Chapter 444 - 419: You Cannot Escape the Palm of My Hand

When the referee announced Zhaang Ye’s victory, the crowd felt as if they were witnessing the rise of a young expert. Some spectators quickly cast aside their prejudices against Zhaang Ye and began to cheer for his victory.

One of the five super experts, Sword King Ye Cangtian, stared at Zhaang Ye on the stage, smiled slightly, and said, "Interesting, interesting! To think that a place like the Land of Divine Abandonment could produce such an expert! With his strength, Zhaang Ye could rank within the top thirty even among these five thousand-plus geniuses."

Spear King Fengyun Sheng nodded in agreement and said, "Xingxing’Er is as fast as lightning, so defeating him isn’t too difficult. But capturing him alive requires extremely formidable methods. The fact that Zhaang Ye could capture Xingxing’Er alive proves his strength is quite good. He can indeed rank within the top thirty."

At this moment, Red Cliff Celestial Ape said gloomily, "This Zhaang Ye actually grabbed my junior brother by the neck. Once we enter the point-based matches, I, Red Cliff Celestial Ape, will definitely grab him by the neck and lift him up like a dead dog."

While the few super experts were discussing Zhaang Ye, the super geniuses of the Younger Generation—Lie Xuefeng of Eastern Snow Sand City, Luo Fusheng of Southern Black Stone City, Bizhi Orchid of Western Star-picking City, and Blood Chongyang and Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining of Northern Qu Mountain City—were also discussing Zhaang Ye. The three Sect Elders, who had been sitting motionlessly, were also discussing him in secret.

Eighth Elder Chi Haisheng smiled faintly and said, "This Zhaang Ye’s strength is impressive. You old coots, we all misjudged him. His combat prowess has far exceeded our expectations!"

Ninth Elder Deng Jian Gong chuckled and said, "So what if we misjudged? Having another genius expert emerge is a good thing for our Sect. I’m rather curious to see how far he can go."

...

Zhaang Ye returned to his seat and continued watching the battles. The subsequent fights were also extremely exciting, and Zhaang Ye quickly took note of more than ten powerful experts, such as Huaa Jianxiong, Ancient Wilderness, and Sword Eternal.

After defeating her opponent, one of them, a young woman in white named Baili Shuangshuang who wielded a long sword, slowly walked past Zhaang Ye and said in a cold voice, "Zhaang Ye, when the point-based matches start, you’d better hope you don’t run into me! If I do face you, I will repay you double for the humiliation my older brother suffered!"

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. He asked, "You’re Baili Shuangyi’s younger sister?"

Baili Shuangshuang didn’t answer and simply walked away.

Zhaang Ye shook his head, not bothering to dwell on it, and continued to watch the battles. Everyone who had made it to the third round was a powerful and exceptionally talented young expert. All of them possessed the combat prowess to defeat those of higher cultivation levels, and their fighting techniques left even Zhaang Ye secretly amazed.

As evening fell, the third elimination round finally concluded. The three Elders flew into the sky, and the Seventh Elder slowly announced, "Very good. The elimination rounds have proceeded very smoothly. Now that the three rounds are over, we have eliminated a total of 4,689 disciples, leaving only 670."

"After three rounds of elimination, you 670 who remain are the elite of the elite, the geniuses among geniuses. Tomorrow, you will return to the valley to compete in the point-based matches alongside the fifty seeded contestants. We will use these matches to eliminate another 420 people and select the top 300 elites!"

The Eighth Elder then spoke: "Disciples who have passed the elimination rounds may return and prepare for tomorrow’s battles. For the disciples who were defeated, you have two choices. The first is to return home; we will give you ten Essence Stones as thanks for participating in the entrance tournament. The second choice is to follow the Sect’s arrangements and be assigned to one of our various branch headquarters."

The night passed without incident.

The next day, the point-based matches officially began.

Ninth Elder Deng Jian Gong of the Green Cloud Sect was the first to announce the rules: "After three elimination rounds, a total of 670 disciples remain. These 670 disciples, along with the 50 seeded contestants, will compete in a group stage for points. This means that a total of 720 disciples will be participating in the group stage."

"The 720 contestants will be divided into thirty groups to battle, with twenty-four people in each group. This means that over the coming period, every contestant must fight twenty-three matches. A win earns three points, a draw earns one point, and a loss earns zero points. After the group stage matches are complete, contestants will be ranked within their groups based on their points. The top ten from each group will be qualified to advance. In other words, across all thirty groups, a total of three hundred contestants will advance."

Hearing the rules read by the Ninth Elder, a grave expression appeared on the faces of the geniuses. Anyone who could win three consecutive matches in the elimination rounds to enter the group stage was an absolute master among masters; none of them were simple opponents. Fighting twenty-three consecutive matches against such experts, let alone winning them, would be no easy task.

However, everyone standing here was a battle-hardened veteran. The greater the perceived difficulty, the more excited the geniuses became. Some of the more belligerent ones were already faintly emitting killing intent, eager to find someone to fight right away.

The group assignments began soon after. A line of small text appeared on Zhaang Ye’s Identity Recognition Jade Token: "Group Twenty-Five."

On the front of the token, below that line of text, Zhaang Ye saw twenty-three names—these were his opponents in the group stage. He studied the list closely and discovered that two of the top-ten seeded contestants, Red Cliff Celestial Ape and Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, were on it. There were also two powerful, unseeded contestants: Baili Shuangshuang and Ba Changming.

Zhaang Ye had just looked up when he immediately met Baili Shuangshuang’s icy gaze. Besides Baili Shuangshuang, Red Cliff Celestial Ape, Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining, and Ba Changming were also sizing him up. Their gazes were all filled with rich battle intent, showing not the slightest fear of Zhaang Ye.

Once the groups were assigned, the Eighth Elder slowly announced, "Because there are a large number of matches, we have temporarily added ten more arenas. Each group will occupy two arenas for their battles. Remember, the point-based matches test not only your combat prowess but also your endurance. The one who can laugh last is the true victor!"

With a grand wave of the Eighth Elder’s hand, the point-based matches officially began.

The first match in Zhaang Ye’s group was Red Cliff Celestial Ape versus Zi Wuming. This young expert named Zi Wuming had already cultivated his Innate True Qi to eighty-eight percent. Just by standing casually on the stage, he exuded a heavy aura, like a massive, unshakeable mountain that feared no wind or rain.

Zi Wuming was a rare genius in his own right. Even with one of the five super experts, Red Cliff Celestial Ape, as his opponent, he showed no fear, merely staring coldly at him.

Red Cliff Celestial Ape was shrouded in a hazy layer of Water Qi, making it impossible for people to see his true face. His cultivation was already infinitely close to the True Dao. The moment he stood there, he projected an irresistible momentum. The spectators below the stage felt Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s powerful aura and immediately began to cry out in unison.

"Red Cliff Celestial Ape!"

"Red Cliff Celestial Ape! Invincible!!"

"Red Cliff Celestial Ape! Boundless strength, unmatched by any!"

People have always admired the strong. Red Cliff Celestial Ape was one of the supreme experts of the Younger Generation, his strength infinitely close to that of a True Dao Expert. By simply standing there, he earned the cheers of countless spectators. The continuous roar shook the valley, and the atmosphere grew incredibly intense.

The referee appeared on the stage, instructed Red Cliff Celestial Ape and Zi Wuming to take their positions, and then shouted, "Begin!"

Before the referee’s voice had even faded, Zi Wuming struck. With a tremble of the long sword in his hand, three hundred-zhang-long purple Sword Gangs tore through the air, flying toward Red Cliff Celestial Ape!

Almost every Half-Step True Dao Expert could emit Gang Qi. However, to emit Gang Qi that stretched for a hundred zhang, or even a thousand, one had to cultivate painstakingly, making their techniques more condensed and their Innate True Qi more profound. Zi Wuming’s Innate True Qi was already approaching eighty-eight percent, allowing him to casually unleash a Sword Gang several hundred zhang long!

SWOOSH!

Just as the Sword Gang was about to strike Red Cliff Celestial Ape, his body suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already just three zhang away from Zi Wuming!

’What a terrifying Body Technique!’ Zi Wuming was shocked. The long sword in his hand suddenly slashed horizontally, sending three vast purple Sword Gangs sweeping straight toward Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s waist.

"Hmph!"

Red Cliff Celestial Ape snorted coldly. He extended a long finger and flicked it gently.

TING! TING! TING!

With three crisp, loud sounds, before the disbelieving eyes of Zi Wuming and the crowd, the Sword Gangs Zi Wuming had unleashed were actually shattered by a single finger from Red Cliff Celestial Ape!

’What a terrifying person!’

Zi Wuming’s expression finally changed. The long sword in his hand frantically swept out, creating streams of Sword Gangs, while his body moved with a profound Footwork Technique, preparing to put distance between himself and Red Cliff Celestial Ape. But he had only taken a single step when he felt a shadow suddenly tear through the Sword Gangs and appear right in front of him!

Red Cliff Celestial Ape!

Zi Wuming was horrified. His Innate True Qi surged out madly as he prepared to fight Red Cliff Celestial Ape with his life on the line. At that moment, Red Cliff Celestial Ape finally made his move. He flicked his finger gently three times.

TING! TING! TING!

With three soft chimes, the long sword in Zi Wuming’s hand instantly broke into four pieces. As if struck by a giant boulder, Zi Wuming was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his mouth. He could no longer get up.

"Amazing!"

It takes a while to describe Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s victory over Zi Wuming, but it all happened in the blink of an eye. Seeing Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s formidable performance, the audience erupted in cheers.

The four super experts from the top ten—King of Hell, Mo Luo; Sword King Ye Cangtian; Blood King Netherworld Green Blood; and Spear King Fengyun Sheng—as well as the five other top-tier experts—Lie Xuefeng, Luo Fusheng, Bizhi Orchid, Blood Chongyang, and Clouds Parting and the Sun Shining—all showed grave expressions upon witnessing Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s powerful display.

Red Cliff Celestial Ape’s gaze slowly settled on Zhaang Ye. He said in a low, heavy voice, "Zhaang Ye, it will be our turn to fight soon. You won’t escape my grasp!"

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Hehe, second Chapter of the day.

————————(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)