The match begins, Xu Mu makes his appearance.

Upon hearing this, Fang Kui's eyes instantly welled up with two lines of tears. "Chen Xuan! I hate you!"

With that, Fang Kui turned and ran away.

Just then, Xu Mu caught up from behind and patted Chen Xuan's shoulder. "Is this really the right way to handle it?"

"It's better to have a short, sharp pain than a long, drawn-out one. My heart belongs only to Senior Sister. Getting too entangled with her would only make things worse in the future."

Chen Xuan shook his head slightly, then said to Xu Mu, "As expected of Brother Mu. Just a few words really settled the matter."

"Not necessarily settled."

Xu Mu had seen the way that woman ran off; it was clear she had feelings for Chen Xuan. It was impossible for her to change her heart about him immediately because of a single sentence.

At that moment, the two returned to their previous spot. On the high platform, Jiang Sheng had already finished his speech.

In the center of the platform was a long table with four boxes on it.

According to Jiang Sheng's instructions, the names from box number one would first face off against those from box number two.

Box number three would face box number four.

The winners would advance to the next round, and so on, until a final winner—the one with a perfect score—was decided.

Wei Jingzhi now walked to the table. He took a red ball from box number one.

Then he took another red ball from box number two.

He opened the red balls one after the other to check the slips inside. "Lv Pinlong, Wang Qizhi."

The names of these two appeared on the large screen behind him.

Seeing this, the people on the high platform began whispering among themselves.

"No need to think about it, Lv Pinlong is definitely winning."

"Exactly. I dare say there are very few who can match Lv Pinlong. I have high hopes for him this time."

...

A thin, elderly man sitting in the central position on the platform revealed a smile.

He was precisely Lv Pinlong's grandfather, Lv Chuan.

"Everyone, please, no more praise. Last time in the Environmental Sanitation Department's rankings, he only made it to tenth by luck. There are several others whose strength is not at all inferior to his."

Lv Chuan said with a hearty laugh. Though his words said to stop the praise, in his heart, he was already overjoyed.

Wang Qizhi, a short-haired, lean man, now walked down to an open area below.

Lv Pinlong walked over with a calm expression. "Fists and feet have no eyes. It's not too late to surrender now."

"Impossible!"

Wang Qizhi had come with a mission. His sect was among the weakest.

If he could marry Jiang Huihui, their sect would possess a Heaven-grade cultivation technique in the future.

In other words, marrying Jiang Huihui could completely change their destiny.

Boom!

A gong's reverberation sounded from the speakers on the high platform.

The match began.

"My apologies!"

Wang Qizhi immediately charged at Lv Pinlong.

Without even looking, Lv Pinlong swung his hand.

A golden light, like an arc of sword energy, instantly struck Wang Qizhi's body.

Whoosh!

Wang Qizhi's body was sent flying backward, skidding dozens of meters across the ground before coming to a stop.

The clothes on his chest were torn, a bloody gash visible. He had already lost consciousness.

Seeing this, the surrounding crowd wasn't overly surprised.

After all, this was Lv Pinlong; his strength was indeed extraordinary.

"I told you, surrendering could spare you the pain. There's no shame in surrendering to me."

With that, Lv Pinlong left the area with a look of pride.

"As expected of Lv Pinlong. His strength is truly not to be underestimated."

Wei Jingzhi, now sitting in a chair, nodded to himself.

Guo Wenmo also smiled and added, "He is, after all, the captain ranked tenth in the sequence. Although the holders of that rank change frequently, reaching the tenth spot already makes one a dragon among men."

Jiang Sheng looked down at Lv Pinlong but didn't speak.

He remembered Jiang Huihui saying that Lv Pinlong was the person she disliked the most.

At the edge of the high platform, Jiang Huihui watched Lv Pinlong's arrogant demeanor and couldn't help but clench her fists.

Zhou Shui, sitting beside her, took Jiang Huihui's hand and said softly, "Be at ease. Everything is destined."

At that moment, Guo Wenmo also stood up and stepped forward. He took two blue balls from box number three and box number four.

He opened them and checked the slips inside. "Liu Guang, Xue Kaixuan."

Their names also appeared on the large screen behind him.

"Hehe! It's my grandson's turn now."

On the high platform, a white-bearded elder stroked his beard with a smile.

He was precisely the Third Elder of the Lingxiao Sect, Xue Dongsheng.

"Old Xue, if you ask me, the final candidate will be between two people: your grandson and Lv Pinlong."

The elder sitting next to Xue Dongsheng spoke somewhat helplessly.

Lv Chuan smiled without speaking. He felt Xue Kaixuan wasn't fit to compete with his grandson.

"Old Zheng, having regrets? Didn't let your grandson come?"

Xue Dongsheng asked with a beaming smile.

Zheng Hai nodded slightly. Who could have guessed that old fox Jiang Sheng would part with the Heaven-grade technique so easily?

If he had known earlier, he would definitely have sent his own grandson to compete for the technique, not just casually send a few disciples.

But last night, the registration had already closed.

"Hehe, it's different for us. My grandson genuinely likes that girl Huihui and insisted on coming."

Xue Dongsheng said with a laugh.

"Haha! It seems my granddaughter is quite popular."

Jiang Sheng also joined in the laughter.

In his view, if Xu Mu really won, that would indeed be a good thing.

His true wish was for Jiang Huihui to marry someone she loved.

But the chances of Xu Mu succeeding were too low.

Even if he had Chen Xuan's help to deal with some of the top fighters,

Xu Mu would inevitably encounter other experts. If he wasn't a match for them, he would basically be eliminated.

Boom!

Even on the high platform, they could feel the tremor.

Xue Kaixuan struck out with a palm, a blue light sending his opponent flying.

Just like Lv Pinlong, he had ended the match in a single move.

The spectators now understood: in these matches, those below the Divine Ability Realm stood no chance.

Several more matches followed in succession, but neither those on the high platform nor the surrounding spectators showed much interest.

Everyone only wanted to see battles between experts at the Divine Ability Realm or above.

Just then, another one-hit knockout occurred on the field.

Xu Mu looked over and saw it was Zhao Gang from the Tianjian Sect. This man's skill was also good, but compared to experts like Lv Pinlong, he fell considerably short.

Finally, Wei Jingzhi called out two more names. "Xu Mu, Peng Wei."

Their names appeared on the large screen behind him.

Upon hearing Xu Mu's name, Jiang Huihui immediately straightened her back and looked down at the competition area below.

"Brother Mu, it's your turn."

Chen Xuan said to Xu Mu with a smile.

Xu Mu nodded, then, with one hand in his pocket, walked towards the field.

At that moment, the crowd outside the field was abuzz with discussion.

"This kid named Xu Mu is in for trouble. Of all people to run into, he gets Peng Wei."

"Exactly. If he's smart, he should surrender immediately."

...

It wasn't just the people outside the field; those on the high platform felt the same.

Lv Chuan said with a smile, "Peng Wei is from the Daoshan Sect. That sect's attack methods are quite underhanded. That young friend opposite him is going to have an accident."

"Don't worry, it's a day of celebration. We certainly can't have anything too brutal happen. I will intervene if necessary."

Wei Jingzhi held his thermos cup and took a sip of his goji berry water.

"Hehe, having Mr. Wei intervene would be that kid's honor."

Lv Chuan couldn't help but glance down at Xu Mu below.

At this moment, Jiang Huihui clenched her fists, sweating nervously for Xu Mu.

"It's him!"

Lv Pinlong now looked at Xu Mu, a smile spreading across his face.

Perfect timing for this Peng Wei to turn Xu Mu into a cripple.

"Kid, it's not too late to admit defeat now. Once our Bladed Mountain Sect makes a move, you'll end up disabled for sure."

Peng Wei spun the short knife in his hand and let out a cold laugh.

He had a lean frame and a scar on his face.

"Why do you get to have a weapon?"

Xu Mu suddenly pointed at Peng Wei and shouted.

"You can get one too, I'm not stopping you," Peng Wei said nonchalantly.

"Brother Mu, catch!"

Chen Xuan pulled a woodcutting knife from his own woven bag and threw it towards Xu Mu.