Eternal Saber-Chapter 362 - 80: The Art of Sumo

As Amaterasu Chizuru ascended to the high pavilion, seated between the two ceremonial officers, she announced that the talent battle has officially begun!

Based on each participant’s number, they are randomly matched for one-on-one duels.

The first round of eliminations was already arranged yesterday.

After the Master of Ceremonies announced the participants for the first match, martial artists gradually entered the arena.

Generally, the main and secondary arenas are arranged according to the fame of the participants.

In the first round, there is one main arena and four secondary arenas, with ten martial artists competing in pairs.

It had nothing to do with Chen Tang.

He already had a plan in mind, feeling bored, and looked around.

He saw that next to Shen Yu, Xiao Pu had already prepared a blank book, holding a brush, she was intently staring at the battlefield.

Not only her, but many others from the three major families and those on the spectator stand were doing the same.

"What are they doing?"

Chen Tang was curious.

Shen Yu replied, "They’re sketching the battle process. Only a few across the Celestial Cauldron Continent have the opportunity to witness this battle. Such sketchbooks are quite popular when taken back, and they sell well."

Xiao Pu nodded and said, "The talent battle lasts a month, enough to publish thirty issues of sketchbooks."

"The battles happen so fast. Can they keep up?" Chen Tang asked again.

Xiao Pu said, "Usually, we just sketch the main arena. The moves aren’t drawn in detail, just a few strokes to capture the essence, like this."

As she spoke, Xiao Pu casually drew two stick figures dramatically gesturing on the paper.

Though these talent battles seemed overly elaborate and flashy, they truly maximized commercial value.

Upon entering the arena, Chen Tang felt somewhat nostalgic, as if he had returned to the past.

The ten participants in the first round were all of the Sixth Grade.

Even for a so-called talent battle, very few could cultivate to the Fifth Grade by the age of twenty.

Figures like Murakumo Kyo, Amaterasu Chizuru, and Tsukiyama Tairou, cultivating to the Fourth Grade before twenty, are rare to encounter even once in a hundred years.

Of course, this is also related to the martial arts atmosphere in the Celestial Cauldron Continent.

In the Four Nations, there’s no restriction for ordinary people to practice martial arts; everyone prizes martial arts, and the government even encourages private duels to solve issues, with martial arts halls and dojos everywhere.

It’s the same in Nanxia, where sects abound. Besides the temples, young masters in Jianghu emerge one after another.

Every three years, the three rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man are held, along with the Wind and Cloud Ranking selection.

Qian Country, however, is the exact opposite.

For the sake of easier governance and learning from the demise of the Wu Dynasty, Qian Country strictly prohibits many martial arts, including inner cultivation heart methods, from circulating and being taught among the people in Jianghu.

Even if there are martial halls across the land, they only teach the most basic cultivation techniques.

For instance, in the Plum Blossom Martial Arts Hall, practicing there for a lifetime at most leads to only Entry Level.

Over time, the power of Jianghu and the common folk became extremely weak, unable to contend with the Court, allowing Qian Country to stabilize its reign.

However, by doing so, they lack a vast population base.

The sons and daughters of royalty, and noble families often seek pleasure, some lack talent, indulging in luxury and revelry, naturally finding it more comfortable than a life of constant hard cultivation.

With no external crisis and no competitive fighting atmosphere like in the Celestial Cauldron Continent, nor a martial world like Nanxia, the younger generation of Qian Country faces a talent shortfall.

This resulted in situations where a young prodigy from Barbarian Land swept through the capital’s masters, yet in the vast Qian Country, no one could challenge them.

Of course, if we look at a span of a hundred years.

In the Wu Dynasty’s time, the geniuses of Qian Country, even throughout the Divine Land, were much more than in the Celestial Cauldron Continent.

Even now, the number of top experts in the Divine Land far exceeds that of the Celestial Cauldron Continent.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the first match already ended.

The loser is eliminated, the winner advances, gaining precious rest time.

In the elimination match phase, not only must participants defeat their opponent, but they must also try not to sustain serious injuries.

If seriously injured and unable to recover quickly, the future is grim.

Most talent battle duels are unarmed combat.

If both agree, they may choose wooden weapons to ensure safety.

Immediately after, the second and third matches concluded...

The competition in the ring was lively, but not particularly captivating.

Many spectators felt somewhat drowsy.

At this point, the Master of Ceremonies’ voice rang out: "Next is the fourth match. The two in this main arena showdown are, one from the Xiang Sect, Ohtsubo Toshiro, and the other is..."

The Master of Ceremonies deliberately dragged out the announcement, keeping the audience in suspense.

The Vice Master of Ceremonies smiled and said, "Let’s have Miss Chizuru announce it."

Amaterasu Chizuru smiled slightly and said, "This is the rising star over the past three days, Murong Haitang from the Shen Family of Chuansi Country!"

Wow!

The previously subdued audience erupted into a roar of excitement.

"Murong Haitang is entering the field!"

"I must see for myself whether he truly has the skills or if it’s just false fame."

"Indeed, Ohtsubo Toshiro also comes from a renowned family and practices horizontal body training, similar to Murong Haitang."

"In my opinion, the so-called random matchups are intentionally arranged by the organizers for hype!"

The crowd was in high spirits, voices overlapping.

"Be careful now."

Shen Che turned back to remind, "The martial arts trained by this Ohtsubo are different from ordinary martial arts, derived from the sumo technique of the Divine Land. Once he gets close and grabs you, it’s hard to defend."

"I see."

Shen Yu said, "Every year, descendants of the Xiang Sect break into the top ten."

Chen Tang looked up and took a glance.

The opponent had already stood and entered the arena, wearing white samurai pants, bare-chested, with a robust and towering physique. His horizontally trained muscles were like protruding rocks, exuding a sense of strength!

Chen Tang stood up and walked towards the main arena.

"Go, go!"

Xiao Pu waved her fists, cheering for Chen Tang.

Chen Tang paused as he passed her side, saying, "Sorry, this edition of the talent battle will likely only result in one issue of the sketchbook."

"Huh?"

Xiao Pu was stunned, not understanding what Chen Tang meant.

After saying this, Chen Tang walked away, soon arriving at the main arena.

Apart from their duel, the martial artists in the other four secondary arenas were also ready.

As the audience’s excitement intensified, the Master of Ceremonies also became extremely enthused, saying, "The fourth elimination match is about to begin. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

The audience stand erupted with cheers.

The Master of Ceremonies, however, didn’t announce the start immediately but turned to ask, "Miss Chizuru, you know both of these fighters and have seen them in action. Who do you favor more?"

"That’s a tough question, isn’t it?"

Amaterasu Chizuru responded playfully, drawing a series of howls from the audience.

Amaterasu Chizuru cleared her throat, saying, "Both sides have their strengths. In terms of fist technique, Murong Haitang is naturally superior. But in close quarters combat, Ohtsubo Toshiro is stronger. It will depend on who can leverage their strengths to defeat the opponent first."

Amaterasu Chizuru spoke without bias, covering all bases.

"Good!"

The Master of Ceremonies waved a grand gesture and said, "Next, let us enjoy this exciting match. I presume, regardless of who wins or loses, it will not disappoint everyone!"