Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

He straightened up, brushed off non-existent dust from his Taoist robe, and carefully straightened his Celestial Master robe. In the blink of an eye, he regained his dignified and unfathomable appearance as an elder, his eyes slightly narrowed, exuding the composed aura of a Taoist leader.

Zhang Zhiwei nodded slightly to Jiang Zhen and said calmly and politely, "Brother Jiang, since that's the case, you should go and tell the kids quickly. The competition won't wait for anyone. I also have some other things to do, so please excuse me."

Jiang Zhen sat in the chair, looking at Zhang Zhiwei who was completely different before and after, and laughed in anger.

"Your face changes way too fast. One second you're calling him your uncle and nephew, the next second you're calling him Brother Jiang as soon as you get him. Zhang Zhiwei, your old face is thicker than your Golden Light Mantra."

Zhang Zhiwei laughed heartily, put his hands in his sleeves, swaggered open the door of the tea room, and strode towards the main venue without the slightest embarrassment.

But then she turned back, her eyes fixed on Jiang Zhen, who was also preparing to leave.

"Uncle-Master, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it?"

"Oh? You're being polite now. What's the matter?"

"You don't have that Transformation Pearl, do you? What kind of ability does it have? I'm a little curious," Zhang Zhiwei asked curiously.

Jiang Zhen's brow twitched; he hadn't expected Zhang Zhiwei to come back and ask about this.

"Yes," Jiang Zhen said bluntly, and then with a flick of his wrist, the Transformation Pearl appeared in his hand.

"As for my abilities, I probably won't use them much."

"What abilities?"

As soon as Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking, Jiang Zhen, who had been sitting in the chair in front of him, disappeared. Zhang Zhiwei opened his eyes slightly and then turned around.

Jiang Zhen had already come up behind him and was looking at him with a smile.

"Teleportation? But something feels off..." Zhang Zhiwei was still pondering when the situation changed again.

Zhang Zhiwei, who should have been standing at the door, was now sitting in a chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand. The tea in the cup had been finished, but it had now been refilled.

Jiang Zhen, who should have been standing behind him, was now sitting to the side drinking tea.

Zhang Zhiwei frowned, completely unaware of what had happened. Just as he looked up, he saw Jiang Zhen stand up and pat him on the shoulder.

"Go and think about it yourself."

Jiang Zhen left after saying that, taking the handwritten copy of "Tongtian Lu" back to his resting place in the New World.

Jiang Ping, Jiang An, and Jiang Shun, the three siblings, were chatting together when they saw their father return, and they all stopped what they were doing.

"Dad, what's wrong? Why did the Grand Master call you over so early in the morning?" Jiang Ping asked, patting the dirt off his hands.

Jiang Zhen threw the coarsely sewn booklet directly onto the table and said bluntly, "That old bastard Zhang Zhiwei came to me early this morning to try and get on my good side, using this handwritten copy of the Tongtian Lu as a bargaining chip, hoping that the three of you will throw the game in the upcoming round of sixteen, or just find an excuse to withdraw from the competition."

"For Zhang Chulan?"

“Yes, it’s all because of that shameless brat.” Jiang Zhen pulled up a stool, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water. “Zhang Zhiwei’s point is that, in terms of seniority, Zhang Chulan should call you Grandmaster and Grandmaster Aunt. If you really fight on stage, even if you win, it’s bullying the weak, and the Celestial Master position is useless to us.”

After listening, the three nodded calmly. After the competition, they went to find Jiang Zhen to find out what happened. It turned out that Feng Baobao was special. Among the participants, Zhang Lingyu was the strongest besides her.

"No objections. The main reason we came here was to see the strength of the supernatural community in China, and now we've achieved that goal."

Jiang Zhen looked at his three children: "Alright, that's the situation. When you get on stage later, you can decide what to do."

Not long after, the sound of gongs and drums resounded from the direction of the training ground.

The main competition for the top 16 of the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony has officially begun.

The latest match-up list was posted on a huge bulletin board, and the stands were packed with extraordinary individuals from various factions across the country. The Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei, Lu Jin, Lü Ci, Wang Ai, and others had already taken their seats on the high platform.

The loudspeaker on the high platform blared the resounding shout of the Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain:

"Round of 16, Match 1! Jiang Shun from Overseas New World versus Zhuge Qing from the Wuhou School! Both players, please enter the arena immediately!"

Hearing this matchup...

The people in the stands were buzzing with discussion. Zhang Chulan was mingling in the crowd, carefully avoiding the complicated gazes of the crowd while keeping a close eye on the entrance passage.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Jiang Shun and Zhuge Qing walked out of the contestant passage and arrived at the center of the spacious training ground.

Jiang Shun was dressed in ordinary sportswear today, his hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. As he walked, he was still pondering his father Jiang Zhen's instructions.

"I can just admit defeat and withdraw from the competition later," Jiang Shun thought to himself.

On the other side, Zhuge Qing was still dressed in a well-fitting casual outfit, his signature squinty eyes slightly curved, and an enigmatic, elegant smile on his face. He walked unhurriedly to the center of the field, stood opposite Jiang Ping, and politely nodded slightly in greeting.

The Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, who was in charge of the refereeing, stood between the two men. After glancing left and right to confirm that both sides were ready, he suddenly swung his arm and shouted:

"The competition begins!"

Everyone was staring intently at Zhuge Qing, hoping that this genius of the Zhuge family would step out of the Qimen position as soon as possible.

Jiang Shun took a deep breath, preparing to take his hand out of his pocket and concede defeat to the referee beside him.

However, before Jiang Shun could raise his hand, Zhuge Qing, who was standing opposite him, did something that no one in the audience could have imagined.

Zhuge Qing didn't adopt any defensive or offensive stance. Instead, he raised his right hand with remarkable naturalness and even elegance, facing the referee, and uttered five words clearly and calmly in a gentle voice:

"Referee, I surrender."

The five words, though not loud, were clearly transmitted to the ears of everyone present through the amplification array surrounding the arena.

Jiang Shun, who was just about to surrender and raise his hand, froze in mid-air, revealing a look of astonishment.

Jiang Shun: ? ? ?

At that moment, countless question marks flashed through Jiang Shun's mind.

what's the situation?

How come Zhuge Qing on the other side is faster than him?

Not only was Jiang Shun stunned, but the referee, the Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, was also dumbfounded. He hadn't even had time to retract his hand, which he had just swung down, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Zhuge Qing: "Zhu...Zhuge Qing, what did you just say? Are you sure you want to admit defeat?"

Zhuge Qing smiled slightly and repeated himself very decisively, his tone even more composed than before: "I said, I admit defeat."

The entire martial arts arena fell into a deathly silence for a moment, but soon, people in the stands began to whisper among themselves, which, upon reflection, didn't seem so strange.

Jiang Ping transforms into a dragon, Jiang An summons thunder and fire, and Jiang Shun cleaves out with a single slash—who with a clear head would still go up and confront them head-on?

Zhang Chulan, sitting in the audience, was so shocked that his mouth gaped open and his eyes almost popped out of his head. He had originally hoped that Zhuge Qing would uncover more of Jiang Shun's background, but this genius from the Zhuge family had actually admitted defeat without even fighting?

However, a smile then quietly appeared on Zhang Chulan's lips.

Surrender is good, surrender is wonderful, that's exactly what I want.

Finally, there's a precedent!

If even a genius from the Zhuge family can be so straightforward, what chance does a mere company employee like him have? When the time comes, he'll just stand on the stage, spread his hands, and admit defeat. Who can say anything to him then? With Zhuge Qing leading the way, and Zhang Chulan following suit, this is called going with the flow and being a wise man when the time is right.

"Brother Qing is truly a role model for us all!"

Chapter 148 Lu Linglong's Pre-Match Temptation

As the Round of 16 continued, the atmosphere in the training ground became increasingly strange.

Having learned from Jiang Shun's experience of being preemptively surrendered by Zhuge Qing, when it was Jiang An's turn to fight in the second round, before the referee, the Taoist priest, even had a chance to lower his arm, she had already raised her hand very naturally and decisively shouted, "Taoist priest, I concede." In the third round, Jiang Ping did the same thing, shouting "I'm not fighting anymore, I concede" the moment the referee opened the gong.

Two consecutive games with lightning-fast, effortless shots left the spectators in the stands unsurprised; after all, if these three continued playing, they would have secured the top three spots.

The prizes for the top three winners are: first, the Celestial Master's Rank; second, the Transformation Pearl; and third, the Heavenly Register.

Everyone knows the Celestial Master position belongs to Longhu Mountain, and the Transformation Pearl was given away by the New World itself. Since it was given away, there's no reason to take it back. Therefore, it's reasonable for two of these three to be eliminated, leaving one to obtain the Heavenly Scroll.

Many of the supernatural beings even felt that they had figured out the layout of the new world, nodding in agreement and wearing expressions of "I knew it."

It wasn't until Zhang Chulan's name appeared that this strange atmosphere reached another climax.

【Zhang Chulan VS Lu Linglong】

Until just before the game, there was still no movement on the preparation bench of Nadutong Company.

Today, Zhang Chulan was completely different from the dejected and anxious man of the previous two days; he appeared extremely relaxed and at ease. With his hands in his pockets and humming an unknown tune, he strolled leisurely toward the contestants' entrance.

From the stands, Xu San and Xu Si were looking down at his back.

Xu San pushed up his glasses, his brows furrowed, and said with great puzzlement, "Something's not right. This kid's grinning so smugly, his face full of the smug, mercenary look of a petty person who's gotten his way, he must be up to something bad, right?"

Xu Si, who was tilting his head and smoking, paused slightly when he heard Xu San's words. He followed Xu San's gaze and stared intently at Zhang Chulan's light steps, his mind quickly going over the matches from that morning. Suddenly, his expression changed.

"Damn it!" Xu Si slapped his thigh and cursed, feeling a bit of a toothache.

"What's wrong?" Xu San turned to look at him.

Xu Si rolled his eyes, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, "You still don't understand? Zhuge Qing and those two from the New World are shining examples. Think about it, even a proud and arrogant prodigy like Zhuge Qing could admit defeat on stage without batting an eye, and those two from the New World surrendered without even raising their hands. Zhang Chulan, who's known for being shameless, what could he be afraid of? Of Jiang Ping, Jiang An, and Jiang Shun, two have already surrendered without a fight. Zhang Chulan is completely safe now as long as he doesn't encounter Jiang Shun. If he does—I guarantee that this kid will raise his hands and surrender the moment he steps on stage, without even a second's hesitation."

After listening, Xu San was stunned for a moment, then sighed helplessly: "Indeed... given Chu Lan's personality, he would definitely be more adept than anyone else at using such a reasonable, shameless, and life-saving method."

Regardless of what the people in the audience were thinking, the urging voice from the loudspeaker had already begun.

Zhang Chulan walked into the Grand Martial Arts Arena through the passage.

Before he could even stand still, a deafening roar of shouts and the pounding of drums and gongs filled his ears. Zhang Chulan rubbed his ears, which were throbbing from the noise, and looked up to see a huge banner hanging in the opposite stands. The banner read, in crooked handwriting, "Linglong will win" and "Linglong Party's loyalist group."

Led by the fat guy from Canglong, a large group of cheerleaders surrounded the front row of the stands, their faces flushed, waving ribbons and light sticks, and shouting wildly at the top of their lungs:

"Linglong! Kill that shameless scoundrel!"

"Lu Linglong! The glory of the Lu Family Class rests on your shoulders! Send Zhang Chulan flying with one punch!"

Zhang Chulan looked at the group of fanatical, brainless fans, and his lips twitched involuntarily. He muttered under his breath, "What a bunch of brainless animals..."

At this moment, Lu Linglong, with her long pink hair, also walked out from the passage opposite.

Today, she was dressed in a neat training outfit, looking quite dashing. However, perhaps due to the aftereffects of last night's gathering in the woods, as soon as Lu Linglong stepped onto the stage, before even reaching her designated position, her large eyes couldn't help but unconsciously sweep over Zhang Chulan's lower body.

Zhang Chulan felt a chill run down his spine under her penetrating gaze, and the fear of being publicly executed surged into his heart once again.

Almost reflexively, he abruptly reached out and covered his groin with both hands, his face flushing red as he hurriedly cried out, "Sister Linglong! Sister Linglong! In public, the competition is important, the competition is important!"

The cheering squads in the surrounding stands immediately erupted in even louder shouts of anger.

Lu Linglong's pretty face flushed crimson, even her ears turned bright red. She spat angrily, stomped her foot on the ground, and gritted her teeth, whispering, "Pah! Stop being so presumptuous! Get your attitude right and start the competition!"

As she spoke, Lu Linglong took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shame and anger in her heart, lowered her waist, and spread her hands in front of her, instantly assuming an extremely standard starting stance.

Her internal energy began to flow rapidly, and her eyes turned serious: "Zhang Chulan, I don't know if you've been hiding your strength, but now, just unleash whatever skills you have. I'm warning you beforehand, I absolutely won't hold back today!"

At this point, Lu Linglong looked at Zhang Chulan, who was clutching his crotch and had a shifty look on his face, and suddenly remembered something.

She subtly adjusted her pace, taking half a step forward to deliberately close the distance between them. Then, lowering her voice to a whisper, just loud enough for the two of them to hear, she spoke mysteriously:

"However... I'll tell you the truth. Many of my sisters already know about the 'virginity mark' you showed off in the woods last night."