"Haha, young people certainly have a lot of vigor."
The Old Celestial Master, with his white hair and black Taoist robe, chuckled as he looked at the crowd on the field, walking step by step towards the temporary high platform set up in the square.
"Everyone, you've waited long enough…"
"The Grand Luotian Ritual, besides the usual sacrifices, has always been an opportunity for us Qi Refiners to exchange ideas."
"This old man understands everyone's feelings, so if you all wish to spar, then… begin."
Yang Tao sat at the edge of the woods, looking at the several figures on the high platform.
"Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei, Tian Zhong, Lu Kane of the Lu family, Feng Zhenghao of The World Society, and… Lu Ci, Wang Ai."
Yang Tao leaned against a tree trunk, observing the people standing on the high platform, wondering if the Quansheng members were already ambushed at the foot of the mountain.
After the Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking, a young Taoist priest carried a red cardboard box and placed it on a table that had been prepared beforehand.
"All participating contestants, please come forward one by one and draw your contestant number from the cardboard box."
Seeing this, Yang Tao was not in a hurry. Instead, he quietly sat on the ground, waiting for others to claim their numbers first.
It wasn't long before, after everyone else had claimed their numbers, Yang Tao finally stood up and walked towards the registration area.
He reached out and randomly drew a slip from the few remaining ones, opening it.
[C Green Turtle]
"..."
He looked up at the young Taoist priest in charge of drawing the slips: "Brother, can I exchange this for another one?"
The young Taoist priest had a faint smile on his face but very directly refused Yang Tao's request: "Sorry, no."
Hmm…
What a pain.
The heavenly stems, Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, indicate the entry order, so Yang Tao being "Bing" means he is in the third round, and the animal represents the opponent.
Among these contestants, there are also people holding the "Green Turtle" slip, meaning they will be Yang Tao's opponents.
"Third match, which means I still have to watch two matches…"
Yang Tao walked into the venue and suddenly heard Zhang Chulan's voice: "Big Brother, over here… over here…"
He looked up and saw Zhang Chulan waving at him. Beside him was the white-haired youth Feng Xingtong.
Yang Tao smiled and lightly leaped onto the several-meter-high spectator stand. Zhang Chulan, with a smile on his face, leaned close to Yang Tao and, looking at the white Taoist robe he was wearing, said: "Big Brother, why did you suddenly change your style? I almost didn't recognize you."
"I bought it at the commercial street down the mountain. It looked like good quality. Since I'm here, I might as well buy some souvenirs, right?"
Zhang Chulan said enviously: "I wish I could. Damn it, the commercial street down there is just blatant robbery. Big Brother, this outfit of yours must have cost at least one or two thousand, right?"
"Two sets, thirty-two thousand, and there's a black one too."
"Ho… How much??"
Zhang Chulan almost popped his eyeballs out. So, one outfit cost sixteen thousand? That much money could buy his life.
"It's actually reasonable. The embroidery on it is all hand-stitched, plus the silk fabric. This price is a bargain for me."
Domestic luxury goods are truly luxury goods. Some things, once you see their production process and then their price, you'll feel they're sold cheaply.
Zhang Chulan said enviously: "Big Brother, please take me with you. I also want to earn money…"
Feng Xingtong, who was nearby, said with a smile: "Zhang Chulan, if you agree to be my brother-in-law, let alone this outfit, you'll even get shares in the The World Society Group in the future."
Hearing Feng Xingtong's words, Zhang Chulan reached out and scratched his head, looking at Feng Xingtong and saying: "Your sister? Let's just forget it. I don't have any feelings for your sister."
Feng Shayan is very beautiful and has a good personality, but she listens too much to her father. It can be said that in front of Feng Zhenghao, she has no thoughts of her own at all.
Even if her father told her to marry Zhang Chulan, a person she had never met, she had no complaints whatsoever and even tried her best to fulfill her father's wishes.
At this point, Zhang Chulan remembered Yang Tao saying he would participate in the competition and asked: "Big Brother, have you drawn your lot yet?"
"I'll tell you, that kid Feng Xingtong drew 'C Green Turtle', haha, luckily that kid doesn't have a wife…"
Zhang Chulan's words were unfinished when he saw Yang Tao's outstretched hand, a slip with [C Green Turtle] printed on it resting quietly in his palm.
"Hehe, Brother Yang, is it still too late for me to take back what I just said…"
Zhang Chulan was cautiously on guard, even a faint golden light appeared on his body. He was afraid Yang Tao would suddenly shoot him, after all, there was a precedent.
"Alright, no need to be nervous. I'm not the kind of person who acts on a single word."
Yes, you wouldn't act on a single word.
It's because you don't give others a chance to speak at all. Now, Liu Yanyan of the Liu family trembles whenever she sees something cylindrical.
Yang Tao patted Zhang Chulan's shoulder and said: "Alright, you two chat. I'm going to register my name and ask if I can use weapons on the way."
With that, Yang Tao jumped off the spectator stand and walked towards the competition registration desk.
Zhang Chulan looked at Yang Tao's departing back with an incredibly solemn expression. Before the special training, he only knew Yang Tao was strong. After the special training, he realized Yang Tao was incredibly strong, not like a human.
If Yang Tao truly intended to compete for first place, then he had no hope of winning, not even if he and Bao'er Jie teamed up.
Feng Xingtong, seeing Yang Tao like this, leaned forward and asked: "Zhang Chulan, who is this person? Your Big Brother?"
Zhang Chulan snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Feng Xingtong very seriously, saying: "Feng Xingtong, you should surrender."
"Ah? Why?"
"Because you are no match for him at all."
Feng Xingtong showed an awkward smile and said: "Zhang Chulan, I know my strength is very poor, but if I just surrender like this, I'm afraid my father will hang me up and beat me."
Feng Xingtong represents the Feng family and The World Society.
Zhang Chulan looked at Yang Tao, who was arguing with the Taoist priest at the registration desk, and said: "Then I hope your father is prepared to lose a son."
"It's not as exaggerated as you say. If someone dies, they'll be judged as losing, and malicious killing might even lead to accountability…"
"Hehe, you'll find out then. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Feng Xingtong's curiosity was piqued, and he asked: "What's his name?"
"Yang Tao."
Feng Xingtong's expression changed slightly as he remembered recent rumors: Sia He, one of the Four Fiends of Quansheng, died at the hands of an Outsider named Yang Tao.
Now, the remaining three of the Four Fiends have all expressed interest in Yang Tao.
A moment later, Yang Tao returned to Zhang Chulan's side with a displeased expression and sat down: "Swords, spears, halberds, daggers, hidden weapons are all fine, they're all cold weapons, so why can't I use a gun?"
"Big Brother, do you have some misunderstanding about cold weapons?"
"What misunderstanding? Isn't the strongest cold weapon the AK47 in the refrigerator?"
Zhang Chulan: "..."
Feng Xingtong, who was nearby: "..."
He had just heard Yang Tao's words and thought Yang Tao's gun was somehow special, but before he could figure it out, he heard Yang Tao blurt out that sentence.
So, you plan to use an AK47 from the refrigerator in the competition??
He now really wanted to discuss with his father whether he should just concede.
Seeing Zhang Chulan's expression, Yang Tao chuckled and said: "Just kidding with you. If they don't allow it, they don't allow it. It just so happens that I've been practicing some blade techniques recently."