Chapter 177: Don’t Come Any Closer!
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
The training ground was alive with excitement, filled with an enormous crowd that stretched as far as the eye could see. Everyone was buzzing with anticipation, eagerly waiting for the competition to begin. The air was thick with energy, the atmosphere filled with anticipation.
Silent, standing by Yu Zhao’s side, felt his lips twitch slightly. He managed to suppress the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he pulled out his wooden fish instrument and gave it a couple of light taps, calming himself.
Yu Zhao took in the scene before her, astonished as well. In her past life, when she had attended the Great Competition, the individual matches had already progressed to the third round. The audience then had been large, but nothing compared to this. Back then, there were only about a thousand participants, but now, at least a hundred thousand cultivators had gathered, with more arriving by the minute. This rare event, held only once every hundred years in the cultivation world, was truly living up to its legendary reputation.
“Yu Zhao.” A cheerful, lively voice called from behind her.
Turning around, Yu Zhao saw Yao Wuji, dressed in a striking red outfit, riding atop a giant red spider as she flew towards her. A flicker of surprise crossed Yu Zhao’s face—Yao Wuji hadn’t missed the Great Competition this time around.
“Hey, when did you make a monk friend?” Yao Wuji asked with a curious tilt of her head as she jumped down from her red spider, which she quickly stored in her spirit pet pouch. Her gaze lingered on Silent.
Silent allowed her scrutiny and calmly introduced himself, “This humble monk is called Silent.”
“Silent?” Yao Wuji raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Did your master name you that because you talk too much?”
“Miss is an amusing one,” Silent responded evenly, though his grip on his wooden fish mallet tightened slightly.
Luckily, Yao Wuji’s attention soon shifted back to Yu Zhao.
“So that’s why I couldn’t beat you last time!” Yao Wuji exclaimed, recalling their previous encounter. “You were hiding your true power, pretending to be weaker than you really are. How sneaky!” She still remembered the swampy marsh incident, where she had lost to someone her own age for the first time. It had been a humbling experience.
Yu Zhao simply smiled, offering no explanation.
Their conversation was interrupted as the elders and disciples from the Achievement Pavilion arrived, calling all participants to gather on the training ground. Yu Zhao said goodbye to Silent and joined Yao Wuji. Together, they held their entry tokens and entered the arena.
As soon as Yu Zhao took her place, she felt the weight of many eyes on her. Some gazes were more intense than others. She scanned the crowd and wasn’t surprised to see familiar faces—those who had previously clashed with Silent: Yao Ji, Tang Rui, Wan Ren Zhan, and one unexpected face.
Situ Xuan quickly averted his gaze, his fists clenched in frustration. He had just wanted to see who the woman standing next to Yu Zhao was, but now he worried that Yu Zhao might think he had bad intentions. He hadn’t meant anything by it!
While Situ Xuan was lost in his thoughts, several elders from the Achievement Pavilion stepped onto the central stage of the martial ground. Instantly, the noise of the crowd died down, replaced by the deep, commanding voices of the elders echoing across the vast area.
With so many participants in the individual competition, the Achievement Pavilion had decided to weed out the weaker ones in the first two rounds.
“The first round will start with the activation of the training ground’s formation,” announced the elder in charge, who had once tried to take Yu Zhao as his disciple. “The five thousand contestants who can withstand the formation’s attacks and remain standing will advance to the second round. Crushing your token will count as forfeiting.” He didn’t wait for a response, immediately joining the other elders in activating the formation.
Golden lines spread rapidly beneath everyone’s feet, extending to the edges of the training ground and shooting up into the sky, forming a shimmering barrier that enclosed the entire area.
Suddenly, a massive pressure descended upon the contestants. Many cultivators’ protective energy shields collapsed instantly, and they were thrown to the ground, their faces scraping against the rough stone.
“Ah!” someone cried out in shock, only to be instantly teleported outside the training ground.
He looked around, bewildered. How did he end up outside?
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention,” the elder added nonchalantly, “Anyone who makes a sound will also be disqualified.”
The remaining cultivators, who were on the verge of yelling, quickly clamped their mouths shut, focusing all their energy on resisting the growing pressure.
On the stage, one elder sighed, impressed, “Look at that, Yu Zhao isn’t even breaking a sweat. There’s no doubt she’ll be the champion of this individual competition.”
Another elder added with concern, “The Five Elements Sect’s ambitions are growing. They’re not satisfied with just winning the sect competition; they want the individual title too.”
A third elder chimed in, “There are countless wandering cultivators in the world, yet so few opportunities. It’s quite unbecoming for the Five Elements Sect to compete with them for these small rewards.”
Despite their differing opinions, all the elders agreed on one thing: Yu Zhao was clearly the favorite to win this competition.
An hour later, about a quarter of the cultivators had been forced out, unable to withstand the relentless pressure. By this point, only those in the Golden Core stage were still standing.
Participants were visibly struggling; sweat poured down their faces, some turned red, veins bulged, and a few even dropped to one knee, barely holding on.
As the pressure intensified, it became clear that this challenge tested more than just cultivation and defense—it was also a test of willpower and patience, qualities that Yu Zhao had in abundance.
She stood calmly, using the opportunity to observe those around her.
Nearby, beside Yao Wuji, were two young cultivators who seemed to know each other, sticking close together. One of them looked really unwell, his face pale and his body trembling as if he might collapse at any moment.
Just as Yu Zhao thought he might give up, the struggling cultivator suddenly grabbed his friend’s token and crushed it.
“No!” his friend shouted in despair as he was teleported outside the training ground, his expression a mix of disbelief and anger.
“Haha! If I can’t make it, neither will you!” the one who crushed the token laughed maniacally before he too was eliminated.
Yu Zhao watched silently, witnessing the harsh reality of human nature unfold even in the first round of the competition. A wave of emotion washed over her, and she glanced subconsciously at Yao Wuji beside her.
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
At that moment, Yao Wuji was also looking at Yu Zhao. Their eyes met, and Yao Wuji, startled, stepped back and raised her hands defensively.
Yu Zhao couldn’t help but smile at her reaction, then turned her attention away. Her gaze landed on Tang Rui, who was standing nearby, and an idea took shape in her mind.
Since the first round allowed it, why not eliminate Tang Rui and his group early? They were bound to clash sooner or later in the competition—taking them out now could prevent many future problems.
Deciding on her course of action, Yu Zhao steadied herself against the overwhelming pressure and began walking towards Tang Rui.
Tang Rui had been on edge since the other cultivator’s wild laughter. Seeing Yu Zhao approach, his first reaction wasn’t surprise; it was fear.
If only he could yell out, he would have shouted at her, “Don’t come any closer!”