164: Pre-arranged deals and "procedural loopholes"

The tournament entered the round of sixty-four, and the competition became increasingly white-hot. Everyone who made it this far was an outstanding talent among the Outer Sect Disciples, with a cultivation base of at least the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and there were even a few Geniuses at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

Wen Youyi's "tactical pollution" style, while still effective, had significantly diminished in impact when facing stronger opponents. After all, "bugs" could be exploited, but sometimes, absolute gaps in strength could not be completely bridged by clever tricks alone.

However, Wen Youyi did not only have this one card up his sleeve.

In the sixth round, he faced Shi Meng, a Qi Refining Seventh Layer Peak Disciple from the Five Elements Courtyard. This person was tall and sturdy, his skin glowing with the luster of rock, and the "Immovable Mountain Technique" he Cultivated provided extremely strong defense, while his strength was astonishing.

"Wen Youyi, those crooked paths and evil tricks of yours are useless in the face of absolute strength!" Shi Meng's voice boomed like a bell. With a shake of his arms, earthy-yellow Qi surged out, condensing into a thick rock shield in front of him, and his entire person stood like a mountain rooted in the earth.

"Oh? Is that so?" Wen Youyi smiled noncommittally.

As the battle began, Shi Meng indeed changed from the stifling tactics of previous opponents, adopting the most brutal, forward-pushing strategy. Bearing his rock shield, he steamrolled toward Wen Youyi like a heavy tank, each step making the arena floor tremble slightly. Any disruptive energy that approached was forcefully dispersed by his thick, solidified earth-attribute Qi.

"Let's see how you dodge now!" Shi Meng roared, throwing a punch. The wind from his fist condensed into a tangible phantom of a giant boulder, sealing off all of Wen Youyi's evasion space.

The crowd below held their breath, all believing that Wen Youyi would inevitably have to face this head-on.

However, Wen Youyi still did not choose to resist head-on. His footwork became extremely bizarre, like a butterfly weaving through flowers, always able to slip through the gaps of the boulder phantom at the most critical moments. At the same time, his hands moved repeatedly, weaving nearly imperceptible threads of Qi like a spiderweb, silently wrapping around Shi Meng's body, especially around his joints and the key nodes where his Qi circulated.

These Qi threads were not for attacking, but for... guidance and amplification.

Shi Meng felt his body becoming heavier and heavier, his movements increasingly sluggish, as if he had fallen into an invisible quagmire. What shocked him even more was that his earth-attribute Qi, which had been surging within him, began to deviate slightly in its circulation path, even occasionally rushing uncontrollably into unimportant Meridians branches!

"What did you do to me?!" Shi Meng was both shocked and angry, feeling as if his strength had been leashed, making it feel very awkward.

"Nothing much, just helping Senior Brother Shi 'optimize' his Qi circulation route." Wen Youyi's voice sounded in his ear like a ghost.

This was precisely another technique he had learned from the ancient starship knowledge—energy path guidance. Unlike his previous interference, this was a more delicate operation, akin to modifying a program's execution path, preventing the opponent's strength from being fully utilized and even causing "internal friction."

Shi Meng, despite having immense raw strength, felt like a giant bound by countless invisible threads. He was flushed red with frustration, and every time he exerted force, it felt like punching cotton, all while having to guard against his own Qi "mutinying." This feeling was a hundred times worse than being directly defeated!

In the end, under Wen Youyi's dog-walking tactics, Shi Meng's Qi was heavily depleted, and he was mentally exhausted. A moment of carelessness allowed Wen Youyi to seize the opening, sending him off the arena with a palm strike that looked light but actually contained a clever, focused force.

"Wen Youyi wins!"

The crowd below was in an uproar once again! Even Shi Meng, known for his defense and strength, had been defeated so stiflingly! This Wen Youyi was simply a monster!

Wen Youyi advanced again, breaking into the round of thirty-two. Zhao Iron Pillar, relying on his brutal strength and the sharpness of his new heavy sword, also stumbled his way into the round of thirty-two. Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li, unfortunately, encountered powerful Qi Refining Eighth Layer opponents in the previous round and regretfully stopped at the round of sixty-four. However, for them, coming from the Ding Zi Courtyard, this result was already extremely dazzling.

However, right at the draw ceremony for the round of thirty-two, the dark manipulation finally bared its fangs.

The Elder in charge of the draw, under the subtle gaze of Elder Black Fiend, moved his fingers imperceptibly. Finally, the match-up list was announced—

Wen Youyi, versus Li Xue!

Zhao Iron Pillar, versus Fire Cloud Child!

As soon as the list was released, the entire venue went silent for a moment, then erupted into even louder discussion!

Li Xue, the second Disciple under Elder Black Fiend, at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer Peak, practiced the vicious Blood Fiend Cultivation Technique, and was known for his ruthless strikes, having a fearsome reputation in the Outer Sect! He was one of the favorites to win this tournament!

Not to mention Fire Cloud Child, the Senior Brother of the Five Elements Courtyard, at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, who had long-standing grudges with Wen Youyi and the others!

If anyone said there was no tampering with this draw, not even a ghost would believe it! This was clearly an attempt to strangle Wen Youyi and Zhao Iron Pillar in the round of thirty-two, denying them any chance to enter the top ten and obtain the qualifications for the Secret Realm!

"Despicable!" Zhao Iron Pillar was so angry his eyes breathed fire, and his fists clenched until they creaked.

Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li also showed indignation.

Wen Youyi looked at the match-up list, but there was not a trace of anger on his face; instead, he revealed a meaningful smile.

"As expected... they still resorted to such underhanded tactics."

He had long anticipated that once they showed they were a threat, the other side would never sit idly by and let them advance smoothly. This dark manipulation of the draw was within his expectations.

"Boss, what do we do? That Li Xue and Fire Cloud Child are not easy to deal with!" Although Zhao Iron Pillar was not afraid, he knew these two were powerful.

Wen Youyi patted his shoulder, his tone relaxed: "Don't worry, they think they can handle us like this? Too naive."

He leaned close to Zhao Iron Pillar and whispered a few words. Zhao Iron Pillar's eyes first widened, then a look of excited, ferocious delight appeared on his face.

"Hehe, good! Let's do it! I've long wanted to beat that Fire Cloud Child to a pulp!"

Wen Youyi looked at Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li again: "Although you were eliminated, you still have an important task. Go help me collect all recent combat footage and information on Li Xue and Fire Cloud Child, the more detailed, the better."

"Understood!" The two accepted the order and left.

Wen Youyi walked alone to a quiet spot, his gaze fixed on the smug Elder Black Fiend on the high platform, his eyes cold.

"Like playing dark games? Like exploiting the rules?"

"Then I'll let you see what it means to play you to death within the rules."

He took a deep breath, his consciousness sinking into his Sea of Consciousness, and began to frantically "compile" the fragmented information he had just collected about Li Xue and Fire Cloud Child. Combining this with his understanding of energy circulation and Cultivation Technique flaws from ancient knowledge, he began to search for fatal vulnerabilities in his opponents' "System," just like a top-tier hacker.

Did the other side think they could lock in victory just by rigging the draw?

Little did they know, in front of a real "programmer," any System could be breached!

(End of Chapter)