Chapter Twenty-Five: The Recruitment Tournament

A few more days passed, and Chen Bo finally decided not to participate in this year’s recruitment martial contest. With his abilities, entering the competition would only be asking for trouble. Furthermore, he hadn’t yet mastered the first layer of the Ninefold Killing Fist—it worked only sporadically.

“I’m exhausted,” Chen Bo muttered after practicing the fist technique once more. He felt as though he’d reached a bottleneck; if he could break through, the first layer of the Ninefold Killing Fist would become second nature to him.

As for challenging someone above his rank, that was simply impossible. No matter how powerful his strikes, his body couldn’t withstand the force. Even if he managed to unleash double his usual strength—over six hundred pounds—his current stage was only Skin Training. Whenever he activated the Ninefold Killing Fist, his muscles would ache terribly.

If he kept using it all day, his body would surely be ruined. Nothing is perfect, not even the most formidable martial arts. They all have their fatal flaws.

Today, Chen Bo received word that people from the Tianyang Academy had arrived in Flame Town. Curious, he went out to have a look—and was left utterly speechless. Especially when he saw those mammoth primal beasts, each as tall as a two-story building. Riding atop them must be a sight to behold.

But Chen Bo also felt a pang of sorrow for the ground of Flame Town. The paths these mammoths walked were painstakingly laid by the Chen family, and now there were countless uneven potholes—huge footprints left by the beasts. Each mammoth weighed at least as much as a heavy truck. The bluestone paving was far inferior to city concrete, and after just a few stomps, the road was completely destroyed.

Elsewhere, the heads of Flame Town’s three great families had been waiting for some time. The Tianyang Academy instructors dismounted, exchanged pleasantries—clearly they were already acquainted.

Their attitude toward Chen Zhenhai was particularly ambiguous, which made the heads of the Qin and Zhang families envious and jealous. Especially the Qin family head, who initially knew nothing about Qin Ruolan’s situation; by the time he learned, it was too late to regret.

In his eyes, Chen Bo was a failure, but he had a genius sister. And she was studying at the Capital Academy. In a few years, she would likely become an instructor herself, and rumor had it she was close with a certain princess of the imperial court.

That alone outclassed the entire Ten Thousand Sword Sect. With Chen Jingjing’s current connections, a single word in the capital could spell disaster for the Qin family. Truly, children have always been their parents’ undoing!

The Tianyang Academy instructors took up temporary residence, and tomorrow would be the recruitment martial contest. All spots would be won by one’s own fists.

How savage. Chen Bo shook his head; this crude method didn’t suit him. Was he unable to defeat others?

Yes, that was correct.

The day passed, and the recruitment martial tournament began. The venue was the Chen family’s compound—thanks entirely to Chen Bo’s sister, which made him ever more curious about his “never-met” sibling.

The uncanny feeling was as if Chen Jingjing were the protagonist, while he, Chen Bo, was merely a shadow in the background.

Well, it mattered little who the protagonist was; as long as he won the three-year bet, he could enjoy leisure for a long time.

The Chen household was packed, with crowds from Flame Town gathered—three layers deep, inside and out, with several thousand spectators. If the Chen family’s martial arena were bigger, half the town would have come.

Initially, Chen Bo couldn’t be bothered with the tournament, but seeing so many people gathered, he felt a surge of excitement. Since arriving in this world, he had never witnessed a true martial contest between cultivators.

The rules were simple: one person defended the stage, a group challenged. It struck Chen Bo as terribly unfair—a blatant marathon of battles! Even the greatest genius would eventually tire.

Yet those geniuses were not fools; they all chose to enter last, leaving the early rounds to lesser contenders battling endlessly.

Even so, for a bumpkin like Chen Bo, it was exhilarating. On Earth, martial tournaments had endless restrictions—even no-holds-barred matches forbade weapons.

Here, a Chen family disciple and a Qin family disciple clashed with blades and swords, fighting with wild abandon.

As long as no one was killed, even breaking an opponent’s limbs was allowed. Watching, Chen Bo was both thrilled and terrified, suddenly realizing how dangerous this world was.

“Qin Shi of the Qin family wins and becomes the next stage master!”

An announcer cried out excitedly. The Qin family cheered, and the onlookers gave their applause.

The defeated Chen family disciple was gifted, but still lost. In the fight, his longsword broke, and Qin Shi struck his abdomen with a blade, leaving him severely wounded and bleeding.

Several healers rushed up to carry him away and treat him. This world’s medical skills were advanced, and its medicines miraculous; soon, the Chen family disciple’s bleeding stopped and he was out of danger.

Seeing the triumphant Qin family, the Chen family’s faces darkened, while the Zhang family watched gleefully, waiting for the rivalry to unfold.

“Next match: Chen Long of the Chen family versus stage master Qin Shi of the Qin family!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the Qin family was dumbfounded. They all knew Chen Long’s reputation—he was the leader among Flame Town’s younger generation. Qin Shi was strong, but against Chen Long, his chances were slim, especially since he’d just fought and was still fatigued.

On the two-meter-high stage, Chen Long leapt up, carrying a longsword on his back, smiling as he greeted the Tianyang Academy instructors, who nodded in approval.

If not for his arrogant nature, Chen Long might become a notable figure in time. But character isn’t changed in a day.

Qin Shi rested briefly, and the match began. He gripped his steel blade nervously and shouted, “Chen Long, draw your sword!”

“Draw my sword?” Chen Long sneered, “A useless wretch like you isn’t worthy of me drawing my blade. Bare hands are enough to deal with you!”

His words caused an uproar, especially among the Qin family, who cursed angrily, “Chen Long is too arrogant! He looks down on our Qin family—I wish I could cut him down right now!”

“Damn it, the Chen family bullies us too much! Chen Long or not, Qin Shi, finish him off!”

“Hmph, these young ones don’t know their limits!”

On stage, Qin Shi could only suffer in silence—his stamina had recovered barely sixty percent, while Chen Long was full of energy. There was no comparison; his prospects looked grim.

There was much happening today. The next chapter will be released at eleven tonight.