85: Chapter 85 The Strange Chen Erniu

At the same time, the competitions on the other fifteen arenas in the square were also gradually coming to an end. The originally noisy Martial Arts Square slowly became orderly. On each arena, only the final victor remained, their Spiritual Qi surging as they accepted the gazes and admiration of the surrounding Disciples.

On Arena No. 1, Jiang Lijuan stood there. Although she did not intentionally release any Pressure, she made all the participating Disciples below the stage hesitate to approach.

Since the start of the arena battles, Jiang Lijuan had taken the stage to declare her dominance. She had successively defeated two Level 8 Qi Refining Disciples and one Early Stage Level 9 Qi Refining Disciple. Her strikes were clean and efficient, her Moves agile and sharp, fully displaying her formidable strength.

At this moment, she stood in the center of the arena, her calm gaze sweeping across the area below. Without uttering a single boastful word, she naturally exuded a cold and detached aura. The Disciples below looked at each other in dismay, and no one dared to step onto the stage easily. The position of arena lord for Arena No. 1 had already fallen into Jiang Lijuan's hands without any suspense.

On Arena No. 6, Li Hu stood in the center of the stage with a faint smile on his face.

In the competition just now, Li Hu had struck ruthlessly, defeating more than ten opponents in succession.

This made many Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples not dare to step onto the stage at all.

On Arena No. 15, Senior Brother Wu Yong had overcome all obstacles, defeating several powerful opponents to finally claim the title of arena lord.

The other arenas also determined their lords one after another, and every single arena lord possessed the strength of the Level 10 Qi Refining Stage.

High upon the platform, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi, Lin Zhentian, and other Elders sat. Their gazes slowly swept across the sixteen arenas, observing the demeanor of each arena lord one by one.

A gratified smile appeared on Sect Leader Xuanyangzi's face, and he spoke to the Elders beside him in a steady tone, "In this Grand Competition, all the Disciples have shown impressive performances."

Lin Zhentian's expression remained somewhat unsightly. His gaze swept over Hu Nan on No. 13 Martial Arts Arena, a hint of resentment flashing in the depths of his eyes.

Originally, this arena lord position should have belonged to his son, Lin Hao.

But he hadn't expected that it would ultimately be snatched away by Hu Nan.

Qin Changsheng also stood below, observing the many arena lords.

However, when Qin Changsheng looked at Arena No. 5, his brows furrowed slightly.

Because the lord of Arena No. 5 was not Chen Erniu at all.

That was a Level 10 Qi Refining Cultivator, who was smugly accepting the congratulations of the Disciples below the stage.

And below Arena No. 5, Chen Erniu stood there quietly, seemingly having no intention of stepping onto the arena at all.

Seeing Chen Erniu's appearance, Qin Changsheng became even more puzzled.

Clearly, Chen Erniu's strength was extraordinary, and he was very interested in that mysterious token.

But why was Chen Erniu unwilling to step onto the arena to compete for the championship of the Grand Competition?

At this moment, Sect Leader Xuanyangzi slowly stood up. His profound Pressure gradually spread out, instantly suppressing all the clamor in the square.

The numerous Disciples all looked up at Sect Leader Xuanyangzi on the high platform.

"Disciples, the lords of the sixteen arenas have all been decided. Congratulations to each arena lord for obtaining the qualification for the subsequent matches and the opportunity to select rewards!"

"Today's competition ends here!"

"Tomorrow, lots will be drawn for the elimination rounds!"

As his voice fell, a flash of spiritual light appeared around Sect Leader Xuanyangzi. A long sword, translucent and white throughout, appeared out of thin air. He tapped his toes lightly and leaped onto the sword, standing steadily, then nodded slightly to the Elders beside him.

Lin Zhentian, Daoist Mochenzi, and the other Elders responded one after another, each manifesting their own natal long swords. Streaks of spiritual light flashed as dozens of figures leaped onto their swords. Driven by Spiritual Qi, the long swords soared into the sky, carrying whistling winds as they flew toward the Sect Main Hall, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

Once the Elders on the high platform had all departed, the sense of oppression in the Martial Arts Square vanished instantly, replaced by a heated and noisy atmosphere.

The Disciples could no longer contain the excitement in their hearts. They surged forward, surrounding the arena lords they were familiar with. Sounds of congratulations rose and fell, echoing throughout the square.

Below No. 13 Martial Arts Arena, a crowd of Disciples had already gathered. Everyone's gaze was focused on Hu Nan, who had just leaped down from the arena, their tones filled with admiration and flattery.

"Senior Brother Hu Nan, you are too amazing! Defeating Lin Hao in one Move and then crushing several Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivators in a row—you were really hiding your light under a bushel!"

"Congratulations to Senior Brother Hu Nan for taking the arena lord position and successfully entering the top sixteen. You will surely achieve great results in the future!"

"Senior Brother Hu Nan, could you give us some pointers?"

Facing the crowd's surrounding and congratulations, Hu Nan's expression remained indifferent. Without a hint of pride, he merely nodded slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.

At this time, Zhang Han grabbed Hu Nan, his tone urgent and enthusiastic: "Hu... Senior Brother Hu! Congratulations, congratulations! You've made it into the top sixteen!"

Hu Nan turned slightly, unobtrusively pulling his arm back. His expression remained flat, and without any extra words, he just looked at Zhang Han quietly.

Zhang Han didn't mind Hu Nan's coldness at all. He was still full of smiles, his tone becoming even more enthusiastic: "Senior Brother Hu, you're really not a good friend, hiding so deep and even keeping it from me! Now that both you and Li Hu have successfully entered the top sixteen, we fellow townsmen from Beihai Prefecture can finally hold our heads high!"

"No way, you must treat us to a meal today to celebrate properly. Let's have a good time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of heckling rose from the crowd. Several familiar figures squeezed over; they were all Disciples from Beihai Prefecture who were fellow townsmen with Hu Nan, Zhang Han, and Li Hu.

Their faces were full of excitement and pride, each shouting in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes! Treat us, treat us!"

"Senior Brother Hu Nan, Zhang Han is right. Both you and Senior Brother Li Hu made it into the top sixteen. Our Beihai Prefecture has produced two of the top sixteen; this is a huge joyous occasion, we must celebrate properly!"

"Exactly, exactly! You must treat us today!"

Hu Nan cupped his hands and then said, "Fellow townsmen, I still have to prepare for the Grand Competition tomorrow. How about I treat everyone after the competition ends?"

Hearing this, the urgency on everyone's faces gradually faded, replaced by understanding.

A Disciple from Beihai Prefecture was the first to react, saying with a laugh: "Right, right! Senior Brother Hu Nan is right! There's still the competition tomorrow, so you really should rest well and conserve your energy. Winning the championship is the top priority. As for the treat, it won't be too late to wait until the competition is over!"

The other fellow Disciples also nodded in agreement and stopped pestering him.

"Exactly, we all understand! Senior Brother Hu Nan, adjust your breathing well and go all out tomorrow. Strive for even better results!"

"After the Grand Competition, we'll have a good celebration. Don't go back on your word then!"

Hu Nan cupped his hands toward the crowd and quickly left the area.

...

Outer Sect.

Inside Hu Nan's residence.

Hu Nan was sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, waiting for Qin Changsheng's instructions.

"Knock, knock, knock—" At this moment, a series of urgent knocks suddenly came from outside the gate.

Hearing this, Hu Nan slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the gate with some vigilance.

Even Qin Changsheng, who was far away in the small courtyard reviewing the day's events, also looked toward the gate.

"Who is it?" the Incarnation Hu Nan asked.

"Senior Brother Hu, it's Chen Erniu!" Chen Erniu's voice came from outside the door.

Hearing these words, Qin Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly.

Qin Changsheng was very puzzled by Chen Erniu's actions today.

With Chen Erniu's strength, he could definitely have easily become an arena lord, and might even have placed in the top three of the Grand Competition.

But as it turned out, Chen Erniu hadn't even stepped onto the arena.

And now, Chen Erniu had come to Hu Nan's gate.