Chapter 83: You're Right, But I Concede

"Yes, what a coincidence." Ruan Xing stared at him with dead fish eyes, expressionless. "Sometimes, too many coincidences aren't coincidences at all. Xie Huai, are you pulling strings behind the scenes?"

Xie Huai gave a rather helpless laugh. "You're overthinking it. How could I have such great ability?"

The more he said this, the more suspicious Ruan Xing found him.

With a huff, Ruan Xing turned and walked away with a flourish.

Whether intentional or accidental, Xie Huai was certainly happy to see that he had encountered her in the first round. Even if he couldn't kill her, being able to beat her up openly and reasonably was something that would make anyone happy.

But Ruan Xing would absolutely not let Xie Huai get his way.

The preliminary trials lasted for three days in total, and each person only needed to compete in one match per day. The several arenas in the plaza could support multiple matches starting simultaneously. It is worth mentioning that because the total number of participating Cultivators was odd, there would be one lucky person every day who would receive a bye and win automatically.

Watching a Foundation Establishment Early-stage Cultivator excitedly face his lonely name on the water screen, he rejoiced: "I got a bye! I won!"

Ruan Xing's jealousy was almost becoming tangible, and she said sourly: "Good luck only favors fools."

No one paid close attention to her vague muttering; everyone in front of the water screens was focused on their own first-round opponents. If they were familiar with them, they began thinking of countermeasures; if they were unfamiliar, they went to inquire about their opponent's cultivation level and their specialty weapons or Magic Art.

The crowd in front of the water screens in the plaza did not disperse until late at night. Ruan Xing did not know if others were too restless to meditate and rest tonight, but she herself slept quite soundly.

Waking up early the next morning, when Ruan Xing arrived at the plaza, quite a few people had already gathered by the arenas. Her match with Xie Huai was the first one.

Ruan Xing stood at the edge of Arena No. 1, but since the Elder and the referee had not yet taken their positions and the Isolation Array on the arena had not been activated, she had to wait patiently for a while.

After a moment, a long, resonant bell toll was heard from afar.

Clang—

After the three tolls, muffled drumbeats came from an unknown source. As the sound gradually faded, two Elders and five referees arrived right on time, stepping on their Flying Swords.

After all, it was a grand event held once every ten years, so the three bell tolls provided enough prestige.

One of the two arriving Elders was Elder Xu, whom Ruan Xing had seen before. He wore a jade crown and a Daoist robe; his slightly dark face held a touch of gentleness amidst its sternness, and the corners of his eyes, marked with fine lines, curved downward slightly.

The other was an old man with white hair and a white beard who looked somewhat unkempt, with his belt tied loosely around his waist and a lazy, half-lidded expression.

As for the several referees, they were all Foundation Establishment Late Stage disciples, and a few were even direct disciples; Ruan Xing had never seen any of them and they were very unfamiliar.

Ruan Xing shrugged, nudged a fellow disciple standing nearby who was looking up, and asked in a low voice: "That old man with the white beard, which Elder is he?"

The disciple, unfazed, introduced him: "That is Elder Wen. He rarely manages Sect affairs and has always been cultivating in seclusion in the back mountains of Elder Peak, so we almost never see him."

Ruan Xing said "Oh."

She saw Elder Xu standing in mid-air, his voice booming across the plaza as he spoke a few perfunctory words before announcing the start of the matches. He and Elder Wen then sat down one after another on Crystal Chairs in mid-air.

The several referees descended one after another, standing in the middle of each arena, and the plaza immediately became as active as flowing water.

The referee for Arena No. 1 looked somewhat cold and aloof. He stated the rules briefly and then said: "Will the two fellow disciples for the first match, Ruan Xing and Xie Huai, please take the stage."

As soon as the words fell, Xie Huai had already walked up and bowed to the referee.

It had to be said, it was quite bullying; this platform was 1.3 meters high, exactly level with Ruan Xing, blocking her completely.

It was fortunate that she had been in good health from practicing martial arts when she was a commoner, and she had grown taller from eating well; otherwise, if she were any shorter than the platform, wouldn't others use her head as a step?

"Excuse me." Ruan Xing pushed aside the fellow disciples crowding around, reached out to grab the edge of the platform, put strength into her feet, and jumped up. She let go, did a flip, stood firm, and cupped her hands in a salute to the referee.

A look of surprise appeared on the referee's indifferent face, but he said nothing. He retreated to the edge and said calmly: "The match begins."

Following his voice, a circular barrier rose out of thin air from beneath the floor of the entire platform, then rippled outward like water waves. The people below the stage, including the referee, all became shadowy and blurred, and even the noisy sounds seemed to drift far away.

It was just like diving underwater while swimming and opening one's eyes; no matter what the people on the shore said or did, it could neither be seen nor heard.

Originally, Ruan Xing had been puzzled, thinking that an arena was only about 10x10 in size, and by the standards of a Cultivator's destructive power, this space wouldn't be enough to perform. She hadn't expected that after the isolation barrier was deployed, the space inside would suddenly become much more spacious.

She guessed that this isolation and protection Formation was also integrated with the effects of a Spatial Array.

It was just that she didn't know if the people outside could hear what they said on the stage.

Thinking of this, Ruan Xing raised her hand to signal.

Xie Huai had just taken out an Array Disk and was stunned when he saw this.

The referee walked into the protective barrier. "What is it?"

"I concede!" Ruan Xing said clearly and righteously.

Xie Huai:? The referee:??

The disciples watching from below:??? All of them had heads full of question marks.

Ruan Xing spoke with a look of shame: "Perhaps everyone didn't notice just now, but as soon as the match started, Junior Brother Xie launched a Charm Technique at me. I was unprepared and actually fell for it; looking at his face, I was completely unable to summon any competitive spirit. Junior Brother Xie's move is brilliant; I have lost!"

Xie Huai's face immediately turned black.

The referee was speechless for a moment.

He was the referee, okay? Could they give the referee some face? Could he not know whether Xie Huai had activated a technique just now? This kind of situation hadn't happened before; usually, it was Clan disciples paying to bribe the other party, but at least they would fight a match, and the loss would be reasonable and logical. You didn't even act it out at all—isn't that a bit too much? Xie Huai couldn't help but say: "I didn't! She's spouting nonsense!"

"You're right." Ruan Xing's crisp, youthful voice carried an indescribable sorrow. "But I concede."

After a moment of silence, the referee finally announced: "Xie Huai, winner."

The protective barrier was withdrawn, and there was a chorus of boos from the disciples below.

They had originally wanted to see the first battle between these two Outer Sect geniuses, which was why Arena No. 1 was the most crowded; their match was the only one with anything worth watching today, and they hadn't expected it to end so inexplicably.

Thus, the disciples began to discuss it heatedly, and rumors flew. They were roughly divided into three categories.

Those who thought Ruan Xing was scared and didn't dare to fight, so she conceded: They felt that for a Foundation Establishment Mid-stage to not even dare to make a move against a Foundation Establishment Early-stage was too outrageous, but considering her age, it was possible; after all, she was still a child.

Those who thought Xie Huai had bribed Ruan Xing: Bribing even a child—is he that lacking in confidence? If he lacked confidence, why sign up for the Dao Discussion? He was probably just another spoiled brat from a hidden family, and his reputation as a genius was likely blown out of proportion. Maybe he didn't enter the Dao at thirteen at all, but was just fed Pills from the age of eight or nine? And he didn't even act it out—bad review!

Those who thought Ruan Xing was telling the truth and that Xie Huai really used a Charm Technique: No wonder he was so popular among the female disciples of the Outer Sect, to the point that his reputation had reached the Inner Sect. It turned out he cultivated such lewd and crooked side-door tricks; it was truly shameful for his fellow disciples and brought disgrace to the Sect! Growing a good face just to deceive female cultivators and children was truly excessive!

Among these three, the latter two were the mainstream. After all, Ruan Xing's breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage four months after entering the Inner Sect was a solid fact. If she were really like an ordinary child, afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, how could she have broken through so quickly? With her cultivation and strength, plus the bonus of her age and appearance, she wouldn't have surrendered the moment they met, let alone lied.

The disciples didn't hide it when they discussed, speaking quite loudly. Anyway, everyone was saying it, so what if one person said a few words? Besides, Xie Huai was just a Foundation Establishment Early-stage who had only recently entered the Inner Sect; what was there to be afraid of? Ruan Xing snickered inwardly while glancing sideways at Xie Huai, shooting him a smug little look.

Hmph, want to beat me up? Even if I can't beat you, I have to disgust you.

Xie Huai's face was already as black as the bottom of a pot, but he had no way to explain why Ruan Xing was messing with him like this, because he absolutely could not bring up the conflict between him and Ruan Xing!

He could only swallow this bitter pill.

Xie Huai left the stage dejectedly, and the referee prepared to call the people for the second match at Arena No. 1 to take the stage.

Ruan Xing kept a look of shame on her face as she walked through the crowd, and other disciples passing by cast sympathetic glances at her one after another.

A Cultivator with a somewhat familiar face suddenly came over, patted her shoulder, and said as if he felt the same: "Don't be discouraged, keep it up for the next two matches. If you really can't make it into the re-examination, you can resell those Second-grade Healing Pills you have left for personal use to me."

Ruan Xing identified him; he was a one-time trading partner she had once collaborated with, so she gave a perfunctory reply: "Next time for sure."

Just kidding, although there were many factors involved in her conceding the first match directly, she didn't intend to not make it into the re-examination, okay?

First of all, she couldn't beat Xie Huai, and Xie Huai definitely had to enter the Secret Realm; pushing him into a corner wouldn't do her any good. It was better to be like this—although she lost to him, she didn't get hurt, both of them were embarrassed, and Xie Huai was even more embarrassed than her! How could this not be considered another form of victory? Secondly, ever since she entered the Xuanbing Sect, she hadn't fought anyone, so even if her opponents went to the Outer Sect to inquire, they wouldn't be able to find out anything. After she conceded, she could completely create the impression for her opponents in the next two matches that she was very weak, not good at fighting, and only knew how to use Spiritual Power to suppress them. As long as they underestimated her, her chances of winning would increase by another point.

Finally, according to probability, two wins and one loss out of three matches would definitely get her into the top sixty. If the top twenty all had three wins, then the number of people with three losses would also increase, and with one win and two losses, she could still get into the top sixty based on the ranking of her cultivation level.

No need to worry at all, okay.

Xie Huai left the plaza in a huff, but Ruan Xing didn't intend to leave yet. She looked back and forth between the five arenas, not only to watch other people's matches to broaden her thinking and gain experience, but also to look for the two opponents she saw in the Simulation.

After two more matches passed, Ruan Xing finally saw the Body Cultivator on Arena No. 3 who matched the description of the Simulator.

"Good heavens..." Ruan Xing was dumbfounded. The Simulator was still being conservative; this Body Cultivator was at least two meters tall, the muscles on his body were bulging, looking sturdy just by sight. His pectorals were like Captain America's shield, and his biceps were bigger than her head.

No, everyone in the Xuanbing Sect has an immortal and graceful bearing, who recruited this Body Cultivator? This art style is completely out of place!

As it happens, the Body Cultivator's opponent was a female Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Early-stage. The female Cultivator had a petite and exquisite figure, forming a sharp contrast with the Body Cultivator. She used ribbons that fluttered with immortal energy, and after dodging several times, the ribbon finally hit the Body Cultivator and quickly wrapped around his ankle.

A good opportunity! A gleam of joy flashed in the female Cultivator's eyes as she jumped with all her might and pulled the ribbon in the opposite direction.

Under normal circumstances, the Body Cultivator should have lost his footing and fallen to the ground, and then she would have controlled the air superiority, not letting the opponent get up, and won after holding on for a while longer.

But the Body Cultivator didn't budge.

The female Cultivator looked stunned, and just as she wanted to retract the ribbon, she was violently pulled over by the force coming from the ribbon.

The ankle that the Body Cultivator had wrapped stepped back, he arched his back, and the white ribbon was grabbed by his hand, which was like a palm-leaf fan. With a forceful tug, he pulled the female Cultivator over, and then, without a shred of tenderness, he grabbed her arm like he was grabbing a chick, swung her in a circle, and threw her onto the ground.

*Thud* as she landed.

The female Cultivator let out a hair-raising scream, "My face!"

She had landed face-first.

The Body Cultivator was dazed for a moment, and seeing that the female Cultivator didn't get up for a long time, he looked at the referee, "I won."

The referee was also a female Cultivator. She couldn't bear to watch, so she opened the protective barrier to go in and help the female Cultivator up. Her forearm was twisted and was likely fractured, her face was covered in blood, and her other hand was clutching her chest. She was limp all over as she was helped down by the referee, and she herself took out a Healing Pill to eat with a painful expression.

Tsk, this Body Cultivator strikes quite ruthlessly. The female Cultivator got a fracture on the first day; if she didn't have a Second-grade Healing Pill, it would be difficult for her to get on stage for the next two days. The first person destined for three losses has already appeared.

The other Cultivators watching seemed to feel the same way, looking at the Body Cultivator with unkind expressions, and they denounced him one after another: "To strike so heavily against a fellow disciple, I'm afraid he intentionally wants to harm others so they can't participate in the next two matches!"

Even if one cannot obtain a ranking, being able to spar more with other fellow disciples is a gain.

Seeing that the Body Cultivator's behavior was about to arouse public anger, he turned a deaf ear and stepped off the stage in silence.

Ruan Xing looked away, unable to bear watching the female Cultivator's miserable state, and instead thought about how she should face her opponent tomorrow.

As for the Real-scene Simulation, she still had to wait until nightfall to start, because she didn't know which match of the day she and the Body Cultivator would be.

Except for the first match, the subsequent matches were not at fixed times; after the previous ones finished and the arena was tidied up, the next ones could continue.

Time passed bit by bit. The injured Cultivators were sitting in meditation in the corner of the plaza eating Healing Pills. Those who were popular had a circle of people around them cheering them on, and those who had won their first battle were also in high spirits, congratulating each other.

On the Crystal Chair in mid-air, Elder Xu sat upright with his eyes closed to rest, while Elder Wen was already lying in a disheveled heap; it was fortunate the chair was big enough, otherwise he would have been worried about falling off.

The first day ended in Consummation, without any situation requiring the two Elders to take charge.

After all, everyone was a fellow disciple, and it was just the preliminary round, so why use such deadly force? There was no need for it. Everyone had a sense of proportion in their strikes; at most, they would break an arm or a leg, and they would be fine after eating a few Healing Pills and resting for seven or eight days.

As the sun set, the pale golden characters on the water curtain hanging in mid-air were shuffled and reorganized. Ruan Xing quickly found her name, followed by three characters: Xiong Dacheng.

Tsk, a good name; it sounds strong and powerful just by hearing it.

After glancing at the others casually, Ruan Xing intended to return to her residence to perform the Simulation. The place where she lived was very close to the plaza, making it convenient to go back and forth. Suddenly, her gaze froze.

Behind Xie Huai's name, it was empty.

Ruan Xing was instantly so angry that she beat her chest and stamped her feet.

"Heavens! You are unfair! How did this bastard get a bye!!"

Thanks to Ji Shen Zhu Yi Lei Ji Xu Kun for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20221023004510870 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Qing Yu Yue for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20240620941117 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20200627121310166 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20200530093008398 for the monthly ticket~ (End of this chapter)