Could it be that I am the cruel villain?

Duang~

The bell tolls deeply and heavily, reverberating continuously through the vast foothills.

Whenever this sound echoes, it signifies the conclusion of a match, the outcome decided, accompanied by the deep roar of a man in the center of the Martial Arts Arena.

"Ha!"

A punch sends a person retreating.

Though stumbling, he barely stands firm, but as he attempts to strike again, the man on the ground immediately motions with his hand, and the aging Inner Sect Steward responsible for supervising the martial arts ceremony instinctively raises his hand.

Duang~

It is this sound.

"The match is decided."

No intention to intervene; with the Inner Sect Stewards' cultivation realm, there is no fear these young ones will cause fatalities, as even the most junior stewards are at Core Formation Stage, and those with somewhat higher status are mostly at Nascent Soul Stage.

Yet for the external disciples, though they hold the title of steward, their status is relatively low with no actual authority, such as Su Yi and Lu Luo, who belong to these external disciples, not as high in status as the Inner Sect Disciples.

Yu Ying, however, is a level above them, a proper Inner Sect Steward, possessing Divinity Transformation cultivation, making her the supervisor over the two in the region of Long Country.

Within the Inner Sect Stewards, the minimum is at Nascent Soul Stage, nearly half are masters at Divinity Transformation Stage. With their realm watching a group of young lads who just entered Foundation Establishment, how much could possibly go wrong?

Moreover, Purple Cloud Palace has always emphasized "martial virtue."

"Brother, my apologies."

With a look of joy on his face, the tall and slender man bows his hand to the exhausted brother on the ground, unable to hide his smile, clearly overjoyed at achieving a victory.

"This young man is quite good."

"Indeed, old Wang, what do you think? He seems to be only in his thirties, High Grade Foundation Establishment, probably just broke through recently. If recruited to Chichi County and nurtured a bit, he could likely reach Core Formation in a couple of years."

"He looks slim, but his bones are rather sturdy, you..."

Especially upon noticing the surrounding crowd's discussions, he stands tall and proud.

From dawn till dusk, this Nine Peaks Martial Arts Ceremony is not just a venue for sect disciples to test their sword prowess and unleash their skills, but also a place for secular forces to select promising young talent.

Quite a few individuals, whose attire and status appear prestigious, sit on the stone steps at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, whispering and discussing. Most are of some age, holding significant positions in the secular world.

Many are officials from nearby countries or powers. Whenever the Great Sect opens the martial arts ceremony, these officials or leaders personally visit the sect, engaging directly with these young disciples.

Better to be a little head than a big tail, though this saying sounds somewhat lacking ambition, for disciples with average talent, obtaining a bit of prestige in the Cultivation World, while receiving more cultivation resources in the secular world, is undoubtedly the best path.

Take this disciple as an example, thirty-three years old, High Grade Foundation Establishment, having recently broken through. To reach Core Formation, he likely needs to wait until thirty-five or thirty-six, nearly forty, if not encountering substantial opportunities, he might linger his entire life just before Nascent Soul.

Faced with a giant like Purple Cloud Palace, such a disciple's aptitude can only be described as ordinary, yet in the secular world, he's considered quite outstanding, and with a brief period of nurturing, he could reach Core Formation, considered a very worthwhile investment.

With the secular forces' military capabilities, a town of a few thousand people only requires a few at Foundation Establishment, one at Core Formation, while a main city with tens of thousands needs only three to five at Core Formation Stage to guard.

If it's a provincial city, having one at Nascent Soul Stage and several at Core Formation is completely sufficient.

Amid the crowd's discussions, this disciple walks out of the Martial Arts Arena with his head held high, evidently his skills attracted quite a few secular forces' interest. It is clear that once this martial arts ceremony concludes, several secular powers will likely extend an olive branch to him.

"Second day of the Martial Arts Tournament, Arena Sixteen, Group Y, Match Six concluded, Number Seventeen versus Number Eighteen, Number Eighteen wins."

A grand gesture.

Only reporting the Jade Token numbers without announcing names reveals Jiang Feng's calculated scheme actually hit the mark, the loser leaves quietly, the steward in charge merely glances at the paper in his hand.

"Second day of the Martial Arts Tournament, Arena Sixteen, Group Y, Match Seven, Number Nineteen against Number Twenty, both contestants please prepare."

The steward, appearing middle-aged, spoke softly, yet enough for everyone in the Martial Arts Arena to hear. Just now, the match in the external disciples was considered quite exciting, as not everyone is a genius.

Upon hearing the steward's announcement, a young disciple from the surrounding crowd immediately steps forward with a smile. Though young, he is at High Grade Foundation Establishment realm, expected to be unstoppable in this round.

Displaying an air of assured victory, as this is only the second round. Since the Jade Tokens are personally kept, nobody knows their subsequent opponent.

Thus.

He utilized a bit of personal connections.

No, rather bribery.

Since Jade Tokens are personally kept, only he knows. So he deliberately chose this group; within it, most should be Low and Mid Grade Foundation Establishment disciples, he secretly probed.

Yesterday, he easily defeated a fellow disciple at Low Grade Foundation Establishment. Today, being just the second day, the most he might encounter is Mid Grade Foundation Establishment, at worst High Grade. Based on his estimation of his strength, the first three rounds should be quite manageable.