Chapter 236: Victory Without Battle?

Among the nine great arenas of the Former Sages Garden, the Cangwu Arena received the least attention.

Thus, few saw the people leaving there today, all looking dazed and hollow-eyed, and even fewer noticed the two who emerged and, after long hesitation, walked toward Taiping Garden with complex expressions.

Affairs of the Tian Dao Assembly have always been managed by the Si Xian Jian, and they reside within Taiping Garden, so much of the tournament's administration occurs there.

Not long after the two young men departed, rumors began to spread.

After each day's end of the Tian Dao Assembly, there is always some exchange— who won, who lost, who displayed unexpected techniques, who fell short of reputation— such scenes are common in the Former Sages Garden.

In fact, some immortal sects and noble families gather information on their rivals partly through these whispers.

But today's most discussed rumor was unusually peculiar, leaving people astonished.

Many who heard this news on their way back from the arena would stare in confusion, eyes widening slightly.

"Lou Wanpeng withdrew from the competition? Why?"

"We only heard this rumor; the exact reason is still unknown."

"Such a thing… where did you hear it?"

"Just now on the path, from someone who shares the same garden with the Lou family."

Lou Wanpeng's first opponent was a scion of the Zeng family from Lingzhou, named Zeng Hui; because they had fought, the Zeng family closely watched Lou Wanpeng.

People say literature has no first, martial arts have no second—winning is winning—so despite his defeat, the Zeng family actually accepted Lou Wanpeng's victory.

There can be no cheating in direct sword-to-sword combat; even a slight edge is still an edge.

Yet they never expected that just one day later, they heard Lou Wanpeng had withdrawn.

At this moment, the Zeng family patriarch shook his head, having analyzed it carefully and deemed it impossible.

The Former Sages Sacred Ground is every cultivator's dream, worth suppressing one's realm for a year to attain—even if one knows the odds are low, no one would lightly abandon it.

In crowded places, rumors spreading is not strange.

In fact, many who first heard this news thought the same as him—that it made no sense.

But by the next morning, as dawn painted the sky, everyone saw a Si Xian Jian official arrive at the southern side of Huxindao.

There stood a large notice board, bearing a sheet with blank slots already partially filled with names.

This was the Tian Dao Assembly's rule: after each group stage concluded and winners emerged, their names were added to the notice list.

This list was quite detailed, listing group divisions, winners of each group, match sequences, and opponents' names.

At this moment, the Si Xian Jian official held a cinnabar brush and wrote "Ji You" on the notice board, filling the empty slots behind it.

After finishing, the official tucked away his brush and vanished, and immediately countless cultivators in the garden surged forward, their gazes scanning the board.

Some names had incomplete match sequences, with one slot left blank—this meant a bye, no opponent, victory without battle.

But the match sequence after the newly written name was distinctly unusual.

That name also had a blank slot after it, but unlike the others, it was not a bye—meaning he had fought all his matches, yet his final group match had no opponent.

"Victory without battle? Because the opponent withdrew?"

"Rumors circulated last night—it was said a scion of the Liangzhou Lou family. I thought it false at first, but today it's confirmed."

"Is the Lou family sending a mere token participant? For such an important contest, to act so capriciously? Countless people in this world, due to cultivation level or background, cannot even secure a single opportunity."

"I don't know why, only that before withdrawing, he watched the matches in his group, then returned and gave up."

Before the notice board, people were buzzing with discussion, each voicing their opinions.

At this moment, someone looked again at the newly written name: "Is this… that country-bred private cultivator from Tian Shu Academy?"

"Brother Liu, you've long been in seclusion, seeking the supreme Dao with a clear mind—how do you know Ji You?"

"After I emerged from seclusion, I heard tales of him—he's gained considerable fame these past two years. Some stories, though unverified, are terrifying. But if Lou Wanpeng came to the Tian Dao Assembly, why withdraw? It's a match at the same realm—he should at least try. After all, it's the Former Sages Sacred Ground."

"I don't think Lou Wanpeng's action is wrong. This year's contest has been far more violent than before—several casualties have already occurred. Even if he could defeat Ji You, he'd likely not go far."

"That… is indeed true."

"Hey, look at that fat man over there."

"What's so interesting about a fat man?"

"That fat man's chest is enormous—what kind of heretical art did he cultivate?"

All participants in the Tian Dao Assembly lived in the same garden, so news spread quickly, especially since Huxindao was the only path to the nine arenas, with heavy foot traffic—easy to spot at a glance.

At this moment, Princess Zhao Yunyue of Changle Commandery also stood before the notice board, staring long at Ji You's group match details, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

She had missed Ji You's first two matches, but had decided to watch his final group match.

Yet when she arrived at Cangwu Arena today, she heard the news and felt bewildered.

Nearby, Qiu Hanyue also stared at the notice, her expression blank.

She rarely cared about the matches, and even less about Ji You.

In her view, she'd only met this man who broke the rules to enter Tian Shu Academy once. After she agreed with Ji You, her father had visited He Xianzi and received the promise "this matter is dropped"—she'd finally sighed in relief, thinking she'd never hear his name again.

Yet for some reason, since this morning, she'd heard his name from many mouths.

Not only her elders discussed it, but even her close friend Huang Rou mentioned it several times, so she came to see for herself.

Though she knew little about the names on the list, she understood the Former Sages Sacred Ground was every cultivator's dream—rumored that one year of training there equaled ten years elsewhere—and she couldn't fathom why Lou Wanpeng wouldn't even try.

Also gathered before the notice board were He Lingxiu and others from Tian Shu Academy.

Last night, after returning from the arena, they heard from Gu Ze Tao that Ji You's final opponent had withdrawn before the match.

Like the Zeng family patriarch, they too found it hard to believe—for them, the allure of the Former Sages Sacred Ground was obvious.

But when they saw the notice, they confirmed it—and were met with even greater confusion.

Because they knew that besides the sudden withdrawal of Lou Wanpeng, their junior Yu Shiliu had also gone to watch, and returned in an odd state.

Originally, they hadn't paid much attention, especially He Lingxiu, who thought someone might have slashed Ji You's robe, revealing something alarming, causing Yu Shiliu to briefly lose composure from fear.

But after hearing Lou Wanpeng had withdrawn, they began to suspect something was wrong.

Because Lou Wanpeng couldn't have been frightened into withdrawing by seeing something alarming—it didn't make sense…

Similarly baffled was the Lou family.

The Former Sages Garden had eight immortal gardens; among the seven immortal sects, excluding Yu Danzong, the remaining six, paired two by two, occupied three gardens.

The other five gardens housed noble families from the Nine Provinces.

Now, in the eastern-western pavilion of Lianxing Garden where the Lou family resided, the Lou family patriarch sat gloomily on a master's chair, shattered tea cups scattered on the floor, before him sat Lou Wanpeng in silence, along with several other Lou elders, equally wordless.

Lou Wanpeng had not informed them of his withdrawal—he decided alone.

The Lou family patriarch learned of this news even later than others.

Like those who couldn't fathom it, the patriarch believed that if one had the chance to approach the Former Sages Sacred Ground, even without certainty of victory, one must at least try.

Lou Wanpeng said nothing, only remained silent.

He was not afraid of losing, nor of injury.

Cultivators heal quickly; even severe wounds can be mended if one's breath is held.

Lou Wanpeng was never a coward—cowardly spiritual resolve could never sustain him to reach the profound Xuan realm.

But cultivators speak of clear spiritual resolve, free of distractions—so some things he could not revisit, for he knew it would plant a demon in his spiritual heart.

Ji You himself only learned of this news this morning.

Because after returning last night, he entered meditation, cultivated his body until late night, then fell into deep sleep; when Wen Siyuan knocked on his door this morning, he had already washed and dressed, preparing for today's final match, and only then learned his opponent had withdrawn.

Ji You was indeed somewhat surprised by this news.

He didn't know Lou Wanpeng—country-bred private cultivators lack such connections.

So when he fought Xiang Hui, even if he'd seen Lou Wanpeng, he had no idea that man was his next opponent, nor that Lou Wanpeng had watched his swordplay.

But this was good—after all, it saved effort.

After all, such battles without real clients held little appeal for Ji You; fewer matches meant less trouble.

Moreover, after these days of matches, Ji You realized his current sword couldn't withstand his strength—after two fights, his iron blade had already warped; he didn't know how much silver he'd spend by the end.

Ji You saw off Wen Siyuan, then stretched.

Since he had one less match, he had time to go out.

He stepped out into the dawn light, went to the city of Zhongxing Commandery, visited Cao Jiaxi's residence, borrowed breakfast, then went to Taiping Garden to visit Kuangcheng.

Upon entering the courtyard, Ji You immediately scolded him: why hadn't he come to watch his matches, and only forgave him if he was busy helping Wei Rui conceive.

But Kuangcheng had been busy these days with first-round group stage affairs, daily relaying messages and handling garden duties.

In Ji You's words, Kuangcheng was definitely being PUA—this wasn't a Reception Office Director, this was a slave-labor office director.

But the good part was that the Si Xian Jian and the Great Xia imperial court resided in the same garden—Wei Rui came secretly every day to keep him company, making him suffer yet happy.

Though Kuangcheng hadn't watched the matches, he knew about Ji You's final opponent's withdrawal.

After all, this matter was handled by the Si Xian Jian—he had been present.

At first, Kuangcheng was surprised, for he had reviewed past Tian Dao Assembly records and never seen anyone withdraw mid-competition.

But once he learned Lou Wanpeng was to face Ji You, he felt no surprise at all—he thought it perfectly logical, and cast a look of admiration toward Lou Wanpeng as a wise man.

Scholar Kuang didn't understand cultivation, but in his heart, Brother Ji was the greatest under heaven.

After chatting awhile, Ji You returned to Rushan Garden; as he passed through Huxindao, many eyes fixed on him—gazes of scrutiny, appraisal, confusion, and curiosity.

Whispered conversations buzzed with his name and Lou Wanpeng's.

Some said, "So this is that country-bred private cultivator."

Others said, "He's lucky to face a withdrawing opponent."

Some were from Shengjing—they watched Ji You's white robes flutter as he walked across the marble path, their eyes flickering with uncertainty.

They weren't wondering why Lou Wanpeng withdrew, but felt Ji You seemed like a celestial prodigy born with fame.

Whether Tian Shu Academy or Shengjing, he always drew attention—yet even here in the Former Sages Garden, this trend continued.

Ji You returned to Rushan Garden from Taiping Garden, stepped to his dwelling, opened the door—and saw a red skirt spread across the tea table.

With the sound of the door opening, the owner of the flowing skirt couldn't help but lift her gaze, feeling no awkwardness at her uninvited presence; her lovely brows and eyes fixed on him as he walked steadily toward her.

The junior master of Spirit Sword Mountain had rarely sought him out lately, likely to let him focus on the competition.

But this self-discipline lasted only two days before she appeared again.

Ji You actually suspected Yan Shuyi had secretly watched his match, because last night he'd seen Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu from his window, and noticed their eyes were more longing than the last.

If both Ding Yao and Zhuo Wanqiu had gone to watch, he didn't believe Yan Shuyi could have stayed home alone and resisted.

Ji You sat down and asked, "Junior Master, where have you been these past two days?"

Yan Shuyi replied coldly and haughtily that she had been cultivating, strolling, and receiving guests.

Ji You asked if she had gone to watch the match; she immediately said no.

Then the two stared at each other, and soon Yan Shuyi softly opened her mouth and ate the pumpkin seeds the stranger had peeled and handed her.

"What did the Junior Master go to do?"

"The Junior Master said the young master fought without using Spirit Sword Mountain's sword arts—whether out of disdain or something else—and went to teach him a lesson. If he's looking down on us, she'll just cripple him."

"I don't believe it."

"Neither do I…"

Zhuo Wanqiu echoed the sentiment, thinking the Junior Master must have gone to find the young master—after all, the young master's combat power had truly surprised them.

After all, the Junior Master was naturally a pouting type; the stronger the young master became, the more naturally she could pout at him.

After all, no matter why a woman initially fell for a man, she always hoped he would grow stronger—even stronger than herself.

As the group finals of the Nine Great Arenas kept beginning and ending, the names on the announcement list grew increasingly numerous.

Zhu Yao, Wei Bo, Zhuang Zixin, Yan Hao…

Countless well-known names appeared one after another on the list, advancing to the next round.

Each of these people was an unparalleled prodigy, undefeated, with extraordinary origins and deep backgrounds.

This outcome was no surprise.

In fact, the results of the Heavenly Dao Tournament in recent years had been nearly identical to this one.

Some said the Heavenly Dao Tournament had only truly begun now.

Because earlier competitors included families who had secured slots but lacked sufficient depth, forcing them to fill rosters with weaklings.

But after this large-scale screening, every competitor who now stepped forward was no ordinary person.

Disciples of immortal sects, descendants of great sages, only sons of noble families… hermits from the wilds.

All eight of the Heavenly Book Academy's disciples remained undefeated and advanced to the second round; only Yu Shiliu had a close call.

She was still in poor condition, dragged to the final match by her opponent, but ultimately won.

This wasn't surprising, since the Immortal Dao Sect, the Mountain Sea Pavilion, Spirit Sword Mountain, Chen Shixian Clan, and Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion had also remained undefeated—this was the depth of immortal sects.

As evening approached, the competitors gradually returned to Rusheng Garden; He Lingxiu was the first, and as she entered, she thought she glimpsed a shadow flicker across the opposite pavilion—but wasn't sure if she'd imagined it.

Before they could rest long, the Celestial Supervision Office delivered the second-round match list.

Unlike the first round, cultivators who received the list could clearly sense their opponents were far stronger.

Wang Gaocen and Yu Shiliu each faced disciples of the Mountain Sea Pavilion and the Immortal Dao Sect, respectively; only Gu Ze Tao faced a noble family scion—seemingly lucky, but the thousand-year legacy behind that surname still made him wary.

Everyone stared at their opponents' names, pondered for a long while, then their eyes slowly dropped, unconsciously landing on Ji You's name.

In the second round of the Heavenly Dao Tournament, Ji You's opponent was no longer a noble scion.

This man came from Chen Shixian Clan, named Chen Ruiyang.

(End of Chapter)