The first match of the first round began, and then… well, it ended.
The time used, if calculated from when the referee shouted “begin,” was probably around one or two seconds.
When the hot-tempered Sun Kai fell outside the arena, clutching his stomach and wailing in pain, all the spectators and the Great Red Gate elder alike widened their eyes.
Before the match began, they had imagined how Sun Kai would brutally beat Tian Qi, imagined how the Tiegu Sect disciple would scream in agony.
But now?
Were they watching it wrong?
Many martial artists subconsciously rubbed their eyes. When they confirmed that the competitor lying on the ground was indeed the Great Red Gate disciple, their expressions immediately became spectacular.
You couldn’t blame them for thinking their eyes were playing tricks—they simply hadn’t expected the Tiegu disciple to strike so quickly and resolve his opponent so swiftly.
The referee stood stunned for a moment, then immediately announced, “First round, first match, victor: Tian Qi!”
Li Qingyang shook his head and smiled, “Junior Brother Tian, feel better now?”
Having been mocked for his name and looked down upon by others, Tian Qi, who had been holding back a bellyful of anger, had now sent his opponent flying. He felt much better now!
“Aha.”
Su Xiaomo crouched on a small platform, stretching lazily and saying, “When will it be my turn to compete?”
Jun Changxiao looked at the dumbfounded fatty beside him and cupped his hands, “My apologies. My disciple has an even hotter temper and didn’t want to waste time on your sect’s废物.”
The Great Red Gate elder’s face flushed completely red, as if he had eaten… as if he had eaten excrement.
…
Tian Qi was the first from his sect to compete, defeating Sun Kai in the shortest time possible, causing everyone to be greatly surprised.
But it was only surprise. Many martial artists were convinced that the Great Red Gate disciple had been careless, which allowed his opponent to seize the opportunity to knock him off the stage.
“Losing to such a weak opponent—what a waste of an opportunity to advance to the second round.”
“That said, that kid’s speed is pretty good. Too bad it’s only speed. If he meets me, he’ll definitely lose.”
Many competitors didn’t think more highly of Tian Qi because of his victory. At most, he had merely taken advantage with his nimble footwork.
“First round, second match: Li He versus Tielong!”
In another battle area, the referee shouted loudly.
There were six competition platforms that would simultaneously conduct six elimination matches. It was just that before the other battle areas could announce, Tian Qi had already finished his fight.
“First round, third match: Zhao Ying versus He Ren!”
“First round, fourth match…”
“First round, fifth match…”
…
Several referees called out one after another. On five competition platforms, ten challengers began exchanging blows, competing for qualification to enter the next round.
Because opponents were determined by random draw, competitors with vastly different strengths would meet, so the process was quite simple. The five battles ended before long.
Winners advanced, losers withdrew.
Next, another twelve competitors successively mounted the six competition platforms to begin fighting, while martial artists in the spectator stands all cheered and supported their beloved idols.
Jun Changxiao yawned and leaned back in his chair to rest briefly.
After a long while, when the referee called out “First round, twentieth match: Li Qingyang versus Hu Yao,” he finally opened his eyes to look at the competition platform.
“Begin!”
“Boom—”
The referee’s voice had just rung out, the final note not yet faded, when the competitor called Hu Yao was sent flying by a single punch from Li Qingyang.
Even his punching stance was the same as Tian Qi’s…
Jun Changxiao wasn’t surprised by his second disciple’s instant victory. After all, his natural talent and strength were right there.
“I yield to your superiority.”
Li Qingyang withdrew his fist and bowed.
“…” The referee’s mouth twitched, and he announced publicly, “First round, second match, victor: Li Qingyang!”
“Truly worthy of being Qingyang City’s number one genius—so formidable!”
“I’m guessing he didn’t even use his full strength!”
“This is only the first round. The opponents encountered aren’t strong, so he definitely has to hold back.”
The spectators discussed among themselves.
Both achieved instant victories, yet Tian Qi was scorned by them while Li Qingyang, who held the title of “Qingyang City’s number one genius,” was praised. Truly, natural talent and status determined treatment.
…
The sect competition continued. Competitors strived to advance to the second round. Some won easily, while others fought evenly matched battles.
When it came to the first round’s thirty-second match, Su Xiaomo, representing Tiegu Sect, took the stage. His opponent was named Song He, with strength at the eleventh stage of Meridian Opening.
In each sect competition, those who won the championship were mostly Wutu level, so the eleventh stage of Meridian Opening was considered above average.
“Kid.”
Song He clenched his fist and smiled, “If you know what’s good for you, hurry up and jump down yourself. That way you won’t waste time, and you won’t get beaten up either.”
“Is that so?” Su Xiaomo smiled with narrowed eyes.
The referee said, “Begin!”
“Whoosh!”
Song He, as if he really was in a hurry, charged forward first. Eleven rings of light flashed on his right wrist as he channeled spiritual energy into his fist, stirring up gusts of wind.
“It’s over.”
“Poor fellow.”
Everyone shook their heads.
Just then, Su Xiaomo moved like a startled rabbit and dodged. His two short legs moved at high frequency as he circled behind Song He. His fists shot out, directly striking the other’s waist.
“Hiss!”
Song He sucked in a sharp breath.
“Get down!” Su Xiaomo borrowed the momentum to leap into the air. His right foot swept over with a whistling sound, directly striking the other’s right cheek. The person also flew out with a bang.
“Tap.”
Landing gracefully, he clapped his hands, “So weak.”
The spectating martial artists widened their eyes again upon seeing this.
If Tian Qi had won because his opponent was careless, Song He being knocked down after striking first was difficult for them to accept!
That cautious old man thought in shock, “This child, like that disciple called Tian Qi, didn’t use spiritual energy when striking, yet kicked away someone at the eleventh stage of Meridian Opening with one foot. How strong must his power be!”
“First round, thirty-second match, victor: Su Xiaomo!” the referee announced loudly.
Jun Changxiao’s face was full of smiles. Of his five disciples, three had already advanced. If Lu Qianqian and Xiao Ziji won next, regardless of the final result, the epic quest wouldn’t be considered a failure.
…
“Bang! Bang!”
On the six competition platforms, the sounds of combat continued.
Before long, Lu Qianqian took the stage. Her appearance immediately attracted many male gazes. After all, with her stunning beauty, she lacked no appeal wherever she went.
The competitor called Jiang Li came on stage, scratching his head and saying, “Fighting with a woman makes me feel a bit embarrassed.”
Lu Qianqian said indifferently, “Garbage.”
“Begin,” the referee said.
Jiang Li was still considering how to defeat the young lady with grace when he suddenly felt his body floating up, then floating outside the arena before plummeting down headfirst.
With a splash, he landed on all fours.
Lu Qianqian stood in her original position, lightly withdrawing her jade hand and looking at the referee. The referee came to his senses and hurriedly announced, “First round, fiftieth match, victor: Lu Qianqian!”
The spectator stands fell dead silent.
Everyone stared blankly at Lu Qianqian walking down. With one wave of her hand, she had pushed someone off the stage—she had definitely used spiritual energy!
“So she didn’t lack spiritual energy—she had just been hiding it all along, and no one noticed!”
“My heavens, to lightly push away a competitor at the twelfth stage of Meridian Opening—her spiritual energy is too strong!”
Everyone exclaimed in amazement.
Competitors from other battle areas aiming for the championship all looked toward Lu Qianqian, warily thinking, “A formidable opponent.”
“First round, fifty-first match: Xiao Ziji versus Wang Lie!”
Suddenly, the referee’s voice rang out.
The martial artists who had originally been watching other battle areas all locked their gazes on Xiao Ziji taking the stage, their lips curling in mockery.
This废物 was finally appearing.
Being his opponent was truly fortunate.
“Tap.”
Xiao Ziji mounted the stage. Hearing the mockery and discussion coming from all directions, he took a deep breath.
He remembered what the Sect Master had said before leaving—not to let outside voices interfere.
Wang Lie walked onto the stage, grinning broadly, “I never thought that I, Wang Lie, would one day exchange blows with a genius encountered once in a thousand years. Truly a great honor!”
“Begin,” the referee said.
“Whoosh!”
Wang Lie struck first, approaching with large strides, clasping his hands together to strike with his elbow.
Spiritual energy exploded, blowing Xiao Ziji’s black hair into disarray.
“Bang!”
The elbow struck squarely on his shoulder without deviation. The ground rolled up in waves, blowing away the dust scattered on the ground.
“Haha, that废物 didn’t even have a chance to dodge before getting hit!”
“Before, it was all Tiegu Sect disciples defeating others instantly. This time it’s finally their turn to be defeated instantly by someone else.”
Everyone laughed heartily.
Gradually, their smiles faded, their gazes filling with disbelief.
On the stage, Xiao Ziji, who had been struck by an elbow carrying a thousand pounds of force, stood in place without falling. The corners of his mouth even curved into a smile.
“How is this possible…” Wang Lie was extremely shocked.
Xiao Ziji grabbed his arm and said, “Your little bit of strength compared to the Sculpting Room is far too lacking.”
He suddenly flung him away!
Wang Lie’s body lost control, flying toward the outside of the arena, then with a splash, plunging headfirst into the ground.
The venue instantly became deathly silent…