Xu Ling lay on the stone floor, his body trembling from the aftershocks of You Mei's blows. He tried to push himself up, but his limbs refused to cooperate.
"Damn it!" He gritted his teeth in shame. He would never have believed that he would fall in the first round of the competition without even being able to demonstrate his talents.
You Mei stepped back, giving him a clear view of her as she stood tall. "I cannot defeat her." With this thought, Xu Ling stopped resisting and fell unconscious.
The battle elder raised his hand, signaling the end of the fight. "You Mei is the winner!"
If one were to pay attention to his lips, it was obvious they were twitching with shock. However, the battle elder made sure not to show his expression to the elders behind him. Elder Jiang and the Grand Elder also had ugly expressions because they realized that it would be extremely hard for their students to defeat this You Mei.
The only person happy about this situation was the sect leader, who had none of his students in this competition.
"Oh oh oh, what an excellent disciple! Her talent for martial arts is top-notch. "I wonder why there were no elders to sponsor her." The sect leader glanced at the Grand Elder with a hand on his white beard. This was the perfect excuse to suppress the Grand Elder faction.
"Tch, we still don't know if she is going to win. You Rou's combat talent is also very high." The Grand Elder replied, his expression cold. Anyone could win this competition, but not You Mei. She had a deep grudge with him and was oppressed because of it. If she won, his past decisions would be questioned by the other two factions, and he would lose his reputation.
You Mei stepped back from the battle stage, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before settling on You Bing. His smirk had vanished, replaced by a tight-lipped frown.
"How is this possible? I am confident in defeating Xu Ling, but I cannot do it as quickly as her..." The first thought in his mind was that You Mei was cheating, but he quickly threw the idea away. Something like that would never escape the eyes of the elders.
"I don't believe I am weaker than an outcast with no support or resources." You Bing clenched his trembling fists. "I hope we meet in the arena, You Mei."
...
You Mei returned to the line of disciples, feeling a bit exhilarated by her strength. She never expected Li An's training to be so effective.
When she glanced at the other outer sect disciples, the murmurs around her quieted, and she could feel the subtle shift in the atmosphere. Disciples who had previously dismissed her were now eyeing her warily, their bodies tense and their gazes flickering with apprehension. As she took her place, the space around her seemed to widen slightly.
"Hypocrites." You Mei had nothing but hatred towards all these people who ignored and excluded her when she was weak. She had decided to dedicate everything to the dream she shared with Li An—to change the system of the sect and help the ones without talent have a chance at life.
You Rou stood nearby, his eyes fixed on You Mei. His usual aloof expression was replaced with a keen interest. His battle instincts were ignited by her display of strength. A slow, almost imperceptible smile curved his lips as he watched her. In his mind, he relished the thought of facing someone truly formidable, someone who might actually challenge him.
"Finally, a worthy opponent," You Rou thought, his eyes narrowing slightly. "This competition just got interesting."
The rest of the first round continued, but the intensity of the fighting had noticeably increased. You Mei observed each battle carefully, noting down the weaknesses and strengths of her competitors. Her presence seemed to have raised the stakes, pushing the other disciples to prove themselves. If a Grade 3 talent without support could be so monstrous, then what were they doing for the past month?
When Ning Jing stepped onto the stage, all eyes locked on her. She faced her opponent with a cold indifference, looking much less relaxed than usual. The fight began, and Ning Jing's strikes were brutal from the very beginning, not even giving her opponent time to breathe. The poor girl was barely able to defend against Ning Jing's onslaught. She moved with speed and power far above those of her peers.
"That aura?!" Both the sect leader and the Grand Elder opened their mouths in stupefaction.
Ning Jing was finally revealed to be at the sixth stage of the Foundation realm, which meant her talent was almost at the Grade 1 level. Eyes widened and heads turned as whispers spread like wildfire through the spectators. Ning Jing's presence was now even more imposing, like a phoenix taking flight. She was glaring at You Mei as if no one else was worthy of her gaze.
You Rou's turn came after, but the fight was too underwhelming. The other disciple was just a Grade 4 talent, and You Rou's movements were a blur to him and most of the other cultivators with a lower stage.
He ended the match with a single, powerful strike that sent his opponent sprawling to the ground. Even though the audience wasn't very impressed, You Mei felt a stronger sense of danger from him.
"Ning Jing relies mostly on her higher cultivation stage, but You Rou has a perfect form in his martial arts, and they suit his aggressive nature perfectly." From sparing with Li An, You Mei understood better than anyone the power of having martial art talent in the Foundation realm.
The rest of the matches didn't really have any surprises. The only exciting fights were between the Grade 3 talents, since the others didn't have the qualifications to advance in the outer sect competition. As for Grade 5 talents, none of them even dared to show their faces on stage; at best, they watched the show from the audience seats.
As the first round concluded, the Medicine Elder stepped forward. He was a man with silver hair and blue eyes, looking much younger than the other elders. He surveyed the exhausted disciples with a discerning gaze before turning to the servants at his side.
"Distribute one recovery pill to each disciple," he instructed calmly. "Ensure they are prepared for the second round."
The servants moved in a hurry, carrying trays of small, glistening yellow pills. Each disciple received a pill, their hands trembling slightly as they accepted the medicine. The recovery pills were known for their potent healing properties, capable of revitalizing even the most weary of cultivators below the Spirit realm.
"So this is a pill?" You Mei stared at the yellow orb with the curiosity of a child. She knew that pills were very expensive and one of the main sources of revenue for sects, but she had never seen them before.
She took the one offered to her, her fingers brushing against the cool surface. She swallowed it quickly, feeling the immediate surge of energy as the medicine took effect. Around her, the other disciples did the same, their expressions shifting from exhaustion to liveliness.
The competition progressed through several rounds like this, but the fights were becoming increasingly challenging.
You Mei's victories against other Grade 3 talents were not hard at all, propelling her to the semi-finals. The anticipation grew with each round, the crowd's excitement reaching a fever pitch as the strongest contenders emerged.
You Rou, Ning Jing, You Bing... and You Mei. They were the only ones who remained, and their advancement to the inner sect was guaranteed.
"But who cares about the inner sect?" You Mei had grown more ambitious with the increase in her strength. "The position of young leader will be mine."
She was not the naive girl from before anymore. For the sake of Li An and the other outcasts, she would not resign to being mediocre. There was only one goal: first place.
The first semi-final match was between You Mei and You Bing. As they stood across from each other on the stage, the tension was palpable.
You Bing's eyes gleamed with malice as he sneered at her.
"Look at you, the daughter of a crippled woman who can only lie in bed the whole day." His taunt was loud enough to carry across the arena. "How do you have the face to show yourself in this competition?"
You Mei's eyes narrowed. "I will kill him." The reason her mother was crippled had to do with a dangerous mission the Grand Elder had sent her on. However, it was all a scheme between You Bing's mother and the Grand Elder; You Rou was exchanged for the chance of getting rid of the figure with the most authority in the You family, You Mei's mother.
She had survived, but at what cost? The powerful greater elder with middle stage Essence Condensation cultivation was downgraded into a poor mortal woman who could barely move without help.
The battle elder began to speak, "Let the batt-", but before he could finish the sentence, You Mei lunged forward. Her fist connected with You Bing's jaw, sending him stumbling backward. The crowd gasped, and the battle elder stepped back, allowing the fight to proceed.
"Fight me fairly, you wench!"
You Bing scrambled to regain his footing, but You Mei had already lost her reason. A swift kick hit him in his midsection, lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing to the ground.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to push himself up. For some reason, the act of breathing itself was hurting him. The vibrations of the Bear Paw martial arts were not a joke.
"This can't be happening," he muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth. "She's just a nobody."
He was a disciple of the Grand Elder, one of the people in the sect with the best resources! He would not lose!
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
He shouted like a beast, just to see a fist coming furiously towards his open mouth. Before he could even react, teeth were sent flying along with a spray of blood.
You Mei was relentless. She closed the distance between them in an instant, her fists raining down on him like a furious storm.
You Bing tried to retaliate, swinging his arms wildly. "I'm not losing to you!"
But You Mei dodged his attacks effortlessly, growing in strength with every strike. One particularly powerful punch landed squarely on his nose. Blood spurted and he staggered back, dazed.
"No, this isn't possible," You Bing thought, his vision blurring. "I was always the strongest since we were young. I should be winning."
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You Mei swept his legs out from under him, sending him sprawling to the ground once more. There was no mercy for those who had insulted her mother's honor. She pounced, straddling his chest and pinning him down. Her fists continued their brutality, hitting him everywhere, with each strike landing with a sickening thud.
The crowd watched in stunned silence as You Bing's attempts to fight back grew weaker and more desperate. They might understand why this was happening, but they could not cheer for such behavior as members of a righteous sect. You Bing's face was battered and bruised, and blood trickled from his mouth and nose.
Thump... thump... thump...
After what felt like an eternity, You Mei paused, her bloody hand gripping his collar as she lifted him slightly off the ground.
"I'm not losing... to you..." You Bing gasped, his voice barely audible.
"You already have, moron."
You Mei slammed him back down, the impact reverberating through the arena. There was a disdainful gaze on her face as she looked down at the half-conscious You Bing. She placed her foot on his chest, pressing down just hard enough to make him gasp for breath.
"How does it feel, cousin?" You Mei's voice was more like the whisper of a devil in his ear. "To be looked down on by the outcast, by the nobody?"
You Bing wanted to rip that grin out of her lips, but he could not even see her properly, let alone raise his arms.
"Carve this into that empty brain of yours, bastard. Strength is earned, not inherited."
The battle elder, recovering from the initial shock, stepped forward to declare You Mei the winner.
You Rou and Ning Jing felt their bodies stiffen. The girl leaving the stage resembled a tigress who had been given wings. They could also win against You Bing, but not in such a one-sided manner.
You Rou stared at the other Grade 2 talent beside him, his smile widening even more. "Make it entertaining."
His words seemed to have triggered a nasty memory in Ning Jing, as the girl stepped on his foot with all her strength. Unfortunately, You Rou didn't even flinch.
"You Rou against Ning Jing!"
Both were supposed to only meet in the finals. However, as if fate were making fun of them, one would have to drop out of the competition in the semi-finals.
The crowd settled as You Rou and Ning Jing took their positions on the stage. The elders, on the other hand, were busy measuring the power of both contestants for first place. Elder Jiang glanced at the Grand Elder with a discrete smirk.
"What do you think about my Ning Jing?" Her voice contained a hint of teasing.
However, the Grand Elder was still expressionless, watching the fight with calmness suitable to his position. "You Rou will win." There was no uncertainty in his statement.
Elder Jiang sneered and gave up on provoking that fool. "The results talk for themselves."
The battle elder clapped his hands and Ning Jing moved first, showing off her clear superiority in speed and power. She closed the distance between them in less than two seconds, her fists aiming for You Rou's weak points like the neck and the chest.
Any other opponent would have already lost, but You Rou was not just any other opponent. He dodged every single one of her punches by a hair, feeling the rush of adrenaline course through his veins.
He wanted to change to offense, but Ning Jing didn't let him. Punch after punch came after him decisively, not even giving You Rou time to think.
There has been no contact yet. His feet barely seemed to touch the ground as he weaved and sidestepped, his eyes never leaving her form. However, Ning Jing's attacks eventually began to show their effect.
A well-placed kick caught You Rou on the shoulder, making him stagger slightly. She followed up with a barrage of punches, each one landing with a resounding thud. The crowd leaned in, watching intently as You Rou absorbed the blows, his body shrinking to minimize the pain.
"Do you still believe he is going to win?" Elder Jiang looked at the Grand Elder with an amused grin.
"Yes, I do. Haven't you realized it yet?"
The moment he said this, a subtle change occurred in the arena. You Rou's eyes shone and he flew at an astonishing speed towards Ning Jing. She launched another powerful kick, but You Rou sidestepped it smoothly and countered with a lightning-fast punch that connected with her ribs.
"Argh!" Ning Jing threw up some saliva on the ground, feeling some fractures in her ribcage bones. "You brute, don't you know you should be kind to ladies?"
Her face clearly did not resemble that of a lady, distorted by the anger of receiving such a heavy hit. She tried to throw another flurry of punches at him, but You Rou had completely transformed. He moved with blinking speed, aiming rapid jabs at every small gap Ning Jing exposed. His body seemed to flow around her easily, like a dancer who had already memorized the song of battle.
She gritted her teeth and increased the strength behind her blows in an attempt to finish it quickly, but You Rou parried them all with minimal effort, changing their direction instead of meeting force with force.
The tide had turned faster than anyone expected. You Rou was now attacking her relentlessly, and his speed had increased to a dizzying pace. A particularly fast series of jabs caught Ning Jing off guard, one striking her shoulder, another her side.
Everyone could see that this battle was as good as over. You Rou was playing her in the palm of his hands.
He anticipated her moves easily, countering her every attack before it could land. Ning Jing's breathing grew heavier, her strikes losing their earlier force. She tried to create distance with a kick, but You Rou was already there, his foot sweeping her leg from under her.
Ning Jing fell to one knee, and You Rou didn't give her a moment to recover. He closed in, his fist hitting her right in the face. She tried to block, but his speed and agility were overwhelming. A final punch to her midsection forced her to the ground, gasping for breath.
"You Rou is the winner." The battle elder declared.
A gloomy Elder Jiang was met with the smirk of the Grand Elder. "Now you should understand why I said You Rou is going to win. His combat talent is even more terrifying than his cultivation talent. Once he got a hold of Ning Jing's weaknesses, the battle was over."
Elder Jiang scoffed at him with bloodshot eyes and left the elder podium without a word.
"Do you think entering the race for young leader is that easy? Keep dreaming." The Grand Elder stared at her back with a cold gaze.
The air crackled with anticipation as the final match of the outer sect competition approached. You Rou against You Mei—a fight between cousins! The buzz of the crowd and the excited shouts of gamblers filled the stadium.
"I will bet one hundred gold coins on You Rou!"
"You will lose your money, old man. You Mei is the dark horse of this competition, and I feel like she has not shown us everything."
The old gambler spit on his face. "If you are so confident, why don't you bet one hundred gold coins on her?!"
"Alright, bastard. It so happens that I will."
Many situations like this one were happening in the audience seats, just like in all of the previous outer sect competitions.
After a short break for a recovery pill, both the final contestants climbed up the stage. The Grand Elder, seated in a place of honor, watched with keen interest, his expression unreadable.
"I won't lose." You Mei changed into a fighting stance.
"That's funny, because neither will I."
Clap!
You Rou and You Mei moved at the same time, closing the distance between them in a blink of an eye. He was stronger and faster due to his higher cultivation stage, but You Mei could match him solely with her instincts, honed by her spars against Li An.
Therefore, You Rou kept finding gaps to exploit in her stance, but he couldn't achieve a direct blow since she would parry every single one of his jabs just before they hit her.
"You're good." He was calm as he launched another punch towards a gap on her shoulder.
"But Ning Jing was stronger."
You Mei's eyes narrowed, yet she didn't say anything. She was too busy leaping back to avoid getting her legs hurt by his kicks.
She sometimes tried throwing a fist at him, but You Rou was like water flowing around a rock. He almost felt... slippery.
"You can't keep up." He taunted, darting forward again. This time, he feinted left and struck from the right, his fist connecting with her shoulder. You Mei staggered back.
The crowd watched in stunned silence as the two combatants clashed again. The air was filled with the sounds of their blows, the thud of fists meeting flesh, and the sharp intake of breath as they pushed themselves to the limit.
It was pretty obvious who was winning. You Rou was using his physical superiority to suppress his opponent; You Mei had barely time to breathe.
He twisted away from one of her palms, his own fist hitting her stomach with a resounding thud. You Mei could only cough and wipe a trickle of blood from her lip.
"You worked hard." You Rou acknowledged his opponent without an ounce of disrespect. "But this is my win."
"Let's finish this." He stepped forward and then... his knees buckled.
"Uh?"
Amidst the shock of the crowd, the top contender for first place fell to the ground unconscious.
"Ah...ah..." You Mei wanted to laugh, except that she didn't have the energy to do so.
The greatest strength of the Bear Paw martial arts is that the user doesn't need to attack in order to win. By trading blows with the other party, the vibrations keep accumulating in his internal organs. When You Rou paused for a second to talk, the injuries immediately flared up and knocked him out.
The irony. The guy who did not speak much lost because he stopped to talk with his opponent.
"He is still weaker than Li An, though." Only now did she realize the fact that her friend could have easily demolished all of the competitors here.
"Not that winning would help. With Grade 4 talent, her advantage will disappear the moment everyone reaches Spirit realm." You Mei grimaced. Martial arts became much less significant in the next realm.
"You Mei is the winner of this outer sect competition!" Although outside the battle elder seemed as satisfied as the audience, there was a scary glint in his eyes when he looked at You Mei.
As for the crowd, it exploded.
Disciples clapped and shouted, their faces alight with admiration and excitement. When had a Grade 3 disciple won against two Grade 2 talents before? Some jumped to their feet, waving their arms, while others exchanged smiles. The sound of the crowd was a living force.
Everyone loved to watch the underdog soar through the ranks.
"Li An, I did it. I won for the both of us." You Mei was having difficulties holding back her tears. She owed all of this success to her friend. None of this would have been possible without her.
The sect leader stood up from his seat and raised his hand once again. Slowly, the noise began to subside. His gaze was fixed on You Mei, who stood in the center of the stage looking back at him.
"You Mei." The sect leader let her name resonate throughout the arena. "You have demonstrated exceptional skill and determination. As the winner of this competition, you have the right to choose an elder to acknowledge as your teacher. Whom do you choose?"
You Mei took a deep breath, her eyes momentarily drifting towards the crowd before returning to the sect leader. She remembered Li An's words well.
Tell him exactly what I'm about to say.
"I choose the sect leader."
Everyone turned silent out of nowhere. Even the majority of the elders who had a good impression of the girl started frowning. It was already kind of the sect leader to offer her this choice, but instead of being happy, she went on to abuse her luck. This was not the behavior of a righteous ascetic.
The sect leader's eyes narrowed slightly, but he nodded for her to continue.
"I trust you have a good reason for your choice." Although the words were nice, everyone could see it was half a threat. If You Mei did not have a good reason, he wouldn't let go of this matter until she was punished appropriately.
Little did they know that the girl wasn't even paying attention to them. "Can Li An see the future? How did she know about their reactions and what they would say?"
She shook her head and lifted her chin towards the podium. "The system of our sect is unjust towards those who are deemed untalented. Many disciples, like myself and my friend, are overlooked and disregarded because we do not possess natural gifts. I want to change this. I believe that strength and potential are not solely determined by talent, but by hard work and determination. I wish to prove that anyone, regardless of their initial abilities, can achieve greatness."
You Mei ignored the elders and stared deep into the eyes of the crowd.
"I have fought hard to be here," she continued. "And I know there are many others who have the same drive and determination but lack the opportunity to prove themselves. I want to be a part of changing this system, to create a place where effort and perseverance are valued as much as innate talent."
Clap
It started with an old outer sect disciple. He had tears falling from his wrinkled eyes as his trembling hands clapped in the middle of the silent audience.
Which of them could not relate to the oppression of the sect system?
They too had dreams! The cannon fodder were also cultivators who strived for the grand goal of immortality!
The despair of receiving a low talent at the age of 15 was something only they understood. But because they understood it, these outer sect disciples desired strength more than anyone else. Yet, why would the strong care about their needs? When did someone ever stand up for them?
Clap clap clap
It was just a small flame, an insignificant ember... but with You Mei's words, that ember burned as brightly as ever in their hearts.
Clap clap clap clap clap...
The disciples in the audience seats stood up and began clapping. Some were crying, some were expressionless, and some had sorrow in their eyes, but nobody was afraid.
What is cultivation? To defy the heavens, to defy your own fate and to defy yourself!
The sect leader's gaze became intense, his eyes studying the girl closely. "She is an unpolished jade. Today is a good day, for me to meet such a genius."
What he valued in You Mei wasn't her talent or her determination; it was her skill for politics. With just a few words, she got more than half of the sect on her side. If she worked alongside Jian Feng for the position of young leader, the opponents would be crushed by public opinion before strength even came into the picture.
"The Grand Elder and Elder Ye have been acting too cocky lately." The sect leader smiled and stepped forward.
"I like your words, disciple You Mei. Not only do you have talent, but you are also kind towards your fellow disciples. I will reward you with both the advancement to the inner sect and the opportunity of being my personal disciple. But if you choose to follow this path, you will face many challenges. How do you plan on dealing with them?"
You Mei met his smile with one of her own. She flexed one of her arms and grabbed the biceps with the other hand.
"I will make them eat my righteous fist!"