Meng Jun pointed, and the image on the large screen changed.

"Time’s up. Let’s see the matchups for the first round."

Yu Fei had a feeling he would definitely be the first one up.

The large screen instantly refreshed to display nine matchups.

Yu Fei’s name was at the very top.

A-Rank #1 Liou Yong vs. S-Rank #37 Yu Fei (Challenged 102 times) | Arena 1

A-Rank #3 Jiang City vs. S-Rank #25 Zhang Yi (Challenged 15 times) | Arena 2

...

The #2 A-Rank celestial pride stomped his foot in frustration. He hadn’t expected the #1, Liou Yong, to be so shameless. To think he’d use his Inner Qi Realm strength to challenge a second-realm practitioner. He had also chosen to challenge Yu Fei, but due to the rules, his application was voided. He would have to wait for the next round to try again.

There were twelve third-realm Martial Artists in S-Rank. He still had a chance.

Liou Yong cupped his fist to the people around him in a salute, his smile brilliant.

"Sorry, everyone. This little point-piñata is as good as mine."

Everyone looked at him with contempt. They had all hoped Liou Yong would have some sense of shame and not challenge Yu Fei, which would have given them a chance.

"Tch!"

With a placid expression, Yu Fei selected a longsword and began walking toward Arena 1 at a steady, unhurried pace.

The quality of this sword was even greater than that of his Cyan Lotus Sword. During the competition, the celestial prides were required to use standardized cold weapons provided by the arena. Each type of weapon came in various models of different weights and sizes, so one could choose according to their strength.

These weapons were impeccably maintained—they were the real deal, all with sharpened edges.

With a Grandmaster serving as referee, there was no fear of accidents.

The young man walked forward, the sword slung across his back. He was without worry or fear, his steps were composed, and he carried himself with a unique grace.

Strength aside, he at least looked the part.

Yu Fei had never been bad-looking, just ordinarily handsome. But after he acquired the "Celestial Bearing"—an orange-rarity talent that focused more than half its power on looks and charisma—he became truly stunning.

If the Celestial Pride Positioning Competition were an idol contest, Yu Fei would be a shoo-in for the top three.

While most of the celestial prides were above average in appearance, some just weren’t very photogenic—Zhang Xunyi, for example.

Yu Fei walked right past him without a sideways glance, as if Zhang Xunyi were a mere nobody.

Zhang Xunyi’s mouth twisted in anger. ’Who does this mere second-realm practitioner think he is, putting on such airs? So what if he got lucky and passed the second round? He’s just going to get beaten like a dog in front of everyone anyway.’

"Hmph!" He spun around, presenting a deliberately cool and detached back to Yu Fei.

The attention of most celestial prides was fixed on Yu Fei, their eyes filled with schadenfreude. This had nothing to do with talent or cultivation realm; it was simple human nature.

So many third-realm Inner Qi Martial Artists had been utterly thrashed, so on what grounds did a second-realm nobody get to pass the second round unscathed? By comparison, didn’t that just make them all look incompetent?

Yu Fei walked straight to Arena 1, descending the steps one by one until he stood at his designated position. With a sharp SHING, he drew his longsword, holding it in a reverse grip behind his back.

Liou Yong sneered. "Second-realm? I left that behind a year ago!"

With that, he leaped down from above, twisting three times in the air before landing opposite Yu Fei. Clearly, he had cultivated an Inner Qi-level Body Technique; his strength was not to be underestimated.

"Bro, just give up," Liou Yong advised. "A second-realm has no chance against an Inner Qi practitioner. We’re two whole realms apart. There’s no shame in it!"

For him, winning without a fight was the best-case scenario. There was truly no sense of accomplishment in defeating a second-realm practitioner.

Yu Fei paid him no mind, simply closing his eyes to rest.

Seeing his opponent’s attitude, Liou Yong grew flustered and angry. ’This guy doesn’t appreciate a kind offer when he sees one. He’s just asking to die!’

Seeing that both combatants were ready, the referee blew a sharp whistle.

The match began.

Liou Yong remained still, intending to wait for Yu Fei to attack first. In a fight he was guaranteed to win, he could afford to show some grace and sportsmanship. He didn’t, however, expect to be putting on a show for a blind man.

Yu Fei remained with his eyes closed, completely still.

"Damn it, what a poser! Ha!"

This made Liou Yong laugh out of sheer anger. He was genuinely furious now and couldn’t care less about sportsmanship; he just wanted to get his points and end this farce as quickly as possible.

In an instant, his Inner Qi surged. Liou Yong shot toward Yu Fei like a wild goose in flight. His right fist was clenched, wearing deep red knuckle dusters that were now covered in layers of cyan Qi Jin.

Combining his Inner Qi-level Body Technique and fist technique, he flew toward Yu Fei like a phantom.

He was going to waste this annoying punk with a single punch.

When Liou Yong was about ten meters away, Yu Fei’s eyes flashed as they snapped open.

Thanks to the uncanny enhancement of his hearing and sight, Yu Fei possessed excellent close-range perception.

Blessed with a seven-fold increase in his reaction speed, he could clearly see the disgust and ferocity on his opponent’s face.

An Inner Qi Martial Artist’s speed was incredible. In a flash, he was upon Yu Fei. The Qi Jin on his right fist suddenly intensified—the power in this punch was immense.

The Grandmaster referee at the edge of the arena watched the two intently, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

SHING!

The longsword hummed. A cold light seemed to flash before Liou Yong’s eyes, and then he felt a sliver of ice against his neck. Only then did the micro-level perception of an Inner Qi Martial Artist kick in; the hairs on his body stood on end as he sensed mortal danger, but he was a beat too late.

At some point, the Grandmaster referee had appeared beside them. One of his hands gripped Liou Yong’s punching arm, while the other had caught Yu Fei’s longsword between two fingers.

If this had been a battle to the death, Liou Yong would have been beheaded.

A wave of fear washed over Liou Yong. Feeling the cold steel of the sword, his heart wouldn’t stop pounding. If the referee hadn’t been there as a safety net, this kid would have taken his head clean off. Staring into those unwavering eyes, he felt a genuine sense of terror.

Zhong Xu separated the two, then loudly announced the result.

"Yu Fei is the winner!"

He couldn’t help but give Yu Fei a second look. ’That kid’s sword is fast,’ he thought. ’Just then, he sidestepped Liou Yong’s heavy punch by a hair’s breadth. That’s one thing, but the speed of that final sword strike was just incredible—almost comparable to a fifth-realm Martial Artist.’