Zhang Yong emerged from the secluded cave, his body still trembling slightly from the cold, but that didn't matter anyway.
He stood at the cave entrance for a moment, his eyes staring at the clear sky above, then clenched his fists. 'With law or without law...' He raised his fist and punched towards the sky. 'I will come and crush you one day.'
Both Liu Yan and Su Ming were watching from the side before Liu Yan whispered to Su Ming, "Is something wrong with him?"
Su Ming shrugged indifferently. "A narcissist suffering from megalomania"
Two days later.
Zhang Yong, alongside Su Ming, strode with steady steps towards the battle arena where the sect tournament was about to begin.
He gave himself a brief moment for thought, then they entered the place, which was packed with inner disciples.
The ground before them was covered with wide areas designated for each match, while the rest of the disciples filled the spectator stands, their eyes carefully watching every movement in the arena.
All eyes turned to the participating disciples standing before the main platform.
There were many familiar faces, plus some appearing for the first time, but everyone seemed eager to participate in this major opportunity.
Immediately, Zhang Yong and Su Ming's eyes fell on two individuals they knew: Gan Li and Ruo Nan.
"Are you two participating in the tournament?" Zhang Yong asked as he approached the two along with Su Ming.
Gan Li turned around with Ruo Nan simultaneously. "Ah, Brother Zhang Yong, as expected, you're also participating for the Heavenly Boundary Realm."
Zhang Yong smiled lightly as he met Gan Li and Ruo Nan's gazes. His smile was frozen, lacking any real emotion. "Of course, it's a rare event. I won't miss it."
"I knew you wouldn't let such an opportunity pass easily," Gan Li laughed with amusement.
"Opportunities like this don't come every day," Zhang Yong replied, looking at Gan Li with a calm gaze, then added, "By the way, I just noticed, but there are about twenty to thirty individuals here."
Su Ming raised an eyebrow quietly. "Zhang Yong, each peak can send up to ten disciples maximum. Counting the other peaks, there should be around thirty individuals who will compete for the ten spots."
Zhang Yong stroked his chin and thought. "Wait a minute, where is Elder Sister Liu? Didn't she say she would participate too?"
Gan Li suddenly stopped laughing and looked at Zhang Yong in surprise, then quickly glanced around as if something had caught his attention. "Your elder sister? Do you mean Liu Yan? As one of the Five Beauties of the Empire, Liu Yan!"
Immediately, Ruo Nan's cheeks puffed up in a frown, and she pinched Gan Li's side.
Gan Li flinched slightly when he felt the pinch, but soon regained his composure. He looked at her with a faint smile and tried to calm her down: "What? I wasn't deliberately pointing her out specifically; she's just one of the talented disciples."
But Ruo Nan had pressed her lips together angrily, her eyes gleaming with a kind of jealousy. "Hmph, it's not like you were talking that way."
Gan Li smiled awkwardly and added, raising his hands in defense. "Ah, I was just joking. I apologize if it seemed inappropriate."
Then he looked towards Zhang Yong, clearing his throat trying to change the subject: "But really, Liu Yan is one of the sect's top disciples. I can't deny she'll be strong competition."
A cheeky smile appeared on Zhang Yong's face. 'These two are going to act like this in front of us Singles.' Then he turned his gaze and looked at Su Ming.
Su Ming noticed his look and asked, "What?"
However, Zhang Yong frowned. 'Correction, I'm the only Single here in this group.'
Su Ming smiled lightly as he noticed the frown on Zhang Yong's face, but before he could comment, he heard the sound of light footsteps approaching from behind them.
Suddenly, Zhang Yong felt something strange, and when he turned around, he was surprised to see Wu Ruoxian appear suddenly from behind them, standing a few steps away.
"Zhang Yong," Ruoxian said in a low voice, but it was laden with a smile. "Are your injuries alright?"
Zhang Yong's heart stopped for a moment, then quickly returned to its place, and he hid his surprise.
Zhang Yong smiled automatically, trying to hide any discomfort that might show on his face.
It was clear that Wu Ruoxian's sudden appearance had bothered him, but he couldn't show it in front of her. "Yes, thank you for the treatment," he said in a calm voice, with a quick glance towards Su Ming, who was silently observing the situation.
Wu Ruoxian took a step forward, her smile remaining on her face. "I'm grateful you're okay, despite everything."
Internally, Zhang Yong was cursing. 'Just get away from me, damn it!'
On the side, Gan Li nudged Su Ming's shoulder and whispered, "I don't think there's any need for us to stay here, we'll go."
Su Ming nodded quietly. "That's fine, you can leave."
Both Gan Li and Ruo Nan turned and walked away from them.
"Will you participate in the tournament too?" Zhang Yong asked, trying to return to normal conversation.
Wu Ruoxian smiled gently and answered in a calm voice: "Of course. This is an opportunity not to be missed, right?"
Zhang Yong gave her a deep look, then took a step back slightly, before turning to Su Ming. It was clear the situation had become more complicated than it initially was.
Su Ming couldn't help but frown. 'Ah... the atmosphere between these two really can't be comfortable.'
The noise from the disciples in the stands grew louder as the excitement began to rise, and the arena was beginning to form around them. The fighting games were approaching, and everyone was waiting for them to start.
Suddenly, Su Ming said, noticing how the atmosphere had changed: "I think the tournament will start soon. Perhaps we should go to our place." His voice was calm, but there was something in his tone that showed he noticed everything without speaking.
Zhang Yong shook his head. "Yes, you're right." Then he cast a final glance at Wu Ruoxian and said as he left, "If I see you in the fights, I won't go easy on you"
Wu Ruoxian had pressed her lips into a slight smile, then said in a calm, steady voice, "Don't expect me to go easy either."
As Wu Ruoxian said that, she turned to go to her peak's disciples' side, and at that moment, Liu Yan entered the arena a little late and headed towards Zhang Yong and Su Ming.
Liu Yan passed in front of Wu Ruoxian, and their eyes met for a moment. While Liu Yan's gaze wasn't focused on Wu Ruoxian, Wu Ruoxian's eyes flashed with shock and surprise.
Immediately, she turned and looked at Liu Yan as she joined Su Ming and Zhang Yong, still in disbelief. 'That... the Crimson Sky Empress!'
Wu Ruoxian was shocked. She still remembered that day, under the star-studded red sky cloak, her oldest and most trusted friend, the only person who hadn't abandoned her in her past life, and also her sworn sister who wasn't even afraid to sacrifice her life for her.
'It's really her, she's Zhang Yong's elder sister...'
However, a smile appeared on Wu Ruoxian's face, and she turned, continuing her path. 'This world is truly full of coincidences, this sect is no joke.'
Then the tournament began.
When the tournament started, enthusiastic shouts rose from the stands, and breaths were held in the arena.
The field had been carefully prepared, its ground covered with flat gravel carpets, while transparent barriers surrounded it to separate the competitors from the spectators.
The referee quickly began explaining the rules, as everyone focused on what would happen moments later.
"The challenges will be individual duels," the referee announced in a firm voice. "The winner of each round advances to the next, and the fight will continue until the last ten participants remain. Fights to the death are forbidden; it is considered a loss upon surrender, loss of consciousness, or leaving the arena."
As the competitors prepared, eyes focused on the strong among them.
Liu Yan, with her calm demeanor and strong presence, didn't need to emphasize her strength, but it was clear everyone was anticipating what would happen in this major competition.
The first rounds started quickly, as competitors rushed into the arena, launching their attacks and dodging others.
The duels were fast and decisive, but no one had shown their full strength yet.
Zhang Yong didn't struggle in any fight. And when I say this, I mean a single blow from him was heavy enough to send his opponent out of the arena.
While he was achieving his victories, Liu Yan was following the matches with a calm expression. She wasn't using much effort to win, so her fights were smooth.
When Su Ming's fight began, there was a thunderous sound in his strikes that surprised Zhang Yong. Su Ming had practiced a new sword technique.
Everyone's fights were good, and the first round ended.
In the second rounds it was the same result, and Zhang Yong noticed two unexpected individuals: Yun Weilian and Shan Yuntian.
'Looks like this journey will be interesting,' Zhang Yong smiled internally.
In the third rounds, neither Gan Li nor Ruo Nan were lucky.
In the third round, Gan Li faced Liu Yan and lost, but at least he tried. Zhang Yong cheered for him quickly.
As for Ruo Nan, she fell in a fight with Wu Ruoxian, which ended with Wu Ruoxian's victory as expected.
Su Ming's fight was much easier and didn't take much time.
Su Ming is strong; as long as there isn't a big difference in power levels, it's not easy for him to lose.
After the fights ended, and due to mismatched numbers, the nine winners were chosen, leaving one spot and four people, one of them being Zhang Yong.
The four remaining stood in the middle of the arena, their eyes awaiting the referee who would announce the decisive fight to determine the last competitor to join the ten qualifiers.
Zhang Yong looked at his three opponents, quickly assessing their levels: two at Guru Stage Ninth Layer and one at Seventh Layer.
But the air around them was missing; these three knew each other!
The referee raised his hand and announced: "Since we have four competitors and one seat remaining, the winner will be determined via a royal battle! The last one remaining in the arena is the one who qualifies!"
The voices of the disciples in the stands rose with enthusiasm, as royal battles are always full of surprises and chaotic confrontations.
"Begin!"
When the referee announced the start of the fight, Zhang Yong quietly stepped back, both hands behind his back.
Immediately, the three exchanged quick glances; they had decided beforehand what they would do.
'They'll ally against me first?' Zhang Yong thought indifferently; this wasn't surprising, as it was the most logical method for them.
The Seventh Layer fighter rushed forward first, while the other two circled to flank Zhang Yong from both sides.
"We don't want to waste time, let's finish this quickly!" shouted one of the fighters, gripping a curved sword as he attacked with lightning speed.
But Zhang Yong didn't move.
'Too slow.'
Before his opponent's attack reached him, Zhang Yong simply raised his foot and kicked him in the stomach with force.
Boom!
The Seventh Layer fighter was violently thrown back, crashing into the arena barrier before falling unconscious outside it.
The two remaining disciples froze in place.
"What?!"
But there was no time for surprise. They exchanged subtle signals, then launched simultaneously to attack him from two different directions.
However, Zhang Yong didn't give them any chance. The stones rose in front of him and—
Crack!
Half the arena turned into a block of ice where the two froze instantly.
The two fighters froze rapidly, their bodies turning into ice statues in the middle of the arena
In Zhang yong's hand , there was three fifth grade ice type talismans self-made
That wasn't against the rules if he made them himself
Elder Gu laughed warmly. "He's already consumed the crystal, haha!"
However, there was a slight change in Elder Han's expression. "Not even a full month has passed since he obtained the crystal, and he's already absorbed this much?"
Elder Gu scoffed. "Heh, I told you my disciple is a genius."
"The battle is over!" the referee finally announced in a loud voice, pointing to Zhang Yong who remained standing firmly in the center of the arena.
The ice barriers receded, allowing the frozen fighters to fall to the ground, where they were quickly pulled out of the arena.
Zhang Yong quietly left the arena and went to stand beside the other nine.
There they were: Su Ming, Liu Yan, Wu Ruoxian, Chu Ning, Yun Weilian, Shan Yuntian, and three other disciples: two from the Sword Peak and one from the Thunder Peak.
At that moment, the sect leader stood before everyone and announced: "Congratulations to our sect's heroes who have qualified! You are the ten who will compete in the Heavenly Boundary Realm. We place our hopes on you to bring pride to our sect!"
Echoes of enthusiastic cheers resounded in the place, and none of the qualifiers showed signs of joy, only a deeply serious expression.