The ninth day of June, the school grounds in the east of the city.
Yesterday, twenty-seven people advanced to fourteen. Because one person had a bye, fourteen people finally advanced.
Today's competition format is still the same, with two teams competing against each other, and the winner will advance to the top seven.
In order not to miss the exciting fight between the fourteen young warriors, only one of the eight arenas in the center of the school field was left, and the order of entry was determined by drawing lots.
There were many more people on the auditorium today than yesterday. The family members of the three major Lineages, the elders of the martial arts school, and several inspectors sent by Qingyang Prefecture made the entire auditorium packed.
Jiang Fa stood in front of the stands of the Zhao Clan Martial Hall, holding the number he had just drawn in his hand.
"Today's first game, Zhao Clan Martial Hall Jiang Fa, against the Flying Swallow Martial Hall Gu Qingyan."
When the referee's voice rang out in the school field, the stands on all sides were silent for a moment almost simultaneously, and then there was a discussion that was more heated than any previous game.
"Gu Qingyan? Flying Swallow Martial Hall That Gu Qingyan?"
"Now we have something good to watch! Isn't Jiang Fa very powerful? If we bump into Gu Qingyan, let's see who is faster!"
"How does this compare? Gu Qingyan's Flying Swallow Flying Back Step is a low-grade Xuan-level skill. I heard that even Transforming Force masters are full of praise for it. So no matter how fast Jiang Fa is, can he be faster than Qingshan County, the younger generation's best martial artist?"
"You can't say that, haven't you watched the previous few scenes? Jiang Fa's movement skills are also very ghostly. Boulder Martial Hall's Han Chong can't even touch him."
"How can Han Chong's cumbersome movement skills be compared with Gu Qingyan's? Have you ever seen Feiyan retreat? That's the real movement technique!"
In the stands, the female disciples of the Flying Swallow Martial Hall had already stood up.
"Senior Sister Gu! Teach that guy a lesson!"
"Senior Sister Qingyan, let him see what the true form of movement is!"
"What do Zhao Clan Martial Hall and Jiang Fa count? Are they worthy of being compared with Senior Sister Gu?"
The female disciples of the Flying Swallow Martial Hall were each more excited than the other, wishing they could rush onto the stage to kick Jiang Fa down for Gu Qingyan.
Apparently none of them took Jiang Fa seriously.
After all, in their perception, when it comes to body skills, Flying Swallow Martial Hall would be considered second, while Qingshan County no one would dare to be considered first.
Gu Qingyan is a leader among the younger generation of the Flying Swallow Martial Hall. She has already entered the realm of Major Accomplishment with her flying swallow flying back to the feather. Even her master Shui Qingqian left a prophecy to her that "a young man is better than a young man."
A little-known disciple of the Zhao Clan Martial Hall dared to compare with Senior Sister Gu after jumping around in the ring for a few times by relying on the wild tricks he learned from nowhere?
Only Liu Ying was present and remained silent,
Her face was complicated and she hesitated to speak.
Based on her understanding of Jiang Fa, she knew that he must still be hiding his strength.
Not to mention anything else, his superb sword skills alone are probably not as good as his body skills.
She also knows how difficult it has been for Gu Qingyan in the Flying Swallow Martial Hall these years.
There were so many pairs of eyes in the hall looking at her, and the master put the hope of the whole hall on her shoulders. If she lost this match here, not to mention what others would say, Gu Qingyan herself might not be able to get over the hurdle in her heart.
On the one hand, it is life-saving grace, and on the other hand, it is the friendship between teachers and students.
Liu Ying looked troubled, hesitated for a moment, and finally stepped forward quickly and walked to Gu Qingyan.
"Sister Gu."
Gu Qingyan looked confused.
Liu Ying said solemnly, "You must be careful in this battle. In fact, Junior Brother Jiang is not only powerful with his physical skills... he is also very powerful with his sword skills."
Gu Qingyan's eyes narrowed when she heard this.
"Sword skills? Are you sure?"
She knew, however, that Jiang Fa had done all the previous games with bare hands and had not used any weapons at all.
Liu Ying nodded, hesitated, and then said truthfully, "On the way to Linxian last year, Junior Brother Jiang fought alone against the leader of the Black Wind Village, Tu Lie, with dozens of blows. Although he lost in the end, at that time... his sword skills were already quite high. As time has passed, his sword skills will only become stronger."
Gu Qingyan frowned slightly.
"Senior Sister Gu..."
Liu Ying opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Pei Yan'er on the side.
"Senior Sister Liu, what are you talking about?"
She curled her lips in disbelief. "If that guy is so good at swordsmanship, why didn't he use it in the previous games?"
Another female disciple also agreed, "That's right, how can he not use his powerful sword skills but rely on his body skills to hide here and there? If he really knew how to use a sword, he would have taken it out long ago."
Liu Ying opened his mouth. "He... maybe he just doesn't think it's necessary."
"No need?"
Pei Yan'er rolled her eyes. "It's not necessary after the first three games have been like that? Senior Sister Liu, you have fallen in love with him, right? How can you help outsiders to speak for you? I admit that the guy is not bad looking, but you can't let others' ambitions destroy your own prestige, right?"
Liu Ying's face turned red and he became a little anxious. "I didn't! I just... just reminded Senior Sister Gu to be careful."
Gu Qingyan ignored the bickering among the junior sisters.
Although she remained silent, she still remembered Liu Ying's words in her heart.
She couldn't help turning her head and glanced in the direction of the Zhao Clan Martial Hall.
In the stands of the Zhao Clan Martial Hall, Jiang Fa was alone, with a calm expression on his face, as if he didn't care about the upcoming showdown.
"Is he really hiding his strength?"
Gu Qingyan frowned, a trace of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Light smoke."
A soft yet majestic female voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting her thoughts.
Gu Qingyan turned around.
Shui Qingqian didn't know when she was standing behind her.
The owner of the Flying Swallow Martial Hall wore a dark blue skirt today, with her hair tied high on her temples and a simple hosta.
The whole person stood there, like an old plum tree that had weathered the wind and frost, with a sense of tenacity in its graceful grace.
"Master."
Gu Qingyan quickly lowered her head and saluted.
Shui Qingqian nodded, walked to her side, and looked at Gu Qingyan's face.
"Qing Yan, if you can win this game, you must not lose."
Gu Qingyan was slightly startled and looked up at her master.
Shui Qingqian never liked putting pressure on his disciples, but today, the master's tone revealed an undeniable solemnity.
"You should understand what this scene means."
Shui Qingqian looked at her with a deep look. "Now that the top fourteen have been determined, if you win this round, you will directly enter the top seven, and the top ten spots in the Qingshan Martial Arts Association will be guaranteed. Qingyang Prefecture I, Flying Swallow Martial Hall, have not been involved in the quota of outer disciples of the three sects for four years."
She paused and seemed to be suppressing some surging emotions. "Two years ago, your senior sister Shen Qingying was defeated by the Wang Family in the martial arts competition. She was one step away from entering the top ten. Because of this, your senior sister was devastated and left the martial arts gym alone in despair. Over the years... there has been no news from her."
Gu Qingyan's heart tightened.
Of course she knows about senior sister Shen Qingying.
And everyone knows that this past incident is a thorn in Shui Qingqian's heart that can never be removed.