Great Clan Tournament

East of Lin'an City, Martial Arts Arena.

This hundred-acre stretch of flat ground had originally been a training ground for the City Defense Army. Now, it had been requisitioned by the City Lord's Manor and turned into the venue for the Great Clan Tournament of the four major families.

Just after the hour of the dragon, the area around the Martial Arts Arena was already packed with people.

There were commoners here to watch the excitement, descendants of the major families, Rogue Cultivators, and small merchants.

Everyone was discussing the same thing: the stakes of this tournament were a twenty percent share of the Black Iron Mine.

"Did you hear? The Yang Family put their Black Iron Mine shares on the line!"

"Not just the Yang Family—the other three families did too. The winner takes all, while the losers will be badly weakened."

"Then there'll be quite a show today."

"Exactly. I heard the Wang Family spent a fortune to hire an expert. The Wang Family has this in the bag!"

"Really? What level is he?"

"Absolutely true. My cousin works as a clerk in a Wang Family shop and saw the man himself. They call him 'Blood Hand' Li Feng."

"'Blood Hand' Li Feng? Isn't he that famous bounty-taker?"

"Of course. He wiped out the Black Wind Stronghold on Black Wind Ridge all by himself."

"Hiss... Doesn't that mean the other three families are doomed to lose?"

"Who knows? That old fox Yang Zhenshan of the Yang Family has never done anything without being sure of it."

Amid the discussions, the teams from the four major families entered one after another.

The Li Family arrived first. Their head, Li Yuanba, brought more than a dozen attendants, every one of them imposing. The Li Family dealt in grain and possessed abundant wealth; the several thugs they had hired were all at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Next came the Zhao Family. Their head, Zhao Dezhu, strode into the arena with a huge belly and a beaming smile, followed by a group of sturdy men.

The Zhao Family was close to the Wang Family, and the seats of the two families were right beside each other.

Then came the Wang Family.

The moment Wang Tiannan, head of the Wang Family, entered, everyone's attention focused on the man behind him.

The man looked to be around thirty. He was lean and wiry, with a pair of sinister eyes like an eagle's. He wore a blood-red robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, and made not the slightest sound as he walked.

"Blood Hand" Li Feng.

Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Zhou Qi stood behind the Yang Family's group. His gaze swept over Li Feng, and the System Panel appeared:

[Name: Li Feng]

[Realm: Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement (Peak)]

[Techniques: Blood Baleful Palm (Mastery), Ghost Shadow Step (Mastery)]

[Weakness: The Blood Baleful Palm consumes enormous energy, leaving him weak in prolonged combat]

Zhou Qi withdrew his gaze, and a sense of certainty settled in his heart.

The Yang Family entered last.

Yang Zhenshan walked at the very front. Behind him were Yang Yuanshan, Yang Jinshan, Zhou Qi, A Gui, and a hired thug at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Yang Mingyuan was also among the group, but his father had arranged for him to walk at the back. His face carried a trace of discomfort.

The City Lord's Manor's seats were arranged on the elevated platform directly north of the Martial Arts Arena.

At the center of the platform sat a handsome man in brocade robes, around thirty years old. He bore himself with remarkable poise. He was Yao Shiyuan, son of the City Lord, Yao Qing.

Yao Qing himself had not appeared.

For conflicts between great families such as these, the City Lord's Manor had always acted only as an arbiter and never participated. Sending Yao Shiyuan was already more than enough respect.

Yao Shiyuan rose to his feet, swept his gaze around the arena, and announced in a clear voice, "Everyone, the rules for today's Great Clan Tournament are as follows—"

He paused before continuing, "Each family may send three people. The order of appearance is unrestricted, and substitutions may be made without limit. Victory is decided by knocking down the opponent or forcing a surrender. Try not to kill anyone. The family that emerges victorious in the end will receive twenty percent of the Black Iron Mine shares from each of the other three families."

"Does everyone understand?"

The four family heads all nodded.

Yao Shiyuan sat back down and signaled to his attendant beside him. "Begin."

The attendant walked to the center of the arena and called out, "First match: Yang Family versus Zhao Family!"

Yang Zhenshan looked toward Yang Yuanshan beside him.

Yang Yuanshan nodded and beckoned to an attendant behind him. "A Gui, you go."

A Gui was one of the Yang Family's capable men, one of their two ace enforcers. He was at the Mid-Stage of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement and cultivated the Stone-Shattering Palm and Shadow-Escape Steps.

The Zhao Family sent out a man as well.

He was a bald, burly man, tall and powerfully built, his bare upper body covered in scars. He walked into the arena and grinned at A Gui. "Kid, if you know what's good for you, lie down by yourself. Save yourself the suffering."

A Gui gave a cold snort and assumed his opening stance.

"Begin!"

The instant the words fell, the bald man charged forward and threw a punch.

The wind from his fist howled.

A Gui sidestepped it, then swung a palm at the bald man's ribs. The bald man neither dodged nor blocked, taking the strike head-on before smashing a fist into A Gui's shoulder.

Bang!

A Gui staggered back three steps, his face turning pale.

The bald man stood where he was, rubbed the ribs that had been struck, and grinned. "That's it?"

Gritting his teeth, A Gui charged forward again.

Three moves.

Only three moves.

The bald man drove a heavy fist into A Gui's chest. A Gui flew backward and crashed down at the edge of the arena, vomiting blood in great mouthfuls.

"Yang Family, defeated!"

The attendant announced loudly.

Zhao Dezhu burst into laughter and cupped his hands toward Yang Zhenshan. "Brother Yang, thank you for letting us win."

Yang Zhenshan remained expressionless and merely nodded.

Second match: Wang Family versus Li Family.

The Wang Family sent out Li Feng.

He walked into the arena with his hands still tucked in his sleeves, watching the Li Family's contestant with an indifferent gaze.

The Li Family sent out a middle-aged man at the Peak of the Sixth Layer of Qi Refinement. He held a longsword and possessed no weak aura.

"Begin!"

The middle-aged man thrust out his sword, its radiance like a rainbow.

Li Feng moved.

He was as fast as a shadow. In an instant, he closed in before the middle-aged man and struck with his palm.

A blood-red palm imprint.

The middle-aged man's sword moves flowed one into the next, but he had not yet finished unleashing them and had no time to defend. He could only twist aside to evade.

Yet Li Feng's palm was too fast. It still grazed his shoulder.

Sizzle...

A blood-red palm print appeared on the middle-aged man's shoulder, and his skin festered at a rate visible to the naked eye.

He screamed miserably. His longsword slipped from his hand, and he fell to the ground, rolling about in agony.

"Stop!"

Li Yuanba shot to his feet.

Yao Shiyuan frowned and nodded toward the attendant.

The attendant hurried forward, examined the middle-aged man's injuries, and then announced, "Wang Family, victorious!"

The entire arena erupted.

"He won in one move?"

"What kind of palm technique was that? It's too sinister!"

"Blood Hand Li Feng truly lives up to his reputation!"

Wang Tiannan, head of the Wang Family, grinned from ear to ear and cupped his hands toward Li Yuanba. "Brother Li, thank you for letting us win."

Li Yuanba's face was ashen. He waved a hand, ordering someone to carry the injured middle-aged man away.

Zhao Dezhu sidled up to Wang Tiannan and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, it looks like your Wang Family is determined to win the Black Iron Mine this time."

Wang Tiannan waved a hand. "Brother Zhao, you jest. This is only the beginning."

He glanced at Yang Zhenshan, his eyes full of smug satisfaction.

Yang Zhenshan remained expressionless. He merely lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.

Yang Mingyuan sat nearby, restless and uneasy. He leaned close to his father's ear and whispered, "Father, that Li Feng is too strong. We..."

Yang Zhenshan set down his teacup and said calmly, "What are you panicking for?"

Yang Mingyuan did not dare say another word.

Zhou Qi stood behind the group, taking everything in.

Li Feng truly was strong.

But only in the eyes of others.

To him, at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, Li Feng's palm strike had been as slow as a turtle crawling.

Zhou Qi was not worried that anyone would see through his true strength. At the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement, the only person in Lin'an City who could contend with him was Yao Qing of the City Lord's Manor.

Even then, Yao Qing was merely at the same realm as him. To see through him, one would need a Foundation Establishment Realm expert at the very least.

But Foundation Establishment Realm experts? There might be some in Blackstone City, but there was absolutely no chance of one existing in Lin'an City.

He was merely curious why Yang Zhenshan had such complete confidence in him.

Had Yang Zhenshan noticed that he had mastered both martial techniques to perfection?

The first round ended.

The Yang Family had lost one match, while the Wang Family had won one.

The attendant once more walked into the center of the arena and called out, "Third match: Yang Family versus Wang Family!"