Lü Chuan's face darkened. What the hell was Zhao Hui doing?
Had he really been bribed by that kid?
A top-ten disciple of Golden Radiance Hall's new generation—knocked out cold by some no-name nobody. Lü Chuan himself felt his face burning with shame.
Only Zhao Hui knew how wronged he was. He wasn't holding back—he just couldn't see.
Veil Technique.
TN: before it was Earth-Grade Technique — Concealment Barrier.
Xu Mu's Earth-Grade martial art granted him invisibility—a stealth-type skill. Within a twenty-meter radius centered on his body, enemies simply couldn't see him.
But since the arena exceeded twenty meters, only Zhao Hui was blind to Xu Mu's movements. Everyone else could see everything.
"Old Wei, what's going on?" Jiang Sheng frowned. Zhao Hui was at the Mystic Art Realm—he wasn't someone who could be easily bribed.
"No idea," Wei Jingzhi said, shaking his head. "Just now, I sensed Xu Mu's qi flare up—it must be some kind of technique. But the surroundings didn't change, so I can't be sure."
Xu Mu walked off the field, wood-chopper in hand.
"Here."
He handed it back to Chen Xuan.
"Mu, you're insane," Chen Xuan said, grinning.
"Eh, average. Third best in the village," Xu Mu said, crossing his arms and watching the arena again.
The second round was clearly different from the first—matches lasted longer now. Still, Lü Pinlong, Xue Kaixuan, and Zhao Gang were all winning in single moves.
Of course, there was also Chen Xuan and another man named Cui Yu, both of whom had been crushing their opponents from the start.
By the end of the second round, Xu Mu could already see that his true competition was only these few people.
After a short ten-minute break, the third round began.
Those who won this round would enter the finals, and only finalists would earn recorded ranks.
The first to step up was Chen Xuan—his opponent: Zhao Gang.
"Old Chen," Xu Mu said, "just do your best."
"Mu, you sound like you're underestimating me," Chen Xuan said with a smirk, then strode into the arena with the chopper in hand.
Zhao Gang, carrying a longsword, faced him with an indifferent expression.
The crowd fell silent.
Everyone—both the spectators and the elders on the high platform—was focused. These two had both been sweeping opponents effortlessly; sparks were guaranteed to fly.
"I won't tell you to surrender," Zhao Gang said coldly. "If you're afraid, you'll yield on your own. Meeting me is your misfortune. I, Zhao Gang—!"
He lunged. At a distance of about ten meters, he raised his sword.
"Falling Leaf Slash!"
Swish!
A green sword aura streaked toward Chen Xuan, kicking up a storm of dust that swallowed him completely.
Zhao Gang remained outside the cloud, slashing repeatedly into it, sending more blades of green light wildly slicing through.
"As expected from the Heavenly Sword Sect—so fierce! He hasn't come out… is he dead already?"
"No way, the other guy's at the Mystic Art Realm too."
The crowd murmured anxiously.
Xu Mu remained calm. Through the haze, he could clearly see Chen Xuan—completely unharmed, gathering strength.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the swirling dust was split apart. From above, a massive phantom axe, over ten meters long, came crashing down.
Zhao Gang's expression changed drastically. Qi flared from his body as he swung his sword again and again—more Falling Leaf Slashes.
Crack!
The axe didn't even slow down. Every sword aura shattered instantly.
Boom!
A deafening blast shook the entire arena—the high platform itself trembled as if about to collapse.
Zhao Gang's body was hurled away. A deep trench carved straight across the ground, ending at Chen Xuan's feet.
Chen Xuan walked forward calmly, holding the chopper in one hand.
"Woodcutter Style—Third Form: Mountain Splitter."
The entire arena went silent—then erupted in thunderous applause.
Too strong!
On the platform, Xue Dongsheng immediately stood up and went to Jiang Sheng's side.
"Old Jiang, which sect is this boy from? Why not have him join our Lingxiao Sect?"
Lü Chuan couldn't sit still either—but before he could speak, Jiang Sheng refused.
"Old Xue, that boy's grandfather was once an elder of another sect," Jiang Sheng said with a smile.
Hearing this, Xue Dongsheng sighed in regret.
On the field, Zhao Gang's left shoulder was nearly severed, blood streaming down.
"Concede," Chen Xuan said calmly. "I held back. If I hadn't, you'd have lost that arm."
"You think I don't have top-tier arts of my own?!" Zhao Gang roared, ready to unleash Qingmu Mountain's Earth-Grade technique.
"But what I used just now—" Chen Xuan said evenly, "—was only the opening form. My Woodcutter Style has five in total. The first three are the prelude. The true essence lies in the last two. Do you really want to try them?"
"Bullshit! Who are you trying to scare?!" Zhao Gang shouted.
"Then you've accepted death?"
As Chen Xuan spoke, golden lightning began to flicker around him.
"Fourth Form—Woodcutter's Domain."
Crackle!
Crackle…
Electric arcs shimmered not just around Chen Xuan's body, but in the air within ten meters around him, faintly golden.
Zhao Gang's eyes went wide. His instincts screamed. His body trembled uncontrollably—he didn't even dare to activate his own Earth-Grade art.
One thought filled his mind:
If I move, I die.
"I… I surrender!" Zhao Gang dropped his sword onto the ground.
The spectators were in awe. Even without releasing the attack, the air itself buzzed with oppressive golden energy.
Lü Pinlong narrowed his eyes. He hadn't taken anyone seriously in this Marriage Tournament, but now—this man deserved caution.
Fang Kui clenched her pink fists tightly, eyes locked on Chen Xuan.
"This is a Heaven-Grade technique, right? He must be Old Chen's disciple," Guo Wenmo murmured to Wei Jingzhi.
Wei Jingzhi smiled and sipped his goji tea. "Indeed, he is."
The other elders exchanged uneasy glances. If someone whom Guo Wenmo called "Old Chen" had trained him… who exactly was this master?
Even Jiang Huihui's parents stared at Chen Xuan. No wonder her father had wanted her to marry him—this man truly was outstanding.
"Old Chen! You're a monster," Xu Mu said with a grin. Not that he'd ever doubted him—after all, he was the male lead.
"He was just too weak…" Chen Xuan said—then glanced at the big screen. "Mu, it's your turn again."
Xu Mu stood, took the chopper from Chen Xuan, and headed for the field.
"Damn it! The Rigged Brother is up again!" someone yelled.
"This time, let's see how he rigs it—his opponent's Guang Peng from the Lingxiao Sect, rumored to be a battle maniac!"
…
"Heh, Mr. Wei," said Xue Dongsheng with a smile, "this Guang Peng of ours tends to go overboard once he starts fighting. When that happens, I'll have to trouble you to save this Xu Mu."