20demayo Chapter 2193 Martial Arts Demonstration
Chapter 2193 Martial Arts Demonstration
"This is... the competition arena within the Immortal Dynasty?" Cao Feiyu asked in surprise.
"Let's go take a look." Chen Fei, filled with curiosity, walked over with Cao Feiyu.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the area was even more vast than it appeared from a distance.
Dozens of arenas are arranged in a ring, with the tallest main arena in the center, but no one is competing on it at the moment.
The surrounding area not only has spectator stands, but also dedicated rest areas, healing areas, and even shops that provide supplies of pills and talismans, making it a fully functional martial arts arena.
At the edge of the arena stood a huge jade tablet, its surface shimmering with light and constantly displaying golden characters. Chen Fei looked closely and saw four ancient characters at the top of the tablet: "The Great Dao Martial Arts Competition".
Below are lines of smaller text explaining the rules of this place.
It turns out that this place is not an official competition venue, but a place jointly established by several major merchant guilds in the Immortal Dynasty, specifically for those peak experts of the Tai Cang Realm who are determined to break through or want to test their own strength, to freely spar and fight to the death.
The competition here not only hones one's skills, but the winner also receives substantial rewards, provided by the Chamber of Commerce and a cut of the bets, and may even gain the attention of certain powerful forces.
More importantly, this Great Dao Martial Arts Arena will record the battle records of all the peak experts of the Tai Cang Realm who have competed here, and make a comprehensive evaluation to compile a Great Dao Ranking.
Those who made the list were all outstanding individuals of their respective ranks, representing the most elite group among the younger generation of the Tai Cang Realm in the Yan Yang Immortal Dynasty.
"I see. It's like a public arena where you can even get on the leaderboard and become famous." Cao Feiyu suddenly realized. No wonder it attracted so many strong fighters to battle here. They could hone their skills in real combat and also gain fame and fortune.
Cao Feiyu's gaze involuntarily fell on the jade tablet, and she began to browse the names on it below the three words "Great Dao Ranking".
The list only includes the top 100 people, and each name is followed by a brief introduction, including their affiliation, preferred martial arts or weapons, and recent battle achievements.
Chen Fei's gaze swept quickly across the list. Most of the names at the top of the list came from the top sects and families of the Yan Yang Immortal Dynasty, and even members of the royal family.
Their records are all amazing, with winning streaks of ten or even dozens of games, and their opponents are all renowned masters.
Soon, Chen Fei saw a familiar name in the latter part of the list.
73rd: Feng Butong. Affiliation: Danchen Sect. Specialties: Dao Xu Gui Zhen Body, unparalleled palm techniques. Recent record: Three consecutive victories.
"Senior Brother Feng is also on the list," Cao Feiyu said in a low voice after seeing it.
To rank seventy-third among countless peak Tai Cang Realm cultivators in the entire Yan Yang Immortal Dynasty is already a remarkable achievement.
It should be noted that the Yan Yang Immortal Dynasty has a vast territory and 108 top-tier sects like the Dan Chen Sect under its jurisdiction. This does not even include the reclusive families and independent cultivators.
Being able to rank among the top 100 is enough to prove Feng's strength.
However, Chen Fei also noticed that among the nine disciples from Danchen Sect who came to participate in the competition, only Feng Butong made the list.
The other veteran disciples were not on the list.
Just as Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu were carefully examining the Great Dao Ranking, each lost in their own thoughts, a duel on a stage in the martial arts arena came to a conclusion.
One of them had his protective aura shattered, and he spat out blood as he flew backward, crashing into the array's light barrier and sliding down. He was quickly carried away by the medical personnel who were already waiting nearby.
The victor floated in mid-air, enjoying a moment of cheers, before jumping off the stage to catch his breath.
However, the end of this duel did not cool down the atmosphere in the arena; instead, it was like a drop of water thrown into hot oil, instantly igniting an even bigger uproar.
"Look, it's Ge Chuan and Cheng Zhengchu."
"They actually came? Wasn't it said that with the Grand Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects approaching, the top experts on the rankings were all in seclusion, cultivating and adjusting their condition?"
"Hey, you didn't know that? Ge Chuan and Cheng Zhengchu are old rivals. It's said that they started their feud in a secret realm back then, and later fought several times in the martial arts arena, with each winning and losing, and their grudges only deepened."
"Ge Chuan, ranked 45th on the Great Dao Ranking, is facing off against Cheng Zhengchu, ranked 42nd, with the Thousand Illusions Sword. This is a rare clash of titans. I never expected to see such a good show before the tournament."
The crowd erupted in cheers, countless eyes turning towards the entrance of the martial arts arena. Two figures, almost simultaneously, stepped through the air from different directions and landed on the largest main arena.
The man on the left is burly and strong, nearly nine feet tall, dressed in a simple black outfit. His exposed arms are muscular and exude explosive power.
He had a rugged face, thick eyebrows and fierce eyes. He carried a thick-backed, broad-bladed longsword that was almost as tall as him. Even before the sword was drawn, a domineering sword intent that could cleave the sky emanated from it. It was Ge Chuan, the Heaven-Splitting Sword.
The person on the right appeared much thinner, dressed in white, with an upright posture, a stern face, and sharp eyes like swords.
A simple, ancient-style longsword hung at his waist, its scabbard engraved with ever-changing cloud patterns, making it difficult to discern clearly. He stood there, his aura elusive, blending seamlessly with his surroundings, yet capable of unleashing countless sword beams at any moment.
It was Cheng Zhengchu, the Thousand Illusions Swordsman, who came from an ancient family renowned for its sword formations and illusions.
The two stood a hundred miles apart, their gazes clashing in the air, almost sparking invisible flames. Old grudges and new hatreds needed no words; intense fighting spirit and killing intent already permeated the entire arena.
"Cheng Zhengchu, I didn't expect you to have the audacity to come here to die before the competition." Ge Chuan's voice was as loud as a bell, causing the light screen on the arena to ripple slightly.
"Ge Chuan, your mouth is as foul as your knife. Today I'll show you who's really courting death." Cheng Zhengchu's voice was cold, yet it carried a chilling edge.
The appearance and confrontation of the two brought the atmosphere of the entire martial arts arena to its peak.
Countless cultivators flocked to the main arena, completely surrounding it. Those who arrived later could only watch from mid-air. The cultivators who set up betting odds were even busier, with the numbers on the odds boards jumping rapidly and bettors coming in droves.
Chen Fei and Cao Feiyu were also swept up by the crowd and moved closer to the center arena.
Feeling the two undisguisedly powerful auras on the arena, Chen Fei's eyes narrowed slightly.
Ge Chuan and Cheng Zhengchu are ranked above Feng Butong, and their strength should not be underestimated.
News of Ge Chuan's duel with Cheng Zhengchu spread like wildfire.
In no time at all, the already crowded martial arts arena was packed to capacity. With the Grand Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects just around the corner, this level of pre-tournament showdown undoubtedly stirred people's nerves to a great extent.
"Look. Over there is Fairy Liu Ruyan, ranked thirty-eighth on the Great Dao Ranking."
A commotion arose in the crowd, and suddenly a beautiful figure appeared in the sky in the southeast corner.
She stood on a pure white cloud, her figure graceful, her face shrouded in a light mist, making it difficult to see clearly. Only her bright eyes, clear as water, held the power to conceal endless changes in the world.
It was none other than Liu Ruyan, the pride of heaven from the first-rate sect, Liuyun Pavilion. Her arrival caused many male cultivators to murmur in amazement and discuss.
"To the west is Fudo Myo-o Sōhan, ranked thirty-first on the Great Dao Ranking."
Someone exclaimed in surprise as a golden beam of light descended from the western horizon, revealing a massive figure as tall as an iron tower.
He had bronze skin, a bald head, and an honest face, but his eyes shone with a golden light as they opened and closed, and he exuded an imposing aura of unyielding strength.
Zong Han comes from an ancient temple that specializes in physical cultivation techniques. It is said that he has cultivated his physical cultivation skills to an extremely high level, possessing immense strength and astonishing defense.
"Is that Poison Prince Li Wuxin to the north? He actually came too."
The crowd to the north parted to make way for a pale, effeminate young man in a long robe who slowly walked towards them.
A faint, cold smile played on his lips, and his gaze sent chills down everyone's spines. Li Wuxin was a rogue cultivator, but his poison techniques were unpredictable and difficult to defend against. Ranked fortieth on the Great Dao Ranking, he was an extremely troublesome opponent.
As the duel between Ge Chuan and Cheng Zhengchu is about to begin, more and more renowned masters are showing up to watch.
Chen Fei glanced around and spotted no fewer than ten powerful figures whose names were on the Great Dao Ranking, scattered in various directions of the martial arts arena, watching the arena either openly or secretly.
These top-ranked individuals are not merely there to watch the spectacle; they also want to observe the condition, tactics, and hidden strengths of their potential opponents. After all, they might very well become rivals in the Grand Tournament of Ten Thousand Sects.
On the arena, Ge Chuan and Cheng Zhengchu clearly noticed the familiar auras among the onlookers, but this did not affect their fighting spirit; on the contrary, it seemed to fuel their determination.
"war!"
Almost simultaneously, the two moved.
Ge Chuan let out a deafening roar, the sound waves rolling like thunder from a clear sky.
He gripped the exaggeratedly thick-backed broadsword behind him with his other hand, and without any apparent movement, a violent blade of light that tore through the sky was unleashed.
The blade's light was a dark gold color, stretching for hundreds of miles, threatening to cleave the entire world in two. The domineering and fierce blade intent caused the spectators outside the arena to feel a stinging sensation on their skin, as if the blade were about to strike them.
Nine Forms of Sky-Splitting!
Faced with this earth-shattering strike, Cheng Zhengchu's expression remained unchanged, his eyes even growing colder. He did not draw his sword, but simply pointed his right hand, fingers forming a sword shape, lightly at the void.
"laugh!"
With a soft sound, no sword energy was seen crisscrossing, but in front of the violent blade light that was about to strike, the space strangely twisted and folded, and a constantly rotating mirror appeared.
The blade's power was weakened, refracted, and dispersed as it slashed into the distorted space. By the time it reached Cheng Zhengchu, its power was reduced to less than one-tenth, and it was easily dispersed by the faint cloud aura flowing around him.
"Space Reflection of the Thousand Illusions Sword Domain!" someone exclaimed.
Cheng Zhengchu's Thousand Illusion Sword was not just a name; his swordsmanship incorporated profound illusion techniques and spatial principles, making it unpredictable and mysterious.
"A trivial skill."
Ge Chuan grinned maliciously, his massive body displaying an agility disproportionate to its size. With a single step, he had already traversed a hundred miles, and the broadsword in his hand transformed into countless blade shadows, pouring down like a storm.
Each blade shadow contained immense power capable of splitting mountains and cleaving the earth. What was even more terrifying was that these blade shadows were not chaotic, but rather subtly formed a mountain of blades, sealing off all of Cheng Zhengchu's escape routes.
Nine Forms of Sky-Splitting Sword Mountain Prison!
Cheng Zhengchu moved swiftly, like a ghost, weaving through the countless sword shadows.
He no longer simply defended; the longsword at his waist was finally drawn. The sword light was not dazzling, yet it could split into countless beams, each striking precisely at the weakest point of the blade's shadow, producing a dense, crisp clanging sound like raindrops pattering on banana leaves.
Even more bizarrely, his figure appeared and disappeared intermittently, with countless Cheng Zhengchus simultaneously drawing their swords, dazzling the eye and making it impossible to distinguish between reality and illusion.
The Thousand Illusions Sword splits into light and shadow!
The two instantly engaged in a fierce battle, their swords flashing and their energy clashing violently as their power crashed against the arena's light screen, creating ripples in the air.
Ge Chuan's swordsmanship is extremely powerful and fierce, with wide and sweeping strokes. Each strike contains terrifying power capable of shattering mountains and splitting the earth, following the path of overwhelming force with sheer strength.
Cheng Zhengchu's swordsmanship is unpredictable and agile, often striking from seemingly impossible angles, attacking when the enemy is forced to defend, using their own strength against them, and following the path of using skill to overcome force and illusion to confuse reality.
The two were evenly matched, like two equally matched generals, and fought a fierce and evenly contested battle.
On the arena, blades flashed skyward at times, sword shadows blurred, space shattered, and illusions abounded. Even under the protection of the array, the turbulent flow of energy still faintly emitted a chilling aura.
Chen Fei watched the duel intently, his face expressionless, but deep within his pupils, countless subtle lights flickered and gleamed.
He was analyzing the two men's moves, power application, and rule control, especially their understanding and application of the Dao.
Ge Chuan's sword intent contains the true meaning of unstoppable force and the ability to cleave through everything, while Cheng Zhengchu's sword intent reveals the illusory mystery of the interplay between reality and illusion, and the ability to confuse space.
Cao Feiyu, standing beside him, was also watching intently, but her delicate brows were slightly furrowed. The sword intent that had been subtly flowing around her now fluctuated involuntarily.
What she saw was not only a spectacular duel, but also a breathtaking gap in strength.
She asked herself if she were to face any one of them, she would probably not be able to withstand more than a few moves before being defeated, or even seriously injured.
This stark difference is far more impactful than simply looking at the names and rankings on the Great Dao Ranking.
Just as Cao Feiyu's mind was shaken and her sword intent was unstable, a warm hand gently grasped her somewhat cold hand.
Cao Feiyu's delicate body trembled slightly as she turned her head and met Chen Fei's gentle and peaceful gaze.
There was no shock or fear in his eyes, only a deep calm and a hint of concern.
Without a word, those eyes were like a warm current, instantly dispelling the chill and disappointment in Cao Feiyu's heart.
Yes, what am I thinking?
It's inherently unfair to compare oneself to those already famous geniuses whose cultivation resources, backgrounds, and talents may far surpass one's own. Forcing a comparison only adds to one's troubles and undermines self-confidence.
Her background was never as good as theirs.
But she has her own path, her own principles, and her own sword. More importantly, she has him by her side.
The gloom in her heart quickly dissipated. Cao Feiyu took a deep breath, and the unstable sword intent around her re-condensed. She gripped Chen Fei's hand tightly in return, with a bit too much force, wanting to draw strength from him while also wanting to convey her own feelings to him.
She hoped that Chen Fei wouldn't be affected by this gap, but when she saw Chen Fei's calm and unwavering eyes, she knew that her worries were unnecessary.
Chen Fei felt the strength and warmth in his hand, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He gently squeezed back to show he was alright, then turned his gaze back to the arena. (End of Chapter)