You were put to guard a shabby mountain gate, yet all your disciples became Immortal Emperors.

Li Mu's face turned pale and then red, almost suffering a heart attack from Lin Zhou's words.

He, a dignified Golden Core elder, was actually mocked in public by a notorious scoundrel!

How can I swallow this insult?

"Linzhou! How dare you!"

Li Mu trembled with rage, his spiritual power surging uncontrollably.

Just as he was about to lose his temper regardless of the occasion, a dignified voice came from the main stage.

"quiet!"

He is Lingxiaozi, the sect leader of Lingxiao Sect, the pillar of the sect, and the only Nascent Soul expert.

A middle-aged man as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

He merely glanced at Li Mu, and Li Mu felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, instantly calming down.

Li Mu could only suppress his anger, his face turning purple with rage.

Ling Xiaozhi's gaze lingered on the three Lin Zhou disciples for a moment, then he began to announce the rules of the competition without saying anything.

The rules are simple: elimination system, draw lots for the finals, and the winner advances.

Ten huge arenas were set up in the square, with sect elders serving as referees.

As soon as the sect leader announced, "The competition begins," the atmosphere in the entire square was instantly ignited!

The disciples began to line up to draw lots.

Meanwhile, in an inconspicuous corner, a shifty-eyed inner disciple quietly set up a small stall.

"The betting is on! The outer gate grand competition is now open for business. Place your bets now, no credit allowed!"

Rong Ruoyue, the chief disciple of the outer sect of Lingxiao Sect, will receive a 1:1 payout!

"Shi Hao, the chief disciple of the Azure Flame Sect's outer sect, is offered at a 1.2% payout!"

……

Linzhou's eyes lit up; this was a great opportunity to get rich!

He squeezed through the crowd and casually asked, "Um... what are the odds for the disciples of Xiaoqiong Mountain?"

The disciple of the Zhuang family looked up at him, then at the two oddballs dressed as "soldier" and "pawn" in the distance, and almost burst out laughing.

"Little Qiongshan? You mean those two cannon fodder? One to one hundred in compensation!"

"Bet on them to win? Fellow Daoist, you might as well just throw your spirit stones into the water and hear the splash!"

A burst of laughter came from the surrounding area.

Linzhou was overjoyed.

One hundred times the original price? Is there really such a good deal?

He rummaged through his pockets for a long time and finally pulled out all his possessions—three low-grade spirit stones plus half a stone.

"Sigh, I'm betting everything on Xiao Qiongshan to win."

Lin Zhou slammed the spirit stone on the table with a pained expression.

The disciples of the Zhuang family were stunned, staring at Lin Zhou as if he were an idiot.

"Fellow Daoist, are you serious?"

"Enough talk, write this down!"

Lin Zhou, clutching a tattered receipt that read "Small Qiong Mountain Victory, Three and a Half Low-Grade Spirit Stones," returned to his disciple's side with a smug grin.

More than three hundred spirit stones!

Great news! Now the roof of Xiaoqiongshan's thatched hut can finally be repaired!

The lottery results came out quickly.

Xiao Fan, Group C, No. 7.

Shi Yi, Group A, No. 3.

"Round 1, Group A matches begin!"

With a command from the elder referee, the competition officially began!

"Group C, Arena 7! Wang Meng, disciple of Tianxuan Peak, versus Xiao Fan, disciple of Xiaoqiong Mountain!"

coming!

Lin Zhou quickly found a viewing platform with a good view and sat down, then casually took out a handful of sunflower seeds from his storage bag.

Xiao Fan's opponent was a burly man nearly two meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body, and his cultivation level was a genuine late-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he showed Xiao Fan his fist, which was as big as a sandbag.

"Kid, dressed like a chess player, are you planning to concede defeat right away? Kneel down and kowtow to your grandpa now, and I might save you a couple of broken bones!"

The audience erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha, these people from Xiaoqiongshan really came to deliver something!"

"Wang Meng is a famously fierce fighter in the outer sect; he can kill a bull with one punch. That kid's finished!"

Xiao Fan paid no heed; his mind was now filled with his master's teachings.

"Remember, when you're crushing newbies, you have to look cool!"

"If you can finish him off in one move, don't use a second! Take him down in the fastest, most stylish way possible!"

"Referee, may we begin?" Xiao Fan asked calmly.

The referee nodded. "Both sides, get ready... Begin!"

"roar!"

With a roar, Wang Meng sprinted forward, charging towards Xiao Fan like a raging bull!

He unleashed the sect's ordinary martial art, the "Shaking Mountain Fist"!

He wanted to punch this arrogant brat into a bloody pulp!

However, just when everyone thought Xiao Fan would be scared out of his wits, he made a move.

No, he doesn't seem to have moved.

All the people saw was a blur.

The next second, Xiao Fan appeared behind Wang Meng, maintaining a one-handed forward pushing posture.

A wisp of blue flame flashed and disappeared on his palm.

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud, and rhythmic slap echoed throughout the room.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Halfway there, Wang Meng's massive body mysteriously paused in mid-air for a moment, then spun rapidly like a top and flew away.

"Bang!"

He crashed heavily to the ground outside the ring, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

On his face, there was a clear five-finger mark, red and swollen.

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Those outer disciples who were just laughing at them now stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape and their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

What happened?

One move?

No, it's not even a single move!

Just a slap?

A burly man at the late stage of Qi Refining was slapped away by a kid at the mid-stage of Qi Refining (in disguise).

On the viewing platform, Li Mu crushed the teacup in his hand with a "crack," spilling scalding tea all over his hand, but he was completely unaware.

On the other side, Rong Ruoyue, who was chatting and laughing with her girlfriends, also froze with a smile.

For the first time, she finally looked directly at the boy she had once considered a good-for-nothing.

The boy simply clapped his hands calmly, as if he had done something insignificant, and turned to walk off the stage.

Hidden strength and name.

He really pulled off that stunt!

Lin Zhou stopped eating sunflower seeds and nodded in satisfaction.

Not bad, you have the demeanor of your teacher back in the day!

What a master of pretense!

Before everyone could recover from their shock, the referee's voice rang out from the other arena.

"Group A, Arena Number Three! Liu Feng, disciple of Jian Ge, versus Shi Yi, disciple of Xiao Qiong Shan!"

Shi Yi walked onto the ring with a blank expression.

His opponent was a slender swordsman, also at the late stage of Qi Refining, whose fast swordsmanship was quite famous in the outer sect.

Liu Feng looked at Shi Yi, who was like a wooden stake, and a hint of disdain appeared on his lips.

"A fool who only knows brute force dares to enter the competition? Today I'll show you what real speed is!"

Game start.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

Liu Feng used the Swift Wind Sword Technique, a skill that ordinary outer disciples of the Sword Pavilion must learn, yet which he mastered to a high degree.

His figure instantly transformed into a series of afterimages, and the long sword in his hand twirled into more than a dozen sword flowers, carrying a sharp sword aura, stabbing towards Shi Yi from all directions.

However, a strange scene happened.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

A series of loud, metallic clanging sounds rang out.

Sparks flew everywhere!

Shi Yi stood still, without moving an inch.

Shi Yi chose to tough it out.

Those sword energies, powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, slashed at his body.

They even cut his shirt, which had the character "卒" (soldier) printed on it, into a cutout design!

But it was completely unharmed.

"This...how is this possible?!" Liu Feng's forehead began to sweat.

He felt as if he was not chopping down a person, but a mountain cast from black iron!

"What...is your body made of?!"

Liu Feng gasped for breath and shouted in horror.

Shi Yi finally made a move.

"A simple punch!"

Shi Yi did not learn any martial arts techniques.

The air in front of the fist was compressed rapidly, producing a muffled sonic boom!

"boom!"

Liu Feng, sword and all, flew back like a stone thrown by a catapult, ten times faster than he had come.

He slammed hard into the protective light shield of the ring, then slid down like a lump of mud, unconscious.

Another instant kill!

An eerie silence fell over the entire room once again.

If Xiao Fan's victory was skillful and unpredictable, then Shi Yi's victory was purely illogical.

Violent aesthetics!

On the viewing platform, Yun Qinghe, an elder from Danxiao Peak who was familiar with Linzhou, approached tremblingly.

"Master Lin... Master Lin, your... your two disciples..."

Lin Zhou snapped his fan shut, his face full of disappointment, and let out a long sigh.

"Oh dear, I didn't teach well, I didn't teach well at all!"

"Look at these two kids, one only knows how to slap people, and the other only knows how to punch them. They have absolutely no skill!"

"Vulgar! Utterly vulgar!"

"We must punish them when we get back! Make them copy the sect rules a hundred times!"

The elders around them twitched their lips in disbelief.

Technical content?

vulgar?

I beg you! Please, can you let my disciple be this crude just once?!

The first round of elimination matches has ended.

Xiaoqiongshan, a dilapidated mountain sect that everyone thought was just there to make up the numbers, had two disciples who advanced with overwhelming force, each being instantly killed in one move!

"A dark horse! A truly phenomenal dark horse!"

"What kind of demonic abode is this Little Qiongshan? How did it produce these two monsters?"

"This is terrifying! This year's competition is going to be a real show!"

Discussions rose and fell.

On the highest viewing platform, Sect Master Ling Xiaozhi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and looked in the direction of Linzhou with great interest.

Meanwhile, Linzhou was happily planning his secret stash of money.

Three and a half spirit stones, with a payout of one hundred, that's three hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones!

I, Lin Zhou, am the first loser of the Lingxiao Sect today!

Just as he was basking in the joy of sudden wealth, a figure, cold yet exuding a hint of burning heat, silently appeared behind him.

Approaching stealthily, it looks like a top-tier lung-clearing session!

Shen Han was still holding the "piggy" that had become as fat as a ball in his arms.