Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 486: Battle Against the 7th Layer of the Martial King Realm

"Young Master, I’ll wait for you in the finals. Don’t you dare disappoint me," Xiao Xiao teased Ye Qingchen, her earlier disappointment swept away. She knew Ye Qingchen was competing to secure one of the top twenty places, which would grant him entry into the ten great Ancient Clans. If they faced each other too early, one of them would inevitably be eliminated, and being knocked out in the preliminaries was unacceptable for either of them.

Just then, Xue Zhao and Zi Xing finished drawing their lots and walked over when they saw Ye Qingchen.

"Big Brother, what number did you draw?" Xue Zhao asked affectionately, as if deliberately provoking Xiao Xiao. Indeed, Xiao Xiao was seething at her overly familiar tone.

Ye Qingchen showed them his numbered ball. Xue Zhao glanced at it and said, "Group D, number twenty-eight? I drew into Group A. But I got number ninety-nine, so I have a bye in the first round."

Zi Xing also spoke up. "I’m in Group I, number eighty-six. I have a bye as well."

The two girls’ words made the corner of Ye Qingchen’s mouth twitch. All three of them had byes in the first round, while he had to suffer through an extra match.

Is this tournament discriminating based on gender? How else could all three beauties get a bye? It seems my luck has taken a nosedive recently. Maybe I was contaminated by Elder Yang’s bad fortune.

He sighed.

「Meanwhile, far away at the Divine Wood Academy, Elder Yang sneezed violently before turning over to continue his sleep.」

The poor Elder Yang had no idea his disciple was even participating in something called the Sect Newcomer Tournament.

Still, the four of them being assigned to different groups meant they wouldn’t face each other before the finals, which could be considered a kind of fate.

Soon, the entire lottery process concluded. Under the host’s direction, the five hundred competitors were assigned to their respective arenas based on their drawn numbers, and the first round of matches began. Because they had byes, Xiao Xiao, Xue Zhao, and Zi Xing all gathered in front of Ye Qingchen’s arena to watch his match.

With the three beauties gathered there, the Group D arenas became the center of attention. This spurred the competitors in that group to fight as if they had been given a shot of adrenaline, each one eager to violently blast their opponent off the stage. After all, this was a great chance to show off in front of three gorgeous women. If they performed well, they might leave a lasting impression that could lead to a romantic encounter—a truly wonderful prospect.

What these hopefuls didn’t know, however, was that the three beauties were only subtly competing with each other. Their gazes never left Ye Qingchen, and they didn’t spare the contestants who were so eager to perform so much as a single glance.

Ye Qingchen couldn’t help but shake his head. The world is never short of lechers. The three of them mean well by watching my match, but they’ve inadvertently made things much more difficult for me.

Soon it was Ye Qingchen’s turn to enter the arena. His opponent was a young disciple at the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm from a seven-star sect in the Eastern Region. He had initially lamented not getting a bye in the first round, but when he saw that his opponent was Ye Qingchen, he felt his luck was simply incredible. After all, Ye Qingchen was merely at the Third Layer of the Martial King Realm. No matter how he looked at it, victory was certain.

As Ye Qingchen stepped onto the stage, the audience below buzzed with conversation again, their words laced with disdain and mockery.

"Look, that Third Layer Martial King is getting on stage."

"He actually has the nerve to compete. I bet he won’t last ten rounds before he’s knocked off."

"Ten rounds? You’re overestimating him. His opponent is a Seventh Layer Martial King. I bet he can’t even withstand a single move."

"HAHAHA, you’re right! I think he’s going to be taken out in one shot, too."

"Honestly, with strength like that, who gave him the courage to compete?!"

At this moment, aside from the three beauties, Ye Qingchen was the most-watched contestant, and all this attention was purely for the spectacle of watching him make a fool of himself.

Hearing the crowd’s mockery, Xiao Xiao was indignant. But faced with such overwhelming scorn, her single voice was quickly drowned out.

Xue Zhao, however, just smiled and shook her head. "Little Sister Xiao Xiao, there’s no need to rush to your young master’s defense. I believe Big Brother will use his own strength to make them all eat their words soon enough."

Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement, but she quickly caught on and said irritably, "Who’s your little sister? And stop calling my young master ’Big Brother.’ He already has a fiancée."

Xue Zhao was unbothered. She looked at Xiao Xiao with amusement and said, "So what? That hasn’t stopped you from liking him, has it? Or are you the only one allowed to?"

Xue Zhao’s words made Xiao Xiao’s face flush bright red. Like a child whose secret had been exposed, she shyly turned her head away and refused to argue further.

Witnessing this scene, Zi Xing simply shook her head helplessly. Those two had been at each other’s throats from the very beginning, neither willing to give an inch. However, Xiao Xiao’s mention of Ye Qingchen having a fiancée had surprised her.

On the arena stage, Ye Qingchen sighed with relief when he saw he was facing a cultivator at the Seventh Layer of the Martial King Realm. He had fought Wu Zhengyang of the Divine Sword Sect before. Wu Zhengyang was at the Eighth Layer of the Martial King Realm, yet he had still been no match for him. Since his current opponent was from a seven-star sect, his strength would be comparable to Wu Zhengyang’s at best. But Ye Qingchen wouldn’t let his guard down; disciples from these major sects couldn’t be judged by common sense.

His opponent, however, had a haughty air as he looked down on Ye Qingchen. "Kid, your luck is terrible, running into me in the first round," he said with disdain. "Your hard-earned chance to compete is about to end right here. Feeling bitter about it?"

Ye Qingchen shook his head in resignation. Another one who likes to run his mouth.

In his opponent’s eyes, however, Ye Qingchen’s reaction was a sign of fear. The Seventh Layer Martial King grew even more arrogant. "A gap in strength isn’t something luck can overcome," he sneered. "If I were you, I’d surrender now and save yourself a beating!"