"Why is this person like this?"
"Exactly, this is no longer a sparring match, it's a street fight, relying purely on brute force..."
The disciples of the various sects below the arena, along with their sect leaders and masters, pointed at Wan Yunting on the stage and whispered amongst themselves. They all felt that his actions were too out of line with the rules of this sparring match.
"Everyone, please calm down. I will have someone remind him."
Sima Boyong turned to the sect leaders of the various sects and said that he then asked Sima Wentang to go up and say to Wan Yunting, "Wan Yunting, this is a sparring match, not a street fight. Pay attention, you cannot win by brute force anymore."
Wan Yunting on the stage was speechless upon hearing this.
"What, can't handle a loss?"
Chang Wude immediately stood up and glanced at the sect leaders of the various sects sitting on the other side. Liu Bing's face had darkened.
But Chang Wude pointed at Wan Yunting on the stage and shouted, "Can't we use brute force in a sparring match? Are we learning martial arts just to show off fancy moves and make them look pretty?"
These words left the sect leaders and masters of the various sects speechless, unsure how to respond.
"Brother Chang, this is just a friendly match, your disciple has gone too far." Sima Boyong had to speak up.
"Gone too far? This is nothing!"
Chang Wude glanced at him dismissively and said, "Once you're on the stage, no matter what moves you use, as long as you win, it's martial arts. So don't give me any of that useless talk. If you have the ability, have your disciples use brute force and defeat my disciple."
"Hmph."
These words made Sect Leader Liu Bing's face darken, and he let out a heavy, cold snort.
"Stop dawdling, hurry up and fight, don't waste everyone's time."
Chang Wude turned back and shouted to the stage, then said to Wan Yunting, "Boy, don't be soft-hearted. Fight as you should, just don't kill him."
This made Sect Leader Liu Bing furious. He stood up and shouted at Meng Jingwu on the stage, "Jingwu, don't hold back, fight!"
Chang Wude sneered dismissively upon hearing this, turned, and sat back in his seat, crossing his legs leisurely. He wasn't worried about Wan Yunting losing at all...
"Yes."
Meng Jingwu on the stage responded, then fixed his gaze on Wan Yunting. He gritted his teeth, no longer holding back, and charged forward. He channeled his inner energy into his long sword and thrust it directly at Wan Yunting.
Wan Yunting narrowed his eyes slightly, a green light flashing. He saw the powerful aura contained within Meng Jingwu's thrust, its speed like a lightning snake. Anyone else would surely be unable to dodge or block it.
But in an instant, Wan Yunting's eyes widened. He also charged forward to meet Meng Jingwu, who was rushing towards him with his sword. Wan Yunting's iron sword in his right hand was also infused with an aura. Their sword tips clashed, making a "clang" sound. Two fierce sword energies erupted, creating an impact that swept towards Meng Jingwu like a hurricane, hitting his face and causing his vision to blur for a few moments...
But in an instant, Wan Yunting's iron sword sliced through the air, emitting a clear sword hum. Like a white lightning bolt, the sword energy was like a rainbow, and it chopped forward...
Meng Jingwu, heart pounding, had no time to think and quickly raised his iron sword to block horizontally...
Clang!
A crisp sound reached the ears of everyone below the arena. Everyone's eyes widened involuntarily. Accompanying this, Meng Jingwu's iron sword was cut in half by Wan Yunting's sword. A section of the sword tip clanged onto the wooden stage...
For a moment, Meng Jingwu's expression froze. He stared blankly at the broken sword tip lying on the ground, seemingly unable to believe it. Emotions of disbelief surged into his heart like a tide, making his breathing quicken...
Swish
Wan Yunting's sword tip was already an inch from his throat. He smiled with a smirk and said, "You lost!"
At once, the disciples of the various sects and the disciples of the Wuliang Daoist Temple below the arena reacted. A commotion arose.
Even the sect leaders and masters of the various sects, Elder Zhang Qing, Master Huikong, and Abbess Yun Bai, couldn't help but nod in admiration of Wan Yunting's profound inner energy, saying, "This young man's aura is fierce and domineering, even astonishing."
"Indeed."
Sect Leader Shi Yizhen nodded, then turned to Sima Boyong and asked, "Brother Boyong, is your disciple practicing your Wuliang Daoist Temple's Nine Seal Inner Cultivation technique?"
"That's not right."
Sect Leader Lu Chenzi said, "The Nine Seal Inner Cultivation technique doesn't have such a domineering aura. This young man should be practicing some other internal martial art!"
"Mmm..."
Master Huikong, Abbess Yun Bai, and Elder Zhang Qing also nodded. They had experienced the Nine Seal Inner Cultivation technique of the Wuliang Daoist Temple, and it wasn't like the profound and domineering inner energy Wan Yunting had just displayed. It should be two different internal martial arts.
Even Sima Boyong and Wu Weizi were surprised by the domineering internal energy Wan Yunting displayed. They turned to Chang Wude and asked, "Senior Brother Chang, the cultivation technique he is practicing shouldn't be from our Wuliang Daoist Temple, right?"
"Who says it isn't."
Chang Wude's old eyes widened, and he glanced at Sima Boyong and Wu Weizi, saying, "He is my disciple, so why wouldn't it be a martial art of our Wuliang Daoist Temple?"
Wu Weizi said, "But our Wuliang Daoist Temple's inner cultivation techniques emphasize cultivating the mind and nurturing the spirit. We've never had such a domineering inner cultivation technique."
"Heh heh, I'll tell you later."
Chang Wude chuckled slyly, playing coy.
This made Wu Weizi and Sima Boyong look at each other, and it also piqued the curiosity of the sect leaders from other sects...
"I don't accept this, I haven't lost yet!"
As a result, Meng Jingwu on the stage came back to his senses, his eyes glaring furiously at Wan Yunting. Emotionally agitated, he angrily threw down his broken sword and roared, "It's a quality issue with this iron sword. I haven't lost."
"Jingwu, come down."
Seeing his disciple disgraced in public, Sect Leader Liu Bing, who couldn't sit still, stood up and shouted angrily at him.
After all, everyone could see that it was Wan Yunting's profound inner energy that had snapped Meng Jingwu's iron sword. This was no longer a matter of sword quality, but a competition of who had more profound and advanced cultivation techniques.
"Master, I..."
"Shut up. You lost, so you lost. There's nothing more to say. My Qingcheng Sect isn't afraid of losing." Sect Leader Liu's old eyes widened, and he reprimanded Meng Jingwu on the stage.
Thus, Meng Jingwu glared fiercely at Wan Yunting. He dared not defy his master, so he could only turn and leave the stage in unwilling anger...
Wan Yunting also put away his long sword, smiled indifferently, and walked off the stage. He then tossed his sword to a young disciple beside him and returned directly to Chang Wude's side.
Wei Ping, Zeng Yongchang, and Qi Wu looked at him with changed expressions.
They hadn't expected this guy's martial arts to be so unfathomable. Even though they were at the same early stage of Dan Jin, they still couldn't defeat him.
"Wuliang Daoist Temple, Wan Yunting wins."
Sima Wentang, who had walked onto the stage, announced this, although he was reluctant to see Wan Yunting win. Then he called for the person who drew number nine to continue the competition...
"Junior Brother Wan is amazing! But we're also curious, which inner cultivation technique of our Wuliang Daoist Temple are you practicing?" Li Zihang came over and asked curiously.
Wei Ping, Zeng Yongchang, Qi Wu, and other disciples also looked at him, hoping he would answer. As a result, Wan Yunting grinned mischievously and said, "It's a secret. I'll tell you later."
"Tch."
Li Zihang immediately rolled his eyes...
The ninth match was between Cao Yang, a disciple of the Kongtong Sect, and Liao Qi, a disciple of the Huashan Sect. Both were at the late stage of Wu Dao Huajin, so they fought fiercely on the stage, neither giving an inch...
After twenty minutes, Cao Yang finally won by a narrow margin.
The person who drew number ten was the young master Luo Wenguang of the Shaolin Sect. He was only 24 years old but was already at the middle stage of Wu Dao Huajin. He was competing against a disciple of the Eagle Claw Sect, who was only at the early stage of Huajin. Therefore, after dozens of exchanges on the stage, Luo Wenguang won the tenth match without any suspense.
"Next, please call out the person who drew number eleven to the stage."
As Sima Wentang called out, the last sparring match was between disciples of the Great Saber Sect and the Bajiquan Sect. In the end, Niu Xuewu, a disciple of the Great Saber Sect, emerged victorious.
"The first round of matches is over. Now I will announce the names of the winners."
Sima Wentang walked onto the stage, holding a microphone, and began to announce, "Pan Yulong of the Qingcheng Sect! Zhou Ruoxi of the Emei Sect! Xu Hai of the Shaolin Sect! Xu Lingwei of the Wuliang Daoist Temple! Guan Feipeng of the Kunlun Sect! Mu Zhiming of the Huashan Sect! Wei Ping of the Wuliang Daoist Temple! Wan Yunting of the Wuliang Daoist Temple! Cao Yang of the Kongtong Sect! Luo Wenguang of the Shaolin Sect! Niu Xuewu of the Great Saber Sect!"
As these names were read out, there was a buzz of discussion among the people from the various sects, especially the sect leaders and masters of the defeated disciples and sects. They sighed and lamented their disciples' lack of competitiveness, while also praising the strength of their opponents' sects...
All in all, despite losing the matches, it was still important to maintain good relations with other sects, as this was just a friendly sparring match, primarily for exchange.
"Everyone, it's almost six o'clock in the afternoon. The matches for today will end here. We will continue the top eleven matches tomorrow."
Sima Wentang looked at the crowd from the various sects and said with a smile, "So, please proceed to the dining hall for dinner."
"Sect Leader Liu, Sect Leader Lu, Master Huikong, shall we go to the dining hall?"
Sima Boyong and Wu Weizi also got up and invited the sect leaders and masters of the various sects to the dining hall. Wu Weizi also turned to Chang Wude and said, "Senior Brother Chang, let's go eat too. It happens that I have something to talk to you about..."
"Mmm, let's go."
Chang Wude nodded, got up, and walked with Wu Weizi. Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan followed behind them with Xu Lingwei and Li Zihang.
Wu Weizi chatted with Chang Wude about old times along the way. The group arrived at the dining hall, where a grand banquet was also laid out to entertain the guests from the various sects.
It had to be said that Sima Boyong had spared no expense. The banquet featured lavish dishes, such as lamb hot pot, lamb trotters, braised beef, and good wines like Xifeng wine. Wan Yunting naturally didn't hold back and drank half a bottle of Xifeng wine himself, immediately earning a stern glance from Chang Wude, who reprimanded him, "Drink less, save some for me."
Wan Yunting saw the look in his eyes, which clearly indicated that there were other matters to attend to that night and he shouldn't get too drunk.
"Alright, the rest is for you, old man..."
Understanding, Wan Yunting gave the remaining half bottle of wine to Chang Wude. He could only ladle some lamb soup and drink a few bowls to warm himself up...