Meanwhile, Li Yuanqing and Li Shiran, the center of everyone’s attention, sat leisurely on the main stage, watching the youths of their age fight fiercely in the Martial Arts Arenas below.
Because this Martial Arts Tournament was for the younger generation, it emphasized harmony. As a rule, fights to the death were not allowed.
If a situation looked dangerous, the elders of the two combatants could even forcibly stop the match and concede on their junior’s behalf.
Consequently, the initial battles were a bit like watching chicks peck at each other.
But overall, the fights were still quite exhilarating.
The crowd of spectating Jianghu Martial Artists was also very supportive, cheering constantly from the sidelines.
The first round of matches ended quickly, with over a thousand people successfully advancing to the second round.
With the weaker contestants weeded out, the competition in the second round was clearly far more intense than the first.
Fierce battles raged across the dozens of Martial Arts Arenas, occasionally drawing gasps and causing small disturbances among the crowd.
When the second round ended, the thousand contestants had been reduced to five hundred.
The pool of contestants was now much smaller.
Li Chang’an had been secretly observing the battles in the arenas the entire time.
But so far, he hadn’t spotted any Martial Artist who matched the description of the mysterious black-haired youth.
Li Yuanqing’s gaze swept over the battlefields below as he asked in a low voice, "Brother, have you found our target?"
Li Chang’an shook his head. "No. Don’t worry, there are still too many people."
Another three rounds passed, and the young Martial Artists present were finally whittled down to just one hundred.
But there was still no sign of the mysterious young man among them.
’No, that’s not entirely true. After all, the ones left are all youths under the age of fifteen.’
’Many of them even have long, black hair.’
’But other than their age and appearance, no matter how I look at them, I can’t connect any of them with the Child of Destiny I’m looking for.’
’Among the one hundred who remain, more than eighty percent of the Martial Artists come from good family backgrounds.’
’And among the remaining twenty percent, even if their family backgrounds aren’t as prominent, none of them are orphans.’
’Something seems wrong here.’
Even Li Shiran was starting to get suspicious. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Brother, do you think we tipped our hand? Did he figure us out ahead of time?"
Li Chang’an frowned as well.
’The young people who could win through so many rounds of competition are basically all from the elite class, with backgrounds and family legacies.’
’Even if there are a few dark horses mixed in who weren’t favored at the start...’
’...even these dark horses aren’t nobodies; each one has a background of some sort.’
’In other words, among the hundred people remaining, not a single Martial Artist fits the profile of the Child of Destiny.’
’This is obviously not normal, and it’s completely outside my expectations.’
’I thought that as long as he came for the Martial Arts Tournament, I’d be able to find him quickly.’
’But even now, I really haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.’
’Could it really be because word got out?’
’Or did I guess his objective wrong from the very start? Maybe he isn’t interested in the Martial Arts Tournament at all, but in me?’
As he considered these possibilities, Li Chang’an began to feel that this was becoming tricky.
This was the only chance he currently had to uncover information about the Child of Destiny.
If something went wrong this time, or if the Child of Destiny even noticed something was amiss, then finding him in the future would be much more difficult.
The Jiuzhou Continent was vast and boundless, and many parts of it were the territory of other nations.
Even if Li Chang’an turned over every stone, it would be impossible to find him in such a vast area.
’So where exactly did things go wrong?’
’Could it be that the Child of Destiny sensed danger at this tournament?’
’But that’s not right, either!’
’I never intended to kill the Child of Destiny right away.’
’This Martial Arts Tournament was just a way to scout him out, to figure out who he is and where he comes from.’
’Even if the Child of Destiny is truly favored by fate, his intuition shouldn’t be *that* ridiculously sharp.’
Just as Li Chang’an was pondering where an oversight could have occurred, a new round of matches was about to begin below.
According to the rules, this could be considered the final stage.
Li Yuanqing, as a Prince, would also be joining the competition to face the other Martial Artists.
Li Yuanqing didn’t dare to speak much with Li Chang’an. He just cast a nervous glance his way, asking what he should do next.
Li Chang’an thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Stick to the original plan. Go on."
"No matter who you face, anyone who tries to stop you from taking first place, just sweep them all aside."
’We’ve come this far and invested so much time, energy, and money. There’s no reason to suddenly give up at this crucial juncture.’
Li Chang’an decided to see the Martial Arts Tournament through to its proper conclusion.
’Perhaps the Child of Destiny did come. Maybe he’s just hiding among these young Martial Artists, waiting for the right moment to bare his fangs.’
’Worst case, even if the Child of Destiny really didn’t show up, as long as Li Yuanqing wins, we can always hold a third tournament.’
When the crowd saw the Second Prince himself enter an arena, the spectating Martial Artists and common folk immediately erupted in cheers and praise.
In recent years, the Second Prince Li Yuanqing’s reputation as a "peerless genius" had spread throughout all of Great Zhou.