136. Zhuge Liancheng matches move for move on the chessboard, and as the veil is lifted, a celestial beauty is revealed.

After Xie Wuji secured his victory, Ji Liancheng and Zou Yingjun found themselves locked in arduous battles.

Zou Yingjun’s luck was abysmal. His opponent was Li Wuqiong, the head disciple of the Jixian Sect, whose body was as impenetrable as steel. Clad in a suit of natural rock armor, Li Wuqiong left Zou Yingjun with no place to sink his teeth in. By now, Zou’s mouth was swollen red like a sausage, and he looked utterly bedraggled.

"I haven't asked from the start," Li Wuqiong remarked, "why are you so fond of kissing my armor? Could it be that you’ve fallen in love with it?"

Zou Yingjun wiped his mouth and snapped, "I like it, that’s my business!"

"Then you should go kiss the floor. The floor is made of stone, and so is my armor," Li Wuqiong retorted.

"Hmph, I have no interest in that!" Zou Yingjun circled around again, desperately searching for an opening. He pondered whether the armor was completely seamless, wondering if there truly wasn't a single gap for him to drain blood. After long observation, he finally spotted narrow gaps at Li Wuqiong's abdomen, armpits, and crotch—areas left exposed to allow for flexible movement of the joints.

"I’ve got it!" As Zou Yingjun slowly closed in, Li Wuqiong looked surprised that his opponent hadn't surrendered despite the overwhelming disparity in their strength.

"It seems I really must punish you properly!" Li Wuqiong declared, raising his stone sword high.

"Spread wings!" Zou Yingjun shouted. Two pairs of wings suddenly sprouted from his back, vibrating rapidly and lifting him into the air.

Li Wuqiong looked up and sneered, "Do you think you’re safe just because you’re in the air? Naive!" He conjured countless stone marbles in his hands and narrowed his eyes. "Stone Pellets!"

Pinching a pellet between his thumb and middle finger, he fired it with incredible force. The projectile pierced through Zou Yingjun’s abdomen like a bullet, leaving a bloody hole.

"Ugh..." Zou Yingjun gritted his teeth against the searing pain, sneering, "I won't be defeated that easily!"

"Is that so?" Li Wuqiong replied coldly. He fired the remaining pellets like a machine gun, riddling Zou Yingjun’s body with wounds until, unable to endure the agony any longer, he crashed to the ground.

Li Wuqiong walked over to the man lying motionless like a dead dog and said, "You are tenacious, but you are no match for me."

"I... I’ve been waiting for this moment!" Zou Yingjun suddenly jerked his head up, his mouth extending like a long, sharp needle, and thrust it toward the crotch of Li Wuqiong's armor.

Li Wuqiong had never expected that Zou Yingjun’s severe injuries were merely a ruse to lower his guard. However, the spot Zou struck with his blood-sucking needle was rather delicate.

"Pfft, pfft..."

Large mouthfuls of blood were sucked away by Zou Yingjun, but he quickly realized the taste was wrong. At that exact moment, Li Wuqiong’s expression turned one of pure ecstasy. "Kid, you... how dare you... ugh, that’s glorious!"

As Zou Yingjun drank, Li Wuqiong appeared intoxicated by the sensation; drool spilled from his lips, and his eyes rolled back as if he were ascending to heaven. Suddenly, Li Wuqiong’s eyes widened in fury, and his body lurched forward. Zou Yingjun clutched his own throat, shocked to find that some sort of blood or mysterious liquid was being pumped forcefully through his needle and down his throat!

"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."

Zou Yingjun let out a wail and collapsed backward. He fell unconscious instantly, his mouth spewing a substance resembling lime water like a fountain. Li Wuqiong, though seemingly reluctant to stop, tossed Zou off the arena without further injury. "Thanks for the treat..."

Meanwhile, Ji Liancheng faced his own opponent: the "Literary" expert of the Jixian Sect, Little Zhuge. Little Zhuge was a nickname, as his surname was Zhuge, though no one knew why he was called "Little." The two stood face to face.

"We are both masters of strategy," Little Zhuge suggested. "Why not settle this with a game of chess?"

"I was thinking the same thing! Ha! After you, Brother Zhuge."

"After you, Brother Ji."

They sat cross-legged and brought out a chessboard. The surrounding audience stared in confusion. "Are they really playing chess?"

"Looks like it..."

"How boring..."

"Indeed... not exciting at all."

From morning until afternoon, the outcomes of the other arenas were decided, but the match between Little Zhuge and Ji Liancheng remained deadlocked.

"Ah..." Xie Wuji yawned. "That was a good nap. Is it time for lunch yet?"

"Just about, but Brother Ji still hasn't finished his match on the stage, this..." Dongmen Xianyun worried.

Xie Wuji felt embarrassed. "This is a contest of patience..."

While the two on the stage were lost in the brilliance of their chess game, those watching were helpless. Finally, the Chief Eunuch could no longer stand it. "Ji Liancheng of the Danxia Sect and Little Zhuge of the Jixian Sect shall decide their winner by sunset. If there is no result by then, both will be declared losers, and the next five groups may take the stage."

Baili Qingyan and Dongmen Jianhao stepped onto their respective arenas. Xie Wuji glanced at Ji Liancheng, marveling at his patience, then turned his attention to Baili Qingyan, whose opponent was quite formidable. He was a man who used chains.

"I am Chen Suo, known as the 'Strongman Chain-Man'!" the youth declared. He stood seven feet tall, handsome, with massive chains wrapped around both arms, which he whipped through the air with a whistling sound.

"Baili Qingyan of Danxia," she introduced herself curtly, assuming a starting stance.

On the other side, Dongmen Jianhao faced Hao Bang of the General's Mansion. Hao Bang gripped his water-fire staff, clearly wary.

"You are no match for me. You would do well to leave the stage immediately," Dongmen Jianhao said, hands behind his back.

"My brother, Hao Nanren, was saved by your Xie Wuji, but don't think I’ll go easy on you just because we owe you a favor. Come! I will stake the honor of the General's Mansion!" Hao Bang retorted.

"Here I come!" Dongmen Jianhao lunged, attempting a grab. Hao Bang raised his staff, sneering, "You underestimate me! I’ll force you to draw your weapon!"

They clashed instantly, exchanging blows without yielding. After a dozen rounds, Dongmen Jianhao narrowed his eyes, realizing his opponent was skilled. He flicked his fingers, and the sword box on his back flew open, sending ten flying swords toward Hao Bang.

Hao Bang parried the blades with his staff and laughed, "See? Not only can I force you to use your weapons, but I can defeat you too!"

In the corner arena, Ji Liancheng and Little Zhuge were still playing. "So noisy," Ji noted. Little Zhuge agreed, "Indeed, noisy as can be."

Baili Qingyan’s vines tangled with Chen Suo’s chains. Chen Suo was a remarkable fighter, wielding the iron chains as if they were extensions of his own arms. The two fought at mid-range, their weapons clashing and sparking. Suddenly, Baili Qingyan flicked her sleeves, releasing several small snakes that swarmed toward Chen Suo from all directions.

Chen Suo didn't panic; instead, he laughed. "Good, very good!" He flipped over, and a cobra emerged from his collar. As everyone knows, cobras prey on other snakes, and the cobra immediately began devouring her small snakes.

Unexpectedly, the combat between their spirit beasts gave Chen Suo the upper hand. Xie Wuji watched with bated breath, realizing this man was truly on par with Baili Qingyan. It was no surprise; from the original two hundred, only twenty-two remained—the elite of the elite, each possessing formidable strength.

"Do you think that’s the extent of my ability?!" Baili Qingyan said coldly. She unleashed a palm strike at Chen Suo, but he countered with his chains, accidentally hooking her veil.

As the veil drifted away, Baili Qingyan’s true face was revealed to the world. When the crowd saw her appearance, the entire arena fell into a stunned, absolute silence.