Chapter 482: I’ll Make You Have No Return Translator: Tim Editor: GlobeGlotter
The next morning, Ye Mo ate breakfast with Han Yan, and Wang Xiyue drove them to the top of Broken Top Mountain. The mountain was crowded and no longer seemed eerie. When Ye Mo reached the peak, he saw the cold woman; she was expressionless, as if she hadn’t raided tombs the previous night.
After yesterday’s tournament rounds, there was more order. Although many had lost, most remained to watch.
Xiang Mingwang casually glanced at Ye Mo and walked to the microphone. “Distinguished guests and fellow comrades of the ancient martial arts world. This is the second day of our tournament. Although some were injured yesterday, the overall situation was positive. We will now have Sect Leader Feng explain today’s rules.”
As Feng Wu passed Ye Mo, he nodded politely. Zeng Zhengxia approached Ye Mo and whispered, “Last night, Xiang Mingwang and Vice Sect Leader Feng talked all night. I think it might concern you. Be careful after the tournament. They won’t dare act during it, but I suspect they’ll target the crystals.”
Ye Mo smiled, patted Zeng Zhengxia’s shoulder, and said, “Brother Zeng, don’t worry. If I could kill Wang Lenchan, I can kill Xiang Mingwang. I fear only that he won’t try anything.”
Zeng Zhengxia touched his chin and smiled helplessly.
“Regardless, if you need help, just ask, Brother Ye,” Zeng Zhengxia promised.
Ye Mo nodded. Some things were best left unsaid.
Feng Wu approached the stage, less stern than Xiang Mingwang. He said casually, “First, congratulations to the top 80 contestants. The first two rounds today will be eliminations, selecting the final 20. Ideally, we’ll finish this morning. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the reward will now go to the top 20, instead of the top 30.”
Before Feng Wu finished, the crowd erupted. The top 30 reward was already meager; reducing it to the top 20 caused outrage.
Zeng Zhengxia frowned; he clearly didn’t know about this change, indicating the Gourd Cave and Jiu Ming Academy hadn’t consulted him.
Feng Wu cupped his hands. “To compensate, the final 20 will each receive 100 million in prize money.”
The protests subsided. Many smaller sects were primarily motivated by the money.
“The duels begin now,” Feng Wu announced.
Though Ye Mo didn’t know the reason for the change, he suspected it was related to Wang Lenchan’s death.
The tournament was becoming more exciting with fewer participants. Han Yan, luckily, only faced yellow-level cultivators.
Ye Mo was drawn to a young man, peak yellow level, fighting a black level middle-stage opponent. Others had fought three or four matches, but he was still evenly matched with the black level participant. His inner qi was dense, comparable to Han Yan’s, and his intricate sword technique had few flaws. Ye Mo concluded his master must be very strong.
Others noticed this fight.
Zeng Zhengxia said, “That black level middle-stage cultivator is the ninth-ranked seed, Peng Nigui, from the Gourd Cave. The youngster is impressive, holding his own against Peng Nigui.”
“Was he recently seeded?” Ye Mo asked.
Zeng Zhengxia shook his head. “No, seeding was done beforehand, based on power and performance. Gourd Cave has three seeds, Jiu Ming Academy two, 36 River one, the Wang family one, and the remaining three are for smaller sects. But the selection isn't foolproof, as the seeded juniors' prowess hasn't been tested in combat, so it’s largely educated guesswork.”
As they spoke, Ye Mo saw the young man take a pill, recognizing it as an inner qi recovery pill.
Weapons clashed continuously, but the young man’s sword remained undamaged, while Peng Nigui’s became increasingly chipped.
Peng Nigui, embarrassed by being cornered by a yellow-level opponent, attacked the young man’s head with a cruel look.
The young man didn’t dodge, countering the attack. Ye Mo understood; he was using his superior weapon to break Peng Nigui’s sword, then using the momentum to injure Peng Nigui. A successful strike could cost Peng Nigui an arm or his life.
“Such a cruel little punk!” Many noticed; Xiang Mingwang would have intervened if not for the tournament rules.
Ye Mo sneered. Others were cruel, but his sect disciples used proper moves? The cruel one was Peng Nigui. The young man would at most take an arm; Peng Nigui clearly aimed to kill.
Clank—Peng Nigui’s sword broke; the young man’s continued its trajectory.
Ye Mo saw him deliberately deflect the blow, sparing Peng Nigui’s arm. Ye Mo shook his head; this was a reckless move. Ye Mo would have aimed for the neck. This mercy would likely cost the young man his life.
As expected, Peng Nigui rejoiced, throwing his broken sword at the young man’s heart. It was too fast for the young man to dodge.
The young man’s face changed, his sword wavering slightly before striking down.
Slash—Peng Nigui’s arm was severed. Simultaneously, Peng Nigui’s broken sword struck the young man’s chest, but didn’t pierce.
Despite this, the young man spat blood, his face pale. He wavered on the stage.
Ye Mo thought, Does he have soft armor? This kid is wealthy.
“You!” Peng Nigui roared, enraged by the loss of his arm.
“Such a cunning brat! Not only did you wear armor, but you used qi recovery pills? Who authorized that? Did your master not teach you this is a tournament, not a duel? You broke the rules repeatedly, and attacked with cruelty. I will cut off one of your arms and see if you still dare act so cocky!” An old man from the Gourd Cave’s judging table stood, shouting.
He drew his long sword and approached the stage.
Silence fell. The youth clenched his teeth.
“I want to see how much courage you old fart have to dare try cutting off his arm. I'm waiting for you; if you have the guts, step onto the stage, and I’ll make you have no return,” a lazy voice echoed.