A Hard-Won Victory

Even knowing that Yue Lian had the protagonist's halo and came with a built-in luck buff, Chu Zeming's eyelid still twitched when he heard the words "first-round bye"...

"Little Junior Brother's luck is incredible."

"He can enter the top five hundred without even fighting. We senior brothers are so jealous."

The disciples from the other sects gathered around Yue Lian, discussing it enviously.

Chu Zeming: ...

Before the protagonist's halo, even a favored child of the heavens had lost in a complete rout.

"Little Junior Brother's luck really is enviable, isn't it, Senior Brother?" Xuan Mo was also deeply moved. But after asking, he turned and saw his eldest senior brother's absurdly dark handsome face. He promptly changed his tune and declared righteously, "What does a first-round bye count for? There are more than ten cultivators with byes in the first round of the Joint Grand Tournament, but only two who drew number one. From a probability standpoint, Eldest Senior Brother clearly has the better fortune."

Chu Zeming, who had just been dealt a small blow, felt somewhat more balanced. He snorted through his nose and said blandly, "That's right."

Xuan Mo breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and stepped forward to shout, "Disperse, disperse! Little Junior Brother got a bye, not you lot. What are you so excited for? Stop standing around gossiping. Eldest Senior Brother will be fighting in the first arena match later, so all of you go cheer him on, understand?"

The disciples replied, "Understood—"

Chu Zeming's mood improved considerably.

After the drawing of lots came the opening ceremony of the Joint Grand Tournament. It was much like a modern event's opening ceremony, with nothing worth seeing, and Chu Zeming nearly fell asleep.

Until a booming voice transmission from above the square roused Chu Zeming from his drowsiness.

"The Joint Grand Tournament officially begins. The sects have established eighty-one arenas. Cultivators who drew jade tokens numbered one through eighty-one, please proceed to your corresponding arenas at once. The time limit is three incense sticks. Those who exceed it will be deemed to have forfeited automatically—"

Chu Zeming rose to his feet.

He followed the directions with his junior brothers and found Arena Number One.

The so-called arena was enormous, comparable to an entire football field. All kinds of restrictions had been laid around it, meant to keep spectators from being caught in the crossfire when immortals fought.

As soon as Chu Zeming approached the arena, he spotted that familiar mangy head. Lu Benxiong had changed clothes, but they were still exceedingly plain. Chu Zeming's earlier swindle had cleaned out every last bit of his savings. The second-generation immortal of the Heavenly Remnant Sect had now become a penniless pauper.

When he saw Chu Zeming arrive, Lu Benxiong was somewhat surprised, but he quickly broke into a vicious grin.

"Well, well, Eldest Senior Brother. Enemies really do meet on narrow roads, huh?"

Chu Zeming glanced at him and gave an equally drawn-out "well," saying in surprise, "What a coincidence. My opponent is you again?"

Lu Benxiong sneered. "Not quite. Your opponent isn't me, but he may as well be. This time, you've run into my Junior Brother Chang Wei. You've had eight lifetimes of rotten luck. In a moment, you'll walk onto that arena upright and come down horizontal!"

Only then did Chu Zeming notice the mighty, taciturn man standing behind Lu Benxiong. His muscles bulged in knots, and a savage three-inch scar cut across his face. He wore a fur vest that left his arms bare, and his aura was formidable. At a glance, one could tell he was someone who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade.

The moment Xuan Mo, standing beside Chu Zeming, noticed Chang Wei, his expression turned ugly.

The Heavenly Remnant Sect was, after all, the tenth-ranked cultivation sect. It had no shortage of gifted monsters, and this Chang Wei was one of them.

Though he was not handsome, his strength was exceptional. He was very different from ordinary sect disciples: he rarely stayed in the sect and trained outside year-round. Every bit of his cultivation had been bought with blood and wounds.

Xuan Mo turned his head and murmured to Chu Zeming, "Senior Brother, this man ranked twelfth in the last Joint Grand Tournament. When you fight him later... you must be especially careful."

Chu Zeming nodded.

He indicated that he would protect himself well.

Lu Benxiong turned around, patted Chang Wei on the shoulder, and said, "Junior Brother, cripple him once you get on stage. When we return to the sect, Senior Brother will ask my father to reward you. Don't you like that outer-sect servant from Leisurely Cloud Hall? Senior Brother will have Father make the decision and give him to you."

This time, however, Chang Wei ignored Lu Benxiong. At that very moment, his gaze was fixed tightly behind Chu Zeming, and his hoarse voice rang out. "Who is he?"

Everyone was stunned. Following Chang Wei's line of sight, they saw the peerlessly beautiful young man in white standing among the disciples.

Chu Zeming: ...

Chang Wei was looking at Yue Lian.

The atmosphere became strange.

The rugged man gazed at Yue Lian with deep affection, and his eyes seemed to be bubbling with pink hearts.

Both sides fell silent.

The timing was far too wrong. For a moment, nobody knew whether they ought to introduce themselves, exchange family backgrounds, and... play matchmaker.

Only Ling Tian failed to notice that anything was amiss. His entire focus was on the incense burning on the jade platform below the distant arena. Seeing that the final incense stick had burned down to two-thirds, Ling Tian reminded Chu Zeming in an unhappy tone, "Get on the stage. Time's almost up."

Chu Zeming put away his complicated feelings, sprang upward, and landed on the arena.

Chang Wei followed close behind, but his eyes still clung reluctantly to the beauty below the stage. Suddenly, a terrifying Sword Qi came slashing at him. Chang Wei hurriedly pressed his palms together, and a solid barrier appeared, blocking Chu Zeming's strike. Immediately afterward, a spiked wolf-tooth club appeared in Chang Wei's hand.

Neither of them was a good-natured sort.

Without a word, they began fighting.

Chang Wei was already at the peak of the Jindan Stage, just one step away from the Nascent Soul Realm. Chu Zeming, only at the middle Jindan Stage, was clearly no match for him.

Moreover, Chang Wei attacked from tricky angles, every move aimed to kill. Before long, Chu Zeming had acquired many wounds. Fortunately, he wore black, so even though he was bleeding, it was not very visible. He did not look quite so bedraggled.

Though he could still barely hold on and deal with Chang Wei's attacks, this could not continue. The instant his spiritual power ran dry, he would certainly lose.

From the corner of his eye, Chu Zeming saw his junior brothers below the arena, their faces tense as they desperately cheered him on. His gaze darkened, and he made a momentous decision to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats.

Thus, just as Chang Wei was about to swing his club again, Chu Zeming spoke in a low voice—

"Hold back, and I'll tell you everything about that white-clothed beauty below the arena. His height, family background, preferences, measurements—everything."

Chang Wei's motion paused, and his fierce expression softened.

"You're not joking?"

Chu Zeming said gravely, "I'm not joking. But that man is beautiful and has many pursuers. I can't guarantee whether you'll be able to win his heart."

Chang Wei hesitated.

Leaning on his sword, Chu Zeming took two steps back and caught his breath before slowly continuing, "There are many secret treasures, but love only comes once in a lifetime. Some people—once you miss them, you have truly missed them."

Chang Wei was persuaded.

He slowly struck toward Chu Zeming, drew near, and asked in a low voice, "Since childhood, I've licked blood from the edge of a blade and endured too much. I like delicate beauties, the kind as pure as blank paper. But I'm ugly and fierce. Anyone with even a little beauty runs upon seeing me. You seem quite popular. Could you give me some pointers on how to pursue someone?"

Chu Zeming slowly blocked his attack and said solemnly, "Of course."

The battle at Arena Number One suddenly took a turn.

What had originally been a thrilling fight of flashing blades and dancing swords abruptly changed style, until everything seemed like a joke.

Below the arena, everyone was dumbfounded.

Chang Wei swung his wolf-tooth club and gave Eldest Senior Brother a huge bump on the head. Eldest Senior Brother got angry, then stabbed Chang Wei in the shoulder with his sword.

Chang Wei punched Eldest Senior Brother in the chest. Eldest Senior Brother was sent flying—very slowly—and before flying away, the Luminous Glaze Sword stabbed Chang Wei once.

Chang Wei coughed blood! He coughed blood!

Chang Wei took two steps back, then slowly lay down on the ground.

Below the arena, Lu Benxiong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He waved his fists and shouted in alarm, "Hit him! Get up and hit him!"

Xuan Mo looked at the arena with a complicated expression. "If this isn't a staged fight, Ling Tian will perform an upside-down shit right here."

Ling Tian was equally wooden-faced. "Yes. If this isn't a staged fight, I'll perform an upside-down shit on the spot."

Only Yue Lian said nothing.

He vaguely had a bad feeling.

Chang Wei did not get up. He kept coughing blood, like a sprinkler, spraying it all over the arena as though afraid others would not know that he was severely injured and had lost the match.

With a clang of the gong, this splendid match came to an end.

—Arena Number One: Chu Zeming of the Nine-Clear Haoran Sect wins.

Leaning on his sword as he descended from the stage, Chu Zeming glanced at the arena behind him and said heavily, "This match was an exceedingly hard-won victory."

Author's note:

Chu Zeming: To secure victory, I'll stop at nothing!

Yue Lian: ...What a dog.