65: Chapter 65 Let's see if it's just my poor judgment, or if you're simply too stupid.

After Yin He left, the Senior Brothers couldn't help but sigh.

It was already difficult enough to obtain Yin He's forgiveness.

Yet Li Yuan had spoken such defiant words right to his face.

It seemed there was no avoiding this Yi-Class Grand Competition now.

The matches at the Meifengshan Martial Arts Academy followed a long-standing Legacy rule.

Both competing parties had to remain on the stage for at least half a quarter-hour.

Being knocked off in just a few Moves or surrendering on the spot...

...would be deemed Malicious Participation.

Any Disciple found guilty of Malicious Participation would be banned from all Secret Realm trials and academy competitions for six months.

With Li Yuan being so stubborn, he likely wouldn't be willing to surrender.

In the eyes of Liang Duqiu and the others, this was actually the bigger problem.

Forcing himself to participate in the Yi-Class Grand Competition truly carried the risk of getting himself injured or crippled.

Damaging one's Foundation, in particular, would ruin their entire life.

Liang Duqiu and the others were especially sensitive to this.

In this Yin Court, they might not seem outstanding in Yin He's eyes.

But in truth, before coming to Meifengshan Martial Arts Academy, they were all highly regarded Geniuses within their own Families.

To be injured or ruined would truly be a loss not worth the gain.

All they could do was offer Li Yuan as much advice as possible, teaching him how to protect himself in dangerous situations.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

The time for the Yi-Class Grand Competition had arrived.

Generally speaking, no competitions would be scheduled immediately after a Secret Realm trial.

Young Martial Artists needed time to rest and recover to their peak state.

However, competitions like the Jia-Class and Yi-Class Grand Competitions were only for the top Prodigies of the Meifengshan Martial Arts Academy.

Since they were the top Prodigies, the academy's requirements were naturally different.

On the fourth day after the Secret Realm trial, the Yi-Class Grand Competition was held as scheduled.

The venue for the competition was the vast Training Ground located in the northern part of the academy.

A total of sixteen people were participating in this Yi-Class Grand Competition.

Among the sixteen were the ten Disciples originally ranked eleventh to twentieth in the Meifengshan Martial Arts Academy.

Aside from those ten, the remaining six were the challengers.

Among these six, everyone except Li Yuan was expected.

In the center of the Training Ground, an Instructor called out the names in front of everyone.

When the name Li Yuan was called, the surrounding crowd looked around, wanting to see who this Li Yuan was.

At the same time, those who had heard some rumors began explaining the situation to those around them.

Only then did everyone realize that Li Yuan had offended Yin He and had been intentionally thrown into this by him.

Once on the stage, if one lacked the strength, they would truly get hurt.

The faces of the onlookers were filled with sympathy; while they pitied him, they also felt fortunate that they hadn't been placed under Yin He's command.

The rules of the Yi-Class Grand Competition were not complicated.

The six challengers would first choose their opponents, and no two people could choose the same opponent.

If a challenger won, they would directly take over that ranking.

After the challengers' matches concluded, the Ranking Challenges would begin.

Disciples with lower rankings could choose to challenge the opponent ranked one or two spots ahead of them.

If they won the match, their own rank would increase.

After the roll call, the six challengers drew lots to determine the order in which they would pick their opponents.

Li Yuan drew the last lot, making him the last to choose.

The first five people chose everyone from the twentieth to the sixteenth rank, leaving the top five ranks for Li Yuan to pick from.

Li Yuan didn't fuss over it; following the pattern of their choices, he selected the fifteenth rank.

With the opponents chosen, the matches were about to begin.

The Senior Brothers from the Yin Court stood at the edge of the Training Ground, their faces full of worry and anxiety.

Yin He, who had registered Li Yuan for this competition, also strolled over at this time.

"Junior Brother Yin, this arrangement of yours is a bit excessive.

In the Yi-Class Grand Competition, one must give their all once they step onto the stage.

By letting this young Disciple participate in this match, are you trying to ruin him?"

Seeing Yin He arrive, an Instructor who couldn't bear to watch spoke up with a few words of disapproval.

Yin He rested both his hands behind his head, completely indifferent to these lectures.

"This Disciple believes my judgment is flawed and that I cannot see where his talent and potential lie.

Since he is so confident, I naturally have to arrange a high-stakes match for him."

As he spoke, Yin He walked toward Li Yuan's position.

"Li Yuan, you'd better perform well today.

Let me see whether my judgment is poor or if you are simply foolish and overestimating yourself."

After finishing his piece, Yin He found a spot on the edge of the Training Ground and sat down.

Today's Yi-Class Grand Competition officially began.

The first challenger stepped forward to challenge the opponent ranked twentieth.

Those who dared to participate in these challenges were all Disciples with some degree of skill.

There were even two among them who had previously been knocked down from higher rankings.

In this Yi-Class Grand Competition, they intended to reclaim their former positions.

In the first match, the situation reached a fever pitch after only two Moves.

The exchange between the two already seemed no inferior to that of Martial Artists in their prime.

By the twentieth Move, the outcome began to become apparent.

The challenger's strength was still a notch below.

It was truly for good reason that they couldn't fight their way up the rankings.

Both sides were exerting their full strength; in the Yi-Class Grand Competition, no one held back.

If it was discovered that a Disciple could not withstand an opponent's Moves and might be seriously injured, the Instructor would step in to protect them.

But for Li Yuan, there might not necessarily be a Master there to shield him.

Facing potential danger, he would likely have to rely on himself.

Soon, the challenger who had fallen into a disadvantage was knocked out of the ring.

The gap in their strength wasn't too great, so being knocked out of the ring only resulted in some pain.

As soon as one match ended, the second match was immediately arranged.

The five matches preceding Li Yuan's were each more intense than the last.

But the final results all maintained the status quo.

All the Disciples who held Yi-Class rankings managed to protect their positions.

Once the challenges of the first five people were over, it was Li Yuan's turn.

When the first five challengers fought, the surrounding crowd watched with a learning mindset.

Now that Li Yuan was stepping up, the atmosphere was quite different.

Most people were just watching for the spectacle, not expecting to learn anything from it.

Stepping onto the stage, Li Yuan didn't need anyone to urge him; he had no intention of avoiding the fight.

Seeing this, Yin He smiled even more.

He was laughing at Li Yuan for being too confident—confident to a fault.

Li Yuan's opponent was the academy's fifteenth-ranked Prodigy Disciple, Fu Qingfan.

"Not going to surrender?..."

Seeing Li Yuan stand on the stage, Fu Qingfan hesitated for a moment before following him up.

Murmuring softly to himself, he had originally thought he wouldn't have to fight today.

As both sides stood on the stage, the final challenger match of the Yi-Class Grand Competition began.

Li Yuan held a longsword, an ordinary item he had just taken from the weapon rack.

Fu Qingfan was naturally different, holding a heavy saber that possessed a powerful Aura.

From the look of it, it was no ordinary weapon.

Standing on the stage, Fu Qingfan turned his head to look at his Instructor.

"Just respond according to the competition rules; you don't need to worry about anything else.

Your focus is the next match. End this one quickly."