Chapter 363: Firelight in the Night

"I have no need for a man!" Bai Han said coldly.

"Sigh, forget it. There's no getting through to you. Let's drop it," Chu Feng said with a sigh of resignation.

'Although the two of them look somewhat different, their personalities are practically identical. Their obsession with the Martial Dao is bone-deep.'

'On the surface, they're capable of conversation, but deep down, they're both ice-cold—especially their hearts.'

'It's how the Celestial Sword Sect Leader raised them. It's a completely twisted, pathological way to be.'

Chu Feng couldn't say much about it. After all, to each their own; everyone makes different choices.

And everyone walks a different path.

Just then, a man burst out from the crowd outside the canyon.

Sobbing, he ran straight to the cultivator who had just died, cradling the body in his arms and weeping uncontrollably.

The surrounding crowd grew larger. Seeing this, everyone began to worry about the safety of the disciples from their own families and Sects.

After all, this was a real, life-or-death battle. The slightest mistake could be fatal.

"If he's dead, then get lost! What's the point of all this sniveling?" someone, fed up with the sight, barked.

"What did you say?!" the grieving man snapped, his eyes red as he glared at the one who had made the callous remark.

"What did I say? I'm talking about you. Your family's disciple was completely useless. He got cut down the moment he went in, and you have the nerve to cry about it? If that were me, I'd be too ashamed to shed a tear!" the man said arrogantly.

He bristled with anger as he spoke, his face a mask of aggression.

Such is the way of the Martial Dao. The only reason they weren't fighting was because private duels were forbidden during the Martial Arts Grand Ceremony, on pain of severe punishment.

On any other day, the two would have already come to blows.

In the blink of an eye, the first day was over. In that time alone, twenty or thirty corpses had been carried out.

Furthermore, over two hundred other cultivators had voluntarily withdrawn from the selection tournament.

Most of them were weaker, with little confidence they could seize any points—and even less that they could hold on to them until the end.

Every extra day they spent here meant another day of danger.

Thus, many gave their points to the strongest members of their Sect, while the weaker ones all withdrew.

In reality, this strategy was futile.

Even with this boost, there were still four days left. Too much could change in that time for anyone's survival to be guaranteed.

Night fell. Outside the Grand Canyon, the area was brightly lit.

Inside the Grand Canyon, however, it was pitch-black. No one dared light a fire.

To do so would be to instantly give away your position, which would be incredibly dangerous.

However, the nights in the Grand Canyon were frigid. Especially after midnight, the howling wind felt like a razor slicing across the skin.

Eventually, some could no longer bear the cold and began lighting fires.

It wasn't just one or two; soon, many people were starting fires.

Lighting a fire now completely exposed their positions, but some were supremely confident, unworried about anyone coming for them.

Before long, the sounds of fighting, punctuated by screams, erupted from the various campfires.

It was anyone's guess what was happening.

Some of the more insidious ones deliberately used a fire to lure others in, setting a trap.

At night, people struck with greater ferocity; after all, no one could see them clearly.

With no fear of being recognized, their methods became exceptionally ruthless.

It was normal for a few dozen people to die in a single night.

At that moment, Li Zhengyi was hiding behind a large rock, staring at a campfire not far in the distance.

In the firelight, he could see more than thirty people gathered together. They were obviously disciples from one of the Major Sects; there were so many of them.

Li Zhengyi already had three Scoreboards on him. All he had to do now was survive the remaining four days.

For someone of his strength, snatching a few Scoreboards had been easy.

Li Zhengyi was surely not the only one nearby. He guessed many others were lurking in the shadows, watching the group as well.

The men who dared to light a fire clearly had some skill. They were all large and powerfully built, each with a Heavy Saber resting beside them. They ate meat and warmed themselves by the fire with an air of extreme confidence.

"Boss, I wonder how many people will try to make a move on us tonight," one of the burly men said with a laugh as he ate, seeming fully aware of their surroundings.

This particular Sect was considered a Major Sect in the world of the Martial Dao.

It was called the Heavy Saber Sect. All its disciples used Heavy Sabers, were powerfully built, and each wielded a blade that weighed at least fifty or sixty pounds.

A single slash from one of their blades was often enough to shatter an opponent's bones.