Volume Two: Appearance of the Nine Provinces, Entering the Spirit Void Chapter 151: Tournament Rules

Chen Yu and Xue Ren walked together to the Outer Sect main hall to register for the grand tournament.

There were over two thousand outer sect disciples, and with such a grand event, very few chose to sit it out. Selecting just two hundred contestants from such a massive crowd was bound to be quite a challenge.

After completing their registration, Chen Yu and the others were each issued a numbered jade slip, which recorded their names and cultivation levels.

In truth, the moment of registration marked the official beginning of their individual journeys in the outer sect tournament.

Given the sheer number of outer sect disciples, how many years would it take if everyone were to fight individual duels one by one? Therefore, the Lingxu Sect required the disciples to engage in preliminary matches among themselves. Whoever could accumulate ten points would earn the right to participate in the subsequent tournament. Of course, to prevent anyone from exploiting loopholes, the rules stipulated that a single loss would reset a disciple's score back to zero. This meant that even gathering ten points did not guarantee a spot in the later stages. Furthermore, once challenged, one was obligated to accept, though a disciple could be challenged at most five times within a single day.

Additionally, disciples at the Heaven-Human Realm and the Yin-Yang Realm were exempt from the preliminary phase and could advance directly to the main tournament. Of course, they were permitted to participate in the preliminary matches if they wished, but they could only duel peers of the same realm and were strictly barred from challenging cultivators of the One-Yuan Realm.

Although these rules still contained a few minor flaws, they seemed reasonably fair overall. Yet, in this world where might made right, where could one ever find absolute fairness?

...

Before the Demon-Suppressing Hall stood ten dueling rings, each surrounded by throngs of people, creating a veritable sea of heads. However, the majority of them were merely One-Yuan Realm cultivators.

Looking at the scene, Chen Yu could not help feeling a surge of excitement. The blood in his veins grew hot, and a strong yearning for battle ignited within him.

In truth, Chen Yu and the others were well aware that although two hundred disciples were to be chosen from the entire outer sect, there were already as many as five hundred disciples in the Heaven-Human Realm and the Yin-Yang Realm alone. Where would the opportunities lie for ordinary disciples like them?

Thus, the matches among the One-Yuan Realm cultivators served merely as a humble prelude to draw forth the genuine experts for the main tournament.

Having always chosen to maintain a low profile in his cultivation, Chen Yu now acted completely out of character. First, he wanted to use these successive duels to hone his swordsmanship. Second, he wished to make a name for himself through this grand tournament, for only by doing so could he secure the opportunity to obtain greater cultivation resources.

The group arrived before one of the dueling rings, where two female disciples were locked in combat. Both had just broken through to the One-Yuan Realm, and both practiced the Five-Elements Transforming Rain Sword Technique. To Chen Yu's discerning eyes, their moves still appeared somewhat crude, yet he watched and studied them with utmost concentration.

The two female disciples were evenly matched, and their duel ultimately ended in a draw.

Xue Ren and the other two companions were itching for action, each eager to step onto the stage and display their skills.

At that moment, a disciple leaped onto the stage and called out, "I am Mo You of Qingling Peak. I wonder which senior or junior brother on the stage is willing to spar with me."

"I'll come..." A figure immediately flew through the air. "Deng E of Shangyi Peak accepts the challenge."

Mo You's expression grew noticeably tenser, but he forced a smile and said, "Oh, so it is Senior Brother Deng E of Shangyi Peak."

The moment the two confronted each other, an atmosphere of intense hostility filled the air. Clearly, there was some prior grievance between them.

Chen Yu raised an eyebrow, immediately discerning their cultivation levels—both were at the Third-Orifice of the One-Yuan Realm. This promised to be quite an interesting spectacle.

Without wasting words with idle chatter, Mo You and Deng E exchanged formal salutes and immediately clashed.

Both wielded the Swift Wind Sword Technique. In an instant, boundless sword shadows filled the stage, and fierce gales whipped through the air. Their figures surged like lightning within the wind, their sword blades colliding fiercely. Despite the howling hurricane, sweat poured down both of their faces, neither daring to relax even for a fraction of a second.

"Hmph... Deng E, is this truly the extent of your strength?" Mo You taunted disdainfully.

"The best is yet to come! What, did you really think you had already won against me?" Deng E replied coldly.

"Ha, ha... Isn't it obvious?" Mo You said, implying a deeper meaning. "Otherwise, why would Junior Sister Zhao have chosen me?"

Deng E's expression darkened as a wave of sorrow surged into his heart, causing his sword movements to falter noticeably. Seizing the opportunity he had been lying in wait for, Mo You slashed forward. His sword surged like rising wind, driving straight ahead as he shouted arrogantly, "Junior Sister Zhao's choice of me is infallible! In the end, you, Deng E, have been defeated by me."

These double-entendres struck Deng E like a physical blow, causing him such anguish that he felt an impulse to give up the fight altogether.

"No... Senior Brother Deng, be careful..." At that exact moment, a crisp cry of alarm rang out. The girl was none other than Junior Sister Zhao Xin, whom the two had just been arguing over.

The moment Deng E caught sight of her, his eyes filled with deep affection. Suddenly, a surge of immense willpower welled up from the depths of his heart; he refused to suffer defeat in front of her.

"Mo You, stop your nonsense!" Deng E roared in fury, thrusting his sword forward to parry. Yet, having rushed his defense, he paid a heavy price as the sheer force of Mo You's blow blasted him backward.

Seeing Zhao Xin gaze at Deng E with such lingering affection, Mo You was consumed by an even greater fury. Jealousy, hatred, and murderous intent washed over him, overwhelming his will.

"Die... I'll kill you both..." Mo You roared savagely, brandishing his sword as he lunged at Deng E.

"Ah..." Zhao Xin cried out in sheer heartache.

Deng E panicked for a moment and hastily tried to defend himself, but Mo You's onslaught was far too ferocious. Within a dozen strikes, Deng E was heavily wounded and blasted right out of the dueling ring, landing squarely in front of Chen Yu and his companions.

Yet Mo You seemed to have completely lost his mind, intent on finishing Deng E off right then and there. The surrounding disciples watched in sudden panic, none of them expecting the situation to escalate to such a bloody extreme.

"Stop!" shouted the disciple responsible for maintaining order in the area. But with the killing intent so close at hand, even they were too late to intervene.

Deng E widened his eyes in sheer terror, never imagining that Mo You would actually resort to murder. As the sword blade rushed closer and closer, Deng E felt as though he could already see the weapon piercing his heart.

"Deng E, go die!" Mo You shrieked like a madman possessed by a fiend, lunging forward with his blade.

Seeing this, Chen Yu had no time for hesitation and moved swiftly to intervene.

Forming a sword-finger with his hand, his body transformed into a golden streak of light. In a fraction of a second, he arrived and pressed a single finger directly against the tip of Mo You's descending sword.

Finding his murderous momentum blocked, Mo You remained trapped in his frenzy and roared furiously, "Who dares interfere with me? Swift Wind Sword Technique!"

His sword struck like a violent gale, fierce and rapid, carrying with it a tyrannical, murderous aura. Chen Yu frowned deeply, realizing that the opponent had temporarily fallen into a demonic obsession, knowing only how to vent his rage blindly.

Without panicking, Chen Yu stood firm, using his finger as a blade, and effortlessly deflected every single thrust of Mo You's violent wind-sword.

Witnessing Mo You's deranged madness, Chen Yu sighed inwardly and thought to himself: *With a heart so poorly tempered, how can one ever hope to master formidable power?*

His gaze hardened. Abandoning his defensive stance, he flicked Mo You's blade aside with two fingers, surged forward with lightning speed, and pressed a single finger directly against the center of Mo You's brow. Channeling the Hundred-Cycle Heart-Refining Technique, he unleashed a concentrated wave of internal energy straight into his mind.

Instantly, Mo You's eyes glazed over in confusion. The longsword slipped from his powerless grip, and his entire body stiffened before collapsing straight backward to the ground.