Chapter 141 - 119: Palace Competition

Chapter 141: Chapter 119: Palace Competition

Below, Lu Yuan and the others were each given a token.

Lu Yuan was number thirty-nine. His opponent would be the Xirong warrior with the same number.

After each round, new tokens would be distributed.

The one left standing at the end would be the winner.

Both sides had about a hundred people.

Lu Yuan, however, was completely unconcerned.

As the sound of the war drums faded, the martial tournament officially began.

The first one to go up from Dayong’s side was a man of about twenty-one or twenty-two, his cultivation at the Innate Realm.

He was tall and sturdy, but not the least bit bulky.

He wore a set of tight-fitting black clothes.

The moment he stepped onto the stage, a buzz of discussion rose from below.

"That’s Gao Kun, the youngest son of the Grand General of the Left Martial Guard, isn’t it? Now this will be a good show. He’s not just a famous Demon King of Chaos; his talent is undeniable. I heard he’s been suppressing his realm."

"He’s waiting to reach the absolute limit of Perfection before breaking through. I never thought he’d be the first one to fight."

"Then this match should be a sure win," the person next to him whispered.

...

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, stared at the arena, his eyes never leaving it for a moment.

’I’d also like to see how the strength of these young experts from the Imperial Guard compares to my own.’

As the third round of drums sounded, the fight on the stage began.

Gao Kun was skilled with a Coiling Dragon Staff, which he brandished with a fierce wind.

The Xirong expert opposite him used a Wolf-toothed Club. Neither of them was weak.

Gao Kun’s body was shrouded in the afterimages of his staff.

He looked like a Vajra warrior.

However, the Xirong warrior seemed to have the advantage in strength and was also more ferocious.

After the two exchanged over a hundred moves...

CLANG! Gao Kun’s staff was knocked from his hands.

The Wolf-toothed Club then smashed into his chest, sending him flying off the arena, spitting blood.

A series of gasps erupted.

That Xirong Warrior walked off the stage, a disdainful sneer on his face.

This was a scene none of the young Imperial Guard officers present had expected.

After all, Gao Kun was not considered weak among them, yet he had been defeated just like that.

It was almost unbelievable.

Lu Yuan, however, remained expressionless.

He just continued watching the arena. To him, all these combatants were strangers; he didn’t know any of them.

As fighter after fighter went up to compete, the expressions on the faces of the Imperial Guard members turned grim by the time Lu Yuan’s turn was approaching.

This was because Xirong had lost thirteen matches, while Dayong had lost twenty-five.

The first round wasn’t even over, and more than twenty of Dayong’s people had already been eliminated.

Not only was Xirong holding the advantage, but more importantly, the pressure on Dayong in the next round would be immense.

Some might even have to face two or three Xirong warriors in a gauntlet-style battle.

Winning under such circumstances would be extremely difficult.

One had to remember that both sides had started with a hundred people, and the victor would be determined by who had more members remaining at the end.

When Lu Yuan walked onto the arena, his opponent was also at the Innate Realm. He was about the same height as Lu Yuan but much broader, with bulging muscles all over his body.

He carried an Eight-sided Long-Handled Warhammer.

It gleamed with a dark luster. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, a savage grin spread across his lips.

Below, Li Cheng and Wang Xiao had already finished their fights. Both had done well and passed the round smoothly.

The former said softly, "This Lu Yuan is from the Border Army. That Xirong Warrior opposite him doesn’t look simple. Do you think he has a chance?"

"Hard to say," Wang Xiao replied curtly.

However, his gaze never once left the arena.

Li Cheng shook his head helplessly.

And just then, the Xirong Warrior on the stage made his move.

He dragged his warhammer as he charged toward Lu Yuan.

A thick and powerful aura radiated from him, palpable even through the air.

Lu Yuan stood perfectly still, holding his Cyan Dragon Crescent Saber.

He only drew his saber when the Xirong Warrior drew near.

CLANG!

The warhammer was struck and flew out of his grasp. The flat of Lu Yuan’s saber had already slammed onto the Xirong Warrior’s shoulder.

The man’s body sank.

THUD!

He then dropped to his knees.

His face turned deathly pale.

BANG!

A swift kick sent the Xirong Warrior flying off the arena.

"Nice!"

The Dayong side couldn’t help but cheer.

After all, it had been an incredibly clean and decisive victory.

At this moment, the Yong Emperor, seated behind a golden haze, couldn’t help but sit up straight.

In the previous fights, Dayong’s performance had been terrible. Though his face remained impassive, his heart was not truly calm. After all, Dayong’s honor was at stake.

Now, seeing someone perform well, his interest was piqued.

Below the arena, Li Cheng’s face was filled with disbelief. "Are Captains from the Border Army all this strong now?"

Wang Xiao glanced at him. "This is just the beginning. Let’s keep watching."

After Lu Yuan left the stage, the battles continued.

It could be said that both sides were doing their utmost to suppress their opponents.

Two top-tier experts emerged from the Xirong side. One was a royal powerhouse named Meng Tuo, who used a Three-pronged Celestial Fork to defeat a Dayong expert in a single move.

The other was a disciple from Lingjiao Temple. Though small and slender, he also defeated his opponent in a single move.

They were on par with Lu Yuan.

Dayong also had two who could achieve this: Yang Zhao, the son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, and Lu Yuan.

However, the overall strength of the Xirong side seemed to be a bit higher than Dayong’s.

At the end of this round, the opposing side still had sixty-one people.

Dayong, on the other hand, was left with only thirty-nine.

They had clearly fallen into a disadvantage.

By now, the sky was beginning to darken.

In the grand hall, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have fought hard for a full day. Shall we continue tomorrow?"

Before the Yong Emperor could speak, the Xirong envoy stepped forward. "Heh heh, if this were a battlefield, would you be able to rest? My Xirong Warriors have never known fatigue. Or perhaps Dayong’s Imperial Guard is just too precious."

On the battlefield at present, Xirong had a slight upper hand, and in terms of national power, Xirong was also slightly stronger than Dayong, so they weren’t afraid at all.

His voice was filled with mockery.

The Yong Emperor said in a deep voice, "Continue. Since we are competing, let’s see it to the end!"

His voice had grown heavy.

The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites below immediately said, "As you command!"

Then, a large number of Bright Light Pearls were brought up, illuminating the entire arena as if it were day.

The fighting resumed.

In the ensuing battles, Dayong was generally at a disadvantage.

After a night of repeated eliminations and battles, only two combatants remained on Dayong’s side: Lu Yuan and Yang Zhao.

Meanwhile, the opposing side still had over twenty people.

At this point, many people began to pay attention to Lu Yuan. After all, Li Cheng had a quick tongue, and by yesterday, many had learned that Lu Yuan was from the Border Army.

No one had expected a Captain from the Border Army to possess such strength.

At this time, even the Seventh Prince in the grand hall wore a solemn expression. He also hadn’t expected Lu Yuan’s talent to be so formidable.

’If I had known this earlier, I should have found a way to resolve the conflict between Lu Yuan and Zhang Zhe back then.’

’I was too hasty.’

He thought to himself, though for now, he only felt that his original decision had been somewhat rash.

He didn’t regret choosing the Prince Polu Royal Mansion, however.

And at that moment, another round of fights began.

With only Yang Zhao and Lu Yuan left, the former glanced at the Xirong Warriors opposite him and jumped straight onto the arena.

’By Lu Yuan’s estimation, Yang Zhao has likely achieved Perfection in every realm before breaking through. The Cultivation Technique he practices is probably a Fifth-Grade Cultivation Skill, though he likely hasn’t reached the absolute pinnacle of Perfection.’

’Therefore, while he might be a good deal stronger than the other Xirong Warriors, he’ll probably struggle against that royal disciple and the monk from Lingjiao Temple.’

Sure enough, just as Yang Zhao defeated two opponents in a row...

...the royal disciple from Xirong made his move. Wielding a five-pronged Celestial Fork, he completely suppressed the already-fatigued Yang Zhao within a hundred rounds.

At around the 150th move...

Yang Zhao was defeated. He fell off the arena, his face pale.

Now, the Xirong side still had nineteen people, while on Dayong’s side, only Lu Yuan remained.

In the grand hall, the Xirong envoy looked at the Yong Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Dayong, shall we still continue?"

"Why not?" the Yong Emperor replied calmly.

Though victory seemed impossible, they could be defeated in this battle, but they could absolutely not surrender.

This was also the Yong Emperor’s way of expressing his attitude towards the two empires.

And as they spoke, Lu Yuan was already dragging his Cyan Dragon Crescent Saber onto the arena below.