Chapter 66: Influence

Chapter 66: Influence

At this moment, the slow-to-react judge finally came to his senses and announced the result of the match. "Winner: Li Pin!"

Chang Yueming stood in the same spot for quite a while. It took him some time to regain his composure. By now, Li Pin had already lowered his fist and was leaving the arena. Chang Yueming glanced at Li Pin and opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something. However, he eventually chose to remain silent and turned to leave.

The previously vocal disciples and Longchuan City martial artists cheering for Chang Yueming now fell silent, their faces etched with disappointment.

Longchuan City had a population of tens of millions, and Chang Yueming was the only Core Formation expert among the competitors for the intermediate category. Despite this, his exceptional battle record, including victories over other Core Formation cultivators, had instilled high hopes in the hearts of the Longchuan City residents.

To everyone’s surprise, he was knocked out in the first round. His ambitions were cut short before he could even get started.

***

Fang Lingjue swiftly approached Li Pin as soon as he came out. "Your hand...."

"It's fine," Li Pin responded.

His hand was visibly swollen. Fortunately, he didn't have any more matches scheduled for today. A night of rest would be enough for the injury to heal.

"You may have been targeted," Fang Lingjue remarked, casting a glance at Chang Yueming's departing figure. He took a deep breath and elaborated, "I've heard rumors that the top three positions in the Jiang Province Martial Competition are predetermined. Unless a martial artist possesses formidable strength, it is nearly impossible to make it into the top three.

"Most participants can only compete for rankings between the fourth and tenth place. But for you... It seems the news about you defeating Demonic Sand has drawn too much attention. They're not even planning to let you enter the top ten to avoid any unexpected developments."

"You mean...."

"They will employ a war of attrition against you, scheduling you with Core Force and even Core Formation experts for five to six consecutive rounds!" Fang Lingjue explained gravely.

Li Pin's interest was piqued upon hearing that. "They would go that far?"

He sensed his own shortcomings during his bout with Chang Yueming. His precision and combat finesse fell short compared to Chang Yueming’s. In other words, he still had deficiencies in agility, close-quarters combat, and executing quick bursts of strength. Moreover, Chang Yueming's double-layered Force provided him with some valuable insights.

These were invaluable experiences that couldn't be gained through mere hard work.

It is just as the sayings go, "One learns more from traveling the world than from reading books" and "One learns more from fighting a hundred battles than from a hundred years of seclusion."

In his previous life, Li Pin could achieve Transformative Force without formal guidance because he relied on this comprehensive and pragmatic approach.

"In any case, we need to be more cautious," Fang Lingjue said gravely. "I know you're strong, but humans have their limits. The schedule for the martial competition is intense; sometimes you'll have two matches in a single day with barely any time to rest. Even if you've achieved Core Formation, using Core Force three to five times a day over several days will still drain your stamina."

"I know what I'm doing," Li Pin replied calmly.

There was no doubt that the human body had its limits, especially when activating the Blood Core to unleash Core Force or generating shockwaves within the internal organs to unleash Aura Force. Both processes consumed a significant amount of stamina. In fact, It was quite common to hear of instances where three to five Core Formation martial artists surrounded an Aura Force Grandmaster and exhausted them to death.

Zhang Chuge commented, "Chairman Jiang, your idea of ‘intense’ seems quite different from what we’ve experienced."

Jiang Qingyue understood his meaning well and responded, "Every time the competition is held, three to four seeded competitors are usually selected. These seeds rarely encounter difficulties in the early stages of the competition.

"The seeds this time have been decided to be: Gu Haoran, Jiang Zhenhai, and Zhou Yuanfei. I initially thought that apart from them, the remaining seven spots would be open for competition. However, it turns out those seven spots have also been quietly divided among them. It just was not openly acknowledged."

Fang Lingjue frowned. "This is such an ugly way to eat."[1]

"The top factions in Jiang Province have united. The martial society in charge of hosting the martial competition, the local council, and the Supervisory Authority. They're all accomplices with one another. We don't have a choice."

Cao Tianyou shifted his gaze toward Li Pin and said, "I heard you placed a bet at the gambling center, betting on yourself to win first place in Jiang Province."

Letting out a sigh, he went on, "You’ve drawn too much attention. Now, even if you had a chance to compete for the top five or top three, you might face setbacks due to being targeted. Worst case, you might not even make it past the top ten."

"It’s fine. They can come after me all they want," Li Pin replied with a smile, looking remarkably relaxed.

"You...."

Cao Tianyou felt a twinge of regret for Li Pin, but he understood that if Li Pin didn’t make it into the top five and missed the chance to participate in the national competition, it might not be a bad outcome for them. Ultimately, he chose not to comment further.

"I’ll now analyze the top contenders in this year's intermediate category," Jiang Qingyue said, taking over the conversation.

***

As Zanglong City and other local martial societies pondered ways to break the stalemate, the performances of the formidable opponents in the first round were compiled on Chairman Lin Yuzhi's desk.

He reviewed each profile meticulously, and soon, his eyes fell upon Li Pin's information.

"First place in Jiang Province?"

Lin Yuzhi reviewed the profile of Li Pin’s first opponent, Chang Yueming, once more, and a look of surprise crossed his face.

"Indeed, he's exceptionally talented. He might not be far behind Jiang Zhenhai and Zhou Yuanfei," Lin Yuzhi remarked, swiftly reallocating several Core Formation experts originally designated to target other threatening competitors.

"Unfortunately, in Jiang Province, even if you're a tiger, you must lie low. And if you're a dragon, you must coil yourself!"[2].

As he spoke, the four Core Force experts that Li Pin was supposed to confront were all replaced by Core Formation experts.

1. a term used in a figurative sense to criticize someone's behavior. ☜

2. Indicates that in Jiang Province, he controls everything ☜