What is the meaning of suddenly blurting out these words? Everyone was stunned, but they quickly realised it was like a formal declaration of war.
Because of these words, Chan Shaoting temporarily ignored Kui Kui’s filthy language, stared at Yu Qing for a while, and finally nodded, saying, “See you at the competition arena!”
Having said that, he turned and left, his attitude being more polite than before.
If this had happened earlier, there would not have been such a pleasant expression and tone. He might have even mocked the other party for overestimating their abilities. However, now he really could not figure out why this guy seemed to be on good terms with those two women and Long Xingyun. It should be known that both sides belonged to circles he had to look up to and could not enter.
He had seen with his own eyes Long Xingyun putting his arm around this person’s shoulder, and he had seen with his own eyes those two women actively leaning towards him.
Chan Shaoyun, however, was delighted, believing that Yu Qing had been provoked by her and wanted revenge for her humiliation. She immediately mocked him mercilessly, “Truly overestimating his abilities.”
She just found Yu Qing an eyesore, and a very big eyesore at that.
Her upbringing was in a large family. Outsiders could hardly imagine what it felt like to be ignored within such a large family. In her eyes, what kind of thing was Yu Qing, and how was he worthy of ignoring her?
Chan Shaoting, however, reached out and hooked his arm around hers, forcibly leading her out.
He was not afraid that his sister would get into trouble with Yu Qing. What he was wary of was Kui Kui. That guy’s name alone indicated he was from the Kui clan of the Great Wasteland.
The Kui clan was a powerful and strong large clan in the Great Wasteland. Of course, his own background and status were not intimidated by this, nor did he fear Kui Kui’s strength. It was a matter of the occasion.
How should one put it? He knew that Yu Qing and his group had at least some sense of propriety and would not cause trouble on such an occasion. Kui Kui was not necessarily like that. He was the kind of reckless person who would truly act blindly regardless of the situation, and it was not worth being dragged down by such a fool.
Chan Shaoyun was still shouting there, “Brother, you must not be polite to him later.”
Xu Yi turned and asked Yu Qing again, “What exactly is going on?”
Yu Qing said, “Nothing.”
Xu Yi frowned and distributed the rules issued by the sect to the three of them. “These are the detailed rules for the final competition. If there is anything you do not understand, come and ask me at any time.”
Kui Kui, having received the document, glanced at Yu Qing, scoffed, and left disdainfully.
He also looked down on someone who did not know how to fight back after being scolded by a woman like that. He only confronted Chan Shaoyun purely because he found that woman an eyesore.
Xiang Zhen, on the other hand, looked at Yu Qing a few more times, then turned and walked away, looking down at the rules in his hand as he walked.
Early the next morning, the stands of the Morning Sun Assembly were still packed with people. There seemed to be even more people today. Almost no empty seats could be seen in the stands, showing that many people had been too lazy to watch the draw yesterday.
Today, the guests in the VIP section also arrived early. Empress Yan Yi arrived, and those led by her came in casual clothes. The princess had also changed into a normal women’s dress.
Yan Yi sat upright in the large central seat. Li Chenghu, Zhao Dengzi, and others were seated in a fan shape on the left and right.
Xiang Lanxuan, the Great Walker of the Great Enterprise Department, also appeared nearby to attend. At this time, she seemed to be in a lower position than Zhao Dengzi. She did not even have a seat and could only stand.
Xiang Lanxuan did not care about this. When her gaze touched Mi Yunzhong, the external governor waiting by the Empress’s large seat, she suddenly frowned and remembered something. Back then, when that Tanhua scholar intended to sneak into the Morning Sun Assembly, his portrait had been drawn. Mi Yunzhong had seen the portrait, and she had even given instructions.
Thinking of this, she was secretly startled. She feared that Mi Yunzhong might not dare to conceal the report if he saw that Tanhua scholar had sneaked in. Her gaze immediately swept towards the front row of the stands. After finding Yu Qing, she was stunned again, almost thinking she had seen it wrong. Looking closely, it was not wrong.
Although Yu Qing still had his hair dishevelled, he now had a face veil on. The lower part of his face below the eyes was covered. Those who did not know the truth really could not recognise who he was.
Seeing this scene, Xiang Lanxuan almost laughed out loud, pursing her lips to hold back her laughter.
Who knew that a cold voice would strike at this moment, “It seems that Great Walker Xiang is in a truly good mood today, laughing so happily.”
The speaker was the Empress, who was looking coldly and sideways at the person secretly laughing.
Everyone on the stage looked over in unison, only to see that the smile on Xiang Lanxuan’s face had frozen there, looking worse than crying.
Xiang Lanxuan indeed felt like crying and did not know how to respond. She waved her hands in a panic, “No, no.”
Seeing that Great Walker Xiang, who had been so domineering on Kunling Mountain, also had such a side, Zhao Dengzi’s expression was somewhat peculiar.
Fortunately, the Empress’s gaze turned back to the arena and she did not say much more.
The formal competition soon began, and it started with a tremendous bang.
Wen Ruowei, who was still wearing a mask, had no mind for the competition in the arena. Sitting there, her body leaned forward from time to time, secretly looking at Yu Qing. Seeing that Yu Qing had also covered his face, she occasionally stole a laugh.
She finally understood the reason why her brother-in-law had asked her if she could wear a mask. Of course, she also knew why her brother-in-law wanted to wear a mask. The number one talented scholar in the world was afraid of being recognised.
At first, she actually wanted to sit next to Yu Qing. However, Zhong Ruochen had a previous lesson, saw through her attempt, and forcibly stopped her, pulling her away hard.
The gazes of Wen Xin and Xiao Hong in the stands were also searching the arena. Although they could not see Yu Qing’s face clearly and he was masked, with the comparison of his image from yesterday, the two still locked onto Yu Qing’s position.
However, their observational reactions were different. Xiao Hong stared openly, while Wen Xin seemed to focus on the fight, sitting still while her eyes quietly moved.
Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who had travelled a long way to watch the competition, also seemed to have lost their interest in watching the fight. The two turned their heads left and right, widening their dharma eyes to repeatedly observe the people in the stands. After spending quite some time, and waiting until the second match began, they finally found where Wen Xin and Xiao Hong were sitting.
Looking again at Old Fifteen in his mask, the two could only sigh, lamenting that none of the romantic paths of the three fellow disciples were smooth.
The fights on the first day were still fifteen matches, ending as the sun set.
The winners were naturally happy, while the losers were in an optimistic situation. As the level of the competition grew higher, the participants seemed to become more obsessed, and the probability of injury or death also increased.
Unless there was a vast disparity in strength and one had to submit, the match could end civilly. Once the strengths were similar and the fight reached this stage, no one would easily admit defeat. As long as there was a sliver of hope, no one wanted to lose face. The results became increasingly bloody, often resulting in death or injury at the slightest move.
The situation on the second day of the competition was naturally similar, still bloody.
However, the Morning Sun Princess in the VIP section seemed to enjoy it tirelessly. She seemed to find it exciting and watched with great enthusiasm. Sometimes she would stand up and cheer, and sometimes she would dance with joy.
In the stands, the occasional glances Wen Xin and Xiao Hong cast towards Yu Qing hid their worry.
On the third day, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie, who had come to watch the competition, also became nervous because Old Fifteen was going to enter the arena today.
Yu Qing, sitting by the arena watching the competition, also secretly tightened his heartstrings. He had watched quite a few of Chan Shaoting’s matches. Some feelings were after all obtained from a bystander’s perspective. He had no absolute certainty about how the actual combat would go.
“That Chan Shaoting is from the Returning Sword Villa and has received the true teachings. He has some real skills. Are you afraid? If you are, I can go and put in a good word for you…”
Long Xingyun occasionally chattered a few words nearby, his intention to tease and mock being obvious.
He knew Yu Qing was going to enter the arena today and had specifically squeezed in to sit next to him. He had already competed yesterday and won, so he was very relaxed and happy.
In the mid-afternoon, just after the Wei hour, the forty-third match of the first round finally arrived.
Qin Fujun on the main stage used magic to shout loudly, “Forty-third match, competitors Chan Shaoting and Zhang Zhichen, please come to the main stage to verify your identities.”
This shout felt earth-shattering to Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie. Their hearts were practically in their throats.
Xiao Hong could not help but tug at Wen Xin’s sleeve, whispering, “Miss, will Ah Qing be alright?”
The scene of someone being carried down bloodily in the previous match was still before their eyes, and the bloodstains on the ground were still there.
Wen Xin stared solemnly at the arena, silent and unmoved.
Xiang Lanxuan, standing by the VIP section, watched Yu Qing with great interest, looking very much forward to this match.
Zhao Dengzi took the opportunity to explain to the Empress and others, “This Chan Shaoting is the grandson of the villa master of the Returning Sword Villa. Being able to advance all the way to this point means he must have received the true teachings. That Zhang Zhichen is a disciple of the Dragon Light Sect. Being able to advance this far currently seems to be mostly due to luck. Facing the villa master’s grandson this time, relying on luck will probably not be enough.”
His role as a host was fulfilled perfectly. Not only did he accompany the guests the entire time, but he also provided relevant explanations for every competitor who entered the arena. Being able to recount every competitor in such detail showed that he had put in the effort beforehand.
The Empress Yan Yi, who usually only nodded slightly after listening, surprisingly spoke up this time, “Dragon Light Sect?”
Li Chenghu also said in surprise, “A disciple of the Dragon Light Sect has also come to compete?”
He had disciples of the Dragon Light Sect serving under his command.
Zhao Dengzi said, “He is an outcast of the Dragon Light Sect. Four of them came in total. Because they violated the sect rules and came to compete secretly without permission, the Dragon Light Sect sent a special letter after learning of this, expelling the four from the sect and hoping that our Kunling Mountain would expel the four from the assembly. However, our Kunling Mountain has no right to refuse their participation, so we did not follow the Dragon Light Sect’s wishes.”
The Morning Sun Princess blurted out, “Why is a grown man wearing a mask in broad daylight? Is he very ugly?”
Zhao Dengzi did not know how to answer and could only perfunctorily say, “I do not know what he is thinking.”
Xiang Lanxuan nearby had to try hard to hold back her laughter.
Hearing their discussion, Tie Miaoqing, sitting nearby, could not help but look at the masked man a few more times.
A figure flew down into the arena, and with another leap, flew onto the main stage, presenting his number plate. It was exactly Chan Shaoting.
Yu Qing, who was still sitting by the arena, also took out his number plate from his sleeve. Just as he was about to stand up, Long Xingyun patted his shoulder, “Do not dawdle, go ahead. Anyway, you are wearing a mask. If you lose, no one will recognise you.”
He was just short of saying that Yu Qing was using an alias. Fortunately, he was also using an alias, so it was not good to criticise others.
Yu Qing stood up and glanced at him. He was truly annoyed by this guy. Over these years, he had really been messed up by this fellow, with nowhere to voice his bitterness. At this moment, it was even worse to say much. He also flashed and flew onto the stage.
As soon as Qin Fujun saw his appearance, he frowned. After taking the number plate and verifying it, he asked, “How can we verify your identity if you are wearing a mask?”
Yu Qing turned his back to the arena, took off his face veil, and allowed Qin Fujun and other Kunling Mountain disciples to check. After confirming there was no mistake, he put the face veil back on.
Chan Shaoting nearby also could not help but look at him a few more times, wondering why this guy had suddenly covered his face.
“Identity verification complete, the two of you may enter the arena!” As Qin Fujun’s words fell, he waved his hand, and the impassioned drum sounds also rose rumblingly.
Chan Shaoting was the first to fly down and land in the arena, standing proudly.
Yu Qing subsequently flew down.
In the stands, Chan Shaoyun stood up excitedly and waved, signalling to Chan Shaoting who was looking over. Her intention to let him ruthlessly deal with his opponent was very obvious.