Chapter 564 - Spirit Competition
"Sebastian, what do you think of Brother Yuan?" Chu Liuxiang asked him as they watched Yuan spar with Shi Lang.
"I think he's a very talented young man, perhaps even the most talented person I have ever seen. I dare say that even the top geniuses from the Chu Family wouldn't be able to match him," he calmly responded.
"Then do you think my parents would accept someone like him?" Chu Liuxiang asked, her intentions clear with that question.
Sebastian pondered for a moment before speaking, "Young Lady, you should know very well the Masters' personality. Talent alone won't be enough to impress them. He'll need more than that to receive their recognition."
"Is that so?" Chu Liuxiang mumbled.
Sometime later, the crowd surrounding Yuan and Shi Lang suddenly erupted with cheering and excitement.
"Ooooh! He won! Player Yuan actually managed to defeat Shi Lang!"
"Heavens! What was that technique at the end?! I have never seen anything like that before!"
In the middle of the circle, Shi Lang was sitting on the floor with a look of disbelief on his face.
"What kind of technique was that just now?" Shi Lang asked Yuan.
"It doesn't have a name," he said.
After all, he'd learned the technique from watching the handsome man his dream.
"I see… Anyways, it was a great fight. I didn't actually expect to lose if I am being completely honest." Shi Lang extended his hand for a handshake.
Yuan accepted his hand and said, "Likewise, I enjoyed the spar."
Sometime later, the instructor approached Yuan and said, "You must have practiced a lot even after you went home."
'Training?' Yuan raised his eyebrows, but he didn't respond to that, as he figured that it would be for the better.
"How about another round? I still have a lot of energy." Shi Lang asked Yuan a moment later.
"Sure." Yuan nodded.
And for the next few days, Yuan would spend his time on the 3rd floor mastering the spear and trying out the other polearms.
"Hey, Yuan." Wang Ming appeared on the third floor and called out to him right before he went home.
"Don't forget about the competition; it starts tomorrow."
"Oh, right. I actually forgot about that." Yuan said.
"Where is it being held?"
"Meet me here tomorrow morning about two hours after sunrise. I will take you there."
"Okay."
After returning to the immortal caves, Chu Liuxiang asked, "What competition is being held tomorrow?"
"The top disciples in this faction will be fighting against each other is what I heard," he said.
"So people like that Shi Lang and Wang Ming guy?"
"Yes, there will be more people like them at the competition. I am kind of excited."
The following morning, after breakfast, Yuan went to the training tower with the others.
When they arrived, Wang Ming was already there.
"Good morning, everyone." Wang Ming greeted them.
"Hey."
"How are you feeling today?" Wang Ming asked.
"I am feeling great."
"Perfect. Then follow me."
Wang Ming proceeded to lead Yuan and the others to the location of the tournament.
About half an hour later, they arrive at the plains that had an enormous stage out in the open, and there were bleachers surrounding the platform.
"Wow, there's a lot of people here," Yuan mumbled when he saw the sea of people there, almost like everyone in the Jaded Garden was gathered there.
"Well, it is one of the biggest events of the year, and all of the higher-ups will be here."
"Welcome, Fellow Daoist Yuan." The grand elders approached Yuan the moment they noticed him, and following behind them were a group of middle-aged people.
"Hello."
"Daoist Yuan, allow me to introduce you to a few people." Senior Wang said as she looked at the group of people behind her.
"These are the current heads of the Six Spiritual Family. I believe this is your first time meeting them."
The middle-aged people there proceeded to introduce themselves.
After their introduction, one of them asked, "Daoist Yuan, I heard that you will be practicing in the competition today."
"I will."
"I cannot wait to see you in action. I have heard so many things about you, after all."
"Which weapon do you intend on using?"
"The sword," he responded.
After talking for a couple of minutes, they went to the stage.
"The competition will start in half an hour, but since this is your first time, allow me to give you a brief rundown of the rules." Senior Wang said to Yuan once they sat down.
"There will be a total of 8 contestants including you. Each of you will draw from a box, and those who picked the same number will fight each other. At the end of the first round, the winners will draw again. This will continue until the final round."
"You are not allowed to bring anything but the weapon we provide you onto the stage. Doing so will be an automatic disqualification."
"Besides these rules, there isn't much else to say."
Yuan then asked, "What kind of weapons will we be using?"
"You get to choose the type of weapon you wish to wield on the stage, but none of them will be lethal."
"That makes sense." Yuan nodded.
Half an hour later, one of the family heads entered the stage and called said, "Welcome to our annual Spirit Competition, where our best disciples will face off against each other for the first place!"
"First and foremost, let me call the contestants onto the stage!"
"Wang Ming from the Wang Family!"
"Wang Bingbing from the Wang Family!"
"Shi Lang from the Shi Family!"
"Xi Murong from the Xi Family!"
"Hong Xiuquan from the Hong Family!"
"Li Jinxi from the Li Family!"
"Wu Zao from the Wu Family!"
"Last but not least, Daoist Yuan who is currently staying in the Jaded Garden as a trial disciple!"
The thousands of spectators cheered for the contestants afterward.
"Wow, is that really Player Yuan? This is my first time seeing him."
"He's also wearing a mask out here? Damn it. I wanted to see his face at the very least!"