Two days later, the Citywide Martial Hall Tournament officially began.
The signs of every martial hall in Flying Bird City had a golden token hanging from them.
The tokens showed that the martial halls had registered for the tournament.
At the same time, the tokens also counted as points.
According to the tournament rules, the first round was a preliminary selection. Of the more than 130 martial halls in the city, only 16 would make it through to the second round.
The first round's selection would be decided by points.
Each token counted as one point.
Once the tournament began, every martial hall could challenge other halls. At the end, the top 16 by points would advance to the next round.
There was one condition, however: a hall could not lose its own token. If it did, it would be eliminated as well.
So while this seemed like a contest focused on attack, defending was actually even more important.
Inside Flying Bird First Martial Hall.
Shen Zhou, Tan Tong, Dongfang Hongyu, and A Dai were all there.
Judging by their cultivation alone, Tan Tong ranked first, with his peak Coagulation Eighth Realm cultivation and second layer of the Golden Body Art.
Shen Zhou ranked second, with his Coagulation Sixth Realm cultivation and second layer of the Golden Body Art.
Next came Dongfang Hongyu, Wang Xiaomao...
As for A Dai, he was currently at the Blood Coagulation Third Realm, and supposedly had just grasped the basics of saber technique.
Xi Mei was at the Blood Coagulation Third Realm, with a basic grasp of swordsmanship.
San Mazi was at the Coagulation Second Realm.
The three of them were only there to get a taste of the experience.
After learning about everyone's strength, Tang Shan said, "Judging by the tournament rules, you'll need to split into two teams. One team will attack and earn points; the other will defend and make sure the home base doesn't fall. If we're talking about what matters more, then defense is definitely the priority. After all, no matter how many matches you win, if you lose your home base, those wins are worthless.
"So decide among yourselves who'll attack and who'll defend."
Meng Gang and the other senior brothers nodded. As hall masters, they weren't allowed to compete, so this time they could only rely on Shen Zhou and the others.
After hearing his senior brother's analysis, Shen Zhou quickly made up his mind. "Since defense is more important than offense, Senior Brother Tan Tong is the strongest, so he should handle defense. I'll lead the attack."
Tan Tong had no objections.
After some discussion, Tan Tong stayed behind at the martial hall with Wang Xiaomao, A Dai, and Xi Mei, who weren't good at fighting and didn't much like joining the crowd.
Shen Zhou led Dongfang Hongyu and San Mazi out to challenge other halls.
After leaving Flying Bird First Martial Hall, San Mazi and Dongfang Hongyu were like vicious dogs just let off their leashes, even more eager than Shen Zhou.
San Mazi's eyes gleamed. "Which hall should we hit first?"
Dongfang Hongyu already knew Shen Zhou's plan, so he asked, "The Yang Family or the Wu Clan—which do you want to pick?"
San Mazi looked surprised. "We're going after a clan's martial hall right off the bat?"
Dongfang Hongyu said, "What can you expect, when they've got a grudge against us?"
San Mazi understood. "Right. Then let's pick the Wu Clan. Wu Jiuyan may be dead, but I still can't stand the sight of the Wu Clan."
Shen Zhou made the final call. "Good, then we'll hit the Wu Clan. Let's go!"
Meanwhile, in one of the city's most luxurious restaurants.
Watching the chaos among the martial halls in the streets below, Xu Mengfu, the Xu Family Head, sat high above with a celadon teacup in hand, looking as if everything was under his control. He turned to an elder behind him and asked, "Elder Xu You, how are preparations at the mine?"
Xu Baxia was there too. Hearing this, he looked at the Xu Family Elder behind him, baffled.
The Xu Family Elder, nearing sixty but still vigorous, replied, "Rest assured, Family Head. Everything is ready. Once those workers discover the Secret Realm entrance, the plan can begin."
Xu Mengfu smiled faintly. "If you want to take something, you must first give something. If the Qin Family really thinks our Xu Family will become their friend, they're far too naive."
Xu You wore a smile too, looking just as crafty as the Xu Family Head.
Only Xu Baxia was completely at a loss. "Father, do you have some kind of plan?"
The Xu Family Head turned to look at his son and said calmly, "You don't need to concern yourself with any of that. Just know that once the city tournament is over, the Qin Family and that Shen Zhou will both disappear from the city."
Xu Baxia's expression shifted.
At that moment, he suddenly remembered what his father had said during the negotiations at the mine. Could Father really have meant it when he said he would make the Qin Family Divine Weapon into an Xu Family Divine Weapon?
"The clan has given the order. This time, we're ignoring the other martial halls. We're going after the Qin Family and those people from White Deer Academy. So, move out!"
"Let's get them!"
"They killed our Family Head. This grudge can never be settled. Let's fight!"
Inside Wu Clan Martial Hall.
A group of warriors were about to charge out, full of aggression, when they ran into a lean, dark-faced young man before they even reached the door. A huge iron sword was strapped to his back, and two chubby fellows followed at his side. The trio entered with hostile expressions.
Someone immediately shouted, "Who are you? You dare barge into Wu Clan Martial Hall? Are you tired of living?"
The dark-faced youth said coldly, "I'm here to challenge you."
The people from Wu Clan Martial Hall froze, then burst into laughter.
It was the Citywide Martial Hall Tournament, sure, but as a martial hall under a great clan, Wu Clan Martial Hall had always been lucky if nobody challenged them. They'd never expected someone to come challenge them of their own accord.
Wu Xu was the leading figure of Wu Clan Martial Hall. With his peak Coagulation Ninth Realm strength, he faced the challenger with confidence.
He stepped forward and fixed his gaze on the dark-faced youth. "Do you know that my Wu Clan Martial Hall belongs to the Wu Clan? Or did you come to the wrong place?"
The dark-faced youth scoffed, his voice brimming with provocation. "Do the tournament rules say that clan martial halls can't be challenged?"
Sensing the hostility coming from the other boy, Wu Xu's fighting spirit surged. His blood and qi stirred faintly as he said coldly, "Fine. I accept your challenge. It won't take long, anyway. Clear the area!"
The people from Wu Clan Martial Hall immediately cleared a patch of ground. Everyone watched the three darkly.
The three were none other than Shen Zhou and his companions, who had come looking for trouble.
The huge iron sword on Shen Zhou's back was something he'd prepared specifically for the tournament.
Old Man Ji had told him not to use the Shen Family Divine Weapon, so he could temper his own martial arts. Shen Zhou thought that made sense, but he hadn't said he couldn't use another sword.
Besides, he wasn't going to go easy on the Wu Clan.
The two sides took their places.
Shen Zhou swung the huge iron sword off his back and drove it into the floor with a sharp shing. The sword was so heavy that crushed stone flew everywhere.
Wu Xu frowned at the sight and said coldly, "What's that supposed to mean? Do you plan to fight me without a weapon?"
Shen Zhou smiled contemptuously. "I'll use my weapon, but first you have to be worthy of making me draw it!"
Those words were about as provocative as they came.
It was like a woman asking a man, "Can you handle it?"
No man could put up with that.
Wu Xu was furious. "You've got quite a mouth on you. Let's see if you've got the skill to back it up."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Xu attacked.
He moved like a ferocious tiger, his blood and qi exploding as he pounced forward. His fist was like a heavy hammer, aimed straight at Shen Zhou's face with overwhelming force.
Shen Zhou wanted to test his own strength, so he neither dodged nor retreated. He planted his feet and, with a thought, a layer of bluish-gray blood and qi swept over his body, like a stone suit of armor.
The second layer of the Golden Body Art, Stone Skin Realm!
The next moment, he met Wu Xu's fist with a fierce punch of his own.
Their fists collided.
A thunderous boom rang out across the arena, and even the ground trembled.
Neither could hold their ground; both staggered backward.
Wu Xu took one step back.
Shen Zhou took five.
The difference in strength was plain to see.
But Wu Xu frowned. He rolled his wrist slightly, and a dull ache throbbed in his fist. Then he said, "So you're a body-tempering warrior. Your realm may not be high, but your body's already been trained to this level. No wonder you're so arrogant. But if that's all you've got, you won't beat me!"
Shen Zhou rolled his shoulders too.
That punch had already made him realize the gap between himself and a warrior at the Coagulation Ninth Realm.
In terms of strength, his opponent was definitely stronger.
But Shen Zhou's advantage was that his body was tougher than his opponent's.
That was precisely what made body-tempering warriors special.
Shen Zhou sneered and replied, "We've only just begun. What are you in such a hurry for? Come again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he struck first this time.
He raised a hand, and the Wild Desolate Art began circulating on its own. His blood and qi surged through him like a roaring river, and the power in his body swelled as though his realm had risen.
That was the wonder of the Xu Family's ancestral cultivation art. Besides refining vital essence and using it to nourish the body, it could also refine vital essence in battle to temporarily boost one's blood and qi.
It was like a low-grade version of the Bloodburst Pill.
Shen Zhou took one step and appeared in front of Wu Xu, then swung the Wild Desolate Fist straight at his head, heavy and powerful.
Wu Xu knew Shen Zhou's body was formidable, but with his advantage in cultivation and a man's competitive streak, he didn't dodge. Instead, he chose to meet him head-on.
"Let's see how long you can last!"
The two fought blow for blow, neither giving ground. They traded punches in the middle of the arena.
Their fists landed with thunderous cracks, the clash growing so heated that for a while, the fight was evenly matched.
The disciples of Wu Clan Martial Hall watched and couldn't help discussing it.
"Where did that dark-skinned kid come from? He's actually managed to go toe-to-toe with Senior Brother Wu Xu for this long, even though he's only at the Coagulation Sixth Realm."
"I bet some martial hall trained him. He's using this tournament to make a name for himself. Too bad he picked the wrong opponent."
"Exactly. Against any other martial hall, they might have a chance. But against Senior Brother Wu Xu, they're bound to lose!"
Meanwhile.
San Mazi wasn't worried in the least that Shen Zhou would lose. As long as Brother Zhou picked up his sword, winning would be a matter of minutes.
Dongfang Pangpang, on the other hand, was curious about the huge iron sword stuck in the ground. He asked San Mazi, "Why did Shen Zhou bring that huge iron sword? It's not a Qin Family Divine Weapon, so what's the point? Is he trying to scare them?"
San Mazi was worried there'd be no way to explain it if Shen Zhou's strength changed later, so he quickly came up with an excuse. "Boss Zhou hid the Taixuan Sword inside the huge iron sword before we came. That way, he can perfectly disguise the Qin Family Divine Weapon's true form and still borrow its power. Best of both worlds!"
"..."
Dongfang Pangpang froze.
He could do that?
Boom...
On the arena, Shen Zhou and Wu Xu traded another punch, then separated.
Shen Zhou rubbed his chest, baring his teeth in pain.
Wu Xu wasn't doing much better; his arm was bruised.
One had the higher cultivation and greater strength; the other had better defense and could take a beating.
After all that, they were roughly evenly matched.
Of course, given the gap in their cultivation, Shen Zhou had taken more punches than Wu Xu.
After loosening up his muscles, Shen Zhou turned and walked toward the huge iron sword stuck behind him. As he went, he muttered under his breath, "Old Man Ji, it's not like I'm going back on my word. I've already tempered my martial arts, and the fight proved that going up against someone at the Coagulation Ninth Realm is pretty tough for me right now. So, from here on..."
His hand closed around the sword.
The Entry activated in an instant.
Under the power of Sword Invincible, the minor injuries he'd just suffered healed in the blink of an eye.
Then he looked at his opponent and said, "Warm-up's over. I'm getting serious now!"
After their exchange, Wu Xu had a good grasp of Shen Zhou's strength. He said contemptuously, "If we keep fighting, you're bound to lose. Even if you use a sword, it won't make a difference."
"Is that so?"
Shen Zhou finished speaking, then gave a low shout. "Lone Nine Swords!"
The next moment, a rain of sword shadows engulfed his opponent.
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