Three days later, the outer sect plaza was packed with people.
At the center of the plaza, rows of blue-stone arenas stretched out, each with an inner sect senior brother serving as referee.
"The outer sect tournament begins now!"
"All disciples, draw lots to form groups of twenty. Each group will fight in a free-for-all on an arena. The five who remain will advance to the next round."
Lin Ye drew "B-3," meaning he would fight on Arena Three. Zhou Ming was assigned to the same group.
"Lin Ye!" Zhou Ming spotted him and hurried over, lowering his voice. "We're in the same group! When the fight starts, let's team up and take out the weaker ones first..."
"No need." Lin Ye shook his head. "Let's each rely on our own abilities."
"You! Wang Meng is in this group! He's at the peak of Body Tempering Fifth Stage, and he's mastered Kaishan Palm. If we don't team up, we'll be the first ones eliminated!" Zhou Ming was about to say more, but the referee had already stepped onto the arena.
"Group B-3, take the arena!"
The twenty disciples leaped onto the platform one after another.
The arena was quite spacious, and it didn't feel crowded even with twenty people on it.
Everyone warily scanned their surroundings, looking for potential allies and enemies.
"Begin!"
The referee gave the signal.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the arena descended into chaos.
Some immediately formed small groups, some fought alone, some tried to launch sneak attacks, and others focused on protecting themselves.
Lin Ye moved his feet and slipped like a fish to the edge of the arena, his back against the railing.
It was the safest position.
"Thud!"
Wang Meng struck a Body Tempering Fourth Stage disciple with his palm, sending him flying straight off the arena.
"So strong!"
"Let's team up against Wang Meng first!"
Someone shouted, and three or four people immediately surrounded Wang Meng.
Wang Meng sneered. "You don't know your own limits!"
He thrust out both palms, the wind from his blows howling as he forced all four back at once.
On the other side, Zhou Ming had teamed up with a Body Tempering Fourth Stage disciple to attack a lone opponent.
Lin Ye watched coldly, in no hurry to act.
"Kid, you sure know how to hide!"
A chilling voice rang out.
Lin Ye turned and saw a young man glaring at him with hostile eyes.
"Only Body Tempering Fourth Stage, and you still dare enter the tournament? Get down!"
The young man flashed forward, clawing at Lin Ye's throat.
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
Just as the young man's claws were about to touch his throat, Lin Ye shifted his footing and dodged sideways, driving his right fist into the other's ribs at the same time.
"Thud!"
The young man grunted and staggered back three steps, his face deathly pale.
"You..."
He hadn't expected Lin Ye to react so quickly, or hit so hard.
"Do you want to keep going?" Lin Ye asked calmly.
The young man gritted his teeth, then finally turned and went after someone else.
The fighting on the arena grew more and more intense.
In less than half a stick of incense, seven or eight people had already been knocked off.
Wang Meng charged through the crowd like a tiger among sheep. He had already eliminated four people, his momentum unstoppable.
"That's about enough."
Lin Ye glanced around. Eleven people remained on the arena.
He moved.
With a flash, he appeared behind a disciple locked in a hard fight and gently slapped him on the back.
"You..."
The disciple hadn't even realized what was happening before he was pushed off the arena.
Ten left!
Lin Ye silently counted, then turned and lunged at another target.
He wasn't especially fast, but his timing was precise. He always struck when his opponents were at their most relaxed.
In just ten breaths, he had "sent" two more people off the arena.
"Stop!"
The referee suddenly called out.
"There are now eight people left on the arena. That's more than five, so the fight will continue. The rules have changed: the remaining disciples will challenge one another one-on-one. The winner advances; the loser is eliminated."
The referee looked over the eight of them. "You may challenge anyone. Anyone challenged must accept, or they'll forfeit. Each person may issue only one challenge, and needs to accept only one. Begin!"
The rules had changed, turning the free-for-all into one-on-one matches.
Lin Ye frowned slightly.
"I challenge him!"
Lin Ye looked over and saw a Body Tempering Fifth Stage disciple pointing at him. It was the young man he had knocked back with a punch earlier.
"Zhao Liang, Body Tempering Fifth Stage, challenges Lin Ye, Body Tempering Fourth Stage. Both of you, take the arena!"
The referee announced the match.
Lin Ye walked to the center of the arena.
Zhao Liang looked at him coldly. "I was careless before. Now I'll show you the difference between us!"
Lin Ye said nothing, simply taking up his stance.
"Begin!"
The instant the referee spoke, Zhao Liang moved.
His first strike was Eagle Claw Technique's killing move, Goshawk Hunting Rabbit.
His hands curled like hooks, aiming straight for Lin Ye's eyes.
Lin Ye's gaze turned cold.
Since his opponent was going all out, he had no reason to hold back.
He planted his foot and charged forward instead of retreating, driving out a punch.
"Clang!"
Fist met claw with a metallic ring.
Zhao Liang's expression changed. A tremendous force surged through him, leaving his entire arm numb.
"How is this possible?!"
He was Body Tempering Fifth Stage. His strength should have crushed someone at Body Tempering Fourth Stage!
Lin Ye gave him no chance to recover. A second punch followed immediately.
"Layered Wave Force!"
"Thud! Thud!"
Two punches in quick succession. Zhao Liang spat blood and flew backward, tumbling off the arena.
The entire crowd fell silent.
Body Tempering Fourth Stage, defeating Body Tempering Fifth Stage in three punches?
The spectators below erupted.
"Who's this Lin Ye? I've never heard of him before!"
"I think he's a new disciple. He defeated a Body Tempering Fifth Stage disciple despite being a stage lower during the examination!"
"No wonder. He's a genius!"
"A genius? I say he was lucky. Zhao Liang underestimated him."
The crowd's chatter rose and fell.
Lin Ye paid it no mind. He walked to the advancement area and sat down in a corner.
He didn't watch the next few matches, instead closing his eyes to catch his breath.
Half an hour later, the first round ended.
Five disciples advanced from each of the twenty arenas, making one hundred in total.
"Second round: elimination matches!"
The presiding steward announced again.
"One hundred people will draw lots and fight one-on-one. The winners advance to the top fifty and receive a basic reward. The losers are eliminated."
"Now, draw lots!"
Lin Ye drew number twenty-seven.
His opponent was a disciple named Sun Hai, at Body Tempering Fifth Stage and fairly well-known in the outer sect.
"Lin Ye versus Sun Hai, Arena Three!"
Lin Ye stepped onto the arena.
Sun Hai was already waiting. He was a tall, lean young man with a sword at his waist and a sharp aura.
"Lin Ye, I've heard of you," Sun Hai said coolly. "You defeated Chen Feng despite being a stage lower during the examination, then beat Zhao Liang just now. Your good luck ends here."
"Please, teach me," Lin Ye said, cupping his fists.
Sun Hai drew his long sword. Its blade gleamed coldly, clearly a mid-grade mortal weapon.
A flash of sword light, and it thrust straight for Lin Ye's throat.
Clear Wind Sword Technique, a mid-grade mortal technique renowned for its speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
Lin Ye's eyes narrowed.
This was his first time facing a swordsman.
He stepped through a footwork pattern, his figure drifting as he narrowly evaded the strike.
"Oh?"
Sun Hai gave a faint exclamation. His sword momentum shifted, transforming into three streaks of sword-shadow that aimed at Lin Ye's upper, middle, and lower body.
"Clear Wind Triple Fold!"
It was the killing move of Clear Wind Sword Technique. The three sword-shadows were both real and illusory, impossible to distinguish.
Gasps rose from the crowd below.
"Sun Hai's Clear Wind Sword Technique has improved again!"
"Lin Ye's going to lose!"
As the sword-shadows reached him, Lin Ye seemed unable to dodge. Sword Qi swept across his chest, and his body abruptly faltered.
The next instant, he flew backward and landed heavily at the edge of the arena.
He tried to get back up, but after several struggles, he could no longer rise. He said quietly, "I lost."
Lin Ye walked off the arena.
"Lin Ye, are you all right?" Zhou Ming hurried over and asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Just a minor injury." Lin Ye shook his head.
Lin Ye ultimately placed ninety-ninth in the tournament.
"The tournament is over. The top one hundred disciples, come claim your rewards!"
The presiding steward's voice rang out.
Lin Ye stepped forward and received his reward: three hundred contribution points and three Qi Condensation Pills.
Qi Condensation Pills were supplementary pills for the late Body Tempering Realm. One pill was worth ten Body Tempering Pills.
"Now, the top one hundred disciples may go to Chuangong Hall to choose a cultivation technique."
"Yes!"
Inside Chuangong Hall, the old man in charge of exchanges glanced at Lin Ye and said coolly, "Kid, not bad. What technique do you want?"
"Senior, this disciple would like to exchange for Azure Origin Technique," Lin Ye said respectfully.
"Azure Origin Technique?" The old man raised an eyebrow. "A mid-grade mortal technique. The Azure Origin True Qi it produces is balanced and gentle, but its power is ordinary. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure." Lin Ye nodded.
"Fine. Three hundred contribution points." The old man deducted the points and handed Lin Ye a cultivation manual with a blue cover.
"Thank you, Senior."
Lin Ye took the manual, carefully put it away, and left.
He found a secluded, uninhabited spot in the back mountain and set up a simple warning formation. Only then did he sit cross-legged and take out Azure Origin Technique.
"Finally, I've got a proper cultivation technique."
"Now, let's see how far I can push it with my points."
With a thought, a string of pale golden characters appeared:
[Points: 256] [Deduct 100 Martial Arts Points to deduce Azure Origin Technique (mid-grade mortal technique). Proceed?]
A phantom appeared and began demonstrating Azure Origin Technique.
Deduction complete.
[Azure Origin Technique (mid-grade mortal technique) has been optimized. Cultivation speed increased by eighty percent, true qi purity doubled, recovery speed increased by fifty percent] [Three additional stages have been deduced, allowing cultivation up to the "True Qi in a Hundred Turns" realm, comparable to a low-grade spirit-level technique]
Lin Ye opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flickered within them.
True Qi Realm, a hundred cycles?
This was the first time he'd heard of such a realm.
"It seems the True Qi Realm has secrets unknown to most, just like the tenth Body Tempering stage."
"Let's try cultivating first."
Lin Ye began cultivating according to the revised Azure Origin Technique.
"At this rate, I'll break through to the fifth Body Tempering stage in ten days at most."
Lin Ye put away the technique and gazed into the distance.
The outer sect's minor competition was over. He'd made the top hundred and obtained the technique he wanted.
Next, he would quietly build himself up and steadily gather strength.
He rose, brushed the dust off his clothes, and headed back to his lodgings.
In the distance, atop the pavilion of Chuangong Hall, an old man's gaze settled on Lin Ye's receding figure, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"This boy clearly chose the most ordinary Azure Origin Technique, yet that wisp of aura just now..."
The old man pondered for a moment, then shook his head and finally looked away.
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