It was 12:50 p.m. when they arrived.

The representatives and contestants from the various martial alliances, along with the referees and other personnel who had just stepped through the door, immediately began to express their disdain.

"This is the Tianhai Martial Alliance?"

"Isn't it a bit shabby?"

"Forget it. We'll be at the central sports arena and the hotel for the next couple of days anyway. We won't be coming back to this dump, so everyone just bear with it for now..."

Standing upstairs and hearing the clamor from below, Xu Ke watched as Yuan Shang's expression grew increasingly grim. He patted Vice Alliance Leader Yuan on the shoulder. "Stay calm. If a fight really breaks out, we'll be the ones with the problem."

"Those old dogs. It's not their first time at the Tianhai Martial Alliance," Yuan Shang scoffed quietly, rebuking them. "The last time they came here, Wong Ting was still representing Tianhai. They praised this place, which hasn't been renovated for over a decade, to the high heavens. They lauded Alliance Leader Chen for his integrity and frugality, calling him a model for Alliance Hierarchs."

"Now that Wong Ting has blown his whistle, those old dogs turn their asses faster than their heads."

"Damn it, they're still putting on such an act even when Wong Ting isn't here. Did they not learn how to brown-nose in a past life?"

Xu Ke had been feeling angry himself, but Yuan Shang's string of comments made him laugh. "Vice Alliance Leader Yuan, I didn't expect you to be so expressive!"

He had always thought Yuan Shang was the quiet, ruthless type, but now he turned out to be quite the talker.

"What did you think?" Yuan Shang sneered. Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, he said, "Let's go down."

"Alright!" Xu Ke nodded, adding, "Just make sure to keep your cool. Don't get angry."

Yuan Shang laughed in exasperation. "You have the nerve to tell me that?"

Xu Ke rubbed his nose and fell silent.

「In the lobby downstairs.」

Fourteen other contestants and Qian Jun sat on leather chairs to one side. On the other side were the leaders of various martial alliances, the Tianhai Martial Alliance's reception staff, and the hall masters from its various branches. The influx of so many people instantly filled the quiet Tianhai Martial Alliance with life, but this lively atmosphere was tinged with a strange undercurrent.

At that moment, Qian Jun wore an arrogant expression. He was seated in the center of all the contestants, like the moon surrounded by stars. Those in the know understood that Qian Jun was here to compete against the people around him. Anyone else might have mistaken him for a gang leader who had brought along a group of his lackeys.

A sleazy-looking young man with a dyed-yellow buzz cut sneered, "Big Brother Qian Jun, I say we should just have you fight that waste of space Xu Ke directly. Why bother with all this pointless fanfare?"

Another man in a black trench coat scoffed, "Exactly. Drawing lots, preparing a venue, inviting the Six Great Families to watch, dragging it out for two days... It's all a waste of time."

The man with the yellow buzz cut, Su Ximing, spoke again. "Does Big Brother Qian Jun need two days to deal with Xu Ke? I bet it wouldn't even take a minute before Xu Ke is on his knees, clutching Big Brother Qian Jun's legs, crying and begging for mercy!"

The man in the black trench coat said, "Su Ximing, you're overthinking it. You think Xu Ke can even get close enough to clutch Big Brother Qian Jun's legs?"

"Please, he won't even get past me!"

Su Ximing sneered back, "Zhao Xiangping, you think that trash Xu Ke can even make it to your match? I'll finish him in a few moves!"

The reason Su Ximing and Zhao Xiangping could sit so close to Qian Jun was due to their strength. They were both at the Postnatal Late Stage, and they were the two strongest among the five contestants at that level. Moreover, they knew they had been assigned to intercept and exhaust Xu Ke.

But in their eyes, he was just Xu Ke. The idea of him getting past the two of them was simply impossible! Exhaust him? Could Xu Ke withstand their assault? He'd likely be crippled with a single kick!

Looking at Su Ximing's yellow buzz cut, Qian Jun said indifferently, "You just got back to the country and you've already dyed your hair yellow. Don't you know that's against the rules?"

Startled, Su Ximing quickly apologized, "Brother Jun, my apologies. I'll dye it back to black as soon as I get back."

Zhao Xiangping smugly adjusted his black trench coat. "I told you not to dye it, you dumbass."

"You…" Su Ximing fumed.

"Enough! This isn't the place for you to bicker," Qian Jun bellowed.

In an instant, the temperature in the contestants' area seemed to drop by several degrees. The other contestants who had been chatting nearby fell silent, not daring to utter a word. Though they appeared to be Qian Jun's opponents, they had all been his subordinates overseas. With their leader having spoken, how could they not be terrified?

"These complicated procedures are the Martial Alliance's regulations," Qian Jun scolded. "Brother Ting is the future Martial Alliance Leader, and he must be respected! As his subordinates, if you don't even follow procedure, how will that reflect on him?"

Reprimanded, Su Ximing and Zhao Xiangping nodded immediately, meekly agreeing, "Yes…"

"Next, when you face Xu Ke, if any of you dare to be careless, I'll kill you. Understand?!" Qian Jun stood up, glaring at them coldly.

"Your subordinates understand!"

Qian Jun then looked toward the other three Postnatal Late Stage cultivators and said flatly, "As for you three, whoever faces Xu Ke, just fight with all your might. Once you've exhausted your techniques, surrender."

"Yes!"

After he finished speaking, Qian Jun's expression turned somber. Given his arrogant nature, he normally wouldn't have said so much, but he had no choice. Wong Ting had given him specific instructions, so he had to be cautious. Still, the thought that Wong Ting had made such elaborate preparations just to ensure his victory left Qian Jun feeling indignant. He could easily crush Xu Ke in seconds, even if he faced him in the first round of the preliminaries. Why bother with all this complicated nonsense? Didn't that imply he might actually lose a direct confrontation with Xu Ke at his peak? That conclusion was unacceptable to Qian Jun. Instead, he pictured a peak-condition Xu Ke being effortlessly crushed under his heel. Crushed like an ant! He had sworn he would stomp on Xu Ke's head in front of everyone, and he would do exactly that!

「」

"Haha, with so many people going after Xu Ke, let's see how the guy dies!"

"We told him going against Lord Wong Ting was asking for trouble!"

"Chen Xiong was about to retire. What good did offending Wong Ting do him? Now he can't even enjoy his golden years in peace..."

Over with the representatives from the other martial alliances, the crowd jeered loudly, seemingly hoping Chen Xiong would overhear them. Peng Hetong stood to the side, silent, but the excited glint in his downcast eyes betrayed his true feelings. Even with his cheek still swollen from Jin Hankang's slap, he was more eager to witness the downfall of Chen Xiong and his people!

「」

On the stage, Chen Xiong witnessed the scene, taking a deep breath as fury blazed in his eyes.

Kicking a man while he's down! These people were mocking him so openly just to show Wong Ting's faction how dedicated they were, weren't they?

He forcibly suppressed his rage. But when he saw Qian Jun lecturing all the "contestants" like a drill sergeant, the anger became almost unbearable…

And Qian Jun had the nerve to speak of Wong Ting respecting the Martial Alliance's rules? Does respecting the rules mean stacking the competition with your own men? Bullshit!

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