Three weeks passed quickly, and the day of the martial arts tournament arrived.
All this time, Bai Yunsheng continued his training. In addition to his usual physical training, needle throwing, and reading medical books, he added daily meditation for cultivation and hand-to-hand combat training.
In order to strengthen his Body Core and, in general, his physical attributes, Bai Yunsheng intensified his training.
He learned this method from a novel from his past life, the essence of which was: 100 push-ups, 100 squats, 100 abdominal exercises, and a 10-kilometer run.
After these exercises, Bai Yunsheng felt as if his bones were breaking, every muscle in his body was torn like paper, and his organs were constricted. However, because he was a cultivator at the Golden Core stage, with a little rest and meditation, he quickly recovered and began again.
Because of this method, the guards and Xiao Ran, who were observing his training, thought he had gone mad.
Bai Yunsheng himself also went to the library to compare his knowledge of cultivation principles and understand how much his knowledge of the novel differed from that of this world.
"This way, I was able to clarify a few details!" Bai Yunsheng thought to himself, already doing his fifth set of 100 push-ups.
"First, the Dao core cultivation is the same for everyone. Humans, demons, nonhumans, mortals, and immortals alike. This means that my knowledge of cultivation from various stories isn't useless after all!"
"However, it's still useless..." Bai Yunsheng sighed and moved on to his fifth set of squats.
"As it turns out, cultivation is responsible for your vitality, longevity, and basically your life, although in the novel it's no different from regular cultivation, which makes you stronger with each increase in your realm."
"In this world, even an immortal can die, and I don't want that. So if I want to survive, I'll have to get stronger..."
Having finished his warm-up, Bai Yunsheng sat down in the lotus position and began cultivating.
"Your strength is precisely your Void Core. Now I understand why Sister paid more attention to it than to regular cultivation!"
A wave of energy coursed through Bai Yunsheng's blood vessels, filling him with energy and dispelling all fatigue.
"The cultivation world is a place full of dangers where even immortals can die. So if I don't want to die, I'll have to get stronger to reduce these threats..."
A sad sigh escaped Bai Yunsheng's lips.
"How problematic..." he finished his thoughts out loud and, putting on his outerwear, walked out of the backyard of Lei Jiangxue's residence.
***
After half an hour's walk, Bai Yunsheng reached the city's main gate and, exiting through it, headed toward the arena where the martial arts tournament preliminaries were taking place.
Li Yuhua and Zhou Yulong, with his pet mouse Heping, were already waiting for him there.
"Mr. Bai, are you ready for the tournament?" Li Yuhua asked with a sweet smile.
Bai Yunsheng looked around and noticed that there were quite a few people participating in the tournament.
Sighing, he looked at her with an indifferent expression and replied lazily.
"Yes, I'm ready... It wasn't a waste of time training after all! What about you?"
Li Yuhua smiled and replied proudly, "I'm ready too!" "And I'm more than confident that we'll successfully make it to the end of this tournament and emerge victorious! Looking at all these people, it's clear they're all weaklings, so there won't be any problems!" she said, her head held high.
At her words about there being no problems, Zhou Yulong flinched slightly, and Bai Yongsheng frowned.
"Yeah, right! This tournament is where one of the novel's plot twists begins! Otherwise, my sister wouldn't have written this arc in such detail!" Bai Yongsheng thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
"But Zhou Yulong's reaction, who, according to the plot, shouldn't know about this, suggests that this really isn't his second life. Considering he flinched when he recalled that moment, it's definitely his third life, not his fourth, fifth, or whatever."
While Bai Yunsheng was reminiscing about the novel's plot, he glanced at the stands and spotted Lei Jiangxue, sitting in the VIP area.
Noticing his gaze, she smiled at him, to which he shook his head and smiled back.
Meanwhile, the stands were buzzing with discussion about the arriving spectators.
"Are you ready for today's tournament?"
"Of course! I specially finished all my work early so I wouldn't miss it!"
"I heard that Xie Yuan from the Goldmine Trade Union will be participating in this tournament!"
"Impossible! Didn't he drop out in the preliminaries?"
"He participated in the re-qualifiers that took place two days ago!"
"Look, it's Yan Zi-Hao! The son of an imperial army general!"
"And over there is Zhu Tai-Hua, a young talent from the Water Dragon Clan!" I heard he's already reached the Golden Core (3) at just 20 years old, and that's after just six months of practice!
— Isn't that Yao Ren? A disciple of the famous calligrapher Na Lixin, who can create incredible works of art with just one handwriting!
— Look! It's Xi Dianmu of the Heaven Conquering Sect! At the age of 16, she managed to harness lightning and achieved the status of the sect leader's chief disciple!
"My beautiful Miss Zhang Yong has also come to this tournament!"
Voices of spectators could be heard everywhere, recognizing famous people among those participating in the trials.
"MISS LI YUHUA, WIN!!!" shouted a small crowd of people holding a poster with Li Yuhua's drawing.
"Why the hell did they bring this poster here, and how did they get a picture of Li Yuhua?" Bai Yunsheng thought, looking at them like they were idiots.
Li Yuhua's gaze was exactly the same, and Zhou Yulong was talking to his mouse.
"Bai Yunsheng? What is that bastard doing here!?" "I bet he'll start harassing the tournament participants!" Naturally, there were some negative comments.
"Hmm... It'll be hard to clear my reputation. Oh well, I'm too lazy!" Bai Yunsheng shrugged and waited for the tournament to begin.
***
Meanwhile, in the VIP area where Lei Jiangxue was sitting, the organizers were discussing the start of the tournament.
Lei Jiangxue sat near the edge of the balcony, looking over the participants with a bored expression. When her gaze met Bai Yunsheng's, she smiled at her husband and silently wished him luck.
Next to her lay her white tiger, Baihu, sleeping at her feet, with Xiao Ran perched on top of him. The fox girl sat next to the tiger in the lotus position, cultivating her Dao core.
During these three weeks, Bai Yunsheng also taught her how to circulate her body's energy and developed her Body Core. Now the girl can rival an adult in the Foundation Establishment stage (2).
Lei Jiangxue, watching Bai Yunsheng teach Xiao Ran, couldn't help but admire the speed of her development.
Sometimes, seeing how her husband cared for the fox girl, Lei Jiangxue caught herself thinking they were like a real family, often blushing, which in turn terrified her household staff and guards.
Seeing Xiao Ran continue to cultivate even when Bai Yunsheng wasn't around, Jiangxue merely smiled at the little girl's tenacity and stroked her head. This action made Xiao Ran's ears twitch endearingly.
"Greetings, Wujiang Fortress City Leader!" "A melodious voice came from behind Lei Jiangxue, and turning around, she noticed a handsome young man with long, flowing black hair and onyx eyes. He was dressed in cheap but elegant clothes and wore a jade bracelet.
"Do you need something, Mr. Na Lixin?" Lei Jiangxue asked, looking at him.
"Nothing in particular. Do you mind if I join you?"
Lei Jiangxue nodded and looked down at the tournament participants, stroking Xiao Ran's head.
Na Lixin sat down next to Lei Jiangxue, and the girl asked:
"Why did a distinguished man like you come to this humble town?" Lei Jiangxue asked indifferently. Noticing Xiao Ran fall asleep during her meditation, she pulled the girl onto her lap and stroked her head. Na Lixin, who was watching this action, smiled faintly and, looking at the participants, replied,
"I originally came here because someone asked me to draw some scriptures and seals. I don't know why that person needed so much..." Na Lixin sighed and continued, "Then my student learned about the tournament and asked permission to participate. As a good mentor, I couldn't refuse my student this valuable experience!"
As they talked, the VIP room filled up, and Lei Jiangxue noticed among the arrivals the heads of major sects, clan heads, and renowned masters.
They were all conversing among themselves, each discussing something of their own.
Lei Jiangxue suddenly remembered that someone was missing and, looking around, confirmed it.
"And where did that Yan Pantu go? He's probably creating another batch of problems for me!" she thought to herself and sighed.
"Let him just try to ruin the tournament! I'll leave no one unharmed!"
Several veins on Lei Jiangxue's forehead and neck gave way, signaling she was clearly not in a good mood.
Na Lixin, noticing the change in her mood, decided to change the subject before anything else happened.
"I heard your husband will also be participating in this tournament! Do you think he'll be able to handle it?" he asked, a nervous smile on his face.
"I believe my husband will be able to handle it! After all, he's no longer the Bai Yunsheng so many rumors were about!" Lei Jiangxue replied, a faint smile crossing her face.
Na Lixin, noticing the slight relaxation of tension, sighed with relief and looked at the arena, where the tournament had already begun.
***
Luo Shengli stepped into the center and, using some kind of artifact, amplified his voice.
"Attention all martial arts tournament participants! First, I'd like to thank you all for deciding to participate in this tournament, which takes place every four years!"
After these words, applause was heard from the stands.
Luo Shengli continued:
"Let me briefly explain how the martial arts tournament will proceed!"
After a short pause, the old man took a deep breath and began explaining the rules.
"There will be four stages: Stage 1 – survival. All participants will be transported to a special space where they must survive and score points. For each animal you kill, you will earn points, and once you reach the required number, you can advance to the next stage!"
While the old man was explaining the rules of the first stage, a group of masked men entered the arena, made hand signs, and formed a small formation, which immediately transformed into a portal.
"For killing another participant, you will receive all their points, and those killed will be reborn in the real world and eliminated from the tournament!"
The portal hummed and the air around it cracked. All participants held their breath.
"Let the martial arts tournament begin!" After these words, everyone rushed toward the portal and began to disappear behind it...
To be continued...