Supreme Hidden Dragon in the City
Chapter 204: Bye

Chapter 204: Chapter 204: Bye

Everyone was shocked.

"Zhou Buwen is dead? How is that possible! I was just drinking with him the other day!"

"Zhou Buwen is one of the few expected to have a shot at first place, with his strength at the sixth level of the Transformation Realm, how could he suddenly pass away?"

...

Sun Xiaotian, Huo Liancheng, and Tang Yuanshan were all silent.

The more shocked the crowd was, the more wary they became of Chen Fan.

After all, it wasn’t only Zhou Buwen that Chen Fan had killed; he had also broken the arms of Sun Xiaotian and Huo Liancheng!

People whispered to one another, speculating about the cause of Zhou Buwen’s death.

"Zhou Buwen was in great health and at the peak of his strength. His sudden death might very well have been at the hands of a higher realm expert."

"Indeed, being all in the Transformation Realm, we naturally understand its resilience. Zhou Buwen was at the sixth level; it’s very difficult for someone of the same realm to kill him, only someone at the Copper Skin and Iron Bones Realm or even higher would have that ability."

"Zhou Buwen sure was foolhardy. Wasn’t he aware of the terror of higher realm experts? To attract this kind of trouble, how foolish."

...

Tang Yuanshan couldn’t help but laugh at the discussions among the crowd.

He glanced at Chen Fan, thinking that if these folks knew that it was this same young man they looked down upon who killed Zhou Buwen, he wondered what their faces would look like.

At that moment, an elderly man with a white beard came up to Chen Fan and said earnestly, "Young man, as you can see, there is danger everywhere in the Martial Arts Circle. Zhou Buwen, a sixth-level expert of the Transformation Realm, died just like that. In my opinion, you should not participate in the Martial Arts competition. With your current level of strength, you should honestly focus on cultivating."

Chen Fan smiled, "Thank you for your concern, but the Martial Arts competition shouldn’t be dangerous for me."

The old man, seeing Chen Fan’s refusal to heed advice, helplessly shook his head and murmured, "What a stubborn youngster. If I run into him in the ring match, I’ll surely give him a good lesson!"

Li Chengfeng clapped his hands.

The crowd fell silent.

"A total of sixteen regions are participating in this Martial Arts competition, and it will proceed by elimination. Originally, the first round number of participants was just enough to split into eight groups, but with Zhou Buwen’s death, we’ll use drawing lots for the first round to decide who gets a bye."

"Luck is also part of one’s strength. Who this good fortune falls upon will depend on one’s destiny."

After Li Chengfeng had finished speaking, someone carrying a box filled with little paper balls came forward and had everyone draw lots.

Chen Fan reached in and picked a paper ball, which he unfolded to see a character for Martial Arts written on it.

After everyone was done with the draw, Li Chengfeng said, "Those with a character on their paper, step forward."

The crowd looked around at each other.

Chen Fan looked at the blank papers in everyone else’s hands and then at the character on his own, revealing a smile, "It seems my luck isn’t bad."

Then he walked up to where Li Chengfeng was standing.

Seeing this, everyone’s eyebrows furrowed, obviously somewhat displeased.

"It’s this kid from Jiangbei who got the bye, does this mean they’ll avoid the fate of ending up last this year?"

"The kid has some seriously good dumb luck, but even with a bye this round, he still won’t change Jiangbei’s fate; he’ll just be eliminated later."

"Forget it, Jiangbei has been at the bottom for so many years, let them have this one bye. For them, it’s a consolation."

...

Sun Xiaotian, Huo Liancheng, and Tang Yuanshan breathed sighs of relief when they saw that Chen Fan had a bye.

"It’s fortunate that he has a bye, otherwise facing him in the first round, we wouldn’t stand any chance at all," one of them said.

"God indeed favors us," another chirped delightfully.

"Now we definitely won’t be eliminated in the first round," chimed the third.

Li Chengfeng, upon recognizing Chen Fan as the one stepping forward, was also momentarily stunned before a mocking expression appeared on his face.

Chen Fan, seeing his reaction, felt even more perplexed, "This man must know me, but I’ve never seen him before, strange indeed."

Li Chengfeng spoke up, "For the first round, the Jiangbei Martial Arts representative has a bye, while the others will draw lots to choose their opponents."

The crowd proceeded to draw lots.

Afterward, Li Chengfeng swept his gaze over everyone, "The Martial Arts Tournament will begin shortly. We shall discuss martial arts and stop at the first touch, but as the ranking of the tournament involves the allocation of Martial Arts resources across regions, I ask everyone to show their true capabilities."

"The winner of this Martial Arts Tournament will not only allow their representing Martial Arts Association to allocate a large amount of resources, but they will also receive a Thousand-Year Elixir," he announced.

Someone beside Li Chengfeng brought out a jade long box and opened it.

All eyes turned to it, and inside lay a plant with an unusual appearance, still full of life despite being uprooted.

The moment the box was opened, everyone felt as if a spring breeze had caressed their faces.

Chen Fan sensed an overwhelming surge of Spiritual Energy from it, and his eyes instantly grew feverish.

"It’s just a Thousand-Year Elixir. If I could obtain it, I’m certain I could break through to the mid-phase of Foundation Establishment!" he thought.

The others were also brimming with excitement. Although they couldn’t exploit the true value of the Thousand-Year Elixir, anything labeled ’thousand-year’ is immeasurably valuable, and naturally, they didn’t want to miss out on such a treasure.

Sun Xiaotian, Huo Liancheng, and Tang Yuanshan, on the other hand, remained composed; they were acutely aware that the Thousand-Year Elixir would inevitably fall into Chen Fan’s hands.

"Alright, the Martial Arts Tournament officially starts now. I wish you all the best in obtaining a good ranking," Li Chengfeng declared.

"Chen Fan, a moment please."

After Li Chengfeng finished speaking, staff members organized the order of the matches for each group and led the fourteen grouped Martial Arts experts out.

Curiosity filled Chen Fan as he approached Li Chengfeng, "Elder, have we met before?"

Li Chengfeng, standing with his hands behind his back, smiled and said, "No."

Chen Fan, puzzled, asked, "Then why do I get the feeling that you know me?"

Li Chengfeng chuckled, "Elder Si of the Mu Family is my friend."

Chen Fan was startled, then his eyes widened in disbelief, "A friend of Elder Si, no wonder..."

Li Chengfeng continued, "Elder Si has told me about you, saying you are an extraordinary talent, and I’ve also heard about that affair between you and Mu Tianxiong’s granddaughter — admirable courage."

Chen Fan laughed lightly, "Courage is not the only thing I possess."

Li Chengfeng raised an eyebrow, "Compared to ordinary people, you truly stand out. However, compared to those monsters in the Capital, you still fall short. You must understand that Elder Si’s strength is merely at the fourth level of the Transformation Realm. You being able to spar with him doesn’t count for much, especially since he restrained his power and was merely toying with you back then."

Chen Fan responded calmly, "You don’t understand me."

Li Chengfeng didn’t dwell on this, instead, he offered, "Out of respect for Elder Si, I do have a suggestion for you."

Chen Fan inquired, "What is it?"

Li Chengfeng looked Chen Fan in the eye, "I hope you will withdraw from this Martial Arts Tournament!"

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