I have seen dragons

Chapter 31 I'm protecting you

"A battle of wits?"

A crew-cut man in a suit jacket chuckled upon hearing this and glanced sideways at Yue Wen and the others.

"We are all from immortal sects, so in a one-on-one duel, our strengths are not too different. But if one of us draws those two rogue cultivators, wouldn't that be too much of an advantage? Isn't that unfair?"

After he said that, the people around him laughed.

The disciples of the immortal sects present generally looked down on rogue cultivators, feeling that their strength was not worthy of being compared with theirs.

“Luck is also part of strength,” another red-haired young man in a tight leather jacket laughed, without even glancing at Yue Wen and the others as he spoke.

It was obvious that they were part of the same circle and probably knew each other well, while Yue Wen and his companion seemed completely out of place among them.

He Caihua frowned at their behavior but did not say anything to stop them.

In reality, for these disciples from powerful sects, their media company didn't hold a particularly strong position; at most, it was a cooperative relationship on equal terms. Even if she felt these disciples were wrong, it wasn't worth reprimanding them for the sake of two rogue cultivators.

He Caihua simply turned to look at Yue Wen and the other person and said, "If no one has any objections, shall we begin?"

“No objection.” Yue Wen and Zhao Xing’er also shook their heads.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't actually want to fight these disciples of the immortal sects.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but rather that the other party all had powerful connections, and it wouldn't be good to injure any of them. He himself was relatively easy to control, but Zhao Xing'er was a different story...

This is very worrying.

Unfortunately, they have no say here. Since the organizers have demanded this competition, they have no choice but to fight.

"To ensure a proper balance of men and women in our team, let's have four men and four women draw lots to determine who will compete." As she spoke, Amei had already laid out several crumpled pieces of paper. "The girls go first. Those who draw number one or two will go first, and those who draw number three or four will go later. It's fair and just."

It was only then that Yue Wen noticed that the cultivators participating in the selection were indeed evenly matched in terms of gender, with five men and five women out of ten participants.

The two people who secured the spots, Liu Yuanjun and Li Feixia, were names Yue Wen had heard of in City Seven.

These two people came from Xuanfeng Temple and were fellow disciples.

Xuanfeng Temple is undoubtedly the number one immortal sect in Jiangcheng City. Although it has few disciples, it has a profound foundation and has achieved the most outstanding results in each Youth Cultivation Conference.

The reason there are few disciples is because the conditions for accepting disciples are strict. In Jiangcheng City, any talented cultivators are usually sent to Xuanfeng Temple to try their luck first. If they are rejected, they will then join other sects.

Liu Yuanjun was the most outstanding disciple of his generation in the temple. It was said that he was born with a celestial body and was sought after by several major sects in Tianbei Prefecture when he was just over ten years old. However, he ultimately chose to stay in his hometown of Jiangcheng and enter Xuanfeng Temple to cultivate.

He is now twenty years old. Even if he doesn't have the cultivation level of the Gang Realm, he should be at the Great Perfection of the He Realm and not far from breaking through.

Sitting in the front row, he wore a Taoist robe, his expression serious. His appearance perfectly matched the description of "a face like jade, red lips and white teeth," with very upright features. Perhaps it was because he had been the center of attention for so long, but just sitting there expressionless, he seemed to possess an aura that made people unable to help but want to look at him.

His junior sister, Li Feixia, beside him had a more lively air. The girl, around eighteen or nineteen, was also dressed in traditional Taoist robes, her hair styled in a bun with a plain hairpin, giving her a mature appearance. Yet, her round face, always smiling, exuded an undeniable charm and cuteness. With large eyes, long eyelashes, and deep, dark pupils, it was clear that once she lost some of her baby fat, she would definitely be a great beauty.

Her online name is Fairy Feixia, and she's one of the earlier internet celebrity cultivators signed by Wangyou Media. They manage her video platform account without interfering with her daily cultivation. The young woman is exceptionally talented and has a very likable personality, and now boasts over 100,000 followers online.

It seems that her senior brother Liu Yuanjun was probably brought here by her.

After all, I had never heard of Liu Yuanjun participating in such influencer activities before; he didn't even have a publicly available video account.

This pair of senior and junior disciples are top-notch in terms of background, strength, and fame. They are the biggest stars in the event besides He Caihua, so they secured two spots, and no one present had any objections.

As for the other disciples of the immortal sect, Yue Wen had never heard of them, and guessed that their status was similar to that of Qi Dian.

He casually picked up a crumpled piece of paper, unfolded it, and saw the number "four" written on it, indicating that he was going to be the last to perform.

Zhao Xing'er unfolded the paper she had drawn and saw a "two" on it. She looked up excitedly and said, "I'll be going on stage soon!"

Yue Wen smiled subtly and emphasized, "Friendship first, competition second."

"Are you worried she'll get hurt?" Another female cultivator walked over, holding up a note with the number "one" on it, a smug smile on her face. "As long as the little sister doesn't get too outrageous, I'll try to go easy on her." ...

This dedicated training ground is several basketball courts in size, and the surrounding materials are specially made to withstand the full impact of cultivators below the fifth realm without collapsing. Even if there is damage, it is easy to repair.

The materials used to create this kind of venue are very expensive. After all, the same thing, with a little modification, can become a defensive magic weapon that can withstand the full force of a Gang Realm expert.

While the process of engraving and drawing arrays is certainly much simpler than that of using magical artifacts, eliminating the most expensive step, creating such a space within a building is still incredibly valuable. Only a company with deep pockets like Wangyou Media could afford to do something like this.

Besides the two female cultivators who were about to engage in a duel, there was also a middle-aged man standing with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked unremarkable and was wearing a simple black tracksuit, as if he were the referee on the field.

However, according to Amei, that person is a protector in the training room, possessing the cultivation level of the Gang Realm. He would intervene immediately in case of any accident to prevent irreparable injury or death.

Yue Wen was slightly relieved after hearing this, at least someone could stop Zhao Xing'er.

Zhao Xing'er's opponent was named Bu Zhongyao, from the Que Dao Sect in City Five, a sect that specialized in martial arts. She had short, neat hair, a fair and ordinary face, and narrow eyes.

According to the vetting standards of Wangyou Media, someone with such an average appearance shouldn't even be allowed in. It's probably because there are so few young female cultivators with high cultivation levels, beautiful appearances, and a willingness to participate that they've barely kept her until now.

That makes sense. If Wangyou Media were completely satisfied with the existing disciples of the immortal sects, they wouldn't have allowed Yue Wen and the others to participate in the selection process.

Bu Zhongyao was dressed in a light blue outfit, with a somewhat androgynous style. As the competition was about to begin, she flipped her hand and produced two backhand blades made of light blue gemstones, their shimmering light clearly indicating they were extraordinary.

"Eh--"

Yue Wen, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, suddenly pushed open the door and called out to someone inside.

"Since this is a friendly sparring match, why don't we all refrain from using weapons?" he said with some concern. "It's too easy to make a mistake if we slip up."

"Hmph." Bu Zhongyao said loudly, "All my skills are contained in these twin swords. You've got a good plan!"

"You can rest assured," He Caihua said calmly, arms crossed, "Our site's guardians are watching over us; there's no way anything could go wrong."

Feeling the strange gazes from behind, Yue Wen had no choice but to retreat dejectedly.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll be careful!" Zhao Xing'er reassured her.

She turned around, drew two twin swords, one male and one female, and faced off against Bu Zhongyao's twin blades. It was clear she was eagerly anticipating the duel; her eyes gleamed with a lively light.

Yue Wen was terrified.

I thought to myself, of course I know you'll be careful, but I'm worried that you won't be careful about the other person's safety!
And will there ever be an end to all these strange and powerful weapons you have?

Woman, you better stop this now!

"A pretty face can get you standing here, but it can't help you win the competition." Bu Zhongyao sneered, taking a fighting stance. "In my eyes, you rogue cultivators are nothing but a bunch of trash pickers. You have absolutely no chance of fighting me!"

"Eh--"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yue Wen, who was in the spectator room, pushed the door open again and shouted inside.

"Let's have a friendly spar, don't swear!" Yue Wen pointed at Bu Zhongyao, "What if your opponent gets angry if you talk like that?"

"Why are you going on and on!" Bu Zhongyao shouted at him from the court, "Is she fighting me or are you fighting me?"

"If you're going to fight, then fight properly. Don't say anything that might provoke people," Yue Wen said.

"If this level of mockery is enough to affect her Dao heart, then she might as well just go home!" Bu Zhongyao said angrily. "If you're so eager to protect her, why don't you come down and fight for her?"

He Caihua, standing behind him, frowned and said unhappily, "Mr. Yue, please go back to the viewing room and watch properly. Don't interfere with the selection."

"Sigh." Yue Wen closed the door helplessly and muttered, "I wasn't protecting her, I was protecting you!"

(End of this chapter)