Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 117: The Auditions Begin, Martial Arts’ Appearance Sparks Controversy (Part 1)

「Half a month later. Wencheng.」

After their trip to the Purple Cloud Research Institute, Yi Beidou and his group returned to their villa in Wencheng to continue a life of quiet Cultivation.

The trip to Kyoto had greatly broadened his horizons and left him with many new thoughts.

The times were changing, and so were the Martial Arts Dao and Cultivation.

Meanwhile, another major event was proceeding with great fanfare.

Over the past half-month, the organizing committee for the first Donghua Martial Hero Conference was officially established. Wei Cheng had even arranged a special committee member position for Yi Beidou.

Promotions for the Martial Hero Conference gradually rolled out. The news first spread rapidly throughout the martial arts community, creating a huge buzz. All sects and schools, including some unaffiliated Martial Artists, received the announcement.

Inevitably, the news also began to spread online.

"Is this for real? The most authentic Martial Arts showdowns? Real no-holds-barred duels? A clash between traditional Martial Arts and Cultivation? They’re hyping it up so much. Is this a competition Donghua can actually pull off? It’s not gonna be a bunch of ’masters’ throwing Turtle Fists on stage, is it?"

"I think it’s very possible. It looks like there won’t be any TV or online live streams. You can only buy tickets to watch it in person. And from the info released so far, the tickets don’t seem cheap. Feels like another cash grab."

"I feel like this might be the real deal. I heard it has official backing. Did you guys forget that video that went viral a while back? Normally, would a video like that get so much traction? It’s obvious they’re prepping us, gradually revealing certain things. I’m telling you, I bet Cultivators will show up at this Martial Hero Conference. Believe it or not."

"Bro, I only get paid twenty-five cents per post. Can you tell me where to get a gig like yours?"

"Believe what you want. Anyway, I’m going to watch, starting from the open qualifiers."

"..."

Online, the Martial Hero Conference had already generated a fair amount of discussion and buzz.

Of course, this was partly due to subtle guidance from the authorities, as well as the heated debate and attention sparked by the online videos of Yi Beidou and the others fighting in Dragon Tiger Town.

More and more people were becoming aware of the Martial Hero Conference’s existence, and an increasing number were following its developments.

「Wencheng. Dechang University.」

Dormitory 13, Room 606.

Jiang Yiyang sat up in bed, his eyes heavy with sleep. A glance at the time showed it was already 9:30.

’Crap! I missed my 8 a.m. class!’

Jiang Yiyang was instantly wide awake.

Dechang University was one of Donghua’s top ten universities and was relatively strict. If you were caught skipping class, the consequences were quite severe.

He shot up from his bed, only to see his three other roommates sleeping soundly. Then he remembered it was the weekend.

’Damn it, there are no 8 a.m. classes on the weekend.’

He couldn’t help but slap his forehead. He tried to lie back down but was too awake to sleep, so he just grabbed his phone to scroll through some messages.

As it turned out, a group chat named "Dechang University Martial Arts Club" already had 99+ unread messages.

Jiang Yiyang had joined the Martial Arts Club as a freshman. Of course, it wasn’t because he knew any Martial Arts; he wasn’t particularly interested in it at first. The main reason was that the long, firm, pale legs of the senior girls at the recruitment booth were just too eye-catching.

But after he joined the club, he found quite a few other girls there, who, like him, all seemed to have been drawn in by the tall, masculine, and handsome senior guys at recruitment.

This motivated him to participate enthusiastically in club activities, hoping to show off and find himself a sweet college romance. He never found a girlfriend, but he did find himself growing more and more fond of practicing his kicks and punches.

Now, he could be considered a mid-level member within the Martial Arts Club.

A while ago, that highly controversial "Superman" video had gone viral online, sparking intense debate within the Dechang University Martial Arts Club as well.

At the time, everyone in the group chat was discussing it, debating the video’s authenticity and trying to find evidence from all angles.

And when the news of the Martial Hero Conference spread, the club members had all been closely following its progress.

"The official website for the Martial Hero Conference is now live. Anyone interested can go check it out. The registration system is open. I took a look, and the first round is the open qualifiers. There’s a qualifying zone right here in Wencheng."

Someone posted the message in the group, sparking a heated discussion.

Jiang Yiyang knew the person who sent the message well: Shen Jiayue, the vice president of the Martial Arts Club, hailed as the owner of the number one pair of "beautiful legs" out of the club’s top four. She was the one who had lured him into the Martial Arts Club in the first place.

The Martial Arts Club president, Pan Hexuan, was a fourth-year senior and didn’t show up often anymore. His whereabouts were unpredictable, so the vice presidents handled most of the club’s affairs.

’The official website for the Martial Hero Conference is live?’

Jiang Yiyang was suddenly wide awake. He rolled out of bed, opened his laptop, and typed in the URL posted in the group chat.

He was immediately redirected to a website, where he was greeted by an exquisite splash animation.

It was in an ink wash painting style. Two figures, one black and one white, both clad in Martial Arts Uniforms, were sparring. As their silhouettes crossed, they gradually morphed into a flowing Taiji symbol. The Yin and Yang pattern then split apart, revealing the website’s homepage.

Putting aside everything else, the splash animation alone was breathtaking.

On the homepage, the words "Martial Hero Conference" were written in calligraphy. The brushstrokes were like sword strokes, exuding a sharp, piercing intensity that no ordinary person could have written.

The entire website was designed in a classical ink wash style—grand and elegant, with a clean and tidy layout, though it didn’t have much content yet.

Seeing the website’s design, Jiang Yiyang couldn’t help but feel that this so-called Martial Hero Conference wasn’t just for show; they had clearly put a lot of effort into it.

He opened a relevant forum to browse the comments and, as expected, the launch of the Martial Hero Conference’s official site had caused a stir.

"This website looks really well-made, huh? I have a feeling there might be something to this."

"How are they supposed to run a cash grab without a good-looking storefront?"

"I’m definitely going to check it out, anyway. Who knows, it might open the door to a whole new world."

"..."

Jiang Yiyang found himself looking forward to the Martial Hero Conference. Since the open qualifiers were being held in Wencheng anyway, he could buy a ticket and go watch.

Just then, a new message popped up in the group.

"Oh, and good news, everyone. Senior Brother Pan has already registered to compete. We don’t know if he’ll pass the official review yet, but he said he’ll give every member of our Martial Arts Club a ticket. Consider it a club teambuilding event."

"Long live Senior Brother!"

"Thank you, boss!"

"..."

Seeing such a great offer, the group chat instantly exploded. All sorts of "Thank you, boss!" sticker memes flooded the screen.

They hadn’t even graduated yet, but they already had the air of wage slaves.

Jiang Yiyang was grinning from ear to ear.

This Senior Brother Pan Hexuan was quite a legendary figure at Dechang University. He was extremely popular in the Martial Arts Club, and many of the girls had joined specifically because of him.

According to rumor, he practiced his family’s hereditary Martial Arts. Once, a club from another university came to challenge them under the guise of a friendly spar and ended up injuring two of the vice presidents. It was Senior Brother Pan who stepped up and, with one slap each, knocked all five of the burly guys to the ground.

At the time, he was only a freshman. He became famous overnight from that single fight and later became the president of the Martial Arts Club.

Jiang Yiyang had sparred with this senior brother once and was taken down in an instant, leaving him completely dazed. He had also seen him lift a male student in each hand as if they were nothing and had watched him demonstrate breaking red bricks with his palm.

And those were real, solid red bricks, not the prop bricks you see online that shatter at the slightest touch. He’d tried breaking one himself and nearly had to go to the hospital to get his hand bandaged.

And the most infuriating part was that the guy was also a rich heir. He was generous with his money and had a humble personality, which meant the Martial Arts Club had amazing perks. This was one of the reasons the Dechang University Martial Arts Club was so popular.

’Praise the Senior Brother.’

Jiang Yiyang couldn’t help but be filled with anticipation for the upcoming open qualifiers of the Martial Hero Conference.

Meanwhile, Yi Beidou also received a message from the organizing committee.

"Inviting me to be a guest judge for the Wencheng open qualifiers?"

Yi Beidou had received a call from Mu Huaidong, the Sect Leader of Cyan Wood Heart Intent.

This man was now the head of the Han Province branch of the organizing committee for the first Martial Hero Conference.