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墨書 Inktalez
With the old man's command, the sound of a bell echoed from the northern end of the square.
Bong, bong, bong, bong, bong...
The bell tolls resonated far and wide, a total of thirty-eight chimes, marking the official start of the thirty-eighth Martial Arts Selection Tournament since the establishment of Spirit Martial Town.
As the bell ceased ringing, it signified the long-awaited commencement of the Martial Arts Selection Tournament.
"To the War God!" The White-Haired Elder raised his voice, lifting a cup of drink in reverence toward an unknown distance.
With the elder's gesture, everyone present—whether from the three great families in the stands or the spectators gathered in the square—turned their solemn gazes toward the horizon, seemingly paying tribute to legendary figures.
Of course, the War God referred to by this elder was not the peak powerhouse defined by Martial God Definition but rather a legendary figure who founded Martial Sovereign, the first to step into Martial God Definition and elevate martial arts.
This has become a tradition for Martial Sovereign; every Martial Arts Selection Tournament must observe this ritual.
At this moment, everyone was solemn, their eyes filled with awe, until the White-Haired Elder slowly poured out his drink to conclude the tribute.
"Elder Ge, the auspicious time has arrived; we can begin," a young attendant hurriedly approached Gui Lei and respectfully informed the White-Haired Elder.
"Mm." The White-Haired Elder, referred to as Elder Ge, nodded in acknowledgment. He cleared his throat and surveyed the surroundings before announcing loudly, "The auspicious time has arrived; we will begin with registration and drawing lots!"
As soon as Elder Ge's voice fell, several young attendants appeared again below the stage. They shouted as they guided all participating contestants to line up into ten teams and proceed to sign up at ten different Arenas.
According to common sense, there shouldn't be any surprises with the Registration Sign-Up Sheet, but things are different now. At this moment, a young man dressed in bright red pushed through the crowd and rushed to the registration area, shouting, "I'm first! Let me cut in line!"
Seeing this scene, the spectators in the square immediately began to boo and point at the Red-Clad Man.
"I can't believe Xu Ao brought such disgraceful behavior to this occasion. It's truly embarrassing!"
"Yeah, the one with the highest chance of winning has no manners at all. If he really wins this Martial Arts Selection Tournament and gets the qualification to advance in the Cloud Sea Sect, wouldn't that be a disaster?"
"A disaster is an understatement; this is simply tarnishing the reputation of our Spirit Martial Town in Divine Wood County..."
Compared to the constant booing from below, the prominent figures in the stands remained relatively calm, though their disdain was clearly visible on their faces.
"Who is this person?" Thunderstorm turned to ask a servant beside him.
"Oh, in response to Young Master Lei, this person is indeed the top favorite to win this time, Young Master Xu Ao, the heir of the Xu Family."
Thunderstorm shook his head slightly upon hearing this and said nothing more. However, it was evident from his expression that he disapproved of Xu Ao's behavior.
In the Xu Family's section of the stands, Xu Tai's face turned red as he couldn't believe his son could be so inconsiderate. Earlier when leaving home, he had regarded winning the martial arts championship as a sure thing and insisted on wearing a bright red outfit. Now, making such a scene in front of thousands was truly embarrassing for the Xu Family.
"Get back here!"
A loud shout startled Xu Ao, who was just about to snatch paper and pen from the recording servant. Turning around, he saw Elder Ge glaring at him with a face full of anger.
After seeing the speaking Elder Ge, Xu Ao, who wanted to retort, clearly deflated. This Elder Ge was the most senior elder of Spirit Martial Town, having presided over sixteen consecutive Martial Arts Selection Tournaments. His strength was unfathomable; not only was Xu Ao insignificant in comparison, but even his father Xu Tai, Cold Boyuan, Wang Tianba, and others treated him with great respect.
"Hehe, Elder Ge, please don't be angry. After all, this group of people is just going through the motions. In the end, isn't it still me, Xu Ao, who will take the championship?" Xu Ao said with a grin, clearly dismissing all the other contestants.
"I told you to go back, so go back! What’s with all this nonsense? You're embarrassing Spirit Martial Town!" Elder Ge reprimanded sternly.
"Elder Ge..."
Xu Ao wanted to argue further, but Elder Ge interrupted him with a loud shout: "Get back! Do you think you can look down on me now?"
Seeing that Elder Ge was genuinely angry, Xu Ao could only retreat obediently, his face flushed redder than his large Red Robe. This scene immediately drew laughter from the spectators.
"Embarrassing!" Xu Tai slammed his teacup down on the table in frustration, his face turning red with anger. He had hoped that Xu Ao would bring him some honor in the Martial Arts Selection Tournament, but unexpectedly, before the competition even began, this kid had already embarrassed himself.
Xu Ao returned to his team; although he was unwilling, he dared not voice any complaints.
About half an hour later, after counting the participants, a list was handed to Elder Ge.
"This time in the Martial Arts Selection Tournament, there are a total of three thousand four hundred participants. The count is complete; let’s begin the drawing!"
With Elder Ge's announcement complete, the neatly arranged contestants took turns stepping onto the stage to draw their numbers.
According to the rules, contestants would randomly draw numbers and then battle against their corresponding opponents. For example: one versus three thousand four hundred, two versus three hundred ninety-nine, three versus three hundred ninety-eight... and so on. The winners would advance while the losers would exit until the final showdown.
In this segment, the crowd's voices rose again, with many competitors who had just drawn their numbers eagerly checking their own.
"Two hundred fifteen, what about you?" A competitor who had finished drawing looked curiously at the number of the person next to him.
"One thousand seven hundred twenty, what's my opponent's number..." Due to the large number of participants, it was quite challenging for those who drew high numbers to figure out their opponents. The competitor with the number one thousand seven hundred twenty was counting on his fingers non-stop, muttering, "This... is a bit too difficult..."
Ye Tian was in Ding Arena, and he had just drawn his number. After opening it, he saw that it was number seven.
Seeing his number, Ye Tian smiled slightly to himself and thought, "Looks like I'm lucky; I don't have to worry about counting. My opponent should be number three thousand three hundred ninety-four."
"Damn it!" A curse rang out, and it was Xu Ao's voice.
Xu Ao was in B Arena, just one arena away from Ye Tian. With his eye-catching outfit, Ye Tian easily spotted Xu Ao, who was cursing loudly.
"Two thousand one hundred thirty-five! How am I supposed to calculate that?" Xu Ao spat heavily, looking like a thug.
"Not him..." Upon hearing Xu Ao's number, Ye Tian felt a slight disappointment. After all, his enemy was right in front of him, and Ye Tian couldn't wait to face him in the first round; the desire for revenge was overwhelming.
The drawing process was much quicker than the registration. In just about a stick of incense's time, the drawing was nearly complete. All the competitors were whispering to each other about their numbers, creating a buzzing noise in the arena that was quite bothersome.
As the last person drew their number, Elder Ge spoke again: "Everyone quiet down. The numbers of your opponents will soon be displayed on the stands. This time, all ten Arenas will start battling simultaneously. The first group of three hundred four will compete in A Ring, the second group of three hundred forty in B Arena, and so on. However, due to the large number of participants, today's battles will feature only the top one hundred seventy from each group first. The remaining one hundred seventy competitors can choose to watch or leave at their discretion."
Ding ding ding!
As Elder Ge finished speaking, the gong sounded. Then, four massive banners were lowered from the high stands, each displaying large characters that listed the draw numbers of the competitors.
"Alright, everyone can see clearly now. I will start calling names. When your number is called, please proceed to the Arena in order!" Elder Ge scanned the competitors and began to announce, "Number one against Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty-Nine, please wait at A Ring; number two against Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty-Eight, please wait at B Arena; number three against Three Thousand Three Hundred Thirty-Seven, please wait at C Platform..."
Since Ye Tian's draw number was seven, he was quickly called out and instructed to wait at Geng Arena. His opponent also arrived with him and was currently staring at Ye Tian in astonishment.
"Please wait for Gui Lei..."
Elder Ge's voice continued to echo as he announced names. With so many competitors, it seemed that it would take a while to finish. Many of those waiting began chatting with their opponents out of boredom, hoping to gather some information for preparation.
"You can't be that genius Ye Tian, right..." Ye Tian's opponent was a sturdy young man in his twenties, dressed simply. He pointed at Ye Tian and asked in disbelief.
"Yes." Ye Tian responded calmly.
"..." Upon hearing Ye Tian's answer, the young man was momentarily speechless. After a moment of realization, he slapped his forehead and squatted down on the ground, lamenting, "What kind of fate do I have! Isn't this a waste of time? I might as well go home and chop some firewood to make some money!"
"What happened to him?" At this moment, several competitors were already waiting at Geng Arena. Hearing the commotion, they came over to see what was going on.
"I don't know, haha. Could it be that he drew Xu Ao?" a sharp-nosed youth asked with a hint of schadenfreude.
"It's not Xu Ao... it's him... sigh!" The sturdy young man pointed at Ye Tian and let out a heavy sigh.
Everyone followed his finger and saw a slightly thin but spirited young man looking innocently unsure of what to do...
"Who is he...?"
"Yeah, who is he again?"
Many people voiced their questions, feeling that the person in front of them looked somewhat familiar. Although Ye Tian had recently gained fame, he had put considerable effort into improving his image since entering Cold Mansion and being in a romantic relationship with Xiaoshuang. He was now quite different from the image of a homeless boy he once had. Additionally, he had rarely been seen in Spirit Martial Town lately, so while people felt he looked familiar, they did not immediately recognize him.
"He is Ye Tian!"
A young man exclaimed, finally recognizing Ye Tian.
Upon hearing this, everyone took a closer look and then simultaneously gasped, "It really is Ye Tian! How could he be in the same Arena as us!"
Having defeated Leng Yong and incapacitated Xu Kun just days ago, along with his Two Days Nine Seals achievement, Ye Tian's name had become almost idolized among these young people. After recognizing him, they all displayed expressions as if he were someone who belonged in the heavens and should not be present here. No one knew if they would encounter this genius renowned in Spirit Martial Town after barely making it to the next round or beyond.
Hearing the crowd's admiration, Ye Tian's opponent became displeased and angrily said, "What are you all shouting about? I'm the one facing him; how unlucky can I get!"
At that moment, Ye Tian felt inexplicably awkward. His opponent was being overly dramatic, making it seem as if he were being bullied. The way everyone looked at him also suggested blame, as if he shouldn't even be in this Arena or participating in this Martial Arts Selection Tournament.
"Is this my fault... Am I really at fault..." Ye Tian thought helplessly. Surrounded by people staring at him like he was some kind of monster, his mood had sunk to an unbearable level. He could only silently hope that the competition would start soon so that everyone could take their places and give him a "way out."
"The list of participants has been announced; please make any necessary adjustments. After a stick of incense, the Martial Arts Selection Tournament will officially begin!" Elder Ge's deep voice resonated again as the participant arrangements finally concluded.
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