183: Chapter 183 Try it if you want

The matches on the battle stage proceeded round after round. Although the first stage of the Cloud Sea Grand Ceremony was an elimination format, the Disciples of the various forces all knew that most of their opponents in the first few rounds were Disciples from small and medium-sized forces, and the real tough battles were yet to come.

Therefore, most people were holding back their strength, aiming to win with the minimum cost and saving their trump cards for more critical matches.

But even so, once those truly powerful prodigies made their move, they would still draw the attention of the entire audience.

When Chu Xuan of the Qingyang Sect stepped onto the battle stage, the surrounding chatter noticeably quieted down.

Holding a long sword that was entirely green, its blade faintly shimmering with spiritual light, he stood in the center of the battle stage with a calm expression.

His opponent was a Disciple from a medium-sized Sect in the Eastern Southern Wilderness. With a Late Stage Soul Transformation cultivation, he was considered quite strong among ordinary Cultivators, but when facing Chu Xuan, his confidence was clearly shaken.

Within just three moves of the match starting, Chu Xuan's sword was already held against the opponent's throat.

It was effortless, clean, and neat, without a single wasted movement.

A low murmur of exclamation arose from below the stage.

Chu Xuan sheathed his sword and stepped down from the stage, his expression as calm as ever, as if the battle just now had been nothing more than a warm-up.

Jiang Changge sat in the main seat of the Kunlun section. Watching the figures taking turns on the battle stage, his expression remained flat, though his gaze occasionally lingered on a few Disciples who performed exceptionally.

Beside him, Lu Jinghan and Zhou Tianchen sat quietly, their eyes also fixed on the battle stage, their expressions calm as if they were merely watching an ordinary match.

Sitting behind them, Ao Qin watched with great interest, whispering a few words to Mu Qingxue beside him from time to time.

"That Chu Xuan's swordplay is indeed clean, but his style is too rigid. You can tell where his next move is going at a single glance," Ao Qin said in a lowered voice.

Mu Qingxue glanced at him and said in a cold tone, "Just because you can see it doesn't mean others can. Among their peers, there are probably not many who can react before he strikes."

Ao Qin grinned and did not argue.

Baili Qingfeng fanned his folding fan, his gaze sweeping across the battle stage. He had almost been unable to resist wanting to deduce the subsequent course of the matches again.

But remembering the deduction from three days ago that had left him with lingering fear, he forcefully suppressed the urge.

Jiang Changge sat upright in his seat, his calm gaze resting on the battle stage. Watching those Disciples win or lose, advance or retreat, he would occasionally nod slightly or shake his head gently, but he never spoke a word of evaluation.

Sitting beside Lu Jinghan, Li Zhongyuan's gaze constantly followed the crisscrossing figures on the battle stage, the Battle Intent in his eyes gradually becoming clearer.

He could feel the blood in his body warming up slightly. It was an innate instinct; when facing battle, the Bloodline of the Shura Clan would instinctively become excited.

After watching for a long time, he finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Revered Master, can this Disciple participate as well?"

Jiang Changge didn't turn around, his voice calm yet carrying a trace of warmth. "You want to go up?"

Li Zhongyuan fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "I want to try."

Jiang Changge turned his head slightly to glance at him.

Although Li Zhongyuan's cultivation had restored to the Early Stage Soul Transformation under the nourishment of the Xuanqing Pool, he had, after all, only recently awakened and had not yet fully adapted to controlling this body.

However, that Asura God-Slaying Art had already taken root in his Sea of Consciousness. Its characteristic of sustaining battle through battle destined him to need combat to grow rapidly.

"If you want to try, go ahead," Jiang Changge withdrew his gaze and said flatly.

Having obtained Jiang Changge's permission, Li Zhongyuan leaped up and landed on the battle stage.

Since Kunlun was already the focus of the entire venue, as the first Kunlun Disciple to step onto the stage, his movement instantly drew countless gazes.

Everyone wanted to see how the Disciples of Kunlun would perform.

Li Zhongyuan's opponent was a stoutly built young man with a resolute face, his brow carrying a sense of composure and sharpness that only came from being long-tempered on the battlefield.

He wore the aristocratic attire of the Nanli Dynasty, with the clan emblem of the Divine Might Marquis Mansion embroidered on his robes, and his entire body was enveloped in the aura fluctuations unique to the Middle Stage Soul Transformation.

Li Fei, the son of the Divine Might Marquis, possessed the Hundred Battles King Physique. His Physique was unique, making him stronger as he fought, and he was renowned for his fierce bravery among those of the same rank.

Having trained in the military of the Nanli Dynasty since childhood, he had participated in no fewer than a hundred battles, both large and small.

Although his cultivation was only at the Middle Stage Soul Transformation, in terms of actual combat experience, almost no one among his peers could match him.

The composure and decisiveness forged from countless life-and-death struggles ensured that he never showed fear, even when facing opponents with higher cultivations than his own.

At this moment, he watched Li Zhongyuan slowly step onto the battle stage, his gaze filled with scrutiny.

A Disciple of Kunlun—he had never seen this face before.

He sensed the aura on his opponent; it was at the Early Stage Soul Transformation, a minor Realm lower than his own.

But Li Fei did not underestimate him because of this. Anyone who could represent Kunlun in battle, regardless of cultivation, would not be a simple character.

He did not rush to make a move. Instead, he stood in place and slightly cupped his hands toward Li Zhongyuan. "Li Fei, of the Divine Might Marquis Mansion, Nanli Dynasty."

Li Zhongyuan stood at the other end of the battle stage, looking at Li Fei opposite him, and nodded slightly. "Li Zhongyuan, of Kunlun."

His voice was hoarse, carrying a dry quality unique to someone who had only recently awakened, yet it was exceptionally clear.

Once the hosting Elder confirmed that both sides were ready, he announced, "The match, begin!"

The moment the signal for the start of the match was given, both of them moved simultaneously.

Li Fei was the first to strike, his figure charging forward like a tiger descending a mountain. His right fist, enveloped in a layer of crimson-gold Qi energy, went straight for Li Zhongyuan's chest.

That fist energy was fierce and violent, carrying a fierce momentum honed on the battlefield. A faint crimson-gold trace emerged in the air along its path, as if even the air was being torn apart by this punch.

His Hundred Battles King Physique entered an activated state right at the start of the battle. An invisible sense of oppression diffused from his entire body, like the solemn and chilling aftermath of thousands of troops trampling across a battlefield, sweeping toward Li Zhongyuan overwhelmingly.

That oppression was not merely a pressure of spiritual energy; it was like an aura condensed from Battle Intent tempered by countless battles, capable of shaking one's mind and causing their Battle Intent to fade.

Some spectating Cultivators merely felt the aftershocks of that oppression from below the stage, and their fists clenched involuntarily, as if they themselves were placed within that invisible battlefield.

Standing at the other end of the battle stage, Li Zhongyuan faced the oncoming oppression, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

He took a step forward, extending his right hand to meet Li Fei's fist. With his fingers splayed and palm facing forward, his hand collided with the fist enveloped in crimson-gold Qi energy.

With a dull thud of collision, both of them took half a step back simultaneously.

Li Zhongyuan looked down at his palm, where a faint crimson-gold mark was slowly fading away.

Meanwhile, Li Fei's expression grew a bit more solemn than before. He could feel that the power of that punch just now was enough to force an ordinary Late Stage Soul Transformation opponent back several steps.

Yet the Early Stage Soul Transformation Kunlun Disciple in front of him had only retreated half a step. Moreover, the counter-shock force transmitting from the opponent's arm left his entire arm slightly numb.