Chapter 184: Battle Tactics

The next morning, Li Yunyao personally "prepared" breakfast for Li Pin. She went to the cafeteria and brought back several of his favorite dishes.

Li Pin, feeling refreshed, smiled and accepted her kind gesture.

After finishing their meal, they heard footsteps outside. It was Su Mai, Tuo Bafeng, and a woman in her early thirties wearing gold-rimmed glasses. The three of them arrived outside the mansion but didn't enter. Instead, they waited patiently.

After a few minutes, Li Pin stood up.

"Brother!" Li Yunyao called out when she saw him about to leave. "I believe you're the strongest."

"You'll be coming later, right? You'll see then," Li Pin replied with a smile.

"We'll be cheering for you," Qin Rouran added.

Lin Xiaolu nodded in agreement.

Li Pin nodded back, left the dining room, and walked into the courtyard.

The woman was the first to call out to Li Pin. With a smile, she said, "Martial Saint Li, the car is ready. Please come with us.”

"Don't feel pressured," Su Mai said. "Just do your best. Compared to others, you're still young and have a limitless future ahead."

Li Pin smiled. "Prince Su, shouldn't you be encouraging me to help me stay in top form?”

Su Mai laughed heartily. "Actually, I know there's nothing for me to worry about with you. What I just said was just to let you understand our attitude."

Li Pin nodded.

"Tuo Bafeng will accompany you as your tactical advisor..." said Su Mai.

He then paused slightly. "Of course, I know you don't need tactical guidance. You've already become a Martial Saint with your own fighting style, but during the round-robin stage, you need to have a tactical advisor, so he’ll be the one to fill in that role. If you have any issues that need resolving during the competition, you can rely on him to assist you."

Li Pin nodded to Tuo Bafeng. "Thank you for your support."

"It's my honor," Tuo Bafeng responded earnestly.

He wasn't lying. Serving as the tactical advisor to someone with the potential to claim the title of the world's strongest was a tremendous honor, even if he was nothing more than a freeloader.

"I won't be accompanying you. I wish you all the best in overcoming every obstacle, achieving invincible victories, and claiming the title of the world's number one," Su Mai said with a smile.

Li Pin nodded slightly.

With that, he and the woman boarded the business car. The vehicle set off directly toward the venue for the World's Top Martial Competition.

Once Li Pin's vehicle departed, other vehicles began heading to the residences of the other nine contestants, picking them up one by one and transporting them to the venue for a series of checks.

***

The World's Top Martial Competition's round-robin stage was essentially the true final of the tournament. Unlike the typical elimination format, which started with ten contestants, then eight, four, and finally two in the finals, the round-robin was different; each competitor had to compete against every other contestant, with the final ranking determined by the number of victories.

As a result, even the very first match of the round-robin could potentially be the most exciting and intense battle.

On the first day alone, the venue, which could accommodate 160,000 people, had already sold an astonishing 300,000 tickets. The cost of securing a front-row seat continued to skyrocket.

As for the surrounding indoor viewing areas, without sufficiently powerful connections, no one should even think about getting their hands on them. Even someone as prestigious as Lian Hongchen, a provincial-level martial society chairman in the Taibai Kingdom, with the rank of a level-two official and considered a high-ranking regional authority, did not qualify for entry into the indoor viewing area at the top of the venue.

Fortunately, as part of the friends and family group, Li Yunyao, Lin Xiaolu, and Qin Rouran could access the friends and family channel and watch the battles up close.

For the time being, the battle had yet to begin. The host, wearing sunglasses and a suit, was narrating the glory and history of the World's Top Martial Competition. A large screen behind him repeatedly displayed detailed profiles of the contestants.

Under his hosting and the music's influence, the venue was buzzing with excitement even before the competition officially started. The crowd was particularly stirred by the thrilling clips of famous battles featuring figures like Zhao Yushi, the Great Sun Chosen One, Cheng Yufeng, Duan Yidao, and Song Wuya. These clips sent waves of excitement through the audience, leaving them in awe.

As for Li Pin...

His career was still relatively short. While he had fought some impressive fights, the overall level of the battles seemed somewhat below the standard of the World's Top Martial Competition. The only truly noteworthy match was his fight with Chi Xingyu, but repeatedly showcasing the same clips wouldn't cut it.

In this situation, the organizers had no choice but to create an aura of mystery to highlight his power.

Fortunately, as time passed, the ten competitors began to enter the venue one by one. With each entry, the atmosphere surged to new heights.

Meanwhile, Wan Qingshan, Ying Yu, Su Mai, Zhang Bolun, Qiao Feiyu, and others arrived at the dispatch room entrance.

A man in his thirties entered, accompanied by two others.

Upon seeing him, everyone, including Wan Qingshan of the Tianyuan Royal Family and high-ranking officials from their respective countries like Zhang Songbai, Su Mai, Ying Yu, and Qiao Feiyu, bowed respectfully and greeted him, "Master Mo."

A Master!

Though this title might not sound as imposing as Grandmaster or Martial Saint, it represents the highest honor in the Astral Cultivator system, second only to the title of "Legendary"!

Master-level Astral Cultivators were among the most powerful figures in the realm of Astral Cultivation across many nations, including the Taibai Kingdom.

Excluding those dispatched to assist in the defense of the Demon-Sealing Fortress, the number of Master-level Astral Cultivators in the Taibai Kingdom could be counted on one hand. It was no exaggeration to say that if a Master-level Astral Cultivator visited the Taibai Kingdom, the king would be immediately notified and host a banquet in their honor.

Moreover, this individual was no ordinary Master Astral Cultivator! He was Mo Wangqing! The second King of the Century, a figure of legend, and the most senior and outstanding disciple of the Supreme Expert of Tianyuan—Fu Qingtian!

To some extent, he represented Fu Qingtian himself. His presence at the World's Top Martial Competition was tantamount to Fu Qingtian personally keeping a close eye on every move of this grand event.

In this situation, not only would Wan Qingshan and the committee members be unable to pull any tricks, but even the Emperor of the Tianyuan Dynasty wouldn't dare act recklessly. The current Emperor paled in comparison to the founding Emperor. Offending someone like Fu Qingtian could easily result in him being replaced.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. There's no need for special treatment," Mo Wangqing said with a gentle smile.

He then turned to Wan Qingshan. "I heard a promising talent has emerged in this year's intermediate category."

"Yes," Wan Qingshan responded, as someone handed him a device resembling a tablet. "This is him, Li Pin, from the Taibai Kingdom. He became a Martial Saint at only twenty-three years old. What's remarkable is that the people supporting him aren't from any noble family, and he hasn't used any decent astral equipment. He reached this point entirely on his own in just seven years."

Ying Yu, Zhang Songbai, Qiao Feiyu, and the others nearby were astonished that Mo Wangqing would mention Li Pin on his own.

Mo Wangqing often represented Fu Qingtian, the supreme expert of Tianyuan.

Could it be that the one standing at the pinnacle of Tianyuan had taken notice of Li Pin?

If that were true... Li Pin's future would be beyond imagination. Even the phrase "rising to the top in a single step" wouldn't be enough to describe it!

Mo Wangqing took the tablet and nodded. "So, he's the first in the preliminary round. He’ll be the first to fight, and has the priority to choose his opponent?" He glanced outside. "Let's see what happens."

Wan Qingshan responded, "Understood."

He then gave a nod to Phantom, who was beside him.

***

Tuo Bafeng was currently briefing Li Pin on his opponents.

"I've reviewed the intel on Zhao Yushi, Great Sun Chosen One, Cheng Yufeng, Duan Yidao, and Song Wuya. Among them, Duan Yidao and Song Wuya are harder to assess. But of the three Martial Saints, the Great Sun Chosen One’s style is best suited for direct confrontation.

“When facing him, you might consider a more evasive approach. As for Zhao Yushi, her strengths and weaknesses are both quite obvious. But the one I really want to emphasize is Cheng Yufeng...."

Tuo Bafeng's tone grew grim. "He might be stronger than we imagine."

Li Pin's gaze shifted to Cheng Yufeng's profile. "

Oh?

"

Tuo Bafeng continued, "Cheng Yufeng is the son of Cheng Tianshui, the sect master of the Divine Sword Manor. He has an older brother, Cheng Yujian, eight years older than him. Eight years ago, Cheng Yujian reached the peak of Martial Saint, showing great promise and intending to compete in that year's King of the Century competition. However, he wasn't even invited."

Li Pin looked puzzled.

He didn’t even qualify?

"This incident left Cheng Yujian feeling ashamed and driven to improve. Six years ago, he broke through the barriers and became an Astral Cultivator. Having honed his skills for another six years, he has become a Top-Tier Astral Cultivator.

“However, his failure to participate in the King of the Century Competition has always left a mark on him. Eventually, he channeled his expectations onto his younger brother, Cheng Yufeng."

Tuo Bafeng paused. "In other words, Cheng Yufeng is being groomed by the Divine Sword Manor to be the future King of the Century."

"King of the Century?"

Li Pin's gaze drifted toward Cheng Yufeng. He was seemingly in his thirties. He stood with his sword strapped to his waist, his eyes closed in contemplation.

Though he exuded a formidable Sword Intent and an impressive demeanor... he didn't seem like someone capable of competing for the title of King of the Century.

"I'm referring to the future. He's still young," Tuo Bafeng clarified.

"Oh.”

"But think about it. Would a sword saint the Divine Sword Manor groomed to be the future King of the Century really perform so mediocrely in the preliminary rounds of the World's Top Martial Competition? I suspect he's probably thinking that the preliminaries are just a warm-up and that making the top ten is enough. The real moment to shine is during the round-robin.

"So, among the nine competitors, he's the first one I would advise you against choosing."

Li Pin nodded. "Understood."