Redemption of a Born Demon

Chapter 118: The Auditions Begin, Martial Arts Appears and Stirs Controversy (Part 2)

"Yes, we also intend to invite you as a guest judge for the subsequent provincial tournament. Of course, if you find it to be a hassle, then never mind. We’ll defer to your decision."

Mu Huaidong said, his tone extremely respectful.

"It’s not a problem for now,"

Yi Beidou said.

A grand event like this was a rarity, perhaps unprecedented in history. Although he wouldn’t be competing in the ring himself, he could still participate, witness the young prodigies, and observe the various schools’ techniques.

After his visit with Tao Zihong, Yi Beidou had become increasingly willing to embrace the current era.

’Miracles are going to happen in this era.’

"That’s wonderful. We’ll let you know once we’ve finalized the arrangements."

Mu Huaidong hung up, overjoyed.

Soon, nearly another month had passed.

Registration for the Martial Hero Conference had officially closed, and the buzz and public attention it was generating in Donghua grew ever larger.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of the public, the auditions for the first Donghua Martial Hero Conference were set to be held simultaneously across the country tonight.

「North Suburb of Wen City.」

Yi Beidou was preparing to take a car to the venue.

The car was now empty, with only Yang Mutong left by his side.

After all, Meng Qianyuan was Wei Cheng’s disciple, so he had to return to Kyoto to represent his school. Zhou Baiwei also came from a particular lineage and had returned to her sect’s home province to compete.

These were karmic ties, difficult to escape. Yi Beidou, having no sect or school of his own, wasn’t concerned with such matters.

As for Yang Mutong, her family had an older brother who could represent the Yang Family, so she chose to stay by Yi Beidou’s side and compete locally in Wencheng.

As a specially invited committee member, Yi Beidou held a recommendation for a seeded spot, which would have allowed Yang Mutong to skip the auditions and advance directly to the provincial tournament.

However, Yang Mutong chose not to use this spot.

She felt she was too young and lacked sufficient combat experience. She wanted to build a solid foundation, starting from the auditions and moving up one step at a time to gain experience.

Yi Beidou found her reasoning sound and agreed to her request.

As Yi Beidou was heading to the venue by car...

「Meanwhile.」

Wencheng Sports Center, Main Arena.

This main arena could accommodate a full four thousand spectators, making it the largest indoor sports venue in Wencheng. It had hosted numerous sporting events in the past.

Jiang Yiyang and the thirty-five other members of the Dechang University Martial Arts Club had just arrived. They got off the public bus and walked into the plaza in front of the sports center.

"Are all these people here to watch the auditions?" Jiang Yiyang said with some surprise, looking at the crowd waiting in line.

He had assumed that a mere regional audition wouldn’t draw much of a crowd.

"I heard from Senior Brother Pan that this Martial Hero Conference is generating a lot of hype in the right circles. So it’s not just regular people like us here to watch; there are also a lot of people from the martial arts community itself," a tall woman said with a smile, hearing Jiang Yiyang’s question.

She was beautiful and fashionably dressed, with a pair of long, straight, and toned legs. It was a pity the weather was getting cold; had she been wearing hot pants, the visual impact would have been even more stunning.

Shen Jiayue, vice-president of the Dechang University Martial Arts Club.

"Senior Sister Shen, I heard Senior Brother Pan successfully registered. He’s going to be fighting on stage later, right? Which match is he in?"

Another cute-looking girl asked curiously.

"I don’t know either. Apparently, the matchups are decided by a live lottery on the big screen. There’s no telling which match Senior Brother Pan will be in," Shen Jiayue said, shaking her head.

"I heard all the competitors have to sign a ’Life and Death Contract.’ Is that true? Are the fights going to be really bloody?"

A student asked.

"It’s called a liability waiver; they’re standard for this kind of competition. I don’t know if it’s just for show, though. I just hope it’s not like what people are saying online, with a bunch of so-called ’masters’ just swinging Turtle Fists around on stage," a girl whispered.

"I doubt it. Too many insiders from the community are here. We’ll probably get to see some real skills. Anyway, we’ll find out what it’s really like once we get our tickets checked and go inside."

Shen Jiayue led the group to get in line for the ticket check.

Security at the entrance was quite strict. Attendees had to present their personal IDs for facial recognition, and no minors were allowed inside the venue.

About half an hour later, the group from Dechang University finished the check-in process and entered the arena.

The entire venue resembled a basketball arena, with competitor tunnels on either side. However, the central floor was completely enclosed by a steel cage.

The fighting stage wasn’t small like a boxing ring; it was at least the size of a full basketball court.

At first glance, it looked something like an ancient Roman gladiatorial arena, only with a massive, high-definition, multi-angle screen hanging above it to broadcast the action for spectators seated further away.

This design was to allow the combatants to fully display their abilities. Restricted by a smaller space, many techniques would be impossible to execute.

’The arena is this big?’

Everyone was slightly surprised as they began to realize that this Martial Hero Conference was different.

Judging by the venue’s setup, they could tell this competition most likely wasn’t going to be one of those phony, so-called "Martial Arts" tournaments they had seen before.

Otherwise, throwing up a small, simple stage would have been the obvious choice. There would be no need for such an elaborate setup.

A sense of anticipation began to build within them.

The other people in the arena were also whispering amongst themselves, their voices filled with excitement and anticipation.

The start time was fast approaching. The four-thousand-seat arena was at least eighty percent full, a clear sign of its immense popularity.

The host and referee entered the arena, and the three judges took their seats.

The referee was a tall, middle-aged man with a naturally imposing expression. He was a Martial Artist from a local Wencheng school.

Of the three judges, one was quite young, while the other two appeared to be much older.

But strangely, the two elderly men respectfully ushered the young man to the chief judge’s seat.

Furthermore, trailing behind the young man was a strikingly conspicuous girl with an exceptional air about her and flawless looks.

It was Yang Mutong.

She had decided to fight her way up from the auditions, and she had a match tonight. However, the fight order was determined by a random computer draw, so there was no telling when her turn would be.

In the meantime, by staying at Yi Beidou’s side, she could get a clearer view of the matches—a small perk of her connection, one might say.

After all, anyone who passed the registration and was officially selected had some foundation in the Martial Arts Dao. Perhaps she could learn a thing or two.

"Those three must be the judges, right? Who’s the one in the chief seat? He’s so young! The other two judges look like they should have much higher seniority, so why are they so respectful to him?"

"Exactly! Doesn’t the Martial Arts Realm prioritize lineage and seniority above all else? That young man must have an extraordinary background."

"Damn, did you guys see the girl behind him? She’s gorgeous! Better looking than a lot of A-list celebrities!"

"That young man probably has connections with the organizers, right? He’s so young, he can’t possibly be a senior figure in the Martial Arts Realm, can he? Sitting in the chief judge’s seat? This reeks of corruption, doesn’t it?"

"..."

The ordinary citizens in the crowd who were out of the loop were quite baffled by this scene.

It wasn’t just the regular citizens, either. Many people in the audience were from the martial arts community, and they were even more bewildered.

These insiders recognized the other two judges. One was the Sect Leader of a local Wencheng school, a veteran master whose Martial Arts Dao had reached the Soul Capturing Realm. The other man’s status was even more exalted—he was Wu Xianjue, the Sect Leader of the Five Flames Refining Truth Sect, a true Soul Stealing expert.

’The Five Flames Refining Truth Sect is one of the top sects in all of Han Province, with countless businesses and a web of intricate connections. Wu Xianjue himself is an extremely powerful figure. What kind of young man could command such deference from him?’

However, no one was there to clear up their confusion. Once the judges were seated, the host began an impassioned opening speech.

The introductions for the referee and the two senior Martial Artists were quite detailed. But when it came to Yi Beidou, he was glossed over with a simple, "Mr. Yi," which only served to stoke the crowd’s curiosity about the young man’s identity.

However, that curiosity was quickly pushed to the back of their minds.

After finishing his speech and explaining the rules, the host announced the official start of the first round of the Wencheng auditions and moved on to the lottery draw for the first match.

Amidst a roar of enthusiastic cheers from the crowd, two names began to scroll within the red and blue sections of the massive screen hanging overhead.

DING!!

With a sudden chime, the scrolling names on the big screen came to a halt.

The name displayed in the blue corner was "Pan Hexuan."

The name displayed in the red corner was "Yang Mutong."