Disciple Competition (Part 2)

At dawn, a melodious bell echoed through the disciples' residences, signaling the start of the Disciple Competition.

Zeng Fan rose. "It's finally starting? I wonder who my first opponent today will be." As he thought this, he walked out of his room and found Yuan Jin leaning against the doorway, a blade of grass between his teeth. Seeing Zeng Fan come out, Yuan Jin spat several times, ejecting the grass from his mouth.

"Let's go! I've been waiting for you forever."

"Okay."

The two arrived at the competition grounds, located at the peak of the mountain range. Dozens of stone platforms appeared before them, each dozens of zhang across—more than enough for these Body Tempering Realm disciples to fight on.

This competition used a single-elimination format. As long as one lost, one was immediately eliminated. Even if two disciples with the strength to rank in the top ten encountered each other, only one could emerge victorious. Thus, the competition tested not only strength, but also luck.

The area below the stone platforms was already packed with people, and a clamorous roar rushed toward them.

"There are way too many people." Yuan Jin dug at his ear, unable to keep from sighing.

"Basically every Body Tempering Realm disciple came. Even those who feel their strength is lacking will come over to join the excitement. Of course there are a lot." Zeng Fan looked over the crowd, feeling a headache coming on. Where was he supposed to find Murong Xue? With so many people, it was impossible to see everyone.

"Zeng Fan! Yuan Jin! Over here, over here!" A young girl's voice rang out. Zeng Fan looked up and saw Murong Xue waving and calling to the two of them from a raised platform.

"Found her!" Zeng Fan led Yuan Jin toward the raised platform, while Murong Xue also walked down from it.

"There are so many people. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to find you." Zeng Fan smiled at Murong Xue.

"Exactly. Luckily I was up on the platform, where I could see a little more clearly." Murong Xue had clearly worried about the same problem. After climbing onto the platform, she had looked around in all directions, searching for the two of them.

"Those people on the raised platforms are all Earth Vein disciples, right?" Yuan Jin looked toward the platforms. Dozens of people stood there, also Body Tempering Realm disciples, but their status was clearly higher than that of the Body Tempering disciples below. Powerful fluctuations rolled off every one of them, and each carried an air of arrogance. When some noticed Yuan Jin's gaze, they merely swept him with a faint glance, as if they were utterly indifferent to the disciples below.

"That's right. Everyone up there is an Earth Vein disciple. Some of them just have foul tempers, so don't mind them." Murong Xue smiled at the two of them, evidently unimpressed by the pride of certain people above.

"I almost forgot. The Heart Protection Mirror is finished. Here, take it!" Only then did Murong Xue remember the real reason she had come down. She took a Heart Protection Mirror from her Storage Ring and handed it to Zeng Fan. When he received it, a faint fragrance belonging to the young girl still lingered on it.

"What's this between you two? A token of love?" Yuan Jin saw Murong Xue hand the Heart Protection Mirror to Zeng Fan, and his eyes nearly bulged out. When had these two gotten so close? The words slipped out before he could stop them.

"You're asking to die, you bastard! Keep talking nonsense and I'll beat you to death!" Murong Xue seemed like a kitten whose fur had been ruffled as she snarled viciously at Yuan Jin. Yet the girl's crystalline ears had turned red.

Zeng Fan hurriedly covered Yuan Jin's mouth and explained the whole story to him. Murong Xue's expression softened somewhat after hearing Zeng Fan's explanation.

"You two be careful, and do your best in the competition." Murong Xue shook her fist threateningly at Yuan Jin once more before heading back toward the raised platform.

"I still feel like something happened between you two. You're pretty good, kid—you actually managed to win Murong Xue over." Yuan Jin stroked his chin and looked at Zeng Fan with a wicked grin.

Zeng Fan smacked Yuan Jin hard on the head. "Don't talk nonsense, you brat. We're just friends. If you let that old auntie hear you again, you'll get beaten up!"

Yuan Jin rubbed his head and chuckled, as if he had already reached his own conclusion about the matter. He no longer argued with Zeng Fan, instead humming a little tune as he walked toward the stone platforms to await his turn.

Zeng Fan could only feel helpless at the sight. He put away the Heart Protection Mirror and slowly followed behind Yuan Jin.

As the disciples responsible for the matches continued calling out names, quite a few people had already begun fighting on the stone platforms. The sounds of bodies colliding rang out from time to time. Some people rejoiced, while others were dejected.

"Zeng Fan." A voice rang out.

Zeng Fan looked up and immediately leaped onto the stone platform. He felt slightly nervous, unsure of his first opponent's cultivation.

Don't let me run into one of those tough nuts in the very first match. He repeated this silently to himself. Another figure then leaped up, and after sensing the other's cultivation fluctuation, Zeng Fan relaxed slightly.

"Body Tempering Muscle Mastery. Thank goodness." It was a disciple he had never seen before. The male disciple also let out a breath when he saw Zeng Fan, clearly sharing the same thought.

The two exchanged a salute, and the match began. The disciple charged straight at Zeng Fan. Body Tempering Realm disciples could not release spiritual energy externally, so most of their attacks still involved direct physical collisions. Zeng Fan also wanted to test his strength against someone in the same realm. Their fists met with a howl, producing a muffled boom.

Zeng Fan remained firmly in place, while his opponent staggered back two steps. The difference in strength was immediately clear. "It seems my strength isn't too bad at this realm." Zeng Fan gained a rough understanding of his own power, while the disciple opposite him realized the same thing and turned bitter-faced. He had not expected to possibly lose in the very first match.

Zeng Fan immediately launched an attack. The disciple inwardly wailed, but he could only brace himself and meet it. Conceding outright would be far too humiliating. They were still young, after all. The two collided once more. As they fought, Zeng Fan continuously familiarized himself with his own strength, and his understanding of combat deepened as well. His relentless suppression gradually left his opponent flustered. Seizing an opening, Zeng Fan hammered him in the chest with one punch, sending him flying off the stone platform.

"Zeng Fan wins!" the disciple guarding the platform announced. Zeng Fan jumped down and happened to see Yuan Jin also leap down from another platform.

"You won?"

"I won!" Yuan Jin grinned at Zeng Fan. "I was lucky and ran into a fellow with Body Tempering Bone Minor Accomplishment. With my cultivation, I had to crush him, hahaha."

Zeng Fan automatically tuned out the words that followed. He had already figured out Yuan Jin's personality. That fellow loved showing off all day long. The more one scolded him, the more excited he became. Ignore him for a while and he would recover on his own.

Afterward, the two each fought two more matches. Their opponents were all at the same realm, and with their strength, victory was naturally assured. However, beginning with the next round, most of the disciples were at the Perfection realm. Aside from Zeng Fan and Yuan Jin, the other disciples at the Major Accomplishment realm were gradually eliminated.

"Zeng Fan!" the voice of the disciple on the platform rang out. Yuan Jin patted Zeng Fan on the shoulder. After hesitating for a moment, Zeng Fan put on the Heart Protection Mirror. The opponents from this point onward were basically all at Body Tempering Muscle Perfection, so it was better to be cautious.

Zeng Fan leaped onto the stone platform. Sure enough, a male disciple suffused with the aura of Body Tempering Realm Perfection stood there. He also froze when he saw Zeng Fan, then bared his large teeth in a grin. "My luck is pretty good. I can still meet a brother at Body Tempering Muscle Mastery. But your good luck ends here."

"I made it this far because of more than luck, Senior Brother." Zeng Fan smiled faintly, his gaze gradually turning resolute. He could no longer conceal his strength.

"You'll know when you try." The male disciple gave a savage grin. His whole body shot toward Zeng Fan like a cannonball. When he reached Zeng Fan, his body abruptly paused, and a vicious whip kick lashed toward Zeng Fan's waist.

Zeng Fan raised his elbow to block the strike. The enormous force sent him skidding backward, leaving two long scratches on the platform. "So this is the strength of Body Tempering Muscle Perfection? It really is formidable." He shook his numb arms, and a burning light flashed through his eyes. Stamping his foot hard, he charged toward the disciple.

"Good!" Seeing Zeng Fan charge over of his own accord, the man laughed loudly. He intended to end the fight quickly, as a reward for Zeng Fan's courage.

"Stone Splitting Fist!"

Spiritual energy gathered into the man's fist, causing a gray radiance to shimmer across his skin. To resolve things as quickly as possible, he had already unleashed his killing move and viciously punched toward Zeng Fan.

"Hm?" The man was stunned. At the instant his fist was about to strike Zeng Fan's body, Zeng Fan's body dodged the attack at an eerie angle, like a swimming fish.

"I'll see how many times you can dodge!" The man could also tell that Zeng Fan had unleashed a killing move, but this killing move was rather strange, focusing mainly on evasion. As the battle continued, the man's expression gradually grew solemn.

Every one of his attacks was slipped past by Zeng Fan with exquisite footwork. After avoiding an attack, Zeng Fan would land a vicious blow on him whenever an opportunity arose. Although his physical defense was somewhat stronger than Zeng Fan's, he still could not endure being hit so many times.

"Bastard! Can you do anything besides dodge?" The male disciple was driven frantic by Zeng Fan and could not help shouting angrily.

Zeng Fan heard the man's words, but his hands did not pause in the slightest. His eyes were filled with calm. After dodging a whip kick, he struck the man's back with another palm. The man's face flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"It's time!" As he dodged the man's attacks again and again, Zeng Fan could feel wisps of strength continually gathering within his body, waiting for his summons. Seeing the man spit blood, Zeng Fan knew it was time to end the fight.

"Fish Dragon Dance!"

He stopped dodging. The strength within his body seemed to receive a summons and frantically gathered toward his right fist. Zeng Fan felt that his arm could no longer bear any more power. He twisted at the waist and sent a fierce punch roaring toward the man.

"Stone Splitting Fist!"

Seeing Zeng Fan stop dodging, the man was overjoyed. Yet after sensing the force behind Zeng Fan's punch, he was somewhat alarmed and immediately used his own killing move as well. Fist met fist. In an instant, the two fists collided with a thunderous boom. The force of the impact scattered in every direction, sending sand and gravel spraying across the stone platform.

At the moment of collision, the man's expression changed. He felt wave after wave of powerful force surging from Zeng Fan's fist. "Not good! I can't block it!" Before he could react further, Zeng Fan's fist had already smashed through his defense like withered branches before a gale, driving straight into his chest.

"Pfft!" The man violently spat out a mouthful of blood, and his entire body flew off the stone platform.

"Zeng Fan wins!" the disciple guarding the platform shouted, casting Zeng Fan an astonished look as well. After all, it was rare for someone of a lower realm to accomplish this.

Zeng Fan could not concern himself with that. After hearing the announcement of his victory, he dropped onto the stone platform and began panting heavily.

"I won!" Zeng Fan could not help feeling exhilarated. As long as he won one more match, he could enter the top ten and obtain the reward of cultivating in the Quenching Body Pool!

After resting for a while, Zeng Fan walked down from the stone platform, but he did not see Yuan Jin anywhere. "Have I been competing for that long? Did he run into some difficult opponent?" Just as he was searching in all directions for Yuan Jin, a familiar disciple brought him some news that gradually turned his face cold.

"Yuan Jin was seriously injured by someone during his match. He can't continue participating in the competition."