Xu Lai smiled. "Thank you, but she doesn't need it."

Although Xu Lai had only been teaching Yiyi for a few days, the little girl was already a true cultivator. If Yiyi couldn't handle a small stage like this, she might as well not inherit the Heavenly Court in the future. It would be better to entrust it to Taotie, the First Divine General.

Xu Lai was still far too indulgent with his daughter.

By his usual standards, once someone set foot on the path of cultivation, their life and death were their own to command, no longer subject to fate. He wouldn't have given it a second thought.

Xu Wandao shook his head and said no more. As one of the competition's judges, he had decided against asking his own disciple to show mercy, but that didn't mean he would stand by and watch the future seedlings of Hua Country's Martial Dao perish here. He would have to pay close attention to Arena Three.

The other two judges were not sitting in the stands. One was suspended fifty meters high in the air, while the other remained hidden in the shadows. The president of the Martial Dao Association, Gao He, had given a direct order.

"Today, keep an eye on anyone with an unknown background. Not a single martial artist is to be harmed!"

"Let the competition begin!"

With the wizened voice of a Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor resonating from the sky, bursts of immature battle cries instantly erupted from the twenty arenas on the vast competition field. Fists met flesh and the wind howled from powerful strikes, drawing wild cheers from the stands.

"This is the future of our Hua Country's Martial Dao!"

For Martial Artists, the lower three grades focused on strengthening physical power, the middle three grades on cultivating internal energy, and the upper three grades on perceiving one's innate talents.

「Arena Three.」

The most prominent contestant, a peak Fourth Grade youth, turned his palm into a blade and knocked out three people in an instant. The figures of the three unconscious young Martial Artists vanished, teleported out of the arena by a judge to receive treatment from professional doctors and medical-arts Martial Ancestors.

Xu Yiyi, suffering from a bit of stage fright, hid in the farthest corner of the arena, too afraid to join the fray. Her small, timid appearance immediately attracted several cold gazes.

One hundred contestants, but ninety-five would be eliminated. Every person knocked out increased the chances for those who remained.

"Little girl, if you forfeit on your own, we won't hit you," a thirteen-year-old boy said coldly.

He was 1.6 meters tall. The few youths behind him were of similar height, all of them towering over Yiyi and exuding a menacing pressure.

Yiyi shook her head and took a small step back. "I'm—I'm very strong. Don't come any closer."

"Heh." The boy sneered mockingly. "Go! Take her out first!"

The use of weapons was not forbidden in the competition. However, only wooden sabers, swords, and staffs could be used, and all their sharp edges were wrapped in cloth to prevent injuries to the eyes or piercing the children's fragile bodies.

Four boys simultaneously raised their wooden staffs and smashed down at her with all their might.

In the stands, Judge Xu Wandao's expression suddenly changed. This is bad! Those kids were all early Third Grade, wielding a level of power that even a peak Third Grade couldn't withstand, let alone a little girl who didn't even have the strength to truss a chicken.

The hero coming to the rescue wasn't a judge, but Xu Wandao's disciple, Bai Yong!

Bai Yong bellowed, "Let go of that girl!" Then, brandishing his saber, he charged into the fray.

Far away, Qian Xiao, who had been watching the scene unfold, let out a silent wail. Why did I have to be in Arena Nine? If only I could have teamed up with Big Sister, then I would be the one saving the damsel in distress! This is so unfair!

But he didn't have time to feel sorry for himself. The spiritual energy in the arena suddenly surged, and a blood-red phoenix descended from the sky.

That's... formed from Spiritual Energy!

In an instant, the Spiritual Energy Phoenix captured the attention of everyone in the arena, including the three Ninth Grade judges.

"This is Spiritual Energy?" Xu Wandao was flabbergasted.

Spiritual Energy. Only Martial Artists of Seventh Grade and above could sense and use it. Among these young competitors, there were definitely no Martial Ancestors; the highest-ranked among them was an early Fifth Grade!

This Spiritual Energy... could a Martial Ancestor be secretly intervening?

But no matter how hard Xu Wandao and the other two judges scanned the area, they couldn't detect anyone intervening from the shadows. Instead, they realized the one controlling the Spiritual Energy was a competitor in the arena—the seemingly fragile young girl who was being cornered by four boys.

ROAR!

The phoenix let out a long, piercing cry. The terrifying soundwave transformed into an acoustic attack, causing every Martial Artist in Arena Three to collapse, unconscious. In an instant, they were all rendered powerless.

Yiyi blinked. Huh? They all went down? Just like that?

At first, she had been afraid the phoenix wouldn't be strong enough, so she'd hesitated to summon it. She never imagined they were all just paper tigers.

So weak!

"..."

The arena fell silent.

Xu Wandao was completely dumbfounded, watching as the prized disciple he had poured his heart into training collapsed unconscious. He whipped his head around to look at Xu Lai.

That little girl... her true combat strength is probably comparable to a peak Sixth Grade... no... perhaps even a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor! Spiritual Energy... That was Spiritual Energy! Something only those at Seventh Grade or higher could sense and use.

"This little girl," Xu Lai said, shaking his head with a wry smile. Yiyi had been a bit too cautious. It was like a card game; you didn't lead with your ultimate trump card.

「In the neighboring Arena Four.」

A girl with a ponytail saw the huge phoenix in the sky and swept her wooden sword. Instantly, a terrifying Sword Intent filled the arena!

WHOOSH—

The sword qi wasn't sharp but surprisingly gentle, like butterflies flitting through a field of flowers. Yet, under this gentle Sword Intent, a fine red line appeared on the neck of every contestant in the arena, except for the little boy hiding behind her.

If this were a real battlefield, those ninety-eight people would already be dead—their bodies torn to pieces!

Such terrifying Sword Intent! Such terrifying control of one's Divine Sense!

The pupils of the three Ninth Grade Martial Ancestors contracted simultaneously. Especially Xu Wandao. Even though he was a master of the saber, he could appreciate the terrifying power of this Sword Intent more than any swordsman present.

This was absolutely not the kind of Sword Intent a six or seven-year-old girl should possess!

The arena once again fell silent.

The Martial Artists in the stands felt their scalps tingle in fear. Were these really children? Why did they seem more terrifying than the Ninth Grade Martial Ancestor hovering in the sky?

However, the silence did not last long, as a thunderous BOOM erupted from the nearby Arena Six.

This time, it was another girl.

She stomped a foot fiercely, and the earth cracked open with countless fissures. The terrifying force of the impact sent the young Martial Artists competing in her arena flying, grunting as they coughed up blood.

"The 200,000 prize money is mine for the taking," Yun Jin declared. Little Glutton's eyes flashed with a ferocious light. "Anyone who dares to fight me for it, I'll eat them!"

"..."

The thousand Martial Artists in the stands all shivered, suddenly feeling as if they were facing a terrifying beast. This included three Seventh Grade masters and one Eighth Grade master, who all trembled at Yun Jin's words.

This was a fear that seeped into the very depths of their souls.

The contestants in the other arenas were dumbstruck.

What kind of monsters are these? One summoned a phoenix of Spiritual Energy, another wielded Sword Intent that danced like butterflies, and a third cracked the earth with a single stomp while making terrifying threats.

Qian Xiao was so aggrieved he was on the verge of tears.

Big Sister and Yun Jin were putting on a show, and here I am, getting beaten to a pulp! Yes, I'm getting pummeled!

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