CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: SEND ME 50 AND I’LL TEACH YOU A DIVINE SKILL

The morning competition ended, and the seed players from the eight divisions demonstrated their strong dominance, sparking various heated discussions in the comments section on the official website.

"Zhu Jinfeng is the best!"

"Haha, my Brother Jian is number one in the world!"

"I declare that the champion of this year’s Sword Fighting Competition will definitely come from these two. Their strength is overwhelming, even among geniuses, there’s a gap!"

"Really looking forward to it, the finals will definitely be a volcanic battle!"

"Indeed, Zhu Jinfeng’s Red Lotus and Liu Dingjian’s Cliff are both incredibly powerful mid-tier martial techniques. There are few players who can take a slash from them; their strength completely surpasses all other competitors."

The eight seed players all showcased genius-level prowess.

Yet, among the eight, Zhu Jinfeng and Liu Dingjian have the most supporters.

Humans, after all, are creatures that admire strength.

Both hail from martial arts families, having consumed spiritual flesh and spiritual springs from a young age, received one-on-one guidance from renowned masters, and possess extraordinary talent themselves. What can ordinary competitors do to compare with them?

This world is materialistic, and objective gaps are often the hardest to bridge.

Still, there are dissenting voices.

"Haha, does my Brother Long have no presence? In the morning matches, it was clear that his Soaring Step improved considerably, plus he’s last year’s fourth place and has rich competition experience, maybe he has a chance to win the championship."

"Leon in the Zhenzi District is equally strong; isn’t Zhu Jinfeng and Liu Dingjian’s power due to their Martial Bones? Leon also possesses Martial Bones and has taken advanced training at Three Pure Ones Mountain, I reckon he has the strength to contend for the title."

Soon, the comment section on the official website became even more intense than the Sword Fighting Competition itself.

Initially, it was about presenting data and reasoning, but it gradually devolved into various hat-throwing and personal attacks, with language mixed with surprisingly kind greetings to each other’s parents and sincere blessings, turning into chaos.

Ye Qingzhou watched with relish on his phone while also gathering information about other players.

"Among the eight seed players, five are from martial arts families, while genius-level talents from the civilian class are only three?"

Ye Qingzhou finished reading and let out a cold laugh. The total number of people in martial arts families is not that large.

It’s not so much that their genetic inheritance is excellent but rather that money talks, or perhaps the martial arts world is beginning to show signs of class solidification.

Fortunately, the Dongji Kingdom has a long history, and the authorities are well aware of the implications. Therefore, in recent years, they have launched talent development programs like "Martial Arts Rising Stars" and "Free Martial Meals" to provide the civilian class with opportunities to advance.

Though it can’t entirely bridge the immense gap between ordinary individuals and martial arts families, at least it offers a path upward.

Additionally, martial arts schools themselves are willing to collaborate with the authorities and train these innocent civilian martial arts talents as the backbone of the sects, making the growth path for civilian martial artists smoother than before.

Ye Qingzhou pondered: "There are two paths in front of me now. One is to accept Xu Yunxi’s condition and marry into the Linjiang Xu Clan, joining the ranks of a martial arts family."

"As for the other path, it’s to leverage this Sword Fighting Competition, showcase my prowess, and then receive official nurturing."

For Ye Qingzhou, joining any camp is actually inconsequential, as ultimately the strength of a martial artist lies within themselves, and once grown, reliance on an organization becomes unnecessary.

In contrast, maintaining an organization requires top martial artists; without supreme powerhouses, even with more numbers, they are just worthless minions.

It’s like within Dongji Kingdom, why are Divine Gang Dao and Heart Evil Stream the strongest among all martial arts schools?

Is it because they have a long founding history?

Three Pure Ones Mountain was founded over 1,700 years ago, yet Divine Gang Dao and Heart Evil Stream’s founding time is merely a fraction of that.

Is it because they have numerous members?

Brahma Pure Sect has over a hundred million followers, and even a casual ritual can gather tens of thousands, whereas Divine Gang Dao and Heart Evil Stream’s official members, combined, don’t even reach a thousand.

The strength of Divine Gang Dao and Heart Evil Stream is simply due to the existence of Qi Shengtian and Zhang Xinwu, the "dual extremes of martial arts."

Their names represent the pinnacle of Dongji Kingdom’s martial arts world, a unique tier, with strength and status above all martial artists in Dongji Kingdom.

Thus, Ye Qingzhou is in no rush to pick sides; the best choice is to support whoever pays more.

"Ding-dong~"

"You have a new message."

Ye Qingzhou received a background notification from the website, then saw a text message from someone unknown: I am Qi Zhentian, the younger brother of Nine Dragons Boxing Saint Qi Shengtian, V me 50, and I will surely teach you supreme divine skill, helping you sweep through the competition and win the championship.

"..."

This kind of foolish scam can only deceive idiots, right?

Casually deleting this spam message, the phone rang again.

It was Leon calling.

As soon as he answered, he heard Leon’s voice cursing in rage: "Master Ye! You don’t know, I was just scammed out of 50 bucks! To dare deceive an unparalleled genius like me, if I find out the identity of the scammer, I’ll definitely blast them with Five Thunders Bombarding the Head, with body and soul completely annihilated!"

"..."

Ye Qingzhou sighed.

There’s no doubt about it; Leon is genuinely a big fool.

"Master Ye, I’ve become stronger!"

The phone emitted Leon’s voice full of excitement and a hint of boasting: "Hehe, even someone as strong as Master Ye, may not be my match now."

"Strong? How strong, exactly?"

Ye Qingzhou naturally didn’t take Leon’s words seriously; he had already mastered the first form of the Heart Sword Secret Technique, Sword Follows Heart.

Though it’s merely at the entry-level, super-tier martial techniques contain profound martial arts principles, and their growth potential is theoretically limitless.

This means that the greater the person’s talent, the faster their strength increases!

"Master Ye, as the saying goes, look at a daoist with new eyes after only three days, yet we haven’t seen each other for half a month. Next time we meet, I will definitely surprise you."

Leon was full of confidence; he hadn’t wasted his half-month but, with the help of his sister Lei Ying, utilized the Bone Forging Secret Technique inherited from the Jiujiang Lei Clan, took secret medicine, and underwent Five Thunders Body Tempering, finally forging the Blazing Heart Thunder Bone.

Now, his Thunderous techniques’ potency nearly doubled, his physique’s intensity comprehensively strengthened, and in terms of speed, reaction, strength, and stamina, he’s no longer the same.

Since he’s grown stronger, keeping it to himself would be like wearing a fine garment but only walking at night!

So after achieving victory on the first day of the competition, Leon immediately went to brag to Ye Qingzhou. At this moment, he felt elated, with his thoughts running clear as if his mind was three parts clearer.

Ye Qingzhou learned of this and also revealed a satisfied smile: "Not bad, not bad, I’m looking forward to meeting you on the arena."

"Haha, definitely!"

After hanging up the call, Ye Qingzhou was somewhat emotional: "Leon actually forged Martial Bone, and who knows when Xu Yunxi will deliver the Bone Forging Secret Technique she promised."