Zhou Fu felt greatly relieved hearing his sect leader speak this way, nodding, "I understand, Sect Leader."
Seeing Zhou Fu understand, Yu Daohen felt a sense of accomplishment, thinking he surprisingly had a talent for public speaking.
The next morning, Yu Daohen and the others tidied up their living quarters and headed towards the Changle Sect.
Upon arriving at the foot of the Changle Sect's mountain, they saw disciples from many other sects making their way up.
Looking at the crowd heading up the mountain, Zhang Xiaoqiang remarked, "As expected of the quarterfinals of the top four! The crowd is clearly much larger than usual."
Yu Daohen was somewhat speechless, "All the top young experts will be here today, so naturally, there will be many people."
"Hey, did you see? The two beside Master Yu are experts who made it into the top eight of this year's Fengtian大会. Especially that Lu Ping, he's a true disciple of a Black List expert."
The whispers of the people nearby were quite loud, making Zhou Fu feel a bit embarrassed.
Zhang Xiaoqiang chuckled, "Xiao Fu, this is the fame that comes with being strong. Quickly see if there are any girls you like. If there are, tell your sect leader to arrange a marriage for you."
Yu Daohen glared at him, annoyed, "Little Wealth Star, don't listen to this guy spewing nonsense. Look at why this fellow is so pathetic now – it's because he's entangled with women. Once you make it onto the Heaven Ranking, what kind of girls won't you have?"
Zhou Fu obediently nodded, "I understand, Sect Leader."
Zhang Xiaoqiang put his arm around Zhou Fu's shoulder and retorted, "Xiao Fu, don't listen to your sect leader bragging. Look at him, he's already on the Heaven Ranking, and he's still a single dog."
Hearing this, Yu Daohen became angry, "Oh, you little brat, are you looking for a beating?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang quickly hid behind Zhou Fu, "See, see? He's touched a sore spot, he's getting worked up."
Yu Daohen rolled up his sleeves, ready to make a move. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoqiang quickly ran away, shouting, "Why get so angry when you can't win an argument?"
Dahu and Su Lai, watching Zhang Xiaoqiang's obnoxious behavior, were speechless.
As the saying goes, don't hit someone's face when you hit them, and don't expose their shortcomings. Why did this guy have to push his luck?
Yu Daohen and the others arrived inside the arena. Wang Ming, Wang Fubao, and Liang Jing were already waiting in the stands.
Yu Daohen and his group found seats. Su Lai surveyed the disciples from other sects and spotted a young man glaring fiercely in their direction, specifically at Yu Daohen.
"Master Yu, do you have any grudges with that Fen Yue from the Fu Sect?" Su Lai asked.
Yu Daohen followed Su Lai's gaze and saw Fen Yue looking at him with a ferocious expression.
Yu Daohen let out a soft snort, a smile creeping onto his lips, "I do have some history with that kid. I haven't settled that score yet."
Zhang Xiaoqiang also knew about Yu Daohen's past with Fen Yue and spoke up, "Master Yu, if you have a feud with that guy, wouldn't it be inappropriate for Xiao Fu to compete against him?"
Zhang Xiaoqiang's concern was not unfounded. Fen Yue was notoriously ruthless and had made a name for himself through his vicious attacks. Especially in this Fengtian大会, he had severely injured his opponents in nine out of ten matches.
Yu Daohen nodded, feeling it was indeed a bit risky. He looked at Zhou Fu beside him, "Little Wealth Star, just go through the motions in this match. I have a feud with that guy, and I'm afraid he might retaliate against you."
Zhou Fu obediently nodded, "I'll do as the Sect Leader says."
Yu Daohen nodded, feeling a sense of warmth in his heart.
"Master Yu, the match list is out, have you seen it?" Zhang Xiaoqiang said, scrolling through his phone screen.
Yu Daohen shook his head. Zhang Xiaoqiang handed him the phone.
Yu Daohen took the phone and began to review the match list.
Today, there were four matches, the quarterfinals, eliminating four people and advancing four.
First match: Fen Yue vs. Zhou Fu.
Second match: Lu Ping vs. Wang Ming.
Third match: Wang Fubao vs. Chen Hua.
Fourth match: Liang Jing vs. Shi Bingzhi.
Yu Daohen looked at the match list and felt a bit puzzled when he saw the last name, "Which sect is this Shi Bingzhi from? I've never heard of him."
Zhang Xiaoqiang thought for a moment and replied, "I heard he's from the She Dao Ren."
"She Dao Ren?" Yu Daohen's interest was piqued.
The She Dao Ren are a sect with a long history, even longer than some of the major sects today. To be precise, the She Dao Ren are not really a sect. No one knows where their sect is located, and there is very little information about their profession, leading people to believe that this line of work had been lost. Legend has it that the She Dao Ren do not interfere in worldly affairs, and their appearance signifies that major events are about to occur. They are said to determine life and death with their words and foresee destiny with their calculations. Yu Daohen murmured.
Zhang Xiaoqiang, however, was dismissive, "Come on, they're just江湖術士 (jianghu shushi - martial world sorcerers) skilled in divination."
Once you enter this profession, many jobs that you once found mysterious no longer seem so. Fortune tellers, ghost exorcists, feng shui masters. No matter the profession, once you understand the tricks of the trade, they are not as mysterious as you might imagine.
"Whether they are skilled divination practitioners of the martial world or not, the fact that Shi Bingzhi made it into the top eight means he is no ordinary person," Yu Daohen said, looking at Shi Bingzhi's name on the match list.