Aren't you afraid that someone will deliberately show favoritism?
"Hehe, the Prince and the Duke of Yi are both known for their integrity and uprightness. The Taoist priest and the nun are a senior Taoist master and a Zen master, respectively. Everyone can trust them."
"If that's the case, then let's settle on this!"
"Since it's a competition, there should be a prize. My Murong family has specially provided a one-horned rhinoceros as the winner's prize," Murong Yun said proudly.
“A one-horned rhinoceros is indeed impressive, but who are you referring to as the victor? Or does winning just one round count?” Li Xiaogong asked.
"The competition is divided into three rounds, with three participants in each round. The first round will only involve weapons and hand-to-hand combat, the second round will have no restrictions, and the third round will be a literary contest. To ensure fairness, only young people under the age of twenty can participate, and each person can participate in a maximum of two types of combat."
"Now that we've already offered a prize, surely the powerful and wealthy Zhengwang family wouldn't be stingy with a little something extra?" Murong Yun said.
"Haha! Of course, our Qin family isn't stingy either. A silver wolf general's hide and a golden wolf hair century-old orchid bamboo brush," Qin Yao said magnanimously.
The Silver Wolf General he mentioned refers to the blood relatives of werewolves, those wolves in animal form whose fur has natural animal patterns, and after processing, it becomes the best leather armor.
While the important figures in front were deciding on a strategy, Qin Mu asked curiously, "What is the background of Murong Yun and his group?"
"The ten great families of the Northwest include descendants of the six states that Qin unified during the Qin Dynasty, as well as descendants of the Xianbei people. They are essentially a group of losers who have all gathered in that Northwest region," Qin Yue explained in a low voice.
Upon hearing Qin Yue's explanation, Qin Mu understood. No wonder these people were dissatisfied with the Qin family and had some disagreements with the imperial court. Although they were wary, they weren't afraid. As far as he knew, the Northwest region was home to a large number of powerful families and sects, so one could imagine how chaotic it was.
"There are three matches and nine games. It's inconvenient for the Jingnian Chan Sect and other sects in the Northwest to participate, so you'll have to step up. If you win, I'll give you a reward." Qin Yao quickly called Qin Mu and the others over and said.
Qin Mu looked around. Xiang Liyanran and Huang Yuqi were there, as were Qin Yue, all familiar faces. The young man from the Sun family with the knife had also arrived. In addition to Li Chongyi, there was another person he didn't recognize, but judging from his clothes, he should be a young man from the Qin family.
"You've all heard the competition format: three rounds of hand-to-hand combat, three rounds of unrestricted combat, and the last three rounds of written combat; each person can only participate in a maximum of two matches. I've already sent someone to fetch Yue'er. You all discuss it and decide how to proceed," Qin Yao continued.
"Including Xiao Yue, there are only seven of us. What do you think we should do?" Qin Yue asked.
“Count me in with weapons and fists!” Xiangli Yanran raised her chubby fist.
“Count me in too!” said the young man from the Sun family, carrying a knife.
“I’ll take the last one,” Qin Yue said.
"He is my cousin Qin Zai. He possesses the power of the earth and can handle an unlimited battle," Qin Yue introduced the boy whom the others were unfamiliar with.
"Count me in!" Huang Yuqi said calmly.
“I know those guys from the Northwest. They’re a bit stronger than me, so I won’t go up there and embarrass myself. I’ll count Wen Bi in,” Li Chongyi said, shaking his head.
“Xiao Yue can only compete in the literary category, and with Huai Dao, the three of you are just right. As for the last match, we'll see how things go, I'll go for it!” Qin Yue said, her eyebrows furrowed.
After making their decision, the group left the main hall and went to the outer square. This was the Juyongguan City Guard's Mansion, and the area outside the main hall was spacious enough to accommodate both the competition and the spectators.
"Nangong Wentian is here, who dares to fight!"
(Many of the surnames in this article are fictional; please do not take them personally.)
"I'll take the first match!" Sun Hu said, full of fighting spirit, as he drew his sword and walked towards the center.
Both of them happened to use knives; Nangong Wentian used a ring-pommel sword, while Sun Hu used a replica of the Sun family's heirloom sword.
"The Sun family! Sun Hu!" Sun Hu thrust his ancient sword into the ground, shattering the bluestone, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Come on!" Nangong Wentian said, pointing with his ring-pommel sword.
"Kill!" Sun Hu grabbed the ancient sword and slashed down with it.
"Kill!" Nangong Wentian did not back down and also swung his sword to meet the attack.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The two attacked with all their might as soon as they clashed, their broadswords constantly sparking.
The two were flashing with blood-red light, clearly indicating that they had used their blood-fiend energy.
With loud shouts, the twin swords clashed repeatedly, accompanied by whistling winds, making the onlookers' blood boil.
"The sword is the king of weapons! The most important thing is momentum; you must have the will to cleave mountains and split the earth. Even if there is a mountain in front of you, you must cut it down without hesitation. Therefore, when facing a swordsman, try to avoid the first few moves. If you can't beat him, then you must find a way to block. Never retreat. Once you retreat, your opponent's momentum will be even stronger. One strike after another, you will not stop until you have achieved something." Luo Cheng walked over at some point and explained to Qin Mu.
Neither the previous assassination attempt nor the battle against the corpse wolves in the secret realm could compare to the intensity of their duel, which Qin Mu watched with great interest. This was the battle he envisioned, the martial arts world described in another realm. It was far more thrilling than the fleeting glimpses in movies and television.
"Hmm!" Qin Mu responded without turning his head, his eyes fixed on the two fighting. Just as Luo Cheng had explained, the two were evenly matched, each strike aimed at cleaving their opponent in two.
The battle was so intense that the audience held their breath, afraid of missing a single moment.
"The two are quite good, and their understanding of sword intent is equally profound. If we don't stop them, they will both suffer heavy losses in the end," Luo Cheng said after watching for a while.
Qin Mu observed carefully and found that the two were indeed similar, with their sword-wielding speed both slightly slower.
"Take this! Heaven-Asking Blade!" Nangong Wentian took two steps back, shouted, and raised his blade to prepare for battle.
"Overlord Opens the Mountain!" Sun Hu's eyes narrowed, he took a deep breath, then exhaled and shouted, the Ancient Ding Blade turning into a white rainbow as he swung it towards Nangong Wentian.
With a loud "bang!", a huge shockwave exploded out, and the guards standing around couldn't help but take a step back, using their blood and qi to resist.
Everyone looked on with concern, only to see the two men lying on the ground, struggling to get up, blood flowing from their mouths down to their chins.
"Stop!" Seeing the two men staring intently at their opponent and still moving towards the center, Qin Yao hurriedly stopped them.
"This round is a draw, you have no objections, right?" Qin Yao said the last sentence to Murong Yun.
“Of course, no problem.” Murong Yun nodded in agreement.
Murong Yun agreed, and Qin Yao immediately waved his hand, ordering someone to help Sun Hu away.
"Who's going to play in the second round?" Murong Yun asked with a smile as the two players left the court.
"I'll go!" Xiangli Yanran put the pine nuts in her bag, clapped her hands, and walked to the center of the arena with her greatsword on her back.
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