I have Taoism and can understand other worlds

Chapter 687 Competition
The arena inside the Azure Sky Tower is a huge, open-air circular stone platform, built from whole blocks of dark blue-black rock. Its surface is covered with traces of time and battles, with pits and scratches interspersed, exuding a rugged and ancient atmosphere.

The stone platform is surrounded by a series of tiered viewing stands, now teeming with people. All the various tribes of Baixi—Dragon People, Rock People, Rakshasa, and others—are present. Even the newly arrived Baiman tribes have gathered here, and the clamor almost pierces the clouds swirling around the top of the tower.

However, the people of different races looked at the scene with different expressions and feelings.

Most of the Rock People clenched their fists, their faces showing tension and anticipation. The Dragon People, on the other hand, were reserved yet scrutinizing, especially the younger Dragon People led by Ao Xuan, who had a faint, cold smile playing on their lips. The four Holy Maidens of the Hundred Barbarians sat quietly in a corner. The Heavenly Serpent Holy Maiden's tail was lightly coiled, the Crimson Water Holy Maiden's eyes were curious, the Cloud-Piercing Holy Maiden was as steady as a mountain, and the Moon-Reflecting Holy Maiden's gaze shifted, observing both those on and off the field.

The other tribes mostly watched with amusement. The elders, including the old man in hemp robes, sat calmly on the highest platform, their expressions revealing neither joy nor anger.

Jiang Wen and the other three stood quietly in a corner, a stark contrast to the group of bloodthirsty tribal warriors opposite them.

The five men all had sharp eyes, and their blood energy, whether crimson or dark gold, rose and circulated on their bodies like tangible flames. The air itself was slightly distorted by their presence, emanating a chilling sense of oppression.

They were all outstanding young talents from their respective tribes, true prodigies. Jiang Wen could sense that their cultivation was at least at the peak of Blood Qi Transformation, and some had even touched the threshold of Blood Qi Transformation, making their strength far from ordinary.

Just as Jiang Wen was observing, the competition had already begun.

“Rock Mountain, yes, Chi Liao!” The master of ceremonies’ loud voice silenced the commotion.

Cheers erupted from all around. A particularly burly young rockman beside him nodded to him and then strode toward the arena.

Stepping onto the stone platform, the young Rockman calmly observed his opponent. Facing the Rakshasa warrior whose crimson aura burned like flames, he took a deep breath, a pale yellow halo emanating from his body, his composure as firm as a mountain.

The Rakshasa warrior Chi Liao let out a low roar, his figure transforming into a crimson shadow, so fast that it left afterimages, and his fist, wrapped in blazing blood energy, crashed down like a meteor.

Yan Shan neither flinched nor dodged, but crossed his arms in front of him, and the pale yellow halo suddenly condensed.

"boom!"

A dull thud resounded, and a shockwave rippled outwards.

Yan Shan swayed slightly, and tiny cracks appeared in the rocks beneath his feet, but he did not retreat a single step.

A look of surprise flashed across Chi Liao's eyes; his blood energy had failed to break through the opponent's defense.

Taking advantage of the moment when Yan Shan's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, he lowered his shoulders and took a step forward, throwing out a straight punch without any fancy moves. Yellow light gathered on his fist, and although it seemed slow, it carried a tremendous force.

"Bang!" Chi Liao hastily blocked the punch, but was forced to retreat repeatedly by the force of the blow, his blood and qi churning.

He roared and pounced again, his crimson blood energy surging wildly, his attack like a storm.

Yanshan, however, was like a reef in a raging torrent, its body surrounded by a pale yellow halo, which withstood most of the attacks and occasionally launched counterattacks with tremendous force.

After several dozen rounds, Chi Liao's speed slowed down slightly, and Yan Shan seized an opening, landing a punch on his chest. Chi Liao's blood aura fluctuated violently, and with a muffled groan, he was sent flying backward, crashing off the stone platform.

"Yanshan, victory!"

A commotion erupted in the stands, especially from the Rakshasa clan's direction, where many stood up in disbelief. In the elders' seats, several elders exchanged glances and nodded slightly.

Upon seeing this, Jiang smiled but remained silent. He had somewhat anticipated such a scene. Although he had only practiced the Xuanwu Battle Technique for three months, it was far more effective in tempering the body than the incomplete bloodline method. Jiang Wenji and he had once led the warriors of Tianyuan City to conquer all directions with the Four Symbols Battle Technique, achieving victory after victory.

If given more time to cultivate the corresponding military techniques of the Xuanwu Battle Technique, his combat strength would be even higher. Unfortunately, time was too short, only three months. Thinking this, the second round had already begun.

Another young man from the Rockman tribe, Yan Lei, faced off against a lithe tribal warrior. That warrior had two heads and six arms; his attacks were cunning and incredibly fast. His six hands, whether fists, palms, or fingers, attacked Yan Lei from all directions with a sharp, tearing sound.

Yan Lei pushed the defensive capabilities of the "Xuanwu Battle Technique" to their limit, and a pale yellow halo formed a solid barrier around his body, remaining unmoved despite the opponent's attacks, which rained down on him like banana leaves.

He seized a break in the opponent's attack and suddenly shouted, "Black Tortoise's Wrath!"

A bright yellow light shone from his body, and a blurry phantom of a giant tortoise flashed behind him. A powerful force erupted, pushing away the surrounding air.

He pressed forward, delivering a simple punch that seemed to carry the momentum of his entire body, slamming heavily into his opponent's blocking arms.

With a soft cracking sound, the six-armed warrior's face turned pale, his two arms went limp, and the attacks from his other four arms instantly dissipated. He was then gently pushed off the stone platform by Yan Lei's follow-up palm strike.

"Yan Lei wins!"

With two victories secured, the atmosphere in the stands grew even more fervent, with cheers erupting from the Rock People's direction. The elders' expressions also became more serious. Those who had previously thought Jiang Wen's words were excessive were now somewhat swayed. After all, the power of this battle technique was clearly visible, while the flaws of bloodline techniques were common knowledge.

The elders remained silent, and the contest continued.

In the third round, Yan Gang, a young man from the Rock People tribe, took the stage.

His opponent was a warrior of the Dragonkin race, whose pale golden blood energy was extremely condensed, showing a faint tendency to transform into scales covering his body, only one step away from the actual manifestation of his blood energy. A person of this level would be considered a renowned genius in any major race, and it was unexpected that the old man in hemp robes would send him out this time.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Wen frowned slightly. He was well aware of Yan Gang's strength. Although he cultivated the Xuanwu Battle Technique, he was only hovering around the Blood Qi Transformation Realm. It would probably be quite difficult for him to compete with an opponent who was close to the Blood Qi Transformation Realm.

This battle is probably not going to be good.

Just then, the competition began.

This dragon warrior was incredibly fast and far stronger than the previous two. He wielded a golden spear with an aura that seemed to tear everything apart. The spear moved like a dragon, and golden light enveloped the vital points of Yan Gang's body.

Yan Gang defended with all his might, his pale yellow aura flashing continuously as he blocked the dense barrage of spears.

Each collision produced a metallic clang and sparks flew. He tried to retaliate, but his opponent was too fast and his marksmanship was too sharp, always easily dodging or parrying.

A prolonged defense is bound to fail. A slight delay in parrying allowed an incomparably sharp golden spear beam to find an opening and tear through the protective energy on his shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.

Iwagang let out a muffled groan, and his defenses momentarily faltered.

A glint flashed in the dragon warrior's eyes, and his spear shot out like a venomous snake, aiming straight for the man's vulnerable chest!
"Watch out!" Iwaaki couldn't help but whisper from the sidelines.

At the critical moment, Yan Gang suddenly leaned back and pushed off with his feet, sliding backward to narrowly avoid a fatal blow. However, the spear's edge had already torn a long gash in his chest armor, from which blood seeped out.

He steadied himself, wanting to fight again, but Jiang Wen calmly said from the sidelines, "We concede defeat in this match."

(End of this chapter)