The Martial Arts Tournament proceeded in an orderly fashion. Some won and some lost; some laughed heartily while others left in regret. A small competition venue showcased the many facets of life.
High atop the platform, Elder Zhong swept a faint gaze over the various arenas. He already had a clear understanding of the contestants’ situations, so there was no longer any need to keep watching.
“Saintess, let’s head back to the sect. We can return for the final day,” Elder Zhong suggested, just as he had in previous tournaments.
Before Shen Lingxi could respond, a sudden commotion erupted from below the platform.
Elder Zhong instinctively looked over, his brow furrowing slightly. At the center of the disturbance was that insignificant character who bore such a resemblance to the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult.
‘Why him?’
Elder Zhong still hoped Gu Ming would not become famous.
The reason was simple. He just did not want the Saintess to notice the boy.
Although the Saintess had not shown any extra interest in him before, if he gained too much limelight, she would inevitably pay attention to him. That might cause some trouble.
While thinking this, Elder Zhong could not help but glance at Shen Lingxi beside him.
Shen Lingxi was very clever. She understood the meaning behind Elder Zhong’s gaze but intentionally asked, “What is wrong, Elder Zhong? Is there something the matter?”
Elder Zhong gave an awkward smile and quickly said, “There is a bit of a commotion over there. Would you like to take a look, Saintess?”
Shen Lingxi smiled and countered, “The Law Enforcement Disciples will handle a disturbance of that level. There is no need for us to intervene.”
“True enough.”
Elder Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. He found that he could not quite see through the Saintess’s thoughts. She had clearly argued with the Great Elder over the White Moonlight matter before, yet now, when someone identical to that White Moonlight appeared, she remained indifferent.
“Then let’s head back.”
With those words, Shen Lingxi stepped into the air, heading toward the Saintess Mountain Inner Sect. Elder Zhong followed close behind.
Before leaving, Shen Lingxi cast a subtle glance at the center of the chaos and sighed inwardly.
‘Gu Ming, why did you attract attention again?’
Shen Lingxi felt helpless. She had done her best to keep Gu Ming out of the spotlight, yet he had managed to become the focus of attention anyway.
—
At the center of the commotion, on Gu Ming’s arena.
Gu Ming swept a faint gaze across the crowd gathering around the stage, all of whom were looking on in shock. He was starting to feel troubled.
He had been so careful. Why — why did he still attract so much attention?
He felt deeply helpless and let out a soft sigh.
On the stage, the referee stood like a wooden chicken, unable to regain his composure for a long time. Eventually, he announced in a loud voice:
“The winner, Number 88, Nameless.”
After making the announcement, the referee stepped down, but not before casting a subtle glance at Gu Ming.
Recalling Gu Ming’s performance on the stage, the referee felt increasingly shocked.
When the match began, Ling Yunfeng had swallowed a pill to force his cultivation level to match Gu Ming’s. Then, Ling Yunfeng unleashed the Lingyun Sword Technique of the Lingyun Pavilion. His swordsmanship was exquisite, and his sword intent was overbearing, seemingly aimed at ending the fight in a single strike.
However, Gu Ming did not use any fancy footwork. He dodged everything purely through physical instinct.
After a brief exchange, Ling Yunfeng was actually gasping for breath. It seemed the Lingyun Sword Technique had cost him a great deal of energy.
Right then, Gu Ming simply walked over. Under Ling Yunfeng’s astonished gaze, he gave a light push and sent him flying right out of the arena.
Yes, just a simple push.
He had not used any cultivation techniques or skills. It was as if an adult were simply pushing over a child.
It was far too easy.
One had to realize that Ling Yunfeng was a standout among the younger generation. It was not that he had never fought those at higher levels, but to lose like this was truly humiliating.
“I lost…”
Outside the ring, Ling Yunfeng still seemed unable to snap out of it. It was not that he had not thought about resisting; there was just a split second where his body had been unable to move.
The spectators could not help but burst into discussion.
“Who is this guy? He actually beat Ling Yunfeng?”
“Ling Yunfeng probably got careless. He thought he was just a rogue cultivator with no background.”
“No, Ling Yunfeng was not careless. If anything, he used his full strength right from the start.”
“Then how did he still lose?”
…
The words of the surrounding crowd were mostly common chatter, but Ling Yunfeng’s fanatical supporters were different. They spat out nothing but venom.
“How can you be like this? You cheated!”
“That’s right, you cheated! Otherwise, how could you possibly beat our Brother Yunfeng?”
“Referee, I demand a rematch! This person used trickery to beat our Brother Yunfeng.”
…
The referee had only taken a few steps before he was blocked by Ling Yunfeng’s obsessed supporters, who demanded a rematch to his face.
The referee was speechless. Whether there was trickery or not, did he not know best? Was there really a need to block his path?
He did not want to deal with these unreasonable people and tried to bypass them, but the fanatical supporters were relentless and refused to let him pass.
If the referee was treated this way, things were naturally no better for Gu Ming.
When Gu Ming tried to leave, the fanatical supporters also surrounded him, each looking fierce as they demanded an explanation.
“You despicable person! You actually cheated! Apologize to Brother Yunfeng right now!”
“That’s right, apologize! Not only do you have to apologize, you have to ask the referee for a rematch!”
“Apologize! Apologize! Apologize!”
…
They pressed in on him step by step, attempting to force Gu Ming into submission.
Gu Ming tried to reason with them at first, but as time dragged on, he became impatient. He thought about just pushing through them forcefully and slipping away.
Right then, a sudden explosion rang out, followed by a cloud of gray smoke.
Instantly, chaos erupted. The girls surrounding Gu Ming panicked and began screaming.
“What’s happening? Is it an enemy attack?”
“Law Enforcement Disciples, someone is attacking! Come quickly!”
“Save me!”
…
For a moment, Gu Ming also thought it was an enemy attack, and his eyes grew wary. With his vision obscured, it was difficult to tell where an attack might come from.
Just then, his wrist was grabbed.
Gu Ming froze, but then a delicate, sweet voice drifted into his ear.
“Follow me.”
The person did not seem to have any malice.
Gu Ming allowed the person to pull him by the wrist as they ran. Once they ran out of the smoke, Gu Ming saw the person’s back. It was a girl.
She wore her hair in a pretty ponytail. Although he could not see her entire face, from the side, she looked quite attractive.
However, she was not tall — about a head shorter than Gu Ming. She gave off the feeling of a little girl next door.
‘Who is she?’
‘Do I know her?’
Gu Ming was completely bewildered until she pulled him into a secluded spot. Only then did he realize who she was. Her face bore a striking resemblance to the Ling Yunfeng he had just fought.
Therefore, this person had to be Ling Yunfeng’s sister.
But why would she help me out of that situation?
Gu Ming could not figure it out. By all logic, since Gu Ming had beaten Ling Yunfeng, his sister should have been the one looking for trouble.