Ming Ji's sword brought silence to the vast martial arts arena. Everyone standing on the chessboard looked at her, their gazes filled with surprise or amusement. Despite the varied expressions, no one seemed afraid.
After all, who among those who could ascend to this place wasn't a favored child of heaven? Who didn't harbor pride in their heart? Although Ming Ji's swordsmanship had reached its peak, it would be a pipe dream to expect them to retreat because of it.
As for the two individuals standing above the generals and marshals, they remained expressionless. Their eyes showed no hint of emotion as they quietly sat on the ground, awaiting the start of the martial arts competition.
Jiang Wen sat on a giant rock surrounding the chessboard, not participating in the struggle for chess pieces. Firstly, there was no need, and secondly, he didn't want to attract too much attention. After all, the more he revealed, the easier it would be for him to expose his flaws. He didn't know what the consequences would be if his identity were discovered, but at least he couldn't leave yet. He had many things he still wanted to do, and perhaps his return to Taicang wasn't an accident.
Thinking this, he sat on the boulder and closed his eyes to meditate. Although the mountain winds were rapid, they didn't have much impact on the crowd.
The peak of martial arts was indeed a place for martial arts. One moment, torrential rain rushed down, and the next, thunder and lightning roared. Hailstones also fell, crashing around with explosive sounds. It was truly a convergence of heavenly fire, with wind and thunder alternating. Anyone with slightly weaker strength would be sent away by this unpredictable weather.
Jiang Wen sat on the ground, surrounded by a self-made barrier. Wind and thunder couldn't penetrate, and the rain couldn't invade. He was as steady as Mount Tai, unmoving in the slightest. This also attracted attention, drawing a few extra glances from the others.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, no one else came up the mountain. Suddenly, Jiang Wen felt the sunlight break through the clouds, its golden rays shining brightly, illuminating the world.
He opened his eyes, and a series of loud voices echoed in his ears.
"The Martial Arts Tournament begins."
As the voice landed, countless golden lights drilled into the crowd. Jiang Wen looked at the shimmering golden object in front of him and reached out to grab it. It was a scroll with a number written on it.
"Seventy-seven." Jiang Wen looked at the text and knew it was his number. The Martial Arts Tournament naturally wouldn't be a chaotic battle; each person would fight one opponent. The winner would stay, and the loser would be eliminated. This would repeat until only one person remained on the martial arts arena, who would then be declared the champion.
He unfolded the scroll, which listed his opponent.
"Number eighty-one, Tuoba clan, Tuoba Baxuan." With a name, Jiang Wen knew who he had to face. He looked over and saw a burly man eight feet tall standing on a chessboard pawn, holding a scroll and staring at him with fierce eyes. This strong man was his opponent, a warrior from the Tuoba clan.
"Tuoba clan? What a coincidence." Jiang Wen smiled and gestured towards Tuoba Baxuan with the scroll in his hand.
Meanwhile, outside the arena, many members of the Tuoba clan were intently watching the scene in the Mountain and River Realm.
Although the Martial Arts Tournament was initially set up for cultivators from various sects, it had evolved to the point where tribal warriors, sect cultivators, and outsiders could all participate based on their strength. The Martial Arts Tournament honored the strong, regardless of their origins.
Seeing that their clan member had drawn a stranger, the Tuoba clan members were overjoyed. They whispered to each other, discussing the matter.
"Great, Baxuan didn't encounter anyone from the chess pieces."
"Who is this Jiang Taixu? What is his strength?"
"I saw him fighting with that girl from the Nanqi Ming royal family earlier, and he didn't gain much advantage. He's probably not a powerful figure, Baxuan will definitely win."
"Baxuan is a rare genius who appears once every hundred years in our Tuoba clan. He will surely spread the martial prestige of our Tuoba clan once again. Back then, when Tianyuan City was being developed, our Tuoba clan was the founding clan. Now that the tribe has declined, many insignificant people dare to mock us, truly despising our Tuoba clan!"
The Tuoba clan members were in an uproar, while Luo Ji on the other side was somewhat worried. She looked at Xue and asked anxiously, "Is benefactor alright?"
"It's nothing, just a boorish Tuoba." Xue replied indifferently. "Although the Tuoba clan followed the Heavenly King to develop Tianyuan City back then, they later betrayed the Heavenly King. If it weren't for a group of loyal death soldiers guarding the city back then, the Tuoba clan wouldn't be one of the four major clans of Tianyuan today. Now that they have fallen to this point, it's not easy for them to produce a genius. But he can only go this far. I trust my intuition, Jiang Taixu will definitely win."
"That's good, that's good." Luo Ji touched her belly and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at the projection, filled with anticipation.
Countless people were discussing the battle in the Mountain and River Realm. A total of one hundred and twenty people could reach the peak of martial arts. Apart from the soldiers and those below the stage, those standing on the chess pieces were all facing opponents of equal strength.
Those who occupied the chess pieces naturally had to face people of similar strength.
Jiang Wen held the scroll, looking at Tuoba Baxuan with great interest. Just as he was wondering how to compete, he saw the scroll in his hand emit golden light. The next moment, he was transported to a grassland.
Here, the surroundings were open and vast. Only he and the man named Tuoba Baxuan were present.
"So that's how it is, each occupying a piece of land?" Jiang Wen thought that this method was indeed good, as they didn't have to watch others fight on the peak of martial arts. Having such an open space naturally allowed people to fight freely.
He stretched his muscles, his eyes looking at Tuoba Baxuan in the distance.
"It's not too late to give up now." Tuoba Baxuan on the opposite side said. "Don't wait until I tear you apart and shred you, letting you feel the pain of being torn apart by five horses. By then, it will be too late for you to regret it."
"You do like to talk big." Jiang Wen laughed. He stretched lazily, looking at the clear sky. "While the weather is good, let's get this over with quickly."
"You!" Tuoba Baxuan felt that he had been despised. His face was a little flushed, and he stared sharply at Jiang Wen, clenching his fists. "Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being merciless."
As Tuoba Baxuan's voice fell, his entire body transformed into a flying arrow, rushing towards Jiang Wen. The clothes on his body instantly shattered, and the muscles on his back surged, as if something was about to burst out. The patterns tattooed on his back glowed, and illusions seemed to erupt.
"Battle Art · Tiger's Roar!" Tuoba Baxuan roared, his body like a fierce tiger preying on its prey. He transformed into a giant tiger, pouncing towards Jiang Wen. His whole body was wrapped in a whirlwind, and a crack several tens of feet long appeared in the grass.
Jiang Wen jumped away, narrowly avoiding Tuoba Baxuan's attack. He tumbled in the air, looking somewhat leisurely.
"The Tuoba clan's bloodline battle art, interesting." Jiang Wen smiled, quietly watching the approaching Tuoba Baxuan. He was quite familiar with the Tuoba clan's battle art, after all, they had fought side by side back then. Their battle art was called the Four Beasts Battle Art, which evolved into four kinds of fierce creatures. They were the Tiger, Dragon, Snake, and Bear. Each one could merge with the previous one, and gathering all four would be considered a great achievement.
Jiang Wen had never seen anyone who could master the Four Beasts Battle Art, after all, the most powerful member of the Tuoba clan back then had only merged with three beasts. Until his death, he had never witnessed anyone in the Tuoba clan who could combine the four beasts into one.
Now, the Tuoba clan member in front of him was using the battle art quite well, and he could even transform into a tangible form. It seemed that he should be a genius in the Tuoba clan, achieving such accomplishments at a young age.
However, with only this kind of strength, it was not worth mentioning to Jiang Wen. He wanted to see what else this young man was capable of.
"Is that all?" Jiang Wen taunted. "If that's all you've got, you should just give up!"
"You!" Tuoba Baxuan was furious! "You're asking for it!"
