“A city's future strength depends on its younger generation. This year's martial competition will be judged by me. Anyone who makes it into the top eight will receive a reward.”

“In the last tournament, the top eight were: Liu Zhi from the Liu family, Lin Dongxue from the City Lord’s Mansion, Wu Feiming from the Wu family, Qin Guang from the Qin family, Liu Changyu from the Liu family, Qin Yi from the Qin family, Wu Ding from the Wu family, and Qian Rulong from the Qian family.”

“The competition will follow the same format as before, divided into two stages. The first stage is the qualifying round, where everyone except the previous top eight can compete. The top five from this stage earn the right to challenge last year’s top eight.”

“The second stage is the direct challenge round. If someone possesses at least Third-Rank Yellow-tier strength, they may bypass the qualifiers and directly challenge the previous top eight. If no one challenges them, then the top eight will compete among themselves to determine this year’s final rankings.”

“The competition begins now! Those wishing to enter the qualifiers, head to the side arena. Those strong enough to challenge directly, step onto the main stage. Let the tournament begin!” City Lord Lin Xiao's voice rang out, followed by the resounding beat of war drums in the distance.

Before the battles even started, Liu Wuhui sneered at Tang Ling, “Tang family is considered one of the Four Great Families of Yun City, yet not a single one of your younger generation made it into the top eight? How disgraceful! To think our families are even mentioned in the same breath!”

The crowd’s attention once again turned toward the Tang family. The ongoing rivalry between the Tang and Liu families had made this year's Mid-Autumn Festival particularly eventful.

Tang Ling, however, remained composed. He had expected such provocations and simply chuckled. “Earlier, when Yan’er joined the literary contest, your Liu family mocked us too. But in the end, who won? You, old dog, should stop barking when you don’t understand the situation.”

Even with his great self-restraint, Liu Wuhui almost lost his temper. He took a deep breath to calm himself before replying coldly, “A martial tournament is nothing like a literary contest. If I recall correctly, your grandson is only at Eighth-Rank Mortal-tier, correct? He doesn’t even qualify to challenge the top eight! The Tang family’s decline is truly pathetic.”

“Who are you calling pathetic?!” Tang Yan, ever the brazen troublemaker, immediately pointed at Liu Wuhui’s nose and cursed.

“You insolent brat!” The Liu family members glared at Tang Yan, their faces dark with anger.

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“Enough!” The City Lord’s voice rang with authority, silencing the tension. “This is a friendly competition. There is no need for this to escalate into a full-blown feud. Keep your decorum in front of Yun City's people!”

The Liu family dared not act out under the City Lord’s reprimand, but they couldn’t just let Tang Yan’s insults slide. Liu He, the eldest of the Liu family’s younger generation, stepped forward and said, “The Liu family simply finds it regrettable that the Tang family has no promising successors. No offense intended.”

Liu Jing, another Liu family member, chimed in with a smirk, “Indeed. A family’s sole heir, and he’s only at Eighth-Rank Mortal-tier. He might stand a chance against a Ninth-Rank Mortal, but against even a First-Rank Yellow-tier opponent, he’s nothing more than cannon fodder.”

Tang Yan scoffed. “Bullshit! That Liu Quan of yours was First-Rank Yellow-tier, and I beat him like a dog last time!”

Liu Jing’s face twitched at the reminder. His son, Liu Quan, had been heavily injured by Tang Yan, his cultivation permanently crippled. Furious, he spat, “Quan was careless! If it had been a fair fight, you would’ve been dead!”

Tang Yan sneered. “Shut up! Any Yellow-tier trash from your Liu family who steps up, I’ll cripple them all!”

The Liu family trembled with rage.

Liu He narrowed his eyes. “If you’re so confident, why don’t we make a bet? We’ll send out a First-Rank Yellow-tier fighter. If you defeat him, we’ll give you three Third-Rank Beast Cores. If you lose, your Tang family owes us three Third-Rank Beast Cores. Deal?”

Three Third-Rank Beast Cores were a hefty sum, tempting Tang Yan greatly.

But he knew he couldn’t appear too eager. If he agreed too easily and his grandfather didn’t object, the Liu family might grow suspicious and back out.

Tang Ling, understanding his grandson’s ploy, shot up and roared, “Shameless bastard! Why don’t you fight me instead? If I lose, I’ll give you a hundred Third-Rank Beast Cores!”

Liu He forced a laugh, unwilling to take the bait. He still hoped to get rid of Tang Yan. “The elder avoiding a fight while the younger hesitates—how pathetic! Do you accept or not? If not, have Tang Yan kneel and apologize to the Liu family!”

City Lord Lin Xiao, now intrigued by the Tang family’s boldness, remained silent and observed.

Tang Yan, feigning hesitation, then grinned. “Grandfather, don’t worry. Liu Quan was nothing. The others won’t be any better.”

Tang Ling sighed as if in reluctance. “Fine. Be careful. If you can’t win, just surrender.”

The two put on a convincing act, fooling the entire audience into believing Tang Yan was truly only at Eighth-Rank Mortal-tier.

Liu Wuhui, seizing the opportunity, turned to Lin Xiao. “City Lord, there’s still time before the tournament officially starts. Why not let Liu Xing and Tang Yan have a match first?”

Since both families had agreed and the match promised great entertainment, Lin Xiao nodded. “Very well. But keep in mind—this is a friendly match. If someone surrenders, the fight ends immediately. Any violation will be severely punished!”

Liu He called over a young fighter and whispered, “Don’t give him a chance to surrender.”

Liu Xing, a stocky young man built like an iron tower, nodded and stepped onto the stage with a long spear.

“Tang Yan is intelligent, but he’s not very bright,” someone in the audience whispered. “He doesn’t seem to understand that anyone below Yellow-tier is just an ant. Last time, he only won because Liu Quan was careless. He won’t be so lucky this time.”

“Yeah, with just Eighth-Rank Mortal-tier strength, he won’t last ten moves.”

The crowd murmured their doubts.

As both fighters took their positions, Lin Xiao raised his hand. “Begin!”