Early the next morning, Xu Qingtong hurried out of bed, gathered everything he had prepared, and rushed to the Combat Arena. When he reached the platforms, he found that no one was fighting yet. Beside each platform stood a table with someone seated next to it. Judging by their clothing, they belonged to the Three Great Sects and were presumably there to oversee the matches.
After quite a while, the crowd before the platforms gradually grew. When the appointed time arrived, the officials at all ten platforms rose together and announced loudly, "The time has come. Those who have registered, come up promptly to compete."
Xu Qingtong did not step up right away, choosing instead to watch from below. Competitors climbed onto the ten platforms one after another. Once the officials had announced the rules, they paired off and began fighting.
Before Xu Qingtong was Arena Seven, where two men had already begun exchanging blows. One was a round-faced man dressed in coarse gray cloth, holding a shield in his left hand and a spiked club in his right. Every swing of the club sent the air whooshing.
Xu Qingtong was puzzled. This looked less like a battle between cultivators and more like a martial contest between ordinary mortals. He turned his attention to the other man on the platform. About twenty years old and dressed in splendid silks, he was plainly the wealthy young heir of some cultivation lineage. With a folding fan in his hand, he cut quite a dashing figure.
The silk-clad young master avoided confronting the round-faced man head-on, relying on agile footwork to weave and dart around the platform. After roughly a quarter of an hour, the round-faced man was panting and sweating, while the young master remained perfectly composed.
A little later, the young master caught the round-faced man off guard, snapped his fan shut, and flicked out a Water Arrow Technique that struck him in the chest. Then he raised his foot and kicked him off the platform.
"Liu Mang wins!" the official announced loudly, drawing cheers from below. The young master named Liu Mang smiled and saluted the crowd with clasped hands, then stood proudly on the platform.
Competitors were normally allowed an hour's rest after each match, but Young Master Liu apparently felt no need for it. He remained on the platform to await his next opponent.
Xu Qingtong considered the matter, settled on a strategy for dealing with him, and stepped onto the platform. He handed his Jade Token to the official, then withdrew to one side to wait. The official accepted the token and, looking slightly surprised, asked, "What is your name? Have you competed before?"
"My name is Xu Qingtong. This is my first match."
The official said, "You may use spells, magical artifacts, and talismans, as well as elixirs that restore your strength. Poison and elixirs that boost your cultivation are forbidden. The match ends when either side concedes or falls off the platform. You may injure your opponent, but you may not take his life. If you cannot win, shout 'I concede' as soon as possible to avoid injury! Do you understand?"
Xu Qingtong nodded to show that he understood. The official said no more, announced the start of the match, and withdrew to the table.
Seeing how young Xu Qingtong was, and that he was only at the third level of Qi Refining, Liu Mang began to look down on him. He planned to toy with the boy before defeating him, earning applause from the spectators.
He swaggered up to Xu Qingtong, raised his chin, and said, "Boy, don't say I'm bullying someone younger. I'll give you three free moves. Go ahead!"
Xu Qingtong did not answer. He first activated a Shield Talisman. Liu Mang burst out laughing. "Boy, I said I'd give you three free moves. Why did you start with a Shield Talisman?" Before he had even finished speaking, however, Xu Qingtong sent a Fireball Talisman flying at him.
Seeing the Fireball Talisman coming, Liu Mang closed his folding fan. Green light shimmered over him, and a shield appeared around his body. He assumed that a Fireball Talisman wielded by a little brat at the third level of Qi Refining could not be particularly powerful. One shield would be enough.
Only when the fireball neared his body did he realize that it was nothing like those produced by ordinary Fireball Talismans. He knew he had underestimated his opponent, but it was already too late. His shield briefly resisted the fireball before shattering. With its momentum unspent, the fireball slammed into Liu Mang.
Liu Mang staggered, his clothes catching fire. Before he could regain his balance, more fireballs came at him, one after another. With nowhere to dodge, he had no choice but to jump off the platform and extinguish the flames on his body. He shot Xu Qingtong a venomous glare, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.
The official gave a soft scoff and declared Xu Qingtong the winner. Then he asked, "Would you like to rest?" Xu Qingtong shook his head, indicating that he would continue. The official called loudly, "Next!"
Shortly afterward, a young man of seventeen or eighteen stepped onto the platform. Tall and thin, with large eyes, high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and a prominent nose, he looked exceedingly shrewd. He handed his Jade Token to the official, then turned and saluted Xu Qingtong with clasped hands. "I am Tian Zongfei. I've come to learn from your skills, young brother!"
Xu Qingtong was about to reply when Tian Zongfei sent a water arrow shooting straight at him. Startled, Xu Qingtong had no time to activate a Shield Talisman. He could only channel his spiritual power, making his armor glow faintly green as it blocked the water arrow.
When his sneak attack failed, Tian Zongfei did not hesitate. He summoned a flying sword and sent it cleaving straight toward Xu Qingtong.
Xu Qingtong hurriedly activated a Shield Talisman, blocking the flying sword's attack. Fortunately, it was a Shield Talisman he had crafted himself. An ordinary one could never have withstood that strike.
Even so, the shield's radiance dimmed considerably. Xu Qingtong quickly activated another Shield Talisman to protect his entire body.
After breaking through six of Xu Qingtong's Shield Talismans in succession, Tian Zongfei began to run short of magical power. He had not expected the boy before him to have so many Shield Talismans, let alone such sturdy ones.
Just as he took out an elixir to replenish his magical power, Xu Qingtong seized the opportunity and hurled Fireball Talismans at him, one after another, as though they cost nothing. With nowhere to dodge, Tian Zongfei had no choice but to jump off the platform.
After winning two matches in a row, Xu Qingtong feared he was drawing too much attention. He pretended to be running short of magical power and stepped down to rest.
After resting for an hour, Xu Qingtong returned to the platform. Still relying on his plentiful talismans, he secured two more victories with a few scares but no mishaps.
Seeing that it was nearly noon, Xu Qingtong returned to the Jade Spring Commerce Association. Wu Zheng hurried over to greet him. "Brother Qingtong, the shop was busy this morning, so I couldn't watch your matches. How did they go? How many did you win?" Shopkeeper Gu Mingli seemed to have noticed Xu Qingtong's return as well. He came downstairs and watched him with concern, waiting for his answer.
The concern on Shopkeeper Gu's and Brother Wu Zheng's faces warmed Xu Qingtong's heart. A little embarrassed, he said, "I fought four matches this morning and won them all."
Wu Zheng was delighted and showered Xu Qingtong with a whole basketful of praise, as though the words cost nothing. Finally, Shopkeeper Gu said, "Qingtong, you must not grow arrogant. Go back to your room and rest. Think carefully about what you gained and lost in those matches!"
Xu Qingtong's heart tightened. Knowing that the shopkeeper had his best interests at heart, he quickly nodded in agreement, bowed, and returned to the rear courtyard.
Back in his room, Xu Qingtong began carefully reviewing each of his matches and examining his shortcomings.
In his match against Tian Zongfei, he should never have been forced so thoroughly onto the defensive. He had only himself to blame for getting tangled up in empty formalities, intending to exchange pleasantries and introduce himself. Who could have guessed that his opponent was deliberately baiting him into doing just that? As a result, he had been caught completely off guard and nearly knocked off the platform in defeat.
It seemed that once I stepped onto the platform, I had to stay on guard at all times. I could never afford to be careless! Besides, every one of my victories had barely been secured through the power of talismans. If an opponent had powerful defensive measures, or possessed as many talismans as I did, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Moreover, those four matches this morning were bound to have drawn the attention of some watchful people, who would devise ways to counter me. It seemed I needed to change my tactics.
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