On the stage, Li Chonglou also wore a look of astonishment.
"What's with this guy? Why did he suddenly jump out?"
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed slightly as he looked at the universally recognized strongest among the younger generation.
He was not much older than Li Chonglou himself, and among the crowd, he was considered a senior. His appearance exuded the aura of a powerful individual, whether in his posture or his demeanor. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing, but he always carried himself with an air of superiority.
To be honest, Li Chonglou, being a self-taught practitioner, was eager to spar with these orthodox young talents, let alone their strongest. However, he hadn't expected it to be now!
This was only the beginning. There was still a round of defending the stage with the most points remaining!
If he revealed his true strength here, would anyone dare to challenge him later? If no one challenged him, how would he accumulate more points?
He couldn't possibly keep challenging others from the sidelines. Doing so would offend too many people! After all, his current identity wasn't exactly legitimate.
Meanwhile, Wu Long below the stage, though also surprised, showed more anticipation than Li Chonglou.
There was no other way; Li Chonglou's performance had far exceeded his expectations. Wu Long was now eager to know just how far this Brother Li's strength had reached!
As for Wu Ying, after issuing his challenge, he slowly walked onto the stage. According to the rules, unless Li Chonglou voluntarily conceded, he could not refuse the challenge.
Upon entering the stage, Wu Ying subtly exchanged a glance with Uncle Quan. The latter gave a slight nod before looking at Li Chonglou.
Without waiting for Li Chonglou to prepare, he slowly raised his right hand.
"Perhaps a probing match first?"
Having just completed a few warm-up rounds, Li Chonglou was feeling the itch to fight. This was, after all, the strongest of the younger generation. It would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.
Old Lin in the soul bottle also spoke, "Little Li, how about I take a turn? We can retreat if things go south."
Cai Hong immediately objected, "That won't do. If anyone goes, it should be me first. I haven't experienced this feeling in a long time."
The two did not argue, merely reminiscing about their time in the living world. Li Chonglou, however, considered their suggestion and ultimately decided to refuse.
It wasn't that he didn't want them to have the chance to fight against China's strongest young generation. It was simply that he didn't want to reveal his strength just yet.
Wu Ying was at least at the fifth level of cultivation. He couldn't win with the minor tricks he had used before against such an opponent.
However, if they were to truly fight, the spectators below would undoubtedly gain a clear understanding of his strength. Li Chonglou was well aware of Wu Long's earlier concerns.
If he were to be targeted, it could indeed affect his plans!
At this moment, Uncle Quan finally uttered the fateful words.
"The match begins!"
Uncle Quan glanced at Li Chonglou, his earlier concern vanishing. He seemed to have absolute confidence in Wu Ying's strength!
The crowd below held their breath once more, some even clenching their fists in excitement.
As the top figure in their circle, Wu Ying naturally had his admirers.
Below the large screen, a group of top talents from the financial world stared intently, afraid of missing even the slightest detail.
Mu Qi, on the other hand, was so nervous she couldn't sit still.
Wu Ying was her idol! If she hadn't known that ordinary people and cultivators practically had no future together, she might have actively pursued him!
But Li Chonglou was someone she had brought into this. Being kind-hearted, she understood that once people of this caliber clashed, a confrontation would be inevitable.
Therefore, at this moment, she feared both Li Chonglou getting hurt and her idol getting hurt. Yet, she didn't realize that she had subconsciously equated Li Chonglou and Wu Ying.
As all eyes were on them, Li Chonglou suddenly raised his right hand.
Wu Ying's expression froze, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"I forfeit this match. My apologies."
Li Chonglou politely cupped his fist in greeting to Wu Ying before voluntarily jumping off the stage.
Wu Ying's expression changed drastically.
This guy!
The scene below erupted in silence once more.
Everyone's eyes were wide open, hoping to witness the spectacle they desired. They were all frozen in place.
It took a good while for them to react.
"Damn! Isn't this guy too cunning! He manipulated the points to force a challenge, and then as soon as Wu Ying steps up, he just forfeits?"
"Clearly Wu Ying won, but why do I feel no joy?"
The crowd felt like they had a breath of frustration trapped in their chests, unable to release it. Even though it was the outcome they had wished for, they couldn't muster any enthusiasm!
Uncle Quan also looked helpless. This victory brought no sense of triumph; instead, it felt like he had been outmaneuvered, falling into the opponent's rhythm.
As Li Chonglou returned to Wu Long's side, the latter secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
"Well done, Brother Li. I was worried you'd get too carried away. Fighting Wu Ying at this juncture is simply not worth it!"
Li Chonglou smiled and didn't reply.
Below the large screen, the crowd began to boo.
"I thought he was some strong dark horse. Turns out he's just a coward. He didn't even dare to fight our Wu Ying."
The disappointment was evident on everyone's faces. Xiao Cheng turned to look at Mu Qi, casting a meaningful smile.
An An breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Qi Qi, you don't have to worry anymore. I didn't expect Brother Li to be so shrewd. Being able to retreat at such a moment, his composure alone probably surpasses many."
The initial words were meant to comfort, but the latter were An An's genuine thoughts. In such a situation, most people would either fight or seize the opportunity to spar with Wu Ying. Even if they couldn't win, they could at least gain some experience.
But Li Chonglou didn't hesitate at all. Without even giving Wu Ying a chance to make a move, he simply forfeited. Such calmness was not possessed by everyone.
Mu Qi finally smiled upon hearing this. This outcome was arguably the most perfect one in her heart.
On the stage, although Li Chonglou's antics had caused some distraction, the show was the show, and the points were still the primary concern. As Uncle Quan continued to move the event forward, the crowd gradually returned to the main topic, momentarily forgetting Li Chonglou.
The challenge rounds were shorter than the preliminary rounds. After all, the preliminary rounds had already roughly determined who was stronger and who was weaker. The challenge rounds served to fill in the gaps, and thus, their duration was naturally not as long as the preliminary rounds.
In just over an hour, the competition entered its final round: the stage defense.
When Uncle Quan announced the start of the third round, Li Chonglou immediately asked Wu Long, "In this stage defense round, how many wins do I need to secure my spot?"
Wu Long, who had completed his required wins near the end of the second round, pondered for a moment upon hearing the question.