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Chapter 236 Victory Without a Fight?

Among the nine major temples in Xianxian Garden, Cangwu Temple receives the least attention.

Therefore, only a few people saw that the people who left there today all looked dejected, and very few people saw that the two people who came out of there hesitated for a long time before walking towards Taiping Garden with complicated expressions.

The affairs of the Heavenly Dao Society have always been handled by the Directorate of Immortals, who reside in Taiping Garden, so many competition-related matters are also handled there.

Before long, as the two young men left, news began to circulate.

After each day's Tiandao Society session, there are always some exchanges about who won, who lost, who displayed unexpected methods, and who was unworthy of their reputation. Such scenes are not uncommon in the Sage Garden.

In fact, when some immortal sects and aristocratic families are collecting information about their opponents, one source of this information is also this.

However, the news that has been the subject of much discussion today is quite different from what people are talking about, which has surprised many.

Many people, upon hearing this news on their way home from the dojo, would look puzzled and widen their eyes slightly.

Lou Wanpeng withdrew from the competition? Why?

"I've only heard this news, but I don't know the specifics."

"Such a thing is true...Where did you hear that from?"

"I learned this from someone who lives in the same garden as the Lou family on the way here."

Lou Wanpeng's first opponent was Zeng Hui, a member of the Zeng family from Lingzhou. Because of this previous battle, the Zeng family was still paying close attention to Lou Wanpeng.

People say that there is no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts. Once you win, you win. So, despite the defeat, the Zeng family was actually quite convinced of Lou Wanpeng's victory.

There's no way to cheat in this; in a real, head-to-head confrontation, even a slight advantage is still an advantage.

To their surprise, just one day later, they heard the news that Lou Wanpeng had withdrawn from the competition.

The head of the Zeng family shook his head, concluding after careful analysis that it was impossible.

The sacred land of the ancient sages is a place that every cultivator dreams of, and it is even worth suppressing one's cultivation level for a year to seek. Even if one knows that the chances of success are not high, no one would be willing to give up easily.

It's not surprising that rumors spread in crowded places.

In fact, many people shared his initial thought when they heard this news: it didn't make sense.

However, on the morning of the second day, as the sky was filled with the glow of dawn, everyone saw an official from the Celestial Bureau arrive at the south side of the island in the middle of the lake.

There stands a tall bulletin board with a notice posted on it, marked with blank squares. Several names are already listed in the top few squares.

This is a rule of the Heavenly Way Society: whenever a group stage ends and a winner is determined, they will add a few names to the announcement list.

This list is actually quite detailed, including not only the groups and the winners of each group, but also the match order between the groups and the names of the opponents.

At this moment, the official of the Imperial Observatory held a vermilion pen and wrote the name Ji You on the list of notices in front of him, filling in the blank spaces behind him.

As the form was completed, the official from the Immortal Supervisory Office put away his pen and drifted away. In his wake, countless cultivators in the courtyard swarmed in, their eyes constantly scanning the area above him.

Some names don't have a full match order; there's a blank space in the middle. This means it was a bye, a win without a match.

However, the match schedule that was newly written next to the name was quite different.

There was also a space after his name, but the difference was that the middle of his name wasn't empty, meaning he didn't get a bye, yet he had no opponent in his last group stage match.

"A victory without a fight, because the opponent withdrew from the competition?"

"The news came last night, supposedly from a member of the Lou family in Liangzhou. At first, I thought it was fake, but it was confirmed today."

"Could it be that the Lou family sent a disciple just to make up the numbers? How could they be so willful in such an important competition? You should know that there are countless people in this world who can't even find a chance because of their cultivation level or background."

"I don't know why, I only know that he went to watch the matches in their group before he withdrew from the competition, and then gave up after he came back."

There was much discussion in front of the bulletin board, with many people expressing their own opinions.

Meanwhile, someone looked again at the newly written name: "This is... that rural hermit from the Heavenly Academy?"

"Brother Liu has been in seclusion for many years, seeking the supreme Dao with a clear and enlightened mind. How could he know about Ji You?"

"After I came out of seclusion, I heard some things about him. I know that he has become quite famous in the last two years. Some of the things he said are unverified, but they sound terrifying. But since Lou Wanpeng has already come to the Heavenly Dao Assembly, why did he withdraw from the competition? It is a competition between people of the same realm. He should at least give it a try. That is the sacred land of the sages."

"I don't think Lou Wanpeng's actions are wrong. This year's competition is much more aggressive than in previous years, and there have been several injuries and deaths. Even if he wins against Ji You this season, he probably won't go very far."

"That... is indeed the truth."

"Hey, look at that fat guy over there."

"What's so interesting about a fat person?"

"That fat guy has such big breasts, I wonder what kind of evil cultivation technique he practiced."

Since everyone participating in the Heavenly Dao Society lived in the same garden, news naturally spread quickly. In particular, the island in the middle of the lake was the only way to the nine major Dao sites, and with a large flow of people, it could be spotted at a glance.

At this moment, Princess Zhao Yunyue of Changle also stood in front of the bulletin board, staring at the battle situation of Ji You's group for a long time, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes.

She hadn't had time to watch Ji You's first two matches, but she had decided to watch the last match of the group stage.

I only heard about this after arriving at the Cangwu Dojo today, and I'm a bit confused.

Not far from her, Qiu Hanyue was also looking at the notice, her expression blank.

In fact, she didn't pay much attention to the duel, and she cared even less about Ji You.

In her view, she had only met the man who had been exceptionally admitted to the Heavenly Academy once. After making arrangements with Ji You, her father had gone to see Fairy He once and received a promise that "this matter would be dropped." She finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would never have the chance to hear his name again.

But for some reason, since this morning, she has heard this name from many people.

Not only were the elders in her family talking about it, but even her close friend Huang Rou had mentioned it several times, so she came to see for herself.

Although she didn't know much about the people on the list, she knew that the place where the sages proved their Dao was the dream of all cultivators. It was said that one year of cultivation there could be equivalent to ten years of practice. She didn't understand why Lou Wanpeng wasn't even willing to give it a try.

Also gathered in front of the bulletin board were He Lingxiu and others from Tianshu Academy.

Last night, after returning from the dojo, they heard from Gu Zetao that Ji You's last opponent had withdrawn from the match before it started.

Like the Zeng family head, they were also skeptical, after all, the allure of the sacred land of the ancients was self-evident to them, the contestants.

But it wasn't until they saw the list that they were convinced of it, but that only fueled their greater doubts.

Because they knew that in addition to Lou Wanpeng, who suddenly withdrew from the competition, their junior sister Yu Shiliu had also gone to watch the game, and her condition was also very strange after she returned.

They didn't pay much attention at first, especially He Lingxiu, who thought someone had torn Ji You's clothes and revealed something ominous, which made Junior Sister Yu momentarily lose her composure out of fear.

But when they heard that Lou Wanpeng had withdrawn from the competition, they vaguely felt that something was wrong.

It wouldn't make sense for Lou Wanpeng to withdraw from the competition just because he saw something ominous...

The Lou family was equally baffled.

The Sage Garden has eight immortal gardens and seven immortal sects. Apart from the Pill Sect, the remaining six are unique in pairs, occupying three gardens.

The remaining five gardens were inhabited by aristocratic families from within Kyushu.

At this moment, in the pavilion where the Lou family lived, located slightly west of the east side of Lianxing Garden, the head of the Lou family sat on a grand chair with a gloomy expression. On the ground were shattered teacups. In front of him sat Lou Wanpeng, who remained silent, and several elders of the Lou family, who looked at each other without saying a word.

Lou Wanpeng withdrew from the competition without notifying them; it was all a private decision.

The head of the Lou family learned of this news even earlier than others.

Like those who were puzzled, the head of the Lou family felt that since there was an opportunity to get close to the sacred land of the ancients, even if there was no certainty of victory, how could they not even try?

Lou Wanpeng remained silent after hearing this.

He wasn't afraid of losing, nor was he afraid of getting hurt. Cultivators have a fairly good self-healing speed; even the most severe injuries can be saved as long as one is kept alive.

Lou Wanpeng was never the kind of cowardly person, because a weak Dao heart simply could not support his cultivation to the Tongxuan Upper Realm.

But cultivators talk about having a clear and pure mind, free from distractions. So there are some things they can't think about again, because they know that would cause demons to grow in their minds.

Ji You only learned of this news this morning.

Because he entered a meditative state after returning home last night, practicing his body until late into the night, and then fell into a deep sleep. When Wen Siyuan knocked on the door in the morning, he had already finished washing up and was preparing for today's final battle, only to learn that his opponent had withdrawn from the competition.

Ji You was indeed somewhat surprised by this news.

He didn't actually know Lou Wanpeng, after all, a private repairman in the countryside doesn't have that many connections.

Therefore, when he was fighting Xiang Hui, even if he had seen Lou Wanpeng, he would not have known that Lou Wanpeng was his next opponent, nor would he have known that Lou Wanpeng had come to see his sword.

However, this is a good thing, because no matter what, it saves some effort.

After all, Ji You didn't really enjoy these battles that didn't generate any customers; she wanted to avoid them as much as possible.

Moreover, after these few days of duels, Ji You discovered that the sword he was using could not actually withstand his strength. After two matches, his iron sword had already deformed, and he didn't know how much silver he would have to spend in the end.

Ji You saw Wen Siyuan off, then stretched.

Now that there's one less battle, he has time to go out and travel.

He left the courtyard in the faint morning light and went to the city of Zhongxing County. He visited the residence of Instructor Cao and others, had breakfast there, and then went to Taiping Garden to visit Kuang Cheng.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Ji You couldn't help but question him about why he hadn't come to watch her duel, and said that she would only forgive him if he was busy getting Wei Rui pregnant during this time.

As a result, Kuang Cheng has been busy with matters concerning the first round of the group stage for the past few days, delivering messages daily and handling mundane affairs in the garden.

According to Ji You, Kuang Cheng was definitely being manipulated. This wasn't a proper reception officer; it was a complete slut.

Fortunately, the people from the Imperial Observatory and the Great Xia Dynasty all lived in the same garden, and Wei Rui would secretly come to keep him company every day, making him feel both pain and pleasure.

Although Kuang Cheng did not attend the match, he was aware that Ji You's last opponent had withdrawn.

After all, this matter was handled by the Directorate of Immortals, and he was present at the time.

At first, Kuang Cheng was also somewhat surprised, because he had previously reviewed the files of the Heavenly Dao Society and had never seen anyone withdraw from the competition midway.

However, after learning that Lou Wanpeng was going to face off against Ji You, Kuang Cheng was not surprised at all. He thought it was only natural and gave Lou Wanpeng an admiring look, as if he were a smart man.

Kuang Shusheng didn't understand cultivation, but in his heart, Brother Ji was the best in the world.

After chatting for a while, Ji You returned from Taiping Garden. As he passed the island in the middle of the lake, many eyes were drawn to him, filled with scrutiny, sizing, doubt, and curiosity.

The whispers were filled with his name and Lou Wanpeng's name.

Some people said that this was the private repair shop in the countryside.

Some people say he was incredibly lucky to encounter a contestant who withdrew from the competition.

Some of them came from Shengjing, and their eyes flickered with a mixture of light and shadow as they watched Ji You walk across the white marble road in his flowing white robes.

What they were paying attention to was not why Lou Wanpeng withdrew from the competition, but rather the fact that Ji You seemed to have a naturally famous divine physique.

Whether it's the Heavenly Academy or Shengjing City, he always manages to become the focus of everyone's attention. Unexpectedly, after arriving at the Sage Garden, he has developed this trend again.

Ji You returned to Rusheng Garden from Taiping Garden. As she walked to her house, she opened the door and saw a red skirt scattered on the tea table.

As the door opened, the woman in the skirt couldn't help but look up. She didn't seem to feel awkward about being uninvited at all. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on him as he walked towards her step by step.

The young appraiser of Lingjian Mountain has rarely contacted him recently, probably to allow him to focus on the competition.

However, she only maintained this self-discipline for two days before she reappeared.

Ji You actually suspected that Yan Shuyi had secretly gone to watch his match, because he saw Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu through the window last night and noticed that their eyes were filled with a whiny look.

If Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu both went to see it, he didn't believe Yan Shuyi could stand it alone at home.

Ji You sat down and asked, "Master, you haven't appeared these past two days. What have you been busy with?"

Yan Shuyi, with a cold and arrogant expression, said that he was cultivating Taoism, wandering around, and receiving guests.

Ji You asked her again if she had gone to watch the game, and she immediately said no.

Then the two stared at each other for a short while before Yan Shuyi gently opened her mouth and ate the pumpkin seeds that the stranger had peeled and handed to her.

"What did the appraiser go about?"

"The appraiser said that the young master did not use the swordsmanship of Lingjian Mountain in the duel. I don't know if he looks down on him or what. Go and teach him a lesson. If he looks down on him, just cripple him."

"I do not believe."

"Me too……"

Zhuo Wanqiu echoed, thinking to herself that the appraiser must have gone to find the young master, after all, the young master's combat power had truly exceeded their expectations.

After all, the appraiser is naturally inclined to whine, so the stronger the young master becomes, the more naturally the appraiser can whine for him.

After all, no matter why a woman fell in love with a man in the first place, she always hopes that he is stronger, or even stronger than herself.

As the group battles in the nine major arenas continued to begin and end, the number of names on the bulletin board list began to increase.

Zhu Yao, Wei Bo, Zhuang Zixin, Yan Hao...

Countless familiar names have appeared on the list and entered the next round.

Each of them was a prodigy with exceptional combat prowess and an undefeated record; all of them had extraordinary backgrounds and profound connections.

This result was not unexpected.

In fact, the outcome of the Heavenly Dao Society battle a few years ago was almost identical to the current situation.

Some say that the true beginning of the Way of Heaven has only now reached this point.

Because some of the previous participants came from prestigious families, but lacked the necessary resources and influence, the practice of forcibly filling the quotas was introduced.

But after this large-scale selection process, everyone who came on stage afterward was no ordinary person.

A disciple of a celestial sect, a descendant of a powerful being, the only son of a prominent family... a private cultivator in the countryside.

All eight members of the Heavenly Academy were undefeated and qualified for the second round. The only one who faced a close call was Yu Shiliu.

She was still not in good form and was dragged into the final match by her opponent, but she still managed to win in the end.

This is not surprising, because the Dao Asking Sect, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, the Spirit Sword Mountain, the Chen Clan, and the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion have all been undefeated. This is the foundation of the immortal sects.

As evening approached, the people who had gone to participate in the battle returned to Rusheng Garden one after another. He Lingxiu was the first. When she entered the garden, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a figure flashing by in the small building across the street, but she was not sure if she had seen it wrong.

Before they could rest for long, the officials from the Imperial Observatory sent over the list of candidates for the second round of duels.

Unlike the first round, the cultivators who received the list could clearly feel that their opponents in this round were much stronger.

Wang Gaocen and Yu Shiliu both encountered disciples from the Mountain and Sea Pavilion and the Dao Seeking Sect, respectively. Only Gu Zetao encountered a scion of a prestigious family, seemingly more fortunate, but the ancient family represented by that surname still made him somewhat wary.

As everyone looked at their opponents on the list, they pondered for a long time before their eyes began to shift downwards, unanimously landing on Ji You's name.

In the second round of the Heavenly Dao Tournament, Ji You's opponents were no longer from aristocratic families.

This person comes from the Chen family and is named Chen Ruiyang.

(End of this chapter)