“Since that’s the case, please arrange for Feifei to compete against that little fellow.”
Although the Grandmaster’s voice was soft, the senior officials responsible for arranging the matches dared not disobey.
Master Chang Yueying, though somewhat displeased, had no choice, as Chang Yueli was her mentor and far superior in cultivation.
Thus, two individuals who were unlikely to meet were paired together, though not immediately.
Meanwhile, Elder Jin was also arranging two matches on the other side.
One match targeted Zhao Zhi, and the other targeted Dai Yuling.
The other senior officials turned a blind eye to this, as it seemed harmless enough.
As a result, Zhao Zhi’s next opponent was a peak Mortal Realm Third Layer warrior, while he was only at peak Mortal Realm Second Layer.
Dai Yuling’s next opponent was an early Mortal Realm Fourth Layer warrior, while she was only at early Mortal Realm Third Layer.
Elder Jin didn’t arrange overly formidable opponents, as that would be too obvious, and he still valued his reputation.
Besides, he believed an opponent one realm higher was sufficient to defeat Zhao Zhi and Dai Yuling.
After all, neither of them was a genius, having struggled even against opponents of the same level before.
“Ling Xiao, you little beast, dare to disrespect me? I’ll make everyone around you suffer!”
He glared coldly at Ling Xiao, thinking to himself.
For the head of the Enforcement Hall to be so petty, no wonder his disciples and followers were so detestable.
Ling Xiao closely observed everything.
When Zhao Zhi’s opponent appeared, almost everyone believed Zhao Zhi was doomed to lose.
“Brother, it’s your fault for befriending that Ling Xiao. Now, look, someone is deliberately targeting you.”
Zhao Ci had calmed down by now, but she still disapproved of Zhao Zhi’s friendship with Ling Xiao.
“No matter, a loss is just a loss. There’s still a chance. Besides, even if I can’t participate in the Tower Ascension Ceremony, so what? I chose Ling Xiao as a friend because he’s loyal!”
As Zhao Zhi spoke, he was about to step onto the stage, but Ling Xiao pulled him back and whispered a few words in his ear.
“Really?”
Zhao Zhi asked in surprise.
“Trust me, do as I say when you’re up there!”
Ling Xiao nodded to him.
“Alright! I trust Brother Ling!”
Zhao Zhi leapt onto the combat platform.
While everyone on Elder Jin’s side waited to see him humiliated, Zhao Zhi suddenly ended the fight with a brilliant move.
A single strike to victory!
He hit his opponent’s weak point perfectly!
Though the opponent was one realm higher, the gap wasn’t too wide.
Geniuses can challenge higher realms because of their keen perception, spotting their opponents’ weaknesses.
Zhao Zhi wasn’t a genius, but with Ling Xiao’s guidance, a full-force strike led to an easy victory!
“That Ling Xiao again! Master, isn’t this against the rules?”
Meng Yuan couldn’t help but ask.
“Impudent! How dare you speak to the Master like that?”
Guanghan Heavenly Venerable had long been annoyed with Elder Jin’s faction, having held back until now, but finally snapped.
“I admit my fault!”
Meng Yuan apologised with a grim expression.
“Enough, this isn’t against the rules. Offering guidance before a match is fine, but not once the fight begins,” Chang Yueying reminded.
Dai Yuling’s fight followed a similar pattern, winning steadily after Ling Xiao’s advice.
Though both knew this approach might seem unfair, they simply didn’t want to reveal their trump cards here.
Otherwise, with their strength, they could still scrape a victory.
The Tower Ascension Ceremony was crucial. Even those with the worst luck, as long as they survived, would see tremendous growth in cultivation and strength upon emerging.
That’s why neither of them wanted to miss it.
Ling Xiao helped them for this very reason.
In the following matches, Bai Feifei, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, Leng Hao, and Ming Tian all won steadily.
Bai Feifei, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, and Ming Tian could resolve their fights with a single move.
However, Ling Xiao was surprised to find himself with a bye, which puzzled him slightly.
He didn’t think much of it, though.
With fewer participants, byes were possible.
“Bai Feifei is undoubtedly the strongest. Wu Yang and Qin Wu are veteran inner disciples, this being their last Tower Ascension Ceremony, both Mortal Realm Seventh Layer warriors with great strength. After them, it’s probably Ming Tian and Leng Hao, the two geniuses, right?”
“Hey, don’t forget Ling Xiao. He’s still undefeated so far. If there were a rule for consecutive wins, he’d have advanced long ago.”
“True, though he’s an outer disciple, his strength is unfathomable.”
“That guy’s a monster. He’s so strong but refuses to join the inner sect, how odd.”
The discussions below the stage buzzed, with the focus surprisingly on Ling Xiao, as he was the most enigmatic among them.
“Let’s see, Ling Xiao just uses petty tricks, he may not have real strength.”
Clearly, opinions on Ling Xiao were sharply divided.
Those who liked him were天子 were wild about him.
Those who didn’t were jealous and critical, determined to find fault with him.
When only sixty participants remained, the eliminations grew fiercer.
Zhao Zhi finally lost another match, making it two losses, but Ling Xiao thought his decision was wise.
His opponent wielded a rare treasure weapon, no need to clash head-on.
Two losses were still acceptable.
With only forty spots left, there was no need to waste energy, especially if this round ended the fights.
Dai Yuling faced Ming Tian and promptly conceded.
She wouldn’t fight a battle she couldn’t win.
Even with the loss, she only had one defeat.
As for Shangguan Lei, he got lucky.
Or rather, Elder Jin arranged weaker opponents for him, so he won easily, still undefeated.
One could only imagine Elder Jin’s expression if he knew Shangguan Lei was secretly helping Ling Xiao.
“Ling Xiao versus Leng Hao!”
Ling Xiao’s opponent wasn’t weak, one of the two geniuses, second only to Ming Tian.
The reason for this matchup was that the Grandmaster wanted Leng Hao to test Ling Xiao’s strength for Bai Feifei’s reference.
After all, despite Bai Feifei’s power, she had little experience fighting people, though she had slain many beasts, which differed greatly from human opponents.
Unbeknownst to him, Leng Hao was being used.
Ling Xiao glanced at Golden Light Heavenly Venerable on the platform.
Golden Light had shown him kindness, so he didn’t want Leng Hao to lose too badly.
