Chapter 16 – Round 2! Fight!

Still feeling the thrill of victory, Zhao Ren tiredly made his way off the platform. He had a few cuts but nothing too bad. Not wanting to bother the healers over such minor wounds, he pulled out a small healing pill that he had prepared for just such an occasion.

The warm energy spread through his body, rejuvenating his tired muscles and slowly closing the small cuts and scrapes. It wasn’t a very effective pill and would take some time to work. His enthusiasm still not tamped, he went to find out if his friends had also qualified. He saw Bao Hua heading in his direction from his own fight.

“Bao Hua, over here! How did it go? Did you win?”fi

Ren didn’t even need the reply, as a wide grin showed on his face.

“Hahah! Of course I did! Wouldn’t all that training have been a waste if I stumbled here?! As for you, I had no doubt you would make it!”

Laughing, they clasped arms to congratulate each other and went in search of Mei Ling. She found them a few minutes later, having already spotted them.

They both looked at her in askance.

“I saw the last of your match, Zhao Ren. You fought well. But I hope we don’t face each other until the final round.” Saying that, a bright smile slowly emerged on her face!

They had all made it to the next round! Now completely swept up in the atmosphere of the tournament, they made their way to the audience again. There would be a short break before the next category of fighters would be fighting, and Ren was eager to see what the peak of the qi gathering realm looked like when they fought seriously.

Ren wasn’t one to gamble usually but was fine if it was with his friends. He had made inquiries and found that Senior Xi Yao would be in the 1st group. His uncle Tai would be competing in the 4th group. Senior Chun Wei was also in the same group. Ren was conflicted. He was grateful for them both, and he wanted them both to win, but his first allegiance was to his family.

Finally, he ended up choosing neither and backed Xi Yao to win the tournament. Mei Ling had decided to bet on Zhen Bing, another favorite to win. Bao Hua had simply countered them, saying neither of those 2 would be the final winner. Just a single spirit stone each, but Ren knew winning those 2 spirit stones would bring him more joy than any large bets.

The higher category was mostly filled with the 9th layer qi gathering disciples, with far fewer of the 7th and 8th layers. As you cultivated to reach higher layers, the impact of each layer became more significant. Higher reserves of qi, stronger techniques, and more endurance as their meridians had been widened to the utmost.

Yet this was still just the very first realm of cultivation, so the gap wasn’t beyond reach. If someone was more experienced at fighting or someone lost focus at the crucial instant or even just got ambushed, victory could be seized. That’s what many were counting on. The melee was especially favorable to them.

Unfortunately, Ren knew that belief was flawed. It may be technically possible but only against the average cultivator who had reached the peak. Not the chosen elite of the cultivator families. Then those chances were nonexistent. They bought skewers of meat and went to watch the fights.

The higher category of fights was very different from their own. Talismans weren’t allowed at this stage, only in the later duels, but they had no need of them. They didn’t rely on just weapons but also on more mystical qi techniques. The elites were immediately obvious as they dispatched those surrounding them with deceptive ease. They were rarely challenged alone but were instead ganged up on. Even then, Ren watched Xi Yao’s blindingly fast sword crush them despite their numbers.

In another corner, another had used a flame technique to launch bursts of fire. Those set on fire were quickly pulled away to the healers. In less time than it took a stick of incense to burn, the numbers had been whittled down to the last 4.

Their skewers were still where they had stopped, halfway to their mouths. Where had such displays been during the practice spars earlier?!

Beside him, Bao Hua softly said, “We have a really long way to go.”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it’s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Ren shook his head, thinking of his childhood friend Xi Yuan. Sometimes, you can never catch up. The difference from their birth was already a huge hurdle, never mind their heavenly talent.

The other fights had ended just as quickly, and just as he had hoped, both Senior Chun Wei and Uncle Tai had made it. Likewise, Zhen Bing had effortlessly dominated her group.

With little time left before their own fights, they couldn’t even find out the names of their competition until it was almost their turn.

Their opponents had been assigned such that Ren would face Mei Ling at the semi-finals and Bao Hua at the finals. He was grateful for that, but whether they would make it that far was uncertain. Mei Ling had a decent chance, as she had made it to the 6th layer and none of her opponents looked too tough. Bao Hua had the rotten luck of facing Jian Feng in the very first round.