I Am Protecting You

"A duel?"

A flat-topped man in a suit jacket sitting at a table chuckled upon hearing this, glancing sideways at Yue Wen and his companion.

"We all come from Immortal Sects. If it's a one-on-one duel, our strength isn't too different. But if someone draws those two rogue cultivators, wouldn't that be too much of an advantage, unfair?"

Several people around him laughed after he spoke.

The disciples from Immortal Sects present generally looked down on rogue cultivators, believing their strength was not even comparable to theirs.

"Luck is also part of strength," a young man with red hair, dressed in tight leather, said with a smile, not even looking at Yue Wen and his companion as he spoke.

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It was clear they were a clique, already familiar with each other, while Yue Wen and his companion were out of place.

He Caihua frowned at their behavior but didn't intervene.

In fact, for these disciples from Immortal Sects with backgrounds, their media company's status wasn't that dominant; the relationship was at most one of equal cooperation. Even if she felt these disciples were wrong, she couldn't scold them for the sake of two rogue cultivators.

He Caihua simply turned to Yue Wen and his companion and said, "If everyone has no objections, shall we begin?"

"No objections," Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er shook their heads.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to fight these disciples from Immortal Sects.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but they all had backgrounds. If he injured any of them, it would be troublesome. He could control himself, but Zhao Xing'er...

It was quite worrying.

Unfortunately, they had no say here. Since the organizers wanted them to compete this way, they had no choice but to fight.

"To ensure the gender balance in our team, let's have four men and four women draw lots for matches," A Mei said, presenting several paper balls. "The women go first. Those who draw one or two will fight first, and those who draw three or four will fight later. Fair and just."

Only then did Yue Wen notice that the cultivators participating in the selection were indeed balanced in gender, with ten people making up five men and five women.

He had heard of the two who had secured spots, Liu Yuanjun and Li Feixia, in City Seven.

These two were fellow disciples from Xuanfeng Temple.

Xuanfeng Temple was undoubtedly the foremost Immortal Sect in Jiang City. Although it didn't have many disciples, its foundation was deep, and it had achieved the most outstanding results in past Youth Cultivator Conventions.

The reason for fewer disciples was its stringent admission requirements. Any cultivator seed with talent in Jiang City would first try to get into Xuanfeng Temple, and only after being rejected would they join other sects.

Liu Yuanjun was the most outstanding disciple of this generation in the temple. Legend had it that he possessed the Innate Immortal Body and was sought after by several major sects in Tianbei Prefecture when he was just over ten years old. However, he ultimately chose to stay in his hometown, Jiang City, and cultivate at Xuanfeng Temple.

He was now twenty years old. Even if he wasn't in the Gang Realm, he should be at the Great Perfection of the Unity Realm, not far from breaking through.

Sitting in the front row, he wore a Taoist robe, his expression serious. His appearance fit the description of "a face like jade, lips red and teeth white," with very proper features. Perhaps due to being constantly praised, he exuded an aura just by sitting there expressionlessly, drawing people's attention.

His junior sister, Li Feixia, had a more lively temperament. The young girl was eighteen or nineteen years old. Although she also wore an ancient-style Taoist robe, with her hair in a bun and a simple hairpin, her attire was mature. Yet, her round face was always smiling, exuding an indescribable playfulness and cuteness. Her large eyes, long eyelashes, and dark, deep pupils showed that she would undoubtedly be a great beauty once her baby fat subsided.

Her online name was Fairy Feixia, one of the earlier internet celebrities signed by Wangyou Media. They managed her video platform account without interfering with her daily cultivation. The young girl had outstanding talent and a likable personality, now boasting over a hundred thousand followers online.

It seemed her senior brother, Liu Yuanjun, might have been brought here by her.

After all, Yue Wen had never heard of Liu Yuanjun participating in such influencer activities before; he didn't even have a public video account.

This pair of senior and junior disciples were top-tier in terms of background, strength, and fame. Apart from He Caihua, they were the biggest stars of the event, so no one present had any objections to them securing two spots.

As for the other disciples from Immortal Sects, Yue Wen had never heard of them and guessed their status was similar to Qi Dian's.

He casually picked up a paper ball and opened it. It had the character "four" written on it, meaning he would be fighting last.

Zhao Xing'er opened her drawn paper ball and saw a "two" clearly written on it. She looked up excitedly, "I get to fight soon."

Yue Wen smiled subtly and emphasized, "Friendship first, competition second."

"Worried about her getting hurt?" another female cultivator walked over, holding a slip of paper with a "one" written on it, a triumphant smile on her face. "As long as the little sister doesn't get too carried away, I'll try to hold back."

This specialized training ground was about the size of a few basketball courts. The surrounding materials were specially made, capable of withstanding the full impact of cultivators below the fifth realm without collapsing. Even if damaged, they were easy to repair.

The materials used to build such a venue were very expensive. After all, with some modifications, the same materials could be used to create defensive Magic Artifacts capable of withstanding the full blow of a Gang Realm expert.

Although the process of carving patterns and formations was definitely simpler compared to crafting Magic Artifacts, skipping the most expensive step, building such a space within a building was still incredibly valuable. Only a wealthy company like Wangyou Media could afford such an expenditure.

Inside the venue, besides the two female cultivators about to duel, there was a middle-aged man standing with his hands clasped. He looked ordinary and wore a simple black tracksuit, appearing to be the referee.

However, according to A Mei's introduction, he was a guardian of the training room with Gang Realm cultivation. If any accidents occurred, he would intervene immediately to prevent irreversible casualties.

Yue Wen felt slightly relieved after hearing this, knowing that at least someone could stop Zhao Xing'er.

Zhao Xing'er's opponent was named Bu Zhongyao, from Que Dao Sect in City Five, a sect specializing in martial arts. She had neat short hair, a plain, fair face, and narrow eyes.

According to Wangyou Media's screening standards, someone with such an ordinary appearance shouldn't have been admitted here. It was likely that there were too few young female cultivators with high cultivation, beautiful appearances, and a willingness to participate, which was why they reluctantly kept her until now.

It made sense. If Wangyou Media was completely satisfied with the existing disciples from Immortal Sects, they wouldn't have allowed Yue Wen and the others to participate in the selection.

Bu Zhongyao wore a set of blue martial arts attire, her style also leaning towards androgynous. As the competition was about to begin, she flipped her hand and summoned two reverse-grip sabers crafted from green gemstones, shimmering with light, clearly not ordinary items.

"Hey--"

Yue Wen, watching from outside the venue, suddenly pushed open the door and called out into the arena.

"For our friendly spar, why don't we all refrain from using weapons?" he asked, a hint of worry in his voice. "It's too easy to make mistakes if something goes wrong."

"Hmph," Bu Zhongyao retorted loudly, "My entire cultivation technique is tied to these twin sabers. You've got a good plan!"

"You can rest assured," He Caihua said from behind, arms crossed, "The Dao protectors in our arena are watching. There won't be any mistakes."

Feeling the strange gazes from behind, Yue Wen retreated sheepishly.

"Don't worry, boss, I'll be careful!" Zhao Xing'er said to comfort him.

She turned around and also took out two Twin-bladed Swords, facing off against Bu Zhongyao's dual sabers from a distance. It was clear she was looking forward to the arena match, her eyes brimming with excitement.

Yue Wen found it quite frightening.

I know you'll be careful, but I'm afraid you won't be careful of the other person's safety! he thought.

And does this endless collection of strange divine weapons and sharp tools of yours ever stop?

Woman, give it a rest!

"A pretty face might get you on this stage, but it won't help you win the match," Bu Zhongyao sneered, taking her stance. "Rogue cultivators like you are nothing but trash pickers in my eyes. You're no match for me!"

"Hey—"

As soon as she finished speaking, Yue Wen, who was watching from the spectator area, shoved the door open again and shouted inside.

"It's a friendly spar, don't insult people!" Yue Wen pointed at Bu Zhongyao. "What if your opponent gets angry when you say things like that?"

"Why are you so persistent!" Bu Zhongyao shouted back at him from the arena. "Is she fighting me, or are you?"

"If you're going to fight, fight properly. Don't say things to provoke people," Yue Wen said.

"If this level of taunting can affect her Dao heart, then she should just go home!" Bu Zhongyao said angrily. "If you want to protect her so badly, why don't you come down and fight for her?"

He Caihua, standing behind him, also frowned displeasedly. "Mr. Yue, please return to the spectator area and watch properly. Don't disrupt the selection."

"Sigh," Yue Wen closed the door helplessly, muttering, "I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting you!"