One Round, Then One Round

Seven wins, all by knockout.

Although it was just a sparring match in the Qi Condensation Realm, it was still exhilarating.

This was the first time in over a decade that a previous champion had achieved the feat of winning seven consecutive matches on the stage.

The last time someone accomplished such a feat, it was said to date back about eighteen years.

However, the previous champion of that Outer Court Grand Competition sustained hidden injuries during the process of achieving their perfect record.

They were ultimately defeated in the final match against the current champion due to exhaustion.

That disciple, who was only half a step away from becoming the Outer Court champion, is now the Steward of the Outer Court's Training Ground, Xue Xiu.

Xue Xiu, only in his early forties, was highly valued by the Sect, and promotion to the Inner Court was merely a matter of time for him.

However, Xue Xiu's fate was to perish in the Outer Court calamity that occurred more than two years later.

The current Xue Xiu sat on the viewing platform, gazing at Xu Aotian's retreating back as he descended the stage.

No one knew what he was thinking at that very moment.

"Dong!"

The melodious sound of a bell echoed through the Outer Court, signaling the official start of the Outer Court Grand Competition.

The first event was the competition among disciples in the Body Tempering Realm.

The grand competition proceeded simultaneously on eight stages: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Tian, Di, Xuan, and Huang.

Only after the four rounds of duels concluded would the stage for the top sixteen be consolidated onto a single platform, where the matches would unfold under everyone's watchful eyes.

Chen Yan was scheduled for the fourth match in the Xuan Group, his opponent being a rather ordinary disciple in the late stage of Body Tempering Realm.

However, who his opponent was made no difference to Chen Yan.

With his actual cultivation at the Martial Spring Realm, even suppressing his own realm to the Body Tempering Realm, Chen Yan could easily crush those in the Qi Condensation Realm.

This was because the strength of his physique and his control over True Qi were on entirely different levels.

In terms of spectacle, sparring matches between cultivators in the Body Tempering Realm were somewhat more engaging than those in the Qi Condensation Realm.

This was because the raw, impactful punches and kicks of Body Tempering Realm cultivators were more visually appealing than the half-baked techniques of Qi Condensation Realm cultivators.

The first match offered little excitement, and it wasn't until the start of the third match in the Xuan Group that nearly everyone's attention in the Training Ground was captured.

A burly man, standing nine feet tall, clad in tight-fitting attire and wielding a giant axe, stood on the stage. The muscles on his exposed arms were taut and bulging, reflecting a unique sheen under the sunlight, making him appear intimidating just by sight.

Opposite this giant, the disciple holding a fine steel sword seemed minuscule, the sword appearing like a mere embroidery needle in comparison.

"Good heavens."

On the viewing platform, Elder Lan Wei of Qingchan Peak repeatedly shook his head, sighing with a wry smile.

This was an extremely lopsided match.

Because battles between Body Tempering Realm cultivators ultimately relied primarily on physical strength, with True Qi serving as a supplement.

The outcome was almost predetermined before the match even began.

"Dang!"

The sound of a gong rang out, announcing the start of the match.

"Heh, if I were the kid opposite that big guy, I'd surrender as soon as the gong sounded."

"Exactly, what's the point of fighting this?"

Spectators below the stage made sarcastic remarks.

"If you were fighting that disciple wielding the giant axe, what percentage of confidence would you have in defeating him?"

Lin Qifeng asked Chen Yan.

Chen Yan remained silent, simply holding up three fingers.

"Thirty percent?"

Lin Qifeng frowned, seemingly quite displeased with Chen Yan's answer.

"Within three rounds, I will defeat him."

Chen Yan stated calmly.

Lin Qifeng was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter:

"Good kid, you can brag even better than your Master did back in the day!"

Whether it was Chen Yan's illusion or not, he felt that Lin Qifeng's admiration for him seemed to have increased compared to before.

The gaze returned to the stage.

Compared to the burly man, the swordsman opposite him was clearly more restrained and cautious.

And his hesitation played right into the giant man's hands.

The giant man spun and swung his giant axe, rapidly closing in on the swordsman. The axe wind stirred up even the fallen leaves on the ground thirty feet away.

Mountain Splitting Style!

The axe blade, heavy and powerful, swung directly at the sword-wielding disciple, giving him no time to dodge. He could only raise his sword to block.

Sparks flew, and a crisp sound rang out. The steel sword in the disciple's hand was actually split in two by the axe blade.

The axe blade's momentum didn't decrease, continuing its descent towards the sword-wielding disciple's body.

Before the axe blade could land, the disciple's Daoist Robe was already torn apart by the wind from the blade.

The next moment, the axe blade landed on the sword-wielding disciple.

"Clang!"

Sparks flew as the axe blade struck the disciple's chest, then bounced upwards.

But it only left a white mark on the skin of the disciple's chest.

No one was surprised by this.

This was because the physical strength of a cultivator in the late Body Tempering Realm was far superior to ordinary steel weapons.

This was also the fundamental reason why it had been mentioned before that any cultivator in the late Body Tempering Realm was by no means someone a mere mortal martial artist could trifle with.

After the axe blade was repelled, the brawny man spun the axe blade with the momentum, swinging the axe handle like a baseball bat.

"Thump!"

The sword-wielding disciple was sent flying horizontally, crashing towards the crowd watching below.

The outcome was decided.

"Him, two rounds."

Lin Qifeng said, looking somewhat playfully at Chen Yan behind him:

"You, three rounds?"

"Give me one round."

Chen Yan said calmly:

"In one round, I will defeat my opponent for this round. Otherwise, I would be unworthy of the Body Tempering Fluid that Master obtained for this disciple from the Kongyuan Mountain Pill Hall."

"You brat, you know that getting Body Tempering Fluid and Qi Guiding Pills from my senior brother requires me to owe favors?"

Lin Qifeng said, as if amused to the point of anger:

"It's your turn. Hurry up and go fight. Don't embarrass me."

Chen Yan cupped his hands, then walked down from the viewing platform and headed towards the Xuan-shaped arena.

"The next match: Chen Yan, personal disciple of Outer Court's Wenyuan Hall Elder Lin Qifeng, versus Outer Court Disciple Zhao Wei!"

As soon as the officiating disciple responsible for announcing the names of the contestants finished speaking, it stirred up a thousand waves on the Training Ground.

"Is that young man Elder Lin's personal disciple?"

"He looks quite handsome."

"Tch, what's the use of being handsome? Isn't he still in the Body Tempering Realm?"

"Exactly. I really don't know why Elder Lin would take someone who's seventeen and still in the Body Tempering Realm as a personal disciple. Aren't there plenty of people with better talent than him in the Outer Court? Not to mention the Inner Sect."

The murmurs of the crowd were slightly jarring to Chen Yan, like the buzzing of flies.

But it didn't matter.

Chen Yan slowly walked onto the stage. Standing on the other side of the stage was his opponent for this round, Zhao Wei.

He was an Outer Court Disciple of about the same age as him, with very fair skin.

"Please guide me."

Zhao Wei cupped his hands towards Chen Yan.

"..."

Chen Yan made no sound, merely cupped his hands in return towards Zhao Wei.

"Clang!"

The sound of the gong rang out.

Zhao Wei stomped his left leg forcefully on the ground and lunged towards Chen Yan.

Chen Yan remained still, as if exposing all his weaknesses.

Zhao Wei did not suspect anything, merely raising his arm and throwing a heavy right hook towards Chen Yan's temple.

"Bang!"

However, before Zhao Wei's fist could touch Chen Yan, it was struck in the face by Chen Yan's suddenly raised fist, sending him flying backward horizontally.

"Thank you for the spar."

Chen Yan said calmly.

The entire venue was silent.