The next day.
Ye Liang arrived at the Kasumi Valley arena with tremendous confidence. The matches on the arena had already begun.
Princess Shaw, serving as the referee, had come early. Seeing Ye Liang and his group arrive, she waved her hand to greet them.
But this greeting stirred discontent among other fighters!
You're supposed to be the prize in this Martial Arts Contest for Suitors, yet you greet a contestant first? Doesn't that imply this fighter might have been secretly chosen beforehand!
It's like those reality shows that claim everything is spontaneous, but everyone knows the outcome was fixed from the start!
That just makes people really upset!
Everyone turned their eyes toward Ye Liang's group.
"Hey! Kid, where do you come from to act so arrogant? Don't you know today is Lord Nan Sai's big day for competition? Get lost now!"
A bald man stepped forward.
He wore nothing but a loincloth covering his body, looking mighty and imposing—an obvious villain type!
"Could this be one of those generic henchmen from legends?" Ye Liang looked at him helplessly.
"Konan is standing here too; why don't you pick a fight with her? Just because she's a woman?"
What an annoying human rights activist!
Without hesitation, he flew into a rage and launched a kick.
Before the guards of Kasumi Country could even see what happened, the bald man was sent flying by Ye Liang's kick.
"And calling yourself 'Master'? Even Ye Liang wouldn't dare use that title—what a joke!" As they passed the edge of the arena, Ye Liang joined Konan beside Princess Shaw Naizi.
"You really did it. This Nan Sai is actually one of the top contenders this time. You eliminated him just like that; your reputation might drop again."
"A top contender? If someone like him is considered strong here, then Kasumi Country's martial strength must truly be underwhelming." Ye Liang was about to mock Princess Shaw Naizi when suddenly remembering he couldn't reveal his true identity.
His current strength was also quite weak, albeit stronger than most people.
"Hmph, although Nan Sai is trash, it's because most of the strong ones haven't appeared yet! Our Kasumi Country specializes in using Kinjutsu to kill—there's a great cost involved, making it unsuitable for prolonged battles, so they'll definitely appear last."
"Is that so?" Ye Liang asked doubtfully.
Meanwhile, Konan's gaze turned toward someone on the arena.
The man had pitch-black skin and carried a majestic long sword on his back. Though panting heavily, he had knocked many opponents off the stage.
Ye Liang recognized this person—he was Heiluyi, the very one Konan favored.
"Sister Konan, this is that 'strong' one you mentioned? I don't think he looks all that impressive," Princess Shaw Naizi pursed her lips disdainfully.
Despite his impressive performance on the battlefield, having seen him lose badly to Ye Liang before, Shaw Naizi held obvious contempt for him.
"If it weren't for that brute showing up, Heiluyi would definitely have earned a place here," Konan retorted. After all, it was her personal choice, and being talked down like this was quite embarrassing.
Ye Liang remained noncommittal.
Konan's taste in people wasn't great. Heiluyi wasn't just someone Konan supported—he was also under Butsuma Jiro's command, acting as a double agent!
If Konan ever discovered that the person she trusted was actually a traitor…
"What would she think about this?"
*Boom!*
Heiluyi kicked another character off the stage. His eyes flickered as he cast a meaningful glance toward Konan, almost saying, Leave it to me, we're safe!
Safe like hell!
Ye Liang was getting angry.
Showing off in front of him and hitting on the girl he'd already claimed? That's basically asking to get wiped out!
It wasn't that Ye Liang liked Konan; it was simply unacceptable for anyone to steal his thunder in this ninja world!
All under heaven belongs to me—the king of kings!
He smirked and stepped forward.
"You-you-you! You've left already, why are you back?!" Heiluyi saw Ye Liang approaching, his face turned purple, even slightly rounder-looking.
"If you can come, why can't I?" Ye Liang snapped.
Regardless of Heiluyi's intentions, victory today was definitely out of reach for him.
Ye Liang casually flipped his hand holding some ninja tools.
Last time, he'd taken him down using shuriken. This time, it'd be kunai. The new generation always rises above the old—people must constantly surpass their predecessors.
Heiluyi became furious!
He didn't care what tool Ye Liang used; all he knew was that Ye Liang must die here today!
"Don't get too cocky! I've brought my trump card today!"
"Your trump card? Then let's see it!"
Ye Liang couldn't care less.
Whether Heiluyi had a hidden technique or not didn't matter—he couldn't let anyone steal his spotlight.
He split the kunai into two parts and tossed them up into the air.
[Ninjutsu – Thousand Kunai Rain!]
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A massive rain of kunai fell from the sky like a storm.
This was originally a technique meant to use senbon needles. Since Ye Liang lacked refined ninja-tool skills, he modified it slightly based on his own experience—a quick, improvised trick.
When someone reaches an extremely high level, even throwing a stone becomes an ultimate jutsu!
Heiluyi bolted like a scared rabbit!
Indeed, he did have a hidden move, but against Ye Liang, escaping was the only option.
After dodging for a while, Heiluyi realized Ye Liang's attacks were slowing down—and suddenly yanked out a black hexagram Explosive Tag from his pocket!
This came from Konan—a black hexagram Explosive Tag packed with immense power, originally meant to decide the final outcome. Who knew he'd have to use it against Ye Liang so soon!
"No good! Ye Liang is in danger!"
From a distance, Konan cried out in alarm!
As the inventor of the black Explosive Tags, she understood its full strength—it would be like a sun exploding upon Earth!
"Sister Konan, what's wrong?!" Shaw Naizi asked nervously when she noticed Konan's unease.
At first, Konan's hands trembled with anxiety, then her waist slightly shook as if she was holding her breath tightly. Finally, after adjusting her stance subtly, she breathed out in relief.
*Huff...*
She exhaled calmly.
On the battlefield, Ye Liang remained unharmed—he successfully disrupted the attack before Heiluyi could activate the tag!
But Naizi, who hadn't received an immediate answer, looked puzzled: "What exactly happened to Sister Konan? Could it be...that she just let one slip?"
She shifted her feet aside a bit...
In the center of the battlefield, Ye Liang had already kicked Heiluyi right off the stage. He'd already beaten this weakling before — no need to waste time on him again.
"So then, who's next? If no one steps up, I'll just marry the princess!"
The crowd below was speechless.
At this moment, everyone finally recognized Ye Liang.
The Shuriken Murderer who'd defeated all challengers on day one, the man who beat elders as easily as breathing — Ye Liang!
"Damn it! How is he even allowed back on the arena? Is there really no real expert left in the mighty Kasumi Country?" The people were filled with frustration and despair, but after a long silence, no one spoke.
"It looks like the match is decided then!"
Ye Liang casually waved his hand.
Just at that moment, a pink-lipped girl wearing a pink hair accessory leaped onto the stage!
"A woman?" the girl asked. A deep, masculine voice called out: "I am Ibuki Ichiro, a true man among men!"
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