Chapter 76 - Wipeout

The opening ceremony ended in the evening. Early the next morning, all the Covert Martial Arts sects gathered in a large and spacious warehouse. Two rings stood in the center of the warehouse, each about half a meter above the ground with a black over covering the edges. The area around the rings was arranged similarly to the hall from the previous day, with a designated area for each sect.

Staff members in blue uniforms stood waiting at the edges of the warehouse. On both sides of the warehouse, medical personnel dressed in white had stretchers, bandages, and medical kits at the ready.

The Wind Elephant Sect's area was right at the front on the left. The Black Crane Sect was right next to them. After a quick scan around the warehouse, Cassius estimated there were at least a few hundred people present. The large sects, like the Wind Elephant Sect, alone had over a hundred people, making the place rather rowdy.

"Quiet!"

Suddenly, an old man leaped onto the ring. Despite his small stature, his voice was incredibly loud and resonated throughout the warehouse. Everyone gradually quieted down.

"The Beiliu County Martial Arts Exchange Tournament has officially begun. According to the competition rules and procedures that were explained yesterday, the first core disciple of each sect will come up to draw lots in order." The old man took out a black box with an opening in the middle for drawing lots.

Hykal stood up without hesitation and walked over to draw a lot. Moments later, he returned with a yellow cardboard square in his hand. A number was written in black: eleven.

Cassius glanced at the other ring where a similar process was happening but with the ordinary disciples.

Five minutes later, the skinny old man was back on the platform again. "The competition will now officially begin! Number Twelve, Number Seven! Dicake Pugilism versus Frozen Light Martial Hall!"

Upon hearing this, Cassius recalled the competition rules.

In this exchange tournament, the core disciples and ordinary disciples of each sect separated into different fights and different rights.

The core disciples had two events: a team competition and an individual competition. In the team competition, five core disciples from each sect would form a team. The sect would send the first person in the lineup to challenge the other sect’s team. Whoever won would stay to challenge the next person in line until all five opponents were defeated. A victory earned one point, draws earned zero points, and a loss resulted in a point deduction.

In the individual competition, they drew lots again but would now be divided into five groups. The top two from each group would advance to the finals.

As this was the inaugural tournament, the rules were still rough around the edges.

Cassius glanced up at the platform, where representatives from both sects were already standing. They introduced themselves, and then, at the referee's signal, began to face off, gradually shuffling their feet around.

After a half a minute of them in a stalemate, the black-haired man representing Dicake Pugilism suddenly struck, punching and kicking with lightning speed. In a matter of seconds, the Frozen Light Martial Hall's representative was defeated. The battle lasted only six to seven seconds!

In reality, this was how actual fights were supposed to happen—as soon as the opponent made a mistake, seize that opportunity to make a decisive strike. As fights with no rules generally ended quickly, it was rare for battles to last more than five or ten minutes.

The victor, a black-haired man, took a quick break ringside. Moments later, another Frozen Light Martial Hall representative stepped up.

Soon after they introduced themselves, they began the next round. They circled around each other slowly, searching for an opening. Twenty seconds later, both sides hurled themselves at each other simultaneously, trading blows. They'd occasionally fire off some Explosive Techniques, allowing them to attack extremely quickly.

After switching positions a few more times and another couple clashes, the black-haired man fell off the edge of the ring and rolled on the floor before getting up. He had been pushed out of the competition area and lost. Frozen Light Martial Hall had taken this round.

Another series of fights followed. The match only took about seven to eight minutes and, in the end, Dicake Pugilism emerged victorious.

Moments later, the skinny old man stepped back onto the ring. "Next up, Number Eleven, Number Eighteen! Wind Elephant Sect versus Meditative Fist Sect!"

Cassius and Senior Brother Hykal exchanged glances. According to the order, Cassius was the first to represent the Wind Elephant Sect.

Cassius stood up, took off his black coat, and threw it onto his seat. "I'm going up."

He walked steadily up to the ring. The many windows on both sides of the warehouse let in a gentle morning sunlight, ensured the platform was well-lit. Cassius stood quietly in one of the beams of light.

Despite being both expression and speechless, Cassius's imposing 1.90 meters stature and his sect's reputation was enough to make the Meditative Fist Sect's representative extremely nervous. The man kept adjusting his breathing and wiping the sweat on his palms.

"Meditative Fist Sect, Cuesta."

"Wind Elephant Sect, Li Wei."

As soon as they finished talking, Cassius’s aura burst forth like blazing flames. It was as if a a terrifying giant python had broken through the surface of a calm, deep pool. Cuesta felt a formidable pressure wrapping around him.

What a terrifying presence...

Cuesta's breath stopped for a moment.

In that moment when Cuesta had been distracted, Cassius’s massive figure appeared before him as if he had just teleported. His face was cold and emotionless.

Cuesta panicked.

Bang!

A muffled sound echoed from his left shoulder.

His eyes widened. He staggered back several meters and fell off the ring. Cuesta hadn't even touched Cassius. He lost in a mere three seconds.

"

Ah...

" He groaned, clutching his left shoulder in pain.

"The gap is too big. We'll need to employ a tactic of having several people take turns fighting him to tire him out," a strong young man from the Meditative Fist Sect said resignedly while squinting his eyes.

Half a minute later, a pretty girl was on the ring. She clasped her hands in greeting. "Meditative Fist Sect, Farah."

"Wind Elephant Sect, Li Wei."

Right after they finished speaking, Cassius vanished, moving like a shadowy blur. In an instant, a black streak shot out from the dark shadow, through the air, and slammed into the girl's shoulder.

Thud!

Like being struck by a heavy hammer, Farah was sent flying out of the ring. She landed on the ground and rolled a few times before she fell unconscious.

It seems I used too much force. I should hold back a bit.

Half a minute later, the same scene replayed itself.

This disciple from the Meditative Fist Sect was a strong man. He started off in a defensive stance, feet firmly planted and arms guarding his chest, seemingly trying to stall time. Unfortunately, Cassius’s powerful punch shattered all his defenses. The strong man soared out of the ring, skidding five meters on the ground.

Another half a minute passed, and the fourth person seemed to have learned a thing or two. He moved nimbly, trying to keep his distance and tire Cassius out. But Cassius had cornered him in an instant. With a single clash, he was quickly thrown off the ring.

The last one was a young man with a bitter expression. Desperate, he tried to last a few more moves but couldn't escape the same fate his predecessors had fallen to. With a single punch, Cassius broke his stance completely.

The Meditative Fist Sect's senior brother seemed to see a giant elephant charging forward, unstoppable and majestic as it crushed all its enemies.

This was the difference between small sects and large sects; this was the difference between ordinary martial artists and limit-breaking pugilists!