Chapter 708: The Tournament
Chapter 708: The Tournament
New Wind City, early morning.
Inside a row of apartments.
At the entrance of the building.
Li Wei descended the stairs, opened the box at the entrance, took out a bottle of milk, and returned home.
"Wow... there's milk."
His sleepy-eyed little sister’s eyes widened instantly upon seeing it.
"Sigh, Xiao Wei, didn’t I tell you not to buy so much stuff?"
Li Wei’s parents got up, looking at the rich breakfast on the table with a sigh. "This is such a waste of money..."
"It’s fine. I need to eat more to train in martial arts anyway."
Li Wei poured a glass of milk for his little sister and finished the rest in one gulp.
The dairy farm was known to raise many cows, some with beast blood, and had even introduced a production line from the White Eagle Continent, ensuring high-quality bottling. As a security guard at the dairy farm, he got a discount on milk orders.
After finishing the milk, Li Wei carefully put the bottle away.
These bottles could be returned to the dairy farm for a decent amount of silver.
"Ever since the discovery of the White Eagle Continent... everything in Dalu has been going smoothly, and life for ordinary people has improved."
Li Wei, feeling full and satisfied, lay on the sofa and opened today’s newspaper.
The paper was rough, and the ink seemed not to have dried completely.
However, Li Wei’s hands remained spotlessly clean, demonstrating a level of control that surpassed even 'waterproof' skills.
"Huh?"
Just a few lines in, he was stunned: "Ice sculptures causing chaos on the White Eagle Continent... Is this world ever going to be normal again?"
Li Wei continued reading, his mouth growing wider: "An ice sculpture was discovered by an expedition ship in the far north... It came to life, calling itself the 'Martial Maniac,' took control of the ship, and returned to challenge the experts of the White Eagle Continent, causing multiple tragedies."
"Is this...?"
Fang Xing, seeing the newspaper, was also surprised.
Although he could briefly observe the human world through the True Contemplation Method, he was not well-informed about the situation on the White Eagle Continent.
'Using ten-thousand-year-old ice to seal oneself... Who came up with this brilliant idea?'
Fang Xing thought for a moment. "To seal oneself in ice, one needs to break the limits of the Turtle Breath Technique... Back then, only Xun Heihu could achieve this with the help of the Zhenwu Talisman, but after the heavens relaxed their constraints, many Void-level martial artists emerged. If someone truly has exceptional talent, they might be able to break the limits of the Turtle Breath Technique... But even so, there are too many variables, like this one being dug out halfway through."
Actually, this was still a lucky outcome.
With worse luck, one might die in the ice, or encounter some disaster and lose their physical body.
"This Martial Maniac... is most likely a former disciple of Zhenwu Mountain..."
As Fang Xing was musing, he heard Li Wei’s surprised voice: "The White Eagle Continent will send a delegation to Dalu and prepare to host the 'First Martial Arts Tournament' to foster friendship and determine the best martial artist in the world? Is this... Have the White Eagle people been kicked in the head by the Martial Maniac? The prize? Tsk tsk... a million taels of silver!"
"Oh?"
Fang Xing looked over and saw more detailed information.
Although it was just a rumor, the reward of a million taels was indeed very tempting.
"According to this schedule, the tournament will last several years... If you have the heart for it, you might have a chance to compete..."
Fang Xing chuckled.
"Let it be... My life is good now, and I don’t need to stir up more trouble..."
Li Wei glanced at his adoptive parents and little sister, feeling a deep sense of contentment.
...
Three years later.
Splash!
The ocean waves surged.
A ship sailed on the vast sea.
Li Wei, dressed in black, with a stern expression, gazed at the massive island appearing in the distance. "The finals of the First Martial Arts Tournament will take place on this 'Island of Death,' right?"
Compared to three years ago, Li Wei’s demeanor had changed significantly, and a fierce scar now marred his face. It looked like a centipede, giving a sense of movement and life.
"An Ning..."
Thinking of his little sister, Li Wei felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Three years ago, his little sister fell ill with a congenital condition. Despite spending all his savings, he couldn’t find a solution.
It was only after visiting a clinic run by White Eagle people that he found out the problem, followed by exorbitant treatment costs that almost drove him to become a bandit.
Fortunately, the First Martial Arts Tournament had already begun, and Li Wei immediately signed up, placing a heavy bet on himself in the preliminaries.
As he continued to win, he naturally earned a substantial amount of silver.
Along the way, he met many friends and rivals...
Before he knew it, he had reached this point!
"The finals on the Island of Death are truly filled with hidden dragons and tigers... It’s said that the 'Martial Maniac' will be participating..."
Li Wei thought to himself.
"Not just him, but also the Evil Cult Leader..."
Fang Xing’s light laughter echoed in Li Wei’s mind. "I can sense that the Island of Death has special rituals and other arrangements. It seems that the Evil Cult Leader, a Second-Rank 'Ruins Lord,' is preparing to ascend to First Rank..."
Li Wei’s expression was complex.
The changes brought about by the world’s elevation were increasingly affecting everything.
Now, the Evil Cult Leader was about to ascend to the First Rank.
Knowing how dangerous the Endbringer truly was, Li Wei had to come and stop this, even if he wasn’t participating in the tournament.
“Although I’ve spread the Life-Defeating Poison Body Technique through the black market and other channels... few people have actually practiced it. Teaching someone isn’t enough; they need to go through a series of ordeals to truly master it,” Li Wei thought.
“Without the birth of a true Endbringer and the death of hundreds of thousands... neither the White Eagle Continent nor Dalu would take it seriously.”
"Hmm, you’ve grown, boy."
Fang Xing nodded and then fell silent.
“Vulture Li Wei?”
On the deck, a powerful knight approached.
Li Wei looked over and saw a blonde, blue-eyed female knight.
Seeing Li Wei, she smiled brightly. “I’m Rose Knight Avril... It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Avril.”
Though Li Wei greeted her, his attitude was distant.
He turned and returned to his room.
“Just as rumored, Vulture Li Wei is cold and proud...”
Avril’s face broke into a sweet smile. “Conquering a man like him is more interesting than conquering the skies...”
...
Swish!
The ship docked, and martial arts experts with mysterious auras disembarked one by one.
“Welcome to the final stage of the First Martial Arts Tournament.”
A figure descended from the sky.
His face was ancient and stern, exuding a terrifying aura.
“Is that him?”
Li Wei’s eyes flickered. “Martial Maniac!”
“After fighting eight hundred battles, he single-handedly defeated the White Eagle Continent and is now the true ‘King of White Eagle’! It’s said that he’s the one behind the First Martial Arts Tournament and is the guardian of this final stage...”
Li Wei’s eyes flickered again, and he shifted his gaze.
Of course, the most significant label for him was ‘Zhenwu Descendant’!
It was rumored that he had awakened the purest ‘Zhenwu Saintly Body,’ a talent on par with the Zhenwu Ancestor! He was now widely recognized as the most likely contender for the title of First in the world!
“To break through, he’s specifically organized the First Martial Arts Tournament... Truly audacious...”
Li Wei thought to himself.
“Excellent... Today, I have the pleasure of meeting many martial geniuses, and it’s not in vain that I’ve slept for hundreds of thousands of years.”
Martial Maniac suddenly raised his hand.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
Flashes of light appeared in the air.
Li Wei instinctively extended his hand, channeling the Xuanwu True Technique, making his skin incredibly tough.
Even so, he felt a massive force surge, causing him to sway slightly.
Looking at his palm, he saw a fragment of a token.
"Only those martial artists who remain standing are qualified to participate in the next stage; you must survive and train on this Island of Death, and ultimately, you need to gather a complete token and head to the Pavilion of Discourse located at the center of the island."
Martial Maniac’s figure gradually rose and then disappeared: “Only the top eight will have the chance to challenge me.”
“Gathering tokens?”
Li Wei glanced around and saw Avril watching him with caution, leaving him speechless. “There can be at most eight tokens, and it might be even fewer...”
“Let’s go.”
He flashed and darted into the dense forest.
The martial artists who were a bit slower were involuntarily drawn into a chaotic battle...
...
In another direction on the Island of Death.
At a temporary port.
Another ship of participants arrived.
Martial Maniac descended from the sky, repeating the same words and scattering token fragments to test their martial arts skills.
Inside the cabin.
Several Evil Cult disciples guarded a black coffin, exchanging glances. “Everyone has entered... We hope the ritual succeeds.”
“Not just hope! With the protection of that great being, the Cult Leader will surely succeed... and reach the ‘End’!”
They looked at the black coffin, their eyes filled with fanaticism.
These were the most devout and zealous believers in the Evil Cult, tested multiple times.
“The Cult Leader will definitely break through to the First Rank this time!”
“To become an Endbringer, the ritual requires the end of many strong individuals...”
“Hehe, the deaths of those martial arts experts on the Island of Death are part of the Cult Leader’s ascension ritual, and those who survive can serve as nourishment after the Cult Leader breaks through...”
“Martial Maniac, he must know something about this. Will he stop us?”
One of the Evil Cult disciples said with concern.
“Hmph, he’s a martial madman. To break through to higher martial realms, he’s almost gone mad... This time, his tacit approval is to ensure the Cult Leader smoothly breaks through to the First Rank and then becomes his whetstone... Hehe, little does he know, a whetstone that’s too strong can break the blade, and this has happened many times before...”
As the Evil Cult disciples conversed, the black coffin was surrounded by a series of ritual patterns and secret runes, with wisps of black smoke swirling as if they had a life of their own...
(End of Chapter)
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