novelraw Chapter 25 – Grand Martial Tournament
Chapter 25 – Grand Martial Tournament
A lone rider galloped into Qingyun City.
The Grand Martial Tournament of the Martial Hall was just a month away, and according to the rules, students wishing to participate had to register a month in advance.
A conversation with Elder Zhuang Nantian a month ago made Luo Xiu realize that to stand out and gain the Martial Hall's attention and nurturing, he must demonstrate his strength and talent.
The annual Grand Martial Tournament was undoubtedly the moment for Martial Hall students to showcase their abilities and talents.
Before long, Luo Xiu arrived at the Martial Hall and headed to the registration area.
When he arrived, many Martial Hall students had already gathered there, though most were spectators. Those registering for the tournament were primarily students from the intermediate and advanced classes.
"Every year, the Grand Martial Tournament has a ranking, and I've heard that the rewards for placing in the top three are incredibly generous," said a young man in martial attire.
"Brother Zhao is now at the seventh layer of Body Refining. Are you planning to participate in the tournament?" someone asked with a smile.
"Of course, I will participate. Although the hope of getting into the top three is slim, the most important thing is to showcase one's talent and strength on the dueling platform. That alone can attract the attention of the Martial Hall's higher-ups!" the young man said proudly.
Luo Xiu looked over and saw that the young man in martial attire was Zhao Liang, the intermediate class student he had once bet against in the Black Tablet area.
At that time, Zhao Liang was at the sixth layer of Body Refining, but now he had reached the seventh layer.
"There are quite a few experts in the intermediate and advanced classes. I've heard that just entering the top ten can earn you Yuan Qi Stones and pills as rewards!"
"Entering the top five means you could be taken as a disciple by an Elder of the Martial Hall!"
"Heh, if you make it to the top three, I've heard you can receive personal guidance from the Master of the Martial Hall and have the privilege to choose a fourth-grade martial art!"
Many people were discussing the various generous rewards, which stirred the emotions of many Martial Hall students.
Each Elder of the Martial Hall was an Innate Martial Master, holding high status and authority in Qingyun City. Becoming an Elder's disciple was a symbol of status and position.
The Master of the Martial Hall was a legendary figure to many students, known as the top expert in Qingyun City, rumored to have surpassed the Innate level!
Especially the reward of a fourth-grade martial art, which was both shocking and exciting.
However, everyone knew that entering the top three in the Grand Martial Tournament was extremely difficult. Each year, those who had participated and achieved good rankings would, with the rewards they received, advance rapidly in cultivation, widening the gap with others.
But if one's cultivation broke through to the Qi Sea Realm or if they were over eighteen years old, they could no longer participate in the tournament, as there would be no comparison.
Qingyun City had a population of hundreds of thousands, and the number of students in the Martial Hall was countless. Just those with a cultivation level above the seventh layer of Body Refining numbered in the hundreds.
Beside the registration point stood a stone tablet, with the names of Martial Hall students listed from low to high.
This stone tablet was the ranking board of the Qingyun City Martial Hall.
The ranking board had only fifty slots, with the minimum requirement being the eighth layer of Body Refining. Many people gathered around the ranking board.
Luo Xiu also looked at it and saw that the person ranked first was named Xu Qiusheng!
Listening to the discussions around him, Luo Xiu learned that Xu Qiusheng was eighteen years old, a disciple of the Elder who guarded the Scripture Pavilion, and had reached the peak of the ninth layer of Body Refining. His internal cultivation, martial techniques, and movement techniques were all third-grade martial arts.
Following him, from the second to the tenth, were all eighteen years old, with cultivation levels also at the ninth layer of Body Refining.
In the Martial Hall, eighteen was a threshold. Beyond eighteen, one was no longer a student, and the Martial Hall would cease to nurture them. A few with exceptional talent, who broke through to the Qi Sea Realm, could become outer sect disciples of the Free Spirit Sect, which was the minimum requirement for outer sect disciples.
As for Luo Xiu, almost no one knew that his cultivation had reached the peak of the ninth layer of Body Refining, so his name was not on the ranking board.
"There's still a month left."
Time flowed like water. In the dense forest, Luo Xiu's figure flickered as he executed a set of Thunderstorm Sword Art with consummate skill, flowing smoothly like clouds and water. The sword light cleaved through the air, almost impossible to catch with the naked eye.
"Boom!"
With the support of inner qi, he felled a large tree with a single strike, sending dust flying everywhere.
During this period, he had also absorbed the power of flames from Lu Mengyao several times, refining his inner qi to a state of purity and thickness, ready to break through to the Qi Sea Realm at any moment.
However, Luo Xiu suppressed his cultivation from breaking through because once he did, he would no longer be able to participate in the Grand Martial Tournament.
The opportunity to select a fourth-grade martial art from the Library Pavilion for placing in the top three was not something Luo Xiu wanted to miss.
Through months of training, Luo Xiu had become quite different from before, especially in his demeanor, which was now sharp and full of vigor, like a sword about to be unsheathed.
"Clang!"
Returning his sword to its sheath, Luo Xiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled a breath of turbid air, thinking to himself, "Aside from the last time with Chen Hu and his group, I haven't encountered any more assassination attempts during this period."
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While training in Yaqi Mountain, he generally avoided the martial artists hunting in the mountains, thanks to his special ability of life perception, which made it easy.
...
Qingyun City, Zhang Family Estate.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, the tightly closed gates of the estate shattered into pieces, and figures poured in one after another, the clanging of swords ringing incessantly as everyone drew their swords and charged into the estate.
The Zhang Clan, a prestigious family in Qingyun City, naturally had a group of guards, who were now on high alert.
Twenty people had broken into the Zhang Clan, each wearing azure armor, exuding an invisible aura of ferocity and oppression.
"Azure Guard?" Nearly a hundred Zhang Clan guards' faces changed instantly.
The strongest among the Zhang Clan guards were only at the ninth layer of Body Refining, and despite outnumbering the intruders fivefold, many of them began to tremble.
For the Azure Guard belonged to the Martial Hall, and each member was a martial artist who had crossed into the Qi Sea Realm!
Most members of the Azure Guard were former students of the Martial Hall who hadn't become outer sect disciples of the Free Spirit Sect and had instead joined the Azure Guard.
"Zhang Shaoxiong, the Patriarch of the Zhang Clan, is suspected of murdering a Martial Hall student. We, the Azure Guard, are here on orders. If you don't want to die, get out of the way!"
A burly man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, the captain of this group of Azure Guards, shouted coldly, his voice booming like thunder, causing the Zhang Clan guards opposite him to retreat in fear.
The crowd parted, and Zhang Shaoxiong walked out with a grim expression. "Captain Han, what is the meaning of barging into my Zhang Family Estate with your men?"
The Azure Guard captain, surnamed Han, remained expressionless and said coldly, "I am here on Elder Zhuang's orders. You are suspected of murdering a Martial Hall student, and you should explain yourself to the Elder."
As he spoke, Captain Han waved his hand, "Take Zhang Shaoxiong into custody. The Elder has ordered that if there is any resistance, kill without mercy!"
Zhang Shaoxiong's face changed drastically. He knew that if the charge of murdering a Martial Hall student was confirmed, he would undoubtedly be sentenced to death, and the entire Zhang Clan would be implicated, possibly even being erased from Qingyun City!
However, he quickly calmed down. The Zhang Clan had stood firm in Qingyun City for a long time, and it was impossible for them to have no backing. He believed that as long as the ancestor intervened, the Zhang Clan would be safe.
With this thought, Zhang Shaoxiong did not resist and allowed the Azure Guard to take him away. Otherwise, the Azure Guard, who took orders from the higher-ups of the Martial Hall, would indeed kill him without hesitation.
After the head of the family was taken away by the Azure Guard, chaos erupted in the Zhang Clan. Zhang Shaoxiong's younger brother, Zhang Shaohai, seized the opportunity to take the position of head of the family.
"The Zhang Clan cannot go a day without a leader. Until my brother returns, I will act as the head of the family!" Sitting on the patriarch's throne, Zhang Shaohai's lips curled into a cold smile. He had waited too long for this day!
"If the ancestor intervenes to save my brother, this position will never truly be mine. Only if he dies will the position of head of the family truly belong to me!"
He summoned his trusted aides and instructed, "Take a few men to Rocksteady Town and capture Luo Xiu's family."
...
Finally, the most anticipated event of the year at the Qingyun City Martial Hall, the Grand Martial Tournament, was about to begin.
Around the martial practice field, near the dueling platforms, nearly all the students of the Martial Hall had gathered. Not far from the platforms, a pavilion had been erected with seats for the high-ranking members of the Martial Hall to watch the tournament.
As time passed, more and more people arrived. In the spectator seats on the pavilion, besides the Elder who guarded the Scripture Pavilion, four other Elders, including Elder Zhuang, were present.
"The Hall Master has arrived!"
With an exclamation from the crowd, everyone looked up to see a figure in purple robes sky-stepping into the pavilion, taking a seat in the central position.
"Aerial flight, skywalking, these are legendary techniques!"
"I've heard that the Master of the Martial Hall's cultivation has long surpassed the Innate level, truly the top expert in Qingyun City!"
Luo Xiu, among the crowd below, was equally shocked by the display of the Martial Hall Master's abilities.
Aerial flight, skywalking—when will I have such power?
"Silence!"
Suddenly, Elder Zhuang Nantian stood up in the pavilion and announced loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived!"
"According to the rules of the Grand Martial Tournament, a knockout competition will be held through a drawing of lots. Those who draw the same number will face off on the platform. There are no restrictions during the duel until one side concedes or falls off the platform."
"While competing, swords and blades have no eyes, but killing is prohibited. Violators will be disqualified from the tournament, expelled from the Martial Hall, and imprisoned for ten years!"
As Elder Zhuang announced the rules, a wooden box was brought onto the dueling platform, and all participating students stepped forward to draw lots one by one.
Luo Xiu reached into the box and pulled out a paper ball. Unfolding it, he saw the number ninety-eight written on it.
There were ten dueling platforms, and those who drew numbers one to ten would be the first to compete.
Winners would advance to the second round.
With over three hundred participants in the tournament, it meant that over a hundred would be eliminated in the first round!
Moreover, no one knew who their opponent would be.
"Now, let the tournament begin!"
With the Elder's announcement, figures leaped onto the dueling platforms.