A tall man with long black hair and deep dark eyes wandered alone along a busy road in Wujiang City. He was dressed in expensive clothes and held a book in his hand.
"In a few minutes, right in the middle of a tournament, Yan Pantu will launch an attack along with several minor sects in this region..." Bai Yunsheng thought to himself. He bought some snacks and began eating them as he continued on his way.
"Zhou Yulong, Li Yuhua, Lei Jiangxue, and the others might fight back, but Yan Pantu will manage to escape, and our losses will be colossal!"
"Actually, I should hide somewhere and wait until the battle is over, but this is a good opportunity to test my skills..." he thought.
Turning the corner, he spotted a familiar figure.
In the middle of the street, right in front of a small eatery, a woman with brown hair tied in a bun and brown eyes stood alone. She was wearing a dirty maid's robe, and her face and hands were also filthy, as if she had arrived there in a hurry.
"Oh! Here comes one of the heroes of the occasion!" Bai Yunsheng chuckled to himself and followed her.
Seeing the woman enter the eatery, he followed her and entered as well.
It was crowded inside, but he had no trouble finding the woman he was looking for, who sat down next to some unknown people in straw hats, hiding their faces.
"This woman is Lei Jiangxue's maid, the one I encountered a couple of months ago, after which she avoided me! What was her name again... Ah, right, Kexin!"
"It's ironic that someone named 'loyal' is a traitor!" "Bai Yunsheng chuckled and sat down at the table so the maid wouldn't notice.
"In the novel, she was supposed to open the city's rear gate, after which the combined forces of Yan Pantu would begin their invasion."
The maid began talking to the people, and Bai Yunsheng listened.
"So, as planned, I will open the rear gate, and you will begin the invasion..." she whispered quietly, to which her companions nodded.
"I've never understood why you discuss your plans in public places where anyone can hear you? It would be fine if it were some abandoned building, but not inside a crowded diner!" Bai Yunsheng thought.
Sighing, he ordered noodles and green tea, continuing to listen to the traitors' plan.
For a moment, he noticed a symbol on the clothes beneath the robes of the strangers and recognized them as the symbol of the city guards. "Now it's clear what's going on! Yan Pantu managed to bribe several guards, and they'll distract their comrades while Kexin opens the gates to the invaders!" Bai Yunsheng summed up in his mind, and after waiting for his order, he began eating.
While he devoured the hot noodles and washed it down with green tea, he continued to listen to the conversation between the guards and the maid. But since there was nothing he didn't know, he finished his meal with a deep sigh, paid the bill, and headed toward Lei Jiangxue's residence.
"Oh, you could have at least tried to think through your plan a little more carefully, instead of just bribing the guards to distract the others and then just going ahead!" Bai Yunsheng thought with disappointment.
"I'll bet Zhou Yulong's ass that Yan Pantu is sitting in his office right now, telling everyone what a genius he is!" he sighed silently and continued on his way to Lei Jiangxue's residence.
***
Meanwhile, in the martial arts tournament arena, the third round of matches was in full swing.
The first fight was between Fan Zhen and Wu Desheng.
As soon as the start was given, the dagger-wielding man immediately rushed into battle.
Like a hurricane, he circled his opponent, striking from all sides.
Fan Zheng, for his part, had no chance to counterattack and was forced to block and parry the attacks. However, he still took many blows.
The fight continued for several minutes, accompanied by cheers from the stands.
Finally, after another attack, Fan Zheng was able to seize an opening and immediately delivered a precise strike, disarming his opponent.
Wasting no time, he immediately delivered the finishing blow, piercing his opponent's heart with his sword.
Wu Desheng was defeated and resurrected outside the formation and the ring.
Winner: Fan Zheng
Yao Ren and a young man from a little-known sect performed next.
Although the young man from the small sect put up a good fight, Yao Ren drew and summoned too many different creatures. Some could fly and swooped down on the enemy's vital points, which the enemy tried to dodge, but upon landing, snakes and other creatures awaited him.
At one point, Yao Ren even pulled out a talisman with a fire character and released a powerful stream of fire, igniting the enemy on the spot.
A young man from a minor sect resurrected outside the formation and was eliminated from the trial.
Winner: Yao Ren
Next came the battle between Zhang Yong and Qin Li-Na.
This fight couldn't really be called that, as soon as the start was announced, Qin Li-Na immediately landed a precise blow on Zhang Yong and took the victory.
Winner: Qin Li-Na
Next, the battle was between Li Yuhua and Xi Dian-Mu from the Heaven Conqueror Sect.
The Heaven Conqueror Sect is known for their lightning techniques, and Xi Dianmu is considered the sect's young prodigy and the sect's only disciple.
As soon as Luo Shengli gave the go-ahead, Xi Dianmu immediately covered herself in lightning and struck Li Yuhua with incredible speed.
The girl, unprepared, had no time to react and was thrown back.
A dark-skinned girl with short hair moved behind her at high speed and repeated the attack.
Li Yuhua was thrown back and forth, taking massive damage.
Irritated at being used as a punching bag, Li Yuhua struggled to her feet.
The wounds were severe, and the boisterous cheers from the stands only got on her nerves.
With a deep sigh, Li Yuhua plunged her sword into the ground and concentrated her primordial Yin energy into it.
The air grew cold.
The dark-skinned, short-haired girl, expecting the worst, immediately rushed forward to prevent it, but Li Yuhua finished faster.
"Too late, bitch!" she whispered and a huge wave of Yin energy erupted from her sword, freezing the ground beneath her feet, making it slippery.
Xi Dian Mu, unprepared, slipped and crashed into the railing.
Li Yuhua wasted no time in attacking, unleashing a barrage of ice spears toward the Heaven Conqueror Sect disciple.
Xi Dian Mu, unable to react, was immediately struck by this attack.
A huge spike pierced her stomach, a second pierced her right eye, a third penetrated her mouth, exiting the back of her head, a fourth pierced her throat, the fifth and sixth pierced her lungs, a seventh pierced her forehead, and many smaller spikes completed the attack.
A huge pool of blood spread across the ground, and a few seconds later, Xi Dianmu revived outside the ring formation, unharmed.
The sight was not pleasant, and some spectators even began to vomit. However, Li Yuhua herself indifferently pulled her sword from the ground and, dusting it off, gracefully exited the ring, passing by a stunned Xi Dianmu.
Winner: Li Yuhua
It took time to clear the aftermath of Li Yuhua and Xi Dianmu's duel.
After a while, two men entered the ring: Zhou Yulong and Xie Yuan.
Zhou Yulong was tense. He couldn't understand how or when Li Yuhua had learned such a technique, but when he tried to ask her directly, she simply ignored him and walked past.
Sighing, Zhou Yulong concentrated on his opponent.
A young man with long black hair tied back in a ponytail and his eyes half-closed stood a few steps in front of him.
Zhou Yulong chuckled.
"Who would have thought we'd clash again like this! What an irony!"
Xie Yuan ignored his taunts.
"The fight was interrupted last time because you pushed me away. This time, things will be different!" he replied confidently, clenching his fists and assuming a fighting stance.
"Yes, yes, of course! I beat you last time, I'll do it again!" Zhou Yulong shouted confidently, drawing his sword and taking his own stance.
As soon as Luo Shengli gave the go-ahead, both fighters immediately rushed at each other and clashed, raising a huge cloud of dust...
***
A woman with long, wavy, raven-colored hair and an eyepatch over her left eye watched the entire encounter with a lazy expression. Her ruby-colored right eye reluctantly watched the fights.
After her husband declined to participate in further trials, Lei Jiangxue sat in the VIP room, eager to go home.
Why waste time on a pointless competition when you could sit at home, take a hot bath, and enjoy your only day off? She didn't understand either.
Her ruby right eye only lit up with interest when the White Jade Sect girl used a technique that created an attack so powerful that she instantly defeated her opponent.
"By the way, isn't she the one who's always hanging around Bai Yunsheng?!" she whispered softly.
The white tiger lying next to her stole a glance at her, yawned, and continued sleeping.
She hadn't brought Xiao Ran with her today because the young fox insisted on training, and Lei Jiangxue had left her at home, assigning a few people to watch over her.
"It seems you're not interested in fighting!" a handsome man said with a sweet smile.
He was dressed simply, but his handsome face outshone his simplicity.
Na Lixin. The famous, tall calligrapher, with long hair and an aristocratic good looks, chatted casually with her, as if they were already friends.
"All these fights are just for show, so influential people can show off their talented young men! Nothing new!"
Na Lixin laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
They continued to chat about various topics to relieve the boredom, and suddenly the ground shook and a loud explosion was heard, waking even Baihu (the white tiger) from his slumber.
"What the..."
The unknown noise immediately attracted attention, and one of the guards immediately came running into the VIP room.
"Head! We're under attack!" he shouted, breathing heavily.
"What..." Lei Jiangxue whispered and immediately ran towards the city. Baihu and Na Lixin followed her...
To be continued...