Chapter 317: Chapter 316: First Round_1
As Ling Chen anticipated, Leng Wu Xue lost. It was more accurate to say he lost to himself rather than at the hands of Wei Qingyi. From the beginning, he underestimated his opponent, didn’t give his all, and wasn’t in peak state to face the match. By the time he realized this, the situation was already out of his control.
One must not underestimate anyone in the Martial Arts Competition. This Leng Wu Xue was far too contemptuous of his enemy.
Ling Chen shook his head. Leng Wu Xue’s failure had actually served as a significant lesson for him: never underestimate anyone, or one might suffer an unexpected setback due to carelessness.
Baili Xuance had already taught him this lesson, and Leng Wu Xue’s failure now undoubtedly emphasized this point even more.
After defeating Leng Wu Xue, Wei Qingyi’s popularity soared, and no one in Group Five could match his prominence.
The young talents from other groups couldn’t help but pay attention to Wei Qingyi. It wasn’t that their own groups lacked formidable young experts; quite the contrary. It was precisely because the experts in their groups were so overwhelmingly strong that their matches lacked any suspense—one could practically guess the outcome without thinking. High-level contests like the one between Wei Qingyi and Leng Wu Xue, however, had been few and far between.
"That Wei Qingyi is quite strong, and also very lucky to be in Group Five, which doesn’t have many top-level experts."
"Yeah, after defeating Leng Wu Xue, the strongest in Group Five, Wei Qingyi has practically secured the top spot in the group."
"That’s right. Among the eighteen groups, several are ’groups of death,’ like Group One and Group Ten, which are packed with experts. Group Five has the least intense competition."
"Less intense or not, each group only has two qualifying spots. Only true geniuses can advance to the second round."
Matches began and ended one after another, proceeding at an unexpectedly fast pace. Some contests were decided within three moves, and some participants even conceded outright. Of course, such instances were rare; most battles took around twenty moves to determine a victor.
In between matches, Ling Chen occasionally observed familiar faces like Xu Ruoyan, Ling Yin, Xiao Muyu, and Shangguan Qiushui. He wasn’t worried about his own advancement, but not everyone would have such a smooth journey.
Except for Xiao Muyu, he didn’t need to worry about the other three women, especially Xu Ruoyan. Even when facing a renowned expert from the Heavenly List, she defeated her opponent with a single sword strike. Her chilling True Qi froze her opponent’s weapon, leaving them with no ability to resist.
Ling Yin’s Illusion Technique also gave her a distinct advantage in matches. Against those weaker than herself, she didn’t need to exert much effort; a mere blink of an eye was enough to send her opponents off the dueling platform, giving them no chance to turn things around.
Shangguan Qiushui’s strength had improved greatly, and her group lacked excessively strong opponents. For now, it seemed her advancement wouldn’t be difficult.
Only Xiao Muyu had lost one match so far, having encountered Lu Shan, the expert ranked tenth on the Heavenly List and a True Disciple from Chiyu Mountain Manor.
However, even with one loss, if she could guarantee victories in all her subsequent matches, she still had a hope of advancing to the second round.
From this perspective, among those from the Divine Intent Sect, Ling Chen, Nie Wu Xiang, Ling Yin, and Shangguan Qiushui were certain to enter the Heavenly List. As for Xiao Muyu, Zhao Qingyang, Li Liuxing, Xiahou Lin, Bai Ruhui, Qu Ling Feng, and others like them, perhaps two-thirds could also make it onto the Heavenly List.
Compared to the previous Heavenly List, the Divine Intent Sect was experiencing an explosive surge of talent this time, its destiny flourishing. The remaining spots on the Heavenly List were largely divided among the three major sects: Myriad Dao Sect, Sky Void Palace, and Chiyu Mountain Manor. Beyond these, the performance of the Cyan Robe Association was also remarkable. Although only three members from the Cyan Robe Association were participating in the Martial Arts Competition, all three were top-tier geniuses and experts.
Among them, the most outstanding was naturally Xue Wu Ya, the Northern Snow Divine Sword. An individual on the Young Master List, he possessed unfathomable strength. He was a popular candidate to have his name inscribed on the Martial Arts Monument and a strong favorite to win first place in the competition.
"This Martial Arts Competition not only marks a flourishing period for the entire Martial World but also for our Divine Intent Sect!" Great Elder Shangguan Hong of the Divine Intent Sect exclaimed with emotion from the VIP seats.
"Mm, the disciples of the younger generation have all matured," replied the person seated in the main seat. A gentle smile graced his amiable face; this was none other than Shentu Yan, the Sect Leader of the Divine Intent Sect. "However, the fastest to mature are Ling Chen and his younger sister Ling Yin. These two are geniuses from Cloud Outland, the likes of whom are rarely seen even once in several hundred years."
"Yes, the sudden appearance of the Ling brother and sister is indeed fortunate for our Divine Intent Sect. However, despite such genius, there are still those within the Sect who harbor prejudice and wish to conspire against him," Shangguan Hong suddenly said coldly.
"You must be referring to Vice Leader Ye, right?" Shentu Yan replied, his expression turning grave. "I have always respected Ling Tianyu Gate Master, and I will also treat his son as my own. I have always strongly disagreed with the things Ye Nantian has done. In the future, I will severely warn him to stop harboring hostility towards Ling Chen. Otherwise, he can stop being Vice Leader."
"Sect Leader is wise."
Shangguan Hong nodded. He had originally wondered if Shentu Yan might also be involved in Ye Nantian’s deliberate attempts to eliminate Ling Chen. Now it seemed he had overthought things.
Shentu Yan had always been known in the Jianghu for his benevolence and righteousness; he shouldn’t stoop to such actions.
"Such a genius should be properly cultivated. In the future, when we exterminate the Demon Way, we will need him to contribute greatly." A very kind smile appeared on Shentu Yan’s face.
「...」
At this moment, on the dueling platform for Group Five, two figures stood facing each other.
Ling Chen’s opponent was none other than Yun Tianhe.
"Ling Chen, don’t think you can easily defeat me just because your Cultivation is one level higher than mine! For this Martial Arts Competition, I’ve exhausted all my efforts in arduous cultivation to finally master a killing move! It’s precisely to defeat you with my own hands on this Martial Arts Competition stage!" Yun Tianhe declared.
He was extremely wary of Ling Chen. If it were any other young talent, he wouldn’t waste his breath foolishly revealing he had prepared a killing move. But facing Ling Chen, Yun Tianhe dared not be the slightest bit careless. He hoped that by knowing he possessed a hidden killing move, Ling Chen would fight hesitantly and lose his composure first.
He had waited too long for this day. As long as he could defeat Ling Chen, he would use any means necessary, be it psychological warfare or actual combat.
"Then let me see if your killing move can help you stay on this stage a bit longer," Ling Chen replied, his expression tranquil. It wasn’t that he looked down on Yun Tianhe, but rather that they were simply not on the same level anymore. Besides, Ling Chen had long wanted to deal with someone like Yun Tianhe; it was just that Yun Tianhe had managed to escape last time. Now, there was naturally no need to mince words.
"You!"
Yun Tianhe’s face flushed crimson. Ling Chen’s nonchalant tone made him fly into a rage. To think that in the past, Ling Chen was just trash in my eyes! But now, this upstart had gotten ahead, lording it over him and stealing the limelight that should have been his. Today, he was determined to end it all.