49: Chapter 49 The Top 100 Tournament Begins

The second round of matches began.

This time, after eliminating half of the people, only five hundred remained, so the matches on the second day ended very quickly. During this time, Chen Changxuan had extremely poor luck and encountered a Cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining; despite trying his utmost, he still suffered a bitter defeat in the end.

As for Chen Changjie, her luck was quite good. For two consecutive times, she encountered opponents whose cultivation levels were lower than hers, so she also advanced to the next round. Meanwhile, Chen Changyue faced a Cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining as well. Unlike Chen Changxuan's outcome, it took him quite a bit of effort to defeat his opponent.

As for Chen Changqing and Li Qingling, it was yet another match where they crushed their opponents. The strength displayed by the two made many Cultivators look at the Family in a new light.

On the third day, Chen Changjie's luck was not as good as before. Her opponent was a Cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, and she was defeated after holding on for only a short while. However, making it this far with the fourth layer of Qi Refining was already very impressive.

The three of them, including Chen Changqing, also advanced. The difference was that Chen Changqing advanced via a bye.

Chen Changqing discovered that there were five or six others just like him. The strength of these Cultivators who received a bye was extremely formidable. It seemed the organizers had intentionally set these people aside to prevent some Cultivators with decent strength from being eliminated upon facing them.

In the fourth round, Chen Changyue's luck also ran out, as he faced a Cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

Looking at the person before him, Chen Changyue noted that although the opponent's cultivation was one layer higher than his, the Golden Radiance Art he Cultivate was a Cultivation Technique capable of fighting across higher levels in single combat. Just like Chen Xuanyi, who had once defeated a Cultivator at the Perfection of the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining with the Qi Condensation 7th Layer cultivation, approaching the strength of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining—though Chen Changyue hadn't reached that extent yet, facing a Cultivator at the sixth layer who was not at Perfection, he was not afraid at all. As long as he won this match, he would successfully advance into the top one hundred.

Fortunately, he won the final battle in the end, finally letting Chen Changqing and the others drop the heavy hearts they had carried from start to finish. Watching him frequently suppressed by the opponent during the fight, they hadn't expected him to turn defeat into victory in the end.

Next was Chen Changqing. In this match, he did not receive a bye; instead, another Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivator received the bye. Previously, that person had been very dissatisfied upon seeing Chen Changqing get a bye, thinking everyone placed him behind Chen Changqing. As it turned out, the organizers believed his strength was even stronger, which was why they placed him in the fourth match.

As for Li Qingling, she either didn't make a move, or when she did, she eliminated a Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivator with a single strike. Such strength made all the Cultivators present couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

Originally, she had faced Cultivators at the fourth and fifth layers of Qi Refining, and the organizers seemed to think she only had that much strength, so they arranged for her to face someone at the Qi Condensation 7th Layer. However, the result opened everyone's eyes. The few Cultivators who had been easily eliminated by Li Qingling earlier did not feel humiliated now; instead, they felt that at least they had lost to a Cultivator possessing Late Qi Refining Stage strength. The stronger Li Qingling was, the more honored they felt by association.

After the fourth round completely concluded, every Cultivator still standing in the arena possessed extraordinary traits of their own, because one could not reach this place by relying on luck alone.

The fifth day was the official elimination tournament.

The one hundred Cultivators would first determine the top sixty-four, and then the top thirty-two.

The official elimination tournament adopted a drawing lots method to prevent anyone from secretly changing the match order and causing some Cultivators who inherently possessed top-ranked strength to be eliminated.

The next day, early morning.

One hundred young Cultivators stood beneath the arena, waiting for the instructions of the several Seniors on the stage.

After they prepared the drawing lots, the participating Cultivators, including Chen Changqing, took the stage one by one to compete according to the numbers they drew.

Chen Changqing drew number sixty-one, Li Qingling drew number nineteen, and Chen Changyue drew number eighty-eight.

The three of them immediately searched for their respective opponents based on their numbers.

Chen Changqing's opponent was a young female Cultivator. Her appearance might not be peerlessly beautiful, but she was definitely a budding beauty. Her cultivation was decent, possessing the sixth layer of Qi Refining.

As for Li Qingling, she couldn't be bothered to look for her opponent, because it didn't matter to her as long as the other party was not Chen Changqing or a Cultivator from the Family.

Chen Changyue's luck was alright this time; his opponent was a Cultivator who was also at the fifth layer of Qi Refining just like him. His opponent felt as bitter as if he had swallowed a dead fly, because although Chen Changyue was also at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, he had seen Chen Changyue defeat someone at the sixth layer.

This time, the official elimination tournament only had a single arena, and the one hundred Cultivators took the stage one by one. Since the lowest cultivation of the Cultivators who could make it here was the fifth layer of Qi Refining, the gap between everyone was not very large, and each match took much longer than before.

On the fifth day, nearly eighteen matches were held. Just like before, Li Qingling easily defeated her opponent.

Then on the sixth day, it was Chen Changqing's turn. This time, he did not give his opponent any chance to perform, quickly defeating the other party with thunderous methods and trying his best to preserve his own Qi and energy.

"Does this kid's strength seem a bit extraordinary?"

The referee off the stage felt puzzled internally upon seeing Chen Changqing's performance. He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, so he felt a strange sensation when Chen Changqing erupted with strength.

Meanwhile, several Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Late Stage on the viewing platform not far away could clearly perceive Chen Changqing's cultivation.

"Not bad, this kid! He has actually already reached the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivation. However, what Cultivation Technique does he Cultivate? If I hadn't carefully probed with my Divine Sense, I wouldn't have discovered that he concealed his cultivation."

A Grey-robed Elder said in surprise.

"Mhm, I perceived it as well. This Qi-concealing Cultivation Technique cannot even be perceived by Early Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. If we hadn't reached the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, we might have been fooled by this kid."

The dark-robed elder beside him said solemnly.

"Hehe, these little fellows' luck is truly not very good. I'm afraid even that Han Lingjun is no match for this kid. It seems this year's first place will likely be taken by this kid."

The Grey-robed Elder smiled faintly.

"Speaking of which, where does this kid come from? I've never heard of such a Genius before. Wen Guan, you are responsible for registering these Cultivators; you should know, right?"

"Mhm, this person comes from Qinghe County, a clansman of the newly promoted Foundation Establishment Family, the Chen Family. Legend has it that a few years ago, he used the Early Stage of Qi Refining to successively slay multiple Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators. At that time, everyone thought he relied on his Family's Talismans. Now it seems the rumors actually understated it. Not only that, but he is also a High Grade Tier 1 Talisman Master."

A gentle and refined middle-aged Cultivator beside him said.

"A High Grade Tier 1 Talisman Master."

The two elders were surprised.

"What a pity. If he didn't have a Family, this old man would have wanted to take him as a Disciple."

The dark-robed elder sighed.

"Old Ghost, what are you daydreaming about? With such talent, you wouldn't be able to teach him. If it were a Purple Mansion Master, that would still be fine. If he had started in your Xuantian Sect, he might have been a second Lin Feng."

The Grey-robed Elder said calmly.

"A second Lin Feng? If this kid can reach the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining before the age of twenty, there might still be a chance. But based on my observation, this person has just entered the Eighth Layer of Qi Refining. Wanting to enter the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining before twenty is simply impossible."

The dark-robed elder shook his head.

"Lin Feng was, after all, the strongest Genius of their Sect; how could he compare to a clansman nurtured by a newly promoted Foundation Establishment Family?"