"Sister, I support you!"
Lü Yiyi grabbed Nan Shiying's hand, her face full of admiration.
Huang Yuyao tutted, but didn't say anything sarcastic, still unwilling to admit that the person before her was superior to her own senior sister.
Dai Zhiqi collected her thoughts and lowered her gaze, but Nan Shiying could still sense the fleeting emotional fluctuation. However, she didn't say anything, and Nan Shiying didn't pay it any mind.
"If you need anything, I will support you wholeheartedly."
Dai Zhiqi suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on Nan Shiying, her tone sincere and her eyes clear. Huang Yuyao blinked in surprise and instinctively tugged at her sleeve, "Senior Sister?"
Dai Zhiqi patted Huang Yuyao's hand. Seeing that everyone from Yunyi Hall had turned their attention to her, she explained, "This is just me, not Yunyi Hall."
"What are you saying, Senior Sister!"
Huang Yuyao said unhappily, "Senior Sister is enough to represent Yunyi Hall."
With that, she pouted, "For my Senior Sister's sake, our Yunyi Hall will definitely offer our full support."
"And Lingyun Sect!"
Lü Yiyi, not to be outdone, followed suit.
"Just you, can you represent Lingyun Sect?"
Huang Yuyao sneered.
Lü Yiyi rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight, but Nan Shiying pulled her back.
"In any case, our Lingyun Sect is just here to join the fun. Who can't we support? Besides, my surname is Lü, as in Lü Zirong!" Her father, Lü Zirong, was the Sect Master of Lingyun Sect, so why couldn't she represent Lingyun Sect?
Tsk, who wasn't a second-generation heir!
Huang Yuyao rolled her eyes and cupped her hands towards her, "My apologies!"
"I've long admired you!"
Lü Yiyi replied.
The two displayed their passive-aggression to its fullest.
Dai Zhiqi and Nan Shiying ignored them. Nan Shiying raised her teacup to toast Dai Zhiqi.
"Thank you!"
"No need!"
The two brought their teacups to their lips, took a sip, and smiled at each other as they put them down.
...
The eighth day of the fourth month, auspicious. The sky was clear and cloudless, with only the sound of a long wind whistling.
The heroes of the martial world gathered at the arena on the outskirts of Fengyu City. Tens of thousands of people, a grand spectacle. The surrounding merchants unanimously moved tens of meters in the opposite direction of the arena, fearing that if the heroes engaged in intense battles on the stage, their lack of control might harm them, innocent bystanders.
The spectator stands were already full. The best seats were occupied by Diancang Sect and Jiangyu Alliance. Wanku Tower was adjacent to Jiangyu Alliance. Although Jiangyu Alliance was not pleased with the people from Wanku Tower, there was no need to cause friction with them at the martial arts convention's opening ceremony, which would shame the Lin family, the hosts.
Lin Yuzhi, the head of the Lin family, ascended the stage. Knowing that people of the martial world disliked verbose formalities, he concisely announced the opening of the convention. This martial arts convention, delayed for a full month, officially began today.
There were a total of one thousand three hundred and eighty-two participants.
An even number.
The Lin family had already calculated the numbers and placed slips of paper with numbers from one to six hundred and ninety-one into two drawing buckets. Two attendants held the drawing buckets, allowing the one thousand three hundred and eighty-two participants to draw lots. Those who drew the same number would be opponents.
The matches began with number one.
The preliminary rounds would proceed with three matches at a time.
The sun gradually rose to its zenith, and the preliminary rounds officially commenced.
Lü Yiyi yawned out of boredom. The preliminary rounds were not particularly interesting. If her sister hadn't drawn number fifteen, she would have returned to the inn to catch up on sleep.
The preliminary rounds were either a clash of novices or a one-hit victory. Nan Shiying drew slip number fifteen and soon took the stage.
"Sister, go for it~"
Lü Yiyi cheered, and Yunyi Hall also shouted encouragement.
Poison Old pressed his scalp.
He really shouldn't have appeared at such an occasion.
Kou Zhenhai, the Sect Master of Diancang Sect, and He Cangling, the Sect Master of Jiangyu Alliance, one fiddling with walnuts and the other twirling prayer beads, heard Lü Yiyi's cheers and shifted their attention from the objects in their hands to the figure standing on arena number one.
They had long heard of Fengying's reputation, but Kou Zhenhai and He Cangling were seeing her in person for the first time today.
Seeing her poised like a pine and cypress, with hidden sharpness, they couldn't help but nod in secret.
However, upon hearing that she intended to compete for the position of Alliance Master, they felt she was being overly ambitious.
Kou Zhenhai and He Cangling looked at Nan Shiying as elders would look at a junior. While they admired her, they didn't take her seriously, casting only a brief glance before looking away.
Only Xuan Xiao's gaze had not wavered since Nan Shiying stepped onto the stage.
"Miss Fengying, forgive me!"
The man carrying a giant axe bowed to Nan Shiying and then attacked first. It was rumored that his martial arts were formidable and his moves decisive. The man had to strike first to gain an advantage.
The giant axe stirred up a fierce wind, carrying a killing aura, and chopped towards Nan Shiying's shoulder.
Wen Rentu's giant axe was characterized by its powerful, wide-ranging ferocity. Under the same level, few martial artists could directly block this axe.
The giant axe was nearly half a meter wide, its blade sharp and gleaming with cold light. Along with the fierce wind and killing aura, there was the pressure of air being squeezed. Before the giant axe even reached her, her body was locked in its path.
Nan Shiying's expression remained unchanged, and she didn't even move her feet, seemingly intending to block the attack head-on. Although Lü Yiyi had confidence in Nan Shiying, her eyes were tinged with worry.
How could her delicate sister withstand such brute force?
Wen Rentu understood her intention, and a hint of joy flashed across his face. He had thought he would be defeated today, but he didn't expect her to be so overconfident. Since she wanted to block his axe head-on, he would show her what a mountain-splitting giant axe was.
"Clang~"
A short blade was wedged into the corner between the axe face and the axe body. Wen Rentu exerted all his strength but couldn't chop down an inch. A mere short blade had stopped the giant axe. Unlike Wen Rentu's flushed face, Nan Shiying's expression remained unchanged, still composed and calm.
"Hah!"
Wen Rentu shouted, using almost all his strength, channeling his internal energy into his arms.
He refused to believe that his strength would be inferior to hers.
Nan Shiying lifted her foot and kicked towards Wen Rentu's chest. Wen Rentu intended to block with his leg, but her movement was not fast, yet he couldn't block it. Wen Rentu had no choice but to protect his heart脉 with his internal energy.
"Bang~"
Wen Rentu's burly, bear-like body was directly kicked flying.
With a loud "Clang~," he fell off the stage along with his giant axe.
"Arena number one, match fifteen, Fengying wins."