The undead have descended upon the world? I possess a sword that can cleave the heavens once more!

The league will begin soon.

Wu You sat in the main seat of the judging panel, leaning back slightly against the chair.

His eyes were slightly closed as he studied the Phantom Flowing Cloud Sword Technique in his mind. Although he had gained only a small amount of proficiency, it was still better than nothing.

On the central stage of the stadium below, Chen Qingsong, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, stood in the center. His slightly graying hair was neatly combed, and his voice was loud and clear for someone his age.

After reading out a series of competition rules, he took a deep breath and said loudly:

"I hereby declare the 5th Lanhe City Martial Arts League officially open!"

Applause erupted from the stands, and the match officially began.

Wu You's gaze swept across the audience seats—those seated were all people dressed in various martial arts uniforms, men and women, young and old, but without exception, they all had more energy and spirit than ordinary people.

There are also entry requirements for the spectator seats in the martial arts league. Only certified entry-level martial artists—that is, those who have achieved Ming Jin or above—are qualified to watch the matches live.

The martial arts cultivation of qi and blood is specifically divided into four realms: Ming Jin (manifest strength), An Jin (hidden strength), Hua Jin (transformation strength), and Dan Jin (elixir strength).

The strength of a Ming Jin martial artist is roughly between the first-tier Ding level and the first-tier B level, while the strength of an An Jin martial artist is above the first-tier B level but below the second level.

The strength of martial artists who have just entered the Transformation Realm varies greatly. A martial artist who has just entered the Transformation Realm may only have the strength of the second-level Ding rank, while the strongest group of martial artists who have entered the Transformation Realm possess strength close to the third rank.

Dan Jin, as the highest level of martial arts, corresponds to the strength of a third-tier ability user, around level D or C.

As for those so-called professional-level practitioners, they are martial arts practitioners who have already entered the basics of martial arts, but have not yet begun to cultivate their qi and blood martial arts. They cannot be called martial artists.

In fact, in theory, a martial artist who reaches the Dan Jin level already possesses strength comparable to a bronze-badge torchbearer.

However, the Investigation Bureau still only recruits those who have awakened their abilities as members.

Wu You was also aware of the reasons behind this.

Because the Dark Domain itself has an invisible corrosive effect on humans who enter it!

If a person is in the dark realm for a long time, their energy and spirit will gradually weaken, and their body will continue to deform until they eventually lose their mind and become a deformed monster!

Even martial artists with the Dan Jin skill level cannot avoid this kind of erosion!

Only those who have awakened their abilities can resist this erosion and remain in the Dark Domain for extended periods.

Of course, Wu You is an exception. Although he does not have awakened abilities, he has a special coolness in his body and a sword manual, so external energy can basically not erode him.

Wu You had tried practicing Qi and Blood Martial Arts before. Unfortunately, the increase in strength gained from spending the same amount of time was not even a fraction of that from practicing swordsmanship, so he gave up after just one try.

Pulling himself back to reality, Wu You looked down at the arena. The first match was just beginning.

On the stage, two martial artists stood still, then turned around at the same time and bowed to the judges' panel.

Wu You shifted his gaze slightly. The one on the left was in his thirties, broad-shouldered and burly, with large hands. The one on the right was younger, around twenty-five or twenty-six, with long legs and a graceful posture.

Then the two turned around and clasped their hands in a fist salute to each other.

"please."

"please."

Before the words were even finished, the burly man moved first. He stepped forward with his right foot and thrust out a palm, the wind whistling through the air, his momentum quite impressive. But the palm was only halfway through its trajectory when the younger man opposite him launched a leg kick—not a kick to the man's body, but a kick to the palm. His toe precisely struck the man's wrist, cutting off the force of his palm strike in the middle.

"Great legwork!" someone in the audience shouted.

The burly man wasn't annoyed. He withdrew his palms and changed his move, his left hand sweeping upwards while his right hand slapped downwards, both palms striking out simultaneously, seemingly preparing for a combination attack. But before he could even unleash his palm technique, the opponent's legs arrived again. This time it was a series of kicks, left leg, right leg, left leg, one after another, all aimed at the path his palm technique inevitably passed through.

Thus, a strange sight appeared on the stage: a burly man pushed with his palms, each one powerful and vigorous; while a young man's legwork intercepted with each kick, each one perfectly timed.

But both of them were afraid of hurting each other, so they held back some strength when they attacked.

After a while, their moves became somewhat comical—their palm strikes looked like they were just gesturing, and their leg techniques looked like they were just testing each other. It was like they were dancing a dance that they hadn't practiced well enough.

Finally, after exclaiming, "That leg technique is powerful!", the man who used palm techniques was still slightly inferior and was kicked in the chest.

"Excellent legwork, I humbly admit defeat."

The young man returned the gesture with clasped hands, saying, "Thank you for your kind offer."

The two exchanged a smile and then left the stage.

Throughout the entire match, no one was injured. Although that final kick looked powerful, it had already reduced its force by about 70% when it landed, and it didn't hurt anyone at all.

Wu You scribbled a few lines on the evaluation form and smiled helplessly.

He suddenly understood what Lin Yuan meant by "try not to laugh."

For some reason, Wu You thought of the owner of the White Fish Martial Arts School—was this how he made it to the finals of the martial arts league?

Seeing Wu You's helpless smile, Chen Qingsong, who had returned to the judging panel, turned around, smiled, and explained in a low voice, "There are orders from above, sir, you understand."

Wu You nodded, indicating his understanding.

Every martial artist is a potential reserve of ability users, and every one of them could be a warrior on the front line against the zombie species in the future.

The Bureau of Investigation would naturally not allow any casualties among martial artists due to this so-called martial arts competition.

The main purpose of holding the martial arts league is to attract more people to practice martial arts. It is a stepping stone to opening up martial arts courses and martial arts universities, and it is part of the ability development plan.

Under this purpose and background, the sparring in the martial arts league is genuine sparring, not the kind where you fight to the death.

Moreover, this is the era of the Investigation Bureau, the era of those with special abilities. Most people practice martial arts with the aim of awakening their abilities, so there's really no need for martial artists to compete so fiercely.

If someone were to resort to extreme measures to improve their league ranking, the Investigation Bureau would not only refrain from awarding them a reward, but would also thoroughly investigate their background and the true intentions of this person who goes against the Bureau's strategic direction!

Next.

"That punch was powerful, I concede!"

"Impressive footwork! You're better than me!"

"Damn it, it's still just a little short!"

"That was a truly exhilarating battle! Let's have another one next time!"

"I'm sorry I couldn't make you enjoy yourself..."

"Your swordsmanship is not bad!"

"Heroes from all over the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river; you've won!"

"Your knife skills are truly delightful!"

As the matches went by, everyone learned the rules, and there was basically nothing for Wu You to worry about.

The ways in which those martial artists conceded defeat were so varied and bizarre that Wu You couldn't help but exclaim: "Truly, a gathering of wise men!"

He had already tossed the evaluation sheet to his colleague, while he himself kept his eyes slightly closed.

The sun was shining brightly, and the match in the stadium was still going on. Wu You leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table as he continued to study swordsmanship in his mind.