164: Chapter 164 Immense Strength

Lin Tian stood in the crowd, his right hand gripping the wooden plaque, while his left hand hung loosely at his side.

The surrounding candidates were still asking each other for their numbers; some asked loudly who was number twenty-three, while others looked down to check the wooden plaques in their hands.

He flipped his wooden plaque over and raised his hand in the direction of the Referee Elder.

"Number twenty-three, over here."

The entire lakeshore seemed as if someone had pressed a pause button.

Everyone's gaze shifted in unison, landing on Lin Tian and the wooden plaque engraved with the number twenty-three in his hand. It was quiet for less than half a breath, and then the crowd erupted.

"It's him? That newcomer?"

"A bye? This kid's luck is too good! He advanced directly in the first round without having to fight?"

"Damn, is there some inside job? How did he happen to draw it?"

Sounds of skepticism surged from all directions. Captain Liu of Team 3 stood in the front row of the crowd, his brows furrowed into a knot, and he whispered something to the person beside him.

Several candidates didn't even bother to hide the envy and dissatisfaction on their faces; one person threw the wooden plaque in his hand onto the ground and cursed, calling it bad luck.

That sword-bearing Disciple from Chixia Peak swept a cold glance at Lin Tian and curled his lip, as if saying—someone who relies on luck to get by won't go far.

The Referee Elder's gaze fell on Lin Tian, his expression unchanged. He had seen this kind of scene many times; luck was a part of the competition, and no one could say anything about drawing a bye.

He picked up his pen and wrote "Advanced" after Lin Tian's name on the roster, then looked up, his voice not loud but suppressing the noise of the entire crowd: "Lin Tian, successfully advanced to the second round."

Lin Tian tucked the wooden plaque into his robes and retreated to the rest area beside the arena. When passing by the members of Team 6, Chen Lang leaned over and whispered that blind luck was still luck, and that he should rest well and watch them fight.

He nodded, sat down on a stone under an old willow tree, leaned his back against the rough bark, and let his gaze fall upon the arena.

The remaining twenty-two people in the first round had already been paired according to the draw, and the first pair of contestants jumped onto the arena. Both were veteran Disciples, one using a blade and the other using palms. Their blade light and palm wind clashed back and forth on the bluestone platform for over a dozen moves, until the one using the blade cleaved through his opponent's defense and knocked him off the arena.

The Referee raised his flag to declare the winner, and the two cupped their fists at each other before retreating.

Immediately after, the second and third pairs took the stage in turn. The battles on the arena continued one after another; the bluestone surface was slashed with shallow white marks by blades and swords, and vibrated with a buzzing sound from punches and palms. Lin Tian sat under the willow tree, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on every contestant on the arena.

He had spent half a year at the fishing grounds and had dealt with Vicious Beasts countless times, but he had had few opportunities to fight against people. These veteran Disciples were recommended by the Peak Masters of each peak to compete for the position of Captain, and each had their own unique strengths.

If he didn't take this opportunity to see their techniques clearly now, it would be too late to make judgments when he was on stage himself.

After watching three matches, his gaze locked onto two people.

The first person was Chen Yixiao. Contestant number three, from Chixia Peak, with a cultivation at the peak of the Fourth Realm Late Stage.

When he took the stage, the whole crowd went quiet for a moment—not because they were intimidated by his Aura, but because they were shocked by his physique.

This man was nearly nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back, standing on the arena like an iron tower. He was empty-handed, without any weapons, but his clenched fists were larger than an average person's head, and his knuckles were wrapped in polished animal hide strips. His opponent was also a Disciple from Chixia Peak, using a broad-bladed war blade, with a cultivation level no worse than his.

One move was enough to know the weight of it. The opponent's war blade slashed over, but Chen Yixiao did not dodge or block; he simply flipped his right palm upward and struck out with a palm.

The palm wind struck the blade, emitting a loud metallic clanging sound. The war blade vibrated wildly, the Internal Energy on the blade was directly shattered by the palm force, and the Disciple's tiger's mouth was split, forcing him to retreat four or five steps.

Before he could steady himself, another palm strike was unleashed. The opponent blocked horizontally with his blade—the muffled sound of the blade and palm wind colliding made the onlookers in the front row below the arena step back.

When the third palm strike was blasted directly at him, the Disciple could no longer hold on; his feet left the ground, he was sent flying, and he hit the stone pillar at the edge of the arena, sliding down with a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Three moves. The whole crowd gasped.

"Great Strength Vajra Palm! Has Chen Yixiao's Great Strength Vajra Palm really been trained to this level?"

"Infinite strength indeed! Who in the same Realm would dare to take that palm strike head-on?"

"Chixia Peak is determined to take the position of Team 7 Captain this time, sending such a ruthless person!"

Lin Tian's pupils contracted slightly. He also knew the Great Strength Vajra Palm, and had trained it to the Mastery Realm.

But Chen Yixiao's Great Strength Vajra Palm was clearly a level higher than his—the palm force was more solid, the exertion of power was shorter, and the gap between consecutive palm strikes was almost zero.

If this person became a teammate, he would be reliable; if he became an opponent, he would be very troublesome.

The second person was Chen Ying.

Contestant number six, from Qingxia Peak.

The Disciples of Qingxia Peak specialized in movement techniques and light skills; they were famous for being graceful and agile. As soon as Chen Ying stepped onto the stage, he confirmed these four words—the moment the Referee waved the flag to start, he had already disappeared from where he stood.

It wasn't some flashy footwork; it was just fast, so fast that the eyes couldn't keep up. His opponent used a long spear, shaking the spear tip to seal off the front, but before the spear flower had finished blooming, he realized the person in front of him was gone;

Immediately after, he took a kick to the jaw. The force of the kick wasn't heavy but was terrifyingly precise. Once the kick landed, the person fell backward and slid more than a zhang away. From start to finish, it was no more than two moves.

"Chen Ying! Chen Ying's speed is too fast!"

"Floating Light Sweeping Shadow! Who in the same Realm can touch the corner of his clothes with this movement technique? In an Innate state, he is invincible!"

"This is also a hot candidate for the Captain position—strength in Chen Yixiao, speed in Chen Ying; if these two clash, it will be a good show."

Lin Tian withdrew his gaze and silently evaluated these two people in his heart. Chen Yixiao's palm force was fierce and unparalleled, making it hard to gain an advantage in a direct confrontation, but the fierce style often had weak sustained combat capability.

Chen Ying's speed was indeed an advantage, but his attack power was relatively insufficient; that kick could knock someone off the arena but couldn't injure them, so he might fall into a bitter battle if he encountered an opponent with strong defense.

Just as he was thinking, the Referee Elder's voice came over: "Number nine, number ten, take the stage."

It was Lin Tian's turn. He stood up from under the willow tree, straightened his robes, and walked toward the arena.

When he walked out of the rest area, all eyes fell on him—this newcomer who had relied on luck to get through the first round.

"This kid is finally going to take the stage; let's see how many moves he can last."

"He got lucky with a bye last time, but there won't be such a good thing this time. Wonder who his opponent is?"

A burst of boisterous laughter exploded from the crowd: "Hahaha! The opponent is me!" A tall youth parted the crowd and strode over. This person carried a broad-bladed war blade on his back, the hilt wrapped in dark red cowhide rope,

his physique was burly, and every step he took made the gravel road tremble slightly. His face carried undisguised smugness, and after walking onto the arena, he shook his arms to draw the war blade from his back and held it in his hand, the blade reflecting the sunlight and drawing a bright arc of light.

"Liu Yidao, Jinxia Peak. Junior Brother, later the blade and sword have no eyes, don't blame me if I strike too heavily."

The crowd below immediately exploded again.

"Liu Yidao! The successor of Jinxia Peak's Golden Light Blade Technique!"

"Hasn't his Golden Light Blade Technique been trained to the Minor Achievement Realm? Who in the same Realm can block a strike?"

"It's over, it's over. This kid relied on luck to get through the first round, and now he's run into Liu Yidao in the second round; his luck has run out.

It's not just about losing; he'll likely lose miserably. A one-hit kill is possible!"

The expressions of several Team 6 members changed; Chen Lang clenched his fists, his palms full of sweat.

Another member lowered his voice: "Liu Yidao's Golden Light Blade Technique is too fast and too fierce; Junior Brother Lin's bow and arrow cannot be used at all in the arena." Ma Gang didn't speak, just looked at Lin Tian's back, his brows slightly furrowed.