Under Bai Lan's strong invitation, Lu You and Fang Siming, unable to refuse the kind gesture, willingly participated in the Myriad Dynasties Martial Arts Tournament, signing up for the elimination rounds together.
After confirming their participation, Lu You and Fang Siming dared not be careless, and began to frantically gather information on their opponents before the competition, preparing themselves thoroughly.
Upon receiving the match list, Lu You quickly walked back to the Wu Dynasty's resting area and said to Bai Lan, who was sitting under a canopy reading a novel, "Brother Wang, the situation is rather grim. Our first opponents are the Three Heroes Under the Moon from the Moon Kingdom."
"What's so grim about that?" Bai Lan continued to read, showing no regard for their opponents.
Fang Siming also hurried back from another direction and said gravely, "I've already investigated. The Moon Kingdom's territory is three times ours. They have as many as six peerless experts participating in the Myriad Dynasties Martial Arts Tournament. The Three Heroes Under the Moon are triplets. Not only is their inner strength comparable to ours, but their teamwork is also seamless..."
"The three of us barely know each other and have never trained together. Facing the Three Heroes Under the Moon in this battle, we are likely in grave danger."
After hearing Fang Siming's intelligence, Lu You asked Bai Lan, "Brother Wang, what are your thoughts?"
"It's very simple," Bai Lan smiled slightly at Lu You and Fang Siming. "When the time comes, you two just stand back, act mysterious, and then watch my performance. That will be enough."
Lu You was stunned. "You... you want to fight all three of them?"
Fang Siming also frowned slightly. "Wang Li Ren, I admit your strength is above ours, but the Three Heroes Under the Moon are not ordinary individuals. They are exceptionally tricky when fighting individually, and their combined strength is terrifyingly immense. We cannot underestimate them."
"My suggestion is that Lu You and I each tie down one of them, and you resolve one as quickly as possible. Then, it will be three against two, giving us the highest chance of victory!"
Although Lu You and Fang Siming initially did not want to participate, now that they had signed up, they did not wish to be eliminated in the first match.
At the very least, they didn't want to lose too embarrassingly.
Seeing the seriousness on Lu You and Fang Siming's faces, Bai Lan knew that emphasizing fighting all three would only alienate his teammates. He put away his novel and nodded at them, "Then let's proceed according to Fang Siming's strategy."
"Alright, let's follow Brother Fang's plan."
Lu You also agreed with Fang Siming's strategy and nodded slightly. He then said, "Then let's reveal our trump cards to each other first. For team combat, the most important thing is mutual trust, and the most feared thing is mutual suspicion. If we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, we can go further."
Fang Siming was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Good..."
"I have no objections either," Bai Lan replied. Just as he was about to casually fabricate some trump cards to fool them, he saw two men and two women walking towards them.
"Oh? Isn't this the renowned Sword Saint Lu You and the Benevolent Guest Fang Siming of the Wu Dynasty? You actually haven't withdrawn from the competition?"
A sharp and sarcastic voice rang out. Bai Lan's brow furrowed, and he stared at the four people, asking Lu You, "Who are they?"
Lu You's expression also turned somewhat grim. He said to Bai Lan, "They are the Four Absolutes of the Ling Dynasty: Sword Absolute Huang Ling, Saber Absolute Yue Niang, Staff Absolute Qiao Gai, and Shadow Absolute Duan Lin. They are also experts from the Ling Dynasty participating in the Myriad Dynasties Martial Arts Tournament. When the Ling Dynasty invaded the Wu Dynasty years ago, these four plundered many divine martial arts texts from our Wu Dynasty's Jianghu. One of our Saint Martial Sect's ultimate skills is still in Huang Ling's hands."
Fang Siming added, "One of my Benevolent Tower's classic texts was also stolen by Duan Lin."
"So they are enemies..."
Bai Lan nodded thoughtfully, then asked the Four Absolutes, "Is there something you need from us?"
"Nothing much, we just wanted to come and watch the fun," Huang Ling, dressed in yellow, chuckled contemptuously. "I only heard that the Wu Dynasty has been in turmoil recently, with even the emperor being replaced. Not only did the Sunflower Saber Ancestor die, but a young, unknown kid has taken over. I think your Wu Dynasty is simply inviting humiliation this time."
Killing intent surged in Fang Siming's eyes, his palm turning black. He said to Huang Ling coldly, "Are you looking for death?"
"With just the three of you, what waves can you stir up?"
Yue Niang, dressed in red, was completely unfazed by Fang Siming's threat and said with a smile, "Since you haven't withdrawn, you'd better pray you don't encounter us on the field, otherwise, you won't have a chance to return to the Wu Dynasty."
Duan Lin, dressed in black, nodded in agreement. "Lu You's head, I want it."
*Clang!*
Lu You suddenly drew his sword, and a powerful sword intent swept towards the Four Absolutes of the Ling Dynasty. "If you four truly have the ability to take Lu's head, then come and try!"
Although Lu You considered himself ordinary among the peerless experts, that did not mean he would tolerate being mocked by experts from the Ling Dynasty.
Bai Lan stood up and stopped Lu You, advising, "Forget it, Brother Lu. We're about to compete. They're clearly here to provoke us and disrupt our match. Don't let their schemes succeed."
Hearing Bai Lan's dissuasion, Lu You also took a deep breath, sheathed his sword, and calmed his emotions.
Qiao Gai, dressed sloppily and exuding a foul odor, saw that his companions' provocation had failed. His gaze turned to Bai Lan, and he chuckled, "You're the recently famous Azure Demon Swordsman, aren't you? I didn't expect you, a pretty boy, to look like a woman. You've truly disappointed me."
"My staff can defeat you, pretty boy, in one blow..."
Before Qiao Gai could finish speaking, Bai Lan instantly appeared before him, grabbed his head, and slammed him forcefully onto the ground!
*Bang!!!*
The ground caved in, and Qiao Gai's head was directly smashed. The immense sound attracted the attention of many peerless experts around.
Lu You and Fang Siming, as well as the remaining three Absolutes of the Ling Dynasty, were all stunned as they looked at Qiao Gai's shattered head.
"Bro-Brother Wang..."
Lu You's mouth opened, his eyes filled with disbelief as he looked at Bai Lan, his mind a complete blank.
What happened to being calm and not being provoked?
The remaining three Absolutes of the Ling Dynasty were also terrified by Bai Lan's immense strength and retreated three steps in fear.
Qiao Gai's strength was comparable to theirs, yet Bai Lan had instantly killed him. This terrifying power left everyone breathless!
When did such a person appear in the Wu Dynasty?
Bai Lan stood up, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the blood from his hands as he said, "Sometimes, if we kill those who scheme, their schemes will not succeed. Moreover, the Myriad Dynasties Martial Arts Tournament doesn't seem to have a rule against fighting off the stage, does it?"
Fang Siming snapped back to reality, his good impression of Bai Lan greatly increasing. He nodded and smiled, "Indeed, the organizers have not explicitly forbidden fighting and killing off the stage. We will not be punished for doing this."
"Then that settles it?"
Bai Lan threw the blood-stained handkerchief into the sunken pit, then grabbed the hilt of Lu You's sheathed sword with his hand. "Brother Lu, may I borrow your sword?"
*Clang!*
Lu You saw a flash of sword light, and Bai Lan had already re-sheathed his sword.
Before Lu You could even react to what Bai Lan had done, Bai Lan had already sat back down in his chair under the canopy, taken out his novel again, and casually said to Lu You and Fang Siming, "Dispose of their bodies. Don't delay the competition."
As Bai Lan finished speaking, the Ling Dynasty's three remaining Absolutes, who had not yet reacted, found a bloody gash appear on their necks.
An expression of disbelief appeared on all three of their faces.
Their eyes were filled with regret and unwillingness.
The next moment, the heads of the three men slid from their necks, and the three headless corpses collapsed neatly into the sunken pit.
Around them, countless gasps of cold air erupted!