Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

The whispers of the disciples nearby soon drifted over.

"Feng Wubian of the Biyou Sect, Duan Lengchan of the Xueyue Sect, Yan Wanxia of the Jiuxiao Palace, Xue Changhe of the Hongfeng Valley, Xie Jiuzhang of the Liusha Valley, and Jin Qiji of the Xuanming Palace—these six are all formidable figures on the Jinliang Elite List, the pinnacle of the younger generation in their respective sects!"

"Today I'll finally get to see them in action!"

"What are you thinking? They arrived several days earlier than us and have already sparred with us in private. They won't be participating in this martial arts competition at all; they're saving their strength to enter the royal secret realm. When that time comes, all the geniuses from all the sects in Jinliang Kingdom will be there, and that will be the real battle of dragons and tigers."

"Oh? That's such a pity..."

"What's a pity? The royal family allocated a total of ten slots for the secret realms to the six sects. After deducting those six, there are still four left!"

"If you can make it into the top four in the martial arts competition, you can go to the secret realm with them. You won't have to worry about not seeing their true skills then. Besides, the rewards for the top four aren't bad either."

"Top four? Don't flatter me. I'm just here to make up the numbers and be a bystander. Do you think I'd deserve any rewards?"

……

Xu Mofeng's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

So, none of these six big shots are participating?

He stroked his chin with his fingertips, a smile playing on his lips.

He won't hold back when it comes to winning first place in the martial arts competition.

Just then, a middle-aged cultivator from Red Maple Valley on the stage spoke loudly, announcing the rules and rewards for the martial arts competition.

"This martial arts competition will be conducted through a lottery system. Those who make it into the top thirty will be awarded one low-grade Xuan-rank pill and one low-grade Xuan-rank weapon; those who make it into the top twenty will be awarded one mid-grade Xuan-rank pill and one mid-grade Xuan-rank weapon; those who make it into the top ten will be awarded one mid-grade Xuan-rank Guiyuan Pill, one mid-grade Xuan-rank weapon, and one mid-grade Xuan-rank cultivation technique..."

"The top three winners will each receive a high-grade Xuan-rank pill, a high-grade Xuan-rank weapon, and a high-grade Xuan-rank cultivation technique; the champion of the martial arts competition will receive a supreme-grade Xuan-rank pill, a weapon, and a cultivation technique!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in chaos, with countless disciples staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

The top thirty will receive a Xuan-level reward, and the reward for first place is ridiculously generous!

Who would normally see a three-piece set of Xuan-rank top-grade items?

A burning fighting spirit instantly spread through the crowd, everyone rubbing their hands together, waiting for the competition to begin.

Xu Mofeng's heart stirred slightly; the prize for first place was indeed substantial.

"Alright, disciples from each sect, come up on stage and draw lots."

At the referee's signal, the crowd surged toward the stage.

As expected, Feng Wubian and his six companions stood motionless, showing no intention of drawing lots, clearly indicating that they would not participate in the competition.

The disciples below were both surprised and delighted upon seeing this.

"None of the top six players are playing? That greatly increases our chances of making it into the top ten, or even the top three!"

"Top three? Don't you even know your own limitations? Dream on!"

Xu Mofeng ignored the discussions, stepped forward, picked up a bamboo stick, and looked down to see that it was engraved with "17".

Fighting arena number seventeen.

There are about two hundred core disciples from the six sects combined, and there are a total of twenty fighting arenas, which will be held in batches.

Xu Mofeng was lucky; he got to play in the first round against a disciple of the Xuanming Palace who was only at the second level of the Golden Core Realm.

He walked to platform number seventeen and stood there. The Xuanming Palace disciple opposite him was taken aback by his young age, but then a relaxed smile appeared on his face. He thought to himself that he was lucky to have picked an easy target.

Xu Mofeng remained silent, waiting for the referee to speak.

"The competition begins!"

Just as the words were spoken, and the Xuanming Palace disciple was about to launch a preemptive attack, a golden light suddenly flashed before his eyes.

boom!

With a muffled thud, a figure flew straight out of the arena and crashed heavily to the ground.

Xu Mofeng sheathed his sword, turned to look at the referee who was still in a daze, and said calmly, "The result can be announced now."

The referee and the disciples watching from the sidelines were all dumbfounded.

"When did he draw his knife? I didn't see it!"

"I didn't see it clearly either!"

"Holy crap, the disciples of the Azure Nether Sect are incredibly fast with their swords! They're practically freaks!"

"The Six Sects Martial Arts Competition is indeed full of hidden talents; some formidable people whose names I've never heard of before have suddenly appeared."

Amidst the uproar, Xu Mofeng turned and stepped off the stage, his figure disappearing into the crowd.

He didn't rush to leave. He walked around the various fighting arenas and paid special attention to Shangguan Dongxue's match.

Shangguan Dongxue's first opponent was a disciple of Red Maple Valley at the same cultivation level, also at the sixth level of the Golden Core realm. The result surprised many people; Shangguan Dongxue only needed to strike once to sweep her opponent off the stage.

"Absolute overwhelming power!"

"Shangguan Dongxue's sword aura is too chilling. Once she unleashes it, the Red Maple Valley disciples are slowed down by half a beat, making it impossible for them to fight!"

"As expected of someone with an innate sword physique, a talent one in ten thousand. He might even be able to break into the top three in this martial arts competition!"

"It's uncertain. Although the six leaders aren't participating, there are still several ruthless individuals at the seventh or eighth level of the Golden Core stage."

Besides Shangguan Dongxue, there were a few other people who stood out in the first round.

In Red Maple Valley lived a bald, giant man with reddish skin, as if cast in bronze and iron. He was at the eighth level of the Golden Core Realm and had also pursued the path of body refinement. His palm technique was fierce and unparalleled, with spiritual power mixed with brute force erupting together, like a ferocious beast being born, his power terrifying.

There's also Zhong Ling from the Xuanming Palace, who is also at the eighth level of the Golden Core stage. His swordsmanship is cunning and exquisite, and his aura is unfathomable.

Several other disciples at the sixth or seventh level of the Golden Core stage also performed admirably, and Xu Mofeng silently remembered them.

After the first round of competition, less than 100 people remained on the field, and a new draw was held.

Xu Mofeng looked at the slip of paper in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and thought, "Is this a bye in the second round?"

This is really good luck.

The second round was much more intense than the first, with both sides trading blows and the match lasting a long time.

By the time everything was finished, it was already evening.

Today's matches are down to the last round.

Xu Mofeng glanced at the newly drawn lot in his hand: number 28.

There weren't many people left, so there was no need to wait for a venue. He walked straight to the corresponding fighting platform.

Before I even got close, I could hear a crowd gathered around the stage, with people talking amongst themselves.

"Although Du Rumei from Liusha Valley is only at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, she has comprehended a mid-grade martial intent, making her ridiculously strong. She might even break into the top twenty!"

"I saw him kick a Golden Core Stage 6 cultivator from Nine Heavens Palace down in the last match. His footwork was incredibly sharp; he's definitely a dark horse!"

"Keep it up, Senior Brother Du!"

Du Rumei, standing on the stage, slightly raised her chin, enjoying the awe-inspiring gazes from the audience. She stood ramrod straight with her arms crossed, waiting arrogantly for her opponent to come up on stage.

Before long, a figure leaped onto the arena.

A chorus of boos erupted from the audience.

"No way? It's the third round and there are still people at the third level of the Golden Core stage who haven't been eliminated? And they're so young?"

"I know this kid. He got a bye last round and got lucky. But now it's over. He's up against Du Rumei. Even three more wouldn't be enough!"

"Du Rumei has it in the bag this round, she's locked into the top twenty!"

"They have the ability, and they deserve it."

As they were talking, everyone suddenly noticed that Du Rumei's expression was off.

The person who had been so arrogant and full of fighting spirit just moments before turned pale the moment he saw who was opposite him, looking as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly.

Not only him, but the disciples of Liusha Valley cheering from below the stage also froze, their expressions quite interesting.

"How...how could it be him?"

"It's you..."

Du Rumei stared at Xu Mofeng in front of her, her voice deepening, "You've broken through to the third level of the Golden Core realm?"

Xu Mofeng smiled and said casually, "It's been a month since I last fought Senior Brother Du. If I haven't even made this much progress, wouldn't I be laughed at?"

Du Rumei's face twitched violently.

Who says you have to break through in a month? Is that even human language?

It took him more than half a year to break through from the second to the third level of the Golden Core stage. This guy, on the other hand, broke through in just one month, and he talks about it as easily as eating and drinking. He's a monster!

"These two actually know each other? They even fought before?"

The disciples below the stage noticed that the atmosphere on stage was not right and began to whisper among themselves.

"Who cares if they know each other or not, are we going to fight or not? Stop dragging it out, are you playing the fool?"

Some impatient people shouted at the top of their lungs, drawing a chorus of agreement from those around them.

Just as the audience below was getting impatient with her urging, Du Rumei took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"I concede defeat in this match!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire training ground froze instantly. Everyone stood there, stunned, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.

Du Rumei of Liusha Valley, a fifth-level Golden Core cultivator and widely recognized as the dark horse of this competition, actually took the initiative to admit defeat when facing a mere third-level Golden Core disciple of Biyou Sect.

What kind of show is this?

Even match-fixing isn't this blatant, is it?

Not only were the bystanders dumbfounded, but even Xu Mofeng, who was already poised to make his move, raised an eyebrow, quite surprised.

"What kind of nonsense is this? A fifth-level Golden Core cultivator fighting a third-level Golden Core cultivator? They don't even have the guts to fight, they just admit defeat?"

"I even touted Du Rumei as a dark horse before, and it turns out she's just a pretty face with no substance?"

"Who knows what underhanded tricks or deals that the Biyou Sect brat might have pulled behind the scenes, forcing Du Rumei to admit defeat!"

"I think it's very likely!"