One Encounter

After Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie met up, they headed towards the competition venue. Wang Lie excitedly said, "A'wen, you must get a good ranking this time!"

Wang Lie wasn't participating this time. To reach the top hundred, one needed to be at least at the late stage of Houtian Fourth Stage. He had only just broken through and didn't think he stood much of a chance. Moreover, he had never been focused on such matters.

"En!" Ye Xiwen nodded.

"But you have to be careful. I heard that Ma Ying plans to deal with you!" Wang Lie said seriously. "Ma Ying boasted that he would cripple you to avenge his brother!"

"Cripple me? Hmph, let's see if he has the ability!" Ye Xiwen said with a cold laugh.

The venue was a sea of people. Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie arrived and first drew their respective numbers. Number 127. There were two identical numbers, and whoever drew the same number as you would be your opponent in the first round. As the appointed time arrived, the higher-ups of the Yi Yuan Sect appeared, stepping through the air and flying onto the high platform.

A flicker of envy flashed in the eyes of all the disciples. While this "stepping through the air" wasn't actual flight, it was something beyond the capabilities of those below the Houtian stage.

Everyone held their breath, eager to perform their best. These were the high-ranking members of the Yi Yuan Sect, its true pillars and support. With them alone, the Yi Yuan Sect was already the most powerful force near Green Peak Mountain, on par with the Zhang Family. If they performed well, they might be taken in as disciples by an Elder, which would truly be a meteoric rise. This wasn't unheard of in the past!

Among those people, Ye Xiwen saw his father, Ye Kongming, who didn't stand out amongst the group of Elders.

The entire venue occupied a vast area and housed two hundred arenas for the martial arts competitions.

Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie arrived at Arena Number 127.

"You must be the other person for Number 127," Ye Xiwen said as he walked over, only to see a burly disciple approach, laughing heartily. "You're really unlucky to have encountered Senior Brother Shi Feng. You should just surrender directly!"

"Senior Brother Shi Feng is a master at the late stage of Houtian Fifth Stage. He has a very good chance of competing for the top fifty spots!" the burly disciple continued. "If you don't surrender quickly, it's hard to say if you'll lose any parts!"

Wang Lie's expression also changed. "I didn't expect it to be Shi Feng!"

"A'wen, this is bad. Your first opponent is Shi Feng. This Shi Feng is extremely ruthless. In the Sect Internal Competition three years ago, several disciples who surrendered a bit too late had their bones broken by him. It took them over half a year to recover!"

"How domineering!" Ye Xiwen said.

"Domineering? Hahaha, it's been a long time since someone called me domineering!" Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from the arena. "You're very unlucky. Someone wants me to cripple your legs!"

Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie looked up and saw a youth as tall as an iron tower, looking at Ye Xiwen with a sinister grin.

It should be Shi Feng.

"Kid, aren't you afraid to come up?" Shi Feng grinned sinisterly. "As long as you kowtow a hundred times, I'll let you go!"

"Just you?" Ye Xiwen sneered and leaped up. "Since you've taken someone's money to cripple my legs, I'll make you suffer the consequences!"

"Good kid, you actually dare to come up! One move, I'll cripple you in one move!" Shi Feng laughed heartily.

"The 127th match of the Sect Internal Competition, begin!" The referee on the side, seeing both of them on the stage, spoke up. He ignored their previous conversation as if he hadn't heard anything.

As soon as the words fell, Shi Feng shot out like a cannonball. Despite his tall stature, his speed was incredibly fast as he charged towards Ye Xiwen.

Although this person was arrogant, his strength was real. While his movement technique wasn't advanced, his explosiveness was extremely strong, and in the blink of an eye, he had reached Ye Xiwen.

Shi Feng grinned and opened his large hand, intending to twist Ye Xiwen's head off.

"Elder Ye, the person in Arena Number 127 is your youngest son, isn't he?" an Elder sitting near Ye Kongming in the Elder's section said.

"Indeed, my son!" Ye Kongming nodded with a smile.

"I remember Elder Ye bringing him back over a decade ago. I must have seen him once. I didn't expect that in the blink of an eye, over ten years have passed, and he's already grown so big!" the Elder said with emotion.

"His opponent is not easy to deal with!" the Elder said, staring intently at the arena. "He has natural divine strength, making him more difficult to handle than ordinary people!"

"It's fine, I'm just letting him experience it," Ye Kongming said with a slight smile, appearing unconcerned. However, his gaze was fixed on the arena, with a hint of worry.

"Bang!" Ye Xiwen thrust out a palm, fiercely meeting Shi Feng's large hand. The collision of their Zhenqi directly produced a loud explosion of energy.

Ye Xiwen remained unmoved. Shi Feng possessed natural divine strength. Although he was only at the late stage of Houtian Fifth Stage, his raw power definitely exceeded that of six oxen, comparable to an ordinary Houtian Sixth Stage martial artist, but he couldn't budge Ye Xiwen at all.

"How is this possible!" Shi Feng's bull-like eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at Ye Xiwen. He couldn't believe that even a master at the Houtian Sixth Stage wouldn't be inferior to him in strength, yet Ye Xiwen remained completely still.

"Rumble!"

Accompanied by a thunderous roar, Ye Xiwen struck out with a palm, unleashing a ball of lightning-like Zhenqi. It moved with lightning speed and overwhelming force, pressing onto Shi Feng's chest.

"Bang!" Shi Feng's iron tower-like body was sent flying by Ye Xiwen's palm. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and more than half of his bones were broken. He fell off the stage directly.

"What, how is this possible!"

The entire crowd was in an uproar. Everyone who was paying attention to this battle couldn't believe their eyes. Shi Feng, whom they had favored, couldn't even withstand one move from Ye Xiwen and was sent flying, his life or death unknown.

"Cheating, he must have cheated!" Several disciples who were close to Shi Feng couldn't accept it and shouted loudly. "He must have ambushed Senior Brother Shi Feng!"

To send Shi Feng flying in one exchange, how was this possible?

"Shut up!" The referee on the side said coldly. He could see right from wrong. Did he need these juniors to teach him?

"In this match, Ye Xiwen wins and advances to the second round!"

"Idiot!" Ye Xiwen glanced at the disciples who were close to Shi Feng.

Shi Feng was just a pawn. The real mastermind was likely Ma Ying, but there was no rush. Ma Ying was a strong contender for the championship, and they would meet sooner or later.

"Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect this. I almost misjudged him," the Elder next to Ye Kongming said with a smile.

Asking for collections for the third update!