Xu Mu to Chen Xuan

"Alright."

Wei Jingzhi nodded. He had also heard the name Guang Peng.

He got excited at the sight of blood and showed no fear even when facing opponents stronger than himself.

The younger generation called him the Little Madman.

As for the title of Old Madman, that certainly wouldn't go to him.

After all, the reputation of "One Mad, Two Crippled" was deeply ingrained in everyone's minds.

Jiang Huihui was incredibly nervous inside. Right now, she wasn't worried about winning or losing, but about Xu Mu's safety.

Getting Guang Peng to admit defeat was simply impossible.

Unless he was beaten so badly he couldn't get up, he would keep fighting.

Who knew what would happen when Xu Mu encountered someone like this.

Jiang Huihui even felt a pang of regret, thinking she shouldn't have let Xu Mu participate in the first place.

Jiang Sheng also let out a deep sigh. It seemed Xu Mu's journey had come to an end.

"Kid, I hope you can last a little longer."

Guang Peng was a burly man with a crew cut.

He was about the same height as Xu Mu, around 185 cm, but his broad frame was much more muscular.

As the match began,

Guang Peng let out a hearty, booming laugh.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet instantly shattered, and his figure flashed to a spot right in front of Xu Mu.

He suddenly froze. "What the hell? Where'd he go?"

Thud!

Xu Mu, still using the back of the firewood axe, struck Guang Peng squarely on the chin.

He sent Guang Peng flying on the spot.

Guang Peng crashed heavily to the ground. He shook his head, pushed himself up with his hands, and stood up again.

But after taking just one step, he wobbled like a drunkard and fell sideways once more.

Xu Mu was a doctor. He knew the chin was connected to the trigeminal nerve. A dislocated jaw could cause cranial vibration and disrupt a person's balance.

That's why, whether in boxing or UFC-style combat sports, targeting the chin was always a top priority.

Everyone was stunned.

Both the spectators outside the arena and those on the high platform were dumbfounded.

"Damn it! Mr. Fixed Match! Shameless!"

"This Guang Peng, can you at least pretend better? He was right in front of you, and you said you couldn't find him? You think we're idiots?"

...

Xue Dongsheng's face was flushed red with anger, veins bulging on his neck.

He had placed high hopes on Guang Peng. He'd just finished boasting, only to be slapped in the face.

He couldn't understand what benefit Xu Mu had offered Guang Peng to make him surrender and throw the match.

Jiang Huihui scratched her head awkwardly. Was this Xu Mu's method?

Buying off everyone to secure victory.

It was indeed rather shameless.

But admittedly, it was effective. By winning this match, Xu Mu had advanced to the finals.

Xue Dongsheng leaped down from the high platform, grabbed Guang Peng, and jumped back up.

"Guang Peng! How dare you! What did he give you to make you put on this act with him?"

Xue Dongsheng threw Guang Peng to the ground and said sternly, "Hand it over!"

"Third Elder, I'm wronged! I don't even know him, how could I take anything from him?"

Guang Peng was utterly aggrieved. Holding his chin, he said, "When I got in front of him, he just vanished."

"Bullshit! You think we're all blind? Get out! I'll deal with you later!"

Xue Dongsheng roared.

A faint smile appeared on Wei Jingzhi's lips. Perhaps Guang Peng wasn't lying.

Because this round was the same as before; Xu Mu must have used some technique again.

Jiang Sheng was completely baffled. He had no idea what method Xu Mu used to just muddle his way into the finals.

Xu Mu sat back down next to Chen Xuan and returned the firewood axe to him with a smile.

"Brother Mu, looks pretty smooth. We've both advanced another round."

Chen Xuan said with a smile, "But, everyone seems to be cursing you."

Xu Mu's lips curled up slightly. He didn't care in the slightest. As long as he won the matches smoothly, that was all that mattered.

The competition resumed.

This time, it was Cui Yu's turn to take the stage.

He appeared to be in his late twenties, with a sharp, military-style crew cut. His posture was ramrod straight, and his bearing resembled that of a soldier.

He wore a black earring in his left ear, and his eyes were calm and composed.

He, too, had been instantly defeating his opponents from the very start.

This time, his opponent was also a master at the Divine Ability realm.

In an instant, his opponent was sent flying by a single punch, vomiting blood and collapsing, unable to rise.

Cui Yu's eyes showed not a ripple of emotion. He simply turned and walked off the stage.

On the high platform.

Lü Chuan asked curiously, "Old Jiang, who is that man?"

"He's from the Black Mountain Sect. They helped me out in the past."

Jiang Sheng replied.

"Didn't the Black Mountain Sect abandon their mountain stronghold after being attacked?"

Guo Wenmo looked at Jiang Sheng with confusion.

"I'm not sure about that either. Anyway, that man claims to be from the Black Mountain Sect."

Jiang Sheng didn't think too much of it. "After the competition ends, I can go ask him."

Xu Mu watched as Cui Yu left the arena and sat next to a figure in a black robe in the front row.

He used his Divine Eye to check Cui Yu's identity. This person was likely not simple.

Name: Cui Yu

Identity: Second Captain, Punishment Department, Eternal Life Research Institute

Favorability: 0

Fate Level: 4 (Max 10)

Seeing this, Xu Mu's expression instantly turned icy.

Well, well. People from the Eternal Life Research Institute had even come to this marriage tournament.

They were truly bold, coming to a place like this with two Senior Cleaners present on the platform.

No doubt, they had come under concealed identities.

The fights continued. Lv Pinlong and Xue Kaixuan also advanced easily.

Now, Xu Mu and the others had entered the final sixteen.

Only by reaching this ranking would one earn points. In other words, those eliminated earlier no longer had any score.

Therefore, there was no need for them to participate in the remaining events.

Even if they scored perfectly in the next two events, without the eighty points from the tournament, they couldn't possibly win.

The tournament continued.

Next was the advancement to the top eight.

Xu Mu was calculating. If he ended up in last place among the top eight, the score would be seventy-three points.

That was a seven-point difference from first place.

In the painting event, if he got ten points, but his opponent knew a little and got three or four points, they could still catch up.

So, the safest method was to reach the top four, earning seventy-seven points.

"In other words, I need to advance at least two more rounds."

Xu Mu murmured softly to himself.

The match began.

First was Lv Pinlong. Unexpectedly, he drew another opponent at the early Divine Ability realm and won easily, entering the top eight.

Next was Xue Kaixuan. He was the same, not drawing any top-tier experts.

Then came the third round. When Xu Mu saw the names on the board, he was completely dumbfounded.

Xu Mu vs. Chen Xuanxuan.

Xu Mu cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected to face Chen Xuan this early.

If he had drawn an early Divine Ability opponent first and then met Chen Xuan, everything would have proceeded logically.

Meeting Chen Xuan now meant the next round would be against a real expert.

Xu Mu and Chen Xuan walked onto the stage together.

Chen Xuan, holding his firewood axe, said to Xu Mu, "Sorry, but I won't go easy on you!"

The surrounding spectators were instantly excited.

"Chen Xuanxuan, go for it! Beat this fixed-match guy to a pulp!"

"Don't hold back! Fight to the death!"

...

Everyone cheered for Chen Xuan, wanting someone to teach Xu Mu a lesson.

Whoosh!

Chen Xuan shot forward instantly, arriving in front of Xu Mu. He gripped his firewood axe and swung it towards Xu Mu's arm.

Xu Mu immediately sprang into action.

Yet Chen Xuan's firewood chopper halted abruptly, still half a meter away from Xu Mu.

"Argh!"

He cried out, as he himself was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

Chen Xuan gasped for breath, his face a mask of shock. "Such powerful protective energy! I yield!"