Into the Finals!

Before long, the Outer City Martial Arts Competition's Group Stage began. There were ten groups in total, and only the top three from each group could advance to the Knockout Stage.

The Knockout Stage would determine the top ten, who would then proceed to the Finals.

Li Changsheng was assigned to the seventh group, while Sixth Senior Brother Bai Dongdong was assigned to the fifth.

Not long after, Li Changsheng's first match began.

On the arena platform.

Li Changsheng leaped up. His opponent was a Bone Refining Realm martial artist, though it was not easy to tell exactly which minor realm he was in.

As the referee announced the start, the martial artist's blood and qi surged through his legs, allowing Li Changsheng to see through his cultivation realm.

Initial Bronze Bone!

This martial artist was from the Iron Leg Gang. He had undoubtedly cultivated the Iron Leg Gang's Top-tier Mid-grade Bone Refining Martial Art—Great Strength Vajra Leg. All his skill lay in those two legs.

Li Changsheng and the martial artist moved at the same time, charging toward each other. Then they both delivered a fierce kick, their right legs colliding head-on.

Li Changsheng used Vajra Leg. He had not put much force into the clash, yet when the Iron Leg Gang martial artist's right leg struck his, it felt as though an ordinary person had kicked a steel pillar. The bones in his right leg cracked, and a wave of searing pain struck him.

Immediately afterward, Li Changsheng threw a punch and sent him flying off the platform.

The Iron Leg Gang martial artist fell beneath the arena, clutching his leg with both hands and screaming. He was then carried away by members of the Iron Leg Gang for treatment.

After a while, Li Changsheng's second match began. He easily defeated his opponent as well.

As match after match continued, Li Changsheng maintained a perfect record. It was not until dusk that the day's matches were about to end.

Li Changsheng still had one final match that day. His opponent was a Tendon Refining Realm martial artist who had only recently broken through to Iron Tendon.

This Tendon Refining Realm martial artist was Sun Xiong, the third disciple of the Hall Master of the Outer City's Frenzied Bear Martial Arts Academy. He stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, his body covered in violent, bulging muscles, and looked immensely imposing.

Sun Xiong cultivated the Frenzied Bear Martial Arts Academy's Top-tier Mid-grade Tendon Refining Martial Art—Frenzied Bear Tendon Refining Hand. After polishing his skin, refining his bones, and refining his tendons, his pair of great hands had become tougher than Eighth-grade Weapons.

"Kid, lose already!"

Sun Xiong activated the Skin Polishing Martial Art Bronze Bear Body. A bronze gleam spread across his skin as he strode forward in great steps, activating Frenzied Bear Tendon Refining Hand and slapping toward Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng used only Azure Steel Bone Refining Fist to face him, repeatedly striking the weak points on his body.

Sun Xiong had not taken the path of polishing skin, refining bones, and refining tendons across his entire body. Most of his effort had gone into his hands, leaving the rest of his body poorly defended.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Li Changsheng's fists collided with Sun Xiong's hands, producing the sound of metal striking metal.

Abruptly, Li Changsheng found an opening in Sun Xiong's defense. A Vajra Leg kick struck his shin, directly cracking the bone.

As Sun Xiong reeled from the pain, Li Changsheng caught another opening and drove a punch into his abdomen, blasting him away.

"I concede!"

Sun Xiong hurriedly shouted.

He had not expected Li Changsheng to be so formidable. Both his hands and fists had been tempered to the Bronze Bone Realm, and he had cultivated several martial arts. Sun Xiong was no match for him.

If he continued fighting Li Changsheng, he feared he would be beaten to death!

And so, Li Changsheng advanced to the next day's Knockout Stage as the first-place contestant in his group.

After the competition ended, Xu He took Li Changsheng and Bai Dongdong back to the Martial Arts Hall.

On the way.

Bai Dongdong said, "Junior Brother Li, you're truly incredible. You actually defeated a Tendon Refining Realm martial artist! With your strength, you might very well break into the top ten!"

"Sixth Senior Brother has a chance too," Li Changsheng said.

Bai Dongdong shook his head. "Forget it. I know my own strength. This time, I merely got lucky and entered the second-round Knockout Stage as third in my group. I definitely won't make it into the Finals."

Xu He said, "Changsheng, stay in the Martial Arts Hall for the next few days. Don't go out. The Inner City slots are extremely important to many small factions. They may try to assassinate you."

"Yes, Master."

Though Li Changsheng was not afraid of attacks from those factions, he did not want to invite trouble. For the time being, he stayed at the Martial Arts Hall.

The next morning.

Xu He once again brought Li Changsheng and Bai Dongdong to participate in that day's Knockout Stage. There were only thirty competitors today, with ten advancing to the Finals. In today's Knockout Stage, one loss meant elimination.

Of course, the first-place contestants of each group would face the third-place contestants from other groups, while the second-place contestants would face one another.

That meant after the first round of the Knockout Stage, only fifteen people would remain. Afterward, three more matches would be held, and the ten contestants with the best records would advance to the Finals. If the tenth and eleventh places had identical records, they would need to fight an additional match.

It could be said that the Knockout Stage was brutal and required a certain amount of luck.

Before long, Li Changsheng's first Knockout Stage match began. His opponent was the third-place contestant from the third group, a Great Accomplishment Bronze Bone martial artist. Li Changsheng exchanged a few moves with him before defeating him.

Soon afterward, everyone else's matches ended one after another. Sixth Senior Brother was also eliminated. His opponent was a Tendon Refining Realm martial artist, and he could not even withstand one move before being defeated.

After resting for half an hour, Li Changsheng's second match began. His opponent was a Bronze Bone Realm Perfection martial artist, the second-place contestant from the first group, who had just defeated the second-place contestant from another group.

Li Changsheng defeated him with ease as well.

After that, Li Changsheng went through two more matches and defeated two Tendon Refining Realm martial artists. However, he made it appear as though he struggled greatly, successfully advancing to the Finals.

In other words, he was guaranteed to receive at least one High-grade Bone Refining Martial Art.

However, Li Changsheng's goal was first place. Winning first place as a Bone Refining Realm martial artist would undoubtedly shock many people, but first place came with two High-grade Bone Refining Martial Arts and one High-grade Tendon Refining Martial Art. These were martial arts he badly needed, so he could not give them up.

Besides, winning first place would not require him to reveal much of his strength. Revealing only a small portion would be enough.

Within the Inner City, there were plenty of Bone Refining Realm martial artists capable of defeating ordinary Tendon Refining Realm martial artists. It would not be enough to draw the attention of the Inner City's great figures.

The third day.

The Finals began. Li Changsheng did not draw the attention of the Outer City's other factions, because the strength he had displayed so far placed him only around fifth or sixth. The strongest contestant was Rage Cudgel Martial Arts Academy's genius disciple—Gao Shuangyu. At Initial Bronze Tendon, his strength utterly crushed the other Tendon Refining Realm martial artists.

Before long, the Finals began. Li Changsheng's first opponent was none other than Sun Xiong of the Frenzied Bear Martial Arts Academy. He had actually fought his way into the top ten as well.

Upon encountering Li Changsheng again, Sun Xiong could only cry out at his terrible luck. The Finals were not a matter of everyone fighting one match each. Winning this match would put one in the top five; winning another would mean the top three; winning yet another would secure a place in the top two.

But after encountering Li Changsheng, Sun Xiong knew he was no match for him.

"I concede!"

Sun Xiong conceded without hesitation. If he were beaten severely, he would not be able to recover so quickly, and he would end up in tenth place. The rewards for each rank differed somewhat, mainly in the amount of silver. Naturally, he did not want to fall to tenth place. Knowing full well that he could not defeat Li Changsheng, he naturally would not continue fighting.

And so, Li Changsheng entered the top five with ease.