Firmament Sword

BOOM!

The stands were in an uproar.

"He forfeited?"

"He really forfeited?"

"A winner hasn't even been decided… and he just forfeited like that?"

"This isn't Miao Jianfei's style at all! In a previous annual competition, he was beaten by the Eldest Disciple until he was coughing up blood, but he never even uttered the word 'forfeit'…"

"That's right. That was the annual competition two years ago. Eldest Disciple Jin Ming lost control for a moment and struck Miao Jianfei so hard he coughed up blood. Even then, Miao Jianfei didn't stop fighting, let alone forfeit!"

"Doesn't that mean… Luo Tian is even stronger than the Eldest Disciple…?"

The stands erupted into a clamor, and nearly everyone stared at the scene in disbelief.

Miao Jianfei's face was pale. He looked at Xu Luo. "I forfeit… Let my sword go!"

With a wave of Xu Luo's hand, the Beidou Sword transformed into a streak of light and shot into his Dantian.

Miao Jianfei's other sword let out a mournful cry and flew listlessly back into his hand.

With a pained expression, Miao Jianfei cradled his Spiritual Treasure Sword, inspecting it meticulously and not missing a single detail.

By contrast, the other Long Sword he had been holding—also a treasure in its own right—had received far worse treatment. He hadn't shown a hint of distress even when the Beidou Sword nearly shattered it.

After inspecting it and finding the Spiritual Artifact wasn't seriously damaged, Miao Jianfei finally let out a sigh of relief. He gave Xu Luo a deep look and said, "You're even stronger than I imagined. The championship of this year's annual competition is yours."

With that, Miao Jianfei activated the token in his hand and teleported away.

Many people in the surrounding stands heard Miao Jianfei's last words, and their expressions varied. A glint of killing intent flashed in the eyes of Jin Ming, who was completely shrouded in a black robe.

'I've always underestimated you. To think… you can even stand up to a Supreme. My master likes you, the elders like you, and even Nun Wanrou… she favors you so much that she gave you a tremendous stroke of fortune!'

'Who the hell do you think you are? What right do you have to be showered with so much favor?'

'The championship is yours for the taking? We'll see if you live to claim it!'

Jin Ming shot a cold glance at Xu Luo in the stands, then turned and left.

Having watched so many of Luo Tian's battles, he was confident he now had a thorough understanding of all his opponent's strengths.

If they were to face off, he was absolutely certain he could defeat him!

At this time, the Referee on the fighting stage announced loudly, "Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition, Round of Sixteen! For the first match, the winner is… Luo Tian of the Medicine Garden!"

Instantly, a tsunami of cheers erupted from the stands.

"Luo the Celestial King!"

"Luo the Celestial King!"

The roar was deafening as countless people cheered at the top of their lungs.

Luo the Celestial King… From this moment on, this title officially became Xu Luo's moniker in Celestial Brilliance!

"Luo the Celestial King… Not bad!" Yuwen Ji looked at Xu Luo with a grin, teasing him happily.

"Master, you're making fun of me too?" The corner of Xu Luo's mouth twitched as he looked over at Qi Yue.

Qi Yue had lost her match to advance to the quarterfinals. The gap in strength between her and her opponent was too vast, so her defeat was no surprise.

However, this was already enough to make everyone in the Medicine Garden celebrate wildly. This was a historic breakthrough!

From now on… when the Medicine Garden was mentioned, who would dare call its members weaklings or pushovers?

As the Eldest Sister of Celestial Brilliance, Qi Yue had fought her way into the top sixteen. This achievement was enough to earn everyone's admiration.

It was Qi Yue herself, however, who seemed a little disappointed.

People are just like that—never satisfied and always wanting to do better.

But Qi Yue was able to take it in stride. After the battle, she immediately ran over to congratulate her Eldest Brother on reaching the quarterfinals.

Recently, the relationship between Qi Yue and Xu Luo had become a little more distant.

Just as Su Qianqian had analyzed, Qi Yue's feelings toward Xu Luo were more akin to adoration, not romantic love.

In time, she would come to understand her own feelings and would naturally back away.

"Congratulations on making the top eight, Eldest Brother. Luo the Celestial King… that's a really imposing title!" Qi Yue said, looking at Xu Luo with a grin.

"Don't you start teasing me too." Xu Luo waved his hand. "Have all the quarterfinalists been decided?"

"They have. This year's top eight are somewhat unexpected," Yuwen Ji said with a smile. "You're the biggest dark horse among them, something nobody expected before the annual competition."

"Jin Ming has been the champion for several years in a row, so everyone expected him to reach the quarterfinals. But this year, poor souls like Lv Di, Nie Yunfeng, and Miao Jianfei had the misfortune of running into you. They were all eliminated in major upsets, surprising many."

"Additionally, some previously unknown young geniuses have also fought their way into the top eight, taking many by surprise."

"Besides you and Jin Ming, the top eight also include Ming Youyue, Yu Tianying, Yu Tianjie, Zhong Jiuyan, Wang Tong, and Tang Xiao."

"Among them, Ming Youyue is a very famous noble lady in Celestial Brilliance and the younger sister of Ming Youyu. She's the new-generation prodigy of the heritage Ming Family."

"Yu Tianying and Yu Tianjie also come from a heritage clan. The two are blood brothers. There are four of them in total: Yu Tianying, Yu Tianxiong, Yu Tianhao, and Yu Tianjie. Their names combine to mean 'Heroes and Greats'… hehe, and they really are all outstanding. Yu Tianxiong made it to the top sixty-four, and Yu Tianhao made it to the top thirty-two."

Yuwen Ji said all this in one breath, then glanced at Xu Luo. "I never used to care about these things before. This is all for you!"

Looking at the old man's reproachful gaze, Xu Luo felt goosebumps rise on his skin and muttered, "Well, there was no reason to care before, was there…"

"You little brat!" Yuwen Ji pursed his lips, knowing that in a battle of wits with this disciple of his, he would lose nine times out of ten.

Beside them, Qi Yue covered her mouth and chuckled. "Eldest Brother is actually right. The Medicine Garden was at the bottom every year, so there was no need to pay attention to who was in the top eight or top four…"

Yuwen Ji rolled his eyes, speechless. 'I'm just worried your Eldest Brother is going to get poached, so I'm trying to make him feel a little more indebted to me. What does a little girl like you know?'

At this point, Xu Luo asked, "Then who is my opponent in the next round?"

Yuwen Ji shook his head. "Once you enter the top eight, the opponents are random. This time, you're scheduled for the second match. The first match… was given to Jin Ming."

"Hmph, he probably went crying to the Sect Leader, didn't he?" Qi Yue sneered from the side. "Eldest Brother had the first match in the past few rounds. He probably couldn't stand it any longer."

Yuwen Ji said, "In any case, Jin Ming is, after all, the Eldest Disciple of your generation. You must show him the respect he is due."

Xu Luo nodded. He didn't care which match he was in. There were only four matches in total, and his turn would come eventually.

Besides, they called it random… but there was definitely something fishy going on behind the scenes!

Xu Luo came from the secular nobility, so he was all too familiar with this sort of thing. He knew that in a competition like this, it was just too easy to manipulate things from behind the scenes.

This wasn't to say the Celestial Brilliance higher-ups were trying to cheat; they were just trying to prevent the top contenders from eliminating each other too early and allowing weaker contestants to get a lucky break. From that perspective, their interference was understandable.

Therefore, Xu Luo knew very well that he definitely wouldn't face Jin Ming until the final match.

As Xu Luo predicted, in his quarterfinal match, his opponent was a scion of the heritage Yu Family… Yu Tianjie!

"Yu Tianjie. He's skilled with hidden weapons, poison, and various Arrays. People call him the Shadowless Hand!"

Xie Yurou sat in her chair, her bright eyes fixed on Xu Luo as she spoke slowly, "He has a very cold and gloomy disposition and gives off a sinister aura, so few people like to get close to him."

"But he treats his friends quite well."

"So you're saying he's a good person?" Xu Luo asked, looking at Xie Yurou.

Xie Yurou covered her mouth with a smile. "To his friends, he is. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you—he's incredibly close with Huyan Qingshan of the Huyan Family. They're the best of friends!"

"…" Xu Luo was at a loss for words.

"Huyan Qingshan left because of you. That's bound to have pissed off Yu Tianjie, who doesn't have many friends to begin with. So… be careful when you face him in this match!"

Xu Luo nodded, then smiled. Since it was a competition and he had to fight, he would face anyone with composure, no matter who they were.

Even if his next opponent was Jin Ming, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of nervousness, let alone fear.

Meanwhile, deep within Celestial Brilliance, nestled among the mountains in a simple, ancient palace, the four brothers of the Yu Family—the "Heroes and Greats"—were gathered together.

They too were discussing their opponents for the quarterfinals.

Yu Tianying said, "My next opponent is Tang Xiao. That damned guy and I have some history, so this time, I'm planning to find a chance to cripple him!"

"Is that a good idea?" Yu Tianxiong, who had already been eliminated, looked at his eldest brother and said, "Tang Xiao is Elder Jiang Botao's beloved disciple. If you cripple him, I'm afraid Elder Jiang won't let the matter rest."

"The annual competition… is still a battle. And in battle… accidents are bound to happen," said Yu Tianying, his handsome features holding a hint of coldness.

"It's best to hold back a little. Elder Jiang has a Spiritual Artifact. Be careful he doesn't give it to Tang Xiao," reminded Yu Tianhao, who had also been eliminated.

"A Spiritual Artifact? A Spiritual Artifact is no big deal. It's just a bit more powerful than a Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact." Yu Tianying glanced at his third brother. "Speaking of which, in Luo Tian's match in the round of sixteen, didn't he almost destroy Miao Jianfei's Spiritual Artifact?"

"Speaking of Spiritual Artifacts, that sword in Luo Tian's hand… must also be a Spiritual Artifact. Fourth Brother, are you confident?" Yu Tianhao asked, looking at Yu Tianjie.

Yu Tianjie smiled. "I've already contacted Huyan Qingshan. I told him I would get revenge for him! It's just a Spiritual Artifact. I have a whole pile of them!"

At this, the other three brothers all laughed. Yu Tianhao said, "That's true. The one thing our Fourth Brother doesn't lack is Spiritual Artifacts. Jin Ming is probably going to be very disappointed. He was likely hoping to teach Luo Tian a lesson himself in the finals."

"He won't get the chance," Yu Tianjie said with a confident expression.

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