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墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, Guo Shujiang saw a disciple in white running towards him, making a gesture as he approached.
Guo Shujiang recognized this person as Xunuo, who had been introduced to him earlier. Realizing that there was progress on Xunuo's side, he took the initiative to concede in the next round, jumping off the Arena to re-register.
After completing his registration, Guo Shujiang still felt uneasy and went over to Ring Three to confirm with Xunuo. He saw Xunuo talking with Liu Changqing and Qiao Qizheng and didn’t dare to approach too closely, so he could only wave from a distance. Seeing Guo Shujiang’s anxiousness, Xunuo nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
This time, Guo Shujiang truly felt relieved. He immediately displayed a smug expression, humming a little tune as he walked away.
In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Fifth Match. As the announcer called out Xunuo's name, he leaped onto the Arena.
The disciple facing Xunuo had long heard of his reputation and knew he was no match for him but still steeled himself to step onto the Arena.
Like Guo Shujiang, this disciple practiced the Three Talents Fist. Normally, this technique excelled in close combat and grappling. However, perhaps intimidated by Xunuo's fearsome reputation, he dared not approach and opted for a strategy of long-range attacks.
Xunuo was determined to win and wouldn’t hold back halfway. Seeing his opponent trying to evade him, he lost patience. With one step forward, he threw a powerful punch. The opposing disciple hurriedly executed a defensive move but was instantly jolted by the impact, leaving his arms numb. Taking advantage of the momentum, Xunuo leaned forward and effortlessly tossed him off the Arena.
As he stepped down from the Arena, Xunuo said politely, "Thank you for your kindness."
He walked over to Liu Changqing and asked, "Liu Shixiong, do you have any other matters?"
Liu Changqing replied, "I just came to watch my junior brother. Since there’s nothing else going on, why don’t we go visit Bi Shidi? I’ve heard that Bi Shidi has some fine wine; today seems like a good opportunity to enjoy it."
Xunuo thought for a moment and said, "That sounds great; I have nothing else to do anyway."
Liu Changqing then turned to Qiao Qizheng and cupped his hands in greeting. "Brother Qiao, please join us."
Qiao Qizheng's face darkened. "Do you think I can just walk away?"
Liu Changqing, realizing the situation, replied, "Then it seems I must take my leave first." He sighed regretfully and turned to leave. Xunuo also cupped his hands in farewell and followed him.
Catching up to Liu Changqing, Xunuo asked, "I noticed Brother Qiao's expression suddenly turned gloomy. It seems he was displeased with our abrupt departure."
Liu Changqing laughed heartily. "He isn't reluctant to part with us; he's reluctant to part with that wine. This fellow loves good wine the most. Today, knowing he couldn't escape from Ring Three's supervision, he deliberately stirred up his craving for alcohol. How could he not look displeased?"
Xunuo burst into laughter at this.
The two arrived at Bi Changjian's place, where Bi Changjian was practicing swordplay in the courtyard. He seemed pleased to see his fellow disciples.
Upon learning they had come to mooch off him, he wore a wry smile and said, "Well, since I'm already on your minds, we might as well drink heartily today."
After finishing their drinks, Xunuo noticed the sun had already begun to set. Slightly tipsy, he returned to his own courtyard and found Chang Zai Shui waiting outside.
Xunuo led him inside. Once inside, Chang Zai Shui said, "In Ring Three today, someone ranked twenty-second on the leaderboard lost."
Xunuo nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work," before letting him go.
At this point, Xunuo had confirmed that cheating had indeed occurred in Ring Three. The last shred of doubt in his mind was swept away.
The First Round Match lasted a full three days before concluding. When the list for the second round was released, it showed just over a hundred fewer participants than the first round.
Among these hundred or so individuals were only a few second-year disciples who could not reselect their competition arena. The rest were those who believed they had no hope of entering the Inner Sect or those who had been severely injured during the First Round Match and could not compete again.
In the second round, each Arena still had to host over a hundred matches.
In Ring Three, only Xunuo and Guo Shujiang remained as Ranking Disciples. Some uninformed Ranking Disciples were cursing Guo Shujiang, wondering how he could be so lucky.
Little did they know, it had nothing to do with fate.
Those who were aware of the situation, having cheated their way to Ring Three, all hated Guo Shujiang with a passion. Yet, they prayed not to encounter this plague of a person.
If Guo Shujiang faced another Ranking Disciple, it would be a guaranteed loss for him. However, to those useless disciples hoping to advance through cheating, he was considered a formidable opponent.
Xunuo saw that he was scheduled for the fiftieth match, realizing he wouldn't get his turn until the next day. Guo Shujiang, on the other hand, was set to compete in the sixth round, so he went to the sidelines to watch Guo Shujiang's match. Qiao Qizheng noticed Xunuo's arrival and came over to chat with him.
As they talked, it was time for Guo Shujiang to enter the arena. This short-statured man stood proudly in the Arena, intimidating an imposing figure across from him into trembling fear.
Yet, he seemed unsatisfied with just that and let out a series of eerie cackles. Hearing this from below made Xunuo's skin crawl. The man opposite him turned pale as sweat beads formed on his forehead.
After finishing this series of theatrics, Guo Shujiang let out a strange cry and launched himself into the attack.
Guo Shujiang indeed had some skill in the Three Talents Fist. His nimble footwork and unpredictable punches forced the large man in the Arena to flail about like a zombie. After just over ten exchanges, the big man took several hits. In one desperate dodge, he jumped too hard and fell off the Arena.
Although he wasn't knocked off by Guo Shujiang's blows, he had no intention of returning to fight and left in disgrace.
Guo Shujiang won the match but didn't rush to leave the Arena. Instead, he scanned the audience with a fierce expression before jumping down from the Arena and striding away.
Xunuo understood that this was Guo Shujiang's psychological tactic—to plant seeds of fear in his future opponents starting now.
Seeing Guo Shujiang win, Xunuo lost interest in the subsequent matches and decided to bid farewell to Qiao Qizheng.
Qiao Qizheng noticed that Xunuo was rather uninterested in the matches here. He said, "Today there is an exciting match; Lu Shidi might want to take a look."
Xunuo replied, "Today is just the second round; the real highlights are probably still to come."
Qiao Qizheng chuckled, "The match I'm talking about will be even more thrilling than the top fifty ranking battles."
Xunuo exclaimed, "Could it be that disciples from the ranking list are facing each other?"
"Exactly," Qiao Qizheng confirmed. "And these two are evenly matched. The top fifty ranking battles are merely a gimmick with no real significance. No one would fight to the death over a mere ranking. However, this elimination battle is all about winning; the loser loses their chance to rise. Thus, this match is also a life-and-death struggle."
Xunuo understood that one of them must be Ring Three, the Ranking Disciple who had feigned defeat. This time, it would harm both parties involved. He asked, "Do you know who these two are?"
Qiao Qizheng replied, "One is Song Fenqiang, who has lost a match in my Arena, and the other is Nangong Changjian, who was once punished by being made to face the wall."
Upon hearing Nangong Changjian's name, Xunuo felt a twinge of concern. Although Nangong Changjian had a bit of arrogance, he was also a person of integrity and loyalty. It was hard to predict the outcome between these two.
After pondering for a moment, Xunuo said, "This match does sound interesting; let's go watch."
Qiao Qizheng added, "The match will take place in Arena One and should be starting soon."
Upon hearing this, Xunuo took his leave and headed to Arena One.
When he arrived at Arena One, a disciple in white was announcing the results of the matches. One sharp-eyed disciple spotted Xunuo from afar.
He called out, "Master Lu, please come inside to watch!"
Xunuo recognized Jiang Tiesuo among the crowd. The disciples nearby quickly made way for him as Xunuo confidently strode toward the Arena.
Seeing the figure in front of the Arena, Xunuo felt a bit awkward. He smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Greetings, Qin Senior Brother. I have been unable to come to the Divine Mechanism Hall to apologize to you until now. Today, upon hearing that you are here, I specifically came to express my regrets. I feel deeply guilty for causing you to be punished."
It turned out that the supervisor of Arena One was none other than Qinling Xue from the Divine Mechanism Hall.
Xunuo had indeed been too busy when he first arrived and hadn’t thought much about the matter. Now that he had unintentionally run into it, he decided to go along with the flow.
Although Qinling Xue was affected by Xunuo's actions, he also bore some responsibility himself. Seeing that no one was pursuing this matter within the hall, he dared not bring it up.
Qinling Xue waved his hand and said, "What’s the point of bringing it up now that it’s all in the past? Lu Shidi has arrived just in time; I have a match here that is quite interesting. Let’s go watch it together."
Xunuo quickly replied, "It would be disrespectful not to comply. I’ll accompany you for a while, Qin Senior Brother."
While speaking, Xunuo also mentioned his thoughts on learning about hidden weapons to Qinling Xue. Qinling Xue chuckled wryly and said, "As long as Lu Shidi doesn’t get any ideas about targeting the Bronze Man's acupoints again, as your senior brother, I will naturally share everything with you."
Xunuo smiled and said, "I was just bored at Broken Heart Cliff a few days ago and ended up doing something quite unreasonable. Not only did it implicate you, Qin Senior Brother, but even Senior Brother Zhang Shoufeng was affected. I feel extremely remorseful about it. Please don’t make fun of me anymore."
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