830: Chapter 830 Ye Chen drew number one!

Under the polar day, there is no night in the Antarctic.

However, the tournament's schedule was already set. Therefore.

Early in the morning, the main venue was already filled with flags of various colors.

The emblems of the Five Clans, Eight Sects, and Thirteen Gates snapped in the cold wind, flags fluttering like iron flowers blooming on the ice sheet.

Ye Chen and Yan Qingwu strolled slowly toward the venue.

In the center of the main venue, a ring about three zhang high had been erected.

To the north of the ring, a row of spectator seats was set up, occupied by representatives of the Five Clans, Eight Sects, and Thirteen Gates, all sitting upright with solemn expressions.

Surrounding the ring, at least tens of thousands of people were packed tightly.

A sea of black heads extended from the ice surface to the distant snow slopes.

Martial cultivators, Ability Users, rogue cultivators, disciples of noble families...

All kinds of people were squeezed together, whispering to each other.

Today's grand event was truly an unprecedented moment.

Countless people were waiting in anticipation...

Who would be the champion?

And who would be able to obtain the key?

But more people were casting their gazes toward Ye Chen's direction...

Their eyes all revealed a hint of strange expression.

Yan Qingwu took in this scene and whispered, "It seems that meal you had yesterday wasn't wasted; now the entire Antarctic knows you have three keys in your hands."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Ye Chen grinned, "When they find out the truth, I reckon their jaws will drop."

His gaze shifted and landed in the center of the spectator seats.

There, Bai Canghe sat upright in a grand chair, with several elders of the Bai family standing beside him, all looking grim.

When Bai Canghe sensed Ye Chen's gaze, not only did he not dodge it, but he instead raised his hand and bowed to him from afar.

That posture... showed no hostility at all.

Ye Chen returned a bright smile to him, and Bai Canghe's smile deepened.

But the cold light in both their eyes was enough to freeze the ice surface.

Yan Qingwu leaned in: "Smiling tiger against smiling tiger, who will have the last laugh?"

Ye Chen lowered his voice: "It must be me. I was born with a low threshold for laughter, unlike him, whose face has gone stiff from smiling."

Yan Qingwu almost choked on her saliva.

As the two were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out on the east side of the venue.

The crowd automatically parted, and a group of people dressed in black martial attire came walking through the snow.

Although the person in the lead was an old man, he had a burly physique, as if he were a young man.

"That is the Supreme Elder of the Qianji Sect, Lu Qian," Yan Qingwu whispered a reminder. "I heard he has been in secluded cultivation for twenty years. To think he would personally lead the team this time..."

Ye Chen's gaze landed on that person: "Golden Core Peak, the foundation is decent enough."

Yan Qingwu was choked up: "Decent enough? You call Golden Core Peak 'decent enough'?"

Ye Chen blinked innocently.

"Otherwise what? Compared to me, it can only be considered 'decent enough'."

Yan Qingwu rolled her eyes.

This guy... he doesn't know how to be humble at all.

At this moment, there was another commotion on the west side of the venue.

A group of people dressed in long robes filed in, led by an old man with white hair and a youthful face.

"The Sect Master of the Qingmu Sect, Qin Guanglin," Yan Qingwu frowned. "I heard he is also at the Golden Core Stage Peak, and he is proficient in wood-element secret techniques. He has very good connections in the Kunlun Ruins and has always been known as a peacemaker."

"A peacemaker?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow. "That is rare."

In that damn place, aren't most people thinking about how to stir up trouble?

The harder two factions fight, the greater their chance to sit back and reap the rewards.

And this kind of peacemaker is probably a rare species.

Before long, factions entered the venue from all directions, and more and more powerful people from all over the world arrived.

The people from the Five Clans took their seats, the people from the Eight Sects each occupied a side, and the people from the Thirteen Gates were scattered among the crowd.

The originally empty ice surface was soon packed...

And on the spectator seats, the very center row still had a few empty spots.

"Who are those seats reserved for?" Ye Chen asked casually.

Yan Qingwu narrowed her beautiful eyes: "People from Guixu."

Ye Chen nodded and didn't ask further.

Meanwhile, in another corner of the venue, Derek was huddled in the middle of a group of members from The Association.

He stared at Ye Chen on the field, the hatred in his eyes almost overflowing.

Ye Chen... in today's tournament, you will absolutely not walk out alive!

You have no idea... how many people have their eyes on you!

At noon, the sound of a bell rang out across the ice sheet. The entire venue instantly fell silent.

Immediately after, an old man wearing a gray robe walked onto the ring, cleared his throat, and said loudly.

"Fellow cultivators, today the Antarctic Martial Arts Tournament officially begins."

"This tournament is divided into three rounds."

"The first round is a ring elimination tournament. The defender is determined by drawing lots. If you successfully defend the ring three times in a row, you can choose to step down and advance, or continue defending."

"The second round is the ice sheet pursuit battle, the rules for which will be announced later."

"The third round is the final showdown."

"The prize for the first place in the tournament is this item behind me..."

He stepped aside, revealing a jade box suspended above the ring. The jade box was transparent, and inside lay a bronze key.

Thousands of gazes in the venue simultaneously fell on that jade box.

The bronze key. The legendary key to opening the bronze gate!

There are nine such keys in total, and currently only a few have surfaced.

And this one was the target everyone present was fighting desperately for.

Ye Chen looked at that key, the corners of his mouth curling slightly. It was fake.

Others could not tell the authenticity of that key, but he could distinguish it at a glance.

He had nine real bronze keys in his hand, and every key's texture contained the aura of ancient earth veins.

But the one on the stage, although similar in appearance, had textures floating on the surface, and its spiritual energy was pitifully thin.

Obviously, it was a counterfeit made by the One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates working together. It was bait specifically used to lure him into the trap.

Yan Qingwu stared at the key and couldn't help but ask with a smile: "How do you plan to play this?"

"Let's wait and see." Ye Chen crossed his arms. "Since they want to act, I'll accompany them in a good show."

Yan Qingwu's expression became strange. It seems... there's a good show to watch today...

At this moment, the old man on the ring spoke again. "The first round, the ring elimination tournament, begins now. Will all contestants please come up to the stage to draw lots."

The crowd surged. The lottery box was transparent, and one could see the dense number balls hidden inside. Many people followed the order and proceeded to draw lots.

But... when it was Ye Chen's turn, a strange thing happened. He reached out casually, fished one out, and the result was... number one.

The whole venue was stunned. No one expected Ye Chen to be so lucky, or rather... so unlucky. He actually drew number one right away!

Number one meant being the first to step onto the ring and becoming the first defender in the first round of the elimination tournament.

The defender needs to win three consecutive matches to advance, during which they cannot rest or be replaced. In other words, regardless of who draws the challenge qualification next, the first person they have to face is him.

Furthermore. There is an invisible rule. Whenever someone continues to challenge, regardless of whether they advance, they must continue... If they win, they eliminate the challenger. If they lose, they will be eliminated.

Ye Chen weighed the ball in his hand, then held it high.

The old man hosting the ring was stunned for a moment, then announced loudly: "The first battle of the first round, the defender — Ye Chen!"

Ye Chen didn't dawdle and walked straight onto the ring. After standing still, he looked around at the sea of heads below and crooked his finger toward all directions. "Come on, I'm in a hurry."

The whole venue was quiet for two seconds. Immediately after, it exploded.

"Too arrogant! Is this f*cking defending the ring or provoking us?"

"So what if it's number one? Does he really think he's invincible?"

"I'll come and meet you!"

In the crowd below, a bald man was the first to jump onto the ring. "Qianji Sect outer sect deacon, Zhao Kuangning!"

The big man clasped his fists in a salute, "Please!"

Before his voice fell, his whole body was like a cannonball leaving the barrel, wrapped in biting wind as he charged toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stood in place without moving. When that sandbag-sized fist was about to touch his nose, he tilted his body slightly.

Zhao Kuangning's fist grazed his earlobe, and the force of the punch blew the stray hair on his forehead upward.

Ye Chen took the opportunity to raise his right hand and flicked his finger gently on Zhao Kuangning's wrist joint. "Snap."

Zhao Kuangning's whole body seemed to be grabbed by an invisible force, and his forward momentum came to a sudden halt.

Immediately after, his whole body spun half a circle on the spot, lost balance, and sat down on the ice with a thud. His face was full of bewilderment.

Wait... it's over? The opponent just flicked his finger and knocked him down? He was like a child being casually pushed aside by an adult...

Anger! Furious! A surge of evil fire rushed straight to his head. Zhao Kuangning climbed up unconvinced and charged up again.

But Ye Chen used another simple finger flick, directly sending him flying out.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand, looked down at Zhao Kuangning lying splayed on the ice, and said indifferently: "Brother, stop fighting, you can't beat me."