Chapter 208: Zhang Tianxin

At noon, Lin Qian and his group left their temporary residence and headed to the arena.

Around the arena, observation platforms had been set up in advance so that spectators could clearly view the matches.

These platforms were large, floating shells, suspended in the water, with seating and an array of fruits and snacks placed on them.

At this moment, Lin Qian and his companions were seated on one of these platforms, quietly waiting for the competition to begin.

The matchups had already been determined through a random draw, and the results were displayed in the water above the arena, visible to everyone through condensed soul power.

According to the rules of the clan assembly, participants from the same clan would not be matched against each other in the early stages, including human allies.

Therefore, Lin Qian's name and those of the five participants from the Eastern Branch, including Zhang Qi, were spaced far apart and wouldn't face each other in the initial rounds.

As they waited for the matches to begin, Lin Qian took the opportunity to observe the other Eight-Armed Sea Tribe members on the observation platforms, as well as the contestants for the assembly.

The Eight-Armed Sea Tribe consisted of one main clan, four major branches, thirty-six minor branches, and one hundred and eight smaller tribes, totaling one hundred and forty-nine groups. With five spots for Eight-Armed Sea Tribe members and one spot for a human ally per group, there were eight hundred and ninety-four participants in total.

The one-on-one matches would soon begin among these eight hundred and ninety-four participants.

Of course, Lin Qian didn't focus on all the potential opponents. His attention was primarily on the main clan's participants and those from the other major branches.

According to Zhang Nianxin, some of the minor branches had shown rapid improvement recently, and a few dark horse candidates were expected to emerge, so they were worth keeping an eye on.

Additionally, with the human allies participating, there could be some formidable opponents among them as well.

Regardless of who his opponents were, Lin Qian was determined to win the matches. Since he was here, he intended to do his best.

As Lin Qian was contemplating this, Zhang Qi returned from a short errand, his face full of anger. "This is outrageous! They're looking down on us!"

Seeing Zhang Qi's state, everyone turned to him curiously, unsure of what had happened.

"What happened? Did someone bully you?" Lin Qian asked with a smile, amused by Zhang Qi's frustration.

Zhang Qi waved his hand dismissively and replied, "It's not me they're bullying; it's you, Your Majesty!"

"Me?" Lin Qian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "How could they bully me? I've been sitting here the whole time. What do you mean by that?"

Realizing he hadn't explained himself clearly, Zhang Qi quickly added, "I mean, they're being disrespectful with their words. It's just too much."

Zhang Qi then went on to explain the situation in detail, and the others finally understood.

It turned out that the matchups displayed above the arena not only listed the participants' names and whether they were from the Eight-Armed Sea Tribe or a human ally but also indicated their cultivation levels.

While the main clan's participants were formidable, even the human allies from the Western, Southern, and Northern Branches were young prodigies who had surpassed the Life and Death Realm, despite being under thirty years old—the age limit for participating in the clan assembly.

Even among the minor branches, many human allies were at or above the Life and Death Realm, causing concern among the other participants. It seemed that some of these minor branches were poised to make a strong showing.

After all, whether or not they could explore the ancient human ruins depended on the results of this competition.

However, on the matchup list, the Eastern Branch's human ally, Lin Qian, was listed as only being at the Void-Fragmentation Realm, sixth stage, making him a laughingstock.

This clan assembly was a highly competitive event, yet the Eastern Branch's ally was only at the Void-Fragmentation Realm!

Lin Qian's opponent was from one of the smaller Eight-Armed Sea Tribe branches, with strength just shy of the Life and Death Realm but still in the Void-Fragmentation Realm, floating stage.

In the eyes of many, the outcome was clear—between the floating stage and the sixth stage, the winner seemed obvious.

Those who qualified to participate in this clan assembly were all talented individuals, and their combat strength far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.

As a result, fighting across realms was rare in this event, as everyone was capable of fighting well above their level.

Many believed that the Eastern Branch was on the brink of decline and that Lin Qian's participation was a joke.

Some had even started placing bets—not on who would win, but on how many moves Lin Qian would last. The options ranged from a hundred moves, to ten, to even just one.

"Isn't this just insulting? I tried to defend you, Your Majesty, but guess what?" Zhang Qi continued, his anger turning to bitter laughter. "That woman from the Yunhai Sect, the ally of the Northern Branch, said that you're just a coward with lustful intentions who wouldn't last half a move."

Now it was Lin Qian's turn to be shocked. He stared at Zhang Qi in disbelief. "Did I hear that right? She called me a coward with lustful intentions? Where did that come from?"

"She claimed that you ogled her with lecherous eyes and quickly looked away when caught, proving that you're just a coward who can't even face her beauty. She said that being weak is one thing, but not having the courage to admire her beauty is another," Zhang Qi explained, still fuming.

Hearing this, Lin Qian couldn't help but laugh in exasperation. "This is absurd. Xin'er is far superior in beauty, demeanor, and talent. Why would I need to look at her?"

Lin Qian was genuinely baffled by the woman's confidence in making such a statement. He had only glanced at the Yunhai Sect group because of his master, Wei Wushuang.

If anything, this was a classic case of someone overestimating their appeal.

After a moment, Lin Qian waved his hand dismissively and told Zhang Qi, "Don't let such foolishness bother you. Focus on the competition. Treat it as an opportunity to hone your new skills and abilities."

"Our true goal is the ancient human ruins. The clan assembly is just a stepping stone."

Zhang Qi, being highly talented and mentally resilient, quickly calmed down after hearing Lin Qian's words.

"Silence!" At that moment, a powerful voice echoed through the water, reaching everyone's ears.

Lin Qian looked toward the source of the voice and saw a profound and imposing Eight-Armed Sea Tribe member standing on the main clan's observation platform.

He was none other than Zhang Tianxin, the leader of the main clan and the entire Eight-Armed Sea Tribe!