SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Ghostly patterns appeared on Li Zhaotong’s arms. The speed and power of his strikes instantly rose by more than a level. After another dozen exchanges, Cui Weining of the Duan Kong Style could no longer defend himself. A single chop struck his arm, sending his entire body flying off the stage.

The most terrifying part was that Cui Weining’s powerful arm, covered by his Qi Surge, was shattered and grotesquely twisted by that single chop. One could only imagine the terrifying force behind that strike.

The crowd below the stage gasped, stunned by the power of that Hand Blade.

"Cui Weining of the Duan Kong Style. So this is all you amount to. You’re still a long way from beating me."

On the stage, a smile touched the corner of Li Zhaotong’s lips. With his monstrous arms and bristling hair and beard, he looked utterly terrifying.

"To think someone of Cui Weining’s strength would be defeated so quickly, without even injuring his opponent. Li Zhaotong is just too strong!"

"His Qi Surge can be amplified to that extent? His arms are thicker than my thighs! How in the world does he do that?"

"Li Zhaotong was in the top three of the Ten Heroes last time. Of course he’s incredibly strong."

"..."

Watching Li Zhaotong’s figure leave the stage, a wave of discussion rose from the crowd below, everyone marveling at the strength he had displayed.

They were all at the peak of Cross-Training, yet the gap between them could be so vast. Many couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.

People and Secret Transmissions were never created equal.

Zhao Xuanqi took all of this in, a flicker of interest in his eyes. He had noticed a few things.

’His opponent’s arms, chest, and back seem to have undergone modifications that push beyond human limits,’ he thought. ’It allows his Power Generation and Qi and Blood circulation to reach a terrifying level. It’s actually the same principle as my Hundred Beasts Mystic Gate, just with different specifics in the modification.’

The four major schools under the Giant Spirit Sect were renowned Martial Arts Schools throughout the south. Their Secret Martial Dao could be considered first-rate, far stronger than an ordinary Secret Transmission.

’However, based on his performance, the body modification of the Brake Pattern Blade seems limited to his arms, chest, and back, as those are the parts necessary for his chopping strikes. The modifications to other parts of his body aren’t as pronounced.’

’If a first-rate Secret Transmission is at this level, then the top-tier Secret Transmissions of this world shouldn’t be any weaker than my Hundred Beasts Fist.’

Soon, all the matches for the round of 32 were over.

After a thirty-minute break, the matches to advance from the top 16 to the top 8 were about to begin.

During the rest period, a low murmur suddenly spread through the venue. The crowd looked up to the second floor and saw a squad of uniformed soldiers escorting two figures who were walking briskly into the spectator area. Several middle-aged martial artists from the Martial Arts Association Committee immediately stood up, beaming as they went forward to greet them.

Zhao Xuanqi saw that of the two people being escorted, one was a man nearly 1.9 meters tall, dressed in casual black clothes, with a calm and indifferent expression. Beside him was a Caucasian woman, nearly 1.8 meters tall. Her golden hair flowed freely, her features were delicate, her figure was graceful, and her pair of sapphire-blue eyes were captivating.

’Who are they? Why the grand entrance?’

Zhao Xuanqi was slightly puzzled.

"Is that him? The strongest of the Giant Spirit Sect’s younger generation of True Inheritance disciples, Zhou Lie, the one known as the ’Stone Monarch’?"

"It’s really him? No wonder he has such a grand entourage."

"A True Inheritance disciple from the Giant Spirit Sect came to watch? In previous years, no True Inheritance disciples from the Giant Spirit Sect ever appeared at the Martial Arts Association."

"Of course not. This is just a paltry Martial Arts Association, a civilian event at the end of the day. Even the four major schools are in a completely different league from the Giant Spirit Sect. The True Inheritance disciples of the Giant Spirit Sect have never considered the members of the four major schools to be their rivals."

"..."

The murmurs from the crowd answered Zhao Xuanqi’s unspoken questions.

"A True Inheritance disciple of the Giant Spirit Sect, huh?"

Zhao Xuanqi narrowed his eyes slightly. He found himself quite interested in this man.

After a round of pleasantries on the second floor, everyone returned to their seats.

"Are you also interested in this little Martial Arts Association?"

The beautiful, elf-like Caucasian woman sat beside Zhou Lie, her sapphire-blue eyes sweeping over the crowd on the first floor as she spoke in a flat tone.

"Whether I’m interested or not is irrelevant. I’m in charge of supervising the various Martial Arts Halls in the region this time, so I need to have a proper understanding. What’s written in a file is never as good as seeing it in person. If you’re not interested, you don’t have to follow me around."

Zhou Lie said coolly, his expression indifferent.

"Forget it. It doesn’t matter. Staying by your side is my father’s order. I’ll just treat it as a way to kill time."

The Caucasian woman said, looking bored.

’It’s just the tiny Yuehai Martial Arts Association, and it’s filled with second-rate schools. I really can’t muster any interest.’

’I heard the top ten in the Martial Arts Association get the title of Ten Heroes? How ridiculous. These people might be considered masters in Yuehai, or even in the south of the Divine Land, but in the context of the entire Divine Land, or even the whole world, these so-called geniuses are nothing but insignificant specks of dust.’

’Their level is still too low.’

Only someone on the same level as Zhou Lie of the Giant Spirit Sect was worthy of her attention.

Meanwhile, the thirty-minute rest period ended, and the matches to advance from the top 16 to the top 8 officially began.

This time, the matches were not held simultaneously as before. Instead, the eight matches would be held one by one. This was the most exciting and eye-catching stage of the entire Martial Arts Association.

The Battle for the Ten Heroes!

The matchups and order were, as always, determined by a random draw.

On the second-floor viewing platform, the chief judge of the Martial Arts Association Committee held a red box and drew the first combatant for the first match.

"Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Qi!"

The chief judge announced loudly, his voice echoing throughout the venue.

’The first match again?’

Zhao Xuanqi paused for a moment, then slowly rose and walked toward the stage.

The chief judge once again put his hand into the red box, drew a second slip of paper, and announced after opening it:

"Sha Blade Sect, Li Zhaotong!"

At that, Li Zhaotong, who had been waiting at the side, looked at Zhao Xuanqi on the stage, a smile spreading across his face.

After watching the fight between Zhao Xuanqi and Ruan Yuanhe, he had become intensely interested in the biggest dark horse of this Martial Arts Association.

"Zhao Qi from the Xiaolin Martial Arts Hall? The one who defeated Ruan Yuanhe of the Primordial Saint Sect? He’s the biggest dark horse of this year’s Martial Arts Association!"

"So what if he’s a dark horse? I think this is where his run ends. Strength is important, but so is luck. Facing Li Zhaotong in the round of 16, he probably won’t even get a chance to fight for the last two seats. Didn’t you see what happened to Cui Weining just now? He was also Quasi-Ten Heroes Level, and he got his arm snapped by a single chop. It was too brutal."

"True. He’s one of the top three from last year, after all. A dark horse is just a dark horse, but a true powerhouse is always a true powerhouse."

"..."

Waves of discussion spread as the two took the stage. Many in the audience who had been optimistic about Zhao Xuanqi’s strength, thinking he might be able to claim a spot among the Ten Heroes, now feared he would be stopped in the top 16.

A person’s reputation precedes them.

Compared to Zhao Xuanqi, the crowd undoubtedly had more faith in Li Zhaotong’s fame and strength.