Xu Qingtong calculated how much time had passed. He had spent over a day crafting talismans and three days practicing the Heavenly Fire Body-Tempering Art. The elimination tournament should begin tomorrow.
He checked his Storage Bag. There were barely any spirit stones left, so buying elixirs, treasures, or anything of the sort was out of the question. He did not want to burden Shopkeeper Gu any further, either, and could only abandon the idea.
Xu Qingtong changed his clothes, sat cross-legged on his bed, and meditated to recover while waiting for tomorrow's tournament.
The next day, Xu Qingtong rose early, got everything ready, and headed to the Combat Arena. Ten platforms still stood there, and quite a few people had already gathered around them, some to compete and others to watch the excitement.
A total of one hundred and sixty people had qualified for this elimination tournament, which would take place over five rounds. Eighty would be eliminated in the first round and forty in the second. At the end of the fifth round, the five winners would qualify for the Trial. Opponents would be determined by drawing lots in each round.
Shortly after nine in the morning, three men emerged from the grand hall. They were the three elders Xu Qingtong had seen when he registered.
The three arrived at the Combat Arena, and the man in the middle announced in a clear, ringing voice, "I am Yuan Hong, the current second elder of the Biluozong. This is Elder Zhou Xin of the Azure Sea Gate, and this is Elder Guo Tianyu of Gloomwind Valley. The three of us will jointly oversee this Young Talents Assembly. Now, all qualified competitors, please bring your identity Jade Tokens forward and draw lots for your match order."
Xu Qingtong did not immediately go forward to draw a lot. Instead, he kept studying the people who might become his opponents. He did indeed spot several familiar figures among the crowd. Tian Zongfei and Lin Qian, both of whom he had defeated before, were conspicuously among them.
There were also two people who had visited the shop to buy Mid-Grade Talismans: the round-faced, wooden-mannered man and the sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl in yellow.
Only after most people had drawn their lots did Xu Qingtong walk slowly forward. He took a jade lot from the box, swept it with his divine sense, and handed it to Elder Yuan. With so many competitors in the first round, the matches were divided into eight sets. Xu Qingtong had drawn platform five in the sixth set.
After drawing his lot, he stepped back and stood quietly waiting. Suddenly, he felt a strand of divine sense sweep toward him. Without betraying any reaction, Xu Qingtong traced it back with his own divine sense and discovered that it belonged to Lin Qian, who was glaring viciously at him.
It seemed this man had certainly come to bear a grudge against him. If they met in a later match, he would have to be extra careful.
Yet when he probed Lin Qian with his divine sense, the other man did not notice at all. His own divine sense was probably much stronger than Lin Qian's. Otherwise, given the man's temperament, he would surely have reacted.
Before long, everyone had finished drawing lots. Elder Yuan Hong called out, "The tournament begins! Everyone who drew the first set, get onto your platforms at once!"
At Elder Yuan's command, people began mounting the platforms one after another. Xu Qingtong saw the wooden-mannered man step onto the first platform and turned his attention there. His opponent was a young man of about twenty, dressed in a short blue cloth shirt and grayish-white trousers.
The two exchanged cupped-fist salutes and began fighting. The wooden-mannered man's cultivation seemed slightly higher than his opponent's. After several exchanges, the young man gradually fell into a disadvantage. Seizing his chance, the wooden-mannered man flung out a low-quality Mid-Grade Water Arrow Talisman and knocked his opponent off the platform.
Seeing the wooden-mannered man win, Xu Qingtong suddenly lost interest. He glanced around but found nothing else that caught his attention, so he simply found an empty spot, closed his eyes, and began meditating.
In less than two hours, the first and second sets of matches were over. Hearing Elder Yuan announce the start of the third set, Xu Qingtong opened his eyes and looked toward the platforms. One glance immediately rekindled his interest.
There was someone familiar on platform eight. In fact, he knew both people standing there. One was Tian Zongfei, whom he had defeated before, and the other was the girl in yellow. He had not expected those two to be matched against each other.
Tian Zongfei cupped his fists toward the girl in yellow and said something Xu Qingtong could not make out. She returned a formal curtsy, and the two put some distance between themselves before beginning their magical duel.
With his powerful divine sense, Xu Qingtong watched their fight for a while and realized that Tian Zongfei was not using his full strength. He was merely putting on a show of fighting desperately. Xu Qingtong thought, Tian Zongfei must be hiding his strength. I doubt the girl in yellow will last a quarter of an hour.
Just as Xu Qingtong had expected, before long Tian Zongfei seized an opening and set his sword against the girl's neck. With no other choice, she conceded and withdrew from the tournament.
When the fifth set began, Lin Qian, whom Xu Qingtong had been keeping an eye on, stepped onto platform two. His opponent was also a young man in his twenties. Of medium build, he wore close-fitting combat clothes and had a cold, stern face. He carried a broad-backed saber and looked like a ruthless character at first glance. Neither said much. They exchanged cupped-fist salutes and took their fighting stances.
Xu Qingtong examined them with the Qi-Observing Art and found that both were at the fifth level of qi refining, though the stern-faced man seemed to have more substantial magic power than Lin Qian. Gripping his saber, the man channeled his magic power and suddenly slashed straight at Lin Qian's face.
Seeing the tremendous force behind the strike, Lin Qian did not dare meet it head-on and hurriedly dodged aside. He then activated a Shield Talisman, surrounding himself with a halo of light, before directing his Flying Sword. Relying on his nimble footwork, he slashed left and right, darting high and low. For a time, the two were locked in a fierce struggle, neither able to prevail.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, both had expended over half their magic power, and their movements had visibly slowed. They fought a little longer, then simultaneously withdrew their magical artifacts and brought out talismans.
Lin Qian had the Mid-Grade Fireball Talismans Xu Qingtong had crafted, which were more powerful than the stern-faced man's talismans. After several exchanges of bombardment, he forced the man to the edge of the platform.
Just as Lin Qian unleashed another Fireball Talisman, the stern-faced man stopped countering with talismans. Instead, he took out a tiny Flying Knife, gathered the last of his magic power, and flicked it toward Lin Qian's chest.
Xu Qingtong had thought Lin Qian would dodge. Unexpectedly, he did not move aside at all, instead throwing his Fireball Talisman straight at the stern-faced man. Bang! Bang! The two were struck almost simultaneously, but the outcomes were different.
The stern-faced man was hit by the Fireball Talisman and fell stiffly off the platform, unconscious. With his Shield Talisman obstructing the knife, Lin Qian narrowly avoided a vital injury. The Flying Knife struck the right side of his chest, exposing the Protective Armor underneath.
Watching Lin Qian on the platform, Xu Qingtong finally realized that he had underestimated this seemingly pampered wastrel. Not only was the man bold and meticulous, he was ruthless as well, willing to suffer an injury himself to put his opponent down.
Though his calculations had been thorough, a single misstep could have extinguished his cultivation and his life alike. If Xu Qingtong faced him in a later match, he would have to be doubly careful.
With Lin Qian's victory, the fifth set of matches ended. Xu Qingtong rose to his feet. The sixth set-it was his turn to take the stage.
Before you continue