The Duel Begins

December 28th.

The sky had yet to fully brighten.

Under a gray canopy, snowflakes drifted down, the biting cold piercing the bones, feeling like swallowing shards of ice when inhaled into the lungs.

Li Yun stood in his courtyard, his tight-fitting martial attire cinched at the waist, the long blade in his hand shimmering with a cold, white frost.

The blade left its sheath, trailing an afterimage.

The wind of the blade was as swift as a thunderclap, his footwork shifting, his figure flickering like a ghost.

The sword techniques were so fast they were dizzying: hacking, slashing, lifting, stabbing—every move carried the sharp whistle of air being torn apart.

On the surface, it appeared to be a thunderous, overwhelming assault, but in reality, it concealed treacherous shifts of three feints to one strike.

The blade's momentum would clearly point forward, only to suddenly veer off halfway through.

Just as it seemed he was exhausting his strength to retract the move, a flick of his wrist would transform the tip of the blade into three cold stars, striking at different targets simultaneously.

Half an hour later, the long blade returned to its sheath.

Li Yun stood where he was, his chest rising and falling slightly as he looked at the panel in his mind.

[Tiger-Subduing Stance (Entry): 4999/5000]
[Tiger Subduing Fist (Great Success): 56/20000]
[Introduction to Poisons (Entry): 1/10000]
[Blood Blade Technique (Entry): 985/5000]
[Bone Shifting Technique (Entry): 3/5000]

With the financial support of Leng Yifeng, the Tiger-Subduing Stance had long since accumulated his blood and qi to a peak.

However, in order to secure the Blood Ginseng awarded to the first-place winner, Li Yun had voluntarily stopped taking Blood Replenishing Powder and practicing the stance.

Yet, despite training every day, his blood and qi continued to grow uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the competition started today.

Otherwise, if he dragged it out any longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to suppress it.

Li Yun had calculated that although suppressing it for a while was difficult, it was still worth it compared to obtaining the Blood Ginseng.

Moreover, Li Yun planned to only display his Body Tempering Realm and minor-success fist techniques during the tournament.

Once the competition ended, he would immediately break through to the Bright Force.

By then, even if someone tried to ambush him, he would be ready.

A Body Tempering Realm practitioner with minor-success fist techniques versus a Bright Force practitioner with great-success fist techniques and numerous hidden cards—that would certainly make those targeting him suffer a loss.

Although the information he had gathered suggested the competition wouldn't pose any major danger, Li Yun still preferred to be cautious and prepare more contingency plans.

Only in this way could he remain invincible if real danger arose.

Although it hadn't been publicly announced, Li Yun was now a personal disciple of Fu Huaixing.

He could frequently go to him for guidance.

Li Yun had once asked him what level he would be considered among Bright Force martial artists if he stepped into the Bright Force realm and relied on his great-success fist techniques.

Fu Huaixing's exact words were:

"With the Tiger Subduing Fist at great success, bolstered by the Bright Force, the power is vastly different compared to the Body Tempering Realm. Once you step into the Bright Force, you will be considered quite capable among them, likely in the upper-middle tier."

This trump card was the key factor that made Li Yun decide to show a little bit of his strength during the competition.

Because he no longer needed to practice the stance and spent less time training at the martial arts hall, he shifted his time toward other techniques.

The progress of his other techniques had indeed accelerated.

However, after entering the Introduction to Poisons, flipping through the manual no longer increased his experience at all.

Li Yun had already fully grasped the knowledge within, even drawing inferences about other cases from what he had learned.

It seemed that knowledge-based subjects were indeed different.

Checking the time, it was about right.

Li Yun changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes, preparing to head to the competition grounds.

Creeeak~

The moment the wooden door was pulled open, a pitch-black shadow rolled inside.

Li Yun reacted with lightning speed, raising his knee to strike firmly against the shadow's shoulder.

The shadow stumbled from the impact, curling up on the ground and looking up at Li Yun.

His face was as dark as soot, his features a blurred mess.

Only two rows of yellow teeth stood out starkly against his blackened face.

"Hehe~"

The raspy laugh carried a note of ingratiation as the little beggar rubbed his frostbitten, cracked hands.

"Master, today is the day of the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall tournament, isn't it?

I wish you a one-punch victory and a triumphant start!"

As he spoke, his body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with anticipation.

The number of people in the city was growing.

The alley was already packed, with figures crowding even right up to Li Yun's doorstep.

Li Yun did not offer charity, but he did not drive them away either.

Over time, the little beggar seemed to have figured out Li Yun's temperament.

Like a doorman, he would stand up to say a few words whenever Li Yun came or went.

He just hoped to receive some kind of handout.

Li Yun's gaze swept over the few figures huddled at the street corner.

Expressionless, he locked his door and walked straight away.

He didn't give anything; if he really did, the little beggar, thin as a kindling stick, wouldn't even make it out of the alley.

He would be robbed of everything down to his underwear, and likely receive a brutal beating to boot.

The little beggar's eyes were filled with disappointment as he tugged at his tattered clothes, bent his knees, and curled into a ball.

With his backside against the door and his back pressed tight, he squatted there, head drooping slightly, his gaze unfocused and vacant.

It was as if he were fantasizing about something...

Today was the day of the year-end tournament.

Several martial halls had gone to great lengths, sending people out with gongs to promote it through every street and alley.

The benefits were plentiful.

Securing a ranking meant not only winning prizes but also catching the eye of wealthy patrons.

They might be recruited for investment or invited to become guest masters.

It attracted a great deal of attention.

The martial halls had specifically cleared a flat, wide space in the Outer City to set up the arena.

By the time Li Yun arrived, the scene was bustling with activity.

Competing martial artists, watching wealthy patrons, and martial hall staff managing the proceedings...

"Junior Brother Li, over here."

Hearing someone call his name, Li Yun turned to look.

It was Zhuo Yong, the senior brother he hadn't seen much of since he stopped relying on the hanging weights.

After suffering consecutive blows that day, Zhuo Yong had made a firm resolution.

He signed a contract directly with a meat shop, dedicating himself to their service.

He had received better funding as a result.

Now, his blood and energy were full, and his fist technique even showed signs of approaching minor completion.

He looked completely radiant.

Li Yun wove through the crowd, approached Zhuo Yong, and offered some polite pleasantries:

"Senior Brother, looking at you, it seems you're determined to win this tournament."

"Haha, that is the plan, though I certainly can't compare to you, Junior Brother. Let's go, let's head in."

Zhuo Yong laughed heartily, making no effort to hide his ambitions.

The two walked through the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall's passage to enter the arena.

Watching the wealthy patrons lining up to buy tickets, Li Yun sighed:

As expected of those who run martial halls, they certainly know how to do business.

Just from these entry tickets alone, the martial halls had already recouped their costs.

In the subsequent matches, their own martial hall's reputation would also be well-promoted.

All in all, it was a profit, not a loss.

Li Yun followed Zhuo Yong to the registration desk.

"Name, which martial hall, or are you unaffiliated?"

"Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, Li Yun."

The staff member didn't even look up, his pen moving incessantly as he scribbled "Li Yun" down. He then pulled a black wooden plaque from under the table, inscribed with "Ding 66".

"Take this. Today is the preliminary round, listen to the rules carefully:

Once on stage, stop at the point of contact. The winner takes the loser's wooden plaque.

Collect five, and return here before sunset to exchange them for a promotion token.

Don't rush off if you lose; pay another tael of silver, and you can re-register, get a new plaque, and keep fighting.

As long as you can take it, you can fight until dark."

Hiss.

Li Yun looked at the crowd of participants and retracted his earlier thought about it being "not a loss."

One tael of silver per attempt, with unlimited "refills."

This was a massive profit.

No wonder they were so generous, even daring to offer Blood Ginseng as a prize.

Compared to the bustling Body Tempering Realm rings, the Bright Force rings were much quieter, and the Dark Force rings were completely empty.

In Crow Mountain City, those with Dark Force were already considered experts.

Their numbers were few, and even fewer came to fight in the ring.

Therefore, Dark Force martial artists had no preliminary rounds, not even a second round.

They would simply go up during the finals to exchange a few moves, which was mostly for show.

Clutching his wooden plaque, Li Yun and Zhuo Yong began to wander between the various Body Tempering Realm rings, each searching for a target.

They were aiming for a "one-life clear" to advance.