Chapter 433: Group Fight

The reason why Young Master Long of the Dragon Soaring Sword Manor chose to take the stage on the very last day was naturally because he was one hundred percent confident. He wanted to tell those potential opponents: All of you, hurry and secure your qualifications before the end, because this last spot belongs to me!

Of course, Young Master Long indeed possessed such strength. The sword techniques of Dragon Soaring Sword Manor, as well as the Dragon Soaring Heart Method, were the foundations upon which he could look down on all his peers.

The more than two months of the martial arts tournament for marriage had gone exactly as Young Master Long had predicted. Many people, upon learning that Young Master Long would take the stage on the final day, rushed to secure their spots before then. In these last three days, only a few remained—either arriving late or just learning the news for various reasons—who had no choice but to compete with Young Master Long for this final qualification. Without exception, they all became defeated under Young Master Long’s hand, and he easily secured all the victories.

Looking back now, it must be said that Young Master Long’s announcement was an extremely clever strategy. Obviously, by setting his match on this date, those who could compete with him would avoid him, fearing to face him, and would take the stage early. Naturally, those left behind were some unworthy opponents.

Moreover, Young Master Long had another thought, another reason for choosing to take the stage on the last day—perhaps only he himself knew what it was.

Yet, this qualification, which was thought to be in the bag, was snatched away at the very last moment, just three breaths before it was set in stone, by an unknown, tall and thin young man, who, with a single palm, forced Young Master Long off the stage twice.

It must be said, this was a tremendous irony, a huge surprise.

Man proposes, but Heaven disposes!

Other than this, there is truly no more fitting analogy.

Perhaps only the two people standing a little farther away on the east side of the stage were not surprised by this outcome.

Watching Young Master Long and his companions leave in haste, the crowd below the stage had not yet recovered from their shock when they heard Valley Master Nie on the stage stand up and call out loudly: “All heroes who have earned your qualifications, the final qualification has now been decided—it belongs to this Young Hero Ren. According to the previous rules, the final contest will be held on this stage in half an hour. All heroes, please prepare yourselves well.”

After speaking, he led the three sisters of the Nie family, along with several arbiters, down from the stage and headed straight back to the manor.

Nie Qianyu also rose, not sparing Zhang Xiaohua a single glance, feigning indifference as she followed her father. Only Nie Qianxiu looked back at Zhang Xiaohua, her brows slightly furrowed.

Seeing everyone leave, Zhang Xiaohua also leapt down from the stage, picked up his longsword, walked to a corner of the arena, sat down cross-legged on the ground, and closed his eyes in silence.

At this moment, the arena was in utter chaos. The more than twenty contestants for the final contest were, of course, making their preparations, while even more people were getting ready to watch the excitement. Many had already been paying close attention to Zhang Xiaohua’s actions, hoping to approach him and strike up a relationship. But seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s current demeanor—keeping everyone at arm’s length—they all gave up on the idea. After all, this was a master who had sent Young Master Long flying with a mere wave of his hand; who knew what strange temper he might have?

Moreover, looking around the arena, none of the disciples from the three great sects seemed to be particularly outstanding. This young man surnamed Ren might very well be one of them, for only they could produce such a young disciple with such extraordinary martial prowess. Thinking of his mysterious background, others also dismissed their intentions.

Yuan Guoliang saw Zhang Xiaohua sitting aside to rest and wanted to go pay his respects, but Zhou Tai grabbed him and whispered a few words in his ear. Yuan Guoliang’s expression changed several times. He looked at Zhang Xiaohua in astonishment, then at the guards of Spring Rebirth Valley, and finally stopped in his tracks.

Half an hour is neither long nor short.

Seeing that no one came to disturb him, Zhang Xiaohua was naturally quite pleased. Just now, on the stage, he had unintentionally glimpsed a hint of the mysteries of the Dragon Soaring Heart Method, but hadn’t had time to carefully comprehend them. Now, this was the perfect opportunity. Thus, Zhang Xiaohua extended his left hand and began to comprehend the Dragon Soaring Heart Method within his meridians.

Young Master Long had only cultivated the Dragon Soaring Heart Method up to the fourth level, so Zhang Xiaohua also understood only the transformations of the first four levels. However, this heart method was merely a technique for circulating inner strength. After comprehending the first four levels, Zhang Xiaohua grasped its underlying mysteries. 

From the first to the second, then to the third and fourth levels, and even up to the eighth or ninth, the fundamental technique was just one thing: how to stack them together. The only difference between each level of the heart method lay in how they controlled different kinds of inner strength. As long as one had enough inner strength, one could stack even more levels.

But Zhang Xiaohua’s true qi was different from the inner strength of martial artists. Once he understood this fundamental technique, the number of levels he could stack became irrelevant. With the true qi in his meridians, he could simulate the Dragon Soaring Heart Method to ten levels, perhaps even twenty?

But, how did this make sense?

Just as he was pondering this, the sound of a gong rang out from the stage. Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes and looked over. On the stage, Valley Master Nie was seated in the center, with the three Nie sisters beside him. There were also two tall, imposing, and handsome men seated as well, who, judging by their appearance, must be the husbands of Nie Qianrong and Nie Qianxiu. Several arbiters had also taken their places. Elder Yue Yan was standing at one corner of the stage, striking a bronze gong and calling out: “The twenty-three heroes who have earned the final qualifications, please all come up to the stage!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua frowned slightly and thought to himself: “I left in such a hurry earlier that I forgot to ask Valley Master Nie how the final contest would be conducted. Will it still be one-on-one? Or is it going to be a free-for-all?”

Zhang Xiaohua rose, walked slowly to the side of the stage, as usual, planted his longsword into the ground, and with a leap, jumped onto the stage, folding his arms as he stood to one side.

The other twenty-two contestants also made their way onto the stage one after another. Seeing that everyone had arrived, Elder Yue announced in a loud voice: “The final round of the Spring Rebirth Valley martial arts tournament for marriage begins now. The rules for this match are extremely simple: the twenty-three contestants on stage will all compete against each other, and the last one remaining will be the final winner of this tournament.”

Then, glancing at the crowd, he smiled and said: “There is only one requirement—after all, this is a joyous occasion, so let’s not take any lives. Whether you use blades, swords, or hidden weapons, all are permitted, but poison is not allowed. All right, that’s all from this old man. Does anyone have any questions?”

These rules had been common knowledge ever since the stage was first erected, so naturally, there were no objections. Elder Yue Yan glanced at Zhang Xiaohua, and seeing that he simply stood there without saying a word, called out loudly: “Alright, since everyone understands, the time limit is one hour. Let the contest begin now!”

With that, he struck the bronze gong once more.

At the sound of the gong, the twenty-some contestants immediately split into several small groups. Those with existing friendships, or those who had made alliances after earning their qualifications, quickly gathered together.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua, the only one standing alone in a corner of the stage, appeared rather conspicuous.

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head, then suddenly crouched down. Bringing together the index and middle fingers of his right hand, he drew a line on the stage before him. Instantly, a neat, half-circular arc, three-tenths of an inch deep into the hardwood, appeared on the stage.

Afterward, Zhang Xiaohua stood up again, shook his head, and folded his arms as he stood there.

Although the stage was made of wood, the materials had been carefully selected to withstand the force of martial artists, and were no less sturdy than solid stone. With this move, Zhang Xiaohua not only displayed his formidable strength, shocking all present, but also made his intentions clear: you may fight as you wish, but as long as you do not cross this arc, I will not make a move.

The others, witnessing this, clicked their tongues in amazement at the young man’s martial prowess, but also immediately understood his message. So, as the initial chaos of battle erupted, no one dared approach Zhang Xiaohua. Instead, they each sought out smaller, seemingly weaker groups to eliminate first.

Thus, compared to the fierce fighting among the others in the arena, Zhang Xiaohua appeared all the more unique.

On one side of the stage, Valley Master Nie and Nie Qianyu had hardly taken their eyes off Zhang Xiaohua. Every move he made was clearly seen by them. Now, witnessing Zhang Xiaohua’s meaningful actions, they both nodded with a smile. “This fellow really does love taking advantage. Even at this point, he’s still hoping to reap the benefits as a fisherman.”

In truth, who among the others didn’t understand Zhang Xiaohua’s intentions? It was just that he had so easily defeated Young Master Long, and his momentum was at its peak, so no one was willing to provoke him lightly.

However, after about the time it takes to eat a meal, the number of people on the stage gradually dwindled. These small groups, after all, varied in strength, and once the fighting began, the weaker ones were quickly eliminated. By now, only three groups of four remained, along with Zhang Xiaohua standing alone.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua no longer stood on ceremony. He lowered his arms and prepared to face his opponents.

Sure enough, four people exchanged glances and charged toward Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua released his divine sense, closely observing their movements without a trace of panic. He waited until they drew near, then slid his foot, found a gap in their encirclement, and with a simple sidestep, reached out and gently tapped one of them under the arm. 

Another, seeing Zhang Xiaohua close in, hurriedly changed his move and swung his longsword horizontally to block him. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaohua leapt high, landing a foot on the back of the sword. With a crisp “crack,” the treasured sword snapped in two. Before the man could react, Zhang Xiaohua’s finger wind had already struck him squarely.

The remaining two, realizing things were going badly, tried to retreat, but how could Zhang Xiaohua give them the chance? His figure drifted through the air and appeared before them. Both palms swept out, each containing the dual force of the Dragon Soaring Heart Method. The two, seeing the ferocity of his palms, instinctively raised their own to meet him. Only when the immense inner strength surged into their arms did they realize—wasn’t this the very palm force that had sent Young Master Long flying earlier?

Unfortunately, by the time they realized it, it was already too late. Before the eyes of everyone on and off the stage, Zhang Xiaohua’s palms struck, and the two were sent flying from the stage, crashing down into the dust.

In a flash, Zhang Xiaohua had defeated all four!