Most of the young clan members participating in the tournament had a body refinement realm cultivation level.
Only Gu Feng and Gu Ran from the main clan, along with Gu Xiaobin from the branch clan, had reached the True Essence Realm.
Gu Feng had the highest cultivation level, at true essence, third layer, while Gu Ran and Gu Xiaobin were both at the first level of the true essence realm.
Gu Feng was in the Ding Arena, Gu Ran was in the Bing Arena, and Gu Xiaobin was in the Yi Arena. Only the Jia Arena had no expert in the True Essence Realm. This made all the contestants in the Jia Arena rather fortunate.
Someone said, “As long as we don’t encounter those three, Gu Feng and the others, we’ll have a chance. We’re all at the body refinement realm, so the difference isn’t that great. Maybe we can even take first place and enter the top four. Even if we ultimately lose, we can still make an impression before the clan elders and give them a favorable opinion of us!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“That’s absolutely right. Your analysis makes perfect sense!”
The young disciples in the Jia Arena all voiced their agreement.
However, these people were all branch-clan disciples.
A Main-clan disciple glanced at them with an ugly expression and said bitterly, “You idiots, being assigned to the Jia Arena is actually the unluckiest thing of all!”
“What do you mean?” Everyone was puzzled.
That person pointed at Gu Yi, who was standing in the distance with his hands behind his back, and said softly, “You probably don’t know that Gu Yi killed second grand-uncle Gu Qilun, who was at true essence, third layer, with a single move yesterday! The entire main clan already knows about it!”
“What?”
The group stood dumbfounded. Once they learned that it was true, they immediately began trembling. Someone asked, “Gu Yi is number ten, right? Who is number nine?”
“...Me.” A young man’s hands trembled as he slowly unfolded the paper in his hand, his face pale and his expression on the verge of tears.
“Brother, do your best!” someone said, patting him on the shoulder in consolation.
The matches in the four arenas continued one after another, with some people winning and others losing.
Since these were unrestricted life and death matches, everyone gave it their all and used every move at their disposal.
Even if they could not advance to a high ranking, they still hoped to leave a favorable impression on the various elders with real authority and fight for a promising future within the family!
“Next group!”
“Next group!”
Before long, the first four rounds in the Jia Arena were complete, and it was time for the match between numbers nine and ten.
Gu Yi still had his hands behind his back as he walked to the center of the arena and looked at his opponent.
It was a branch-clan disciple with a seventh level body refinement realm cultivation level. He was reserved by nature and had never offended Gu Yi.
Gu Yi said, “You should forfeit.”
After saying this, he suddenly stomped his foot, crushing the blue brick beneath it!
With such leg strength, he could easily kick through the bones of a disciple at the Ninth Layer of Body Refinement. Gu Yi was making it clear to his opponent that he could not win.
The branch-clan disciple showed a conflicted expression and shook his head with a bitter smile. “Brother Yi, I know I can’t beat you, but I don’t want to forfeit. I want to give it a try.”
“Oh?”
Gu Yi raised an eyebrow and glanced at him before nodding with a faint smile. “Very well. Come.”
The man took a deep breath, circulated his martial technique and cultivation method, raised his saber, and charged at Gu Yi.
“That isn’t how you use a saber. Your arm is too stiff with this strike.”
“You should initiate this strike from here instead.”
..
The two exchanged more than a dozen moves in an instant. Gu Yi did not hurry to defeat his opponent, instead beginning to instruct him in saber techniques.
The more the man fought, the more alarmed he became. Gu Yi seemed like a vast ocean, surging unpredictably, profound and unfathomable, making him impossible to read.
Most importantly, every time he delivered a saber strike, Gu Yi could point out the mistake in it. In a short time, the man suddenly gained considerable insight into his own saber techniques and improved tremendously!
After a while, Gu Yi effortlessly redirected and guided the man’s saber away, seizing it and holding it horizontally against his opponent’s neck. “You lose.”
Although the man had lost, he showed no regret. Instead, his face was filled with ecstatic joy as he bowed deeply and said gratefully, “Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yi!”
Gu Yi nodded in satisfaction. There were still normal people among the Gu Family members, so they were not all detestable.
“What is your name?”
The disciple in position nine respectfully replied, “Brother Yi, my name is Gu Xiaohai.”
Gu Yi nodded lightly and walked ahead with his hands behind his back. “Come with me. I’ll give you a saber technique.”
“A saber technique? Thank you, Brother Yi!”
Gu Xiaohai was overjoyed as he followed behind him, thinking, “As a Main-clan disciple, if Brother Yi is giving it to me, it must be an upper huang rank saber technique, or perhaps even a lower-grade profound rank one, right?”
Gu Yi found some brush, ink, paper, and inkstone and immediately began writing. By the time the second round was about to begin, he had finally finished. He folded the paper and handed it to Gu Xiaohai. “This is a mid-grade earth rank saber technique. It suits you fairly well. Practice diligently from now on, and you will certainly reap great rewards.”
Gu Xiaohai was left speechless. “M-mid-grade earth rank?”
Martial techniques and cultivation methods are divided into the four ranks of Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Huang, with each rank further divided into supreme, upper, middle, and lower grades. A mid-grade earth rank technique was already an advanced cultivation method found only within the martial sacred grounds!
Gu Xiaohai thought he must have misheard.
Gu Yi said nothing more and walked away, because it was his turn again in the next round of the Jia Arena matches.
This time, his opponent was contestant number seven, a Main-clan disciple named Gu Liang.
Gu Yi looked at Gu Liang and gave a cold laugh. “Gu Liang, long time no see.”
Gu Liang’s face was filled with deep apprehension. As a Main-clan disciple, he knew everything about Gu Yi’s affairs. He said bluntly, “I know I can’t beat you, so I forfeit.”
Gu Yi sneered. Apparently unwilling to let Gu Liang forfeit and leave so easily, he provoked him. “Why are you acting like a coward? Don’t you want to avenge your younger brother?”
Gu Liang clenched his fists and glared furiously. “Gu Yi, don’t push your luck!”
Gu Yi said in a low voice, “I’m pushing my luck? Two years ago, when my cultivation level fell, you and your younger brother Gu Yang joined forces with that vile maid Bai Jing to harass me repeatedly. I remember it clearly. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
Gu Liang’s expression turned ugly. Everything Gu Yi said was true, leaving him powerless to argue.
Gu Yi continued, “Gu Yang and Bai Jing came to my courtyard yesterday morning to insult me, and I beat them into cripples. Don’t tell me you truly don’t want to avenge them? How can you, as their elder brother, be so cowardly?”
Gu Liang’s breathing began to grow heavy!
Gu Yi mocked, “Your parents were thieves who were executed on the spot for stealing the family’s treasured artifact. Your younger brother is a scavenger who picks up my worn-out shoes to wear. But at least they dared to act, unlike you, that cowardly elder brother. When you see your enemy, you don’t even have the courage to raise a hand!”
“Oh, I’m wrong. You do have some courage. After all, you and those cowards like Gu Feng schemed against me from the shadows and borrowed the Qin Residence’s blade to murder me.”
“Gu Yi! I’m going to kill you!”
Gu Liang was completely consumed by fury. With a great shout, he charged fiercely at Gu Yi!
He was a Main-clan disciple, with no lack of cultivation resources and decent cultivation talent. He had already reached the peak of the body refinement tenth stage. If he performed well, he could rank near the top in this branch clan tournament!
The two instantly clashed!
Gu Yi struck repeatedly like lightning. With two cracking sounds, Gu Liang fell to the ground, screaming miserably.
One of his arms and one of his legs had both been broken by Gu Yi!
Gu Yi said coldly, “Go back and rely on your younger brother, whose arm and leg are broken just like yours!”
The adjudicator said nothing more. He ordered people to carry Gu Liang away, coughed once, and shouted, “Next match!”
The remaining disciples in the Jia Arena all felt cold from head to toe. Gu Liang had possessed the highest cultivation level among them, yet his two limbs had been crippled in an instant?
Earlier, they had been secretly delighted when they saw Gu Yi instructing Gu Xiaohai in saber techniques and even giving him a martial technique and cultivation method. They had hoped to encounter Gu Yi in a match and receive his guidance.
But now, seeing Gu Liang’s miserable state, every one of them was terrified!
Why was the difference between Gu Liang’s outcome and Gu Xiaohai’s so enormous?
This was practically a difference between heaven and earth!
Could it be because Gu Liang had bullied him in the past?
Was Gu Yi using the tournament as an excuse to repay all the humiliation he had once suffered?
Everyone gradually guessed the reason.
After Gu Yi defeated Gu Liang, his opponent in the next match was number five, who had advanced earlier.
Everyone looked toward disciple number five. He was a branch-clan disciple with a body refinement eighth stage cultivation level.
“Brother, you haven’t offended Gu Yi, have you?” someone asked.
Cold sweat streamed down the disciple’s forehead as he said fearfully, “I once hid in the crowd and cursed Gu Yi. I don’t know if he remembers...”