Chapter 364: Securing Talents

"Alright, I’ll take your three axe strikes," Li Xiaofei said calmly.

He held a certain admiration for martial artists who followed the ancient general's path. These warriors were the backbone of the star beast battlefield, charging into the fray with nothing but the determination to live or die in battle.

Choosing this path meant embracing the idea of entering the fray with the resolve to die. They were true martial artists.

"You’ve got guts, kid," Gentleman Wind laughed heartily. "But once I start, I can’t always control myself. You better be careful, and I hope you’re not just H Division’s champion in name only."

He gripped his axe tightly with both hands and charged forward.

Thud, thud, thud.

Heavy footsteps reverberated through the ground, as though a monstrous beast was stomping across the battlefield. Li Xiaofei could feel a massive pressure rushing toward him like an enormous mountain was about to collapse on top of him. It felt like a thousand cavalry charging straight at him.

So powerful! This Gentleman Wind is comparable to a peerless general.

"Mountain Splitter!" Gentleman Wind roared as he leaped into the air.

He soared into the air like a gust of wind, gripping the handle of his massive axe with both hands and swinging it down fiercely. His body arched like a full moon as he brought down his axe with the force of a giant catapult unleashing its payload. The image radiated a sense of raw power and beauty.

But Li Xiaofei didn’t move. When the axe blade neared his head, he calmly raised his right hand and pinched the axe between two fingers. The force of the downward strike came to a sudden halt.

"What?!" Gentleman Wind's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Two fingers have stopped my Mountain Splitter axe? This has to be a joke.

He gritted his teeth and tried to pull the axe out with all his strength. But the axe blade remained completely immobilized between Li Xiaofei's fingers.

"This first strike isn’t enough. You still have two more chances," Li Xiaofei said coolly, releasing his grip.

Gentleman Wind staggered backward, his body tumbling nearly ten meters before he regained his balance.

"Well then! No wonder you're the number one in H Division. You’re impressive... Let’s go again!"

This time, Gentleman Wind unleashed his full strength. He activated his inner qi and a secret technique, causing his muscles to swell. It strained his armor until it looked ready to burst. A crimson aura of inner qi flared up around him and enveloped his entire body. The axe blade now seemed to burn with an almost tangible flame.

"Sky Splitter!" Gentleman Wind roared again.

He dragged his massive axe behind him as he charged forward. Sparks went flying as the blade scraped the ground. As he neared, he swung the axe upward with all his might. The strike resembled a dragon’s tail slicing through the air.

"Good timing!" Li Xiaofei laughed heartily, raising his hand once again and pinching the blade between two fingers, effortlessly stopping the earth-shattering blow.

"Impossible!" Gentleman Wind’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

This strike had the strength of a low-level Five Spirits Realm strike, and yet, it had been halted again by just two fingers. He strained with all his strength, but the giant axe felt like he had struck an iron mountain.

"I concede," Gentleman Wind admitted, letting go of the axe and taking a few steps back. His face was full of admiration. "You're far too strong; at least on par with the Five Spirits Realm. Even if I swung thirty or three hundred times, I wouldn't be able to break your stance. You win."

Li Xiaofei flicked his wrist, sending the axe spinning back toward its owner.

"You’re too kind, Brother Wind." He smiled. "From what I can see, your proficiency in weapons, whether it be axe, sword, or spear, must be unparalleled. I’m sure you’ve yet to unleash your full potential."

Gentleman Wind shook his head. "Even if I used all my skills, I wouldn’t stand a chance. You’re a monster."

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but feel a certain fondness for this honest warrior.

Gentleman Wind continued, "Breaking into the top 100 of the Martial God Tournament should be no problem for you. If you stream your future matches, I’ll definitely tune in to learn from you."

With that, he respectfully chose to surrender. A beam of light descended from the sky, teleporting him away. Soon after, Li Xiaofei was also transported out of the arena.

***

Longya Group Headquarters. Tournament Committee, Live Monitoring Department.

"Old Liao, anything interesting today? Any special discoveries?"

Director Wang Shaowei casually asked as he passed by the office of Group 18.

The Live Monitoring Department was divided into thirty groups, each with ten people. Their job was to monitor ongoing matches in real time, working with the light core system to analyze data and identify competitors whose metrics showed exceptional peaks or fluctuations. In essence, their task was to single out emerging talent early for attention.

At this stage of the tournament, it was crucial to start highlighting results and preparing to promote key matches to the public. The most promising competitors, especially the fan favorites, needed to be identified and nurtured. If possible, they would be offered contracts.

The most important players were typically identified by the first ten monitoring groups. Groups like the 18th, where Liao Qixing worked, were responsible for overseeing mid-to-lower-tier participants.

"Director Wang, I was just about to report to you," Liao Qixing said quickly, standing up. "There’s a new development, and it's related to that competitor, Your Grandpa. His performance in this recent match far exceeded our previous evaluations."

"Oh?" Wang Shaowei’s curiosity was piqued, and he stepped into the office.

As he reviewed the data and watched the live match footage, his expression shifted to clear surprise. "He has the strength of the Five Spirits Realm? He used just two fingers to stop Gentleman Wind's massive axe. That kind of strength is typical of the Five Spirits Realm. I recall he previously declined to stream his matches for the Longya Group, right?"

Liao Qixing nodded and said, "Yes, initially, Your Grandpa, as the top seed of Group H, was eligible for evaluation by the top ten monitoring groups. But since he refused to stream his matches with Longya Group, he was pushed back and given a lower priority. The evaluation team believed that while he had some mystery and buzz around him, he likely wouldn’t make it into the top 100."

"Now, it seems like he’ll definitely break into the top 100," Wang Shaowei mused, rubbing his chin out of habit. "We’ll need to adjust our approach."

"Should we move his monitoring to the top ten groups?" Liao Qixing asked.

Wang Shaowei shook his head. "No, every spot in the top ten groups is filled. Keep him with you in Group 18 as a priority subject. If you notice any new developments, report to me directly."

Liao Qixing was thrilled. "Thank you, Director Wang!"

Discovering a competitor who could potentially make the top 100 came with rewards. Keeping the monitoring of Your Grandpa within Group 18 meant their team’s KPI for this tournament was practically secured.

Wang Shaowei added, "Try reaching out to Your Grandpa again. See if you can convince him to sign a streaming contract. If he agrees, I can allocate promotional resources to him."

"I'll get on it right away," Liao Qixing replied, fully energized.

A few moments later, after finishing his match and returning to Longya Group's virtual plaza, Li Xiaofei received a message from the company’s official customer service. The message indicated that executives of Longya Group were interested in speaking with him directly.