Chapter 199: Chapter 199: Seeing Mu Feiyu Again

"ROAR!"

The moment Chen Yu’s voice fell, a wave of cheers erupted throughout the Martial Arts Arena. The disciples’ enthusiasm soared to the heavens!

"Next, will the participating disciples please come forward to draw lots!"

With that, dozens of Elders from the Law Enforcement Hall wheeled out several wooden chests filled with bamboo slips. The participating disciples then lined up to draw their lots one by one.

Shen Haoran did a quick mental calculation. There were over three thousand participants this time, with ten Martial Arts Arenas, meaning three hundred disciples per arena. This grand competition was a single-elimination tournament; lose one match, and you were out. Half the disciples would be eliminated after each round. The competition was clearly going to be fierce!

After several rounds of matches, the top three from each Martial Arts Arena would be chosen to participate in the final championship battle. The ultimate victor would be crowned the champion of this Sect Grand Competition!

While Shen Haoran was lost in thought, most of the disciples ahead of him had already drawn their lots. Now, it was his turn.

Shen Haoran hummed thoughtfully and casually drew a slip. He glanced at the engraving: "Arena eight, number fifty-three."

An Elder at his side recorded the result. "Shen Haoran, Martial Arts Arena eight, disciple number fifty-three. Your opponent will be the disciple who draws number fifty-four. You can head over to Arena eight and wait."

Hearing this, Shen Haoran nodded and turned to walk toward Martial Arts Arena number eight.

"Boss, wait up!" Suddenly, a voice from behind called out, stopping Shen Haoran. He turned to see Zi Mo walking toward him.

"Boss, let me see your lot," Zi Mo said, winking.

"Here." Shen Haoran handed his slip to Zi Mo. After a glance, Zi Mo patted his chest and let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness. I didn’t get assigned to the same arena as you. That would’ve been a disaster!"

Shen Haoran found it rather amusing to see Zi Mo acting as if he’d just dodged a bullet.

"What about Ruolan and the others?" Shen Haoran asked.

"Ruolan is in Arena three, I’m in five, and that kid Long Zhen is in one. I think Long Mo and Brother Su are both in ten," Zi Mo said after a moment of thought.

Shen Haoran nodded. ’Good. None of the Yao Sect members were grouped together. Otherwise, just making it out of the preliminaries would have been a problem.’

"However, it looks like some of the Chen Alliance people got matched with us. It’s going to be a tough fight. I’m not worried about you and Long Mo, but Long Zhen and Shui Ruolan might have some trouble..." Zi Mo said grimly. The key members of the Chen Alliance were all top-ten experts on the Dragon and Tiger List. The matches for Long Zhen and Shui Ruolan could be quite difficult.

Shen Haoran, however, had faith in them. ’Even if they can’t qualify in first place, getting second or third shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, Long Zhen and Shui Ruolan are no pushovers.’

"Hm?" While Shen Haoran and Zi Mo were talking, he suddenly felt a surge of killing intent from behind. Shen Haoran turned, his brow furrowed as he looked at the newcomer.

The one slowly approaching was none other than Mu Feiyu of the Cyan Wood Hall. The scholarly air he once had was long gone, replaced by a ruthless aura. That, combined with the hideous scar on his face, made for a terrifying sight.

"Shen Haoran, you really are lucky. Arena eight seems to have gathered a bunch of trash!" Mu Feiyu said coolly, glancing at the bamboo slip in Shen Haoran’s hand.

"Brat, who are you talking about? Say that again if you’ve got the guts!" Hearing Mu Feiyu dare to insult Shen Haoran, Zi Mo’s temper flared. He pointed a finger at Mu Feiyu’s nose and roared.

"Heh, so you’ve found yourself a patron. Are you only good for hiding behind other people?" Mu Feiyu said with a disdainful look at Zi Mo. Last time, Shen Haoran had hidden behind Long Mo; this time, it was some fatty.

After his defeat at Shen Haoran’s hands, Mu Feiyu had left the sect to train alone and had only just returned yesterday. He knew nothing about Shen Haoran establishing the Yao Sect, which is why he mistook Zi Mo for Shen Haoran’s backer.

"You little punk, you..." Enraged, Zi Mo took a step forward, ready to teach Mu Feiyu a lesson, but Shen Haoran stopped him.

"Just a sore loser. What right do you have to criticize others?" Shen Haoran said calmly, completely unfazed by Mu Feiyu’s provocations.

"Sore loser? HAHA! If it weren’t for Long Mo’s interference, it’s not certain who would have been defeated!" Mu Feiyu sneered.

"Is that so?" Shen Haoran replied noncommittally.

Seeing Shen Haoran’s indifferent expression, Mu Feiyu’s resentment surged. He hated that look on Shen Haoran’s face—that expression of looking down on everything. It had been the same during the new disciple assessment, the same during the arena challenge, and it was still the same now, even when facing the vastly more powerful version of himself. At this thought, a terrifying aura erupted from his body, startling the nearby Martial Artists. The powerful gust of wind made Shen Haoran’s robes flutter despite the still air.

"This time, I’ll pay you back a hundredfold for what you did to me!" Mu Feiyu roared, his expression savage as he touched the horrific scar on his face. In order to crush Shen Haoran under his foot once more, he had gone out to train, surviving by the skin of his teeth in a place where men ate men. He had suffered inhuman treatment, and the scar on his face was a memento from that time. He blamed Shen Haoran for all of it, and he would repay him a hundred times over during this Sect Grand Competition!

Shen Haoran’s eyes narrowed slightly. Unbothered by Mu Feiyu’s oppressive aura, he replied coolly, "I’ll be waiting."

"No fighting is permitted before the Grand Competition begins!" Just as the two were locked in a standoff, a sharp roar cut through the air. An Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall hurried over, frowning at them both.

At this, Mu Feiyu retracted his aura. He shot Shen Haoran a cold glare and said, "I hope you make it out of the preliminaries. Otherwise, you won’t even be worthy of me making a move!"

"The same goes for you," Shen Haoran retorted, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

"Hmph!" Mu Feiyu snorted and turned to leave.

"Boss, who the hell is that arrogant brat?" Zi Mo asked resentfully, watching Mu Feiyu’s retreating back.

"It’s nothing. Just someone unimportant. Let’s go, the competition is about to start," Shen Haoran said dismissively, shaking his head. He then walked toward the arena, with Zi Mo following close behind.

Arriving at Martial Arts Arena eight, they found that most of the participants were already in place. Shen Haoran quickly hurried into the line. After looking around, he confirmed that there were indeed no particularly strong opponents in Arena eight. His luck really was quite good. However, he did spot two familiar faces: Guan Zhi and Li Ge from the Chen Alliance!

Guan Zhi was currently staring at Shen Haoran with a venomous expression. Because of Shen Haoran, he had been castrated by Ouyang Chen. Now, just seeing him sent a phantom ache through his groin, filling him with shame and fury. All he could think about was making Shen Haoran taste the pain of losing his manhood!

"Sigh. Why do I have so many enemies?" Shen Haoran couldn’t help but facepalm with a wry smile. ’I really am a magnet for trouble, aren’t I?’

However, Shen Haoran merely shot Guan Zhi a glance before ignoring him. These people had all come looking for trouble with him first; he had only retaliated. His principle was simple: if others don’t bother me, I won’t bother them. But if they insist on crossing me, I will pay them back a hundredfold!