Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 290: Chapter 290 The Individual Competition Begins

Inside Li Qingfeng’s room, Ye Qingchen, Venerable Heize, and the others were all silent. Seeing the gloomy atmosphere, Li Qingfeng was the one who spoke to break the awkward silence. ”In this team competition, Ziyun Sect won first place, and Yuhua Sect managed to win second!”

Venerable Heize snorted coldly and cursed, ”A sect that plays so shamelessly actually got second place. What dog-shit luck!”

Ye Qingchen, however, seemed unconcerned. ”Luck is a part of strength,” he said. ”And the tactics Yuhua Sect used weren’t wrong.”

Seeing Ye Qingchen recover his fighting spirit so quickly, Li Qingfeng nodded in approval and continued, ”Everyone, don’t be discouraged. We still have a great advantage in the individual competition. I’ve already drawn lot numbers for everyone, and the individual competition will officially start tomorrow. The rules are the same—advancing earns one point, and the final score will be added to the team competition’s total for the final ranking!”

Afterward, Li Qingfeng gave Ye Qingchen a rundown of past individual competitions before sending him back to get some rest.

The next day, the individual competition officially began.

Compared to the number of spectators from the previous day, the first round of the individual competition was just as explosive as the team finals. After all, team competitions emphasized tactical cooperation, which made the battles seem less intense. The individual competition was different. It was about raw, life-and-death struggles. The brutal, flesh-on-flesh combat was far more effective at igniting people’s primal instincts!

One thousand sects, three thousand competitors, and one hundred stages held matches simultaneously.

Unlike the team competition, however, there was no time limit for individual matches. By the end of the first day, the top five hundred contestants had to be decided, and they would move on to the next day’s competition.

Ye Qingchen’s luck was decent. His opponents today were all experts at the Seventh Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. He dispatched them with ease and then resumed wandering between the stages to observe the battles of other experts.

This kind of competition was undeniably brutal. Some people clearly had the strength to enter the top fifty, but because of an unlucky draw in the first round, they were forced to face a stronger opponent and were tragically eliminated.

But of course, the old saying still held true: luck was a part of strength.

After the day’s matches ended, Ye Qingchen returned to his accommodations to continue cultivating.

The next day’s competition proceeded without any major upsets. Ye Qingchen, Li Qingfeng, and Venerable Heize all smoothly advanced into the top one hundred, qualifying for the third day. After two days of fighting, continuous observation, and consuming many Low-grade Spirit Stones, Ye Qingchen’s strength reached the peak of the Fourth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm. However, when he tried to break through to the Fifth Layer, he found himself unable to, no matter how hard he tried.

Ye Qingchen then stopped his cultivation, devoting himself entirely to improving his Martial Soul and Soul Power.

On the third day of the individual competition, only one hundred contestants remained. Ye Qingchen was secretly relieved that in the past three days, he hadn’t had the misfortune of being matched against Li Qingfeng or Hei Ze. Otherwise, it would have been an incredibly frustrating situation to have to eliminate one of their own.

”Li Qingfeng, are you number seventy-three?”

Just as Li Qingfeng and the others were watching another match, a dissonant voice cut in. Ye Qingchen turned to see Feng Xingpo from Cangqiong Sect and Lie Buqun from Shenhuo Sect.

Li Qingfeng looked at them with irritation and replied coldly, ”What does my number have to do with you?”

Feng Xingpo burst into laughter. ”I’m surprised someone of your strength actually managed to make it into the top one hundred. But your luck ends here, because your opponent in the second round is me!”

Feng Xingpo was an expert at the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm, while Li Qingfeng was only at the Eighth Layer. Thus, Feng Xingpo was extremely confident he could defeat him. Upon learning Li Qingfeng was his next opponent, he couldn’t wait to come over and taunt him.

Li Qingfeng’s brow furrowed. Although he despised Feng Xingpo’s character, his opponent was indeed stronger than him. If they really fought, his chances of winning were slim.

Seeing Li Qingfeng’s frown, Venerable Heize immediately interjected, ”The match hasn’t even started. It’s not certain who will win. Don’t be the one padding our Sect Leader’s score, Feng Xingpo. That would be a huge embarrassment!”

Venerable Heize understood that their morale couldn’t falter before the battle began, regardless of the outcome. To do so would only make the fight harder.

But after Venerable Heize spoke, Lie Buqun, who was standing to the side, let out a loud laugh. ”Hei Ze, you’d better worry about yourself. I forgot to tell you, your second-round opponent is me. Your luck ends here as well!”

Venerable Heize’s brow twitched. Lie Buqun was a powerhouse at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm, his strength surpassing his own. If he truly had to face Lie Buqun, Hei Ze also felt his chances of winning were slim.

Feng Xingpo roared with laughter and said to Lie Buqun, ”Sect Leader Lie, are we overestimating this Qingyun Sect? I reckon they won’t even survive their first match, so they won’t have to face us. Hahahaha!”

Lie Buqun also laughed, then said coldly to Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze, ”I hope you two put up a good fight. Don’t disappoint me. When the time comes, we will personally throw you off the stage. With us here, your Qingyun Sect can forget about ever being promoted to a Two-Star Sect!”

Having said their piece, Lie Buqun and Feng Xingpo turned and left to prepare for their own first-round battles.

In their minds, they had already sentenced Qingyun Sect to death. But they had both overlooked one person: Ye Qingchen.

Even if they had noticed Ye Qingchen, they would have dismissed him. After all, what kind of waves could a kid at the Fourth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm possibly make in a tournament filled with powerhouses?

Watching the two leave, Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze wore worried expressions, their outlook on the upcoming matches grim.

Ye Qingchen, who had been silent the entire time, smiled at their expressions. ”Sect Leader, Venerable,” he said. ”Just give it your all. If things go south, Qingyun Sect still has me, doesn’t it?”

Ye Qingchen’s words reignited a flicker of hope in Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze.

His strength had far surpassed their own. As long as Ye Qingchen could achieve a high rank, Qingyun Sect still had a chance to be promoted, even if Li Qingfeng and Hei Ze were eliminated here!

Still, the thought of placing such a heavy burden on Ye Qingchen, who wasn’t even eighteen, made both of them feel a little ashamed.

Ye Qingchen, however, thought differently. For his father’s sake, he had to ensure Qingyun Sect secured a promotion to a Two-Star Sect.