The battle with Ruan Yuanhe had thoroughly established Zhao Xuanqi’s name among this year’s participants.

After all, Ruan Yuanhe was a fighter of the Quasi-Ten Heroes Level, and the ferocious courage he displayed in the ring had impressed everyone.

Yet Zhao Xuanqi had defeated him with the dominance of an Overlord, leading many to believe he was still holding back.

Regardless, after that one fight, Zhao Xuanqi had transformed from an unknown newcomer at the Martial Arts Association into a strong contender for the Ten Heroes, landing him on the watchlists of every major School.

After winning the second round, Zhao Xuanqi didn’t linger. He turned and left the ring. His two consecutive victories had secured him a spot in the top thirty-two, meaning he had no more matches for the day. The competition for the top thirty-two would officially begin tomorrow.

He went to the second floor and found Weng Xiaolin watching the fights. The old man was grinning from ear to ear the moment he saw him.

Zhao Xuanqi had originally planned to spend the afternoon wandering around Guangdong Prefecture by himself. He wanted to visit Guangdong University to help Zhao Qin with some paperwork, and then find time to visit the address from Ma Maocheng’s envelope to meet with the people from the National Salvation Association’s Divine Martial Department.

However, Weng Xiaolin announced that the eight Tiger Form Fist Schools of Yuehai were holding a small gathering after the day’s matches. He insisted that Zhao Xuanqi attend with him, absolutely refusing to let him go off on his own.

Zhao Xuanqi felt a bit resigned. He knew the old man cared more about his reputation than anything. ’I just defeated a Quasi-Ten Heroes Level fighter like Ruan Yuanhe and instantly became one of the stars of the competition. How could he possibly pass up such a golden opportunity to show off?’

Still, Zhao Xuanqi didn’t have the heart to refuse him. After all, it was one of the old man’s few pleasures.

And so, he was resignedly dragged to the Tiger Form Fist gathering to serve as Weng Xiaolin’s showpiece for the afternoon. Representatives from all eight of Yuehai’s Tiger Form Fist Schools, including the top disciple from the strongest Taihe Tiger Form Fist School, proactively came to associate with him. After all, even the best result Taihe Tiger Form Fist had ever achieved at the Martial Arts Association was reaching the top sixteen. Their current representative was decent, but whether he could even make it that far was still a matter of luck.

The gathering lasted into the evening, and by the end of the banquet, Weng Xiaolin was clearly plastered. Zhao Xuanqi had to support him on the walk back to the hotel. The old man mumbled drunkenly the entire way, his words so slurred it sounded like a monk chanting sutras. Zhao Xuanqi couldn’t make out a single word.

In any case, he could tell Weng Xiaolin was overjoyed.

’Winning a spot among the Ten Heroes for the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall... that would make our time as master and disciple well worth it.’

Zhao Xuanqi got Weng Xiaolin back to his hotel room. As he looked at the old man, now fast asleep and snoring on the bed, a gentle look softened his eyes.

...

...

「The next day」

The top thirty-two matches were held as scheduled. The number of spectators had surged once again, and the National Martial Arts Hall was a veritable sea of people.

Today’s matches would determine the new Ten Heroes.

In the first round, sixteen matches would be held simultaneously to determine the top sixteen. The victors of that round would directly claim eight of the Ten Heroes positions. The remaining two spots would be decided in a losers’ bracket among the eight who were defeated.

The final day of the Martial Arts Association would be reserved for ranking matches among the top eight. After all, as the saying goes, there’s no best in scholarship, but there’s no second-best in combat. Even among the Ten Heroes, a clear hierarchy had to be established.

Zhao Xuanqi drew his lot along with the other competitors. This time, he seemed to have gotten lucky, drawing a relative "pushover."

In truth, calling him a pushover was unfair. The man was a cut above even Cheng Cuixing and was certainly worthy of his spot in the top thirty-two. Compared to the current Zhao Xuanqi, however, his strength was simply not on the same level.

It didn’t take long. Under Zhao Xuanqi’s fierce assault, his opponent was sent flying from the ring with a single palm strike. He landed on the ground, spitting blood, a look of resignation in his eyes, but not much bitterness.

After all, he had been soundly and truly outmatched. There was nothing more to be said.

His fellow disciples and master from the same Martial Arts Hall could only shake their heads and sigh, lamenting their bad luck in this year’s tournament, having run into a Quasi-Ten Heroes Level expert.

Since his own fight ended so quickly, Zhao Xuanqi had time to watch the battles on the other rings.

As he watched, he discovered there were indeed some interesting experts among the contenders.

One was a tall, powerfully built man. His Force Release flowed like a Wandering Dragon, his spine was incredibly flexible, and his Body Technique made him look like a flood dragon gliding through water.

Another was a young man of average build whose strikes were unnaturally fast. When he released Force, a sharp glint seemed to flash in his eyes. Zhao Xuanqi could have sworn he saw a flicker of light emanate from the man, creating a dazzling sensation.

Of course, it couldn’t be real light. It was an effect created by the fusion of his Technique, gaze, and aura—what one might call "Sword Intent." It was a perfect example of subduing the enemy without a fight, proof that this man’s Combat Realm was exceptionally high.

There was another man, powerfully built, with a particularly strange physique. The girth of his lower body far surpassed that of his already massive upper body, giving him a bizarre appearance.

When he moved, he carried the momentum of Mount Tai crashing down. With a single stomp, the specially reinforced ring splintered beneath his foot—a truly terrifying sight.

’Chen Pingguang of the Longming Skill, Du Zhan of the Radiant Star Sword, Yu Dafeng of the Mountain and River Palm... all from the four major Schools under the Giant Spirit Sect of Guangdong. Their strength is clearly a cut above the rest, and their Secret Transmissions seem quite interesting...’ Zhao Xuanqi noted internally. However, their opponents weren’t very strong, so he couldn’t glean much about their true capabilities.

Suddenly, he heard a series of gasps from the crowd. As if drawn by instinct, he turned his head to look at another ring.

There, two figures were locked in a tangled struggle.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

On the ring, waves of Qi rolled and churned. The air itself seemed to be sliced apart by sharp blades, letting out piercing cracks.

Of the two figures, one had his arms, chest, and back covered in a Qi Surge, causing them to swell to an unnatural degree. The terrifying scale of the inflation was even comparable to Zhao Xuanqi’s own Blood Essence.

He used his hand as a blade, and his Blade Technique was incredibly fierce. Each chop he unleashed seemed to be accompanied by the wail of a ghost.

His opponent was just as remarkable. His own legs and arms were shrouded in a Qi Surge. His eyes were half-closed, the light within them dim, as if he had entered the Void Nirvana Realm. His Stepping Technique was fluid, and his blade-hand strikes were unsettlingly fast and bizarre.

A flicker of interest appeared in Zhao Xuanqi’s eyes.

’Li Zhaotong of the Brake Pattern Blade, one of the four great Schools, and Cui Weining of the Duan Kong Style, a Quasi-Ten Heroes Level expert from this tournament?’

’Now this was a fight worth watching.’

The two were locked in combat, both displaying immense strength. For the moment, they seemed evenly matched.

Suddenly, Li Zhaotong’s already absurdly swollen arms inflated even further. This degree of expansion had clearly surpassed the limits of a normal human body.

On the exposed parts of his arms, one could clearly see the bulging muscle fibers, veins, and blood vessels twisting together to form strange, intricate patterns. It was a gruesome sight, and one could vaguely make out the forms of Fierce Ghosts and Rakshasa.