"Yes, Senior!" The two participants bowed to the old man before walking towards the Raised Dias at the back of the hall. The platform then flashed with white light, and the two disappeared without a trace.
Shortly after, the two reappeared on the platform, revealing signs of slight fatigue. One of them enthusiastically handed the old man two Cane Rods. The other, looking dejected, walked out of the hall.
"Number two!" The old man called out coldly.
Because the battles of Foundation Establishment cultivators were straightforward, victory was decided extremely quickly. Battles ended almost as soon as they began. However, Han Cai was baffled to see that, regardless of whether they won or lost, they were exceptionally happy.
"Number six!" A cultivator stepped forward as soon as the old man yelled, but his opponent hadn't revealed himself.
"Number six!" The old man called out again with a stern expression.
Han Cai suddenly walked out and hastily apologized, "Senior! I apologize! I misread my number. I thought it said nine!"
The old man didn't pay any attention to what Han Cai said and impatiently waved his hand. Han Cai then tactfully ascended to the Raised Dias with his opponent.
After a flash of white light, Han Cai and his opponent appeared in a world engulfed by a Lightning Storm. The area, spanning about a hundred meters, was covered by the storm in every direction.
The middle-aged cultivator spoke to Han Cai confidently, "Your cultivation is lower than mine by two whole layers. There's no need to fight. Fellow Daoist, you should forfeit. Otherwise, I might accidentally inflict a serious injury upon you!"
Seeing that this "expert" was only a seventh layer Foundation Establishment cultivator and hadn't released a protective barrier like he had, Han Cai gave a faint smile.
"What's so amusing? I only refrained from harming you out of kindness!" When this cultivator noticed that Han Cai didn't seem perturbed, he couldn't help but become irate and flaunt his 'superior' status even more.
Han Cai tapped the ground with his foot, nonchalantly saying, "Nothing of concern! I just feel that this contest is going to be simpler than I had anticipated."
"What? You dare underestimate me?!" The middle-aged cultivator's face flushed with anger. He raised his hand, revealing many shimmering items. But before he could act, his vision blurred, then blackened, and he collapsed to the floor, clueless about what had occurred.
Shortly after, Han Cai, with an expression of indifference, carried the unconscious middle-aged man off the raised dias.
Upon witnessing this, the other cultivators were flabbergasted.
There was a clear difference in their cultivation levels, but the victor was Han Cai. This outcome was far beyond their conjectures.
Even the elderly man, who had appeared grumpy from the beginning, displayed a puzzled look.
He shot a meaningful glance at Han Cai. Although he didn't utter a word, he seemed to understand how Han Cai had made his move.
Han Cai chuckled and nonchalantly handed over the two talisman to the old man. He then dropped his unconscious adversary to the ground and moved towards the cluster of triumphant cultivators.
The elderly gentleman noticed the unconscious middle-aged farmer and gently shook his head, his lips curving into an enigmatic grin.
Upon declaring the final champion, the elderly gentleman glanced at the ten participants who hadn't yet taken their positions and cleared his throat. He spoke in a cool, detached voice, "We will now begin the challenges, following the order of the numbers. If you feel that your QI is critically low, you may take a break to recover before your challenge. However, all challenges must be finished by today; else, it will be considered as a withdrawal. Moreover, contestants are not allowed to challenge those who have already competed. As for the extra eleventh contestant, they will be allowed to challenge any of the winners after the declaration of the ten victors."
"Let's get started!"
The first contestant chose the least experienced incumbent and joined him on the platform.
Given that his rival's skill level was only of the sixth tier Foundation Establishment level and his own was of the seventh, he was confident in his victory.
But after the time it took to prepare a cup of tea, the sixth tier Foundation Establishment was the first to step down from the platform. The first contestant returned looking rather miserable.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, he quickly left the hall without saying a word.
The faces of the remaining contestants expressed a variety of emotions. As for the winner, he casually rejoined the other ten.
"Next!" commanded the old man, devoid of surprise, as though he had predicted the victory.
"Sir, my QI level is low. I need a break!" The second contestant confessed, his cheeks reddening slightly.
"Number three!" The old man was indifferent to whether the contestant had really not recovered and announced the next number.
The next contestant frowned a little and also decided to avoid the impending battle.
The fourth contestant, unwilling to back down, gathered the courage to pick an opponent and mount the platform.
However, the result was the same. The fourth contestant suffered serious injuries, causing fear to grip the remaining contestants.
Seeing this, the next contestant took advantage of the situation to delay his battles, hoping he could make a better choice after witnessing others' outcomes.
The old man's expression flickered briefly before he slowly announced Han Cai's number, "Number six!"
Han Cai stepped forward without a word and pointed to an opponent of the sixth-level Foundation Establishment.
His opponent was a muscular man. Seeing Han Cai fearlessly select him, he showed a menacing grin and walked towards the platform.
Contrarily, Han Cai moved with deliberate strides as if contemplating the impending fight.
Before long, Han Cai and the muscular man disappeared into the bright light. All eyes were glued to the platform with bated breath.
The old man then shut his eyes as though he was extending his perception.
After a short moment, his cheeks twitched slightly. He then opened his eyes, revealing a touch of surprise.
**************************************************
We need golden tickets and power stones to help the book get more exposure.
If we reach 2000 power stones, I will release two supplementary chapters.
If we reach 1000 golden tickets, I will release five supplementary chapters.
Thank You
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on fre(e)webnov(l).com