Who Among You Is the Strongest

The drawing of lots continued, yet Chen Yunxuan never once opened his eyes from start to finish, as if everything happening here had nothing to do with him.

The more this went on, the more cautious and guarded Cheng Yushu became.

Because he simply couldn’t figure out what Chen Yunxuan was doing here.

As the draw concluded, Chen Yunxuan remained unmoved, which made Cheng Yushu breathe a sigh of relief.

"Could it be he just came to watch?"

"Does he really not intend to participate in the Northern Domain Grand Competition?"

"Or is it that he simply scorns to take part?"

Cheng Yushu frowned deeply, without even realizing that ever since arriving at Windchime Valley, his thoughts had been entirely consumed by Chen Yunxuan.

"Enough overthinking. Since he didn’t draw a lot, the Northern Domain Grand Competition has nothing to do with him."

"Better focus on the competition itself."

"In my opinion, this Chen Yunxuan is just riding on his reputation."

"Who knows, maybe that overwhelming strength he showed last time was just a temporary boost from some elixir," Cheng Yulin sneered.

Hearing this, Cheng Yushu was taken aback. Could it really have been a short-term combat-enhancing pill?

As the competition began, Cheng Yushu temporarily set aside his doubts—after all, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Hmm?"

"That young man over there—why is he still sleeping?"

"Do any of you recognize him?"

"Did one of you bring him?"

At this point, Elder Zhao also noticed Chen Yunxuan and assumed he was someone brought by one of the four great families or five major sects.

Hearing Elder Zhao’s question, the crowd turned their eyes toward Chen Yunxuan, and without exception, they all shook their heads.

"Don’t know him."

"Never seen him before."

"Who is this guy?"

Seeing that no one recognized Chen Yunxuan, Elder Zhao was puzzled.

"How strange. If he wasn’t brought by any of us, why has he been sitting there all this time? Isn’t he here for the Northern Domain Grand Competition?" Elder Zhao muttered in confusion.

"No idea, but there’s no need to worry. He’s just a kid."

"Exactly. What could he possibly do to disrupt our competition?"

None of them took Chen Yunxuan seriously. After all, what could a mere teenager possibly stir up in front of all these people?

Soon, everyone’s attention returned to the Northern Domain Grand Competition.

This year’s event was held at Windchime Valley, and the turnout was modest. Aside from the forty-five participants brought by the four great families and five major sects, only about a hundred others had come.

Since the matches were determined by random draw, luck played a significant role, and the results came swiftly.

In just half a day, the top fifty were already decided.

"Honestly, this is boring."

"Why don’t you just step in already?"

"If this drags on for a few more hours, it’ll be dark by the time it’s over."

After watching for a while, even Know-It-All found the competition dull and uninspiring, lacking any real excitement.

Most matches ended in a single decisive move or a quick surrender. Even the evenly matched ones were painful to watch—full of clumsy, flashy moves with no substance.

"My path is one of unyielding courage, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fool."

"I’m not yet strong enough to disregard everyone here. If I disrupt the Northern Domain Grand Competition, I’ll make enemies of all the major powers in the Northern Domain."

"I don’t have a death wish."

Chen Yunxuan still hadn’t opened his eyes. He was young, but that didn’t mean he lacked wisdom.

His goal was to grow stronger, not to turn the entire world against him.

"Fine, we’ll keep watching then."

"Let’s just hope this competition wraps up soon."

"To be honest, I’m more curious about who you’ll challenge among these people," Know-It-All said with a grin.

Who to challenge?

Chen Yunxuan slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Elder Zhao and the others.

"Whoever is the strongest."

"Losing doesn’t matter. At least I’ll know where I fall short," Chen Yunxuan replied calmly.

Hearing this, Know-It-All couldn’t help but admire him.

Many sought challenges, but few could regard victory and defeat with such detachment.

It was clear that Chen Yunxuan didn’t fight for glory or admiration—only for one purpose:

To grow stronger.

As time passed, the Northern Domain Grand Competition finally reached its climax—the battle for the championship.

The finalists were Liu Zhaotian of the Liu family and Fire Lord of the Blazing Flame Sect.

Their advancement to this stage surprised many, as neither had been considered a top contender before the competition.

"Who would’ve thought Liu Zhaotian and Fire Lord were hiding their strength all these years?"

"Right? Both of them reached the eighth level of the Transcendent Realm. Unbelievable."

"So close… just a little more!"

Among the crowd, the most frustrated were Cheng Yushu and Cheng Yulin, the twin brothers.

Both had reached the seventh level of the Transcendent Realm and were considered the favorites to win.

Yet in the end, they placed third and fourth.

Amid the murmurs, the Northern Domain Grand Competition finally came to a close.

The champion was Fire Lord of the Blazing Flame Sect.

"Hahaha! Elder Zhao, congratulations! Who knew Fire Lord had grown so formidable?"

"With proper guidance, he might even reach the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm before the Four Domains Martial Assembly."

"Indeed. At that level, he’ll surely perform well."

"He might even contend for a top-five spot."

"Have you heard of any notable experts from the other three domains?"

"Not particularly. Most are still in the Transcendent Realm."

"Then there’s nothing to worry about."

Elder Zhao smiled proudly at the praise—after all, the champion was his sect’s disciple.

"The Northern Domain stands united. This time, we’ll show the other three domains that we’re not inferior!"

With that, Elder Zhao announced the final rankings and the representatives who would compete in the Four Domains Martial Assembly.

"Finally, it’s over!"

Chen Yunxuan slowly opened his eyes, and Know-It-All noticed a fierce battle intent burning within them—one that had been suppressed for far too long.

It was clear Chen Yunxuan had grown impatient.

"Hmm?"

"What’s this kid up to now?"

Suddenly, someone noticed Chen Yunxuan standing up and walking step by step toward the direction where Elder Zhao and the others were gathered.

Elder Zhao and his group also took note of Chen Yunxuan's movement.

What was he planning to do at this moment?

"This junior, Chen Yunxuan, wishes to know—who among you possesses the greatest strength?"

"I seek... to test my skills against the best!"