Chapter 333: Chapter 332: Martial Arts Contest for Marriage

“You’re finally awake!”

As soon as Du Gang woke up, he heard a pleasant voice by his side.

He first was taken aback, his muscles instantly tensing before quickly realizing where he was.

Turning his head, sure enough, Zhang Xinyi, wearing a white dress, was standing beside him, looking graceful and adorable.

“Did I overdo my cultivation?”

Du Gang remembered that the martial arts contest for a spouse would only start in a month.

He had used the Dao scroll before, and usually, he would cultivate for five to ten days at most, so with two scrolls, it would take at most twenty days.

“No, but the situation has changed. Thankfully, you’re awake now…”

Zhang Xinyi heaved a sigh of relief and explained, “Originally, according to my dad’s plan, we would hold the contest in ten more days, but now it’s not something we of the Jiuyang Villa can decide…”

“Hmm?”

Du Gang was surprised. The Jiuyang Villa’s contest, and he couldn’t decide?

“Alas, it all started because of us!”

Rapidly, she revealed everything to him–the arrival of the powerful people on the human ranking list, which gradually attracted more powerhouses, the subsequent emergence of numerous divine clans, each sending a monstrous genius into the world.

“You’re saying the monstrous geniuses from the other four domains also came here and each of them even has the protection of God Kings?!”

Du Gang was aghast and found it hard to believe. Just a contest for a spouse attracted the whole continent and eventually turned into a grand gathering of a generation’s competition for supremacy?!

Zhang Xinyi sighed, “Originally, dad still had some autonomy, but after these God Kings arrived, the martial arts contest is no longer the priority!”

“After much discussion, the many factions have decided to let these monsters compete here.”

“However, they didn’t forget about us, stating that the end of the marital contest will mark the beginning of the competition amongst the monsters!”

“In a world where literature holds no first place and martial arts no second, many factions have put forth a portion of their resources to reward the top contenders on the human ranking list!”

“Of course, it refers to the new positioning of the rankings!”

Zhang Xinyi laughed, “You probably don’t know, but the Tianji Pavilion has even specially changed the rules for the human rankings. The final ranking will only come out a month after the marital contest. During this period, the human rankings will be updated daily, or rather, it will be updated in real time!”

Du Gang furrowed his brows, “What about you?”

“I’ve withdrawn from the human ranking list!”

Zhang Xinyi laughed, “There are too many monsters. Each one of them is on par with the ones on the human ranking list. I would definitely be kicked out with my abilities, so I had a friendly competition with my fellow disciples and gave up my rank on the human ranking list!”

“You can’t make the list with your power at 107?”

Du Gang, looking puzzled, asked her. Just the Nine Yang Divine Art alone grants nine points of combat power, how could she not make it?

“I didn’t cultivate the Nine Yang Divine Art!”

Zhang Xinyi laughed, “The Nine Yang Divine Art is meant for boys to cultivate. Naturally, I haven’t practiced it. Initially, I made it to the Human ranking list relying on the power of 107, but now things have changed, so I’m not participating!”

Du Gang nodded and said, “I got it. Now, tell me about the spousal contest!”

He couldn’t forget the main event – he had already used up the two Dao scrolls from them, and he had to take care of things in return.

Moreover, he was very eager to learn the Nine Yang Divine Art.

Zhang Xinyi’s eyebrows furrowed, “The contest, it’s worse than we expected…”

“Originally, all major factions knew about the purpose of our Jiuyang City’s marital contest. Top-tier and first-class factions generally wouldn’t send powerful contestants there…”

“Even if they want to compete, it’s mostly among the second-tier factions. The strongest would be ranked around the one or two hundreds on the human ranking list!”

“But now…”

Zhang Xinyi sighed, “The reason the top-tier and first-class factions didn’t compete was out of respect for our Jiuyang Villa, and they also couldn’t be bothered…”

“But now, due to the emergence of the grand contest, all sorts of factions have gathered, and there are naturally quite a few people unwilling to show respect for our Jiuyang Villa…”

She shook her head: “There are factions who covet our Jiuyang Villa as cannon fodder…”

Du Gang frowned, “Are these factions this clueless?”

“Not all of them!”

Zhang Xinyi shook her head, “Most of the factions, at least, have some sense of morality and decency. They probably won’t participate in the contest this time!”

“However, it’s hard to say for those demonic factions. They act on a whim, and even if they end up winning, whether they marry me or not is another matter…”

“Therefore, this time, it will be even harder for you!”

Du Gang chuckled, “Now I’m at 108, don’t worry about it!”

Before this, his combat power was already in the top hundred of the Human Ranking.

Not to mention he has now reached a whopping 108, his basic combat power has already reached a terrifying 72,000 Naer.

This means that once he uses the Jie-Character Secret, his combat power can temporarily rise to 720,000.

Before, getting to 108 was the basic entry requirement for being in the top 100 of the Human Rankings, which Du Gang has now reached.

Although many monsters have emerged, raising the threshold of the Human Ranking, those at 108 still belong to the category of exceptional characters.

Seeing his confidence, Zhang Xinyi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Lately, with more and more people gathering at the manor, her stress has been mounting, fearing that she might eventually be claimed by someone else.

After all, with so many powers present and over 100 God Kings visiting, things are no longer within her father’s control.

“If that’s the case, then let me explain the rules!”

“The rules are pretty simple. I have some senior brothers who will be presiding over the tournament. Anyone who can defeat them today can participate in tomorrow’s competition …”

Soon after, Du Gang had understood the specific content of the rules.

The marital duel competition is divided into three days. The first day is for filtering. Only those who pass the first day can participate in the second day’s competition.

This is a clever way of restricting the number of contestants. As there aren’t many on their side defending the tournament, it means at any given time, only a few people can challenge.

Moreover, those who don’t participate in the selection on the first day can’t join on the second and third days. This is to prevent those monsters from whimsically coming over to fight in the tournament.

After the filtering on the first day, on the second day, all the successful candidates start competing against each other. The losers are eliminated immediately, and the winners continue the match, with a small portion of people qualifying for the third day.

The last day is even simpler: everyone competes in pairs, and the losers are immediately eliminated while the winners continue. This continues until one person is left.

In short, whoever remains undefeated emerges as the final victor. Anyone who loses once gets eliminated. It’s as simple as that.

Du Gang nodded, “So, today is the first day?”

“Yes, they’ve already started on their side. I came here because I was worried that you wouldn’t wake up in time…”

“All right then, in that case, let me go out and get today’s ticket!”

When Du Gang arrived at the selection stage of the martial duel, he finally understood what Zhang Xinyi meant by restricting the number of people.

There are ten stages in total, but the number of people lining up in front of the stages to participate in the selection is extremely large. The good thing is, Jiuyang Manor is using a token draw.

That is, each competitor has a number plate. The challenge is conducted according to the order of the number plate. If you can’t participate today, the number plate becomes invalid!

To decrease the number of other people who qualify, Jiuyang Manor secretly dispatched some people in advance to get a number plate. This indirectly reduces the time for real competitors to participate, thereby controlling the number of people.

Of course, Du Gang didn’t need to draw a number plate. Before he came out, Zhang Xinyi had already got him a number plate for an upcoming competition.

So, as soon as Du Gang arrived at the stage, it was his turn.

By a stroke of luck, the person presiding over the stage was Yan Jingyun, the current top student in Jiuyang Manor, someone Du Gang has met before.

“Brother Du!”

“Brother Yan!”

The two got on the stage, but instead of starting right away, they started chatting.

“Is Brother Du getting used to the food at the manor?”

He was commanded by his master to intentionally delay time, and this wasn’t just for Du Gang — he did this for everyone.

Du Gang naturally wouldn’t expose him and joined in on the casual conversation.

They chatted till the people waiting in line grew impatient, then Yan Jingyun finally bowed his hand, “Brother Du, we’ve had a great time chatting. Normally, we would’ve had a drink, but since we’re in a competition, should we proceed with the match first and continue our conversation afterwards when we’re free?”

“Good!”

As soon as Du Gang nodded, Yan Jingyun sprang into action. Stepping on the Seven-Star Step, he brandished his sword and lunged at Du Gang.

Seeing this, Du Gang dodged a step back, avoided the fierce attack, then sprang to the right like a shadow, simultaneously striking his palm towards Yan Jingyun.

The aplomb with which these two kept exchanging moves was very lively, but the spectators below didn’t seem too impressed.

“It’s so fake, their brains didn’t even spill out yet. What are they playing at?!”

But there’s nothing they could do. The two weren’t violating any rules, it could only be said their power was equally matched.

Only when the match reached the ninth minute did Yan Jingyun remind, “Brother Du, as per the rules, if you haven’t defeated me within ten minutes, you lose!”

He reminded him because he had noticed that Du Gang’s strength was much greater than his own. The fight lasted till now because Du Gang had clearly held back.

Since the other party had given him face, he couldn’t keep quiet about it, otherwise wouldn’t he, Yan Jingyun, appear too scheming?

Yan Jingyun’s reputation didn’t matter to him, but his position as the current chief disciple of Jiuyang Villa did. Any disgrace would tarnish the reputation of his sect.

As for the transaction between Du Gang and Zhang Xinyi, he was unaware. In fact, within Jiuyang Villa, only Zhang Xinyi and Zhang Youwei were privy to this matter.

Du Gang certainly wasn’t about to discuss it, so he simply cupped his hands in a formal gesture and said with a smile, “Thank you for the reminder, Brother Yan!”

Having said this, he exerted three times the power in his attack, instantly knocking Yan Jingyun off the platform.

“Concede!”

Even though Yan Jingyun was knocked off the platform, he remained unharmed. He nodded in acknowledgment and congratulated, “Brother Du, congratulations on your advancement! You’ll now be able to participate in the next round of the tournament tomorrow!”

After leaving the platform, Du Gang didn’t linger. Instead, he quietly retreated to the inner courtyard of Jiuyang Villa to rendezvous with Zhang Xinyi.

“Even with the restrictions on time and participants, on average, there’s still a match every five minutes, so a decent number of contestants are advancing to the second day!”

Zhang Xinyi continued, “I’ve assigned someone to handle it, any exceptionally strong competitors will be reported to us…”

The two of them waited in the room, occasionally receiving updates on the situation outside. But these were all routine messages, usually involving competitors ranked low on the Human Ranking, hardly worth mentioning.

It wasn’t until evening time that an interesting piece of news arose, “Huang Yu, ranked 311 on the Human Ranking, has enrolled in the competition!”

At this news, Du Gang burst out laughing, “I didn’t expect Brother Huang to hold you in such high esteem that he too decided to participate in the competition!”

Zhang Xinyi, aware that Huang Yu ascended the mountain with Du Gang, asked curiously, “Are you two friends?”

“Not really!”

Du Gang chuckled, “We met on the road and traveled together. I don’t know him very well, but he’s an interesting character!”

Having observed Huang Yu’s pretentious behavior in front of him, Du Gang had seen Huang Yu’s true colors, but he didn’t expose him at the time.

Zhang Xinyi nodded and then asked, “By the way, after the competition ends in three days, it will be the monster’s turn to compete. Will you participate then, Du Gang?”

“Of course!”

Du Gang’s eyes flashed as he asserted, “Such grand occasions are rare opportunities once in a million years, not to mention being able to cross swords with other regions. Why wouldn’t I participate?”

Zhang Xinyi voiced her concerns, “You must be careful then. I’ve heard that during the Mythical Age, top-ranked God Spirit Level powerhouses could not only slay flesh bodies but also divine beings…”

Du Gang raised an eyebrow, “You mean, killing a single divine being could also result in the annihilation of other divine beings?”

“Yes!”

Zhang Xinyi confirmed, “It is rumored that among these monsters, there is a juvenile supreme who was frozen from the Mythical Age to the present. Chances are he might possess such capabilities… In any case, you must be cautious!”

“Rest assured!”

Du Gang chuckled without a hint of worry. To kill a divine being, one had to first ensure they could damage him. This implied that their enemy’s combat power had to exceed 720,000, an unlikely possibility.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded. Little Sakura rushed into the room.

“Miss, there’s been a terrible development…”

After entering, she glanced at Du Gang and quickly said, “A monster from the Jiang Family has joined the competition!”

Although she didn’t know about the deal between Du Gang and Zhang Xinyi, she did know that Zhang Xinyi liked Du Gang. Hence, she was frantic with the current development.

“Who is it?” Zhang Xinyi anxiously asked.

“It’s the prodigious talent from the Jiang Family, one of the top hundred divine clans! It is said that the Jiang Family has produced a once-in-a-lifetime genius named Jiang Tianxin. Although we don’t have much detail, we’ve learned that he had a brief standoff with the prodigy of the Kui cow family on his way here, and they parted ways after a while…”

Worrying that the two might not understand the significance of this, Little Sakura added, “Who could stand against the monster of the Kui Cow family? Ordinary people would’ve been killed long before such an extended standoff. In the case of Jiang Tianxin, he retreated unscathed, suggesting that even if he’s not on par with the Kui Cow family competitor, he’s likely not far behind!”

Jiang Tianxin…

Du Gang speculated that this might be the Jiang Family looking for trouble with him…

Wait a minute!

He suddenly froze, he had not told the Ancient City about his relationship with Jiuyang Villa. How could they have known about the situation here?

If the Ancient City was unaware, how could the Jiang Family have dispatched someone and even specifically registered?

Given his status, he certainly wouldn’t care about a familial marriage with Jiuyang Villa!

Could it really be a coincidence?

No, it couldn’t be!

There can’t be so many coincidences!

If self-related matters were involved, any coincidence could potentially mask a plot against oneself.

If that’s the case, could the Ancient City monitor his position and situation?

Du Gang opened his mouth, recalling the True God Level powerhouse in the Pangu Continent, who could freely locate and transport to any location he wanted.

Could it be possible?

Perhaps, at the God Spirit Level stage, my position could only be determined by the extra material used to forge my body. However, above the True God Level, other methods could be used.

Like the Law of Cause and Effect, which could direct the relationship with the Jiang Family. Perchance, this isn’t impossible!

Anyway, I’ll evaluate it when I compete in the contest.

If Jiang Tianxin is really eyeing me, it means my position is well-known.

If it’s merely a coincidence and he just wants to have fun, then I am overthinking.

“What should we do?”

Zhang Xinyi was obviously panic-stricken, her composure slipping away as she paced back and forth in the room. “No, I must find my father. Maybe he can eject this guy from the premises.”

Having said that, she left the room hastily, followed by Little Sakura, leaving Du Gang as the only one remaining.

Du Gang shrugged, this woman clearly didn’t have much faith in him!

What difference does Jiang Tianxin make?

If I can’t even beat him, how am I supposed to compete with the others?!

Moreover, when his cultivation reached the Second Tribulation God Spirit Level, he perceived changes in his Ancient God’s body.

He had not used these changes in recent days, saving them as trump cards or secret weapons.

“It will be interesting to see if anyone can force me to unleash the entirety of my Ancient God’s body.”

Du Gang chuckled and closed his eyes, gathering his strength.The next day, the prospective groom competition started discreetly in a corner of the platform.

Only a little over 2,000 people passed the first round, a result intentionally achieved by Jiuyang Villa.

Most of these contestants were top-tier powerhouses; the rest were mid-level powerhouses. These contestants came to ally with Jiuyang Villa, the majority of them were descendants of secondary forces.

Huang Yu was the most formidable amongst them all.

At the moment, Huang Yu was standing beside the ring, his face filled with frustration.

“I should’ve been the one to secure the position of the groom. Why did Jiang Family’s monster have to interfere?!”

His peers from White Rainbow Manor showed strain on their faces.

“Senior Brother, among the participants, Jiang Family only sent one monster. Do you think he is intentionally targeting you?!”

Target me?!

Huang Yu frowned and shook his head quickly. “How can that be possible? I have never had any contact with the Jiang Family. Where is the basis for enmity? Not to mention, Jiang Tianxin has always stayed inside their family, there wasn’t any opportunity to offend him?!”

“He wouldn’t be targeting me because some girl from Dream Building has a grudge against me, right?!”

The only possibility he imagined was this – he had a fling with so many girls at Dream Building, who knew which one was Jiang Tianxin’s true love…

The next day, the competition continued on ten arenas.

Originally, Du Gang wanted to get a glimpse of Jiang Tianxin. However, Jiang Tianxin never showed up, instead, he sent a follower to represent him.

It left all the other contestants angered yet speechless. Obviously, no one would dare mess with the Jiang Family, which had a profound God Clan legacy.

Actually, the gap between secondary and primary forces was considerable.

A secondary force could be formed by one or two God Kings.

A primary force required several. The most inferior amongst them had at least a few dozen God Kings. Even in the top ten, some had even more God Kings.

The Jiang Family was robust in strength and had a high-ranking within the God Clan. They were evidently untouchable to these secondary forces.

However, what was exasperating was that Jiang Tianxin’s representative was a follower who was a top three-hundred ranker in the Human Ranking!

Nobody expected a powerhouse at this level to willingly serve a peer.

As expected, Jiang Tianxin advanced smoothly.

Meanwhile, under the arrangement of Zhang Xinyi, Du Gang advanced easily without facing any strong opponents.

“Seems like, if I want to compete, I have to wait till tomorrow…”

Du Gang shaking his head, chose to return to his residence after confirming his progression.

PS: I have been out and about the past few days, I’ve only managed to type this much on my phone in public areas. So, I am posting what I have.