42: Chapter 42: Beauty? Beat her anyway!

The next day, the stands were packed, even more so than the day before, with people filling the aisles.

Yesterday's battle situation had spread throughout Tiandu Prefecture, and the most unexpected person was Jiang Xuan; a Martial House ranked at the bottom had actually made it into the top ten.

And it was said that he won quite easily. This undoubtedly piqued their curiosity.

Therefore, many people who came today were here to see if Jiang Xuan could go all the way as a dark horse.

When people from the various Prefectures arrived, the cheers grew even louder. "Is that Jiang Xuan? He's quite handsome, isn't he?" A young woman looked at Jiang Xuan with a lovesick expression, her eyes sparkling with infatuation.

Jiang Xuan heard many of his own names among today's shouts and nodded with satisfaction, thinking these people still had good taste.

In the sky, the ten offerings from yesterday stood in the Void Realm, their hands once again forming seals, and runes flowed, acting upon the ten battle stages.

Under the power of the rules, several battle stages gradually merged, forming an even larger battle stage.

Then, everyone retreated to the side, leaving only the old man from yesterday.

"Yesterday's winners, come to the stage!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" figures soared into the air, flying up and standing in a line.

In the stands ahead, King Chu rose from his throne and stepped forward.

He looked at the ten young faces before him, a slight smile on his face. "Not bad."

"All of you are the most outstanding Geniuses of my Great Li Dynasty. It is precisely because of you that my Great Li Dynasty will prosper. In time, the Great Li Dynasty will be proud of you."

"After this, regardless of your results, all ten of you will have the opportunity to undergo a baptism in the Dynasty's Dragon Transformation Pool!"

As soon as these words were spoken, exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"The Dynasty's Dragon Transformation Pool, that's a good treasure! It's said to help people cleanse their meridians and marrow, removing all past hidden ailments."

"This strengthens one's foundation and enhances the power of the Physical Body. Its uses are endless. I never thought the Dynasty would use this as a reward; what a grand gesture!"

The ten people on stage, except for Chu Junlin, all had different expressions.

Jiang Xuan secretly mused, listening to the discussions around him, that this Dragon Transformation Pool was indeed a good thing. Putting aside its effects, it could at least increase his Ancestral Dragon advancement value.

The other few looked excited, and even Ye Zhiwei, who usually appeared fresh and elegant, couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly.

King Chu looked at everyone's expressions, a smile on his lips, and after a few words of encouragement, he returned to his seat.

"Next, the first round: Youying versus Shen Yan."

The others returned to their original positions.

"This Shen Yan is probably at his limit. Youying specializes in the Dao of assassination, and in the previous matches, Shen Yan didn't defeat his opponents with overwhelming force."

"In my opinion, he'll likely lose this time." The people around commented.

"But it's already very good to have made it this far. This is the first time a Sect Disciple has entered the top ten. From now on, he can be said to be famous throughout the Great Li Dynasty."

Listening to the surrounding discussions, Jiang Xuan's brows furrowed. He always felt that this Shen Yan was not simple. He didn't have time yesterday, but now, he wanted to see what was strange about him.

"Eye of Ruin!" A purple light flashed in Jiang Xuan's eyes as he looked at Shen Yan. "This is..." Jiang Xuan's expression changed.

"Heh heh, it's getting more and more interesting."

Above, Youying was expressionless, his cold, piercing eyes fixed on Shen Yan. Then, his figure flickered like a ghost, instantly appearing behind his opponent, a short dagger glowing with a crimson light slashing at Shen Yan's throat.

"It's over."

Shen Yan gave a strange smile, and his entire person suddenly vanished into thin air.

"What!" Youying was greatly startled.

"Heh heh, your speed is good, but unfortunately, it's not enough." A faint voice came from all directions.

Suddenly, Shen Yan's figure appeared simultaneously in Youying's four directions.

The people around were shocked. What kind of technique was this?

Jiang Xuan was secretly surprised, "Holy crap, Shadow Clone?"

"Now, which one do you plan to assassinate?" Shen Yan looked at Youying with a playful expression.

The latter tried hard to calm himself down. For an assassin, the most taboo thing was a disturbed mind.

Since he couldn't tell which was real, he simply wouldn't look and would just eliminate them all.

With a resolve in his heart, Spiritual Qi erupted beneath his feet, and he charged towards the Shen Yan in front of him to the left with the fastest speed he had ever achieved. Streaks of afterimages appeared behind him.

"It's useless."

"Ink and Brush Landscape!" The three Shen Yans shouted fiercely. Simultaneously, three giant paintbrushes appeared in the air, outlining three massive mountains in front of them with each stroke.

Then, they smashed towards Youying. "Not good!" Seeing the three terrifyingly powerful mountains, Youying felt a great sense of dread and was about to retreat.

Unexpectedly, he was suddenly confined in place, unable to move.

"This is..." He hurriedly looked down and saw a pillar of light made of characters surrounding him, each character containing terrifying sealing power.

Youying's face turned grim. He found that the more he struggled, the stronger the sealing power became.

He looked up at the three mountains pressing down on him, his expression extremely unwilling, and slowly closed his eyes. "I surrender."

The old man beside him, seeing Youying surrender, waved a single hand, and the three mountains instantly vanished into thin air.

"In this battle, Shen Yan of Canghai Sect wins."

"Heh, a wise choice." Shen Yan smiled faintly and flew off the stage.

The Disciples of Canghai Sect immediately swarmed him, showering him with various flattery. The Sect Master of Canghai Sect was even more dumbfounded; he felt that his life had entered its most glorious moment.

Zhao De never expected that a Disciple he casually brought back would be so Heaven-Defying, not only entering the top ten but also crushing Youying Prefecture, which had always been ranked third.

He broke the long-held notion that Sects could not enter the Martial House rankings.

He felt that he was more formidable than all previous Sect Masters. After returning, he would definitely revise the Sect's family tree and place himself first.

"What terrifying strength! I didn't expect him to hide it so deeply. None of the previous opponents forced out his true power."

"What kind of year is this? Why are there so many dark horses? First there was Jiang Xuan, and now there's Shen Yan, who seems even more terrifying." The people in the stands exclaimed, looking at Youying, who was beaten without any power to retaliate.

Chu Junlin, Li Wuyou, and Ye Zhiwei's expressions began to turn serious. That sealing power was a natural counter to the assassination-type Youying, who was defeated before he could even unleash his Divine Ability.

Besides Jiang Xuan, they now had another opponent they needed to take seriously.

"Next up, Jiang Xuan versus Ye Zhiwei."

"Finally, it's my turn." Jiang Xuan stretched his muscles and bones. He smiled and nodded at Jiang Yuntian beside him. "Father, I'm going."

"Be careful in everything." Jiang Yuntian instructed.

The night after the competition, Jiang Xuan had brought everyone from the Jiang Family to a separate courtyard, having them stay with Donglin Prefecture.

On the battle stage, Jiang Xuan looked at the face before him, which was even more beautiful than a celebrity's, and secretly praised, "Truly beautiful."

Then he shook his head, a cold glint in his eyes. "What a pity, This Young Master is not someone who can be swayed by beauty. If she needs a beating, she'll get one."