Dugu Fang spoke, "Next, we will enter the preliminary rounds. As usual, two will fight at a time, with the winner advancing and the loser being eliminated."
As he spoke, Dugu Fang waved his hand, and countless small stone plates suddenly appeared in the air. These stone plates turned into streaks of light, landing in front of each Outer Sect disciple in the square.
Lu Yi took the floating stone plate in front of him and glanced at it. It was inscribed with: 101-25.
Lu Yi was somewhat familiar with this process. Although he had never participated in the Outer Sect tournament before, he had watched it several times.
The number in front indicated the platform number, and the number after was the sequence of the match. Combined, it meant Platform 101, Match 25.
This Martial Arena was extremely large, with a total of 320 platforms. Platform 101 was relatively upfront.
At this moment, Wang Wulian beside him checked his own stone plate and said, "I'm on Platform 28. What about you all?"
Lu Ling smiled slightly, "I'm on Platform 211."
Wang Xinqi said, "I'm on Platform 7."
The three of them looked at Lu Yi. Lu Yi smiled, "Platform 101."
Instantly, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Wang Xinqi laughed, "Luckily, I'm not on the same platform as Junior Brother Lu; otherwise, I'd be in trouble."
"Yeah, with Junior Brother Lu Yi's strength, if we were on the same platform and had bad luck, we might get eliminated in the early rounds," Wang Wulian nodded in agreement.
Lu Yi laughed, "You all flatter me, senior brothers. I am not that strong."
The three of them rolled their eyes, not believing Lu Yi's modesty. Didn't they all know how strong this guy was?
As they were chatting, Dugu Fang's voice sounded again, "All right, all participating disciples proceed to your designated platform area, and referees, take your positions."
As soon as Dugu Fang's words fell, one steward after another descended from the sky onto each platform. They were the referees for this Outer Sect tournament.
Lu Yi smiled at the three of them, "I wish you all the best of luck, senior brothers."
The three of them exchanged glances and nodded.
Lu Ling laughed, "Thank you, Junior Brother! With your words, you will surely win in the arena too."
Wang Wulian grinned and laughed heartily, "I'm heading out first!"
Wang Xinqi, feeling a bit nervous, smiled, "I'm leaving too."
The four parted ways, and Lu Yi walked towards Platform 101.
Soon, he found Platform 101. Below the platform, over a hundred people were already standing—Outer Sect disciples who would compete on this platform.
These disciples initially wore relaxed expressions, but their faces stiffened upon seeing Lu Yi.
"Brother Lu?!"
"Oh crap, how did I get so unlucky to be on the same platform as Brother Lu?!"
"Ahhh!! I was hoping to reach the top 1,000! I hope I don't run into Junior Brother Lu in the early rounds..."
The Outer Sect disciples looked absolutely despairing.
Lu Yi felt innocent; it wasn't like he could choose which platform he got assigned to.
The steward on the platform, named Feng Tian, was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. Naturally, he also recognized Lu Yi, who had recently gained considerable fame in the Outer Sect, and couldn't help but glance a few more times.
He had to admit, Lu Yi was indeed quite good-looking, probably very popular among the girls. But, was his strength as formidable as the rumors claimed?
They would find out soon enough.
Once all the Outer Sect disciples found their platforms, Dugu Fang, on the Central Platform, announced, "The matches can begin."
After speaking, Dugu Fang flew into the sky and joined the other elders.
A middle-aged man with black hair smiled slightly, "Grand Elder, you have worked hard."
Dugu Fang looked at the platforms below and said indifferently, "The Outer Sect is where our White Cloud Sect cultivates its elites. The Outer Sect tournament is of utmost importance. As the Outer Elder, this is my duty. How could it be hard?"
"The Grand Elder is righteous!"
"We should all learn from the Grand Elder."
The elders all chimed in.
Dugu Fang sighed, "Unfortunately, the number of people passing the preliminary rounds hasn't increased much this year. It seems we do not have many talented individuals..."
Hearing this, Qi Feiyu from the Affairs Hall laughed, "Grand Elder, I must disagree. You've been in seclusion this month, so you may not know. Our Outer Sect has recently produced a genius."
Hearing this, Dugu Fang was taken aback and looked at Qi Feiyu, curiously asking, "Oh? What kind of genius?"
"I believe the other elders may know. That Lu Yi from White Spirit Peak has cultivated the White Cloud Sword Technique to the 'Regain Simplicity' realm," Qi Feiyu smiled.
"Lu Yi? I have indeed heard his name lately. They say his comprehension is quite good."
"Yes, I heard Lin Feng invited Liu Ningshuang to lecture recently. Liu Zhenchuan thought highly of Lu Yi."
"With such comprehension, he might very well become a Core Disciple in the future."
The elders all discussed Lu Yi one after another.
Hearing their discussion, Dugu Fang's eyes lit up, and he said, "To comprehend the White Cloud Sword Technique to the 'Regain Simplicity' realm? That comprehension is indeed extraordinary. In our White Cloud Sect, those who can bring Arts to the Returning True realm have all achieved significant success. And to gain Liu Zhenchuan's favor? He might even have a chance to breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage!"
The more Dugu Fang spoke, the happier he became. He asked, "How old is this Lu Yi?"
"This..." The elders exchanged glances. As elders, how would they know the age of others?
At this moment, Qi Feiyu smiled slightly and said, "Lu Yi's parents are stewards in our White Cloud Sect, working in my Affairs Hall. I've looked into it; the child is only sixteen and recently broke through to the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer."
"Only sixteen? Excellent!" Dugu Fang smiled, "Which platform is Lu Yi on?"
Qi Feiyu, having paid attention from the beginning, directly pointed, "He's on Platform 101."
......
Following Dugu Fang's announcement, Feng Tian on the platform said, "Alright, number ones, come up."
Immediately, two cultivators with stone plates marked as number one leapt onto the platform.
Lu Yi glanced at them. Both cultivators were at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. In fact, the majority of cultivators who passed the preliminary rounds were at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, followed by Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer and Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.
Reaching the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer, the number within the entire White Cloud Sect's Outer Sect was not many, just over a thousand. Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer was even rarer, and as for Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, there were fewer than ten.
The two Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer disciples bowed to each other and then started fighting. Lu Yi initially watched with interest, but he soon became bored. Neither of them had mastered their Arts very well—one had reached Small Success, and the other hadn't even achieved that. Watching their flawed moves, Lu Yi felt secondhand embarrassment.
With such Arts, he could defeat them with his eyes closed...
After a while, the disciple with Small Success Arts gained the upper hand and won.
As the first match ended, the second match started quickly. As the matches went on, Lu Yi was getting drowsy from waiting.
Thinking of how many rounds he still had to compete in on this platform, Lu Yi put on a pained expression.