Chapter 51: Advancement
Translator: / KurazyTolanzuraytor Editor: Lucas
Tomorrow is the Clan Martial Meet.
That night, Duan Ling Tian’s house had an unexpected guest.
Looking at the youth, Li Shi Shi lightly grit her teeth as she said in a low voice, “Thank you for gifting this sword skill to me. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have 100% confidence to enter the top ten in the Clan Martial meet.”
“Top ten in the Clan Martial Meet? Looks like your Synchronous Shadow Sword has been cultivated to the Initial Stage.”
The youth was slightly shocked of Li Shi Shi’s ambition.
Although Li Shi Shi’s strength placed her at the top three in the outer court, the top ten of the Clan Martial Meet would require competing with many inner court disciples.
Wanting to enter the top ten was no easy matter.
“Yes.”
Li Shi Shi lightly nodded.
“If you really want to thank someone, then thank Ke Er. It was because of her that I gave you that sword skill. Hmm, if there’s nothing else, then I’ll be returning to my room to cultivate.”
Shrugging his shoulders, the youth turned around and returned to his room.
Glancing at the youth’s back, Li Shi Shi’s gaze became complicated and she sighed faintly.
“Eh, Big Sister Shi Shi, where’s the Young Master?”
An elegant and refined young girl entered the courtyard.
“He’s returned to his room to cultivate. Little Sister Ke Er, it’s time for me to leave as well. Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, Duan Ling Tian wouldn’t have taught me the Synchronous Shadow Sword.”
Li Shi Shi forced out a laugh before turning around and leaving.
“Big Sister Shi Shi…”
The young girl noticed that something was wrong with Li Shi Shi.
Li Rou had walked out of her room at an unknown time, shaking her head as she sighed while looked at Li Shi Shi’s disappearing figure.
As an experienced person, she naturally was able to discern Li Shi Shi’s thoughts.
At the crack of dawn the next day, Duan Ling Tian and Ke Er arrived at the inner court Martial Arts Practice Field.
The Clan Martial Meet would be held here.
At a corner of the inner court Martial Arts Practice Field stood thirty combat arenas.
The thirty combat arenas were in a circle. In the middle stood a high platform with seats laid on it.
In front of the combat arena, a stream of people flowed.
Along with the appearance of three aged Chief Judges, the noisy Martial Arts Practice Field became quiet.
These three Chief Judges were all Li Clan Elders in charge of presiding over the Clan Martial Meet.
Behind these three Chief Judges were thirty more judges; nearly all of them were young adults.
The three Chief Judges were led by an old man with white eyebrows.
Duan Ling Tian noticed an extremely dangerous aura emitting from the white-eye-browed old man.
Duan Ling Tian understood that this person was definitely a powerhouse.
Strong enough to slap the current him to death with a single stroke…
“As the lead Chief Judge, I’ll introduce the rules for today’s Clan Martial Meet… 242 outer court disciples will be divided into thirty groups based on the number cards in their hands. Besides the first group having ten people, the rest will only have eight.”
“The thirty groups will each determine an arena master. As for the specific rules, the judges will let you all know. Of course, if you think your luck is bad and was divided into a strong group, you’ll all have a chance later to challenge any one of the thirty arena masters. As long as you win, you will be the new arena master!”
“When no one is left to initiate a challenge, the thirty arena masters will become inner court disciples.”
After the lead Chief Judge finished, the thirty judges started to divide the outer court disciples into groups.
Duan Ling Tian and Ke Er were divided into the same group.
“This rules aren’t too bad; they guarantee absolute fairness.”
Duan Ling Tian indifferently smiled.
Duan Ling Tian was number 77 and Ke Er was number 78. They were placed in the tenth group.
The tenth group had a total of eight people. Out of the other six, two of them recognized Duan Ling Tian.
Earlier, when Duan Ling Tian defeated the Lin Clan outer court’s top disciple, Lin Qi, they saw it with their own two eyes.
Meeting Duan Ling Tian here, the two of them took the initiative and admitted defeat.
Out of the other four, none of them could withstand a single move from Duan Ling Tian.
As for Ke Er, her opponents wouldn’t even have the chance to attack before her Violet Meteorite Flexible Sword had already descended upon their throats, causing her opponents to feel a chill run down their spines.
Even the judges were speechless.
The tenth group actually had two little freaks.
In the end, it was up to Ke Er and Duan Ling Tian to determine the arena master of the tenth group.
Gazes from the surrounding combat arenas descended on the two of them.
On the central high platform.
“The two of them look unfamiliar. Are they branch family disciples?”
One of the Chief Judges was slightly shocked.
“They are precisely branch family disciples; both of them are from the Fresh Breeze Town Branch Family, and they are both disciples with another surname. The youth among the two of them even the defeated the Lin Clan’s Lin Qi a while ago in the trade market.”
Another Chief Judge lightly smiled.
“Lin Qi? The Lin Clan’s Patriarchs youngest son? The top disciple in the Lin Clan’s outer court, with a strength comparable to our Li Clan outer court’s top disciple, Li Kuang?”
The former Chief Judge was visibly moved.
“You’re right, it was him.”
The latter Chief Judge nodded.
“A branch family disciple, and even a disciple with another surname…such a pity.”
The formed sighed.
“Humph! Branch family disciple, disciple with another surname, so what?! As long as they don’t betray our clan, then they are members of our Li Clan.”
The white-eye-browed old man grunted.
Hearing this, the other two Chief Judged immediately went silent.
Standing on the tenth combat arena, Duan Ling Tian indifferently said, “I admit defeat.”
This caused everyone, including the judges, to be disappointed.
But Duan Ling Tian and Ke Er were together after all; although they were disappointed, they weren’t shocked.
Ke Er became the arena master for the tenth combat arena.
After some time, an arena master appeared on each of the thirty combat arenas.
Besides Ke Er, Duan Ling Tian recognized another three of these arena masters.
Li Shi Shi, Li Yuan and Li Xiao.
The three Chief Judges in the central high platform that was surrounded by the thirty combat arenas stood up.
The white-eye-browed old man had an unchanging expression as he indifferently said, “Now, those outer court disciples who failed to be chosen in their own group and are unwilling will now have a chance to challenge the other arena masters. If they win, they will become the new arena master. If they lose, they will lose the chance to become an inner court disciple.”
Immediately, noise erupted beneath the thirty combat arenas.
After all, they only had one chance to challenge.
They needed to spend some time to judge the strength of each of the arena masters before initiating a challenge.
Whoosh!
Quickly, a figure flew up onto the fifteenth group’s combat arena, attracting the gazes of everyone.
“It’s Duan Ling Tian!”
Many outer court disciples recognized the figure.
“Duan Ling Tian? The outer court disciple that defeated the Lin Clan’s outer court top disciple, Lin Qi, in the trade market?”
“You’re right, it’s him!”
“With his strength, he could probably rival Li Kuang. How could he have been eliminated? Don’t tell me he was eliminated by Li Kuang?”
“No, he gave the tenth group’s arena master position to the young girl who never leaves his side, that young girl over there.”
“So beautiful! Even slightly more beautiful than the former top beauty of the outer court, Li Shi Shi.”
“Since ancient times, heroes love beautiful women. No wonder he forfeited.”
……
On the fifteenth combat arena, Li Xiao’s expression was gloomy.
He didn’t expect Duan Ling Tian to actually come challenge him. As far as he was concerned, Duan Ling Tian’s decision was on purpose!
“Duan Ling Tian!”
Outside the combat arena, Li Zhong’s eyes emitted a fierce light.
Although he always looked down upon Li Xiao, no matter what, Li Xiao was his younger brother; this was an unchangeable fact.
“I admit defeat!”
Under everyone’s gazes, Li Xiao took the initiative and admitted defeat.
Even though the surroundings sounded with boos and caused his face to flush with shame, he still gritted his teeth and endured.
By admitting defeat now, he would be able to conserve his full strength to battle another arena master.
If he was defeated by Duan Ling Tian and Duan Ling Tian slightly attacks harder on purposed, once he gets injured, he would like lose any chance of becoming an inner court disciple.
“Duan Ling Tian, in three days, I will properly teach you a lesson.”
Li Zhong coldly glanced at Duan Ling Tian before walking to another combat arena with Li Xiao, helping Li Xiao to find an opponent.
Duan Ling Tian’s eyes slightly narrowed before closing and resting his mind.
The arena master challenges progressed like a raging fire…
No one challenged Li Kuang, Li Yuan, and Li Shi Shi because these were the top three of the outer court. After forcing Li Xiao to admit defeat, no one came to challenge Duan Ling Tian either.
Ke Er, on the other hand, had three people who one after the other challenged her.
However, her Violet Meteorite Flexible Sword would always descend on the opponent’s throat at the first possible moment, causing her opponent to be unable to move.
“This young girl is similar to Duan Ling Tian; they are both freaks!”
“I have a feeling that she might be even stronger than Li Shi Shi.”
“Yeah, in front of her, no matter if it’s appearance or strength, Li Shi Shi is slightly inferior.”
……
The outer court disciples discussed with each other.
Some of the inner court disciples who came to join in the fun were also slightly astonished as they took an extra glance at the young girl.
“Brother An, this little girl is really not bad. From today onwards, our inner court will have another female disciple whose appearance and natural talent is be able to rival Li Fei’s,” an inner court disciple said to the youth beside him.
Li Fei, the top beauty in the inner court.
The youth had a grey shirt with silver lining. His piercing gaze descended on the young girl and emitted a trace of greed and dominance.
“It’s Li An!”
“It really is him!”
……
When the surrounding outer court disciples recognized the grey-clothed youth, they were unable to keep themselves from exclaiming.
Li An, a famous inner court disciple of the Li Clan.
One year ago, when Li An was seventeen and with his cultivation at the ninth level of the Body Tempering stage, he participated in the Clan Martial Meet and entered the top ten. His final placing was sixth, merely inferior to four eighteen-year-old Core Formation stage youths and one more ninth level Body Tempering youth of the same age.
Now, among the inner court disciples under the age of nineteen, his strength was publically acknowledged as number two.
As dusk, the Clan Martial Meet came to an end.
After admitting defeat in front of Duan Ling Tian, Li Xiao successfully challenged another arena master.
The thirty arena masters advanced to become inner court disciples.
For a moment, many people shook their heads and sighed, and many more felt dejected.
Among them, some were already eighteen. Since they couldn’t become inner court disciples this time, it meant they would forever lose the chance to become inner court disciples.
If they were branch family disciples, they would be sent back to their respective branch families!
Duan Ling Tian and Ke Er walked shoulder to shoulder.
Ke Er held onto his arm; her face had a smile of happiness.
Many gazes of jealousy and envy descended upon Duan Ling Tian.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Duan Ling Tian frowned.
Looking forward, at an empty space that had been opened up by the crowd, stood two youths around the age of eighteen.
The youth with grey clothes that stood in front looked at him with a gaze filled with enmity.
Duan Ling Tian couldn’t understand why someone who he didn’t even recognize would look at him with such a gaze.
When he noticed the grey-clothed youths gaze move from him and on to Ke Er, he was enlightened.
So the reason turned out to be Ke Er.
Duan Ling Tian couldn’t help but laugh in his heart.