After Ye Xiwen met up with Wang Lie, they headed for the competition grounds. Wang Lie said excitedly, "A'Wen, you have to achieve a good ranking this time!"
Wang Lie was not participating this time. To rank among the top hundred, one had to at least be at the Houtian Fourth Stage Late Phase. He had only just broken through and knew he stood little chance. Besides, his ambitions had never lain here.
"Mm!" Ye Xiwen nodded.
"But you need to be careful. I heard that Ma Ying is coming after you!" Wang Lie said gravely. "Ma Ying has boasted that he'll cripple you to avenge his younger brother!"
"Cripple me? Hmph, let's see if he has the ability!" Ye Xiwen said with a cold laugh.
The venue was packed with a sea of people. Upon arriving, Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie first drew their assigned numbers. Ye Xiwen drew number 127. There were two identical numbers for each draw, and those who drew matching numbers would be first-round opponents. When the time came, the Yi Yuan Sect's higher-ups arrived one after another, treading through the air and landing atop the high platform.
Envy flashed through the eyes of all the disciples. Though treading through the air was not true flight, it was still something no one below the Houtian realm could accomplish.
Everyone held their breath, determined to perform their best. These were the Yi Yuan Sect's higher-ups, its true pillars and backbone. With these people alone, the Yi Yuan Sect stood alongside the Zhang Family as one of the strongest forces around Green Peak Mountain. If they performed well, they might be taken in as a disciple by an elder. That would truly be like rising straight into the clouds, and such cases had happened before.
Among those people, Ye Xiwen spotted his father, Ye Kongming. Standing among the elders, he did not appear particularly conspicuous.
The entire venue covered an immense area, with two hundred arenas set up for the matches.
Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie arrived at Arena 127.
"You're the other number 127?" No sooner had Ye Xiwen walked over than he saw a broad, burly disciple approach. The man laughed heartily. "You're really unlucky to have run into Senior Brother Shi Feng. You might as well admit defeat right away!"
"Senior Brother Shi Feng is a Houtian Fifth Stage Late Phase expert. He has a very good chance of fighting for the top fifty!" the burly disciple continued. "If you don't hurry up and surrender, who knows what parts you might lose later!"
Wang Lie's expression changed as well. "I didn't expect it to be Shi Feng!"
"A'Wen, this is bad. Your first opponent is actually Shi Feng! Shi Feng is vicious to the extreme. During the Sect Internal Competition three years ago, several disciples surrendered a little too slowly, and he broke their bones. They needed over half a year to recover!"
"How Overlord Dao!" Ye Xiwen said.
"Overlord Dao? Hahaha, it's been a long time since anyone called me Overlord Dao!" A burst of laughter suddenly came from the arena. "You're very unlucky. Someone wants me to cripple your legs!"
Ye Xiwen and Wang Lie looked up to see a tall young man built like an iron tower glaring at Ye Xiwen with a savage grin.
That had to be Shi Feng.
"Kid, don't tell me you're too scared to come up?" Shi Feng grinned viciously. "Kowtow a hundred times, and I'll let you go!"
"You?" Ye Xiwen sneered and leaped onto the arena. "Since you took someone else's benefits to cripple my legs, I'll make you choke on the bitter fruit yourself!"
"Good kid, you actually dared to come up! One move—I'll cripple you in one move!" Shi Feng burst into laughter.
"The 127th Sect Internal Competition match begins!" Seeing both men step onto the arena, the referee spoke. He turned a deaf ear to their earlier exchange, as though he had heard nothing at all.
The moment his words fell, Shi Feng shot forward like a cannonball. Though huge in stature, he was incredibly fast as he charged at Ye Xiwen.
Though this man was arrogant, his strength was genuine. His movement technique was not particularly advanced, but his explosive power was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed before Ye Xiwen.
Shi Feng grinned viciously and reached out his large hand, intending to twist Ye Xiwen's head straight off.
"Elder Ye, the one on Arena 127 is your youngest son, isn't he?" An elder seated near Ye Kongming asked him.
"That is indeed my son." Ye Kongming nodded with a smile.
"I remember seeing him once when Elder Ye first brought him back in his arms more than ten years ago. In the blink of an eye, over a decade has passed, and he has already grown so much!" the elder said with emotion.
"His opponent won't be easy to deal with!" The elder stared intently at the arena. "He was born with divine strength, making him harder to handle than ordinary people!"
"It's nothing. I merely wanted him to gain some experience." Ye Kongming smiled faintly, seeming unconcerned, yet his gaze remained firmly locked on the arena, with a trace of worry in his eyes.
Bang! Ye Xiwen thrust out a palm and slammed it fiercely against Shi Feng's massive hand. The collision of their true qi erupted with a tremendous explosive roar.
Ye Xiwen did not move an inch. Shi Feng had been born with divine strength. Though only at the Houtian Fifth Stage Late Phase, the force in his hands absolutely exceeded six beasts, comparable to an ordinary Houtian Sixth Stage martial artist. Yet he could not shake Ye Xiwen in the slightest.
"How is this possible?!" Shi Feng stared at Ye Xiwen with eyes as wide as ox bells, his face full of disbelief. Even Houtian Sixth Stage experts were no stronger than him, yet Ye Xiwen had not moved at all.
Rumble!
Amid a burst of thunder, Ye Xiwen struck with a palm, sending out a mass of lightning-like true qi. With the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears, it surged forth mightily and slammed into 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, more than half the bones in his body shattered, and fell straight off the arena.
"What? How could this be possible?!"
The entire venue erupted in uproar. Everyone watching this battle could not believe their eyes. Shi Feng, whom they had favored, could not even withstand one move from Ye Xiwen before being sent flying, his fate unknown.
"Cheating! He must have cheated!" Several disciples close to Shi Feng immediately shouted in disbelief. "He must have schemed against Senior Brother Shi Feng!"
Sending Shi Feng flying in a single exchange—how could that be possible?
"Shut up!" the referee snapped coldly. He had seen clearly what had happened. Did he need these juniors to teach him right from wrong?
"Ye Xiwen wins this match and advances to the second round!"
"Idiots!" Ye Xiwen shot a glance at those disciples close to Shi Feng.
Shi Feng was merely a pawn. The one truly pulling the strings behind the scenes was surely Ma Ying. But there was no rush. Ma Ying was one of the favorites to win the championship; sooner or later, they would meet.
"Not bad, not bad. I nearly misjudged him!" the elder beside Ye Kongming said with a laugh.
Third update—please bookmark!
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