Preliminary Round

The next morning, the central square of Ten Thousand Medicines Market Town was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and the newly erected arena was surrounded by a large number of martial arts practitioners who came to offer their birthday wishes.

On the arena, a pretty girl with double buns, who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, stood in the center and clasped her hands in a fist salute to the audience below. "Fellow Martial World practitioners who have gathered here from the South Sea, I am Lin Xiaomo, Double Casket Disciple of the Medicine King Valley. On behalf of the entire Medicine King Valley, I thank you all for coming to celebrate the birthday of our Sect Leader Valley Master!"

"At the same time, to express our gratitude to all our fellow Martial World practitioners for their support of Medicine King Valley over the years, on this joyous occasion, Medicine King Valley would also like to announce a newly developed technology!"

As she spoke, the girl waved her hand, and two disciples from Medicine King Valley brought over a box. Inside, there were three golden Gu worms, which looked round and plump, somewhat like large silkworm cocoons.

"Many of you here have probably already heard about it," Lin Xiaomo announced loudly. "Today, on behalf of Medicine King Valley, I am officially announcing this technology to the public!"

"These three Gu worms are called Spirit Gathering Gu. After being implanted into the body, they can help the host accelerate the circulation of vital energy, increasing cultivation speed several times over! And they will not have any adverse effects on the body!"

These words immediately drew gasps of surprise from the audience.

Afterwards, Lin Xiaomo introduced the specific uses and effects of the Spirit Gathering Gu. After learning that this thing could not only accelerate the circulation of vital energy, but also help to restore the closed vital energy, all the Martial World practitioners present looked at the stage with greed in their eyes.

Seeing the reactions of the Martial World practitioners, Zhao Jian couldn't help but feel curious. He whispered to Lu Fei beside him, "This thing is so effective, wouldn't it be better for Medicine King Valley to keep it quiet and make a fortune? Why make it public?"

Lu Fei shook his head and said, "The truth will eventually come out. It's better to be open about it and form a stable supply chain than to keep it to ourselves and have people secretly eyeing us. That way, all the famous sects in the Martial World will protect Medicine King Valley, which can reliably produce Spirit Gathering Gu."

"The finals will be held over the next two days. Opponents will be randomly assigned, and the matches will be eliminated in pairs. The top three winners will receive the prize: First Grade Spirit Gathering Gu!"

"Even if I pass the preliminary round, it's unlikely I'll make it into the top three." Lu Fei shook his head. "There are quite a few experts here, even some sect Sect Leader. My skills are far inferior."

Before they could finish speaking, the first challenger had already been knocked off the stage.

"What's wrong? What are you fiddling with?" Tie Jingang leaned over. "Aren't you going up and give it a try?"

"The rules of the competition are: stop when you've made a point; no killing or maiming is allowed; there are no restrictions on weapons or Law Treasure!"

As soon as Lin Xiaomo announced the rules, someone immediately went up on stage to challenge them.

"This challenger is also at the Heart Refining Realm, but his foundation isn't as solid as that of the Medicine King Valley ..." Zhao Jian shook his head and said, "Yi Ming and I basically have no hope. Lu Fei, I think you can give it a try."

"These are all Inner Sect Senior Brother the Medicine King Valley, skilled in martial arts. Their skills are similar. Today, these Senior Brother will take turns as the Ring Leader. Whoever can defeat one of them can advance to the finals."

Xu Yiming nodded upon hearing this. "Indeed, wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue..."

Lu Fei, still somewhat concerned about saving face, said, "Let's observe further..."

"Alright, now I'll introduce the rules of the martial arts competition!" After explaining the effects of the Spirit Gathering Gu, Lin Xiaomo changed the subject, and five burly disciples from Medicine King Valley walked up from below the stage.

"Your personality is a bit too composed, which isn't good either." Tie Jingang shook his head. "If Xiao Tian hadn't been kept in check by Lao Miao Miao, he would have been the first to jump up there."

"Losing consciousness, surrendering, or falling off the ring constitutes defeat!"

"Okay, registration will begin now!"

"You can sign up for the challenge anytime before Xu Hour tonight!"

"Hey, it's not like we have to win the championship. Why are you so concerned about your image?" Luo Jun nudged Lu Fei. "This is also a learning experience!"

"Not bad martial arts..." Xu Yiming watched the match on the stage. "This disciple from Medicine King Valley should be at the initial stage of the Martial Combat Faction Heart Condensation Realm, and his foundation is also very solid... It's basically impossible for someone in the Foundation Establishment Realm to win; he can be considered the gatekeeper of the Heart Refining Realm."

"Just think of today's Spirit Gu Assembly as a new product launch for Medicine King Valley!" Luo Jun added, "On the surface, we're introducing the Spirit Gathering Gu, but in reality, we're trying to attract sponsorships and investments. With the backing of major sects, Medicine King Valley's position in the martial arts world will only become more secure."

"I'm trying to persuade him!" Luo Jun said, "Lu Fei is a little hesitant."

"Why didn't you let Senior Brother Xiao go?" Luo Jun blinked.

"These disciples from Medicine King Valley are quite skilled. I'm afraid he'll get carried away and go too far." Tie Jingang shook his head. "You two are really two extremes."

"If no one's going up, then I'll go first!" Luo Jun said, watching another expert being defeated on the stage.

"You?" Lu Fei, Zhao Jian, and Xu Yiming exclaimed in surprise, "You're only at the Body Refinement Realm, it shouldn't be your turn, right?"

"What? You look down on those in the Body Refinement Realm?" Luo Jun curled his lip. "Today, I'll show you the power of those in the Body Refinement Realm!"

As he spoke, he actually walked towards the Registration Desk.

"Martial Uncle Tie, is this kid really going to attack?" Lu Fei asked worriedly, "Shouldn't we stop him?"

"A friendly spar is fine, but it should end when it's over. Let him have a try." Tie Jingang watched Luo Jun's retreating figure as he lined up, recalling their fight last night. "Although this kid's cultivation level isn't high, he actually has some tricks up his sleeve in a real fight. He might bring some surprises!"

In the martial arts sparring, the exchanges happened in the blink of an eye, and a match could often be decided in just two or three minutes. Five disciples from Medicine King Valley took turns to fight, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight challengers had already stepped onto the stage, but only one passed.

Although Martial World are highly valued in the martial world, those who reach the Heart Refining Realm are not as common as Da Bai. After all, the first two realms can be gradually cultivated through hard work, but this level requires a higher level of comprehension and fortuitous opportunity. Generally speaking, those in a sect who can reach the Heart Refining Realm are at least excellent disciples, if not mid-level ones. There are many experts who come to offer birthday wishes, but those who are eager to fight are mostly not very skilled.

It was finally Luo Jun's turn.

"Alright! Next up is Luo Jun, the Young Hero Luo from the Hundred Rivers Sect!" Lin Xiaomo introduced. She had been the commentator for the previous matches, and she would always give just the right comments at the exciting parts. Her ability to stir up emotions was also first-rate. She had quite a talent for it, no wonder she could serve as the host.

"As we all know, the Hundred Rivers Sect is renowned throughout the world for its Art of Hidden Weapons. Their members are skilled at using all sorts of wondrous props and magical Law Treasure in battle... Our competition doesn't prohibit these things, and I'm really looking forward to seeing if this Young Hero Luo can bring us a different kind of battle!"

Upon hearing that it was from the Hundred Rivers Sect, the atmosphere below the stage became enthusiastic. Everyone had long heard of the unique fighting style of the Hundred Rivers Sect, but they usually kept a low profile and it was rare to see a member of the Hundred Rivers Sect sect in action. Since there was no internet or television in the Martial World, everyone was very curious about this mysterious sect.

As for the members of the Hundred Rivers Sect below the stage, they were all dumbfounded when they saw Luo Jun step onto the stage. No one expected that this weakest junior brother would be the first to go up and challenge.

"Martial Uncle Tie!" Li Xinyu came to Tie Jingang's side. "Should we stop him? This kid's cultivation is too shallow. Facing Martial Combat Faction at the Heart Refining Realm, even if the opponent doesn't intend to harm him, just a slight touch could seriously injure him."

"Don't worry, this kid is more capable than you think, and he's also quite clever," Tie Jingang said with a smile. "Let him give it a try. I want to see what kind of results he can achieve... If anything unexpected happens, I'll step in."

"But..." Li Xinyu was still a little worried, Tie Jingang waved his hand. "Just watch the game, it's about to start."

"Alright, I hereby declare the competition open!"

Lin Xiaomo shouted and stepped aside. The Medicine King Valley on the platform got into position, holding their long swords in front of them. Looking at Luo Jun, who was sitting casually opposite them, they were unsure of their opponent's strength.

This kid's driving is so sloppy, there's not a trace of qi on him, is he trying to fool me...? Hmm? He's coming up?

The disciples of Medicine King Valley became alert, but then saw Luo Jun raise his hands. "Senior Brother, don't be nervous, I just wanted to greet you first."

"According to the etiquette of our Hundred Rivers Sect, we shake hands before we fight to show mutual respect." As he spoke, Luo Jun actually extended his hand, seemingly without any wariness.

After all, it was just a friendly spar, not Death Omen. Although the disciple from Medicine King Valley found it a bit strange, he didn't suspect anything. He reached out and shook hands with him, but to be on the safe side, he still gathered his inner energy in his hand to prevent his opponent from plotting against him.

"Oh, the two shook hands before even fighting? Is this a tactic of the Hundred Rivers Sect? Or are they hiding some kind of magical item in their palms?"

Lin Xiaomo explained loudly. She seemed to have cultivated a voice-related Cultivation Method, as her voice was bright and clear, able to drown out the noisy crowd and resonate throughout the entire venue.

At first, the disciple of Medicine King Valley didn't feel anything, but after holding it for two seconds, his eyes suddenly widened.

The opponent had completely lowered their guard, allowing his vital energy to enter his meridians?

It's important to know that disciples of Medicine King Valley must learn medical skills, especially the art of diagnosing and examining the body using vital energy. However, to do this, one must either have far superior vital energy to forcefully penetrate the opponent's body, or the opponent must fully cooperate and accept it. Once vital energy enters the body, one can basically grasp the condition of the opponent's meridians and body.

This kid has completely let down his guard, isn't that like revealing his secrets to me? With the Yuan Qi entering his body, the other party's cultivation level, strengths and weaknesses will all be revealed to me... The Medicine King Valley disciple instinctively probed, and then his eyes widened.

This is?!

To his surprise, he discovered that the other party was not even at the Foundation Establishment stage, but was actually at the Body Refinement Realm?

But before he could carefully probe the other party's specific cultivation level and energy strength, Luo Jun suddenly released his grip and smiled, "Senior Brother, please be merciful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Jun flipped his hand and threw a smoke bomb, instantly enveloping the entire area in thick purple fog.

(End of this chapter)