"So you all knew each other a long time ago," Gu Yuan said, a hint of surprise in his tone. He hadn't expected his friends from the Great Sects to have known each other since childhood, except for Wu Gui, but given his social phobia, Gu Yuan didn't feel awkward at all.
Qin Erlang and the others exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Gu Yuan smiled and shook his head, then asked, "What did you call me here for?"
"Can't we just call you, the great genius Gu, over for no reason?" Wu Gui asked playfully, pouring Gu Yuan a cup of tea and smiling.
"Asking for favors without cause means you're either a scoundrel or a thief," Gu Yuan said, taking a sip of the tea Wu Gui poured for him. He then looked at Wu Gui with a smile and asked, "Which category do you fall into?"
"Hmph, hmph, I don't belong to either. I'm here to help you," Wu Gui denied, shaking his head and then said to Gu Yuan.
"Help me? What's there to help with? What? Are you going to throw the match?" Gu Yuan laughed heartily, teasing Wu Gui.
"What are you talking about! Ouch! I'm talking about helping you seriously," Wu Gui said, feeling a bit speechless. He waved his hand and said, "Erlang, bring my treasure here."
Upon hearing this address, Qin Erlang rolled his eyes and, without bothering to respond, tossed a file directly.
Wu Gui quickly caught it, carefully dusting off the nonexistent dirt, and then looked at Qin Erlang reproachfully, saying, "Can't you be more careful? This is my treasure."
Then, his face broke into a smile, and he handed the file to Gu Yuan with a grin, saying, "This is some important information on contestants that I painstakingly gathered. You can take a look back and prepare yourself. I really hope you can win first place."
Gu Yuan took it with surprise and asked with some confusion, "Why are you so sure I can win first place?"
"Tch, you old schemer, I can't even be bothered to talk to you. You know very well what I mean," Wu Gui said disdainfully.
Gu Yuan smiled and didn't refute Wu Gui's words.
Qin Erlang also laughed upon hearing Wu Gui's words. He had seen how Gu Yuan, that old schemer, hid things. Damn, he had to admit, he hid them really well.
Xiao Yixian looked at Gu Yuan and the other two smiling mysteriously and turned to Monk Miaozhen with a confused expression. Monk Miaozhen smiled and shook his head, indicating he didn't know either.
Such a strange group of people, this was Xiao Yixian's true thought at the moment.
They ordered a few dishes and chatted about cultivation issues during the meal, exchanging knowledge, which was quite rewarding.
After eating, they said their goodbyes and returned to their respective dorms.
Upon returning to his dorm, Gu Yuan locked the door and took out the file Wu Gui had given him.
The moment Gu Yuan opened it, he was captivated by the contents.
For a time, the only sound in the room was Gu Yuan flipping through the pages.
Ten minutes later, Gu Yuan put the file away. What Wu Gui had given him was nothing more than intelligence on contestants, no wonder he said he would win first place.
This file contained a lot of internal information that outsiders didn't know. Gu Yuan didn't know how Wu Gui obtained it, but it would be very useful for Gu Yuan's subsequent matches.
To think that the Xuanyuan family had produced a true dragon, a real true dragon, Gu Yuan muttered to himself.
Who would refuse a five-clawed golden dragon?
With a true dragon and a phoenix, what else could there be? Gu Yuan's gaze shifted to the window, from which he could clearly see the vast arena.
He drew the curtains and began to immerse himself in cultivating the Chaos Demonic Ape Visualization Technique in his mind. It essentially replaced sleep, and he would feel more energetic the next day.
His cultivation of visualization had reached the point where he could visualize all the hair on his body. The next step was to visualize the muscles and bones, constructing the image of a Chaos Demonic Ape from the inside out.
The night passed without incident.
The next day.
At the Xiajing Arena, amidst bursts of fireworks and the cheers and roars of countless people, the Tianxia Martial Arts League officially began.
Gu Yuan sat in the contestant's area, looking at the audience, which was even larger than at the Zhongzhou martial arts examination, and the deafening cheers. A fire was ignited in his heart.
Who wouldn't want to enjoy the applause under the gaze of so many people?
In front of the arena stage, there was a row of exclusive seats designated for the referees.
The referees were ten martial arts masters invited by the official Martial Arts League, with the lowest cultivation being the sixth stage. This was to effectively prevent contestants from using extremely powerful martial techniques that could lead to death.
Each of them was a well-known figure in the martial arts community.
As the ten referees entered, the floating platform above opened, and four giant projection screens were activated, allowing the audience to see the situation on the stage.
The host appeared on the floating platform, their voice, infused with true qi, resonating throughout the venue.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Tianxia Martial Arts League True Qi Realm competition! Without further ado, let's get started!"
At the host's command, the numbers on the four large screens above began to scroll, each representing a contestant, and their corresponding number was their opponent in this match.
Gu Yuan's number was 66.
He also received a small screen similar to a mobile phone, which showed him who his opponent was.
The numbers on this small screen were linked to the large projection screens. Gu Yuan stared at the screen in his hand, watching the numbers scroll by, finally slowing to a stop at 38.
Gu Yuan looked up to find the contestant numbered thirty-eight.
The contestant numbered thirty-eight also looked at Gu Yuan. Their gazes met in the air, and both could feel the strong fighting intent from the other.
Gu Yuan withdrew his gaze. On the way, he also saw Yang Tiankui sitting in his seat. Gu Yuan noticed that Yang Tiankui's aura was now almost imperceptible, and there was no doubt that he had become stronger again.
Gu Yuan felt that Yang Tiankui was no weaker than Xuanyuan Tianxia and others of his caliber. After all, Yang Tiankui was a reincarnated great cultivator. How could some avatars compare to a reincarnated body? Gu Yuan's fate calculation only reflected Yang Tiankui's original self, not the fate of the great cultivator. He didn't know who that person was, but could a great cultivator be weak?
He withdrew his gaze, and the information of the contestant numbered thirty-eight also appeared in his mind.
Name: Yi Shan
Realm: Late True Qi
True Qi Attribute: Earth
Hometown: Chief of Suhang Prefecture.
Gu Yuan compared the information in his mind and smiled confidently, sensing a chance of victory.
At this moment, Yi Shan recalled Gu Yuan's information, and his expression was not very pleasant. This was because Gu Yuan's true qi attribute was lightning, which was a fatal threat to someone like him who lacked speed. He could only hope that his defense could withstand Gu Yuan's attacks.
"All contestants' opponents have been determined. Let's see the first two contestants to compete: Xuanyuan Tianxia, the first of Wanlong Prefecture, against Wan Tian, the third of Qinchuan Prefecture. Let's invite the two contestants to the stage!"
The audience erupted in a huge cheer upon hearing Xuanyuan Tianxia's name.
This showed how terrifying Xuanyuan Tianxia's popularity was.
Even the referees above exchanged smiles.
"Is this the true dragon of the Xuanyuan family? He certainly looks impressive."
They all knew that the Xuanyuan family had produced a true dragon this generation, who was rumored to lead the Xuanyuan family back to its ancient glory.
However, they all smiled at this news and didn't pay much attention. After all, in ancient times, the Xuanyuan family was a true imperial clan.