After much deliberation, Wang Mo still didn't know how to respond. But seeing the conflicted look on Mu Gu Tian's face, he knew exactly what the man was thinking. He traced the character for "Chen" on the back of Mu Gu Tian's hand, then "Li," and finally, the character for "death." To emphasize his point, he lightly drew a finger across his own throat.
"Are you saying..." Mu Gu Tian was startled.
"Hey! Are you going to agree or not?" Wang Mo quickly interrupted, seeing that Mu Gu Tian was about to blurt it out.
Mu Gu Tian glanced at the other two family heads. Seeing that they were just looking down at the arena, he said, "Well, I have to go back and ask them. Even though they're my grandsons, I can't just arrange this on my own without consulting them. Besides, your granddaughter hasn't said which one she likes."
Wang Mo chuckled. "That's easy to solve. After the clan competition today, I'll bring Yan'Er to your residence. We'll let the children meet, and we'll arrange the engagement for whichever one she takes a liking to."
"Fine, let's do that. The clan competition is about to start anyway, let's watch." Mu Gu Tian felt that since the other party had made the offer so directly, refusing would be a loss of face. 'This will also be a good opportunity to discuss today's other matter.'
Just then, three people walked in from outside the plaza. Mu Chen followed them with his gaze and realized they were the same three people he had run into two days ago after leaving the blacksmith's shop. Their attire was unchanged, but the young man, Tang Hao, and the other old man had expressions of even greater arrogance.
Fengze was already waiting at the entrance to the plaza. Seeing the three approach, Fengze quickly cupped his fist and said, "Welcome, all three of you."
The black-robed old man waved his hand dismissively without a word. The three of them walked straight toward the three highest seats on their own. Seeing their attitude, Fengze didn't get angry; his expression remained perfectly normal. At this point, people in the crowd below started to whisper.
"Who are those three? So arrogant."
"Seriously. But that woman is gorgeous."
"You're right. We don't have any woman that beautiful in all of Luofeng City."
"I heard the Imperial Academy was coming today. Judging by their air, could they be the recruitment team from Xuanling Imperial Academy?"
Mu Chen nodded to himself. 'No wonder I saw the character 'Xuan' on their cuffs. So they're the recruitment team from the Xuanling Imperial Academy.'
While the crowd was murmuring, the three quickly arrived at their seats. After the old man sat down, Yan Ruoshui and Tang Hao followed suit. The old man nodded at Fengze, who then announced, "We may begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, an old man in a white robe suddenly appeared in the center of the arena. He raised one hand, palm forward, and boomed, "Silence, please!"
The old man's voice was exceptionally resonant, instantly spreading across the entire plaza. Upon hearing it, the members of the various families who had been chatting around the plaza ceased their conversations and all turned their eyes toward him.
The old man swept his gaze across the entire venue. Seeing that everyone had quieted down, he nodded in satisfaction and said nonchalantly, "I believe more than half of you here already know me. That's right, this year's competition between the four great families of Luofeng City will once again be hosted by me, Yan."
At this point, the old man who called himself Elder Yan paused before continuing, "Although you all know the rules, we still have to go through the formalities. The competition between the four great families is a king-of-the-hill style tournament. One family will send out a member to defend the arena, while the other families will send Attackers. The Attackers must be disciples from the other families. If the defender succeeds, they will face the next Attacker. Conversely, if an Attacker succeeds, they become the new defender, and the others, including those who previously failed to attack, will challenge them. The final judgment will be based on the number of successful defenses. I'm sure you all already know what kind of rewards await the outstanding participants after this competition. Alright, the rules are simple enough. Let's get straight to it. Which family will send out the first defender?"
"I'll go."
As soon as Elder Yan's voice fell, a calm voice came from the Chen Family's rest area. A figure in black then leaped out from the area, bounding onto the arena stage in just a few steps. When the members of the other families saw the black-clad figure's appearance, they all cried out in surprise.
"Isn't that Chen Qing from the Chen Family? I heard he reached the Peak of Eight-Ring Martial Disciple half a year ago," said a disciple from the Li Family.
"With that kind of talent, half a year has passed. Chen Qing must have reached Ninth-Ring Martial Disciple by now," said another Li Family disciple.
"Tch, what's so great about that? Just watch, our Young Master will make sure he leaves the stage on his back," a Wang Family disciple retorted.
"Hmph, you're all talk." The Li Family disciple shot the speaker from the Wang Family a disdainful glance before turning his eyes back to the arena.
Mu Chen glanced at the man called Chen Qing and made a rough assessment. He was about fifteen years old, with a slender build, already close to 1.7 meters tall. His expression was sharp, and his eyes held a hint of cold light. A confident smile played on his lips as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly gazing forward. An air of superiority naturally emanated from him.
"Good. The defender is Chen Qing of the Chen Family. Attacker, please enter the arena," Elder Yan said with a slight smile, making an inviting gesture.
"I'll go first." Just then, an average-looking young man leaped out from the Wang Family's rest area. He cupped his fist and said, "Wang Family, Wang Ran."
Chen Qing returned the gesture. "Chen Family, Chen Qing."
It was customary in martial competitions to first announce one's family and name. After they finished, both sides took their positions. Elder Yan glanced from one to the other and shouted, "Begin!"
THUD!
The moment Elder Yan's voice fell, the young man named Wang Ran was sent flying backward like a cannonball, landing outside the arena.
The crowd's excitement hadn't even been ignited yet. Some people hadn't even shouted a slogan before the match was already over.
"That... was too fast," everyone exclaimed in shock.
Indeed, it was far too fast. Chen Qing had flashed from his original position to where Wang Ran had just been standing, his elbow still extended in a forward strike. Seeing that Wang Ran had landed, Chen Qing retracted his arm, cupped his fist, and said, "I was fortunate."
The Wang Family disciple, Wang Ran, staggered a few steps, clutched his chest, and spat out a mouthful of blood. He gave Chen Qing a resentful look before slowly walking back to the rest area.
"CHEN QING! CHEN QING! CHEN QING!..."
Seeing their family's genius, Chen Qing, instantly defeat his opponent with lightning speed, the disciples from the Chen Family erupted in excitement, loudly chanting his name.
Elder Yan also recovered from his shock at that moment and immediately announced the verdict: "The winner is Chen Qing of the Chen Family."
Seated above, Tang Hao and Yan Ruoshui both nodded to themselves. The old man also said nonchalantly, "Peak of Nine-Ring Martial Disciple, just a step away from becoming a Martial Artist. Fifteen years old, excellent talent. In battle, he's fast, precise, and ruthless. This child isn't bad. Let's observe him a little more."
Yan Ruoshui nodded, but Tang Hao seemed unimpressed.
"Hehe, that boy Qing'Er is still not low-key enough," Chen Wenfu said from beside Mu Gu Tian. Although his words seemed to be chiding Chen Qing, his face was filled with a satisfied expression.
Li Zongtang laughed. "You should be content. In any case, I'm very satisfied with my future son-in-law."
The two of them completely ignored Mu Gu Tian and Wang Mo, speaking as if they were the only ones there.
The expressions of both Mu Gu Tian and Wang Mo grew heavier. The moment Chen Qing had exploded into motion, they had clearly identified his rank: Peak of Nine-Ring Martial Disciple. The highest-ranked disciple in the Mu Family was only Mu Xiaotian, who was currently a Ninth-Ring Martial Disciple. As for the Wang Family, Wang Xihai was also merely a Ninth-Ring Martial Disciple.
Mu Gu Tian gave a bitter smile. He had originally thought they could gain some prestige this time, but who would have known the Chen Family would produce another genius like Chen Qing.
"Next." Chen Qing returned to his spot, once again standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Wang Family, Wang Dong. Please enlighten me."
Following Wang Ran's defeat, the Wang Family sent up another ordinary-looking young man. He took his position on stage, and Elder Yan calmly announced, "The match begins."
This time, since everyone was prepared, they could all see Chen Qing's movements clearly. With a stomp of his foot, Chen Qing's figure twisted and appeared beside Wang Dong. He swung his right arm, smashing it rapidly toward Wang Dong's left ribs.
The blow was both fast and vicious. Although Wang Dong was prepared to defend, he was still flustered by the direct confrontation. Seeing Wang Dong about to dodge, Chen Qing's lips curled up. He instantly retracted his striking right arm, sidestepped to land on Wang Dong's intended foothold, and threw a punch.
BAM!
CRACK!
It was the sound of a bone breaking. Wang Dong had no idea Chen Qing would see through his movement and arrive at his landing spot a step ahead of him. In his panic, Wang Dong didn't focus on defending against Chen Qing's attack at all. With his muscles completely relaxed, a punch that would have normally only caused a minor injury now shattered one of his bones.
AHH!
With a miserable cry, Wang Dong clutched his chest, his face pale as he collapsed weakly to the ground, his breathing ragged.
Elder Yan's brow furrowed. He waved a hand and ordered, "Someone, take him away and give him a Bone Healing Pill."
When the crowd heard "Bone Healing Pill," they couldn't help but marvel at the generosity of the Lord of Luofeng City. That was a Second Grade Elixir! When consumed, it could rapidly heal broken bones. It was one of the most coveted elixirs for anyone below the rank of Martial Master, and even Martial Masters treated it as a treasure. To think that one would be handed out so casually in this clan competition. Everyone sighed in amazement.
"Tch. To think they'd call a trashy little pill like that a treasure."
Mu Chen, who had been listening to the crowd's discussion, suddenly found the voice familiar. He turned his head, looked, and exclaimed in shock, "Holy shit, how did you get out?"
After speaking, Mu Chen quickly looked left and right. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "I say, Master, can you not always do such nerve-wracking things? Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
The Profound Old Ghost's thin lips curled. "Relax. This body is formed from Primordial Qi. With the cultivation levels of the people here, there's no way they can see me. However, I can't maintain this state for too long."
Mu Chen threw up his hands. "Fine. Then why did you come out?"
"To get some fresh air."
Mu Chen was speechless. At the same time, on the arena stage, Chen Qing had already swiftly knocked out the third disciple from the Wang Family. The faces of everyone from the Wang Family were grim. After all, having three of their own defeated single-handedly by one person would be a disgrace to anyone.
"I'll go." The speaker was the young man in white from the Wang Family. He wasn't exceptionally handsome, but he possessed a scholarly and refined air. This was the Wang Family's Young Master, Wang Xihai. Mu Chen's gaze fell upon Wang Xihai. Since the Mu Family and Wang Family were seated together, and Mu Chen was on the edge near the Wang Family's area, he could easily see Wang Xihai in their rest area. He recognized him. Two years ago, it was this very young man who had saved him in the markets of Luofeng City.
"Brother, let me go first instead."
Mu Chen followed the voice and a fiery red figure appeared in his line of sight. It was a tall young woman. He saw her pulling on Wang Xihai's sleeve, speaking in a gentle voice.
Although the young woman had her back to him and he couldn't see her face, just from her silhouette, he could tell that she was definitely not unattractive. For some reason, when Mu Chen looked at her, he sensed a quiet and serene aura about her.