Chapter 18: Powerhouses Scramble, Xiao Chen Enters the Top Ten

Chapter 18: Powerhouses Scramble, Xiao Chen Enters the Top Ten Damn! 'This old fox is clearly making things difficult for me, Chu Feng!' After grumbling to himself, Chu Feng spoke up, "Senior, I won’t interfere with where Xiao Chen chooses to cultivate after the competition. But I have only one request: all of you seniors may try to persuade Xiao Chen to join your respective institutions, but you may not use force or coercion to pressure him into joining." Everyone was surprised at how generous Chu Feng was. They didn’t even get the chance to speak any harsh words. But then again, this kid doesn’t know how to cultivate at all. Forcing Xiao Chen to stay would only ruin a promising talent. "Of course," said the Carefree Sword King seriously. Seeing Chu Feng so considerate of the bigger picture, he gained a bit more respect for the kid. "You’ve nurtured a genius like Xiao Chen. Regardless of the outcome of this competition, your Miscellaneous Dao Institution will still be preserved and will receive resource allocation based on the number of disciples." "Senior is fair and just." Chu Feng cupped his hands toward him. The other bigshots present did not object either. The Miscellaneous Dao Institution had already proven its value. Besides, the resource allocation was based on the number of disciples. If the Miscellaneous Dao Institution had no disciples, there would be no resources to allocate, so whether it remained or not made no difference. This way, they could all maintain a good reputation. The heads of the various institutions were already considering what conditions they could offer to recruit Xiao Chen. Comprehending sword intent at the Dao Foundation realm—this was a once-in-a-century, or even once-in-a-millennium, genius for the Wendao Institution. No matter what the cost, it would be worth it. Chu Feng, on the other hand, sat firmly like a fisherman, not at all worried that Xiao Chen would be lured away by the others. What he was thinking about now was what kind of nonsense cultivation technique he should make up next, for the disciples who would soon come to acknowledge him as their master. With Xiao Chen as his golden signboard, his Miscellaneous Dao Institution would surely attract more disciples. If nothing else, the Alchemy Institution would definitely send one, with at least ten years of cultivation as a base. If eight or nine came at once, he’d be thrilled. He could gain eighty to ninety years of cultivation in one go. By then, with a century’s worth of cultivation in hand, even if these bigshots wanted to make things hard for him, they’d have to think twice. Thinking of this, Chu Feng’s lips curled up slightly. He glanced at the group of bigshots: 'You’re eyeing my disciple? When have I not been eyeing yours?' The outer court competition continued. After the top 100 were decided— The following knockout rounds became the center of everyone’s attention. Xiao Chen won four consecutive matches and directly entered the top ten. In all four matches, he defeated his opponents cleanly with a single sword strike. Regardless of who he faced, he never needed a second strike, which left the bigshots in the stands extremely satisfied. The disciples watching from below were stunned, while those still in the competition began to strategize on how to deal with Xiao Chen. By the third round of the top 100 knockout stage, thirteen disciples remained in the competition. Besides the one lucky participant who drew lots and directly entered the top ten, the remaining twelve were paired off to fight. The winners would advance to the top ten, while the losers could still compete in a revival match. Whoever won the revival match would also secure a spot in the top ten. As the revival match concluded, the final top ten list of the outer court competition was revealed. Aside from Xiao Chen, the three biggest contenders for the championship—Lin Qingyu from the Sword Dao Institution, Mo Qingwu from the Spell Dao Institution, and a disciple named Jin Gang from the Body Cultivation Institution—all successfully advanced. The remaining six spots were filled by Tang Feng from the Sword Dao Institution, Liu Xiu from the Beast Mastery Institution, Cao Youde from the Alchemy Institution, Tie Xin from the Weapon Refining Institution, Zhuge Jiu from the Formation Institution, and Chen Xu from the Law Cultivation Institution. In the stands, the Carefree Sword King stood up and slowly announced, "After several days of intense competition, the triennial grand tournament is about to enter its most exciting phase—the top ten showdown. The top three of this tournament will not only be promoted to inner court disciples but will also receive generous rewards. The champion may select a mid-grade treasure weapon, while the second and third place will each choose a low-grade treasure weapon." The outer court disciples’ faces all showed expressions of envy upon hearing this. Forget treasure weapons—even receiving a top-grade magic weapon would make them so happy they wouldn’t be able to sleep. They were afraid that if they dreamed about it, their prized magic weapon would disappear when they woke up. The ten disciples on the platform each had different expressions. Lin Qingyu, Jin Gang, Mo Qingwu, and Xiao Chen all looked as if they were determined to win. The other six looked variously excited, eager to try, or completely indifferent. The Carefree Sword King continued, "As per tradition, the elimination matches to reduce the ten to eight will be held tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, the quarterfinals will begin. Now, let’s proceed with the drawing of lots." This was to avoid the scenario of a disciple advancing all the way to the finals purely by luck and snatching the championship undeservedly. Thus, the top ten competition of the outer court was not a direct one-on-one elimination format, which would have left only five people after a single round. Instead, the three who advanced from the revival round and the one lucky participant who had advanced directly from the top thirteen competed for two advancement slots. These two would then join the remaining six to compete for the championship. Elder Changqing began presiding over the drawing ceremony for the ten-to-eight and quarterfinal rounds. After the drawing ended, the crowd gradually dispersed. Xiao Chen immediately found Chu Feng. "Master, I’ve made it into the top eight." Chu Feng patted Xiao Chen on the shoulder and said, "As your master, I knew I wasn't wrong about you. Three days from now, I hope to see you take the championship." "That's a given." Xiao Chen was brimming with confidence. Among the top eight, aside from Lin Qingyu, Jin Gang, and Mo Qingwu, none of the others were even qualified to make him draw his sword a second time. Not to mention, he hadn’t even used his ultimate move, Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin. Chu Feng smiled and said, "Confidence is good, but don’t get careless." Xiao Chen nodded. "Yes, Master. I understand." The master and disciple chatted as they left the plaza. After watching the two of them disappear into the distance, Tang Feng began pondering how he should deal with Xiao Chen the next afternoon. Though he had to face Zhuge Jiu from the Formation Institution in the morning, Zhuge Jiu had expended quite a bit of energy in the revival round. Barring any surprises, Tang Feng was confident he could advance to the next round and face Xiao Chen. Just then, a familiar voice rang in his ear. "Congratulations on making it to the top ten, Junior Brother Tang." Hearing this, Tang Feng's expression shifted slightly. He turned around respectfully and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Lin." The speaker was none other than Lin Qingyu, currently the top outer court disciple of the Sword Dao Institution. "No need for formalities." Lin Qingyu smiled and asked, "Do you have confidence in forcing Xiao Chen to use his full strength tomorrow afternoon?" He had crossed swords with Xiao Chen for many years. In the past, he had known Xiao Chen inside and out. But ever since Xiao Chen spent time in the Miscellaneous Dao Institution, he had changed completely. Lin Qingyu could no longer see through him, and in this outer court competition, Lin Qingyu was determined to seize the top spot. Tang Feng was a smart man and instantly understood the deeper meaning in Lin Qingyu's words. He clenched his jaw and said, "I’ll give it everything I’ve got." "I believe in you." Lin Qingyu smiled, saying no more. "Senior Brother, I’ll take my leave." Tang Feng saluted, then turned to go. A disciple standing behind Lin Qingyu asked, "Senior Brother, that guy Tang Feng only awakened a postnatal physique. He hasn’t even comprehended an innate physique or sword intent. Can he really force Xiao Chen to show his full power?" Lin Qingyu chuckled. "Even if he can’t, it doesn’t matter. Isn’t there still Jin Gang with his turtle shell? Just with sword intent at the second level of the Dao Foundation realm and a high-grade magic sword, it’s impossible to break through Jin Gang’s Golden Bell Barrier. Xiao Chen, this time, I really want to see what kind of surprise you’ll bring me." ==================================================================================== Get access to 20 chapters in advance and enjoy 2 daily updates by supporting the series. Available on Patreon: /Alex_Cruise or Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/anish_44