Securing a Spot in the Top 8, Elder Qian Definitely Placed Some Bets

Lin Jiang's intention was roughly understood.

Since he couldn't win anyway,

He might as well concede outright.

Strangely logical.

Li Mo was momentarily speechless, at a loss for how to refute, and could only respond with a mix of amusement and exasperation:

"My thanks for your mercy."

"Many thanks, Brother Li, for going easy on me."

Lin Jiang let out a relieved sigh.

And so,

Jade Cluster Peak claimed its first victory.

The match was supposed to showcase skill and foster camaraderie, but to the spectators, it seemed like nothing but camaraderie.

Among the inner disciples, murmurs arose:

"There's definitely something fishy going on here!"

"I know Lin Jiang—he’s the type to fight even against a late-stage ninth-rank demon beast during sect trials."

"Something’s off. Nine out of ten, no, ten out of ten—something’s not right."

Amid the buzzing discussions of the inner disciples from Divine Arms Peak,

Wang Hao’s gaze turned icy as he watched the young man descend leisurely from the stage.

Ever since Wang Hu joined Ruyi Peak, he had never reappeared.

And because of his familial ties to Wang Hu, Wang Hao himself had been interrogated for three days by Ruyi Peak’s law-enforcement disciples.

It was only then that Wang Hao learned the truth—

Wang Hu had been linked to the Demon Summoning Cult, a group strictly forbidden by the Great Yu Dynasty. Any sect discovering its members was to execute them on sight.

"Senior Brother Wang, it’s your turn," a fellow disciple reminded him.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Wang Hao stepped onto the stage.

His opponent was a core disciple at the Jade Marrow stage of Inner Breath cultivation.

Though Wang Hao’s displayed cultivation was also at the Jade Marrow stage, he was far older and his martial foundation far more solid.

The battle raged fiercely, neither side yielding, until Wang Hao emerged victorious.

Yet, instead of retracting his aura, his sharp eyes swept over Li Mo like blades,

His hostility and challenge unmistakable.

Seeing Wang Hao’s demeanor, Li Mo actually felt relieved.

At least he wouldn’t have to worry about lacking opponents.

If every match ended with his opponent jumping off the stage to concede, this Nine Peaks Tournament would be utterly pointless.

Of course,

Surely he wouldn’t face conceding opponents in every match, right?

Thanks to the infamous Murphy’s Law,

The more you dread something happening, the more likely it becomes.

Next match.

On the stage, two familiar faces stood in silence.

"Brother Li."

Murong Xiao smiled sheepishly at him.

Li Mo: "......"

He shot a suspicious glance at Elder Qian, who was in charge of the draw.

Elder Qian took a subtle breath, equally puzzled. How had he managed to draw another of this kid’s acquaintances?

Murong Xiao was also a rising star in the Qingyuan Sect.

Though only at the Blood Qi stage, his half-demon physique and refined body-tempering techniques had already allowed him to defeat several higher-ranked opponents.

By all accounts, he was stronger than Lin Jiang.

With a bit of luck, he could even make it to the top sixteen.

On the elevated platform,

"Murong Xiao, the Prodigy of Purple Sun Prefecture."

"Surely he’ll give this match his all?"

A white-robed young master watched Murong Xiao with both admiration and competitive fire.

As the current top disciple of Blazing Jade Forest, he too bore a half-demon heritage.

The title of "Prodigy of Purple Sun Prefecture"?

It should rightfully be his!

Over at the Crimson Whale Gang, the Blood-Robed Young Master remained silent, though his eyes had narrowed.

Like Ying Bing, he couldn’t gauge the depths of that youth’s strength.

"Han He, what do you think?" Qian Bufan’s question drew the attention of the other elders toward the Divine Arms Peak elder.

As everyone knew,

Elder Han He was rigid, stubborn, and above any form of match-fixing.

So this duel had to be fair.

Yet, to their surprise, Han He shook his head.

"Murong Xiao is no match for Li Mo."

His admission was blunt.

The elders were stunned.

As Murong Xiao’s master, Han He surely knew his disciple’s capabilities. Yet he didn’t hesitate to declare his defeat?

That could only mean one thing—

Li Mo possessed strength even Han He acknowledged.

"Seems my grand-disciple might just surprise us all," Xue Jing chuckled, turning his gaze to the arena.

However,

Elder Qian’s voice soon rang out:

"Murong Xiao concedes."

"Li Mo, victorious!"

This time, the elders didn’t comment, their expressions thoughtful.

But the spectators—both Qingyuan disciples and outsiders—were baffled.

A wave of exclamations erupted:

"Huh? Murong Xiao conceded too?"

"Did you hear how he kept calling him ‘Brother Li’? Must be letting him win out of friendship."

"Aren’t the elders going to intervene?"

"Rumor has it Li Mo’s connections run deep, but this is ridiculous—using social clout to reach the top 32?"

"If there’s match-fixing, Elder Qian would know. Bet he’s got money on this."

Amid the growing skepticism,

Li Mo took a deep breath. "Brother Murong, you—"

"Brother Li, you’ve broken through again, haven’t you? I’m afraid you might not hold back."

Murong Xiao shuddered, recalling Li Mo’s display in the training hall.

He’d thought an earthquake had struck.

"At least give me a few moves for appearances’ sake," Li Mo sighed.

"But... I still want to aim for the top 16..." Murong Xiao muttered, aggrieved.

That massive Whale Breath Coral Stone had been discolored from a single punch—

Li Mo hadn’t even used a martial technique. Just a casual strike packed the force of a Jade Marrow expert, and the residual killing intent alone made Murong Xiao’s scalp tingle.

Now that he’d broken through? No chance.

Li Mo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Three matches in, top 32, without lifting a finger.

Call it networking? Not exactly.

Where was the justice in this?

......

The morning matches concluded with Elder Qian’s announcement of a break.

Two more rounds followed,

Whittling the top 32 down to the final eight.

Those who emerged were exceptional—each with unique strengths, showcasing abilities that made this year’s tournament the most competitive in memory.

Among them were veterans like Wang Hao, whose age barely met the cutoff but whose combat experience was vast.

There were also prodigies like Murong Xiao.

And then there was Ying Bing—

Dominating every match with absolute superiority, ending fights in moments.

Though... someone had been even faster.

Namely, a certain "socially gifted" Jade Cluster Peak core disciple who hadn’t thrown a single punch yet...

Regardless, the afternoon promised thrilling clashes.

......

Qingyuan Main Peak, dining hall.

Li Mo, Murong Xiao, Xiao Qin, and Lin Jiang sat together at a table.

Watching the three shovel food into their mouths, Li Mo sighed.

"Now the whole sect says I’m coasting on connections."

"Some even accuse me of match-fixing."

"Any ideas why?"

A full morning of competition, zero fights.

All this pent-up energy with nowhere to go—it was frustrating.

"Brother Li, if I’d fought you, I might not have advanced," Murong Xiao said awkwardly.

Lin Jiang nodded emphatically, as if he’d narrowly escaped disaster.

"Brother Li, the Hundred Flowers Dew Ointment probably can't bring the dead back to life..."

Li Mo's lips twitched slightly before he turned to the side:

"Old Xiao, what about you? You're at the Inner Breath Realm—you should at least humor me with a spar, right?"

"Huh?"

Xiao Qin, his eye bruised and his nose stuffed with blood-soaked paper, looked dazed.

He pointed at himself with a bandaged hand:

"Me?"

Old Xiao had terrible luck.

He had run into another true disciple at the Jade Liquid Realm of Inner Breath and engaged in a real man's 1v1 duel. By the end, both were wounded.

He barely scraped out a hard-fought victory, but his right hand was temporarily out of commission from the injuries.

And then—

In the next round, he ran into Li Mo.