In his mind, information flowed from the Dao 운 Heaven Scroll.
"Name: Yan Xin"
"Fate: Enchanting Fox Charm"
"Realm: Body Forging Completion"
"Destinies: Enchanting Fox Charm (Purple), Yin Furnace (Green), Prosperous Husband (Green), Tender Body (White), Seductive Eyes (White), Light as a Swallow (White)"
Gu Yuan absorbed the information in his mind, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the retreating back of Yan Xin. Tsk, tsk, tsk, this woman didn't seem like a good person at all!
"No more looking at her, Gu Yuan!" Chu Ling, who was behind him, flashed in front of Gu Yuan, opening her arms and looking at him with a shy and angry expression.
Gu Yuan chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, alright, I won't look at her. Let's go back to the dorm."
Saying that, he put the items into his storage ring, bid farewell to Shi Ta and the others, and left with Chu Ling.
Along the way, Chu Ling kept talking about Yan Xin's bad qualities next to Gu Yuan, telling him to stay away from her and not be friends with her. Gu Yuan could only nod in agreement helplessly. Seeing Gu Yuan agree, Chu Ling finally quieted down.
Upon returning to the dorm, he sent Chu Ling back to her own dorm, and then returned to his room to begin circulating his vital energy and blood.
Gu Yuan just wanted the martial arts exam to end quickly. He had used the Dao 운 Heaven Scroll to check many people's destinies, and they were all very good. His own destiny also needed to be upgraded, but he couldn't leave the martial arts exam area, so he couldn't obtain vital energy.
To ensure the safety of the examinees, all candidates had to stay in the dormitory area for the entire duration of the martial arts exam to prevent accidents.
The day passed uneventfully.
At eight o'clock the next day, Zhongzhou Arena.
Gu Yuan and Chu Ling sat quietly in the contestants' seats. Both of them were scheduled to fight opponents ranked higher than them today, so Gu Yuan was very serious about this match.
In the air above, the host's passionate voice rang out.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, as the competition progresses, most of the matches for the bottom five hundred have concluded. Now, the competition for the top five hundred will be even more intense. Without further ado, let's begin today's first match."
"The first match is between Chu Ling, ranked five hundred and sixty-fourth, and Li Ke, ranked four hundred and fifty-fifth."
Upon hearing her name, Chu Ling greeted Gu Yuan and headed to the stage.
On the stage, a clean-cut man in a blue combat uniform quietly awaited Chu Ling.
After Chu Ling ascended the stage, the two stood facing each other, bowed to each other, and then, at the referee's signal, they quickly charged at each other.
In the contestants' seats, Gu Yuan rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at the fight between the two on the stage.
"Aren't you worried?" Shi Ta's voice came from behind him.
Gu Yuan didn't turn back. "I know Chu Ling's strength. Unless she has some trump card, her current ranking is a reflection of her abilities."
"So, Chu Ling's strength has reached its limit?" Shi Ta asked uncertainly.
"Almost," Gu Yuan replied calmly, making Shi Ta chuckle.
"Do you know anything about your next opponent?" Shi Ta turned to look at Gu Yuan.
"My next opponent?" Gu Yuan fell into thought, then shook his head.
"It seems I don't have any information about him."
"Tsk, you still have to let this great me tell you," Shi Ta said, hitting his fist into his palm excitedly.
"Alright," Gu Yuan listened attentively.
"Ahem, your next opponent is Li Dao, ranked two hundred and ninety-sixth," Shi Ta cleared his throat symbolically and began to speak slowly.
"He's from Shangdu, at the Body Forging Completion realm. His displayed strength is between sixteen thousand and seventeen thousand. He's very skilled with a long saber and possesses several vicious saber techniques. His matches are basically all about 'meat-cutting' strikes."
"Uses a saber?" Gu Yuan lightly rubbed his chin with his fingers, lost in thought. He wondered how his saber techniques compared. He hadn't fought any masters of the saber yet, and Gu Yuan inexplicably felt a surge of excitement.
"Uh..." Shi Ta looked at Gu Yuan's excited expression and didn't know what to say for a moment. His original intention was to put pressure on Gu Yuan, but unexpectedly, it only made his fighting spirit more vigorous.
The two ended their conversation and watched the match on the stage with full attention.
At this moment on the stage, Chu Ling was fiercely battling Li Ke. However, Gu Yuan could see that Chu Ling was struggling to hold on, while Li Ke seemed to have some energy left.
It couldn't be helped. Chu Ling's strength was only at this level. After all, this was a Body Forging realm competition, where physical strength was paramount. Females were naturally inferior to males. Moreover, martial artists like Chu Ling, whose vital energy and blood had special attributes, would only show their true strength in the later stages when their vital energy and blood could be projected externally.
As expected, after Chu Ling desperately held on for two more minutes, she unfortunately lost and was eliminated from the top five hundred.
Chu Ling returned to Gu Yuan's side with a dejected expression.
Gu Yuan smiled and comforted her, "It's okay, it's fine. You've already tried your best."
"But I didn't even make it into the top five hundred," Chu Ling's small face wrinkled in sadness.
Gu Yuan gently reached out and stroked Chu Ling's head, softly comforting her, "But in my heart, you're already amazing."
"Really?" Chu Ling's face showed surprise and disbelief as she heard Gu Yuan's words and asked.
"Of course, it's true!" Gu Yuan said with a serious expression.
"Then next time, I will definitely win!" Chu Ling's spirits revived, she raised her small fist and said firmly.
Shi Ta, standing beside them, looked as if he had eaten a lemon. He quietly shifted his body a few times. He couldn't stand these two.
After comforting Chu Ling for a while longer, he sent her back to the dorm to rest and recover from her injuries, which moved Chu Ling to no end.
Gu Yuan returned to the arena and waited for three more matches before it was his turn to compete.
"Good luck!" Shi Ta cheered for Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan waved his hand and walked towards the stage.
"Alright, spectators, today's matches are more intense than ever. Now it's time for our popular contestant Gu Yuan to face Li Dao. What kind of exciting match will they bring us? Without further ado, let's begin." The host's enthusiastic voice echoed through the stadium.
Gu Yuan's figure flashed, and he stood on the stage, with Li Dao ten meters in front of him.
Li Dao was a handsome man with a stern appearance, holding a long saber wrapped in a black scabbard in his arms. He exuded an aura of sharpness.
With a thought, Gu Yuan produced Qiushui in his hand.
The crowd was in an uproar. Even Li Dao's brow furrowed. According to the information he had previously gathered, Gu Yuan was known for his exceptional defensive capabilities, his heavy fists making opponents spit blood. Why had he switched to a saber? Was he trying to defeat him in his own specialty?
Thinking of this, Li Dao tightly gripped his saber scabbard.
"What's going on? Contestant Gu Yuan is holding a long saber. Is he planning to defeat Li Dao with saber techniques in this match? But Contestant Li Dao's saber techniques are very formidable. Let's hope Gu Yuan is confident." The host's voice carried a hint of worry.
The match began! The referee's command rang out.
The vital energy and blood stored in Gu Yuan's Giant Whale technique erupted violently. A large amount of vital energy and blood burst forth, causing his muscles to swell by a whole circumference. Veins bulged on his arms.
He crouched and drew his saber!
*Clang!*
Lightning Slash flashed!/
*Bang!*
The ground instantly cracked, and his entire body flickered, disappearing from his original spot in an instant, leaving a faint scent of scorched air.