"That probably isn't the case. The Butterfly Sect isn't a prestigious orthodox sect. Their cultivation methods are despised by others. Although they're well-known, there aren't many sects that interact with them.
Moreover, according to the information we have, none of the Chu family's followers are from the Huadie faction. Young Master Wuji's actions toward the outside world are very likely because Chu Ren is stirring up trouble.
The Chu family members were all scheming and skilled in underhanded tactics. Sister Mingxuan had a grudge against him, and Long Chen was currently the most prominent figure at the entire Jiuzhou Conference. It wasn't surprising that Chu Ren fanned the flames, and Young Master Wuji came to provoke him. Luo Xue said.
Long Chen nodded silently. The Luo family was the Chu family's arch-enemy, and both knew each other's backgrounds very well. Intelligence was absolutely the top priority, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.
Moreover, judging by Young Master Wuji's appearance, it was clear he was a spoiled second-generation rich kid—skilled but lacking brains. If someone stirred him up, he'd easily fall for it. So, Luo Xue's prediction should be correct.
"Buzz"
At that moment, the entire square suddenly trembled, and right in the center of the plaza, an elderly man appeared.
As soon as the old man appeared, he introduced himself. It turned out that this martial arts tournament had been entrusted to Huayun Trading Company to host the event because of Long Chen.
Originally, hosting such conferences wasn't really Huayun Trading Company's business, but since Huayun Trading Company managed the entire conference and was making money, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and take on the role.
The old man first modestly claimed he had little experience and was just forcing a duck onto the rack. After all, he was an outsider. If there were any flaws, he hoped everyone would forgive them.
As soon as the old man stepped onto the stage, countless cheers erupted. They didn't need the old man to say grandiose words, nor did they need any fake emotional encouragement. What they wanted was a fair and just martial arts tournament without any shady dealings.
The appearance of the elder from Huayun Trading Company proved that from now on, there would be no more shady dealings. Huayun Trading Company was truly a golden brand; no one would question them.
The old man hadn't expected him to be so popular. He bowed again to thank everyone, and then, without any passionate opening remarks, directly announced the start of the drawing contest.
However, the draw of lots for the duel wasn't just for the disciples themselves; it was everyone's selection, already prepared and spun inside a huge sphere.
As the runes flowed, tens of millions of jade slips rolled inside the barrel. Suddenly, the slips inside the drum fused together in pairs, and for a moment, the nameplates in everyone's hands lit up.
"Koyama Hikaru?"
On Long Chen's jade token, a name appeared—that person was his opponent. And his opponent's nameplate would inevitably have Long Chen's name on it.
"Whew."
Long Chen's nameplate lit up, and his body vanished from where he stood in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already on a certain arena.
The arena was a thousand zhang square, with a light screen appearing around it, blocking the view and preventing the world beyond the screen.
Long Chen knew these were the glowing spheres on the arena, a world of its own—the qualifiers had already begun.
As soon as Long Chen entered, he saw a bald man with two axes on his back appearing across the table, his bald head shining with oil.
"It really is quite shiny." Long Chen saw that it truly lived up to his reputation.
"Long Chen, right? Take my axe."
The bald man roared angrily, his entire body surging with energy and blood like a wild bull charging at Long Chen. His aura was powerful—he was a Divine Fire Ninth Heaven expert.
"Thanks, I don't eat this stuff."
Long Chen threw a punch.
"Boom!"
With a loud explosion, the burly man's arms trembled violently, his palm split open, blood gushed out, and he was sent flying backward.
"Clap clap"
Two axe handles landed in front of him. To his shock, he realized that the heads of the two large axes had shattered, and Long Chen had actually shattered his weapon with a single punch.
"Admit defeat"
The burly man shouted anxiously. He knew the strength gap between him and Long Chen was too great, so he quickly admitted defeat to avoid losing his life.
"Whew."
As soon as that person called for surrender, Long Chen returned to the spectator seats, while Bai Shishi, Lu Mingxuan, Luo Bing, and the others had already returned. Clearly, they were all very relaxed.
"Hahaha, the opponent was too weak. That guy didn't even see me before I knocked him out." Bai Xiaole said proudly.
"Don't get too cocky. Even in the qualifiers, you might be matched with a super strong player. It's not always this easy." Bai Shishi splashed cold water on the matter.
Long Chen patted Bai Xiaole on the shoulder and said, "Don't listen to her. When you're happy, you should laugh; when you're proud, you should show off. Holding everything to yourself and always wearing a bitter face—no one will give you a single immortal crystal." "
At first, Bai Xiaole was a bit annoyed by Bai Shishi's cold water, but Long Chen's words instantly made him excited:
"Haha, brother-in-law is right."
"Are you itching for trouble?" Bai Shishi was furious.
"The sister I mentioned is Mingxuan's sister. What does that have to do with you? The boss said he would never let you have him in this lifetime, so you better not fool yourself. "Bai Xiaole hid behind Long Chen, speaking fearlessly.
Hearing Bai Xiaole's words, Lu Mingxuan chuckled but didn't say much, which actually made Bai Shishi so angry she wanted to hit him.
"Buzz"
At that moment, the giant drum on the plaza began to spin again.
Long Chen was startled: "So soon, the second match is coming?" "
It hasn't even taken half an incense stick's time to burn, and the first round is already over?
"According to the rules, that's how it is: if you can't beat your opponent within the allotted time, both players are eliminated together.
In the past, some people, for unspeakable purposes, would send powerful fighters to hold off strong opponents, only needing to hold out until time ran out, and then eliminate the strong opponents along with them.
Some wood cultivators, earth cultivators, and water cultivators all possessed extremely strong control abilities. Once entangled by them, it was very difficult to escape, and many powerful individuals were eliminated in this way.
If it weren't for Senior Brother Long Chen, such things would have continued to happen. It could be said that at the Jiuzhou Conference, ninety-nine percent of the strong figures would be grateful to Senior Brother Long Chen. Luo Xue said with a smile.
Everyone suddenly understood. Those who controlled the conference behind the scenes were far too cunning. When encountering a threatening opponent, they would directly dispatch some control-type experts to hold them off, reducing the threat. In the end, all the rewards would be claimed by their own people.
Although Long Chen knew that the Jiuzhou Conference was controlled by someone, he had no idea how to control it. Today was the first time he'd heard about it.
"I see. So that means the so-called lottery duels are all under their own control?" A disciple from the War God Hall said.
"Of course, they absolutely won't let their own people meet their own people. Every order of duels and opponents is carefully planned in advance." Luo Xue said.
"It's too gloomy." The man sighed.
"But it's fine. At least for now, we can enjoy the fairest tournament. With our own skills and luck, we can compete with the other heroes, and we're already quite content." Luo Xue said with a smile.
"Buzz"
Just then, the lineup for the second match was announced. Long Chen didn't even bother to look at his opponent's name before he had already entered the arena.