At those words, Elder Li's eyes immediately lit up.
"Haha, don't worry. I've had the Heaven Crystal Sand ready for ages.
If you really beat me, you can take it whenever you like."
He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly sensed a familiar presence.
The Core Formation elders all turned to look into the distance, varying degrees of surprise appearing on their faces.
Someone murmured, "What's Uncle-Master Pei doing here?"
Ever since he broke through to Nascent Soul decades ago, he's hardly ever come here."
"Could he be here for that boy Han Mingguan?
I hear Han Mingguan is quite gifted in talismans. He could very well inherit Uncle-Master Pei's gifts."
While the Core Formation elders were busy speculating, Pei Yong'an, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, had already landed on the platform.
The elder presiding over the tournament seemed to have been notified beforehand and announced loudly,
"We are honored to welcome Uncle-Master Pei to today's tournament. Elder Pei, please draw the first pairing!"
Pei Yong'an accepted without ceremony. With a light flick of his finger, he drew two jade pendants bearing the competing disciples' names from the Magic Treasure.
The Core Formation elder presiding over the tournament took the jade pendants and announced,
"Today's first match: Han Mingguan of Cloud Pointing Peak against Xu Changxing of Flying Stream Peak!"
Liu Chenyu: "!!!"
Liu Chenyu, who had been looking puzzled just moments earlier, shot straight out of his seat at those words.
He had never imagined that Pei Yong'an would draw Xu Changxing.
Liu Chenyu had thought that, with a little luck, his third disciple might actually last five rounds. After all, this was a double-elimination tournament.
Instead, he had been matched against Pei Yong'an's final disciple, Han Mingguan, in the very first round.
Didn't that mean he would start off with a loss?
He simply couldn't understand how his disappointing third disciple had ended up being drawn first.
In fact, he wasn't the only one. The Core Formation elders who had come to watch were equally bewildered.
None of them understood why Pei Yong'an had drawn a disciple named Xu Changxing.
"Who exactly is this Xu Changxing?
Why was he drawn first?"
"I heard he's a disciple from Flying Stream Peak."
"Flying Stream Peak? Isn't he Old Liu's disciple, then? I've never heard of any bad blood between Old Liu and Uncle-Master Pei."
"Could there be something special about this Xu Changxing?"
"What's so special about a disciple who only reached Foundation Establishment a few months ago?
Is it just because he's Li Changge's junior brother?"
"Where is this Xu Changxing, anyway?
Why can't I see him?
Don't tell me he didn't come?"
"That shouldn't be possible. Otherwise, how could he have been drawn?"
"Look, Han Mingguan seems to be nodding to that sword cultivator over there. Could that be Xu Changxing?"
"He looks... huh?
Am I seeing things, or is that sword intent around him?"
"Well..."
As the crowd buzzed with speculation, the Core Formation elders gathered around Liu Chenyu finally spotted Xu Changxing regulating his breathing in a corner.
Elder Li's expression shifted. "Well, well. To think this disciple of yours has already condensed sword intent so soon after reaching Foundation Establishment.
No wonder you dared send him to the tournament.
I almost fell into your trap.
Unfortunately, for all your careful calculations, you never expected Han Mingguan to set his sights on him.
Heh, this almost makes my victory feel unfair."
"Come now, Old Li, isn't it a little early to say that?
Old Liu's disciple may have had an unlucky draw, but the losers' bracket will be weaker overall.
With that sword intent of his, he might still win his next four matches."
"I still think it's a long shot.
One look at Old Liu's disciple tells you he's only just developed his sword intent. He can't control it freely yet.
Winning four matches in a row with such rudimentary sword intent won't be easy."
"Interesting, very interesting.
I thought Old Liu was certain to lose. I never expected this twist.
This wager has gotten so interesting that my own hands are itching.
Why don't you two let me join in?
I think Old Liu's disciple has promise. I'll wager five thousand spirit stones, just for fun."
"Why butt into their wager? If you want to bet, I'll take you on.
Since you're betting he can make it through five rounds, I'll bet he can't."
"Count me in! Count me in!"
Before anyone realized it, the atmosphere had taken a rather peculiar turn.
And as the betting spread, Xu Changxing's name rapidly became better known.
Amid this lively atmosphere, the presiding elder finally finished drawing all the pairings and announced the start of the first match.
Under countless expectant gazes, Xu Changxing and Han Mingguan entered the arena one after the other.
The arena measured a hundred meters on each side, giving Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators ample room to fight.
As the referee called the start, Han Mingguan snapped his fingers lightly. Dozens of talismans flew from his talisman pouch and fluttered around him like a swarm of butterflies.
Xu Changxing, meanwhile, pressed two fingers together and pointed them at Han Mingguan from afar.
The Greenwood Sword became a streak of light and slashed toward Han Mingguan.
Han Mingguan remained utterly unafraid.
Without any visible movement from him, the talismans circling his body flew out one after another to intercept the flying sword.
The first talisman was sliced apart with ease.
Rather than dissipating, the severed talisman exploded like volatile gunpowder, attempting to blast the streak of sword light away.
But Xu Changxing's sword light was extraordinarily condensed. Almost entirely unaffected, it pierced the flames and slashed toward the second talisman.
After being sliced apart, the second talisman formed a cloud of frost around it, yet still failed to slow the Greenwood Sword in the slightest.
Before the third talisman could be cut, it stirred the surrounding spiritual energy and conjured a barrier of hardened energy out of thin air.
An instant later, however, the sword light cleaved the barrier apart.
Just like that, talisman after talisman transformed into Spell Arts, only to be sliced apart one after another.
In almost the blink of an eye, the Greenwood Sword cut through eighteen talismans in succession and appeared before Han Mingguan.
Han Mingguan clearly hadn't expected Xu Changxing's flying sword to be so sharp.
His expression shifted slightly, but he didn't panic.
Just as the flying sword was about to strike him, light flashed around his body as he activated a Displacement Talisman.
The next instant, he appeared fifty feet away.
Meanwhile, dozens of talismans detonated simultaneously where he had been standing.
Dozens of Spell Arts erupted at once, forcibly creating a temporary killing formation on the spot!
The killing formation's power nearly exceeded the limits of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even the Core Formation elder in the arena raised his eyebrows.
Yet an instant later, a streak of green light pierced the killing formation's layers of defenses.
The Greenwood Sword had already broken free of the formation.
Han Mingguan's expression shifted slightly, and he hurriedly pulled a handful of Dragon-Locking Talismans from his talisman pouch.
The Dragon-Locking Talismans instantly became thirteen chains. Ten flew to intercept the Greenwood Sword, while the other three shot straight toward Xu Changxing.
Xu Changxing raised his eyebrows slightly, but did not have the Greenwood Sword continue pursuing Han Mingguan.
With a slight upward flick of his two fingers, the Greenwood Sword wheeled around and severed the three chains flying toward him.
Then the Greenwood Sword circled once more, cutting through the remaining ten chains one by one.
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