He primarily aimed to prevent the triple threats from taking advantage of the chaos. According to national regulations, for major competitions above the city level, organizers must invite a Grandmaster to oversee the event in order to hold it.
The appearance fee for a Grandmaster is, naturally, astronomical.
With a Heavenly-list Grandmaster present, the masters from the Earth, Mystic, and Yellow lists who followed were overshadowed, yet they remained the aspirational targets for everyone.
The competition started, and Lu Chenzhou faced opponents in the first three rounds whose cultivation was far lower than his, making it no surprise that he advanced to the top 16, where all contestants were of at least Seventh Rank cultivation.
During this time, all of the acquaintances he knew were defeated. The strongest among them had only just entered the Seventh Rank. Unwittingly, they had been left far behind by Lu Chenzhou.
Thus, the first day of competition ended without much excitement.
Wang He came over to catch up,
"Brother Lu, I knew you’d come."
Lu Chenzhou replied with a smile,
"Just here for the excitement."
"Your momentum clearly shows you’re aiming for the top ten. Judging by your performance, Brother Lu, I suspect your cultivation is approaching the Eighth Rank, aren’t you? Truly worthy of someone from the genius class."
"It’s all on Brother Lu now. You are Fangshan’s final hope."
Wang Caiying was even more excited,
"Senior Brother! Long time no see, I was actually planning to visit you at the Martial Arts University headquarters for a sparring session... Now it seems there’s no need. I’ll go into seclusion and train for some more time!"
She had personally witnessed how Lu Chenzhou had knocked the contestant who defeated her off the platform in ten moves, realizing just how much he had held back during their school sparring sessions.
After chatting with the youth, Wang Jian suddenly came over.
He said apologetically,
"Little brother, I had a worthless brother who apparently owes your father financial compensation. I’ve given him a good scolding, so please don’t take it to heart."
As a Martial Artist, he had a more long-term perspective. Considering today’s performance, Lu Chenzhou’s future achievements were bound to exceed that of a mere Martial Artist.
They must be on good terms, not bad ones!
Lu Chenzhou casually responded, Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI★Fire.net
"It’s already resolved, thank you, senior."
He thought to himself, there were a few bad eggs in the Martial Artist community, but it seemed unlikely for anyone to stoop so low just for a petty advantage and tarnish their reputation.
The afternoon featured the loser’s bracket. Ji Xuantong took this opportunity to reconnect with some Martial Artists from the Yangtze River Delta he had met in earlier years, expanding his network.
"Old Ji, your disciple is really impressive."
"Yes, making it into the top eight tomorrow is certain."
"You really found a treasure."
The friends of the master could scarcely hide their envy; most of these Martial Artists he knew had only managed to break through the first shackles and would find it difficult to break the second in their lifetime. Therefore, their greatest hope for the rest of their lives was to train a few powerful disciples to make a name for themselves in the arena... much like battling with cherished pets, when the disciple excelled, the master basked in the glory.
"Chenzhou, the beast," was obviously a pet of legendary quality.
That night, Ji Xuantong instructed Lu Chenzhou to rest early, preparing for the finals. He himself met with several old friends for a casual drink at the hotel.
If it weren’t for the need to ensure his disciple’s safety, Ji Xuantong would have liked to get utterly drunk in celebration of his happiness. Nowadays, he had to consider Lu Chenzhou in everything he did.
At the Denglong Martial Arts Hall, the 32 finalists gathered.
Ji Xuantong said with seriousness,
"Chenzhou, that Ye Chen, his ’Sun-shattering Finger’ from the first-class martial arts is very powerful. It is a top-level first-class finger technique originating from the Yong Chun lineage, much stronger than the ’Moon Gazing Finger’ used by Ye Xiao, whom you encountered in the Fangshan competition... He looks to be brothers with Ye Xiao; both are from the Ye Family of Su City."
"Does the Su City Ye Family have anything to do with the Min Nan Ye Family?"
"It’s probably a branch that split off and settled elsewhere... The head of the Su City Ye Family is ’Dragon-Slicing Finger·Ye Gao’, who has broken the second shackles; he is quite strong. However, the man is advanced in years now, his Qi-Blood has waned, far from his prime, and he has long since retired."
"Alright, I’ll be cautious."
Lu Chenzhou had witnessed Ye Chen’s combat.
Within ten fingers, he could kill the enemy, always striking effectively.
His blood boiled with anticipation for the confrontation.
In the battle for the top 16, Lu Chenzhou’s opponent was a Seventh Rank, who was defeated and knocked off the platform in seven moves. As time went on, almost all who remained in the top 16 had Eighth Rank cultivation, and the stage was set for the true masters.
Around Denglong Temple, on 16 large screens, the faces of the contestants began to appear with options for support rates beside them. The enthusiastic host announced,
"Vote for your favorite contestant! After this competition, regardless of win or loss, we will select the most popular contestant based on audience votes."
Diaoist Science and Technology was, after all, in business to make money. Sometimes, popularity isn’t solely based on strength; the most popular contestant was easier to package and promote.
As soon as the host finished,
Ye Chen, Lin Zirong, and other contestants’ support rates began to soar. They had all dominated their previous matches the day before. Ye Chen and Lin Zirong had each defeated an Eighth Rank within three moves, considered the favorites for the championship by the host. Among them, Ye Chen, with his handsome appearance and favorable first impression, was far ahead of the others, while Lu Chenzhou was ranked eighth. Everyone had seen his performance, but it was not as sensational as Ye Chen and others.
"Hmph, these people can’t recognize true worth."
"Junior brother, wait until you take off your shirt in the finals and reveal your Copper Buddha Arhat Body. I guarantee most of the men in the audience will support you, and you’ll dominate that Ye Chen."
Shi Ruyu also laughed heartily.
"That’s a good point."
Amidst the teasing from his senior sisters, Lu Chenzhou took the stage.
Before going up, he confidently said to Ji Xuantong,
"Master, today I will glorify the Flying Swallow Martial Arts Hall and make a name for myself in Denglong!"
Ji Xuantong was briefly taken aback, then chuckled: