"Huff."
Lu PingAn took a deep breath. His blood and qi boiled through his body; he had grown increasingly familiar with this kind of slaughter.
The rules had indeed changed.
A normal Martial Arts Festival was essentially a standard elimination tournament. In truth, that was the only viable option. In a points-based tournament, the loser of a match would likely be seriously injured and unable to continue through successive eliminations.
Unless they could be healed or revived on the spot, martial combat was destined to be a one-time affair—a contest that wagered everything, including one's life. It also suited the Martial God's "rules."
Unlucky enough to meet a strong opponent and get eliminated early? According to the Martial God, luck had always been a part of strength.
Each festival had only one victor, one champion. Yet along the way, many "rankings" would still emerge. For many factions, those were already sufficiently convincing proof of strength.
But now that things had developed to this point, things were slightly different...
"After several rounds of elimination, none of the remaining sixteen contestants are weak! The next round is both a selection and a final battle. I call it... the Blood Feud War!"
"Every Professional, along their journey, has trampled over others' lives for profit or friendship—or been trampled by others. This is routine. This is our life."
"Law? Morality? This has nothing to do with good or evil. Cruel reality has always been this way. The advancement of Professionals is destined to require nourishment from others. If someone must survive, if someone must gain the chance to go further, why can't it be the better, stronger me?"
"Killing is the most helpless, yet most direct method. Everyone bears much Karma. But Karma must eventually end. Today, settle all that Karma at once. The