“Brother Lin, look, that’s my father…”

Just then, Zhang Haoran tugged at Lin Yun's sleeve, pointed to a middle-aged man on the judging panel, and said excitedly.

"Is your uncle a judge for this rookie competition?" Lin Yun asked in surprise.

"Yes, most martial arts grandmasters aren't qualified to be judges. My father was invited because he's a promising grandmaster. However, there are so many amazing people among the judges; my father is just one of them..."

Zhang Haoran spoke proudly at first, but towards the end, he became a little embarrassed.

Martial arts masters are indeed impressive, but compared to all the other great masters in the country, they are nothing special.

Even though his father was a young martial arts master.

Which of those martial arts masters didn't reach the level of a grandmaster at a young age?

Otherwise, many of them would not have reached their current level.

"Brother Lin, I'll tell you something in secret, but don't tell anyone else... Well... actually, this isn't a secret for most of the martial arts prodigies participating in this competition. The prize for the champion of this year's Rising Star Competition is exceptionally valuable. You've probably heard that the champion's prize is a sword. A martial artist wielding that sword can easily defeat enemies far stronger than themselves..."

Just then, Zhang Haoran whispered to Lin Yun.

"Hmm?" Lin Yun's heart stirred.

Zhang Haoran spoke to me about this so solemnly, could it be that there is something else wrong with this sword?

“I want to tell you that this matter is actually true. Not only that, even martial arts grandmasters can use this sword to fight enemies of a higher level…” Zhang Haoran continued at this moment.

"Can a martial arts grandmaster use this kind of sword to fight enemies of a higher level?" Lin Yun asked with slight surprise.

He was well aware of how much difference there was in strength between each level of the Martial Arts Grandmaster realm.

If someone at the early stage of the Transformation Realm faces someone at the middle stage, or someone at the middle stage faces someone at the late stage, and if the former doesn't have special skills, doesn't escape in time, and doesn't have enough space to maneuver, then defeat or even death is only a matter of time.

It's just a precious sword that can cut through iron like mud, it shouldn't be that bad, right?

"Cutting iron like mud" should be a description of ordinary weapons.

Nowadays, it shouldn't be difficult to manufacture some special steel weapons. As long as they can withstand the attack of such a sword for a period of time, the power of such a sword will not be too great.

Moreover, martial arts masters can already channel their internal energy into weapons. While ordinary martial arts masters may not be able to pluck flowers or leaves, they can certainly injure people, but they can certainly increase the strength of weapons.

Different levels of internal energy result in different increases in weapon strength.

In this situation, the weapon used by someone at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm would not be much different from the better weapon used by someone at the early stage of the Transformation Realm.

Therefore, the gap in strength between the two sides will not narrow much compared to the original gap.

Weapons that allow martial arts masters to fight opponents of higher levels do exist; there are many available on the Cosmic Trading System.

However, these weapons are mostly not as simple as ordinary weapons that can cut through iron like mud.

Furthermore, this weapon is very tempting to martial arts masters.

Unexpectedly, the organizers of the martial arts tournament would offer such a prize for this rookie competition.

"I really don't know who will win the championship. It is said that some martial arts masters offered 3 billion Chinese yuan for this sword but still couldn't get their hands on it. That's 3 billion Chinese yuan..." Zhang Haoran said with envy.

Three billion Chinese yuan...

Lin Yun also shook his head.

It seems the organizers of the martial arts tournament have good taste.

But thinking about it, it makes sense.

A weapon of this caliber could be a game-changer in a critical moment. Furthermore, martial artists have an innate love for cold weapons, so it's not impossible that a martial arts master or sect skilled in swordsmanship would be willing to pay such a high price to acquire this sword.

"By the way, how could such a precious item be used as a prize for the rookie competition..." Just then, Lin Yun suddenly thought of something and asked curiously.

Although this martial arts tournament can make the organizers a lot of money, 3 billion Chinese yuan is not a small amount. The attraction and revenue from the rookie competition alone are far from enough to justify this price.

"This is exactly what I'm about to tell Brother Lin. According to my father, this sword was obtained by several major martial arts sects and families from some ruins. Because everyone wanted it and it was difficult to divide, it was used as a prize. Therefore, many of the top disciples from major martial arts sects and families have come to participate in this competition. If you encounter them, Brother Lin, you must be careful..." Zhang Haoran said.

"A hidden master disciple?" Lin Yun asked curiously.

“They are disciples who don’t usually show their faces. Many martial arts sects and families like to let some of their powerful disciples show their faces in public to build their reputation. On the surface, some of these disciples are even the top disciples of these sects and families. But in reality, some sects and families have one or two disciples in secret who are even more powerful. In case something happens to those top disciples on the surface, there won’t be too much loss…” Zhang Haoran nodded.

"I see..." Lin Yi nodded thoughtfully.

No wonder he noticed that some of the contestants had strange auras. He wasn't sure of their exact martial arts level, but he sensed that their level was quite high.

Some spectators were very familiar with and admired the lower-level martial artists, but showed little reaction to the stronger ones.

Looking back now, they must have been the secret disciples of those sects and aristocratic families.

Seeing Lin Yun's expression, Zhang Haoran hesitated, wanting to say something but afraid of embarrassing Lin Yun.

I think Brother Lin should understand what I'm saying and know how to be tactful.

Zhang Haoran thought to himself.

This rookie competition is full of strong competitors, and he was worried that Lin Yun's safety might be compromised.

After all, not every contestant is good-tempered.

Especially here, almost every contestant is a treasure of a major martial arts sect or a famous martial arts master. Such people are more likely to be arrogant, and if they use excessive force, they will not be severely punished, which makes them even less restrained.

"Miss Lin, I sincerely invited you to my celebration banquet after the competition. Are you really going to refuse me?"

Just as Lin Yun was talking to Zhang Haoran, a handsome young man walked up to Lin Mengmeng and smiled.

"Zhong Nan..."

"A disciple of Wei Donglai from the Bajiquan Sect..."

"Reaching the Dark Force Realm at the age of twenty-three, he's quite the genius. I never expected him to pursue Fairy Lin..."

"Come to think of it, the two of them are quite a good match..."

"A perfect match of yarn, how could he possibly lay a finger on Fairy Lin..."

"Speaking of which, isn't Zhong Nan's junior sister Fairy Yan? She's exceptionally talented and beautiful, and being so close to her gives her an advantage. With such good qualities, why isn't Zhong Nan pursuing Fairy Yan instead of messing around with Fairy Lin..."

"You just don't understand, do you? Surrounded by stunning beauties like these, that's the ultimate pursuit in life..."

"You don't understand. Fairy Yan is of high status and doesn't fancy Zhong Nan. Since Zhong Nan doesn't dare to pester her, he can only pursue Fairy Lin..."

Some people in the vicinity, seeing this scene, began to whisper among themselves.

"Young Master Zhong, I'm so sorry..." Lin Mengmeng said apologetically.

Around Lin Mengmeng, some disciples of the Golden Sword Sect watched this scene with great anger. The words spoken by the other party were not pleasant, yet their young lady could only speak so politely.

Lin Yuanshan smiled wryly amidst the crowd.

He brought Lin Mengmeng here this time mainly to see if he could find her a suitable husband.

As a result, after these two days of getting to know each other, Lin Mengmeng didn't take a liking to any of them, and instead offended quite a few.

He had already made up his mind that once the final of this rookie competition began, he would take Lin Mengmeng away from this martial arts tournament, and then he would find a way to send Lin Mengmeng abroad.

The government is being targeted, the martial arts world is being targeted, and it's no longer safe to stay in China.

With so many people eyeing the Lin family, especially the authorities, it's probably unlikely that too many members of the Lin family will be able to go abroad. However, if they only send Lin Mengmeng out, there should be hope.