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Chapter 235 Unexpected Withdrawal

The first round of the group stage was a six-to-three elimination round. After two days of competition, about half of the participants were eliminated.

Of the remaining three, the winner needs to defeat two more to advance to the next round of grouping.

In other words, those who win their first battle will generally face one of two situations.

One possibility is that the next round ends with a bye, while the other two players compete to determine the winner and then engage in the final battle within the group, completing the six-to-one elimination round.

Another scenario involves first determining the winner from one of the opponents, and then facing a challenge from the person who received a bye.

As for which situation it will be, that will be determined by drawing lots.

He Lingxiu fought the last one in their group today, and now she has successfully secured a spot in the second round of the Heavenly Dao Assembly. On their way back, they happened to run into Ji You and others who were returning from the Cangwu Dojo.

It was no secret that Ji You's first battle was today, so they asked about the result and learned that Ji You had won his first battle.

No one was surprised by this result.

He Lingxiu, in particular, even showed an expression that seemed to say, "This is exactly what I expected."

Ji You's combat strength has always been unknown to outsiders, but they all have some vague idea of ​​it and think it's perfectly normal for him to win.

After all, this is only the first round, and many of the opponents are disciples from aristocratic families who are just there to make up the numbers. The truly evenly matched opponents will appear later.

Therefore, such a victory is not surprising or worthy of celebration.

Just like their previous wins, they felt it was nothing special.

After chatting, Ji You and Cao Jingsong left, leaving only He Lingxiu and the others to analyze the day's battle.

Just then, they saw Yu Shiliu walk in from outside, but she seemed a little distracted and didn't greet them much before walking along the forest path toward her house.

Seeing this, Wang Gaocen called her twice, but she didn't seem to hear him and went straight into her room.

It wasn't too late yet. Ji You, Cao Jingsong, Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and others were drinking tea in the house when they heard a knock on the door.

Upon opening the door, Wen Siyuan, the disciple in charge of the affairs department, stood outside.

They had returned from the Cangwu Dojo together, but Wen Siyuan parted ways with them midway to go to Taiping Garden and draw lots for Ji You. Now that he had returned, he placed the lot-drawing slip on Ji You's desk.

"Junior Brother Ji, here are the draw results for the second round of the group stage."

"It's troublesome."

Ji You took the envelope, then unfolded it and glanced inside. It read in large characters: "Xiang Hui? Is this my opponent in the next round?"

Wen Siyuan nodded: "Junior brother will fight him tomorrow, and then compete with Lou Wanpeng, a member of the Lou family from Liangzhou who has received a bye, for a spot in the top six."

"I thought I would be the one who didn't get a bye."

"This was decided by drawing lots. The duel will likely take place tomorrow morning at the Cangwu Dojo. I will come to invite you then."

After delivering the letter, Wen Siyuan turned around and returned to the easternmost part of Rusheng Garden's East Garden, where the head of the academy was staying. He lay on the bed and lost in thought for a while.

Before long, the other disciples in charge of affairs also returned to their residences.

They also went to Taipingyuan to draw lots, just like Wen Siyuan. However, after the draw, they did not rush back. Instead, they dutifully went around to find out which opponents their assigned contestants might face in the next round.

After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle.

Perhaps when they win, the powerful families behind them might offer them some elixirs as a token of their gratitude.

As they walked and talked, they entered the house and saw Wen Siyuan lying on the bed. They couldn't help but exchange glances, thinking to themselves that Junior Brother Wen had returned quite early.

"Junior Brother Ji won his first battle?"

"Well, I won."

Upon hearing this news, the disciples of the Headquarters were not particularly surprised.

Some of them didn't pay attention to who Ji You was fighting; they only felt that with Ji You's strength—defeating two fellow cultivators with four sword strikes and forcing the Elders' Council to bow down—this victory was simply expected.

Some of the disciples in charge of the academy came from Zhongzhou. They had heard of Tang Jingming and knew that he was different from ordinary scions of noble families, but they all felt that Ji You was superior to him.

However, for some reason, they felt that Wen Siyuan's expression seemed somewhat dazed.

The three heads of the academy had already returned to Rusheng Garden, because they were not only in charge of the students' competitions, but also of the debates among the elders of the Heavenly Book Academy.

After resting and drinking tea, the disciples in each academy received information about their opponents that had been collected by their fellow disciples.

This information will be compiled and verified by them, and then passed on to the disciples who are about to enter the next round.

The three stewards held these letters, flipping through them repeatedly, examining them, exchanging ideas for a long time, removing information that was not of great concern, and finally compiling them into documents.

At this moment, they found information about Yu Shiliu's opponents.

The disciple in charge of Yu Shiliu was Wei Han, the head of the administration. His memorial was different from others; he submitted two copies: one from Bu Ze, a member of the Bu family in Qingzhou, and the other from Xi Jinyu, the daughter of the Xi family in Lingzhou.

This means that Yu Shiliu did not get a draw during the afternoon lottery.

Both Bu Ze and Xi Jinyu could become Yu Shiliu's next rivals.

"Bu Ze's combat strength is actually average. He was able to win because his opponent was too weak."

"In Brother Qin's opinion, Xi Jinyu is the one who deserves the most attention?"

“That’s right. In my opinion, Yu Shiliu will most likely be facing Xi Jinyu, so we need to pay close attention to this person.”

The three of them then opened Xi Jinyu's memorial, which was filled with dense writing, including the person's strengths and weaknesses. After reading this memorial, they then opened the memorial about Bu Ze.

Unlike Xi Jinyu's memorial, Bu Ze's memorial only had a few strokes.

This means that even Wei Han, who had been watching Yu Shiliu's matches, felt that Bu Ze and Xi Jinyu posed no threat to Yu Shiliu.

Since it poses no threat, there's no need to pay too much attention to it; otherwise, it might even hinder the rhythm of our actions.

Lang Hetong put down the folded document in his hand, picked up his teacup, and asked, "Who's next for Ji You?"

"Xiang Hui".

"No bye, we need to have more matches."

Qin Ang nodded: "It seems that Ji You's luck isn't as good as it used to be."

Ji Jingyao looked up upon hearing this: "What do you mean by that?"

"Not only did he not get a bye, but his opponents in this group are all formidable. Tang Jingming, Xiang Hui, and Lou Wanpeng are not ordinary scions of powerful families; their strength is quite remarkable. It's just that their backgrounds are somewhat weak, so they haven't received as much attention. But they are definitely not easy to defeat."

When it comes to cultivation talent, it's not about who has a stronger background or connections that makes them better.

The difference in strength between immortal sects and aristocratic families is partly due to the issue of the inheritance of techniques and cultivation methods.

Therefore, although the chances of producing geniuses in some small families are not high, the number is not small when considering the entire Kyushu.

Just like Pu Yangxing, who was admitted to the hospital this year, his family, the Pu family, was also a declining family, but his talent for cultivation was extremely good.

Ji You's group didn't have any scions from top-tier families, but in terms of individual strength, they were all extremely powerful.

The three of them muttered to themselves, then opened the memorial submitted by Wen Siyuan concerning Xiang Hui.

My gaze swept across it, but I didn't see a single word; it was a completely blank space.

Upon seeing this, the three managers were slightly taken aback, and then couldn't help but exchange glances.

Wen Siyuan has always been diligent and hardworking in the Executive Council, never taking orders lightly, and is not the kind of person who is perfunctory.

The only explanation for the blanks in this report is that after watching Ji You's previous performance, he felt there was absolutely no need to investigate Ji You's opponent...

The next morning, a gentle summer breeze was blowing, and the sun was warm and the wind was calm.

As in the previous days, people living in the county town were flocking to the Sage Garden, while those living in the Eight Great Gardens were heading towards the Nine Temples.

He Lingxiu and the others got up early again and went to Jingyang Dojo to watch the game, because Chai Ze and Xiao Hanyan were going to play their last group stage match today.

However, before the battle even began, He Lingxiu spotted Wang Gaocen emerging from the crowd.

"Senior Sister He, have you seen Junior Sister Yu?"

"She's not at the Jade Palace Dojo?"

Wang Gaocen shook his head: "I came from Yuyu Dojo, she's not here."

He Lingxiu was somewhat surprised to hear this, because Yu Shiliu had left early this morning. She had thought that Yu Shiliu had gone to the Yuyu Dojo to watch the fight between Bu Ze and Xi Jinyu in order to get to know her next opponent. Only then did she realize that this was not the case.

That's strange, because Yu Shiliu has always been a meticulous person.

During the last battle, she would carefully observe even opponents who were clearly inferior to her, so there's no reason why she wouldn't go for a stronger one.

A look of confusion appeared in He Lingxiu's eyes, as if she couldn't quite figure it out.

At this moment, Yu Shiliu was sitting in the audience of the Cangwu Dojo, facing the bright sunlight that rose in the early morning, staring intently at the stage.

She didn't sleep a wink last night, and she did leave very early this morning, but she didn't go to the Jade Palace Dojo; she went here instead.

A group of people arrived early, just like her.

One of them was Huang Rou, the daughter of the Huang family of Zhongzhou. She was still sitting in the same spot as yesterday, looking towards the arena.

She came here yesterday to see Tang Jingming, but after Tang Jingming lost, she didn't have anyone to pay attention to anymore, so she didn't need to come again today.

But for some reason, she still found herself here this morning, even refusing Qiu Hanyue's invitation to go for a stroll in the city.

Besides her, there were three other ladies from Yunzhou, sitting in the same seats as yesterday. They had come here yesterday to wait for Ji You to talk to him after the competition, but they didn't go to see him at all, and instead returned to their own courtyards in a daze.

This time, he came with a completely different mindset, his eyes filled with silence.

In addition, the head of the Tang family and other members of the Tang family also gathered here, looking at the two figures on the stage, their hands clenched tightly.

Meanwhile, there were also three beautiful figures on the viewing platform.

Ding Yao stood silently, her hand resting on the railing of the high platform.

"There are so many people."

"There are quite a lot. When I fought here before, there weren't this many people, only a few here and there."

Two young men were sitting on the east side of the platform. Both were from the Lou family of Yuzhou. One was Lou Wanpeng, who had been given a bye, and the other was his younger brother, Lou Wanli.

The Heavenly Academy observes and analyzes its opponents every day, and so do they.

The two people currently on stage, regardless of who wins, will become Lou Wanpeng's next opponent, so naturally they will come to watch.

Lou Wanpeng's younger brother, Lou Wanli, had previously sparred here and knew that this place was extremely desolate, but the number of people here today far exceeded their expectations.

At this moment, Lou Wanpeng looked at the gazes directed at him and began to feel vaguely uneasy.

In fact, this unease has been present since yesterday.

He knew something about Tang Jingming, and after learning that he had lost, Lou Wanpeng knew that Ji You must be very strong.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many rumors about this person throughout the Nine Provinces.

Now, it seems that everyone in the room has come for Ji You, which makes him even more certain of the rumors in his heart.

Lou Wanpeng sat up straight, then slightly raised his back, a faint golden light appearing in his eyes, preparing to carefully observe Ji You's move with his divine sense.

At this moment, as pale blue barrier light rose from both sides, it began to converge towards the center.

Xiang Hui, a member of the Xiang family in the state, drew his long sword.

Unlike Tang Jingming's slender build, Xiang Hui was quite burly, with a large and heavy longsword in his hand.

As the gong sounded for the commander, Lou Wanpeng suddenly focused his gaze and saw his spiritual energy suddenly roar, and the blade light rose fiercely and powerfully. Then he saw Ji You step forward to meet him, his long sword raised high.

Lou Wanpeng was located on the south-west side of the circular platform, in the same direction as Ji You's sword strike.

In his view, compared to Xiang Hui, who was full of spiritual energy, Ji You's sword-drawing posture seemed quite ordinary.

However, when the raised sword suddenly slashed down, Lou Wanpeng felt for some reason that the hairs on his arms suddenly stood up and his scalp tightened.

Sonorous!

Ji You slammed down his sword, colliding directly with the longsword that was slashing towards him.

Xiang Hui felt as if an immense force had been poured into him in an instant. His hands, which were gripping the knife, cracked and bled profusely. He staggered backward, struggling to control the rapidly trembling iron knife in his hands, a look of disbelief in his eyes.

Those who had witnessed a similar scene yesterday clenched their fists, a slight tremor running through their hearts.

here we go again……

The same thing happened again, just like yesterday.

At that moment, Ji You stepped onto the ground, his figure approaching like the wind, and slashed forward fiercely with the Dao sword in his hand.

With a deafening boom, as if the entire area of ​​air had been compressed and exploded, the rolling waves continued to scatter and collapse in all directions, causing the entire barrier to surge and churn.

Amidst countless pairs of pale yellow eyes, the seemingly ordinary falling sword, accompanied by a whistling wind, almost instantly tore through the spiritual energy condensed on Xiang Hui's longsword, before slashing down fiercely, causing a buzzing sound in everyone's minds.

With a loud bang, like a sudden clap of thunder.

The long sword in Xiang Hui's hand was snapped in two, and he was sent flying backward.

After a cloud of pink mist dissipated, the tall and strong Xiang Hui fell to the ground with a thud, just like Tang Jingming yesterday. He became quiet and was no longer as noisy as before.

Lou Wanli opened his eyes wide and looked at his elder brother Lou Wanpeng, thinking to himself, "Brother, your next opponent is him? Your luck is really off the charts."

Lou Wanpeng stared in disbelief, his jaw trembling.

At the same time, Yu Shiliu, Ding Yao, and Huang Rou all bit their lips and stared at the scene in silence.

In fact, some things that are too detached from reality are difficult to accept in a short period of time when encountered for the first time.

Most of my thoughts are to watch it again, as if watching it again might help me understand it.

But when Xiang Hui crashed heavily to the ground, his long sword bending into a strange arc, their minds remained blank, just like yesterday.

Tang Jingming and Xiang Hui are not weak. Although they are not as good as the disciples of the Immortal Sect, and are far inferior to those direct disciples, they are at least among the best in the aristocratic families.

In everyone's mind, they wouldn't make it to the end, and getting a spot wouldn't be easy, so losing wasn't too surprising.

But no one expected that they would lose like this.

This can't possibly be the Profound Realm? How could there be such a Profound Realm?

"Go back and tell Yan Shuyi that I've taken over this matter."

"If Yan Hao loses badly, it will probably shake a large number of Tianjian Peak disciples."

Ding Yao was standing on the high platform, the conversation at the banquet of the sages echoing in her mind. As she gazed at Ji You's figure, her eyes were filled with a daze.

Even Zhuo Wanqiu, who had always thought that Ji You had a high chance of winning and would definitely be in the top ten, couldn't help but fall silent at this moment.

The two then came to their senses and couldn't help but glance at their appraiser, only to find him sitting upright, though his eyes clearly showed surprise.

In fact, she had already tested the power of the Boundless Realm on a strange man, but he resisted her, which gave her an incredible feeling.

After watching his two matches, she realized that she had underestimated him.

After the battle, Ji You left the Cangwu Dojo.

The others remained seated until they came to their senses and walked outside, their faces showing astonishment. This puzzled those who had left from other dojos, who wondered why everyone seemed to have lost their souls.

Around the same time, Lu Xiong, the head of the Lu family, was leading his disciples along the white marble path back to his residence.

The disciples sent by the Lu family of Yunzhou had a duel at the Qiyun Dojo, but the result was not satisfactory.

Of the five sons they had painstakingly gathered to fight, three have already lost in a row.

The Lu family was a newly established century-old family with a relatively weak foundation and average talent in cultivation, so Lu Xiong, the head of the Lu family, did not have high expectations.

But seeing his own son lose still made him feel a little regretful.

In this world of Qingyun, strength is the foundation that determines everything, but apart from his two daughters, it's really hard to find another one who is more capable.

As Lu Xiong entered the house in the garden, he immediately saw his wife.

She was still wearing her outer garment, and her feet were covered in mud, so it was clear that she had just come back from outside.

He knew that his wife wasn't particularly interested in the battles between cultivators, but these past few days, she had talked to him about many talented young people.

Every day when he returned home, his wife would talk to him about one of them, saying that she was a perfect match for the two women in the family, and so on.

She wasn't really in a hurry to marry off her daughter, but rather subtly implied that she didn't agree with her daughter's feelings for Ji You. She repeatedly mentioned the phrase "private cultivation in the countryside," her tone laced with sarcasm. Deep down, she hoped that she would change her mind and find another suitable husband for her daughter.

However, for some reason, since last night, the lady has not mentioned this matter again, and instead seems somewhat lost and dejected.

The duel between Shi Junhao and Xiao Hanyan ended before noon. When they returned, they saw that Wang Gaocen had already returned to the courtyard and was staring at the east courtyard with a puzzled look on his face.

"Have you found Junior Sister Yu?"

Wang Gaocen snapped out of his daze upon hearing the voice: "Ah, I found her. She came back around the same time as me, but she seemed a little distracted."

He Lingxiu glanced at him: "Are you distracted?"

"Yeah, it's like she doesn't hear me when I talk to her."

"Where did she go?"

Wang Gaocen opened his mouth: "I think she seems to have come from the Cangwu Dojo."

Shi Junhao glanced at He Lingxiu and couldn't help but ask, "Ji You has been fighting at the Cangwu Dojo these past two days. Could it be that Junior Sister Yu went to watch Ji You's matches?"

"I just went to watch a match, how did it make me so distraught?"

He Lingxiu couldn't help but recall when she saw Yu Shiliu last night, and realized that Yu Shiliu had been somewhat absent-minded then.

Could it be... that, like in his previous duel with Chu He, Ji You's clothes were torn by his opponent, revealing something unsettling? And that Junior Sister Yu saw it...

As they were pondering, Gu Zetao came in from outside the door and couldn't help but ask, "Have you heard? A guy named Lou Wanpeng withdrew from the competition."

He Lingxiu didn't recognize Lou Wanpeng, but upon hearing the words "withdrawal from the competition," she couldn't help but show a hint of surprise: "Since they've already come to the Heavenly Dao Assembly, they should at least give it a try. How could someone withdraw from the competition?"

Shi Junhao looked up at Gu Zetao and found it somewhat unbelievable.

"The sacred land of the sages has always been extremely attractive, with some even willing to suppress their cultivation level for a year to wait. Now that the Heavenly Dao Assembly has arrived, we're going to take the plunge whether there's a chance or not. How could anyone possibly give up at this crucial moment?"

After finishing his sentence, Shi Junhao couldn't help but ask, "Who is Lou Wanpeng?"

Gu Zetao pursed his lips: "A member of the Lou family in Liangzhou. He got a bye in the second round of his group. If he doesn't withdraw, he will be Ji You's opponent in the next round."

"?"

(End of this chapter)