Chapter 46: A Frustrating Victory

  Lin Zhanbei sat in the stands, his body slightly raised, with a mocking gaze in his sharp eyes that was not concealed at all. He leaned against the back of the chair and said seemingly calmly: "I really didn't expect there to be such a way of fighting. The Qin family's children are indeed extraordinary, I'm ashamed to admit that I'm inferior."

  "Indeed, it's quite clever." Lan Yi took over the conversation, a refined smile on his pale face, but with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "It seems you've finally figured things out and are no longer as reckless as before. It's truly unexpected. But is this change for better or worse?"

  Behind the two, several small family heads who had long been attached to them also echoed in agreement. On the contrary, the faces of the families that were originally close to the Qin family did not look good. Many people began to question their own choices in their hearts, and some even secretly thought about finding an opportunity to attach themselves to the Lin family, but as soon as these family heads' eyes met the old man sitting quietly in his wheelchair with his eyes closed, that small idea was suppressed again.

  Qin Feng turned around, looked at Qin Hao with a serious expression. Qin Hao shrugged and replied with a calm smile, "Father, I'll give you an explanation."

  Qin Feng nodded slightly and shifted his gaze back, continuing to focus on the situation in the field.

  Qin Hao's eyes gazed out of the arena, some onlookers started shouting, their tone overflowing with intense dissatisfaction, and those who had placed bets on Qin's family even began to curse openly.

  "Are you guys losing face? You're getting worse with more practice."

  "I don't know what Qin Yi would think if he saw this situation."

  "Hmph, I shouldn't have held you back in the first place. The Qin family should hurry up and step down."

  "Get out of here."

  The shouting grew louder and louder, but the lord of the castle seemed to have completely ignored it, with no intention of stopping.

  Qin Hao looked at the ten people who were still fully focused on the fight, unaffected, and finally a relieved smile appeared on his face.

  They would have gone all out and launched a crazy attack if they had heard these words earlier. But at this moment, they seemed to have not heard the words of others at all.

  Whether you laugh at me or scold me, it has nothing to do with me. I remain calm and peaceful like still water, undisturbed by ripples.

  The competition in the arena is still ongoing, and as time goes by, results are constantly being announced.

  In the eastern part, the trial had reached its final moment. With the last Huang family youngster being swept out of the arena, the Huang family was completely eliminated, ending in defeat. In the northern region of the Huang family, the Du family's youngsters finally forced their opponents out of the arena, achieving victory at the cost of nine out of ten people being eliminated. The mediocre Du family performed reasonably well, successfully defeating their opponents with only three people being knocked out of the arena. As for the Mu family, although they made it through, it was laughable that only one person, Mu Chen Dong, remained standing.

  Gradually, the people left in the field became fewer and fewer. Those who were eliminated or passed left the trial area, leaving only the Qin family's trial still in progress. The nine pieces of medicinal plaster stuck to the black-clothed martial artist, making him feel extremely stifled. At this time, the situation in the field was almost no different from when it first started.

  Right in the center, the light emitted by that crystal stone became fainter and fainter, gradually disappearing. Along with the last burst of light, the light inside the crystal stone also completely disappeared at this moment.

  The first round of trials came to an end at this moment. All ten members of the Qin family passed with a posture that was extremely contemptible.

  Sixteen families, only eight of whom passed the first round. The Qin and Lin families all made it through, while nine members of the Lan family passed. Most of the other families had around six or seven members pass, with the fewest being

  Lan Yi let out a cold snort, his expression looking extremely disdainful. No wonder he was seething with anger in his heart. Originally, apart from the Lin family, the number of people who passed through the other families was less than that of the Lin family. He didn't expect the Qin family to pass through in such a manner, with every single one of them succeeding - how could this not infuriate him?

  Fortunately, Qin Shan and his team did not knock their opponents out of the field in the end, but dragged them until the time was up, which made him feel a lot more at ease. Just from this point alone, the gap between the two teams' performance is already immeasurable.

  All the warriors who had not been eliminated sat down in the arena, quietly meditating to recover their internal energy and preparing for the second round of trials. The fiery atmosphere also subsided slightly at this moment, giving everyone a brief respite.

  Half a time later, the people who had passed the scene finally restored the mysterious energy to its full glory, and the second trial also began at this moment.

  A dark-faced middle-aged man held four slips of paper and had the players draw lots to decide their opponents. Qin Yuxian, Lin Feng, Lan He, and Du Wei all stepped forward at the same time, each drawing a slip of paper, then simultaneously opening them to reveal their contents.

  The atmosphere was oppressive, with a hint of anxiety, and many people stood on tiptoes, stretching their necks to look at the notice. The other four who were waiting to be selected through family members also had anxious hearts.

  Lin, Lan, and Du each had their own small family, which was quite normal. However, when Qin Yuxian's slender hand revealed the sign, even the usually calm Qin Hao couldn't help but smile slightly at the corner of his mouth.

  On the strip of paper, the crimson "wood" character was exceptionally clear. The Qin family's opponent was the Wood family, and the only person left in the Wood family who could take the stage was Mu Chen Dong, also known as the poor man who was beaten by Qin Yu Xian until he was covered in bruises at the city lord's mansion that night...

  Mu Chen Dong was also taken aback, initially he planned to play a few rounds on the court, if things didn't go well, he would directly concede, after all, the other nine had already been eliminated, leaving only him with a faint glimmer of hope...

  It just so happens that his opponent is Qin Yuxian. No matter what, he doesn't want to show weakness in front of Qin Yuxian. With no other choice, he can only force himself to walk up to Qin Yuxian. The eager eyes and clenched fists of Qin Ze and others behind Qin Yuxian make him feel a bit apprehensive. He musters up his courage and tries to put on a brilliant smile for Qin Yuxian.

  "Please advise me, Mu Gongzi." Qin Yuxian said with a cold expression. Mu Chen Dong smiled wryly and cupped his hands together, looking helpless.

  Everyone stood in their positions, and then Ji Fan walked to the central crystal stone of the square, bent his fingers, and a stream of mysterious energy was injected. The crystal stone's light shone again.

  The ten members of the Qin family rose up simultaneously and rushed towards Mu Chen Dong.

  Qin Yuxian fought with great ease, without using too much of her mysterious energy. Her beautiful figure fluttered and danced in the arena, exceptionally delightful to behold. However, Qin Shan, Qin Ze, Qin Chao and others still moved roughly as before, lacking technique, throwing out moves like Wang Ba Quan and Hei Hu Tou Xin one after another without stopping.

  I thought that with a ten-to-one ratio, the Qin family's young masters might pick out the strongest one to go up, and the rest would watch from the side. But I didn't expect them to still be as despicable as before, showing no mercy at all.

  Even a Lingxuan realm warrior could only barely defend himself, let alone Mu Chen Dong, who was only at the eighth level of Congxuan. In an instant, Gao Pan stood tall, and Mu Chen Dong became a helpless sandbag. He blocked Qin Shan's punch, but was swept by Qin Ze's shoulder; he struggled to neutralize Qin Ze's attack, but almost got hit by Qin Tuo's Black Tiger Heart-Striking Fist.

  Mu Chen Dong's response became increasingly weak, and eventually he didn't even have the strength to respond at all. He couldn't even muster up the energy to shout out "I give up".

  In the end, the outcome was that Mu Chen Dong occasionally punched out a few palms, swept out a few legs, and spent the rest of the time running around the edge of the field, panting and almost vomiting blood. Qin Shan, Qin Ze, and Qin Chao, on the other hand, were tirelessly and fervently chasing after him with burning eyes. Qin Yu Xian simply stood aside, watching the scene with a hint of a smile in her eyes. After a while, Mu Chen Dong was exhausted and stopped, only to be caught by Qin Shan and others, who then carried him on their shoulders like a sandbag and threw him away. This outcome left most people speechless and stunned.

  After a while, the results of the other three places also appeared. Without any suspense, all three families won with ease. The Lin family directly knocked out their opponent, who was lying on the ground gasping for breath and didn't even have the strength to get up. As for the Lan and Du families, they were equally efficient and eliminated their opponents without suffering any losses.

  The small family, in this kind of competition, most of the time is just a supporting role. With their lack of depth and strength, it's already comforting that they can pass the first round. As for the outcome, it was expected. What's truly unexpected, or perhaps disappointing, might be only the Qin family.

  "Luck isn't bad either." Lin Zhanbei stood up straight and walked to Qin Feng's right side, saying lightly: "It's just unknown whether the luck will still be that good afterwards."

  Lan Yi also stood up with a smile, walked to Qin Feng's left side, and said slowly: "Master Qin, if what comes next makes you lose face, then I'll apologize first."

  "Suit yourselves, if you can really do it." Qin Feng said indifferently.

  Three people stood shoulder to shoulder, their eyes cast downward, quietly watching without anyone saying another word. Behind them, some shop owners and market stall holders exchanged a deep and meaningful glance without saying anything.

  In the center of the square, Ji Fan's eyes swept across the outside of the field, and the voices of the onlookers suddenly stopped. His right hand rose high, and the four young men from different families gathered around him without prior agreement, waiting for what he was about to say.

  "Congratulations, you've passed the first round." Ji Fan said with a hint of praise on his face: "The next trial is very simple. In this arena, free fighting, whoever stands to the end will be the winner."

  As soon as Ji Fan's voice fell, the people from the four families unconsciously retreated a few steps to a certain place behind them. The Qin and Du families stood in two separate locations, while the Lin and Lan families stood extremely close together, apparently intending to cooperate first.

  Everyone's eyes were on guard against each other, and many people's feet had not fully stepped on the ground, but a part of them left the ground, ready to jump up at any time.

  "Blue and, first solve how they? Too eye-catching." Lin Feng sneered with a smile, his voice also said quite loudly.

  "In that case, let's go and settle the Du family first." Lan He nodded slightly, tapped his toes, and darted towards the direction of the Du family, with the eight members of the Lan family following closely behind.

  "Up!" Lin Feng's voice rang out, and he led the charge against Qin Yu Xian. As his voice sounded out, the other nine people also moved at the same time, splitting to either side of Lin Feng as they pounced forward.