Chapter 300: Martial Competition Rules

On this day, Lu Bai rose early and got himself ready.

The previous night, a Palace Maid had delivered him a complete white Martial Arts Uniform. It was tailored from snow-white satin, featuring narrow sleeves, a cinched waist, and a hem that stopped short of the knees. It had no extra adornments, only subtle cloud-and-water patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs.

The fabric was neither silk nor cotton. It was cool to the touch, and a slash from a blade would only leave a faint mark.

Lu Bai had a tall, imposing frame, and the uniform was a perfect fit, clearly custom-tailored for him. Its quality was so high it could even be considered a Tier Three Upper Grade Treasure Artifact.

"A fine item."

Lu Bai had slept in these clothes the previous night.

After all, he didn’t own any Tier Three Treasure Artifacts yet.

The Cyan Cloud Sword was a Supreme Divine Weapon, but it was only Tier Two.

With his current financial resources, he could afford some materials for forging a Tier Three Treasure Artifact and use them to upgrade the Cyan Cloud Sword’s grade.

But forget the Wu Dynasty—even across the entire Celestial Divine Land, he probably couldn’t find a single Artifact Refiner confident enough to forge the Cyan Cloud Sword into a Tier Three Supreme-quality weapon.

If its tier was raised to Three but its grade dropped to Upper Grade, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Only Top Grade would be a significant improvement.

But in reality, the chances of forging a Top Grade Treasure Artifact were already very low, let alone one of Supreme quality.

Besides, the martial arts discussion was imminent, and there wasn’t enough time anyway.

Still, it was a Tier Two Supreme-quality weapon, and its Blood Prohibition had been forged using the blood of various Exotic Beasts. It was more than serviceable.

Lu Bai finished dressing and had just eaten his morning meal when he heard Mo Tang’s voice from outside.

Upon entering Qingxin Garden and seeing the neatly dressed Lu Bai, Mo Tang’s eyes lit up in admiration.

Clothes make the man.

Lu Bai had fair skin, well-defined features, and a chiseled face. Paired with the custom-tailored Martial Arts Uniform, he looked full of vigor. Combined with his tall and powerful frame, he was extremely intimidating!

"Not bad."

Mo Tang praised him with a smile.

Lu Bai’s gaze swept over her. Mo Tang was still wearing her Morning Attire, but now a token was hanging from her waist.

The token’s design and material were the same as his own.

Lu Bai was a little surprised. "Ma’am, you’re participating in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion as well?"

"Why? Is there a rule against it?"

Mo Tang rolled her eyes at Lu Bai.

"That’s not it."

Lu Bai explained, "I just thought that since you’ve reached Golden Core Realm Perfection, Ma’am, you must be at least two or three hundred years old. I didn’t expect you to be so young."

There was an age limit for Martial Artists participating in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion; they couldn’t be over one hundred years old.

Lu Bai took a closer look. The number on the back of the token at Mo Tang’s waist was seven.

"Such a high rank!"

Lu Bai said admiringly, "That’s impressive, Ma’am."

The number on the martial discussion token represented the combat power assessment of the participating Martial Artists, as judged by the several Dukes and King Wu.

First, combat power was estimated based on one’s Cultivation Realm.

If a participant had any famous battles to their name, they received a combat power bonus, and their rank would increase.

For Mo Tang to be ranked seventh showed how widely her strength was recognized.

"Let’s go. On the way, I’ll tell you about the rules for this Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion and the opponents you should pay close attention to."

Mo Tang called out.

The two of them walked through the palace unimpeded, encountering no obstructions.

After leaving the Royal Palace, the clamor of the Capital City was palpable.

The Capital City of the Wu Dynasty had never been so lively.

The sky was just beginning to lighten at dawn, but both sides of Vermilion Bird Avenue were already packed shoulder to shoulder.

"The strength of the top ten Martial Artists can be roughly divided into three tiers."

Mo Tang said, "Although I’m ranked seventh, my Blood Qi is only eight feet, so I can only be placed in the third tier."

Lu Bai said, "You’re so young, Ma’am. With your talent, it won’t be difficult to cultivate your Blood Qi to nine feet given time."

He wasn’t just flattering her.

For a True Master of the Martial Dao to cultivate eight feet of Blood Qi was already a sign of extraordinary talent.

Moreover, Mo Tang was so young and had a boundless future.

"But the discussion is imminent, so there’s no time for that now."

Mo Tang shook her head slightly.

Lu Bai asked, "Who’s in the first tier?"

Mo Tang said, "Shi Ang from Shi Country and Mo Yuanting from Mo Country."

Lu Bai asked, "I heard Shi Ang has cultivated a Golden Core Phenomenon. For Mo Yuanting to be ranked alongside him, has he cultivated one as well?"

"I’m not sure about that."

Mo Tang said, "However, Mo Country excels at the art of mechanisms, and Mo Yuanting is hailed as the First True Master of Mo Country. There must be a reason for his reputation, which is why he’s been placed in the first tier."

At this, Mo Tang paused slightly before adding, "I’ve met this Mo Yuanting before, back when I was in Mo Country. His Martial Dao talent wasn’t that strong. It’s a bit strange that he’s managed to reach his current level of cultivation. You should be careful of him."

Lu Bai nodded.

Mo Tang was originally from Mo Country, having fled to the Wu Country as a refugee.

Mo Tang continued, "Besides those two, you should also pay attention to all the Martial Artists in the top twelve. It’s related to the rules of this Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion."

Lu Bai asked, "How so?"

Mo Tang said, "According to the count, there are about twelve hundred Martial Artists in this discussion, divided into twelve groups of one hundred. In the first round, one group will compete each day until a single winner is decided for that group. After a three-day rest, the second round of duels will begin, where the twelve winners will fight to determine the final champion and rankings."

Lu Bai nodded.

With so many people participating in the discussion, it would be impossible to determine a winner in a single day.

With one hundred people per group fighting in pairs, and including time for breaks, deciding a single winner in one day meant the schedule was already very tight.

"The top twelve Martial Artists have been seeded into the twelve groups, one in each, to prevent them from facing each other in the first round and being eliminated early."

Mo Tang said, "Since the Wu Dynasty is the host, after all, we can’t overtly cheat, but we have made some... adjustments to the rankings and the schedule."

At this, Mo Tang gave Lu Bai a wry smile. "Her Highness seems to think quite highly of you. She specifically placed you in the twelfth group, so you’ll compete on the twelfth day."

Lu Bai asked, "So you’re saying the strongest Martial Artist in my group is the one ranked twelfth?"

"Correct. This way, your group is relatively weaker, giving you a better chance of reaching the second round."

Mo Tang continued, "There’s another, deeper meaning to Her Highness’s arrangement. Since you’re competing on the last day, you can watch the fights of the first eleven groups. You’ll be able to know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll also have over ten days to cultivate and prepare strategies.

If you really do make it to the second round and face Mo Yuanting, you’ll at least be prepared and won’t suffer too humiliating a defeat."

"What’s our Monarch’s name?"

Lu Bai asked suddenly.

The matter had been weighing on his mind, and he felt a persistent unease.

Mo Tang frowned slightly.

The question was abrupt and even bordered on offending the Monarch. Such a thing wasn’t something one could casually ask.

But since it was Lu Bai asking, she figured it was likely unintentional.

After a moment’s hesitation, Mo Tang glanced around before whispering, "Qin Shiyue."

"Ah Yue?"

Lu Bai’s heart trembled as he murmured the name aloud.

’I’m screwed.’

’It really is King Wu.’

Lu Bai’s face turned pale.

Beside him, Mo Tang was even more frightened. She trembled all over, her face even paler than his, and stared fixedly at Lu Bai. Through clenched teeth, she said, "Lu Bai, are you insane?! If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!"

’Ah Yue? Who does he think he’s getting chummy with? Is that a name he can just say? So disrespectful! He has no regard for status!’

Lu Bai gave an embarrassed smile, feeling his confidence wither. He didn’t dare to talk back.

"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that this time."

Mo Tang lowered her voice and said fiercely, "You’d better get a grip. If anyone else heard you shouting such nonsense, you would have lost your head. Understand?!"

"Yes, yes..."

Lu Bai nodded obediently.