"Li Ming and Li Xu!" The clear, commanding voice of Li Zhen echoed across the martial field as he called the first pair of names.
The crowd stirred, disciples craning their necks to see the two figures step into the arena. Li Ming, tall and broad-shouldered, tightened his fists as he walked forward. Opposite him, Li Xu's eyes gleamed with sharpness, his movements nimble and cautious.
"Begin!" Li Zhen's hand cut through the air.
Both sprang into action instantly. Li Ming charged like a bull, muscles surging as he threw a heavy fist. Li Xu darted aside, his movements quick and flexible, striking from an angle. The clash was fierce but short, Li Ming's raw power overwhelmed Li Xu's agility. With a booming strike to the chest, Li Xu was sent flying off the arena floor.
"Li Ming wins!" Li Zhen announced. Cheers erupted from the disciples watching, while Li Xu staggered to his feet, face pale with defeat.
---
"Next! Li Yao and Li Chen!" Li Zhen's voice carried again.
The martial field erupted with excited whispers. Li Yao walked calmly into the arena, her eyes steady with determination. She clasped her fists toward Li Chen before taking her stance.
Li Chen smirked, confident in his strength. "Junior Sister, I'll go easy on you."
"Fight!" Li Zhen declared.
The moment the word fell, Li Yao's figure moved like lightning. She charged forward, her fist wrapped in internal energy from Azure Wood Fist. Li Chen tried to block, but his defense crumbled instantly under the weight of her strike. With a second blow to the shoulder, he was sent crashing onto the arena floor, coughing violently.
Gasps echoed all around. "Li Yao's strength… it's at the peak of Marrow Cleansing Realm!"
Li Zhen's stern voice cut through the noise. "Li Yao wins!"
Li Yao bowed slightly before stepping down, her expression calm though her heart burned with quiet pride.
...
"Li Feng and Li Shan!"
The two entered the arena with fiery eyes. Both were mid-stage Marrow Cleansing cultivators, and the fight was evenly matched. The sound of fists clashing echoed again and again, each strike rattling the air. Sweat poured, blood flew, but in the end, Li Feng landed a desperate knee to Li Shan's abdomen, sending him tumbling off the platform.
"Li Feng wins!"
The crowd cheered loudly, excited by such a hard-fought struggle.
"Next match, Li Dong and Li Jie!"
The moment the name Li Dong was called, a commotion rippled through the crowd. He strode into the arena with an arrogant smirk, his aura already radiating the strength of someone who had suppressed his breakthrough for this very day.
Li Jie, thinner and younger, looked pale but resolute as he faced him.
"Fight."
The two moved at once. Li Jie unleashed a desperate flurry of strikes, trying to overwhelm Li Dong before he could react. But Li Dong didn't even bother to defend properly. With one contemptuous sweep of his arm, he knocked aside Li Jie's attack and drove his palm into his chest.
Bang!
Li Jie's body flew backward, slamming into the ground outside the arena. He spat blood, unable to rise.
Li Dong sneered as he turned away. "Pathetic."
"Li Dong wins." Li Zhen's tone was neutral, but the crowd's whispers made it clear, everyone already saw him as one of the favorites for the championship.
One by one, the matches continued. Some were short and brutal, ending in a single decisive strike, while others stretched on with desperate back-and-forth struggles.
By the end of the first round, many disciples had been eliminated. Those who remained were the true elites of the younger generation. But it was just the first round.
The martial field boiled with tension and excitement. The first round was over, and the next battles would only grow fiercer.
Li Yun watched from the sidelines feeling a bit bored. The battles in the arena weren't enough to draw his interests. He was only watching the battles because of Li Yao otherwise he wouldn't bother with these battles.
The second round began, and one by one the battles played out. Some ended in quick exchanges, others dragged on tediously, but most failed to stir true excitement. The crowd murmured restlessly, until the next match was announced.
"Li Yao versus Li Guan!"
The martial field grew loud in an instant. Li Guan was not a common family genius; he had trained in the capital city of Moonriver County, joining a powerful clan and earning recognition there.
His return for the family assessment had already caused waves. As for Li Yao, her progress was meteoric but unexpected. Few believed she could hold her own against someone like him.
Li Yun's eyes narrowed from where he stood among the crowd. 'Her opponent is Li Guan… this will be difficult for her.'
Inside the arena, the two faced one another. Li Guan stood tall, confidence flowing off him in waves, while Li Yao's gaze burned with determination.
"Fight!"
The signal rang out, and Li Yao exploded into motion. Her internal energy surged as she unleashed the Azure Wood Fist, her hands glowing with deep verdant light. A barrage of punches rained down, each blow thundering like wood driving through stone.
The air boomed with the storm of fists, forcing Li Guan back.
Gasps broke out among the crowd. "Her Azure Wood Fist… it's already at the advanced stage of mastery!"
But Li Guan's lips curled into a faint smile. He planted his feet firmly, his movements refined from countless battles outside the family.
Meeting her barrage head-on, he countered with his own fist art, sparks of metallic internal energy flashing from his strikes. The two exchanged dozens of blows in heartbeats, their fists striking like drums of war, the arena trembling with each collision.
Li Yao shifted suddenly, drawing her sword in one smooth motion. "Azure Wood Sword Art!"
Her blade swept forward, arcs of azure internal energy flowing like branches in a storm. Sword and fist blended together seamlessly, her attacks pressing Li Guan harder and harder. For the first time, the capital-trained genius was pushed on the back foot.
Murmurs erupted in the crowd, then cries of shock when they sensed the depth of her cultivation.
"She… she's circulating the Azure Wood Scripture at the fourth layer?!"
"Impossible! A middle-grade mortal rank scripture is harder than iron to progress in, and she's mastered it to the fourth layer already?!"
Even the elders at the front leaned forward, their expressions grave.
Li Guan's calm expression finally cracked. With a roar, he released his own cultivation art. A metallic glow burst from his body, coating his veins and skin in shimmering light. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the sheer force.
"Metal Veins Art, third layer!" someone shouted in disbelief.
The arena shook. The Metal Veins Art was also a middle-grade mortal rank cultivation technique. Yet Li Guan had pushed it all the way to the third layer, his internal energy roaring like molten steel, his sword slashes gleaming with destructive sharpness.
The battle reached its peak. Azure wood clashed against radiant metal, their swords colliding again and again, sparks flying in every direction. Each clash rang like thunder, each movement testing the limits of their bodies.
But as the battle wore on, the true gap began to reveal itself. On the surface, Li Guan's Metal Veins Art seemed overwhelming, refined to the third layer, its power and endurance shone like tempered steel. Yet it paled in comparison to Li Yao's 4th layer of Azure Wood Scripture.
The difference in quality was decisive. Each of her strikes carried not just raw force but the weight of deeper comprehension, her Azure Wood internal energy pressing down on him like a boulder crushing steel.
Her sword art flowed like living wood, flexible yet unyielding, weaving through his metallic defenses and striking at the gaps.
With every clash, Li Guan's stance wavered, his solid guard trembling as though roots were prying apart the foundation of his steel.
Minutes dragged into an eternity. Sweat poured down their foreheads, their breaths grew heavy, yet neither yielded. Until finally, Li Guan faltered. His sword wavered, his arms trembling under the relentless assault. His knees buckled as exhaustion overtook him.
Li Yao's final slash knocked the blade from his hands. Li Guan staggered, then dropped to one knee, unable to rise.
"Li Yao wins!" Li Zhen declared, his voice echoing over the stunned martial field.
The crowd erupted, some in cheers, others in shocked disbelief.
"She beat Li Guan… even when he used Metal Veins Art to the third layer!"
"That kind of talent… she is bound to become the next Li Xian."
Li Yao stood tall in the center of the arena, chest heaving, her sword still glowing faintly in her grip. She was exhausted but unbroken, her victory carving her name into the hearts of everyone present.
'She is stronger than I have expected her to be.' Li Yun was also surprised by her strength. To master a middle grade mortal rank cultivation art to 4th layer was not everyone's cup of tea. And what was even more surprising was that she was only 16 this year.