Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Elena still felt a headache.

"After he returned to the Sea Demon Temple, didn't he inquire about the Heavenly Heart Temple?"

"I must have inquired about it."

"Then?"

"Then you will know that I am not a member of the Heavenly Heart Palace."

Xilun spoke calmly.

Elena took a deep breath.

Aren't you worried?

"What's done is done, there's no point in worrying."

"What if he exposes you for impersonating a disciple of the Sea Demon Temple in public?"

"I lied to him just to save my life. I didn't leave any written evidence, nor did I use his identity to seek any benefit."

Xiren paused for a moment, then added, "Besides, this is the Holy Light Monastery."

Even if the Sea Demon Temple was dissatisfied, it was impossible for them to break into the monastery and kill people during the ranking matches.

As for Fisher's personal anger, he didn't care.

He used to be able to beat Fisher.

Now that they have obtained the Great Tendon Dragon and the Thunder Dragon Heart, and with the Azure Thunder Spear in hand, they will only win even faster.

Elena understood the key point and her expression relaxed slightly.

She suddenly narrowed her eyes.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're actually hoping he'll cause trouble?"

"no."

"You just touched a gun."

Xilun glanced down at his right hand.

Without anyone noticing, his hand had indeed landed on the gun at his waist.

"Habit."

Elena chuckled softly and didn't expose her further.

After walking two blocks, the Central Arena finally came into view.

The entire arena was constructed from gray-white boulders and black iron, and its shape resembled nested rings.

Twelve steam towers, hundreds of feet high, stand along the perimeter, their tops spewing white columns of gas that support the silvery-white curtain of light in mid-air.

Dozens of entrance channels were opened simultaneously.

People from different factions were led to their respective areas.

Ordinary viewers, on the other hand, need to present their expensively purchased tickets and undergo two rounds of checks before they can enter.

Xiren and Elena entered the east passage using their inner courtyard waist tokens.

As you ascend the stone steps, the surrounding sound intensifies layer by layer.

At first, it was just a faint buzzing sound.

As they emerged from the narrow passageway, the cheers and chatter of tens of thousands of people suddenly rushed towards them, as if an invisible wave had crashed into their chests.

In the center of the arena is a circular field with a diameter of nearly a thousand feet.

The ground is paved with a dark gray stone, the surface of which is engraved with protective field runes.

Five referee platforms stand around the venue.

Swain sat on the high platform to the east, his grey robe trailing behind him, a mottled iron spear resting flat on his knees. Beside him were two fourth-rank elders from the monastery.

The spectator stands extend upwards in tiers.

The five major powers each occupy a region, clearly displaying their flags.

Elena, using her status, led Siron to the front row of the monastery area.

Bruno and Gna did indeed reserve seats.

"Third Senior Brother!"

Gna immediately stood up and waved.

Xilun walked over and sat down.

Elena sat to his right.

The first match had not yet started, and the five participants were entering their respective waiting areas one after another.

Xilun's gaze swept over the Ironblood Penitentiary.

Most of the contestants there wore coarse cloth short clothes, and their exposed skin was covered with various scars left by hammering and forging their bodies.

They sat in silence, rarely speaking, a stark contrast to the boisterous audience.

The Beihai Business Alliance side is much more luxurious.

The weapons and armor worn by the contestants were almost all shimmering with alchemical runes, and they were even accompanied by apothecaries and equipment masters who served them.

Xilun continued to shift his gaze.

It eventually landed in the area of ​​the Sea Demon Temple.

More than ten people were sitting under the dark blue flag.

Fisher was prominently listed.

He had changed to a new sword at his waist, and his aura was more refined than when he was in the Black Abyss Forest, clearly indicating that he had made a breakthrough after that battle.

However, Xilun only glanced at it before looking away.

In the center of the group from the Sea Demon Temple sat a blond man.

Unlike the others, he did not wear a short robe suitable for combat, but rather a richly tailored dark blue long coat.

The collar and cuffs were embroidered with fine thunder patterns, and a silver sea monster badge was worn on the chest.

The man was tall with broad shoulders and back.

Her blonde hair was neatly combed, and her azure eyes calmly surveyed the area.

Even just sitting there, he seemed naturally separated from everyone around him.

confidence.

tyrannical.

pride.

These qualities do not need to be demonstrated through words.

The other fourth-level contestants around him subconsciously kept a half-seat distance from him.

Xilun had already made up his mind.

"Aldridge?"

He asked in a low voice.

Elena did not answer immediately.

The relaxed smile on her face had vanished without her noticing.

"It's him."

Seemingly sensing the gaze, Aldridge suddenly turned his head.

Hundreds of feet apart, their gazes briefly met across the arena.

Aldridge saw Elena first.

His eyes showed no emotion, no anger, and no joy at a long-awaited reunion; he simply glanced at her calmly.

His gaze then fell on Siren, who was standing next to Elena.

He didn't stay for even a breath before moving back to the center of the field.

It was as if the two of them were just insignificant ordinary people in the spectator stands.

Elena gently pressed her fingers against the hem of her skirt.

A moment later, she casually picked up the water glass that Bruno had prepared.

"It seems he doesn't care about you as much as the rumors suggest."

"That's what Xilun said."

Elena turned her head and glared at him.

Are you trying to comfort me, or are you mocking me?

"State the facts."

"Silen, some facts don't need to be said."

Elena took a sip of water, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

She then looked at Aldridge.

"He probably never truly liked me."

"Then why should you marry him?"

"Family, interests, and the Holy Light Monastery."

Elena said softly, "My father has been running the monastery for many years, and my mother also has many people connected to the maritime trade routes. If I marry him, the Sea Demon Temple can legitimately place a portion of its power into the monastery."

"The five major powers outwardly maintain order in the Star Ring Sea, but their private struggles have never ceased."

"Marriage is the cheapest and safest rope."

Xilun nodded slightly.

This was pretty much what he had guessed.

"Since you know that, why don't you just refuse?"

I refused.

Elena looked at the scene and said, "But some people think that a woman's refusal is just temporary capriciousness. As long as enough benefits are offered, or pressure is exerted by her family, she will change her mind sooner or later."

"Aldrich doesn't care whether I want to or not."

"All he needs is for me to become his wife."

The light screen above the arena slowly changed, displaying the names of the two teams in the first match.

The cheers around them suddenly grew louder.

Elena acted as if she hadn't heard.

She suddenly sighed.

"I've known since I was a child that people like my face."

"Some people give me jewelry, some duel for me, some write pages of love poems for me. But when they say they like me, they don't see me in their eyes, but in the people they imagine."

"The same goes for Aldrich."

She gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Since fate has given me such a beautiful appearance, why won't it also grant me a partner who truly loves me?"

Xilun remained silent for a moment.

His understanding of emotions was far less profound than his understanding of marksmanship and spiritual practice.

The disappointment in Elena's words was not hard to understand.

"How can I treat you with true sincerity?"

"Sirlen asked."

Elena paused for a moment.

She turned to look at Xilen, her emerald green eyes blinking, seemingly surprised that he would ask such a question.

"Well..."

She gently stroked the rim of the glass with her fingers and thought seriously for a moment.

"If I don't like it, even if he buys me the biggest palace and fills it with the most beautiful treasures in the world, I still won't be willing."

"If I like..."

A hint of a smile appeared in Elena's eyes.

"Even if we can only live in a leaky hut and eat black bread every day, it doesn't matter."

Xilun seemed to be deep in thought.

After a few breaths, he shook his head.

"Looks like we didn't get any answers."

This statement has nothing to do with "sincerity".

Ultimately, what determines everything is whether you like it or not.

Elena paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.

"How come we didn't get any answers?"

"At least you should make me like you first."

How can I make you like it?

"That's up to you to figure out."

"No standard?"

"no."

"A waste of time."

Xilun withdrew his gaze.

Elena's smile froze instantly.

She reached out and pinched Xilen's arm hard.

But as soon as her fingers touched the skin, she felt as if she were pinching a piece of tough leather, and she couldn't pinch it at all.

Xilun looked at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Let's see if your Overturning Sea Skill has hardened your brain too."

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden burst of cheers.

The first contestant has already taken the stage.

On one side of the Holy Light Monastery, Alvin, carrying a long black iron spear, walked down the stone steps with a relaxed expression.

As he passed in front of the stands, he smiled and waved to Bruno and the others.

On the other side, Holland of the Ironblood Penitentiary was shirtless, his hands wrapped in gray cloth strips, and with each step he took, the dust around his feet would shake slightly.

The referee raised his hand.

The silvery-white light curtain instantly contracted, enveloping the entire venue.

"First round, first match."

"Alvin of the Holy Light Monastery, against Holland of the Ironblood Ascetic Order."

"start!"

The moment the referee's voice fell, the stone beneath Holland's feet shattered with a deafening roar.

He did not use any weapons.

His massive body, like a giant rock launched by a catapult, hurtled straight at Alvin with a violent shockwave.

They were only a few dozen feet apart, but arrived in the blink of an eye.

Alvin's smile vanished quickly.

The black iron spear spun half a circle, its butt striking the ground heavily.

A ring of pale blue light, visible to the naked eye, spread out along the gun barrel and collided head-on with Holland's right fist.

boom!

The dull thud echoed throughout the arena.

The pale blue water shimmered sharply in the sunken area.

Alvin used the momentum to retreat, the tip of his gun leaving a long mark on the ground.

Holland's offensive continued, and another fist shot out from his waist. Grayish-white energy enveloped his arm, creating a brief vacuum in front of his fist.

Alvin parried with his gun.

The iron spear was bent into an almost bow shape.

He was forced back more than ten steps, but the moment he landed, he spun the gun barrel, releasing all the power he had accumulated into the ground.

Boom!

Large pieces of stone flew to both sides.

A gasp of surprise erupted from the stands.

Xiren watched Alvin's movements.

"He did not use the Thunder Spear Technique."

"Senior Brother Alvin majored in the Wave Spear technique."

Bruno explained, "This spear technique doesn't aim for instantaneous bursts of power; it excels at deflecting force and building momentum. The longer the fight goes on, the heavier the spear's momentum becomes."

As he said, Alvin never directly confronted Holland's relentless barrage of punches.

The spear was sometimes as supple as flowing water, wrapping around Holland's arm; at other times, it was as heavy as a tidal wave, forcing the opponent to change direction.

After more than ten breaths, Holland still had the upper hand.

But with each of his attacks, a portion of his power was absorbed into Alvin's spear.

The water shimmering around the black iron spear grew increasingly intense.

When the twenty-seventh punch landed, Alvin suddenly stopped retreating.

The spearhead points forward.

Instead of aiming for Holland's vitals, the blow landed on the opponent's fist.

One floor, two floors, three floors...

The accumulated gunfire erupted in an instant.

Holland's expression changed drastically.

The grayish-white strength in his thick arms was torn apart layer by layer, and his body was uncontrollably pushed backward. With each step he took, a deep pit was left in the stone beneath his feet.

Alvin stepped forward to catch up.

The spears surged forth like a tide, thrusting out seven times in succession.

The final shot stopped in front of Holland's Adam's apple.

The spear tip never touched the skin, but the force of the wind it generated left a thin trail of blood.

Holland remained silent for a few moments before slowly lowering his fist.

"I lost."

In the first match, the Holy Light Monastery won.

A huge cheer erupted from the monastery's viewing area.

Grena was so excited that his face turned red, and he almost jumped up from his seat.

Alvin holstered his gun, clasped his hands in a salute to Holland, and resumed his amiable demeanor.

Only Xilen could clearly see that his right hand, which was holding the gun, was trembling slightly.

Holland's power far surpasses that of an ordinary fourth-tier cultivator.

Although Alvin won, it wasn't easy for him.

The following matches will proceed in sequence.

The five major powers sent a total of twenty-four people.

The first round uses a lottery elimination system, with four people receiving a bye and the remaining twenty competing for ten spots in the next round.

Fisher made his appearance in the second match.

His opponent was from the North Sea Merchant Alliance, a fourth-tier extraordinary individual who used a twin-wheeled alchemical musket.

After the match began, the opponent used the equipment in the arena to quickly create distance and fired more than twenty silver bullets with the effect of breaking the air.

Fisher retreated several steps.

Several disgruntled snorts rang out from the Sea Demon Temple area.

However, he did not rush to use the Thunder Prison Blade Technique. Instead, he used the blade to draw out the lightning and cleaved the incoming silver bullets one by one.

During the brief interval when his opponent was changing magazines, Fisher suddenly erupted.

Lightning rippled along his legs.

In a single breath, he covered a distance of several dozen feet.

The first strike, "Mountain Splitting," shattered the opponent's protective energy.

The second strike, "Severing the Sea," cleaved both alchemical muskets in two.

When the blade stopped at the opponent's shoulder, it was only a finger's width away from the neck.

The Beihai Business Alliance contestants turned pale and had no choice but to admit defeat.

"Fischerby was much more composed in the Black Abyss Forest."

Elena said in a low voice.

"He relied too much on the last three strikes back then."

"Once someone gets dragged through the eruption, they'll lose the ability to fight back," Siren said.

This time, Fisher clearly learned his lesson.

He conserved his strength throughout the first half of the fight, only ending it with two strikes when the opportunity presented itself, thus avoiding exhaustion.

The crushing defeat in the Black Abyss Forest may not necessarily be a bad thing for him.

As Fisher walked back to the Sea Demon Temple's viewing area, his gaze suddenly swept over the side of the Holy Light Monastery.

He made brief eye contact with Xilen.

Fisher paused, his eyes first showing confusion, then suddenly widening.

He recognized him.

Even though his clothes and weapons had changed, Siron's face remained the same.

Fisher's lips moved.

It seems he wanted to call out "Senior Brother Yi Ze".

But when he saw the Holy Light Monastery robes on Xilun's body, his expression quickly became incredibly interesting.

Shock.

at a loss.

incredible.

In the end, it all turned into a kind of anger at being deceived.

Xiren nodded calmly to him.

Fisher's temple veins throbbed.

However, the entire audience was still focused on the match, and he ultimately did not react. He simply gripped his long sword, sat back down in his seat with a gloomy face.

Elena watched this scene unfold, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

"It seems he recognized you."

"Um."

"You still nodded at him?"

"Consider it a greeting."

"He probably wants to kill you right now."

"We'll talk about it after the game."

Xilun didn't care.

If Fisher wants to take action, he's ready to oblige.

Moreover, the other party quickly lost interest in contacting him.

In the second round of the draw, Fisher drew a fourth-tier expert from the Ironblood Ascetic Order.

The man's cultivation method was extremely effective against lightning; his skin was covered with a layer of dark brown keratin, so lightning strikes on him would only cause minor burn marks.

Fisher used "Mountain Splitter" and "Sea Severer" in succession, but still could not break through the opponent's defense.

He forced himself to use the third strike to slay the dragon, but before he could unleash his full power, he was struck in the chest by an elbow strike from his opponent.

The build-up of momentum was interrupted.

Lightning backfired.

Fisher coughed up blood and flew backwards. After landing, he struggled several times but was unable to stand up.

They were eliminated early in the second round.

The atmosphere on one side of the Sea Demon Temple suddenly turned cold.

Aldridge didn't look at him once from beginning to end.

The participants from the Holy Light Monastery also did not perform well.

In the first round, Tinos encountered an opponent of average strength, but once he unleashed his Azure Flame, he quickly suppressed him.

In the second round, he drew a fourth-tier extreme realm expert from the North Sea Merchant Alliance.

The opponent wore a set of alchemical armor that could insulate against flames. He braved the blue embers and charged towards Tinos, shattering his protective aura with just three punches.

Unwilling to admit defeat, Tinos forcefully activated the blue flames to launch a counterattack.

As a result, the other party grabbed his wrist and slammed him to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

If the referee hadn't intervened in time, his right arm would likely have been broken on the spot.

Alvin didn't go any further either.

He was too exhausted in the first match. Although he won the second match by fighting hard with the Wave Spear, he encountered the runner-up of the previous ranking tournament in the third match.

The two sides exchanged more than a hundred blows.

Before Alvin could reach the peak of his spear momentum, his opponent closed in with incredible speed and struck him in the ribs with a palm strike, causing him to lose his balance completely.

The spear slipped from his hand.

Alvin's run ended in the quarterfinals.

The cheers in the viewing area of ​​the Holy Light Monastery gradually subsided.

In the final stages, only Allah remained in the monastery.

Allah had one less game than the others because he received a bye in the first round.

However, during the third round of the draw, one of the opponents was forced to withdraw due to a serious injury. According to the competition rules, the vacancy must be filled by the losers of the same round competing for a revival spot.

Allah voluntarily gave up the opportunity to advance directly and participated in the qualifying round.

This means he will play one more round than originally scheduled.

Some people find this puzzling.

Some people quickly figured out the reason.

Rather than relying on an opponent's withdrawal to reach the semi-finals, Allah would rather advance through the competition fairly and squarely.

Siron saw Allah from the stands.

He was walking through the waiting area.

"Senior Brother."

Xilun stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"come on."

Allah looked up at him and nodded slightly.

"it is good."

His voice remained calm and steady.