Outside the stage, Li Cheng fainted on the ground with no more movement from him.
The hosting instructor, upon seeing such a scene, announced, "The victory goes to Ye Mo."
Ye Mo was unfazed as he removed the bloody sword that was still embedded in his hand and tossed it aside.
"That's why I don't like weapons, take them out of their hands and they become little wimps." Ye Mo didn't understand why cultivators put so much emphasis on weapons.
For him, they were just pieces of metal to help mortals kill each other, but cultivators have the potential to destroy mountains and level seas with their fists alone, why would they need it?
It could be seen in this fight, when Li Cheng was stripped of his sword, he could only run and threaten Ye Mo until he exhausted all his qi and got knocked out.
Liu Huan was more thoughtful as he mastered a hand-to-hand battle skill even though he was a sword cultivator. Thanks to this, he was able to dangerously pressure Ye Mo in close combat and almost killed him, but without the use of his sword, a huge part of his skills were unusable and his battle strength plummeted, leading to his death.
For Ye Mo, strength had to come from yourself. Even if he attained his goal and became a peerless cultivator, if most of his fighting abilities were lost because he wasn't holding a blade, then there was no point to it.
From his perspective, they were handy indeed but unnecessary.
Maybe he would come to use weapons in the future, but they would remain as expendable tools and nothing more.
While he left, servants from the Li Clan came to retrieve the sword and carry their young master to the healing instructor.
They sighed in relief as they found out Li Cheng didn't suffer any grave injuries.
Obviously, Ye Mo restrained his strength or he could have killed him like Tie Tao.
The Li Clan elder and other members were watching, and from his point of view, there was no reason for making enemies out of them. They wouldn't try anything if he just defeated their young master, but if he suffered permanent injuries or died, then even as a member of an institute, the clan wouldn't abandon the thought of killing him.
This way, Ye Mo made it to the top 20 of the competition and officially became a student of the Tiger Martial Institute.
Various reactions occurred among the spectators from the result of this fight.
"Cancel the operation and tell our men to go back."
In the bleachers, a man in his forties spoke to the servant accompanying him. He wore a light white robe and a dignified air emanated from him, indicating his background wasn't ordinary.
"Yes, master." The thin servant followed the order and quickly scurried away.
The man watched Ye Mo receiving treatment for his hand with a complicated expression.
His name was Tie Shi, the younger brother of the Tie Family head. When Ye Mo killed Tie Tao, he had been enraged, not because of Tie Tao's death but the fact that Ye Mo dared viciously kill him even after hearing his name.
There was a popular idiom saying, you should always ask the master's permission before beating the dog.
No matter how low his standing was, Tie Tao was still a member of the Tie family. Ye Mo disregarding this was the same as trampling on their reputation. To regain face, the most direct and effective solution would be to deal with him and make an example out of Ye Mo.
Tie Shi reacted immediately and posted experts from his family around the Tiger Martial Institute.
He didn't think much of Ye Mo and believed he would get eliminated pretty quickly as well.
After all, he only defeated Tie Tao thanks to his surprise attack, and he struggled a lot against his opponents during the following matches, coming on top only after a long time battling back and forth.
Once the competition reached its conclusion, and Ye Mo left the institute grounds, the experts had for order to eliminate him and set his body on display in one of the busy streets of the city.
But now that he reached the top 20 and joined a Martial Institution, not only did Tie Shi withdraw his men from their position, even if Ye Mo killed ten Tie Tao, the Tie family still wouldn't lift a finger.
This was what it meant to become a member of an institution, outsiders could not act against you without answering for their actions to the cultivators of your institute, and who would dare go against them in the first place?
Even the four clans would rather avoid that given another choice.
On the platform reserved for important guests, a discussion started.
"Haha, brother Yun, it seems like Li Cheng underestimated his opponent." The Gao clan elder said in a mocking tone.
"He's still young after all, at least he didn't suffer huge injuries."
"He will try again next year, so nothing to worry about, and Li Qiang made it to the top 20."
The Yan and Shen Clan elder tried to comfort Li Yun, but he knew better that behind their fake sympathy, they were probably roaring with laughter.
"Such a shameful loss." The Li Clan elder's nails dug deeply into the wooden rail of the platform, his face ashen.
Li Cheng running around and threatening his adversary tarnished the name of the Li Clan. As an elder, he couldn't tolerate any actions that could harm the clan's interests.
If his opponent became afraid and gave up, it could still somewhat be accepted. It would have made both of the Li clan's young masters, members of the Tiger Martial Institute, one of them achieving it at twelve. It would have been enough to offset the ridicule Li Cheng cast upon them in this match, but now they became the laughingstock of the four clans for nothing.
But Li Yun knew his anger would be nothing compared to the one of the patriarch when he will learn of this matter, and Li Cheng would be severely punished.
"I can only hope for Li Qiang to put on a good performance and regain some face for us." Li Yun, like the other elders, was an old sly fox that had been through much. He quickly calmed down and awaited the next matches.
Beside them stood Hong Li and Han Zhen Jun, indifferent to the elders' quarrel.
"Dean, this kid's body refining cultivation technique is very powerful, it's at least a high-tier Yellow Class martial art." Han Zhen Jun commented.
A martial art of this level was already impressive in Azure Water City, how could the real quality of the Nine Revolutions Fiend Body even cross their mind? It must be mentioned that Ye Mo only reached the first revolution and was still far from the body refining technique's full potential, the onlookers couldn't see anything beyond what he displayed on the stage.
"You're right. I have been in Azure Water City for more than 70 years, but I can't recognize which martial art it is. Assuredly, it's not something he got in a conventional way."
"Indeed, I can find a few similarities with other body refining arts, but it remains vastly different. I am curious to see how far he can go." Both Hong Li and Han Zhen Jun were puzzled about the origin of Ye Mo's strength but they kept it in and quietly observed.
The fights for the top 20 were fierce, and a lot of blood was shed. Contestants were beaten to the brink of death before giving up if the instructor didn't intervene already.
Only the four clans' young masters and Ma Shinfei were unscathed throughout this savage round. The unknown spear wielder, instead, still didn't fight once as his battles were interrupted every time and he was declared victorious by the overseeing instructor before they could exchange blows.
The round of matches for the top 10 started. For the twenty remaining participants, the fights would now happen one at a time on the central battle stage.
It was bigger and more elevated than the others, bringing a better view and focus for the spectators.
Ye Mo, who has recovered to peak condition, was waiting for his turn, but in the meantime he noticed Li Qiang coldly glare at him multiple times since his bout with his brother, like a warning he would come for him soon.
"Does he want revenge because I defeated Li Cheng? So petty…" Ye Mo wondered if it was a family trait or a common characteristic of high-birth cultivators to create grudges this easily.
"But I already joined the Tiger Martial Institute, so he can't use his clan to deal with me and since he became a student as well, he will have to consider the institution's regulations before trying anything and will be greatly restricted. Hmph, regardless of what he does, I will deal with it as it comes."
The sun shone brightly, spreading its warmth on the inhabitants of Azure Water City, but only cold darkness reflected in Ye Mo's eyes.