Chapter 268: Facing Tang Yuer!

Not unexpected, yet surprising.

Tianyu, Tang Yuer, and Ye Yuan all made it to the top four, while Luo Chengfeng was eliminated, shut out of the semifinals.

Saying it was not unexpected, Tianyu and Tang Yuer reaching the top four was only natural.

Saying it was surprising, before this competition, no one would have imagined that Number Fifty-Two could break into the top four!

The other entrant into the top four was named Sui Liang, one of the other two half-Condensation cultivators.

The semifinal matchups were also set: Ye Yuan versus Tang Yuer, Tianyu versus Sui Liang!

Tianyu versus Sui Liang was basically without suspense; the battle between Tang Yuer and Ye Yuan naturally became the focus of everyone's attention.

Ye Yuan had cut down every opponent in his path, even taking down Luo Chengfeng, which suddenly livened up the originally lifeless sect competition.

Everyone wanted to see just how far Ye Yuan could go!

Although Ye Yuan had defeated Luo Chengfeng before, shocking everyone, they also sensed that the fight between Ye Yuan and Luo Chengfeng was far from as easy as his fight with Zhang Jing.

And Tang Yuer's strength was not because Luo Chengfeng didn't use his weapon!

Everyone knew that even if Luo Chengfeng had used his weapon, the result would have been the same!

Therefore, the fight between Ye Yuan and Tang Yuer was even more suspenseful than his fight with Tianyu.

Tianyu used a sword, and whether he could gain an advantage against Ye Yuan was still uncertain. But Tang Yuer did not use a sword; if Ye Yuan could even defeat Tang Yuer, he would be just one step away from first place.

Yes, by the semifinals, Tianyu was no longer favored!

Not because he wasn't strong enough, but because he used a sword!

Tianyu's strength lay in his sword. But facing Ye Yuan, his sword became his greatest weakness!

The semifinals were about to begin, and the area around Ye Yuan and Tang Yuer's arena was packed to overflowing!

"Look! Isn't that Senior Brother Ti Wujiu? And Senior Brother Cheng Wu! Even elite disciples have come to watch Ye Yuan's match!"

"What's so strange about that? The elite disciples' competition is over; Senior Brother Wujiu won first place without dispute! And Senior Brother Cheng Wu placed third from last; he will have to fight the core disciples' first-place winner to assess his opponent's strength—that's only natural."

"Then why did Senior Brother Wujiu come?"

"Heh, with Ye Yuan's monstrous talent, it probably won't be long before he poses a threat to Senior Brother Wujiu. Isn't it normal for him to come and check out a future opponent? I reckon that today, quite a few elite disciples have come to watch!"

The elite disciples' competition had now completely concluded.

Ti Wujiu, with a record of nineteen wins and no losses, had indisputably secured first place among the elite disciples!

And Cheng Wu had ultimately failed to escape the bottom three. According to the sect's rules, he would have to engage in a final decisive battle with the core disciples' first-place winner to determine his fate.

So who won first place was crucial for Cheng Wu.

"Senior Brother Wujiu, in your opinion, who will take first place?" Cheng Wu asked somewhat nervously.

Ti Wujiu shook his head and said, "It's been a long time since the last competition; Tianyu and Tang Yuer have both made great progress. But how much they've improved, no one knows. And this time, a Ye Yuan has suddenly emerged; it's really hard to say who will come out on top."

Cheng Wu's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Do you think Ye Yuan might take down both Tang Yuer and Tianyu? Heh, if he could get first place, that would be great!"

Ti Wujiu glanced at Cheng Wu and laughed, "Heh, I think it's better if you don't run into Ye Yuan."

Cheng Wu was surprised, "No way? This Ye Yuan might be formidable, but I, Cheng Wu, can't possibly lose to someone at the fourth level of Liquid Elixir, can I?"

Cheng Wu was at the first level of Condensation; his strength, though near the bottom among elite disciples, was only so relative to them.

Facing the vast majority of core disciples, his talent was absolutely of the highest order.

Although Ye Yuan's talent was heaven-defying, Cheng Wu was a whole major realm above him; how could Ye Yuan possibly be his match?

This kind of realm suppression could not be reversed by talent alone!

Ti Wujiu said, "Ye Yuan's level of sword intent is beyond everyone's imagination! If I'm not mistaken, he may have already mastered the Azure Yang True Intent! Even if he hasn't fully mastered it, he's close. If you really run into him, be careful and don't be careless!"

Cheng Wu gasped in shock. He knew Ye Yuan's sword intent was strong, but he hadn't expected it to be this strong!

Even the sect leader hadn't mastered the Azure Yang True Intent, and Ye Yuan, at such a young age, had already done so?

No wonder he could handle his fight with Zhang Jing with such ease!

"Then Senior Brother means... Tianyu and Tang Yuer are in danger this time?"

Ti Wujiu shook his head, "I don't know that. Tianyu and Tang Yuer are both exceptionally talented and are at a much higher realm than Ye Yuan, so naturally they can put up a fight. What I'm curious to see now is... how Tianyu will deal with being suppressed in swordsmanship and what method he'll use to fight Ye Yuan!"

Cheng Wu was speechless. He had thought Ye Yuan was a soft target, but now it seemed no one was an easy opponent!

Cheng Wu knew Sui Liang's strength; barring surprises, the top three would be Tianyu, Tang Yuer, and Ye Yuan.

But the final ranking was hard to determine.

Tianyu, originally the most favored, now had less of an advantage than Tang Yuer.

Cheng Wu felt a bit bewildered.

...

On the arena, Tang Yuer, dressed in fiery red gauze, appeared cold and aloof.

Her peerless beauty was no less than that of Nanfeng and her niece.

But anyone who underestimated her because she was a stunning beauty would surely suffer greatly!

In the last competition, Tianyu had suffered greatly at Tang Yuer's hands and had nearly lost!

Tang Yuer coldly stared at Ye Yuan across from her and said, "Ye Yuan, you are indeed strong! But this is as far as you go!"

Ye Yuan was taken aback, not expecting Tang Yuer to be so aggressive right from the start.

"Haha, Senior Sister is not only beautiful but also has an imposing aura!" Ye Yuan laughed.

Tang Yuer's expression grew even colder, her impression of Ye Yuan worsening: "Hmph! Lecher! I'll make sure you look good later!"

Tang Yuer had lofty ambitions and looked down on most ordinary young disciples. So many in the sect secretly admired her, but few confessed their feelings.

Once, someone confessed to her and ended up bedridden for two months after being beaten. Since then, everyone could only keep their admiration in their hearts.

Ye Yuan's first words praising her beauty naturally led her to categorize him as a lecher.

Ye Yuan chuckled, "Senior Sister is as beautiful as a flower, yet you don't allow compliments—isn't that an affront to your beauty?"

Tang Yuer was furious: "Hmph! Truly an arrogant prodigy! I hope you can still laugh later!"