The tournament was proceeding smoothly, albeit in an unexpected direction. "How will we decide the winner?" Sixth Elder asked, looking at her peers.
The others sitting beside her all went silent. "Just select the one taking more hits to be knocked down as the runner-up," the Grand Elder said while sipping tea. Every time it finished, he would pour more into his cup.
The others all nodded at this. "Then it is decided," Lu Wancheng announced. "Whoever takes more hits before disqualifying will take the second and the third position, respectively. Are there any other questions?"
"Um..." The First Elder hesitated. But when the piercing gazes of everyone there turned to him, he said, "What if nobody lasts for more than one punch?" His words brought silence to the table once again.
"Of course not. Moreover, we all have great talents this time," Sixth Elder broke the silence. "Even if she seems a little strong, she wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. She will be exhausted in no time and may even be knocked down."
Hearing her words, everyone started to laugh and support her. First Elder just gave a wry smile at this. Only he knew what kind of monster he was raising. And only Lu Wancheng knew that the monster was a literal one.
Down below on the stage, Tian Yao didn't have to wait long for new challengers. This tournament was held every five years and was the only way for an outer disciple to become an inner disciple. And only after becoming an inner disciple would they have access to better techniques, manuals, and resources. So even if they knew they were going to lose, they could only go up.
Sometimes, Tian Yao allowed some to get up and stand on the stage. And at other times, she just knocked them down before their foot even touched the stage. In just an incense stick of time, she had gotten rid of all the older Foundation Establishment outer disciples.
The stadium had now turned into a cacophony of cheers and boos, encouraging the remaining to go ahead. The next person to enter the stage was Gu Yichen. But Tian Yao didn't show any mercy even to her acquaintance. However, already anticipating this, Gu Yichen had engraved some arrays on his clothes, which softened the punch and cushioned his fall. Unlike the others who had to be carried away, he was able to walk away gracefully after being punched off the stage. And the whole stadium was cheering for his ability to actually walk away from the demon on the stage, on his own two legs.
The next in line was Bai Wenjun. Her brown hair was still as tousled as ever. Her glasses hung loosely on her nose, and she was carrying a book. Wait! Was it even allowed? Xiaomeng screamed in her mind. And from the looks others were giving, it seemed it wasn't allowed.
Just as Bai Wenjun was about to step onto the last step, Tian Yao was upon her. Bai Wenjun raised her book in a split second, and Tian Yao's fist struck it. The book, along with its owner, was thrown back. Luckily or strategically, Bai Wenjun landed safely on the ground and, turning her back, moved to her original place. The thick book in her hand was as good as new, even after the previous encounter.
Even after this showcase of power, the stage was not left unattended for long. Next in line was Rong Ning. She got to enter the stage properly and faced Tian Yao. As soon as the Third Elder gave the go-ahead, Tian Yao had disappeared from her place, and thick ice spikes emerged and enveloped the area around Rong Ning, pointing outward. Yet, the punch from Tian Yao shattered everything that got in her way and reached Rong Ning without stopping. Rong Ning was thrown off the stage, but there was no visible damage. At the last second, a small ice shield had appeared in front of her and the fist. Making a complicated expression, she went back to her place.
Following behind her was Lingling, whose cheeks seemed a little redder than normal. She also reached the stage without any trouble. Facing Tian Yao, she raised her fists and bared her teeth. But instead of looking like a fighter, she just seemed like a poor beast forced to fight, which she actually was. When Lingling was enjoying the snacks given by her Senior Sister, the voice of her Peak Master entered her mind. "Go and fight. Last for as many exchanges as you can. For every exchange you are still fighting, you will get one of my premium spiritual fruits, which I showed you last time." Just hearing these words, drool gathered at Lingling's lips, and she quickly ran out without thinking. But standing here, she was coming to regret it.
As soon as the match started, Lingling was sent flying with full force. She hit a platform and broke its front part, nearly embedding herself in it. The previously cheering audience went silent, and some even glared at Tian Yao. However, the reason for this silence just pushed herself out of the wall, dumbfounding the audience. Except for a few scratches, there was no other change in Lingling. With a crestfallen face, she went back to her seat. Her senior sisters began consoling and feeding her sweets. But these sweets couldn't even compete with a tenth of the spiritual fruits' smell, and instead made Lingling even more depressed. "Don't worry, I will give you one," but as soon as she heard the Peak Master's voice, she began to eat all the sweets before her with gusto. From across the stadium, Xiaomeng looked at her with envy visible on her face.
Next came the grandchildren of the Grand Elder. They were able to reach the stairs without a hitch and faced Tian Yao together. When the Third Elder said, "Start," both rushed at their opponent, one from the left and the other from the right. Tian Yao just waited in her place for the two of them to come closer, and when they were in range, she kicked out the left one first, then dodged the fist from the right by bending down, and also kicked him down.
The Elders sitting on the platform looked at the Grand Elder, who was still drinking his tea. He just smiled in return. "It's good to be beaten. Getting beaten develops character and firms the Dao-heart." The Elders let out a small sigh after hearing his words and focused back on the stage.
Li Mingjian made his way towards the stage, his sword strapped on his back. Looking at the sword, the Third Elder didn't say much and just announced the start. The result, as anyone in the stands was able to predict by now, was the raised sword being broken and Li Mingjian being thrown off the stage along with its broken parts.
One disciple standing in the back yawned. And as if he had cast a spell, the others around him also yawned. This phenomenon rapidly spread, and the whole gathering was yawning, faint tears visible at the edges of their eyes. Xiaomeng yawned and gazed at the trembling hand beside her. Following that hand up, she saw Senior Sister Lan pressing her lips together as if to prevent something from escaping. Her non-existent sensibilities came to life, and she looked away after feeling a slight chill on her neck. Soon after, the trembling stopped, and the hand went quiet. "Forget what you just saw." Xiaomeng could only nod her head at her Senior Sister's words.
By now, the tournament had become so predictable that even the Third Elder was barely controlling himself from just announcing the result. No matter who was coming up, Tian Yao was using just one punch to knock them down. The only thing to look forward to was how they would get thrown off. And half the time, she wasn't even allowing others to come up, as if filtering the strong ones. Third Elder's eyes glanced at the remaining Foundation Establishment disciples, warning them to come down soon. Those being pointed out could only march to their deaths.
One by one, Tian Yao systematically dealt with them. At the end, only Tieshan was left. Standing in front of Tian Yao, he said in his bright and booming voice, "Looks like I will have to go all out if I want to win here."
"Bring it on," Tian Yao gave a curt reply in her emotionless voice. Tieshan just laughed even more loudly at this.
Lightly wiping the tears at the corners of his eyes, he got into a punching stance. Even when the Third Elder gave the go-ahead, the pair did not move. Tieshan took a punching stance, and so did Tian Yao, as if through some prior agreement.
The qi in their bodies began to flow rapidly. Tieshan's right hand turned black, with purplish patterns engraved on it. Tian Yao's right hand was encased in arcs of lightning that were shooting out. One arc fell on the floor and destroyed the tiles, breaking and scorching them. It showed just how strong the attack would be. This was the first time Tian Yao had actually shown her true power, and the audience was completely quiet, watching with bated breath.
But Tieshan was not to be left behind. The floor below him slowly began to crack, and its broken splinters shot all around with no fixed direction.
Finally, after accumulating enough momentum, both of them moved together. Their fists clashed, and for a moment there was silence. Then a loud explosion, like the roar of a mythical beast, rang in everyone's ears. The whole stage, which was able to withstand the brunt of attacks even from Foundation Establishment Sixth-layer cultivators, was completely decimated.
All its tiles were broken, and those directly below the clash were turned to powder. Dust floated all around and clouded everyone's vision. Even the Elders sitting on the highest platform wore incredulous expressions. The kids fighting below were still several levels below Sixth Layer, but still able to surpass it in raw power.
As the dust cleared, the interlocked figures of the two participants came into view. Their fists were still locked in a tussle with each other. After some time, Tian Yao successfully pushed back Tieshan and threw him off the stage. With her aloof gaze, she looked around the stadium, giving everyone a naked challenge. But all those who were able to challenge her were already out.
Just as the Third Elder was about to announce the result of the tournament, small footsteps resounded in the arena. Everyone's attention focused on the girl walking towards the stage. Xiaomeng lowered her head under all the attention she was getting. Reaching the stairs, she swiftly climbed them, all the while cursing the cheapskate Fourth Elder in her heart. She was not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator yet and had to face someone who may very well use them for mopping floors.
She was just admiring the power of her acquaintances when the voice of her Peak Master intruded into her mind and told her to go up and survive for more than a single hit. Or else she would be thrown out of the Fourth Peak. Talk about proper peak laws!
Just as Xiaomeng reached the last step, she paused and looked at Tian Yao's face, which was just as emotionless as always. Then she began to place her leg on the stage, but rapidly stopped as she observed the minute narrowing of Tian Yao's eyes.
She pulled her leg back and squatted on her current floor. Just as everyone began wondering what she was doing, Xiaomeng took out a small pouch from her waist and put it on the stage.
Tian Yao slowly approached the pouch and, picking it up, glanced inside. It was filled with low-grade spirit stones. Then her attention went to Xiaomeng's face below, and she gave a questioning look.
Xiaomeng gave a bright smile and said in a sweet voice, "Just give me two hits, please."