Chapter 180: A Spectacular Opening

"Who will open the first round?" Ji Rulie asked calmly.

The rules of the Qilin Assembly were actually very simple: anyone could step onto the stage to challenge any opponent. It was considered a loss if one side conceded or fell off the stage, and victory was achieved when no one dared to challenge anymore.

Although this rule might seem somewhat unfair, if one desired the first place, they naturally needed extraordinary capabilities.

If one only won by a small margin, it would only make more people unconvinced.

On the main stage sat the rewards for the top spot in this Qilin Assembly. Although there were some excellent Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities, Ye Fan's attention was fixed on that soul returning pill.

"I've come to the right place; now I have a way to recover my injuries."

Ye Fan looked excited, as if he could already see his injuries healing.

However, in Mei Linger's eyes, his expression seemed to be overestimating himself. She planned to let her sister's fantasy be shattered when he suffered a setback later.

After Ji Rulie spoke, the Prodigies present exchanged glances. They knew they were mostly just accompanying the event, so they might as well go on stage early to try and win some recognition.

"I will try."

The first to step onto the stage was a beautiful female cultivator, the pearl in the palm of the Wang family of Liefeng Prefecture. At just over twenty years old, she possessed cultivation at the Fourth Level of Foundation Establishment Realm, a definite Prodigy seedling.

"Since Sister Wang has taken the stage, this younger sister will also come to join the fun."

The next to ascend was also a female cultivator, whose appearance was on par with the former. She was the eldest Young Miss of the Zhu family in Liefeng Prefecture.

The two women had comparable strength and were both beauties, so people inevitably often compared them.

Although they said nothing on the surface, they had long wanted to determine who was superior.

"It's Sister Zhu. You must go easy on me later."

"Sister Wang is joking. This younger sister also needs to ask you to go easy."

Although the two women spoke politely, they showed no mercy when they started fighting.

Sword Qi and blade light flew across the stage, drawing continuous cheers from the crowd. Even Mei Linger nodded from time to time, believing both women had commendable points.

Only Ye Fan looked listless, contemplating directly going on stage to claim the reward. A competition of this level held absolutely no attraction for him.

"Brother Ye Fan, the two sisters on stage are so amazing. It would be great if Yinger could be like that too," Mei Yinger said with envy.

"Don't worry, Yinger is so smart, that day will come sooner or later," Ye Fan coaxed from the side.

As the two spoke, the battle on stage grew increasingly fierce.

The two women were evenly matched, like an expert encountering a worthy opponent. During the fierce fight, their Flying Sword and long saber were locked together, neither willing to retreat half an inch, turning into a contest of endurance.

This situation surprised everyone. If either person released their force first, they might die at the hands of the other.

But if they continued to stalemate, someone would eventually exhaust their strength, and it would still be unavoidable that a life would be lost.

Zhu Zhu and Wang Yuyan were also dumbfounded. Neither dared to casually relax their force, lest they suffer injuries or even death.

No one expected such a situation to erupt right at the start. Ji Rulie and the others stared wide-eyed, none daring to step in to break the deadlock, as even a slight mistake could cause them to get hurt.

Seeing that the two women were about to run out of strength, someone was bound to be injured or even killed.

At the critical moment, a figure suddenly shot onto the stage and, with lightning speed, separated the two women's saber and sword.

The intense inertia instantly made the two women lose balance, and they tilted forward, falling towards the front. But what awaited them was the warm embrace of a man.

Ye Fan pulled both women into his arms, one on the left and one on the right, and softly asked if they were injured.

The sudden scene took everyone by surprise. Zhu Zhu and Wang Yan'er felt their minds go blank. When they came to their senses, their pretty faces instantly flushed red. They quickly broke free from Ye Fan's embrace and struggled to calm down.

"It happened so suddenly. My hasty action might have been presumptuous; I hope the two young ladies do not take offense," Ye Fan said, cupping his hands in a salute.

"Thank you for stepping in to help, Young Master. Otherwise, one of us sisters would surely have been injured," Zhu Zhu said, her pretty face blushing.

"This Young Master is too polite. We sisters should be the ones thanking you," Wang Yuyan said shyly.

Faced with Ye Fan, who had suddenly burst onto the scene, everyone present was stunned, wondering where he had appeared from to so easily resolve this deadly situation.

Ji Rulie also frowned deeply upon seeing this. He knew that even he would have to risk injury to intervene, yet Ye Fan could save the two so easily. Did this not mean his methods were even superior to his own?!

Even Mei Linger showed a look of astonishment this time. She hadn't even noticed when Ye Fan got on stage; that ethereal speed far exceeded her imagination.

"This fellow actually has some skill," Mei Linger murmured to herself.

Ye Fan had gone on stage solely to save people. Seeing that the deadly situation was resolved, he prepared to step down and watch the show, but unexpectedly, someone stopped him.

"Since The one surnamed Ye is on stage, then don't leave."

Fang Wanli's figure flickered as he stepped onto the stage, his eyes filled with ferocity.

He had intended to challenge Ye Fan right after the opening, and now that he was on stage himself, it saved him a lot of trouble.

Although Ye Fan resolving the deadly situation for the two women was beyond his expectation, in Fang Wanli's view, it was merely some tricky, ingenious method.

In a real fight, he was sure to win.

Before Ye Fan could say anything, the two women on the side were not having it.

They were well aware of Fang Wanli's reputation, and if a real fight broke out, it wouldn't be good for Ye Fan.

"Fang Wanli, watch your tone. This Young Master is our savior. If you want to move against him, first ask my Flying Sword," Zhu Zhu said with a cold snort.

"The one surnamed Fang, you want a fight, right? Come on, Sister will spar with you," Wang Yuyan said, her delicate eyebrows raised sharply.

The sudden interjection from the two women made Fang Wanli's expression even uglier. Before, there was Mei Linger, and now Zhu Zhu and Wang Yuyan were protecting him. Was this Ye Fan's luck with women too good?!

"Don't cause unnecessary trouble, the two of you. I came on stage for Ye Fan. If you have the guts, make him step forward!" Fang Wanli said coldly.

"Causing unnecessary trouble? Heh, then you've said it right. Women are unreasonable; is this your first day knowing that?"

"Sister, don't waste words with him. Stab him twice first!"

The two showed signs of being ready to fight at any moment. The surrounding Prodigies watching the spectacle couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying Fang Wanli was truly regressing, challenging some unknown nobody.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly unfavorable for him, Fang Wanli gritted his teeth in anger and threw out his trump card.

"The one surnamed Ye, you spoke boastfully offstage just now, saying you could crush all of us Prodigies with one hand. Do you stand by those words?!"