Chapter 66: Influence

At this moment, the slow-to-react judge finally came to his senses and announced the result of the match. "Winner: Li Pin!"

Chang Yueming stood in the same spot for quite a while. It took him some time to regain his composure. By now, Li Pin had already lowered his fist and was leaving the arena. Chang Yueming glanced at Li Pin and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. However, he eventually chose to remain silent and turned to leave.

The previously vocal disciples and Longchuan City martial artists cheering for Chang Yueming now fell silent, their faces etched with disappointment.

Longchuan City had a population of tens of millions, and Chang Yueming was the only Core Formation expert among the competitors for the intermediate category. Despite this, his exceptional battle record, including victories over other Core Formation cultivators, had instilled high hopes in the hearts of the Longchuan City residents.

To everyone’s surprise, he was knocked out in the first round. His ambitions were cut short before he could even get started.

***

Fang Lingjue swiftly approached Li Pin as soon as he came out. "Your hand...."

"It's fine," Li Pin responded.

His hand was visibly swollen. Fortunately, he didn't have any more matches scheduled for today. A night of rest would be enough for the injury to heal.

"You may have been targeted," Fang Lingjue remarked, casting a glance at Chang Yueming's departing figure. He took a deep breath and elaborated, "I've heard rumors that the top three positions in the Jiang Province Martial Competition are predetermined. Unless a martial artist possesses formidable strength, it is nearly impossible to make it into the top three.

"Most participants can only compete for rankings between the fourth and tenth place. But for you... It seems the news about you defeating Demonic Sand has drawn too much attention. They're not even planning to let you enter the top ten to avoid any unexpected developments."

"You mean...."

"They will employ a war of attrition against you, scheduling you with Core Force and even Core Formation experts for five to six consecutive rounds!" Fang Lingjue explained gravely.

Li Pin's interest was piqued upon hearing that. "They would go that far?"

He sensed his own shortcomings during his bout with Chang Yueming. His precision and combat finesse fell short compared to Chang Yueming’s. In other words, he still had deficiencies in agility, close-quarters combat, and executing quick bursts of strength. Moreover, Chang Yueming's double-layered Force provided him with some valuable insights.

These were invaluable experiences that couldn't be gained through mere hard work.

It is just as the sayings go, "One learns more from traveling the world than from reading books" and "One learns more from fighting a hundred battles than from a hundred years of seclusion."

In his previous life, Li Pin could achieve Transformative Force without formal guidance because he relied on this comprehensive and pragmatic approach.

"In any case, we need to be more cautious," Fang Lingjue said gravely. "I know you're strong, but humans have their limits. The schedule for the martial competition is intense; sometimes you'll have two matches in a single day with barely any time to rest. Even if you've achieved Core Formation, using Core Force three to five times a day over several days will still drain your stamina."

"I know what I'm doing," Li Pin replied calmly.

There was no doubt that the human body had its limits, especially when activating the Blood Core to unleash Core Force or generating shockwaves within the internal organs to unleash Aura Force. Both processes consumed a significant amount of stamina. In fact, It was quite common to hear of instances where three to five Core Formation martial artists surrounded an Aura Force Grandmaster and exhausted them to death.

This time, however, Li Pin had half a day to catch his breath.

"It's almost your turn. Let's go to the fifth arena," Li Pin said.

Fang Lingjue understood that Li Pin might not listen to him, so he refrained from saying more and proceeded to his assigned arena.

Like Li Pin, Fang Lingjue's opponent was no pushover. He was a seasoned martial artist proficient in Core Force.

Despite emerging victorious, Fang Lingjue had expended four consecutive strikes of Core Force. He was panting heavily by the time the fight ended.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Fortunately, with these two matches done, Fang Lingjue and Li Pin had no more matches for the day.

Fang Lingjue couldn't hold on any longer and headed back immediately.

Li Pin, on the other hand, eagerly inquired around and headed toward the arenas where the contenders for the championship were located.

Gu Haoran?

His opponent was a level-two martial artist who was clearly only here to gain experience, and he was easily defeated.

Zhou Yuanfei faced a local level-three martial artist from Jiang Province City.

The opponent, intimidated by Zhou Yuanfei's reputation, surrendered without a fight.

Jiang Zhenhai's situation was even more dramatic. He was matched against a disciple from the Solar Vermillion Sect who was also participating to build up experience. Therefore, the match turned into a mentoring session, with Jiang Zhenhai guiding his junior.

Since his guidance was insightful, many observing martial artists praised his integrity afterward, significantly boosting his reputation.

However, Li Pin found this to be dull, as he was originally here to assess his opponents' strengths.

***

As night fell, the first day of the Jiang Province Martial Competition came to a close.

Local TV channels eagerly began airing highlights from the competition. Among these highlights, the most talked-about were Zhou Yuanfei’s ability to win without a fight and Jiang Zhenhai’s live demonstration of Core Formation.

As for Gu Haoran, despite being reported as a formidable martial artist from the capital city, his fame didn’t quite match that of Zhou Yuanfei and Jiang Zhenhai.

Thanks to the popularity of the two martial artists, both the Solar Vermillion Sect and Cloud Crest Martial Hall gained significant recognition. Amid discussions, Cao Tianyou, representing the local martial hall of Zanglong City, invited Jiang Qingyue and the other top contenders for the top ten rankings to a banquet.

At the banquet, Wang Zuocai and Zhang Chuge were also present. Wang Zuocai appeared relatively composed. On the other hand, Zhang Chuge appeared grim. Seeing that neither Li Pin nor Fang Lingjue showed any signs of being affected, Jiang Qingyue and Cao Tianyou, the two grandmasters, breathed slight sighs of relief.

Jiang Qingyue remarked, "I anticipated that the competition for the top ten would be intense, but I didn’t expect it to be this severe."

Zhang Chuge commented, "Chairman Jiang, your idea of ‘intense’ seems quite different from what we’ve experienced."

Jiang Qingyue understood his meaning well and responded, "Every time the competition is held, three to four seeded competitors are usually selected. These seeds rarely encounter difficulties in the early stages of the competition.

"The seeds this time have been decided to be: Gu Haoran, Jiang Zhenhai, and Zhou Yuanfei. I initially thought that apart from them, the remaining seven spots would be open for competition. However, it turns out those seven spots have also been quietly divided among them. It just was not openly acknowledged."

Fang Lingjue frowned. "This is such an ugly way to eat."[1]

"The top factions in Jiang Province have united. The martial society in charge of hosting the martial competition, the local council, and the Supervisory Authority. They're all accomplices with one another. We don't have a choice."

Cao Tianyou shifted his gaze toward Li Pin and said, "I heard you placed a bet at the gambling center, betting on yourself to win first place in Jiang Province."

Letting out a sigh, he went on, "You’ve drawn too much attention. Now, even if you had a chance to compete for the top five or top three, you might face setbacks due to being targeted. Worst case, you might not even make it past the top ten."

"It’s fine. They can come after me all they want," Li Pin replied with a smile, looking remarkably relaxed.

"You...."

Cao Tianyou felt a twinge of regret for Li Pin, but he understood that if Li Pin didn’t make it into the top five and missed the chance to participate in the national competition, it might not be a bad outcome for them. Ultimately, he chose not to comment further.

"I’ll now analyze the top contenders in this year's intermediate category," Jiang Qingyue said, taking over the conversation.

***

As Zanglong City and other local martial societies pondered ways to break the stalemate, the performances of the formidable opponents in the first round were compiled on Chairman Lin Yuzhi's desk.

He reviewed each profile meticulously, and soon, his eyes fell upon Li Pin's information.

"First place in Jiang Province?"

Lin Yuzhi reviewed the profile of Li Pin’s first opponent, Chang Yueming, once more, and a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Indeed, he's exceptionally talented. He might not be far behind Jiang Zhenhai and Zhou Yuanfei," Lin Yuzhi remarked, swiftly reallocating several Core Formation experts originally designated to target other threatening competitors.

"Unfortunately, in Jiang Province, even if you're a tiger, you must lie low. And if you're a dragon, you must coil yourself!"[2].

As he spoke, the four Core Force experts that Li Pin was supposed to confront were all replaced by Core Formation experts.

1. a term used in a figurative sense to criticize someone's behavior. ☜

2. Indicates that in Jiang Province, he controls everything ☜