25: Advance to the Round of 16

After a night of rest, the second day of the Outer Sect Minor Competition, the ranking rounds, officially began.

If the preliminaries were a battle of elimination to decide “life and death,” then the ranking rounds were a fight for “dignity” and honor.

The top one hundred Disciples who managed to stand here, having emerged from nearly a thousand Disciples, were all elites among the Outer Sect Disciples.

Every single one of them was holding back, determined to prove themselves in the upcoming battles, to secure a higher ranking for themselves, and the more generous rewards that came with it.

As a result, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Training Ground was even more solemn and fervent than yesterday.

The battles on each arena were far more intense than during the preliminaries.

Flashes of spiritual energy constantly appeared, and various ultimate Martial Skills emerged endlessly, eliciting gasps of surprise from the crowd below.

However, beyond the ten intensely competitive arenas, Arena Number Seven once again became an exception with a peculiar style.

Because that man, Lin Ye, once again stepped onto it.

“Top fifty from one hundred, seventh match! Lin Ye versus Sun Hao!”

When Lin Ye’s name was called, almost the entire Martial Arts Training Ground’s gaze instinctively focused towards Arena Number Seven.

After a night of fermentation, Lin Ye’s reputation as the “Son of Good Fortune” had already spread to every corner of the Outer Sect.

Everyone wanted to see with their own eyes if this walking “Human Lucky Charm’s” good fortune today was still as Heaven-Defying as yesterday.

Lin Ye still looked half-dead, his face even paler than yesterday, his steps unsteady, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

He slowly climbed onto the arena, even nearly tripping on the steps due to his unstable footing, drawing a burst of good-natured laughter from the crowd below.

His opponent, Sun Hao, was a young man with a stern expression and sharp eyes.

He was a recognized powerhouse in the Outer Sect; his 《Overlapping Waves Palm》 was incredibly fierce, and his cultivation had reached the threshold of Qi Refining Stage Three.

He was a hot favorite to contend for a spot in the top thirty in this Minor Competition.

Sun Hao did not show any contempt towards Lin Ye, unlike his previous opponents.

On the contrary, his face was filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

He had carefully studied every one of Lin Ye’s battles from yesterday.

Although he also couldn't comprehend that incredible “luck,” he had come to a conclusion: this seemingly vulnerable opponent had one most terrifying characteristic—he was incredibly resilient!

Therefore, as soon as the gong for the start of the match sounded, Sun Hao did not immediately launch a fierce attack.

His feet were planted firmly on the arena, and his palms slowly drew circles in front of his chest.

Visible white spiritual energy, like layers of surging waves, gathered between his palms.

He was building momentum!

He wanted to use his strongest 《Overlapping Waves Palm》, with one strike, and only one strike, to completely shatter Lin Ye’s proud “turtle shell”!

Facing this powerful oppressive force, Lin Ye’s reaction was still so “classic.”

He seemed to have been scared silly, standing still, his body trembling slightly, a sight that made Fatty Wang in the audience’s heart clench.

“Now!”

A glint flashed in Sun Hao’s eyes, and his long-prepared palms suddenly pushed forward!

“Triple Overlapping Waves Force!”

With a loud roar, the spiritual energy gathered between his palms instantly transformed into three continuous transparent palm prints, each faster than the last, each stronger than the last, carrying the momentum of overturning mountains and seas, striking directly at Lin Ye’s chest!

Everyone in the audience was horrified!

Lin Ye still did not dodge or evade!

“Bang!”

The first palm print landed squarely on his chest.

The familiar bronze glow on his body lit up again, his body shook violently, and he took a step back.

“Bang!”

The second palm print followed closely!

Lin Ye’s body trembled violently again, and he took another step back, his face instantly turning as pale as paper.

“Bang!!!”

The third, and strongest, palm print crashed down!

“Pfft!”

Lin Ye’s body, like a kite with a broken string, flew backward violently, and while still in mid-air, he spat out a faint mist of blood!

However, just when everyone thought he would surely fall out of bounds and lose, his backward-flying body, at the very last moment before flying off the edge of the arena, with an extremely peculiar posture, heavily pushed off the edge railing of the arena with both feet!

Using this rebound force, he actually managed to stop his decline, his body rolled, and he landed back inside the arena, extremely disheveled, yet incredibly “lucky”!

He knelt on one knee, one hand propped on the ground, gasping for breath, a trace of blood still on the corner of his mouth, looking utterly miserable.

On the other side, Sun Hao, who had landed a hit but failed to knock his opponent off the stage, turned pale, and his breathing paused for a moment.

Although the 《Overlapping Waves Palm》 was powerful, its consumption was equally immense.

This full-strength strike had almost drained half of the spiritual energy in his body!

It was this instant!

Lin Ye, who was still kneeling on the ground, as if to support his body, pressed his other hand “naturally” onto the ground!

“Clack!”

With a soft sound, a small, fingernail-sized piece of gravel, which had been cracked at some unknown point, was “just right” bounced up by his press, transforming into an imperceptible black shadow, flying towards Sun Hao’s feet at an extremely tricky angle!

Sun Hao, who was in a moment of exhaustion and preparing to catch his breath, felt his foot slip, as if he had stepped on a rolling bead, and his lower body suddenly swayed!

“Not good!”

He was greatly alarmed and hastily tried to steady himself.

But Lin Ye, who had just “pressed” the stone, as if he had used his last ounce of strength, his body went limp, and he “coincidentally” lunged towards the direction Sun Hao was about to fall!

Thus, under the almost stunned gaze of the entire audience, an incredibly comical scene unfolded.

Sun Hao fell backward because he stepped on the stone, while Lin Ye fell forward due to “exhaustion.”

The two of them tumbled together in an extremely ambiguous posture.

Finally, with a “thud,” half of Sun Hao’s body was “pushed” out of the arena by Lin Ye’s body… he… he won again?

The referee looked at this absurd scene, his mouth twitching for a long time before he painstakingly announced the result that even he found unbelievable.

Top fifty, advanced!

Top thirty-two, advanced!

Battle after battle, Lin Ye displayed his “good luck” and “acting” to the fullest.

He always managed to win in various inconceivable ways.

His opponents either slipped, dropped their weapons, or ran out of spiritual energy.

And Lin Ye was always the one who was beaten the worst on the arena, looked the most disheveled, but always managed to seize that fleeting “luck” at the last moment, deciding the victory with one strike.

When the first day of the ranking rounds ended, and the final list of those who advanced to the top sixteen was posted on the notice board, the entire Outer Sect fell silent.

Countless Disciples crowded in front of the list, repeatedly rubbing their eyes, as if to confirm whether they were hallucinating.

Among those resounding names, among those recognized as the top Geniuses of the Outer Sect, a mismatched name was prominently listed!

Lin Ye!

He, a Utility Disciple who had only entered the sect for just over three months, whose cultivation was not even Qi Refining Stage One, and who was regarded as a waste by everyone, actually stumbled and bumbled his way into the top sixteen!

This result was like a bombshell, shattering the inherent perceptions in everyone’s hearts!

If advancing in the preliminaries was luck.

Then what about now?

Seven or eight consecutive “lucky” wins, could that still be called luck?

“Dark horse! The biggest dark horse of this Minor Competition!”

Someone, no one knew who, let out a cry full of shock and disbelief.

This word instantly ignited the entire venue!

Mockery, disdain, contempt… these emotions quietly faded away at this moment.

No one dared to treat him as a mere joke anymore.

A person who could interpret “luck” to this extent was, in itself, a formidable strength!

And behind the crowd, Zhao Tian and his followers’ faces had long since turned extremely grim.

“Senior Brother Zhao… he… he really made it into the top sixteen…”

“Shut up!” Zhao Tian roared in a low voice, clenching his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his flesh.

The more “lucky” Lin Ye appeared, the firmer the suspicion in his heart became!

This Little Bastard absolutely harbored a huge secret!

On the high platform, those Outer Sect Elders, who had always been as calm as still water, could no longer maintain their composure.

They looked at each other, and from each other’s eyes, they could see a hint of solemnity and surprise.

“This child… what do you all think?” an Elder finally couldn’t help but ask.

“His Foundation is unbelievably solid.

That body-tempering Martial Skill he practices is probably not of low grade.” Another Elder stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, “But his demonstrated combat skills are atrociously clumsy.

This contradiction, I, an old man who has cultivated for decades, have never heard of it.”