Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

The next morning, at the training ground.

Many of the advanced Demon Suppressors arrived early. Today's battle will determine who can represent Qinghe County and go to Qingzhou Prefecture to participate in the "New Talent Competition".

After two rounds of intense selection yesterday, the top eight spots were determined: Shen Lian, Li Hu, Chen Yun, Wang Lin, Lin Feng, Zhang Kai, Liu Hong, and Sun Tao.

Zhao Shan stood in front of the arena, his gaze sweeping over the eight people: "Today we will determine the top five. The rules remain the same: opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The winner will directly obtain the spot, while the four losers will compete to determine the fifth spot to participate in the 'Rookie Grand Competition'."

Quarterfinals!

The winner gets the spot directly, while the four losers compete for the last spot.

Zhao Shan waved his hand, signaling, "Begin the drawing of lots."

Qin Feng walked forward, carrying a wooden box containing eight bamboo sticks, numbered one to eight.

Qin Feng placed the wooden box in front of the table, and the eight people took turns drawing bamboo sticks.

Shen Lian stepped forward, took out a bamboo stick with the character "seven" engraved on it.

Li Hu leaned closer and whispered, "Number seven? Brother Lian, I'm number two."

Chen Yun drew number three, and Wang Lin drew number six.

Lin Feng displayed the number eight lottery ticket in his hand with a blank expression.

Liu Hong, Zhang Kai, and Sun Tao drew numbers one, four, and five respectively.

Qin Feng checked the draw results and announced loudly, "Next, Liu Hong (number one) will face Li Hu (number two), Chen Yun (number three) will face Zhang Kai (number four), Sun Tao (number five) will face Wang Lin (number six), and Shen Lian (number seven) will face Lin Feng (number eight)!"

The atmosphere in the training ground suddenly became tense.

"Shen Lian and Lin Feng are going head-to-head. These are the two strongest players among the top eight. It looks like this is going to be a good show."

"Regardless of who loses, they will play another round to compete for the fifth spot."

The duel between Shen Lian and Lin Feng was undoubtedly the most anticipated match in the quarterfinals.

Regardless of who wins, the other person will fall into the loser's bracket, and the four will compete for the last spot in the "Rookie Challenge".

Chen Yun laughed and said, "It seems we're in good luck. We're in different groups, so at least we won't be opponents, which greatly increases our chances of advancing."

Wang Lin nodded slightly and said, "It seems we all have a chance to advance directly, but Brother Shen's situation is a bit more difficult than ours."

Shen Lian faced off against Lin Feng, whose strength was among the strongest of all the newly appointed Demon Suppressors and should not be underestimated.

Li Hu looked at Shen Lian and reminded him, "Brother Lian, you have to be careful when facing Lin Feng. He's not someone you can easily deal with."

Chen Yun nodded and said, "Lin Feng is the strongest among all the newly appointed Demon Suppressors. We must not underestimate him."

Shen Lian nodded slightly, then looked at Lin Feng not far away.

He was not afraid of Lin Feng.

Such confidence naturally stems from its own formidable strength.

"The first match is between Li Hu and Liu Hong. Please come to the stage!"

Qin Feng immediately announced.

Two figures rushed onto the arena at the same time. They were Li Hu and Liu Hong. The two stood facing each other, their eyes radiating intense fighting spirit.

Shen Lian looked at the two people on the arena.

Li Hu's combat strength is 12-18, and Liu Hong's combat strength is 11-17. Their combat strengths are not much different, and it is still uncertain who will win.

"Brother Li, please!"

Liu Hong clasped his hands together, then drew his long sword. His aura changed instantly as he stared at Li Hu, his fighting spirit rising ever higher.

"Brother Liu, please enlighten me!"

Li Hu took a deep breath, his blood and qi surging within him, and pointed his long sword diagonally at the ground.

The opening gong sounded.

Liu Hong took the lead and moved with lightning speed, quickly closing in on Li Hu. He slashed horizontally with his longsword, creating a sharp gust of wind as he aimed straight for Li Hu's waist and abdomen.

Li Hu slumped off his horse and unleashed a "Mountain Splitting Strike" to meet Liu Hong's horizontal slash with his longsword.

clang!

The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew everywhere.

Both of them stumbled back a few steps, their hands trembling.

"Wow, that's strong!"

Liu Hong let out a low shout, his fighting spirit intensifying. He shifted his stance, his body moving like a fish as he circled around to Li Hu's side, his long sword slashing diagonally, aiming straight for Li Hu's left rib.

It's a variation of the "Wave-Cutting Style"!

Clearly, Liu Hong also had astonishing insights into the "Demon-Subduing Blade Technique".

Li Hu was prepared. He stepped into the "Tiger-Taming Stance" stance, turned sharply to the right, and slashed down with his long sword in the same manner, using the "Mountain-Splitting Stance" to meet Liu Hong.

clang!clang!clang!

The two exchanged blows in a fierce clash on the arena.

Li Hu's swordsmanship was fierce and domineering, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks. His moves were wide and sweeping, aiming to suppress Liu Hong with absolute power.

In contrast, Liu Hong moved nimbly, avoiding a direct confrontation with Li Hu.

The two exchanged blows, going back and forth for over thirty moves in the blink of an eye, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

The newly appointed Demon Suppressors below the stage held their breath, captivated by the battle unfolding on the arena.

"Liu Hong's footwork is so exquisite; I underestimated him before. Li Hu has strong qi and blood; if this fight goes on for a long time, the outcome is hard to predict," Chen Yun said softly.

Wang Lin laughed and said, "Li Hu's swordsmanship has been instructed by Brother Shen. Even if Liu Hong's footwork is strong, his swordsmanship is still lacking."

Shen Lian stared at the arena and saw that although Liu Hong's footwork was strong, his swordsmanship lacked power and he was showing signs of fatigue after a long period of attack.

Li Hu, with his solid foundation, though lacking the variety of moves his opponent possessed, steadily and gradually gained control of the battle's rhythm.

After another ten or so moves, Liu Hong's breathing became slightly rapid. He had been unable to gain the upper hand and knew he could not delay any longer. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his blood and qi surged rapidly within his body.

He stomped his foot, his speed increasing dramatically in an instant. His longsword transformed into a streak of light, abandoning all other variations, and slashed straight at Li Hu.

This strike was Liu Hong's all-out, desperate attack!

Li Hu remained calm, as if he had anticipated his opponent's move. He then pushed the "Tiger-Taming Stance" to its limit, channeling all his energy and blood into his arms.

He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, and with a simple and unadorned "Mountain Splitting Style," he slashed down from above, meeting the dazzling rainbow with furious force.

clang!

A metallic clang resounded throughout the arena.

The long sword in Liu Hong's hand was forcefully knocked away by Li Hu's fierce and domineering strike, landing on the bluestone slab several feet away. He was also struck as if by lightning, staggering backward to the edge of the arena. His right hand's tiger's mouth was split open, and blood kept gushing out. His entire arm was trembling uncontrollably.

Li Hu was panting heavily. The huge recoil made his blood surge and his right arm holding the knife was a little sore, but he stood firmly in place, his aura undiminished.

Li Hu looked at Liu Hong, who was not far away: "Brother Liu, you flatter me."

Liu Hong gave a wry smile, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Brother Li's strength is indeed formidable. I, Liu, am completely convinced of my defeat."

"Li Hu wins the first match!" Qin Feng announced the result loudly.

"Li Hu seems carefree most of the time, but he's really something when it matters," Chen Yun nodded.

Shen Lian nodded slightly. Li Hu fought a solid battle, making full use of his strengths and showing a remarkable performance.

"The second match will now begin. Please have both participants come to the stage."

The second match was between Chen Yun and Zhang Kai.