of the bell came from a treasured item, Cloud Vibrating Bell, that belonged to Yunyue Sect. It would usually be struck only when there was a major event.
The more times it was struck represented the increasing importance of the situation.
If it was struck nine times in a row, it meant that the entire sect was drowned in a crisis.
“It’s about to begin!”
“Great Outer Sect Tournament, here I come…”
When the disciples heard the sound of the bell, every single one of them immediately got up.
The location of the Great Outer Sect Tournament was on Cloud Sky Summit to the east of Yunyue Sect.
Clouds and mist surrounded the area near Cloud Sky Summit.
There were two tournament stages somewhere on the hilltop.
The two tournament stages assumed oval shapes. They were not longer than 66 meters while their widths didn’t exceed 33 meters; they were somewhat larger than basketball courts. This didn’t appear large to experts though.
Chen Yu had observed and emulated the Great Outer Sect Tournament for close to two years now.
He relatively understood that this tournament stage that was neither large nor small was meant to limit a few disciples from stalling for time or using some underhanded means to fight a guerilla battle.
They would be considered to have lost once they were struck out of the tournament stage.
As such, the speed of the competition was relatively quick during every Great Tournament where over 100 people participated in it.
The number of people who registered for the Great Tournament this year even reached around 170 to 180 people!
The amount was the greatest in a decade.
Basically, all of the disciples who reached the requirements of the Great Tournament had applied to take part.
An hour later, there was already a vast crowd near the tournament stage.
“The Great Tournament has begun! The first round is a ‘knockout competition’ to choose the top 20 places.”
An old and dignified voice resounded across-the-board.
It could be seen that there were three pavilions to the highlands north of the tournament stage. Some mid to high ranking individuals in Yunyue Sect were seated in every pavilion.
These people consisted of a few higher-ups including the Hall Master, Elder, and even the Sect Master.
Three important people were attending the Great Tournament this year.
The three of them were seated in the pavilion at the center.
Two men and one woman were seated in the pavilion at the center. They were an old man with a white beard, a middle-aged man in blue robes, and a beautiful woman dressed in palace garments respectively.
The voice from before belonged to that old man with the white beard.
The old man with the white beard was Nangong Li’s grandfather, who was also a Sect Elder.
Chen Yu recognized the middle-aged man in blue robes positioned between the two. He was the Sect Master of Yunyue Sect who had appeared in the previous Great Tournaments.
That beauty in palace garments looked like she was only around twenty years old. She had curved eyebrows and a wide forehead. She also had a beautiful figure and appearance. She had skin like snow, as well as a dignified, gentle, and refined temperament that people didn’t dare to be disrespectful against.
“It’s Elder Nangong and the Sect Master!”
“Huh?! What important title does that great beauty hold?”
“That’s Martial Aunt Xia. She’s the youngest Elder in the sect. She has the name Fairy Xia Yu in the sects in the state of Chu.”
A few disciples muttered in hushed voices.
The Sect Master of Yunyue Sect, Elder Nangong, and Martial Aunt Xia.
These higher-ups present at the rank of Elders were absolutely at the Qi Transformation stage and above.
At this moment, two Law Enforcers in black robes walked out onto the field.
“Before the first round of the knockout competition begins, I will briefly talk about the rules of the Great Tournament first…”
One of the Law Enforcers started explaining the rules.
The rules of the Great Tournament were the same as in previous years.
First, matches were conducted based on the random drawing of lots. Everyone has to participate in approximately ten competitive rounds.
An individual’s performance was recorded based on the number of matches won.
One point would be awarded for winning a match. No points would be awarded for tieing. One point would be deducted for losing a match.
The rules were very simple.
After about ten rounds, the top 20 was chosen and were ranked based on the score they got.
Those who scored behind 20th place were all eliminated!
Only the top 20 could participate in tussling for the top 10, top 3, and first place later on.
…
The introduction of the rules soon came to an end.
The two Law Enforcers oversaw one tournament stage each.
The two tournament stages were known as Stage A and Stage B. A Law Enforcer was responsible for the adjudication of each stage.
Tournament stage A.
“Number 9 vs. Number 56.”
A Law Enforcer waved a flag soon after.
When the participants were signing up, they received a number plate.
The number 99 was written on Chen Yu’s number plate.
Soon, the competition on tournament stage A began.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two young men jumped up onto the stage and rapidly started to cross blows.
The young man wielding the knife was at the middle Connective Meridian stage, whereas the other young man using the spear was only at the initial Connective Meridian stage.
In many cases, there wasn’t too much of a suspense fighting like this.
Ding, ding, dang!
The knife and the spear crossed blows over a dozen times. The young man wielding the knife forced the young man using the spear out of the tournament stage with a deep and resounding Inner Breath.
“Number 9 wins and gets one point. Number 56 is defeated and loses one point.”
The Law Enforcer waved the flag expressionlessly.
The young man wielding the knife laughed, while the young man who suffered a defeat looked depressed.
At this moment, a commotion could be heard coming from tournament stage B.
“Lie down!”
The arm of a fat young man shook as the sound of heavy Inner Breath whistling slapped another young man at the middle Connective Meridian stage to the ground.
Bathump!
That young man at the Connective Meridian stage fell to the ground with his head broken and blood flowing out of it.
“It’s Huang Yuan!”
A few disciples present looked afraid.
Striking their opponent down in one move was the style of the person who ranked seventh last year, Huang Yuan.
Whoosh!
Huang Yuan quickly jumped off the stage, wearing the smile of a victor.
“Martial Brother Huang, that really was a formidable attack,” Wang Lingyun said with a complimentary expression on his face as he walked over with a smile.
A violent man with a Yin-Yang head was standing beside the two of them. The surrounding disciples spaced themselves away from him as a result of the terrifying aura he had on him.
“Hu Yiba, your imposing manner is really scary even before the battle,” Huang Yuan laughed and said.
“Humph! Don’t let me run into that boy.”
Hu Yiba’s cold and stern gaze that resembled the cutting edge of a knife swept across the crowd to Chen Yu, who was on the other end.