Chapter 46
On the first day of the Martial Tournament, the competition was held in the same square where the lots had been drawn.
Dozens of raised platforms had appeared in the square at some point.
According to the rules, the first round was meant to eliminate the weaker cultivators. Arenas had been specially erected so that all the cultivators assigned to each one could fight in a free-for-all.
Anyone knocked out of the arena would lose.
Only one person could remain standing in each arena, making this an elimination round.
Yu Tai’s number was 188. After asking a Senior Brother responsible for guiding the participants, she took her token and headed toward Arena Eighteen.
Strangely enough, she seemed to have quite an affinity with the number eighteen.
Number 188 in Arena Eighteen.
The System: [And Shu Li’s eighteen centimeters.]
Yu Tai’s expression turned strange for a moment. The System waited for her to curse at it, but when she showed no sign of embarrassed rage, it asked, [What’s wrong?]
Yu Tai replied with a complicated expression, [It should be more than eighteen centimeters.]
The System: [!!?]
*Holy shit, was he even human?!*
While discussing with the System whether Shu Li was actually human, Yu Tai glanced toward the spectator stand at the highest point, from which every corner of the square could be seen.
Despite being sect leader of the Qingshan Sword Sect, Jiang Wenyi could only sit at the very edge, accompanying the cultivators from the Upper Realm.
The old man from the Zuiyin Sect whom Yu Tai had met earlier occupied the central seat. A girl sat beside him, but the black-clad young man was nowhere to be seen.
Strange. Where was Jiang Li?
For some reason, she kept feeling as though the gazes of those people were drifting toward her every so often.
They had come with hostile intentions.
That was Yu Tai’s first thought.
Remembering Wen Shu’s warning that day, a thoughtful gleam passed through her eyes.
She had waited for several days, but no one from the Zuiyin Sect came looking for her.
Had they decided Yu Tai might be innocent and chosen to spare her?
Absolutely impossible.
Their inaction only meant they were planning something bigger.
Why would a pig sent to the slaughterhouse be kept alive?
To fatten it up before the slaughter, of course.
Then could she assume that they were plotting something and had already decided her fate among themselves without ever informing Yu Tai, the person directly involved?
Yu Tai turned her back to the elevated stand. A cold smile far beyond her years appeared on her lips.
*Come at me. I look forward to it.*
Although many arenas had been erected, there were still not enough for all the cultivators participating. The first elimination round would therefore take two days. The cultivators scheduled to compete the following day, along with those not participating, crowded around the arenas to watch.
“Hey, that’s Junior Sister Yu Tai.” A sharp-eyed cultivator passing Arena Eighteen happened to spot Yu Tai on the platform.
Seeing his companion rooted to the spot, the cultivator beside him asked, “Are we still going to watch Senior Brother Jiang?”
“No, no. We’re watching this one. Junior Sister is so beautiful-if some blind bastard bumps into her, we’ll charge up there and beat him to death ourselves.”
“See? What did I tell you? Look at that muscular brute over there, staring at her with those shifty eyes.”
“Wait, isn’t that Zhuang Han from the Xuanwu Sect? He’s in this arena too? Things don’t look good for Junior Sister…”
“Ow…” A sudden collision made him stumble.
He turned around irritably. “Are you bli-”
The rest of his words caught in his throat. At some point, a tall, slender man wearing a veiled hat had appeared beside him. Hearing his complaint, the man apologized politely. “My apologies.”
Although it was clearly a man’s voice, it inexplicably made his ears feel as though they might become pregnant.
How bizarre.
“It’s fine… Just be more careful next time.” He turned his head away, his face growing a little warm.
His companion gave him a curious look. This Junior Brother was notorious for his fiery temper. If anyone offended him, he would cause a huge scene regardless of who was at fault. Yet after being inexplicably bumped just now, he had not lost his temper?!
When the older disciple swept his spiritual sense over the stranger, he could not detect the man’s cultivation at all.
Shocked, he hurriedly cupped his hands. “Senior, my Junior Brother behaved offensively. Please forgive him.”
The man merely nodded, his voice exceptionally gentle. “No harm done.”
“Could you tell me more about Zhuang Han of the Xuanwu Sect, whom you two just mentioned? I’m rather curious.”
The cultivator who now realized he might have offended someone with unfathomable cultivation was still shaken. Hearing the man’s question, he hurriedly explained, “The Xuanwu Sect is a sect that recently rose to prominence in the Middle Realm. Most of its members are body cultivators. They use no weapons-their impervious bodies are their greatest artifacts.”
“This cultivator named Zhuang Han is one of their finest. Someone reportedly witnessed him tear apart a high-ranked demon beast with his bare hands and shatter a mountain peak with a single punch. His strength is truly terrifying.”
Most disciples of the Qingshan Sword Sect were sword cultivators. Although their Junior Sister had now reached peak Foundation Establishment, sword techniques were excessively sharp and direct. Meeting the immensely powerful Zhuang Han head-on with brute force would put her at a serious disadvantage.
“I see…” The man nodded thoughtfully.
At that moment, someone happened to open a betting pool below the arena.
Although the location of this arena was unremarkable, quite a few people had come to watch, clearly because of Zhuang Han. Most Qingshan Sword Sect disciples had gone to watch Jiang Wenyi, so these two were the only ones present. The other cultivators, who came from every corner of the land, had limited information about Yu Tai. They probably still regarded her as nothing more than a pretty face.
As a result, not a single person bet on her.
The two disciples gritted their teeth and placed two low-grade spirit stones on Yu Tai.
Forget it. They would consider it a show of support for their Junior Sister. Even if they lost everything, it did not matter.
The instant they withdrew their hands, a pair of smooth, jade-like hands set a bulging pouch on the table with a heavy thud.
“Everything on Yu Tai.” The gentle voice carried absolute certainty.
The moment the bookmaker opened the pouch, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
An entire pouch of high-grade spirit stones radiated with light. Everyone nearby looked at the man as though he were the greatest fool alive.
It was not only those strangers. Even the two Qingshan Sword Sect disciples were dumbfounded.
The younger disciple bumped his fists together. “I understand! Senior, you’re an admirer of Junior Sister, aren’t you?”
The older cultivator wanted nothing more than to smash his skull on the spot.
It was enough to understand something like that in his own head. Why did he have to say it aloud?!
This senior appeared good-tempered, but what if the question embarrassed him into anger?
Unexpectedly, the good-tempered senior showed no reaction. Instead, he nodded solemnly, and a soft chuckle spilled from his lips. “Mm… Put that way, I suppose you aren’t wrong.”
The two disciples looked at each other.
Yu Tai, still waiting for the match to begin on the platform, glanced at a certain person below and took in everything he had done.
Mm. Exactly as she had expected.
There truly were very few bets on her. It had been worth deliberately tossing Shu Li a pouch of spirit stones before leaving and telling him to bet everything on her.
Her cold gaze met that of the muscular brute in the distance, who had been staring at her with a lecherous, sinister look. Yu Tai’s lips curved into a bewitching smile. His eyes went wide, and obvious excitement spread across his face.
Yu Tai withdrew her gaze. As the referee announced, “The match begins,” she slowly drew her sword-
*Come on, then. I guarantee I’ll beat you until you call this grandaunt “Daddy.”*
AFanAFan
While the FL is interesting, it’s concerning that she lacks curiosity about the world she transmigrated into. She doesn’t interact with her master/mentor and shows no interest in anything beyond kissing. It’s frustrating.