Chapter 136: Chapter 127: Gathering of Geniuses

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang easily passed the initial screening and strolled home together.

The Dead Fox suddenly thought of something and said, “Actually, we don’t have to rush back, I want to go somewhere first.”

“Where to?” Big Ice Cube was puzzled.

“The Outer Sect Casino!” Chu Huaixu replied.

It was mentioned earlier that the Daoist Sect’s Outer Sect area is like a small town in itself.

There are taverns, teahouses, various shops, and naturally… there are also casinos.

The sect rules prohibit setting up private gambling games.

The official casino is an exception.

Whether in the Mirror Country or the Moon Country, casinos are considered legal businesses, akin to entertainment venues, and can be operated legitimately.

However, the Daoist Sect is, after all, a prestigious sect.

Thus, the official casino is not open all the time, and there is a cap on how much people can bet.

Simply put, it’s a place for sect disciples to have some fun and enjoy small bets during festive occasions.

“Now, with the East Continent Tournament about to start, the Outer Sect Casino is definitely open.”

“I checked before, the betting limit for Outer Sect disciples is 200 Sect Contribution Points, indeed not high,” Chu Huaixu said to Han Shuangjiang.

“We need to go quickly!” he urged.

“Why? The tournament hasn’t even started yet?” she wondered.

“You fool! If we go now, since our strength hasn’t been revealed much, the odds will definitely be higher.”

Han Shuangjiang, this Little Housekeeper, had a bit of a money-loving attribute. When she heard this, her eyes immediately lit up.

Don’t think it’s only 200 Sect Contribution Points; if the odds are favorable, that can still earn quite a bit!

The two money-lovers excitedly arrived at the casino to check out the odds.

Result… they couldn’t even find their own names!

Among the seeded players for betting, there were 20 in total, all well-known First Realm disciples from the Daoist Outer Sect, each a powerhouse of the First Realm Ninth Heaven!

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang were not among them, resulting in a trip for nothing.

Clearly, quite a few people thought they were pretty strong, but not strong enough to be in the top twenty of the Daoist Sect.

And as the organizer, the Daoist Sect certainly wouldn’t inflate the morale of others while dampening their own prestige.

Therefore, you can’t bet on prodigies from other sects, and the final ranking is only an internal comparison, only to see who is the first among Daoist Sect disciples.

The two looked at each other with a bit of embarrassment.

Chu Huaixu, who suggested coming here, even felt a bit embarrassed, outright like a clown!

The Dead Fox gritted his teeth and viciously memorized these 20 names.

“Ruan Qiu, Ding Bolin, Ji Sikong, Chang Le…”

“You better not let me encounter you, or I’ll beat each one of you!” he thought.

For now, he could only wait to make a splash in the East Continent Tournament and then check out the casino again.

Thus, the two came with high hopes but left with disappointment.

Those twenty Outer Sect disciples had no idea that they would end up on Chu Huaixu’s “Assassination List” in such a bizarre manner.

…

…

Several days later, the East Continent Tournament was entering its final countdown.

Outer Sect disciples could already start taking on sect tasks, responsible for receiving disciples from other sects, arranging accommodations, and so on.

This made the peaceful Outer Sect incredibly lively, occasionally leading to small chaos and minor disturbances.

From time to time, everyone would see Great Cultivators flying through the air, heading to the Daoist Sect’s Inner Sect.

These were high-profile figures from other major sects, coming as team leaders to catch up with old friends in the Inner Sect.

The appearance of each of these bigwigs stirred discussions within the Outer Sect.

Even more astonishing was that the other three of the Four Great Sects sent Elder-level figures.

The leader from the Sword Sect was none other than Situ Cheng, one of the Four Great Divine Swords!

This person had a cultivation level reaching the Eighth Realm, taught by the same master as the Sword Venerable of the Sword Sect.

The position of Sword Venerable in the Sword Sect is actually similar to the role of the Observatory Master in the Daoist Sect.

It’s not that the leader of the Sword Sect is called the Sword Venerable.

As the name implies, the Sword Venerable is the strongest in Sword Dao within the Sword Sect.

He is also the foremost of the current Four Great Divine Swords.

However, the Sect Leader of the Sword Sect did not make it to the list of the East Continent’s Four Great Divine Swords.

This shows that Situ Cheng’s strength is actually the second within the Sword Sect!

This realization made many people understand that this time, the East Continent Tournament could be described as unprecedentedly grand!

Many initially thought that participating in the tournament was just a chance to show face in front of the Daoist Sect’s high-level members.

Now, with so many powerful figures from the East Continent arriving, the entire scale of the event soared several levels as these cultivating giants assembled in the audience seats!

However, precisely because of this, some people also began to harbor some suspicions.

“This is just a First Realm competition, why is it receiving such attention?”

“The grandeur is even a bit abnormal!”

Ordinarily, it’s reasonable that the East Continent Tournament, driven by the Four Great Sects, would see the other three sending ordinary high-level representatives.

But for someone of Situ Cheng’s caliber to come specially is a bit baffling, stirring up wild thoughts.

The Sword Sect, Spring and Autumn Mountain, and Luotian Valley all dispatched Great Cultivators of the Eighth Realm!

However, for the participants, this was a different matter altogether.

This meant that if they achieved good standings, they would definitely gain overnight fame across the East Continent!

Chu Huaixu basically concluded in his heart, “There must be some hidden reasons behind this East and West Continent tournament.”

“Things definitely won’t be that simple.”

“I even think the Four Great Sects orchestrated this grand event to select the strongest First Realm in the Profound Yellow Realm with some hidden agenda!”

“It’s a pity that in ’Borrowed Sword,’ Xiaoxu took the first place, but the subsequent hidden plot wasn’t uncovered,” he thought with some regret.

The day before the preliminary round of the East Continent martial arts competition, everyone began drawing lots.

Due to the large number of participants, even after a preliminary screening, there were still many people, so the first round of the preliminary competition had to be spread over five days.

Since it’s a preliminary round, it wouldn’t be a match-by-match event; instead, twenty large arenas would be running simultaneously.

The sparring of the First Realm wouldn’t be too earth-shattering, so large arenas would suffice.

If it were great cultivators, who could fly and vanish at will with diverse tactics, then the competition area would need to be less restricted.

Chu Huaixu’s first-round match was drawn for the first day, while Han Shuangjiang’s was on the second day, both relatively early on.

The next day, the two of them headed to the competition area together.

Chu Huaixu was not nervous at all, while Big Ice Cube was merely there for the spectacle.

The opponent drawn to face Chu Huaixu was a young man named Lang Yue.

This person wasn’t from the Daoist Sect but from a sect named Luoxia Sect.

That sect couldn’t be considered a renowned major sect, merely a medium-sized one.

And during the competition, there would be two Inner Sect Disciples from the Fourth Realm stationed at each arena.

After all, swords and knives have no eyes, making accidents likely to happen.

The presence of experts was to ensure no lives were lost.

In these competitions, injuries are inevitable, but everything should remain within limits.

As for those great cultivators from the Four Great Sects, they definitely wouldn’t be attending the preliminaries.

Their presence would only come several rounds later.

Chu Huaixu’s current thinking was simple.

“I still need to hold back a bit, but not too much.”

He needed to showcase a bit of skill to get his name circulating in the betting parlors and place a wager as soon as possible himself.

The arena he was headed to was numbered eighteen.

As they walked there, both he and Han Shuangjiang noticed a significant number of Inner Sect Disciples had come to watch today.

Nothing could be done; Daoists love a good spectacle.

Legend has it that in his day, the Dao Ancestor was the same, wherever there was excitement to be found, he would head straight there.

Often, during battles between great cultivators, he would stand by as a spectator, only to find himself caught in the crossfire.

The end result was often that the two great cultivators would be jointly subdued by the Daoist from the Junzi Temple.

After verifying his identity, Chu Huaixu stepped onto the arena.

As for his opponent, Lang Yue, he seemed mature beyond his years, sporting a full beard.

With a large blade in hand, he somewhat resembled an ancient martial arts swordsman.

He was puzzled upon seeing Chu Huaixu holding no spiritual artifacts or magical treasures.

But Lang Yue quickly realized that the tall, handsome young man before him was actually wearing a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact!

“His Lifebound Spiritual Artifact is an outer robe?” he thought, slightly surprised.

Before officially commencing, Lang Yue let out a hearty laugh.

“You seem young, junior, so I’ll presumptuously call you junior brother.”

“Don’t hold back against me!”

“I’m from the humble Luoxia Sect, and I’ve come to the East Continent competition to see the difference with disciples from major sects!”

“If you beat me thoroughly, it might just strengthen my resolve!”

Listening to his words, Chu Huaixu felt a bit taken aback.

“Such an unreasonable request?”

What else could he do?

He could only oblige.

One of the Inner Sect brothers stationing the match voice inquired, “Are you ready? If so, you may begin.”

Chu Huaixu and Lang Yue exchanged a glance, both nodding, then bowed to each other.

“Junior brother, be careful!” Lang Yue drew his somewhat Tang Blade-like spiritual artifact, letting out a long whistle.

He seemed to prefer grand, bold moves, and his sword momentum was fierce, somewhat resembling his overall persona.

This blade was merely a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact.

Lang Yue was evidently someone who didn’t pay much attention to details.

Otherwise, he should have already realized that ever since Chu Huaixu ascended the arena, the number of Outer Sector Disciples watching around had increased.

This indicated that the person might have gained some fame within the Daoist Sect.

Many were curious because, so far, few had ever seen Chu Huaixu in action.

Han Shuangjiang observed the sword momentum and immediately knew the opponent couldn’t withstand a single move from the Dead Fox.

As Lang Yue approached with the blade, Chu Huaixu remained motionless.

When the sword qi came rushing in, he sidestepped smoothly, his Black Gold Robe fluttering in the air, deftly avoiding the sword qi.

Immediately after, he casually launched a palm strike.

Lang Yue instantly felt an overwhelming force impact his body!

The shock in his heart came faster than the pain.

“How could a cultivator of the First Realm possess such terrifying physical strength!”

“Unless he is…”

Lang Yue let out a cry of pain, his whole body flying backward.

Chu Huaixu slowly withdrew his palm; it had been a long time since he used the ’Gibberish Eight Trigrams Palm.’

Hmm, he had forgotten the full name.

The first move, Eight Desolates Roaming Dragon!

In the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.

Exclamations of surprise erupted continuously from the onlookers below the arena.

“A body refiner! And he used mortal martial arts!”

…

(ps: Second Chapter of the day, asking for monthly votes~)

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