"It's okay, man. There's always next time," one participant said, consoling the man who had fallen to his knees.
"Ahh, there are more people who passed than I expected," the Heavenly Star Sect representative said as he turned to the Patriarch.
"Yes, indeed. There are more rising stars than ever," Patriarch Xing nodded.
"What? Even that boy passed?" Xing muttered, eyes narrowing as he looked toward Lian.
"Did he somehow manage to break through his corpse meridians? Or is it just stubbornness…? Let's watch him closely," Patriarch Xing thought to himself.
"All those whose name plates did not activate within the time limit, please exit the stage," the announcer declared.
People began drifting away, some of them sobbing.
"This was my only chance… a better life for my parents and me…" one boy cried, clutching his useless name plate.
During this Menji period, every child dreamed of becoming a martial artist. From birth, parents would pour millions upon millions into cultivation resources, all to give their children a chance at greatness.
Yet most of them ended up with broken dreams. Not everyone possessed the talent for martial arts, and countless families fell into bankruptcy because of it.
But for the few who succeeded, for those rare prodigies who rose above the masses.
They would live like kings, ruling over the common people.
And that alone… was worth risking everything for.
"Nice, nice," the announcer clapped his hands. "Now that everyone is done, let's move on to the next phase."
An elder waved his hand, transmitting a message to the announcer.
"Oh—sorry, ladies and gentlemen," he continued with a chuckle, "but your numbers are far too many to proceed further. We need to thin out the crowd."
His words stirred instant discomfort among the participants.
Elder Yang rose from his seat and walked toward the centre of the stage. Once he reached the middle, he opened his storage pouch. Yellow seal tags burst out, flying in all directions like scattered petals.
They drifted upward, settling along the edges of the rings.
The air shifted.
The ground vibrated slightly as the array snapped into place.
A powerful gust of wind erupted from Elder Yang, forcing the participants to stagger backwards.
"So that's a master of arrays… I wonder why he is placing an array around the stages," Lian thought, eyes narrowing as he studied the carvings and seal patterns glowing faintly.
"If you look at your name plate," Elder Yang announced, "you'll find a number beneath your name. After checking it, proceed to the stage that matches your number."
Participants immediately began moving, each heading to their assigned ring.
"Only four people should remain on each ring," Elder Yang continued. "If you're knocked off the stage, you lose. You may also surrender. If so, one of the instructors will flag you and escort you out."
"This will be a battle royal." Elder Yang paused.
"How can we even win against these Geniuses?" So of the people complained.
"MMMM don't worry," Yang said, clearing his throat.
"The Envoys will be watching," he added, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. "So do your best. They might choose to scout you, even if you don't win the whole thing."
Hearing that, even those who were hesitant earlier ignited with determination.
Excitement and fear mingled as everyone rushed toward their rings, eager to prove themselves.
Lian looked around—he had been placed in Group Four.
"Mmm… seems I'm lucky. No heavy hitters here," he thought, scanning the faces around him. "Though I want to fight them… I need to conserve my strength. I must stand out later."
His eyes shifted. At the corner of his vision, he noticed a young man surrounded by a pack of adoring women.
"Ahh!!, we're in the same group as Lin Feng. That's already one spot taken," people whispered nervously among themselves.
"So… Ye Xing isn't in my batch," Lian murmured.
"And so it begins!" Elder Yang clapped his hands together.
A loud bang echoed, shaking the air—and chaos erupted instantly.
People lunged at each other, fists and weapons flying.
"Look at them," Lian muttered, tilting his head just in time to dodge a spike whip aimed at the back of his skull. "They're all avoiding the so-called geniuses and attacking anyone they think is weaker."
He sidestepped again and planted a solid punch into a man's abdomen, freezing the breath right out of him.
"Ahh the man cried, falling to the ground." And an invisible force carried him out of the ring.
As time passed, the numbers dwindled. At first, it was impossible to tell who was fighting whom—just a blur of limbs and Qi. But now, as bodies dropped and space widened, the battles became clearer.
Up in the stands, Empress Li observed with a soft smile. She was the envoy representing the Heavenly Star Sect—known not only as an empress, but also as Enchantress Li, famed for a beauty that made countless men fall silent at her presence.
"Old Xing, I see your son is quite the prodigy," Empress Li said lightly. She shifted her seating posture, the movement teasingly revealing her smooth, silky legs. "Those little ones don't even dare approach him. You must be proud."
"Mmm." Patriarch Xing nodded, expression unreadable, though a faint glimmer of satisfaction shone in his eyes.
The battles on the stages intensified. One by one, participants were eliminated, and the cheers from the spectators grew louder.
The other groups had already cleared their stages, with the well-known names securing their spots:
Yue Xing, Zhou Lung, the Rhino Twins, Chifu, Xian, and Xiao.
"Mmm… eight people are remaining here," Lian muttered as he struck another opponent, sending them flying off the ring.
Next to Lin Feng were two girls clinging to him, gently rubbing his arms. Lin Feng looked slightly embarrassed, his cheeks tinted red.
"I'll be progressing with these two," Lin Feng announced proudly. "That leaves space for one more among yourselves."
"Ohh? Hahaha, what a hasty young man," Empress Li chuckled, licking her lips. "These young ones certainly have vigour… but he would do well to learn humility too."
"One of yours is in that ring," Elder Yang added, glancing toward Group Four.
"Well, a tiger is still a tiger—even if it's only a cub," he continued with a soft laugh.
But the Patriarch said nothing.
His gaze was fixed sharply on Lian.
"What do you think? Should we take out Lian first and then fight among ourselves? That way, the numbers will be even," one of them suggested.
"Yes, that's a great idea. After we get rid of that trash, we can decide the winner among ourselves," another agreed.
All four nodded, spreading out as they began surrounding Lian.
"It might've been luck that you survived until now, but it ends here," one of them spat.
Ye Xing sneered from his own stage.
"Pathetic, how trashy must that group be that Lian is still fighting?"
"Xing, look," one of the envoys said, eyes narrowing.
"Those four are going to gang up on your nephew."
"We will see if he truly is a cub… or something else," Empress Li murmured, her voice dripping with venom, eyes glinting dangerously.
"Something is intriguing about that boy," she added.