Loyal Heart Roaming the Skies

The pursuit and killing, traps and madness that happened in Maple Forest City seemed unrelated to the martial arts arena.

The battle here continued as usual.

The three winners who entered the round-robin were Zhang Linchuan, Lin Zhengren, and Fu Baosong from Wangjiang City.

Fu Baosong was a tall and thin man with a clear face. He defeated a fifth-year disciple of Maple Forest City with difficulty and won the last spot.

Both fifth-year disciples from Wangjiang City entered the round-robin, giving them a great advantage.

In fact, the battles between the fifth-year disciples were the most important part of the competition. Only the top fifth-year disciple from the Three Cities Martial Arts Competition had the qualification to enter the National Martial Arts Academy.

Similar competitions had a few such spots, more or less. For example, the "North Wind and Snow" competition had two spots. Although it was a competition between five cities, only ten out of them were selected. The chance of winning was greater than the "Three Cities Martial Arts Competition".

These spots were also a kind of resource allocation, often depending on the strength of the martial arts academies in each city. The strength of a martial arts academy was reflected in the cultivation of its disciples. Therefore, once a cultivator grew up, the martial arts academy they came from would also rise.

More spots in the National Martial Arts Academy and faster cultivation for cultivators formed a virtuous cycle.

However, for cities like Sanshan City, where the elite were separated and could not win the martial arts competition, resources decreased, and the conditions for disciples' cultivation became more difficult... this was a vicious cycle.

Only by understanding the martial arts academy system of Zhuangguo could one understand why Sanshan City cultivators were fighting so hard.

Back to the competition, the first match between the top fifth-year disciples of the Three Cities was an internal battle.

Lin Zhengren fought against Fu Baosong.

This battle was almost meaningless. Everyone knew that the situation now was a duel between Maple Forest City and Wangjiang City. The highlight of the entire round-robin was whether Zhang Linchuan could consecutively defeat opponents from his own city. However, it seemed hopeless now.

As for the internal battle, it was just a side show.

Obviously, Lin Zhengren also thought so. So when he saw Fu Baosong approaching him, he casually said, "Just surrender. We will beat Zhang Linchuan hard later, and then you can defeat him and get second place."

He had already arranged the ranking.

"Hey!" Zhang Linchuan covered his nose with a handkerchief, looking very disgusted. "Don't pretend I don't exist!"

Lin Zhengren turned his head to look at Zhang Linchuan, who was waiting on the side, and smiled. "Either you quit now and avoid the pain, or you can suffer later."

After revealing his sixth-grade cultivation base, his whole temperament seemed to have been liberated a lot, and he no longer cared about superficial skills.

At this moment...

"I won't."

He heard a voice saying so.

Lin Zhengren suddenly turned his head and looked towards the source of the voice. Fu Baosong, who had been silent all day, said his first sentence today.

"I won't? What won't you do?" Lin Zhengren felt incredulous.

Lin Zhongli, who was outside the arena, cursed, "Fu Baosong, have you lost your mind? Don't you know your own abilities?"

Fu Baosong ignored him and just looked at Lin Zhengren calmly and equally, no different from how he looked at others.

He said, "I will do my best no matter who my opponent is. This is the meaning of the martial arts competition."

Lin Zhengren laughed in anger. "Alright, then give it a try."

The situation took a turn.

The people of Maple Forest City who were watching were suddenly excited. If Fu Baosong could injure Lin Zhengren before being defeated... Zhang Linchuan would have a chance!

"Well done, Fu Baosong!""Straightforward and unyielding, a model for cultivators!"

"Yeah! Why give up? Lin Zhengren is not smarter than you. If you beat him, you'll be the leader!"

The audience outside the ring exclaimed, looking excited as if they really loved Fu Baosong.

Jiang Wang had a vague feeling that the last voice sounded very familiar.

He looked over and saw Huang Azhan sneaking around in the crowd.

Jiang Wang turned his head back, looking indifferent.

He didn't know what "special skills" the guy who entered this small circle because of Du Yehu had. He gambled and was lecherous, and now he was inciting public opinion.

But it was strange that this guy seemed to have so many shortcomings, yet he was not hated by people.

...

On the stage, Lin Zhengren was already angry and attacked with the Green Python Twist.

The giant python twisted and turned, forming a ball.

Bang!

The Green Python Twist hit the vine wall.

The intertwined snake vines formed a circle, protecting Fu Baosong in the center. It was the vine wall that Lin Zhengren had used before.

However, the vine wall of middle-grade B-level was no match for the Green Python Twist of low-grade A-level.

In less than three breaths, the vine wall had already shattered.

The green giant python contracted forcefully, but it suddenly wilted in the next moment.

A blue hand with a dry feeling pressed down on the python. The decaying gray and blue intertwined on the giant body of the green python.

The middle-grade B-level Dao technique, Rotten Wood Decides!

Although it didn't dissolve the green python with one hand like Dong A, it also made the green python wilt.

Fu Baosong took advantage of this gap and jumped out.

But how could Lin Zhengren give him a chance? He reached out and the prepared Water Dragon Wave roared out!

However, behind the translucent body of the water dragon, his handsome face was already extremely gloomy.

Some Dao techniques required talent, and some Dao techniques required compatibility. It was not that when one's cultivation reached a certain level, they could easily master the corresponding level of Dao technique.

Just like this Rotten Wood Decides, although it was only middle-grade B-level, it was the unique skill of the dean of the Wangan City Dao Academy, and Lin Zhengren had never learned it! The reason was not enough compatibility?

Was this poor guy, this stone in the pit, really compatible enough?

Lin Zhengren was so self-righteous that he was already tired of those hypocritical excuses, such as lack of compatibility, and the meaning of discussing the Dao!

Faced with the almost opportunistic Water Dragon Wave, Fu Baosong's feet rolled up the waves and was about to dodge. As a graduate of the Wangan City Dao Academy, he was certainly familiar with the Waves Three Times.

But Lin Zhengren just pressed down with his left hand, and there was a surging wave that mixed with the waves under Fu Baosong's feet, making this dodge nothing but a fantasy.

A simple Dao technique, Furious Waves, was only wonderful in its timing and location, and it broke the Waves Three Times that had been moved three times.

The Water Dragon Wave ruthlessly hit Fu Baosong, lifting him high and then slamming him down.

Lin Zhengren leaped and stepped on Fu Baosong's head.

He slightly lowered his head and said in a deliberately contemptuous tone, "Can you beat me with your skills?"

Fu Baosong struggled to turn his head under Lin Zhengren's foot. He looked at Lin Zhengren, and there was no anger in his eyes, but a kind of inexplicable stubbornness. "I can't beat you, but I can't...lose without a fight!"

This guy was... both stinky and tough.

Stinky enough to make people frown, tough enough to earn respect.