Chen Jiuyang held his long saber, tears streaming down his face, his aura surging with each passing moment.
"Die!"
Chen Jiuyang's eyes were bloodshot as the phantom of his "Yansheng Saber" grew, slashing towards A Bulaan.
"This is bad!"
A Bulaan's expression shifted drastically. His nascent "Tear Prison Divine Might" technique was designed to weaken the enemy's fighting spirit by conjuring their past regrets, disrupting their divine intent and blood flow, thus diminishing their combat power.
He had never expected Chen Jiuyang's combat strength to increase instead of decrease!
"Rumble!"
The overbearing, peerless saber strike, filled with killing intent, descended.
"Pfft—"
A Bulaan met the attack with his physical body, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face turning ashen.
Only then did genuine fear flicker in his eyes; he had provoked someone he shouldn't have.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Chen Jiuyang unleashed one saber strike after another, raising clouds of dust.
He struck dozens of times until the phantom of the Buddha statue dissipated and the arena was utterly reduced to ruins. Only then, as the "Tear Prison" effect vanished, could Chen Jiuyang slightly control his emotions and regain his rationality.
As he stopped his assault, the referee immediately announced, "Chen Jiuyang of Dragon Country wins!"
"Let us congratulate Chen Jiuyang of Dragon Country for successfully advancing to the quarterfinals!"
After the dust settled, the crowd realized that A Bulaan had been hacked to pieces, his appearance unrecognizable, his death gruesome.
Many felt a chill in their hearts.
Even the formidable A Bulaan had been brutally killed on the stage by Chen Jiuyang.
On the Asian Martial Ranking arena, could anyone stop this Chen Jiuyang?
Many were lost in thought.
"Hoo!"
Chen Jiuyang took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, his expression stiff and indifferent, his gaze icy:
"Almost capsized in the gutter."
"The trump cards of martial artists from various countries are truly not to be underestimated."
Chen Jiuyang's divine soul was extremely powerful, but A Bulaan's move earlier had not attacked the soul directly.
It had caught Chen Jiuyang off guard, a rather peculiar situation.
Fortunately, his strength was immense, following a path of invincible divine abilities. Had it been another "Divine Might as Prison" contestant, they might have met their end under A Bulaan's technique.
Chen Jiuyang, carrying his saber, returned to the waiting area with heavy steps, his face grim.
This was the most dangerous Chen Jiuyang they had ever witnessed. Even the Dragon Capital Sword Bearer did not dare to approach, allowing Chen Jiuyang to recover on his own.
After sitting for a while, Chen Jiuyang spoke, "I'm going to rest for a bit."
With that, Chen Jiuyang took his saber back to the resting room and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
In his dreams, his past flashed before his eyes.
After an unknown period of time.
"Hoo!"
Chen Jiuyang startled awake, gasping for air, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
His eyes held a trace of lingering fear.
A Bulaan's unorthodox methods had left him with aftereffects.
Chen Jiuyang circulated his Yuan Dao cultivation technique, clearing his mind.
He walked out of his resting room.
Outside, the sky had already darkened.
Yan Hongming, Ye Tiannan, Han Lixuan, and Jiang Lihuo were all sitting outside, chatting.
It seemed the battles for the top sixteen had concluded during his slumber.
Chen Jiuyang sat down and asked, "What's the situation?"
Yan Hongming replied, "I lost, but Tiannan made it to the quarterfinals."
Chen Jiuyang's expression showed surprise.
Yan Hongming said gravely, "Sakurai Sanpo of Eastern Ying has achieved great mastery in his 'Three Step Saber Intent,' possessing top-three strength. He is a prodigy, and I was no match for him."
"Jiuyang, you must be careful of him."
Ye Tiannan also said grimly, "Before the finals, if I were to face him, I likely wouldn't be able to defeat him either."
These were both top prodigies of Dragon Country, having mastered spear and sword intent, and their words carried weight.
Chen Jiuyang nodded slowly, committing the name Sakurai Sanpo to memory.
The Dragon Capital Sword Bearer spoke, "King Qian and Ye Tiannan, you have both entered the quarterfinals. Tomorrow will be the draw for the quarterfinals. As long as both of you advance to the semifinals, our Dragon Country's goal of securing three spots will be achieved."
"As for the semifinals and the championship match, it will depend on fate."
"If Tiannan cannot reach the semifinals, then King Qian will have to contend for a spot in the semifinals for us to maintain our top-three position."
"Also, Jiuyang, you've reached the late stage of the sixth level of the Earth Realm. Your cultivation is progressing remarkably fast."
Hearing the Dragon Capital Sword Bearer's words, Chen Jiuyang was taken aback. He only then noticed that after he had killed A Bulaan, a large surge of life essence and national destiny had poured into him, pushing his cultivation to the late stage of the sixth level of the Earth Realm.
Once he cleared the quarterfinals, his cultivation might even reach the peak of the sixth level of the Earth Realm.
Even now, Chen Jiuyang could vaguely feel the limitations of the "Universal Heavenly Lock." His strength had increased, but his vital energy seemed to be subtly restricted, preventing him from using it too freely.
Strictly speaking, his combat power had already surpassed what was expected of the Earth Realm.
"Once the Asian Martial Ranking concludes, you can truly go into seclusion and aim for the True King Heavenly Realm!" the Dragon Capital Sword Bearer's eyes gleamed. "With that, you can shine brilliantly in the World Martial Ranking competition four months from now!"
The others also nodded slowly. No one doubted Chen Jiuyang's combat prowess or his achievements.
List of Quarterfinalists:
Dragon Country: Chen Jiuyang, Ye Tiannan!
Eastern Ying Country: Sakurai Sanpo, Yamato Hanako!
Indo-Divine Country: Mida!
South Goryeo Country: Kim Jong!
Thailand: Li Qing!
Tsarist Country: Pusha!
Surprisingly, Yamato Hanako of Eastern Ying Country had also advanced to the quarterfinals, a fact that surprised many.
The only female contestant in the top eight, and also exceptionally beautiful, Yamato Hanako had instantly garnered many fans after the news of the quarterfinals broke.
Outside the stadium, many people were in a frenzy. Every time such a competition was held, it was also a time for various global powers to gamble.
While other competitions might have possibilities of manipulation, international competitions like the Martial Ranking were impossible to rig.
Some people gambled and became rich overnight, while others lost all their possessions overnight.
After several days of fierce battles, several countries had already been completely eliminated and were no longer eligible for the World Martial Ranking competition.
The national destiny and martial ranking fortune accumulated over decades had also been significantly diminished.
At this moment, Yan Hongming said, "Brother Chen, download a 'Weitiao' on your phone and get it verified."
Weitiao?
It seemed to be a social software that had taken the world by storm, used in every country.
"..." Chen Jiuyang asked, "What for?"
Yan Hongming replied, "You have countless fans. Opening a verified Weitiao account is beneficial for promotion. This is a task assigned from above; the four of us have all completed it today."
"..."
Chen Jiuyang, being idle, downloaded it and registered an account.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Soon, various messages popped up in the backend.
Official certifications:
'Dragon Country Martial Ranking Champion' 'Dragon Country's Sixth King Qian' 'Asian Martial Ranking Tournament S-Class Player'
Several titles lit up, and then Yan Hongming and the others followed Chen Jiuyang, who reciprocated their follow.
Soon, even the old Five Kings, including King Gong, followed him.
Chen Jiuyang mused that if even King Gong and the others were using it, this matter seemed more complex than he had initially thought.
Chen Jiuyang posted no messages, yet his follower count surged by millions overnight, with countless people leaving comments below.
After a sleepless night, the next morning.
The eight participants entered the venue for the draw!