Chapter Thirty-Six: Arrogance

"Congratulations, Brother Chen, on your strong entrance into the top four!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

Chen Fan's victory naturally garnered even more praise. Even those who felt jealous or dissatisfied knew that his future status would be far from ordinary, and none dared to show their feelings openly.

To be honest, not only countless spectators, but even the masters of the various halls had never expected such an outcome.

Li Linliu narrowed his eyes. "When it comes to physical endurance, Lin Qingyu indeed falls short. Yet, if the fight had continued, she still had a considerable chance to win. Chen Fan's enlightenment will greatly benefit his future cultivation, though it doesn't drastically enhance his personal strength."

Unless Chen Fan's "White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm" suddenly matures and he cultivates inner energy, his improvement would not be so dramatic. After all, the power-training manual is not a true martial technique. Or perhaps if his vitality reaches a breakthrough, that could also bring significant progress.

The master of Cold Plum Pavilion shook his head with resignation. "Qingyu was impressed by Chen Fan's extraordinary talent for comprehension. Even if she won the match, it would have meant little. Her vitality could not match Chen Fan's, and excessive stamina loss cost her sharpness and fighting spirit. So..."

The crowd wore complex expressions.

No matter the reason, Lin Qingyu's voluntary concession meant Chen Fan advanced to the top four! Regardless of his subsequent performance, this outstanding achievement had already amazed countless people and fully served its purpose of showcasing his talent.

The other competitors in the top eight, who previously considered Chen Fan merely lucky and insignificant, now had no choice but to envy his insight and talent after this battle.

Feng Yuancheng was somewhat stunned by the final result, but then narrowed his eyes. "This outcome is good. Chen Fan is formidable while in his enlightened state, but his usual strength is not so overwhelming. Lin Qingyu's techniques are impressive, and she would have been troublesome for me... But facing Chen Fan, I have a seventy to eighty percent chance of winning!"

He pondered this, then turned his gaze to the other side. "But I must first make it into the top four myself!"

...

The second match of the quarterfinals was Feng Yuancheng against Baiyun Martial Hall's own disciple, Ge Yuantong.

Both were considered seeded players in this tournament. They finally met in the battle to enter the top four!

Among the eight, there were three disciples from Baiyun Martial Hall, so their encounter was not all that surprising.

As fellow disciples, Ge Yuantong had a solid foundation, and his second-level martial strength was not something ordinary fighters could rival. He indeed suppressed Feng Yuancheng!

However, Feng Yuancheng's vitality was profound, and his foundation surpassed Ge Yuantong's by far.

He grew braver as the fight went on, suddenly displaying the perfected stage of "White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm," and turned the tables, defeating Ge Yuantong.

This once again drew admiration from the audience.

...

When the match ended, Ge Yuantong walked off the stage in a daze.

Meng Qi, sitting beside Chen Fan, spoke with some envy, "Feng Yuancheng must have broken through the final barrier, successfully comprehending the inner energy of 'White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm.' After this tournament, he can go to Yan Capital to cultivate the true White Cloud arts. From then on, the world is his oyster, leaving Ge Yuantong, Yu Xingzheng, and others far behind!"

The difference in foundation is too great. A single step behind means step after step behind. Now, Ge Yuantong is no longer Feng Yuancheng's match. Unless an extraordinary stroke of luck occurs, he will never again be a worthy opponent.

Chen Fan was startled and asked in surprise, "After mastering 'White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm,' do you go to Yan Capital?"

Meng Qi slapped his forehead. "Oh, I forgot how recently you joined. Your instructors probably haven't mentioned this yet... Those who master 'White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm' become core disciples of Baiyun Martial Hall, a status higher than ordinary initiates. They are taken to the main hall in Yan Capital for careful training!"

His face was full of envy. "Yan Capital is incredibly prosperous, the second largest city in Qinghe Commandery. The Baiyun main hall surpasses Feiling County in resources, teaching, and martial manuals. Unfortunately, to catch their eye, one must master 'White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm,' and that's so difficult..."

Chen Fan came to understand at last why none of the Baiyun disciples in this tournament had mastered "White Cloud Pine and Crane Palm." Those who could had long since gone to Yan Capital!

He also realized why every major family fought to join Baiyun Martial Hall. The ultimate goal was surely the training offered by the main hall!

Chen Fan felt invigorated. If a small county like Feiling could produce so many talents, he naturally wanted to see an even grander stage! Not to mention, in Yan Capital, the main hall would offer more resources!

...

After his victory, Feng Yuancheng stepped down from the stage, his gaze falling on Yan Linchu, waiting nearby. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes!

His goal was, of course, to wash away the shame of defeat.

"Wait for me. Next time we meet, I will surely defeat you!"

Yan Linchu squinted and sneered coldly, turning away without sparing Feng Yuancheng a glance.

Feng Yuancheng clenched his fists so tightly his hands turned white!

The next two matches followed.

Yan Linchu faced another seeded disciple from his own hall, one who had mastered the top-tier manual "Flying Tiger Fist," a true martial arts practitioner. Though his strength was only at the first level, his foundation was much stronger, not weaker than Yu Xingzheng or Ge Yuantong.

Yan Linchu, clearly only a sense-level martial artist, with no superior manual, managed to overpower his opponent head-on with sheer divine strength and surging vitality!

Just as he had defeated Feng Yuancheng before, his dominance drew awe from all present.

The last of the top four was, unsurprisingly, the young man from the Black Tiger Gang who had reached the third level of martial arts, right at the eighteen-year-old limit.

Yet, due to issues of foundation and vitality, many felt regret.

This martial artist, though third-level, had likely only mastered an ordinary third-tier manual. Even with fully tempered muscles, his strength was not exceptional—only slightly stronger than Yu Xingzheng. It seemed he had reached this stage through rapid progress.

...

Still, to have tempered his entire musculature at this age and begun to refine his organs was remarkable, making him a strong contender for the championship!

Of course, with his weak foundation, his future achievements would be limited unless he obtained some rare medicine or treasure to compensate. Otherwise, he would likely never break through again in his lifetime...

...

The semifinals, though fewer in rounds, were much more taxing due to the closeness in strength.

After their recent battles, all contestants were exhausted, making it impossible to continue the competition that same day.

At this stage, every opponent was formidable. Each match required absolute focus and effort. The depletion of vitality and physical fatigue might not fully recover even in a day.

The next matches would be held tomorrow, but the draw for opponents would occur a day in advance.

The four once again stepped onto the stage for the draw.

Strangely, three of the top four had come from Ring Five, which seemed quite remarkable!

This time, as Chen Fan stepped forward to draw, there was no longer any malicious booing from the audience.

The disciples of Four Symbols Gate nearly wished they could disappear, no longer daring to cause trouble.

Chen Fan drew Feng Yuancheng, his fellow disciple!

Feng Yuancheng narrowed his eyes at the result, actually letting out a breath of relief.

"I lost to Yan Linchu before, but now, with stronger opponents and a breakthrough at the last moment, my luck has held out to the end!"

Of the top four, Chen Fan was the only one he could confidently claim victory over—unless Chen Fan experienced another bout of enlightenment and defeated him in that state.

At this thought, he shook his head. If Chen Fan truly possessed such extraordinary talent, there would be no point in competing; defeat would be inevitable!

After the draw, the four stepped down.

Feng Yuancheng proactively approached Yan Linchu, his gaze sharp. "Yan Linchu, I will win the next match for certain. I'll be waiting for you in the finals; you'd better not lose to anyone else!"

Yan Linchu snorted coldly, smiled faintly, and walked away with a sneer.

Feng Yuancheng turned away with a grim face, only to be startled.

Just a few steps away stood Chen Fan, his expression equally dark.