"Don't look down on the Martial Arts Tournament. Even if the championship doesn't carry as much prestige as it used to, there are still around thirty martial artists at the martial arts limit among the top hundred."
Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Yang Shan couldn't help but retort.
"Thirty... Are they stronger than you?" Qi Yuan asked thoughtfully. "The last champion—were you a match for him?"
Qi Yuan was caught in a dilemma.
What if his opponents in this Martial Arts Tournament were too strong?
If he couldn't win relying purely on martial arts, what was he supposed to do?
Could it be that he'd have to... turn on cheats?
After all, this was just playing a game, and using minor cheats hardly counted as cheating.
Besides, no one would be able to tell he was hacking anyway.
Therefore, he, Qi Yuan, wouldn't have cheated at all.
Completely open and upright, radiating righteousness.
"The last champion..." A smug smile appeared in Yang Shan's eyes. "A fifty-fifty split with me."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
He truly hadn't cheated, and there was no need to cheat.
"If this tournament is just as mediocre, claiming the championship will be a breeze for me. It seems there's no need to turn on hacks!"
"You brat, are you underestimating me that much? What do you mean my level is mediocre?" Yang Shan snapped. Qi Yuan's mouth truly begged for a beating.
What kind of nonsense was that?
Even if you were arrogant, you didn't have to display it with such a lack of emotional intelligence.
"Sigh, I finally understand the loneliness of Dugu the Defeated—or was it Dugu the Undefeated? To be invincible in the entire world, what utter desolation."
Qi Yuan's voice held genuine emotion, carrying the aura of a refined noble youth wandering a turbid world, an aloof, solitary swordsman.
The natural aura emanating from him momentarily stunned Yang Shan, instilling an inexplicable sense of conviction in Qi Yuan's words.
Yet Yang Shan still retorted stubbornly, "Alright, Brother Lonesome, let's see if you stay lonely in this Martial Arts Tournament!"
...
"Above lies Xinghai; below lies Lantai."
Lantai City was an emerging first-tier city in Qinyuan Kingdom.
Renowned as a trendy tourist destination, it drew an endless stream of visitors every year.
In reality, however, it was an industrial powerhouse.
This year's Martial Arts Tournament was hosted right in Lantai City.
Lantai City lay in the northern region of Qinyuan Kingdom. Under the dynasty preceding Qinyuan Kingdom, Lantai had been one of two capitals.
This capital was known as Wujing, the Martial Capital.
Legend had it that during the Tianke Dynasty, three thousand martial artists gathered in Lantai to hold the Martial Ascent Assembly, searching for a way to break through the martial arts limit.
Three thousand martial artists sat discussing the Dao and martial arts, delving into the essence of the martial path together.
Rumor had it that the martial supreme, Luo Bufan, experienced an epiphany at the assembly and broke through the martial arts limit.
All of a sudden, a lotus flower bloomed atop his head, and he stepped onto the void, departing through the sky.
This was the most recent recorded instance of someone breaking through the martial arts limit.
Across the land of Qinyuan Kingdom, surpassing the martial arts limit had remained an insurmountable bottleneck for a thousand years.
Walking along the streets of Lantai, Yang Shan looked around with yearning. "For martial artists, the most famous site here is Wuyun Pavilion.
"Wuyun Pavilion bears the marks carved by over a thousand martial artists throughout history using their own martial strength.
"A genius observing those marks might just glean their true martial intent.
"Luo Bufan, the last martial ascendant among our Qin people, also left a mark upon Wuyun Pavilion.
"Once our testing is done, do you want to go take a look?"
Their current destination was the Lantai City branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.
Lantai City was also the host city of the Martial Arts Tournament.
Therefore, if Qi Yuan wanted to bypass the standard qualifications and enter the national tournament directly, he needed to take a special channel.
"Yeah... sure. I'd like to see the marks left by those ancient figures too," Qi Yuan replied. "And that Luo Bufan sounds pretty interesting."
"Mm, let's go. The building ahead is the Martial Arts Alliance branch. But we'll have to wait in line for a bit; quite a lot of people have come today. These folks will all be prominent figures in the martial arts world. If you want to develop a career in martial arts later on, you could get acquainted with them."
"Sounds like they'll all end up as my old rivals, then? I, Qi the Undefeated, can't be bothered to get acquainted," Qi Yuan said, crowning himself undefeated.
He needed to participate in more than just one tournament.
So as long as they continued to be held, anyone who failed to win the championship would remain his rival.
"Interesting little brother! Coming here at such a young age—looks like you're one of a kind in this world, just like me!"
Accompanying the voice, a young man dressed in flamboyant clothes with his hair styled into a rooster comb walked over.
He looked only twenty-five or twenty-six, yet his strength was impressively at the martial arts limit.
Seeing the newcomer, Yang Shan's eyes flickered with solemnity. "'Northern Crane' Han Xianyun!"
"To think this young master's reputation precedes him so well." The rooster-crested young man smiled.
Qi Yuan had also heard of "Northern Crane" Han Xianyun.
In the martial arts world, there were two peerless prodigies regarded as having the best chance of breaking through the martial arts limit: the Southern Lion and the Northern Crane.
Both had reached the martial arts limit in their twenties.
Among them, the Southern Lion was not only deep in cultivation but also immensely powerful in combat.
Last year, he had challenged the champion of that Martial Arts Tournament and lost by only a single move.
This year, the Southern Lion was the absolute favorite to win the championship.
As for the Northern Crane... he was the number two contender.
Qi Yuan looked at "Northern Crane" Han Xianyun with a strange expression. "You should change your hairstyle."
Han Xianyun froze for a moment, then looked at him with an amused smirk. "What, is my hairstyle not stylish enough? Little brother, if we meet in the tournament, you can kick me in the groin all you want, but don't mess up my hair."
Han Xianyun was flamboyant to the extreme, dropping jaw-dropping remarks the moment he opened his mouth.
"Your hair is very stylish, but it doesn't suit you," Qi Yuan said calmly.
"Oh? Did you study hair styling too, little brother? A fellow artist?" Han Xianyun's eyes widened. "I designed this hair myself. How is it—cool, right? Want me to design one for you? Free of charge!"
"No thanks." Qi Yuan shook his head. "In your bloodline, there is no rooster, nor is there a crane. Rather, it is... rat. So neither your title nor your hairstyle suits you. You should change your hair."
"Bloodline?" Han Xianyun froze.
He had never heard such phrasing before.
He looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "Are you serious, or are you just pulling my leg?"
"Naturally I'm serious. If I wanted amusement... I wouldn't seek it from you. Isn't that fortune-teller in front of the building far more interesting than you?"
Qi Yuan did not delve any further into the topic.
"Northern Crane" Han Xianyun's martial bloodline indeed belonged to the same category as the "rat" in Qi Yuan's research.
Meanwhile, the one inside Qi Yuan's own body was a type of "sea fish."
"A fortune-teller? You actually believe in that?" Han Xianyun glanced toward the stall before the building.
A sickly-looking young man sat behind the stall.
Four large characters were written on his sign: "Infallible Celestial Divination."
A pile of bizarre knickknacks sat beside him; he looked every bit a fraud.
"Even if you're faking it, you ought to look the part. He's way too young. A divine seer? I don't buy it," Han Xianyun scoffed.
Qi Yuan smiled. "Why don't we have him predict who will win this Martial Arts Tournament?"
Han Xianyun nodded. "Nothing better to do anyway. Let's go see."
"You guys are too late—'Southern Lion' Zhang Yang is already over there!"
Han Xianyun quickly looked over, his eyes holding a hint of surprise and annoyance.
"Zhang Yang is just looking for trouble." Han Xianyun's tone carried subtle distaste.
Though Zhang Yang was a martial genius, he was extremely arrogant.
Not just ordinarily proud, but completely condescending.
A martial artist being arrogant was fine, but Zhang Yang wasn't just arrogant; he actively looked down on martial arts.
He carried the attitude that his presence in the martial arts circle was an honor bestowed upon it.
At that moment, following Zhang Yang's lead, many young talents from the Martial Arts Alliance went over to crowd around the young fortune-teller.
Qi Yuan and Han Xianyun walked over as well. Qi Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't bought Ning Tao the three pieces of gold jewelry yet. Maybe... I should set up a fortune-telling stall sometime to earn some pocket money?"
In the crowd, Zhang Yang's face was thick with scorn. "A charlatan playing tricks! Fate is so profoundly mysterious that even the immortal path... cannot claim to peer into destiny. What gives you the right to boast of infallible divine divination?"
"Failing to peer into fate is simply because one isn't strong enough," the sickly young man said, his eyes burning with quiet confidence.
If Zhang Yang's gaze was lofty and haughty, looking down on everything, then this young man's gaze held genuine... tranquil pride.
As though he belonged to another world entirely.
Hearing this, "Southern Lion" Zhang Yang sneered inwardly.
Just a few days ago, he had learned earth-shattering news that put him in a foul mood.
He felt that idling away so many years in the martial arts circle had been a complete waste of time.
He had always looked down on martial arts, and now... with spiritual qi reviving and the immortal path emerging, he resented the martial arts circle even more.
If not to fulfill his desire to win the championship and draw a neat concluding line on his past life, he never would have bothered coming here.
Over the past few days, he had gained some understanding of the immortal path, and longing had begun to stir in his heart.
In his view, since he had mastered martial arts, the immortal path would naturally be a walk in the park.
Now, seeing a swindler peddling fraud, he naturally couldn't resist stepping in.
"Then tell my fortune: in the future... how far will I go?" "Southern Lion" Zhang Yang demanded, staring down at the young fortune-teller.
The young man smiled faintly. "Please place your hand on the bronze plate, sir."
Before the young fortune-teller sat a bronze plate inscribed with strange symbols.
Without hesitation, Zhang Yang placed his hand upon it.
About a dozen breaths later, a look of pity entered the young fortune-teller's eyes. "You come from extreme wealth and nobility. What a pity... your fortune has run dry. In this life... you are unlikely to accomplish anything."
The young fortune-teller's words caused an instant stir.
"You really are a fraud! This is the Southern Lion, Zhang Yang, the top contender to win this Martial Arts Tournament!"
"If that counts as accomplishing nothing, then who could possibly accomplish anything?"
"Does sitting here telling fortunes like you count as accomplishing something?"
The onlookers sneered in ridicule.
Watching this, Qi Yuan quietly abandoned his plan of making extra cash through fortune-telling.
After all, if he heard such mockery, he definitely wouldn't be able to resist reasoning with these NPCs.
And Qi Yuan was clumsy with words, having never learned many insults.
In a war of words, he was sure to lose.
And what do you do when you can't win an argument? You can only resort to violence.
"This fortune-teller is hopeless—he doesn't even know how to flatter people," Han Xianyun beside him remarked.
Qi Yuan looked at the fortune-teller with curiosity. "Though I'm not versed in fate, I actually think his reading was quite accurate. Want him to divine who the progenitor of your bloodline is and see if it really is 'rat'?"
"Huh?" Han Xianyun was bewildered.
He couldn't make heads or tails of Qi Yuan's words.
Weren't they all human? Shouldn't their bloodline ancestors all be humans?
Still, since Qi Yuan had suggested it and Han Xianyun was easygoing by nature, he stepped forward and said, "Read my fortune, then. What is the progenitor of my bloodline?"
Han Xianyun's question baffled many in the crowd.
Only the young fortune-teller's shoulders gave an almost imperceptible tremor upon hearing it.
Yet he concealed it well; nobody noticed except Qi Yuan.
He looked at Han Xianyun and repeated what he had told "Southern Lion" Zhang Yang: "Please place your hand on the bronze plate."
Han Xianyun complied, looking at the fortune-teller with an expectant gaze.
About ten breaths later, the fortune-teller spoke:
"A Great General Protecting the Realm once emerged from your ancestry. Tracing back even further, you are in fact a surviving lineage of the Last Ruler of the Former Tang Dynasty."
Hearing this, Han Xianyun's pupils contracted sharply.
Anyone who investigated the Han family would know their ancestors included an extraordinarily exalted Great General Protecting the Realm.
However... the surviving bloodline of the Former Tang Dynasty's Last Ruler was an utmost secret. Even within the Li clan, very few people knew about it.
Han Xianyun himself had only learned of it half a year ago.
How did this man know?!
For some reason, an absurd feeling washed over him.
Masking his expression, he said, "You truly have quite the tongue, sir."
At that moment, the fortune-teller continued, "I have divined the progenitor of your bloodline: it is the Breeding Rat among the Three Hundred and Ninety-Nine Beasts."
Those words completely threw Han Xianyun for a loop.
Qi Yuan had just claimed his bloodline came from a rat.
And now this fortune-teller was saying the exact same thing.
Was it a coincidence, or a conspiracy?
"Do you two know each other?" Han Xianyun couldn't help turning to Qi Yuan.
He suspected Qi Yuan and this fortune-teller had conspired to set a trap for him.
Otherwise, how could he know such deep family secrets?
Qi Yuan shook his head. "I don't know this NPC."
Yang Shan hurriedly chimed in, "I can testify to that. Qi Yuan doesn't know him."
Everything today was pure coincidence.
A hundred thousand questions swirled in Han Xianyun's mind; everything about today felt profoundly bizarre.
The fortune-teller spoke up. "I do not know this gentleman... We are meeting for the first time."
With that, he looked at Han Xianyun. "What I said is true. If you don't believe me, think back three months ago: did you have a dream? In that dream, were you chased by an enormous rat?"
Han Xianyun's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
He was genuinely shocked.
Three months ago, he truly had experienced such a dream!
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it and hadn't mentioned it to a single soul.
How could this fortune-teller possibly know?
"How did you know that?" Waves of shock crashed through Han Xianyun's mind.
At that moment, Qi Yuan leaned in. "Didn't I tell you his divination was spot-on? And you didn't believe me."
Qi Yuan hadn't known about Han Xianyun's dream, but he could deduce a thing or two.
Back when he was still an Innate Seed, Qi Yuan had inadvertently glimpsed the imagery in that female doctor's dream, which subsequently cursed him and left him near death.
Three months ago, anyone capable of having such dreams had to be someone whose bloodline concentration had reached a certain threshold.
At least, that was Qi Yuan's conjecture.
"Come on, want to read my fortune too? See when I'll be able to clear this game?"
Qi Yuan looked at the fortune-teller, his face full of curiosity.
Chapter 307