20: The competition begins

A month's time, in the frantic, day and night Cultivation of countless Outer Sect Disciple, quietly came to an end.

The day of the Outer Sect Minor Competition finally arrived!

On this day, before dawn, the entire Outer Sect area was already completely bustling. Thousands of Outer Sect Disciple, like an ant colony driven by an invisible hand, swarmed out from their respective residences, converging towards the largest building in the Outer Sect—the Martial Arts Training Ground.

The Martial Arts Training Ground was located in the center of the Outer Sect, paved with huge bluestones, capable of accommodating thousands of people. In the center of the ground, ten sturdy arenas had already been set up, each built from black ironwood, with basic reinforcement runes carved on their surfaces.

At this moment, the Martial Arts Training Ground was packed with people, a dense mass. In the air, a complex aroma of tension, anticipation, anxiety, and faint traces of blood filled the air.

Every person's face was filled with solemnity. They knew that today, this would not be a place for sparring, but a slaughterhouse that would decide their fate!

The victors would remain in the Sect, struggling to survive.

The defeated, especially the hundred people at the very bottom of the final ranking, would be ruthlessly expelled, their path to immortality cut off, and their future bleak!

At the very front of the Martial Arts Training Ground, a high platform was erected. Several Outer Sect Elder, who were usually rarely seen, sat upright with solemn expressions, their gazes like eagles, sweeping over the young and nervous faces below.

Lin Ye was mixed in the crowded flow of people. He found an inconspicuous corner, leaned against a stone pillar, and looked listless and dispirited.

Over the past month, he had lived a more "fulfilling" life than anyone else.

During the day, he was like a tireless beast of burden, frantically taking on various extra tasks, exchanging his sweat for meager contribution points, and then converting all the contribution points into the lowest-grade qi and blood pills.

At night, he would lie on his bed, activating dual-mode AFK, allowing the System to gradually integrate the sparse Qi and blood transformed from those Medicinal Pills into his muscles, bones, and skin.

This extreme exploitation kept his body in a cycle of "depletion-replenishment-re-depletion" for a long time. Although his strength grew rapidly, his appearance became even more "miserable" than before.

His face was pale, his eye sockets were sunken, and his dark circles were so heavy it looked like he hadn't slept for days and nights. His whole person exuded a sense of weakness, as if his "body had been hollowed out."

Just then, the crowd beside him stirred, and a corpulent figure squeezed over, panting. It was Fatty Wang.

"My brother, you... why are you still here!" Fatty Wang saw Lin Ye and was almost in tears, "Look at your face, it's uglier than a ghost! How is it? Did you eat the jerky I gave you? Was it useful?"

Lin Ye looked at his only friend, his heart warmed, and he smiled at him: "I ate it, it was very useful."

"That's good, that's good..." Fatty Wang patted his chest, then said with a bitter face, "But even if you ate it, your condition... Alas! When we draw lots later, you must pray that you don't draw Zhao Tian and his group! Otherwise..."

Before he finished speaking, Lin Ye suddenly raised his hand, covered his mouth, and let out a big, long yawn, even squeezing out a few physiological tears from the corners of his eyes.

...Otherwise, you're dead." Fatty Wang looked at him like this and despairingly finished the second half of the sentence.

Dong—!

A long bell chime resounded throughout the venue, silencing all the noise.

On the high platform, an Outer Sect Elder stood up, his voice like a great bell: "The time has come! The Outer Sect Minor Competition officially begins! The rules will not be reiterated, only one point—once on the arena, life and death are up to fate! Now, begin drawing lots!"

As his voice fell, ten steward Disciple holding huge wooden boxes walked into the crowd.

The process of drawing lots was tense and oppressive, everyone like prisoners awaiting judgment.

Soon, Lin Ye also drew his number—Arena Number Seven, third match.

The competition progressed quickly, with ten arenas running simultaneously, screams, clashes of weapons, and exclamations from the crowd rising and falling.

"Arena Number Seven, third match! Lin Ye, against, Shi Lei!"

Finally, a loud voice called out Lin Ye's name.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Lin Ye yawned again, then slowly and leisurely squeezed through the crowd, walking towards Arena Number Seven.

His unawake appearance, as if he could be blown away by the wind at any moment, instantly became the focus of the entire venue.

"Pfft—Look! That Lin Ye is on stage! Did he go stealing last night?"

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter! Everyone else is full of Battle Intent, but he's like he's sleepwalking!"

"I think he can just lie down and surrender, save everyone's time!"

On the high platform, several Elder also frowned at this scene, one of them even snorted coldly: "This child's Heart-Nature is scattered, without any fighting spirit, truly a disgrace to our Qingyun Sect!"

On the other side of the crowd, Zhao Tian was looking at Lin Ye's back with a sinister smile, saying to his henchmen beside him: "Watch closely, see how this trash gets knocked off the arena with one punch!"

Amidst a chorus of laughter and scorn, Lin Ye finally swayed to the edge of the arena, using his hands and feet to clumsily climb up.

On the arena, his opponent had already been waiting for a long time.

It was a being that formed a stark contrast with Lin Ye.

The person's name was Shi Lei, tall and burly, with muscles on his exposed arms piled up like rocks, full of explosive power. He stood in the center of the arena with his arms crossed, like an unshakeable iron tower.

Shi Lei was somewhat famous in the Outer Sect, known for his innate Divine Power. Over the past month, he had Cultivated even more diligently, and at this moment, he exuded a fierce aura.

He looked at Lin Ye slowly walking up, his large, bell-like eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disdain.

"Hey, kid!" Shi Lei bared his white teeth, his voice like muffled thunder, "Are you that Lin Ye who became famous by luck? Looking at your half-dead appearance, why don't you roll off now, and you'll get less of a beating!"

Lin Ye ignored his provocation.