Close-Fitting Short Outfit

On the tenth day of the tenth month, under gazes both overt and covert, this year's Three Cities Dao Discussion officially began.

The first-year, third-year, and fifth-year students naturally held their discussions separately. For instance, the two first-year students from Maple Forest City would each face off against the first-year students from Three Mountains City and Wangjiang City.

After one round of battles, the three victors would then enter a round-robin format. That is, A fights B, B fights C, and C fights A. A win earned three points, a draw one point, and a loss zero. The one with the highest total points would be crowned the first-year champion of the Three Cities Dao Discussion.

In this way, both individual strength and the overall strength of each Dao Academy mattered. After all, if two participants in the final round-robin came from the same academy, they could conserve their strength and coordinate against the third.

The first-year discussion began first. Three cities, six cultivators, three battles starting simultaneously.

The competition venue was set up in the square before the City Lord's Mansion. Since this place often served as the rallying ground for the City Guard before they set out, the common folk also called it the Martial Arts Arena.

First-year cultivators from the city Dao Academies were mostly in the early stages of Foundation Establishment. Their battles primarily relied on Dao techniques, but martial arts cooperation was also essential. These were the matches the common people could understand best, and thus they were even more popular.

From early morning, the place was packed to the brim. The common folk of Maple Forest City came with their entire families, gathering around the Martial Arts Arena like they were heading to a market fair. Only the deployment of the City Guard barely managed to maintain order.

That day, Jiang An'an's school was also closed, so naturally Ling He brought her to watch the matches.

With so many people, Jiang An'an sat on Ling He's shoulders, clapping her little hands and cheering loudly for her brother.

Zhao Rucheng and Huang Azhan naturally also came to watch Jiang Wang's match first. But a man of Zhao's wealth and stature would never resort to shouting and yelling himself—that would be beneath his dignity. Instead, from a short distance away, over a dozen burly men he had hired were bellowing at the top of their lungs.

"Jiang Wang, victory! Jiang Wang, victory!"

Two large banners fluttered in the wind—

The left read: "Fists trounce Three Mountains, eyes see no rival."

The right read: "Feet trample Wangjiang, beneath the seat who dares claim hero."

Not that Jiang Wang would appreciate it.

For a moment, Jiang Wang's name drowned out the entire venue, making this discussion feel like his personal showcase. People whispered to each other, asking who this Jiang Wang was. Upon learning he was a contestant from Maple Forest City, the simple-hearted common folk of Maple Forest City burst into cheers.

Jiang Wang stood on the competition field, feeling... very awkward.

The three matches were all held close together, with all six cultivators present. From the glances—casual or deliberate—that swept his way, Jiang Wang realized he had become the common enemy. If not for the rules, he would probably be facing all five right now. This even included that senior brother from the Maple Forest City Dao Academy.

"What a flashy show-off, making such a spectacle!" Lin Zhengli from Wangjiang City was the most displeased. Instead of focusing on his own opponent, he spat in Jiang Wang's direction.

His voice was neither loud nor soft. Jiang Wang acted as if he hadn't heard.

The entire Martial Arts Arena was divided into three combat zones, with ample buffer space between the lines.

Cultivators from the Prefecture Academy served as the main referees, while two instructors from the Maple Forest City Dao Academy acted as assistant referees. In combat, things were simple—the one who fell lost—so there was no worry about biased officiating. In fact, the referees' main role was to prevent young cultivators from losing control and causing casualties.

Jiang Wang's opponent was from Three Mountains City.

This man was short in stature but stocky, wearing form-fitting martial robes, his muscles thick as stone.

After exchanging Daoist courtesies, they each took their positions.

At the referee's command, Jiang Wang drew his sword!

He moved like a dragon rising, his sword like a shooting star.

Almost before the Three Mountains City cultivator had finished forming his hand seal, Jiang Wang was already upon him with his sword.

Decisive. Fast.

The Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword Technique held an overwhelming advantage in pre-transcendence combat.

In the previous internal selection at the Maple Forest City Dao Academy, he had used this very technique to defeat Fang Heling, and now it seemed he would repeat that feat.

But what surprised Jiang Wang—and the audience—was that this Three Mountains City cultivator did not dodge!

He didn't even move. His eyes stared straight at Jiang Wang's incoming sword, while his hands remained steady, his Dao seal taking shape under that very gaze.

At this point, he could either abandon his seal and dodge, or simply concede. But given the speed Jiang Wang had shown, even if he dodged, he would have no chance to cast his next Dao technique.

And he made a choice completely different from Fang Heling's!

Earth-elemental Yuan Qi gathered wildly. Jiang Wang felt a force surging up from beneath the ground, and of course he knew what it was.

He was confident enough to pierce his opponent's heart with his sword before the earth spikes arrived, but his own feet would surely be impaled by the spikes that followed.

Trading injury for death—he would still win. But he didn't want to win that way.

Jiang Wang twisted his sword, lightly touching the earth spikes that burst up from beneath his feet, and used the momentum to flip back, returning to his original position.

Only then did the dense, sharp earth spikes fill the area around that Three Mountains City cultivator.

This cultivator from Three Mountains City—the one derisively called a Mountain Barbarian—had just bought himself a chance with his life.

He immediately kicked out several times, breaking off the earth spikes in front of him and sending them flying. The spikes shot through the air like javelins, whistling one after another toward Jiang Wang.

And the Three Mountains City cultivator followed right behind the whistling spikes, charging at Jiang Wang.

Under Jiang An'an's anxious gaze, Jiang Wang turned like the wind, drifting lightly through the barrage of incoming spikes, completely unscathed.

But the Three Mountains City cultivator was already upon him.

His short, stocky body leaped high into the air, his fist gradually turning to stone, swelling into a giant fist like a small mountain.

Stone-Covered Fist!

Offense and defense had reversed!

He couldn't take it head-on. Jiang Wang held his sword horizontally, letting the blade's flat side meet the stone fist, intending to use the momentum to drift away and seek another opportunity.

Regardless, a Foundation Establishment cultivator has limited Dao Essence and simply cannot cast too many techniques. If he drags things out, his swordsmanship would secure him an inevitable victory.

But that stone fist suddenly flipped, grabbing hold of the sword in Jiang Wang's hand and crushing it!

The Stone-Covered Fist itself was only a D-grade upper-tier technique. Jiang Wang hadn't mastered it, but he was familiar with it. He never imagined this technique could have such a nimble change!

In urgency, Jiang Wang abandoned the sword hilt, wrapped both hands around the stone fist that had crushed the longsword, and twisted with force.

The immense physical strength brought by the Four Spirits Body Refining Technique poured in without reservation. With the twisting momentum, fragments of stone flew everywhere.

Jiang Wang touched the ground with his toes and retreated sharply in a backward-leaning posture. At the same time, he dodged the sudden explosion of that stone fist!

The Three Mountains City cultivator, while Jiang Wang was destroying the stone fist, simply detonated it outright, using it as another means of attack. But he hadn't expected Jiang Wang's reflexes to be so sharp, still evading at the first moment.

The explosion of the stone fist did affect him. Though he deliberately controlled it, his entire right arm was covered in wounds, dripping with blood.

But he seemed to feel no pain. Without a word, he directly chased after Jiang Wang.

He didn't form another hand seal, nor did he have time to use a technique. Or rather, he realized that with the techniques he currently mastered, he couldn't defeat his opponent.

So then, let him test his physique that had crossed mountains and ridges, let him test his fists and feet that had slain lions and tigers.

Elbow strikes, knee thrusts, headbutts!

Jiang Wang had no way to create distance either. He had lost his sword, and his entire swordsmanship was useless.

Punches, kicks, shoulder checks!

The two engaged in close-quarters combat!

In the span of a foot, the most intense, the most direct, the most savage!

Among the audience, quite a few mortal martial artists who knew a few moves erupted in excitement!

Thank you to book friend Ye Songsong for the hall master reward! Beautiful big cabbage~~ Thank you to book friend Ah Shen's Little Padded Jacket for the helmsman reward! Speaking of which, reading this ID out loud is so embarrassing... but also so warm! Thank you to book friend Snow Mountain Beside, book friend Xi Zichu, and book friend Happy_Star Treasure for the tips!