With that, Su Yueli stepped down from the arena stage.
“Miss Su, you are way too fierce! Even just watching that punch made my own body ache!” Lin Ye said excitedly, circling around her and showering her with praise.
Su Yueli smiled faintly.
Although this guy was a chatterbox, he certainly knew how to hype someone up.
Meanwhile, on the high platform of the martial arena.
The Fourth Prince, Zhao Yan, watched Pang Lei being carried away. The laziness from before vanished from his expression, replaced by a flash of surprise in his eyes.
“Fifth Realm Martial Opening... This girl was actually hiding her cultivation?”
Beside him, Gu Chen gently swayed his folding fan, his eyes growing brighter. “Your Highness, she wasn't hiding her cultivation. Looking at the sheer density of her blood qi when she struck, she is clearly a solid Fifth Realm cultivator.”
“A twenty-year-old Fifth Realm martial artist... Such talent would be considered an absolute prodigy even in the entire Great Li Dynasty.”
Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes as he looked at the green-robed figure below the stage, the smile on his lips deepening. “Interesting. I am becoming more and more interested in her.”
On the other side of the high platform, a subtle shift in atmosphere occurred among the Lin, Yun, and Chu families.
The three family heads, who had been merely spectating with detachment, now wore slightly graver expressions.
Within the Yun family's area, the second young master, Yun He, who had previously defeated his opponent in a single move, looked in Su Yueli's direction with a serious expression.
“Second Young Master, this girl's blood qi is extremely powerful. If you face her on the stage, she will likely be a tough nut to crack,” the Dao protector elder beside him whispered in warning.
Yun He snorted coldly and clenched his fists. “So what if she's in the Fifth Realm? A rogue martial artist from the mortal world, even if they reach that realm, is nothing more than a target with brute strength if they lack top-tier movement techniques and martial arts to back them up.”
Despite his words, the wariness deep in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.
Not only Yun He, but also the genius disciples of the Chu and Lin families were deeply shaken by Su Yueli's punch, discarding their previous contempt.
The preliminaries continued.
Lin Ye's luck wasn't as good. He drew formidable opponents in his subsequent matches and had to fight exceptionally hard.
Several times he was nearly forced off the stage, but in the end, relying on a streak of sheer ruthlessness, he gritted his teeth and pushed through, barely managing to advance.
Meanwhile, Su Yueli's subsequent matches were entirely devoid of suspense.
Whether her opponents were in the Third Realm or the Fourth Realm, none could last a single move against the dense blood qi of her Fifth Realm Martial Opening. She won every match with ease.
By sunset, the preliminaries had completely concluded.
Out of the tens of thousands of participating martial artists, only the final one hundred remained after round after round of elimination.
“Today's tournament ends here! Tomorrow at the hour of Chen, the finals will begin!” The referee's voice echoed across the arena.
The spectating crowd buzzed with discussion, reluctantly dispersing as they still hungered for more.
Just as Su Yueli was about to leave with Lin Ye, a laughing voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Miss, please wait a moment.”
Su Yueli turned around and saw two richly dressed young martial artists walking over together.
The one on the left was the second young master of the Yun family, Yun He. The aura of the one on the right was not at all weaker than Yun He's, and judging by his attire, he was likely a core disciple of the Chu family.
“I am Yun He of the Yun family, and this is Chu Feng of the Chu family.”
Yun He took a step forward and cupped his hands, his attitude highly polite. “I witnessed your grace in defeating Pang Lei with a single punch just now. It was truly admirable. May I ask how I should address you, Miss?”
Su Yueli replied, “Su Yueli.”
As they spoke, the crowd nearby suddenly parted, and Pang Jinbiao approached with the rest of the Pang family, his face incredibly grim.
When passing by Su Yueli, Pang Jinbiao stopped. His ferocious eyes glared at her, his teeth gnashing.
As a peak Eighth Realm martial artist and the head of the Pang family, having his enemy right before his eyes but being unable to make a move was infuriating.
This feeling left him incredibly stifled.
Seeing this, Yun He and Chu Feng immediately grew interested.
The Yun and Chu families had always been at odds with the Pang family. Chu Feng spoke in a mocking tone, “What's wrong, Family Head Pang? A mid Fourth Realm genius couldn't even take a single blow from her, and now you can't handle the loss? Are you here to show off your elder's authority?”
Yun He added to the burn, “If your skills are inferior, go back and train hard. Glaring at people in public won't scare anyone.”
Pang Jinbiao's chest heaved violently, his fists clenching so hard they popped.
It was bad enough that he couldn't kill his enemy with his own hands, but now even two juniors dared to be so insolent.
However, this was the Great Li Royal Martial Arena, and other families were watching. No matter how furious he was, he did not dare to make a move. He could only snort coldly. “Watch your mouths, juniors, lest you play with fire and get burned!” With that, he led the Pang family members away.
However, the two did not care about this threat. The conflict between their families had long been irreconcilable. If the imperial family hadn't been keeping them in check, they would have already started a war.
The Pang family juniors had never shown respect to the elders of their two families, so they naturally wouldn't be polite either.
Once the Pang family had walked far away, Chu Feng turned his head, his gaze toward Su Yueli carrying a bit more scrutiny.
“Miss Su, looking at Pang Jinbiao's murderous expression, you must have done more than just injure Pang Lei on the stage, right? Could it be... that the mysterious expert who killed the second young master of the Pang family, Pang Hu, with a single punch in the Lingshui City inn a few days ago was actually you?”
Su Yueli glanced at them, feeling a bit helpless, and did not reply.
This was practically an obvious fact. Denying it would be useless, yet she couldn't directly admit to it either.
Yun He and Chu Feng exchanged a look, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Her silence was clearly a silent admission.
No wonder the Pang family had tampered with the drawing of lots; this was a blood feud!
After exchanging a few more polite remarks, the two tactfully took their leave.
They had only come over to make an acquaintance, but wading into muddy waters for an unrelated stranger was clearly unwise.
Seeing this, Su Yueli and Lin Ye also left the martial arena, following the flow of the crowd.
Returning to their private courtyard at the inn.
Su Yueli sat at the table, rubbing her aching temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
The Great Li Imperial City was indeed not suited for her.
Powerful clans and prestigious families had their networks of influence intricately intertwined.
Wherever there were people, there would be a martial world, and in such a world, schemes and taking sides were inevitable.
She utterly detested these convoluted and complicated matters.
She only wanted to practice martial arts quietly and grow stronger.
Once her strength was sufficient one day, she would kill her enemies with her own hands and then travel to see all the rivers and mountains of this world.
But the current situation did not seem to give her a choice.
If the matter with the Pang family was not resolved, even if the Martial Arts Tournament ended, they would relentlessly send death-sworn assassins to assassinate her.
Staying in the Imperial City at least provided some constraint of rules. Once she left the Imperial City, the Pang family would absolutely mobilize in full force, and she would likely face endless trouble.
If this remained unresolved and she drove the Pang family to desperation, they might even send a cultivator over, which would truly put her in a death trap.
As for the city guard captain's solemn promise yesterday to investigate to the very end, there was still no sign of any action. It was clearly just polite words used to pacify rogue martial artists and could not be relied upon at all.
If she wanted to survive, she could only rely on herself.
The reward announced by the referee today flashed through Su Yueli's mind.
Winning the championship would allow one to ask the Great Li imperial family for an unconditional favor.
This might be the only way to resolve her deadlock with the Pang family at the moment.
She had to take first place.
The night grew deeper.
On a rooftop not far from the inn, two black-clothed men from the Pang family lurked in the darkness, staring at Su Yueli's private courtyard. They gnashed their teeth in hatred but were completely helpless.
In the Imperial City, the rules were strict.
Strict orders had already been handed down from above: they were absolutely forbidden from taking private action in the city, especially during the tournament and against a participant.
They could only watch helplessly from afar.
Inside the room.
Su Yueli stopped overthinking. She sat cross-legged on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to circulate the breathing technique taught by her master.
Her blood qi surged within her body like a rushing river.
The night passed without a word.
The next morning.
The atmosphere at the Great Li Royal Martial Arena was even more feverish than yesterday. The spectating crowd seemed even larger, packing the outer perimeter of the plaza so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through.
The top hundred finals officially commenced.
Su Yueli and Lin Ye arrived early at the waiting area.
The lot container had been replaced with a new one. Su Yueli stepped forward, reached her hand inside, and began to draw a lot once more.
She pulled it out and took a look.
Group Three.
Rate on N.U.
