Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 110: Resolution Finalized, News of the Grand Event Causes a Great Shock

"Just name a time. I can leave whenever you’re ready."

Yi Beidou said. He had been engrossed in his Cultivation in Wencheng for over a month now, rarely setting foot outside. It was practically a secluded retreat.

As the saying goes, a long period of stillness stirs the desire for motion. Now that Tao Zihong had extended a sudden invitation, he felt a whim—a serendipitous impulse. He didn’t mind traveling a thousand miles to meet a friend.

"I have to attend the High-level Conference, so I’ve been quite busy with worldly matters lately. How about this: I hope you can grace me with your presence after the conference concludes."

Tao Zihong said with a smile.

He was no carefree wanderer like Yi Beidou. As the Maoshan Celestial Master, representing one of the three great mountains of the Donghua Daoist Sect, and with the heritage of his sect behind him, certain worldly matters were unavoidable. He had to participate in the entire High-level Conference.

The conference had only just begun. With the Martial Hero Conference being of such great importance, it would take some time to truly iron out the specifics, balance the interests of all parties, and finalize the details of this grand event.

"Contact me then."

Yi Beidou said.

"By the way, I’ll likely have a few fellow Daoists visiting me then as well. Would you mind if you all met?"

Tao Zihong inquired.

"If they’re fellow Daoists, I don’t mind at all."

Yi Beidou replied. ’To be called a ’fellow Daoist’ by Tao Zihong, they must also be Saints. With the High-level Conference being held in Kyoto, many esteemed masters from the country’s renowned sects are gathered there. The people Tao Zihong is talking about are probably among them.’

As long as he didn’t get entangled in worldly affairs, Yi Beidou was actually interested in meeting the experts from the various sects.

"Excellent. I’ll contact you again once things are wrapped up here."

Tao Zihong said before hanging up.

「Kyoto.」

The High-level Conference was underway.

Inside a conference hall, representatives from over twenty of Donghua Country’s most renowned sects and independent cultivators were gathered, seated around a massive circular table to exchange their views.

Among them were Saint Experts, but also those who were not yet Saints—simply highly respected masters within their sects.

Many of the Saints had personalities similar to Yi Beidou’s. They were free-spirited wanderers, leaving the worldly affairs of their sects to others and rarely making public appearances.

Although all the attending masters supported the Martial Hero Conference, they had numerous concerns when it came to the details.

After all, it was easy to imagine that once the Martial Hero Conference began and its results were made public, it would have an enormous impact on the reputation of every sect.

In the past, the Cultivation Realm had remained hidden from the public eye. Now, it was being brought into the spotlight. This was both an opportunity and a challenge, and every sect was proceeding with extreme caution.

A series of practical issues—the selection process, the criteria for determining victory, the age limit for contestants, the intensity of the matches, and the prizes—were all being debated at length. They could only be finalized after seeking input from all sides.

In the past, a High-level Conference might last a day or two. This one, however, went on for a full seven days.

The specific details of this "Martial Hero Conference" were officially finalized.

This Martial Hero Conference would be held in the form of arena battles with no weight classes. Aside from a ban on weapons, there would be no restrictions on techniques or target areas, and no traditional point system.

Victory would be determined by one of three conditions.

One contestant loses the ability to fight, and the other is declared the winner.

One contestant voluntarily concedes, and the other is declared the winner.

Furthermore, to prevent contestants from getting caught up in the heat of the moment and ending up in a deathmatch where both sides suffer grievous injuries, each match would have one referee and three judges, all of whom would be veteran masters of the Martial Arts Dao.

If two contestants become locked in a deadly stalemate, the referee will intervene to stop the duel and declare a winner. If more than two of the three judges concur with the referee’s decision, that ruling becomes the final result of the match.

This was the third method for determining a winner.

The age of the contestants would be limited to forty-five and under. A three-tiered tournament system would be used to progressively select and eliminate fighters until a final champion was chosen.

These three stages were the "Qualifiers," the "Provincials," and the final "Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion."

The Qualifiers would be held at the city level. Contestants could register voluntarily and would be matched by a random draw. The top three from each city would advance to the Provincials.

To prevent powerful Martial Artists from major sects from being eliminated early due to an unlucky draw in the Qualifiers, influential large-scale sects and high-level independent cultivators would be given a certain number of slots to recommend "seeded contestants."

These seeded contestants would skip the Qualifiers and advance directly to the Provincials.

The top three from each Provincial tournament would then advance to the next and final round: the national competition, the "Hundred Heroes Martial Arts Discussion."

These one hundred or so Martial Artists would all gather in a single city for the final duels.

The entire tournament was projected to last at least two to three months, perhaps even longer. One could only imagine the level of public excitement the final tournament would generate as the Martial Hero Conference gradually captured the attention of the common people.

With the will of the masses converging, and propelled by the tide of this new era, new stars were bound to light up the Sky.

As for rewards like money, they seemed utterly insignificant in comparison.

If one could achieve Body Ascension, how could that be measured in mere coin?

「Meanwhile.」

After the High-level Conference concluded, Yi Beidou received a message from Wei Cheng detailing the finalized rules and decisions for the Martial Hero Conference.

"The Martial Hero Conference..."

He murmured to himself, a glint in his eyes. It was as if he could see the Great Trend rolling across the Sky, pushing all of humanity forward.

’If this model succeeds,’ he thought, ’and it’s held annually or every few years, a Martial Arts Dao fervor will sweep across all of Donghua. The higher-ups are determined. They’re dead set on cultivating more Saint Experts.’

"You all want to compete?"

Yi Beidou looked at Meng Qianyuan, Zhou Baiwei, and Yang Mutong, who were gathered around him.

At that moment, all three of them had an excited glint in their eyes. Hearing the news made them feel as if the very blood in their veins was boiling.

In the past, the Cultivation Realm was unknown to the public. For the sake of social stability, people with such immense power in a single punch or kick could not be allowed into the open.

But now, as times changed, so too did attitudes.

As Martial Artists who met all the criteria, how could they not want to take part in such a momentous event?

"We want to compete. We ask for your blessing, Sir."

The three of them nodded, their eyes filled with determination.

"What’s this about blessings? Would I ever stop you from pursuing your Dao? I’ve told you before: you are free to come and go as you please while you’re with me. Don’t feel constrained. If you want to do something, then just go and do it."

Yi Beidou said with a smile.

To be honest, if he hadn’t already achieved Ascension, making it meaningless for him to compete against the younger generation, he probably wouldn’t have missed such a grand event himself.

Meanwhile, as soon as the High-level Conference ended, the news spread like wildfire throughout the Donghua Martial Arts Dao community, creating enormous waves. Martial Artists everywhere were discussing it.

The moment they heard the news, many Martial Artists were already determined to participate in this grand event, waiting only for the official registration channels to be announced.

As news of the Martial Hero Conference continued to spread, Yi Beidou had already boarded a high-speed train, traveled a thousand miles for his appointment, and arrived in Kyoto.