Bamboo Mound

He was now looking at the entire square with utter boredom.

As noon approached, the first day of the preliminary rounds was drawing to a close.

He didn't pay attention to the situation on the field while studying the formation. By the time he finished studying it and watched the game again, there were no more exciting battles on the field.

The scale of the spell-slinging battles was much smaller than at the beginning of the competition, and the close-quarters combat was not very visually appealing.

Most of the fifty stone platforms were already empty, but the five stone platforms in the center of the arena, which were used for direct disciples to compete, had never been climbed by anyone.

He moved his stool further inside and asked his master, "Master, didn't you tell me I was going to participate in the competition? Why is there no word? No one has gone up to those five platforms either."

The master, who was deep in thought, was interrupted by Ning Changyi and looked back.

"It's alright, just wait. This time, there are only four qualified direct disciples from the three sects, including you. Wait until they go up before you go up."

Then he turned back, seemingly to watch the game or perhaps to think about something else.

Hearing this, Ning Chang lost interest and returned to his original spot, sitting there, emptying his mind, and leaning against the railing in a daze.

..........

After a few more incense sticks' worth of time, all the stone platforms on the field were empty, which meant that the preliminary rounds had ended and the challenge matches were about to begin.

The host's voice rang out again: "The preliminary rounds are over. All participating disciples will be divided into two teams, one winning team and one losing team."

Each member of the losing side has one chance to challenge another member of the winning side. The challenged member cannot refuse.

After the battle, the winners advance, and the losers become spectators.

Each player can only fight once in the challenge, and will return to the spectator stands after the match.

As the words fell, the three groups of disciples converged on the plaza.

Although the rules stipulated that the teams would be divided into two groups, the final teams subtly revealed six distinct groups.

The winning and losing sides were each divided into three groups according to their sects, and the disciples of the losing side of each sect did not challenge the winning side of their own sect.

As challenges were announced, pairs of disciples ascended the stone platform, marking the start of the competition.

The losing side was unwilling to be eliminated and wanted to compete for the ranking rewards, so they all showed their best skills.

Some people, dissatisfied with the morning's match, sought out their former opponents for a rematch.

Several others, recognizing their own limitations, chose not to challenge any further and returned to the spectator stands.

The victorious party, naturally unwilling to lose its original opportunity, also put in its best effort.

For a moment, the scene was filled with the clash of swords and the mingling of fire and water, making it difficult to know where to look.

Ning Chang looked at them one by one and actually found a special battle.

Two people stepped onto the number seven stone platform. One of them drew a gun and casually brandished it a few times, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

The other man flicked out several hidden darts with his hands, then took out two slightly larger ones and rushed towards the disciple with the gun.

Because the No. 7 stone platform is relatively close to the viewing platform where the Qingyun Sect is located, Ning Chang's view is quite accurate.

When the disciple with the gun saw the darts flying towards him, he merely frowned and deflected them all with a few quick movements.

He then turned around and swept his arm across, forcing back the disciple with the dart who was about to get close.

Both of them knew that the spear would be difficult to use at full strength once it was in close combat.

After forcing the opponent back, the disciple with the gun was about to give chase when he discovered that the dart that had been deflected earlier had flown back!

Left with no other choice, he took a few large steps backward, deflecting the dart with a few spins, and cursed under his breath:

"Rat!"

Upon hearing this, the disciple wielding the dart merely snorted and continued his attack.

The match between the two was between a disciple wielding darts and a disciple wielding a gun.

The one carrying the dart is a disciple of the Huayu Sect, and the one carrying the gun is a disciple of the Xuanshan Sect.

The disciple with the gun was already proud and looked down on those who used hidden weapons. Being challenged by such a loser naturally made him quite unhappy.

He started with a straight thrust aimed at his opponent's face.

The disciple wielding the darts' expression changed slightly. He quickly slowed down, parried the spearhead with both darts, deflected it to the right, and then thrust it straight forward.

The disciple with the gun remained calm and took a step back to the left. He then retracted his spear and attacked the disciple with the dart in the waist and abdomen!

Seeing the same move, the disciple with the darts chuckled to himself, braced his two darts against the spear, and pulled it back sharply!

The disciple with the gun sensed something was wrong when he saw the other party suddenly smile.

Before he could react, he felt a pulling force on the gun, and before he knew it, the gun was taken from him.

Before he could regain his footing, he sensed several hidden darts flying towards him from behind!

"Damn it! That despicable scoundrel!"

After the disciple with the dart seized the gun, he threw it aside and continued his attack.

At this time, the disciples of Xuanshan Sect were attacked from both sides and were in the process of developing new strength.

He glared angrily and roared, "How dare you, you scoundrel!"

A layer of golden light shone from his entire body.

The next instant, several hidden darts pierced his back simultaneously!

However, the dart only went in at the head before stopping, unable to go any deeper.

Using the force, he fell to the side, simultaneously turning his body and delivering a sudden, unexpected whip kick to the disciple holding the dart in the abdomen!

The Huayu Sect disciple was extending his arm to thrust forward, completely unaware that his opponent could still react and attack while falling to the ground.

Before he could bend his arm to defend himself, he was kicked away by the metal-infused whip leg and fell to the edge of the stone platform.

Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent was sent flying backward, the disciple with the gun shook out the hidden dart on his back and rolled to the side of the gun.

He tiptoed and kicked the spear, then sprang to his feet with a somersault, before striking the spear's butt with a powerful palm strike.

The Huayu Sect disciple fell to the ground and was about to get up when he discovered a long spear flying towards him with an incomparably sharp and fierce metallic force!

Before he could even change his expression, he rolled away and barely dodged the spear.

The spear slammed into the stone platform, half of its shaft embedding itself in the stone, creating a tremendous commotion.

This sound immediately drew the attention of most people in the arena.

The disciple rolled away to dodge the spear and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to turn around, another sharp spear came hurtling towards him!

"You've lost." As the second spear pierced the stone platform, the voice of the Xuanshan Sect disciple rang out at the opportune moment.

By the time he looked up, the Xuanshan Sect disciple had already turned and left.

As they watched his retreating figure, the disciples of Huayu Sect felt a deep resentment and unwillingness in their eyes.

Recalling the undisguised contempt in his eyes, he gritted his teeth, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes reddened, and stared intently at his departing figure.

In the dim light, all the sounds seemed to be amplified, and the discussions from the surrounding stands reached his ears.

One breath... two breaths...

Ultimately, his mind collapsed at some point, and he went mad!

He chuckled maniacally, frantically channeling his spiritual power into the two hidden darts until he had no spiritual power left.

He twisted his arms into an odd angle and threw two hidden darts at the Xuanshan Sect disciple!