Chapter 20: The Grand Competition of the Three Families

In the Luli family, the Lady and Second Lady of the Luli family whispered a few words to Luli Tianxiong before separately heading to the Lin and Zhang families.

Entanglements of interest and connections by marriage have always been the weapons wielded most adeptly by these prominent families.

Over at the Xu family, a young man cast a glance towards the Luli family.

"Luli family relies solely on these methods. It would be strange if they could last long. In this world, the most crucial factor is martial prowess!"

"Wind speaks the truth. This time, you must have confidence in victory!"

The 'Wind' mentioned by the head of the Xu family was the person everyone in Donglin City referred to as 'Xu Madman.' His name was Xu Feng, a martial fanatic. Before arriving at the North Gate, he used to enjoy sparring with people on the streets, earning him the nickname 'Xu Madman.'

Wind and Madman had similar pronunciations, but Xu Feng himself quite liked the title 'Xu Madman' as it signified madness for the sake of martial arts.

"Those inept boys from the Luli family, I will surely defeat them!"

"Excellent, my son. I am pleased as your father!"

"The lord of the city arrives!"

Suddenly, a loud shout echoed, and those who were seated stood up. The lord of the city, the most authoritative figure in this city, was someone with great dignity.

Even though the three major families had deep-rooted connections and complex relationships in Donglin City, no one dared to disrespect the lord of Donglin City. The city lord represented authority and the face of West Qin.

Luli Li saw a dignified man walking towards them, exuding an invisible majesty. This was the city lord of Donglin City. He cast a glance at everyone and then took his seat.

"Donglin City holds a grand competition every three years, the most significant event in our city. West Qin was established through martial prowess, and this competition showcases the importance of martial arts. This time, let me see the martial achievements of the young men of Donglin City in the past few years!"

"Following the old tradition, the competition will last for three days. As long as the three specified conditions for the competition are met, anyone willing to engage in sparring can step onto the stage. I believe everyone is familiar with the rules, so let's begin!"

With the city lord's announcement, the four massive war drums standing beside the martial stage all began to resound, signaling the start of the competition.

From the moment the drums started, people began leaping onto the stage.

This grand competition followed a defending champion format. Once the competition began, those who stepped onto the stage would face challenges from other martial artists. However, being the first to step onto the stage might not necessarily be advantageous; generally, those without formidable strength would not make such a move.

Today was the first day of the competition. Normally, experts wouldn't make a move at this early stage, so those stepping onto the stage at this time were unlikely to have high cultivation levels.

Luli Li looked towards the stage and saw a chubby person standing there, surveying the surroundings. This person was not just slightly overweight; he seemed to weigh at least three hundred catties.

Such a weight, yet still a martial artist – quite unusual.

"Lin Xiong seeks guidance from everyone!"

Lin Xiong, a member of the Lin family, one of the three major families, and also a junior from the Second Lady's maternal family.

After Lin Xiong spoke, someone from the Xu family jumped onto the stage. It was a person from the Xu family.

"Lin Xiong, you're getting fatter! Almost like a ball, still showing off here!"

"Showing off? You have no idea who will embarrass themselves next!"

After Lin Xiong finished speaking, he suddenly stomped on the ground. His fat body shook violently, like ripples on the surface of water. The entire martial stage resonated with a buzzing sound!

At this moment, Lin Xiong's obese body unexpectedly rushed towards an opponent at an incredible speed, like a human tank.

The incoming person did not dodge and directly shouted, striking Lin Xiong with a punch, meeting force with force.

However, in the next second, a miserable scream echoed. Lin Xiong now stood in the martial stage, while the person from the Xu family had already been knocked down by Lin Xiong, wailing continuously.

"What an agile fat man!"

Luli Li observed Lin Xiong. This guy was quite impressive, at the Third Qi Channeling Stage, and managed to knock down an opponent of the same level with a single blow, breaking at least three ribs.

"Who else wants to come!"

Having defeated his opponent, Lin Xiong shouted towards the audience, specifically targeting the Xu family.

Faced with the provocation, two more people from the Xu family stepped onto the stage to spar with Lin Xiong, but neither was his match.

"Wind, how would you deal with Lin Xiong?"

"With a single move, I can defeat him! But he is not worthy of being my opponent! Not worthy of me making a move!"

"Master Wind, such a character naturally isn't worthy of your attention. Let me go up and bring him down!"

Another person from the Xu family went up and, after ascending the stage, picked up a long knife from the weapons rack beside the martial stage.

"Lin Xiong, use a weapon!"

"Alright, but there's no suitable weapon here. Chen Qiong, bring my weapon up!"

Luli Li actually saw four strong men from the Lin family, each carrying two strange objects up onto the stage.

Lin Xiong picked them up – two iron fists with a thick, round shield attached to each side. Two enormous iron fists, each equipped with a sturdy round shield on the side.

"This fat man is quite interesting! He can even create such unconventional weapons!"

At this moment, a person from the Xu family swung a knife, but Lin Xiong blocked it with one of the round shields. The other shield directly smashed down, and with a miserable scream, the person from the Xu family was crushed to death in the martial stage, even the long knife in his hand shattered into pieces.

"Lin Xiong, you have a lot of guts, daring to kill a member of our Xu family. I'll deal with you! I'll take your life!"

"I'm tired, I won't fight anymore!"

After saying this, Lin Xiong directly jumped down from the stage, not giving the person from the Xu family any chance.

"You... vile rat!"

In the Xu family's area, several Xu family juniors were already furious, their eyes bloodshot. Lin Xiong was truly despicable, killing someone and then refusing to continue fighting.

However, according to the rules, as long as Lin Xiong won two consecutive matches, he could choose to leave the stage temporarily and still have the qualification to participate again later. Lin Xiong had already won four consecutive matches, so even if he temporarily withdrew, he would still have the chance to return to the stage.

After Lin Xiong descended, a handsome man jumped onto the stage.

As soon as this man stepped onto the stage, he immediately attracted

 everyone's attention, capturing countless gazes in an instant.

Luli Li also looked towards the man, who surprisingly was not from the three major families but from the Zhang family.

For how many years had it been since someone outside of the three major families appeared on this stage? No wonder everyone's attention was now focused on the stage, wearing expressions of disbelief.

"City Lord Long, did I break the rules?"

"No!"

Actually, the grand competition in Donglin City every three years was originally open to some major families in Donglin City. The reason it had become the grand competition of the three major families in recent years was mainly that other families no longer allowed their juniors to join this event.

However, according to the rules, other families in Donglin City could still participate, so it didn't violate the rules.

"That's good. I am Zhang Zifeng, at the Fourth Qi Channeling Stage. I seek guidance from everyone!"

Zhang Zifeng finished speaking, but for a long time, no one went up. The Zhang family had been rising in recent years, and they had no conflicts with other families. So it wasn't surprising that Zhang Zifeng encountered a cold response when he went up.

Suddenly, Zhang Zifeng looked towards Luli Li.

"Luli Li, I heard you started cultivating. Come up and give it a try!"

Luli Li's gaze swept towards the Luli family, and indeed, Luli Yan was looking at him.

"Indeed, there's something fishy going on!"