The Tournament Begins

December 28.

The sky had yet to brighten.

Snow drifted beneath the gray heavens. The bitter cold pierced to the bone, and breathing it in felt like swallowing shards of ice.

Li Yun stood in his courtyard, his fitted clothes cinched tight around his waist. The long saber in his hand glimmered with a cold, white sheen of frost.

The saber flashed from its sheath, leaving a streaking afterimage.

The wind of his blade howled like charging thunder. His footwork shifted and changed, his figure flickering like a ghost.

His attacks came too fast for the eye to follow: cleave, slash, sweep, thrust—every move shrieked as it cut through the air.

On the surface, it was a furious assault with the force of thunder. Beneath it, however, lay deceptive feints: three false moves for every true one.

The blade clearly pointed straight ahead, only to veer sharply midway through its arc.

It looked as though his strength had run out and he was pulling back, but a twitch of his wrist sent the tip of his blade bursting into three cold stars, striking at different angles.

Half an hour later, the long saber slid back into its sheath.

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

[Tiger-Subduing Stance (Beginner): 4999/5000]

[Tiger Subduing Fist (Great Completion): 56/20000]

[Introduction to Poisons (Beginner): 1/10000]

[Blood Blade Technique (Beginner): 985/5000]

[Bone Shifting Technique (Beginner): 3/5000]

Thanks to Leng Yifeng's support, his Tiger-Subduing Stance had long since brought his accumulated blood and qi to its limit.

But Li Yun had deliberately stopped drinking Blood Replenishing Powder and practicing the stance in order to claim the Blood Ginseng awarded to first place.

Even so, his blood and qi kept growing despite his efforts to hold them back.

Thankfully, the tournament began today.

If it had been delayed any longer, he might not have been able to keep them in check.

Li Yun had thought it through. Although he would have to suppress his progress for a while, it was worth it compared with the reward of the Blood Ginseng.

He had also planned to show only his Body Tempering Realm cultivation and his Minor Completion fist technique during the matches.

The moment the tournament ended, he would break through to Bright Force.

Then, even if someone tried to ambush him—

with his Body Tempering Realm cultivation, Minor Completion fist technique, Bright Force, Great Completion fist technique, and all his other hidden cards—

he would make anyone targeting him pay for it.

The information he had gathered suggested the tournament wouldn't be particularly dangerous.

Still, Li Yun preferred to err on the side of caution and prepare a few more contingencies.

That way, if danger did arise, he would be able to remain undefeated.

Though it had not been publicly announced, Li Yun was now Fu Huaixing's personal disciple.

He could often go to him for advice.

Li Yun had asked Fu Huaixing what level he would be among Bright Force fighters if he reached Bright Force and relied on his Great Completion fist technique.

Fu Huaixing had answered:

"With Tiger Subduing Fist at Great Completion, and Bright Force behind it, the power is leagues beyond what you had in the Body Tempering Realm.

"Once you reach Bright Force, you'll be a capable fighter among those at that level. Probably somewhere in the upper middle."

That trump card was what had truly convinced Li Yun to reveal a little of his strength during the tournament.

Without the need to practice the stance, and with less time spent at the Martial Hall training in fist techniques, he had been able to devote more time to his other techniques.

As a result, their progress had picked up.

But after reaching Beginner in Introduction to Poisons, reading through the booklet no longer increased his experience at all.

He had already mastered the knowledge inside, even drawing broader conclusions from it.

It seemed knowledge-based skills really were different.

He checked the time. It was about time to go.

Li Yun changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes and prepared to head to the tournament grounds.

Creak—

The instant the wooden door swung open, a black lump rolled inside.

Li Yun reacted at once. He lifted his knee and leg, planting them firmly against the shadow's shoulder.

The shadow halted under the impact, then curled up on the ground and looked up at Li Yun.

His cheeks were black as soot, his whole face smeared until his features were a blur.

Only two rows of yellow teeth stood out against the dark.

"Heh heh~"

The hoarse laugh brimmed with fawning eagerness. The little beggar rubbed his red, swollen, cracked hands.

"Sir, today's the Martial Hall tournament, right?

"I wish you victory with one punch and success right from the start!"

His body trembled slightly as he spoke, his eyes full of hope.

There were more and more people in the city.

The alleys had long since grown too crowded, and shadows even clustered outside Li Yun's front door.

Li Yun never went out of his way to give alms, but he never chased them off either.

After seeing each other so often, the little beggar seemed to have figured out Li Yun's temperament.

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

He was hoping for a little charity.

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

Without changing expression, he locked the door and walked away.

He hadn't given the boy anything. If he had, the little beggar was as skinny as a stick and wouldn't have made it out of the alley.

The others would have robbed him down to his underwear, and he might even have taken a beating.

Disappointment filled the little beggar's eyes. He tugged at his ragged clothes, bent his knees, and curled into a ball.

He pressed his bottom against the door and leaned his back against it.

He crouched there, head drooping slightly, gaze unfocused.

As if lost in some fantasy...

Today was the Year-End Tournament.

The Martial Halls had gone to great lengths to promote it, sending people through every street and alley with copper gongs.

There were plenty of benefits.

Placing in the tournament meant not only winning prizes, but also earning the favor of other wealthy families.

They might offer investment or invite the winners to become honored retainers.

The tournament drew plenty of attention.

The Martial Halls had chosen a broad, flat plot in the Outer City and built an arena there.

By the time Li Yun arrived, the place was buzzing with activity.

There were martial artists competing, wealthy families watching, and Martial Hall staff running the proceedings...

"Junior Brother Li, over here."

Hearing someone call him, Li Yun turned toward the voice.

It was Zhuo Yong, the senior brother he had barely seen since he stopped relying on the Martial Hall's support.

After taking one blow after another that day, Zhuo Yong had made up his mind.

He had signed a contract with a meat shop to work for them full-time.

In return, he received better support.

Now his blood and qi were flourishing, and his fist technique was even on the verge of Minor Completion.

His whole face glowed with health.

Li Yun made his way through the crowd to Zhuo Yong and offered the usual pleasantry.

"Senior Brother, you look like you're sure to win this tournament."

"Haha, that's the idea, but I definitely won't measure up to you, Junior Brother. Come on, let's go in."

Zhuo Yong laughed, making no effort to hide his ambition.

The two entered the arena through the Subduing Tiger Martial Hall's passage.

Watching the wealthy families line up to buy tickets, Li Yun couldn't help thinking:

As expected of a Martial Hall. They really knew how to do business.

The money from admission tickets alone would cover the Martial Hall's costs.

And the tournament would spread the name of their own Martial Hall even further.

All in all, they could only profit.

Li Yun followed Zhuo Yong to the registration desk.

"Name, Martial Hall, or independent competitor?"

"Subduing Tiger Martial Hall, Li Yun."

The staff member didn't even look up. His brush flew across the page, writing down the name Li Yun, then he reached under the table and pulled out a black wooden token marked "Ding 66."

"Take this. Today is the preliminaries. Listen to the rules:

"Fight on the stage, but stop once a clear winner has been decided. The winner takes the loser's token.

"Collect five tokens and come here before sunset to exchange them for a qualification token.

"If you lose, don't rush off. Pay another tael of silver and you can register again, get a new token, and keep fighting.

"If you can take it, you can fight until dark."

Tsk—

Li Yun looked at all the competitors around him and took back his earlier thought that the tournament could only profit.

One tael of silver per try, with unlimited chances to "top up."

This was a huge windfall.

No wonder they were so generous as to put the Blood Ginseng up as a prize.

Compared to the lively Body Tempering Realm arena, the Bright Force arena was much quieter. The Dark Force arena was empty altogether.

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

There weren't many of them, and even fewer came to compete.

So Dark Force fighters didn't have preliminaries, or even a second round.

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

With the wooden token in hand, Li Yun and Zhuo Yong began making the rounds of the Body Tempering Realm stages, each looking for a target.

They aimed to clear the tournament in a single life.