Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 111 - The Ancient Martial Arts Tournament

Tang Jie didn’t dare waste any time. After all, Mr. and Mrs. Wang had already prepared themselves mentally, urging him not to push himself too hard and simply to do his best.

With that in mind, he decided to rest well first, keeping himself in peak physical and mental condition. This way, even if he couldn’t win tomorrow, he at least wouldn’t lose too miserably.

With this thought, Tang Jie swiftly drifted off to sleep and once again entered that recurring dream. This time, he saw the white-bearded elder approaching him in the dream. However, he still couldn’t clearly see the elder’s face. Slowly, the elder’s body began rising into the clouds, floating higher and higher, leading Tang Jie toward what seemed like a beautiful and serene destination.

Tang Jie had never experienced such a wonderful sensation. Following closely by the elder’s side, he felt his body become exceptionally light, as though he had grown wings.

He didn’t know how long they had been flying when suddenly, a dense area covered in dark clouds appeared ahead. The elder pointed to the black clouds and spoke a few words to Tang Jie.

Looking at the thick mass of black clouds, Tang Jie could sense a heavy aura of killing intent emanating from within, accompanied by a chilling wind. Suddenly, the white-bearded elder disappeared, and Tang Jie saw the black cloud advancing toward him, gradually enclosing him.

Tang Jie hastily concentrated his true qi and was stunned by the overwhelming power surging within him. To his surprise, he managed to gather a massive, transparent orb of energy between his palms and launched it toward the black cloud. The cloud was instantly scattered. Gathering his true qi again, he formed two enormous orbs of transparent energy, radiating destructive power. The surroundings flashed with blinding white light as a thunderous boom erupted. The black cloud vanished without a trace. Slowly, Tang Jie floated back to the ground, finding himself standing on a warm, blossoming field in full spring bloom.

The next morning, Wang Qianya came early to call Tang Jie. Mr. and Mrs. Wang were already awake, waiting downstairs. Once everyone had readied themselves, they set off in the Wang family’s private car toward the ancient martial arts tournament.

The event was held in the suburb, where all the ancient martial arts families had already gathered. As soon as Tang Jie arrived at the competition venue, he noticed the members of the Chen family, with Chen Nan standing behind the family leader, his face full of mockery as he looked at Tang Jie.

Tang Jie followed Wang Qianya and her parents to their seats. His mind wandered, speculating whether Chen Nan had found the ancient coin. Then again, he thought, even if Chen Nan had found it, it would be useless on its own. Tang Jie had concluded that the ancient coin could only work when paired with the iron piece in his possession. With this realization, he suddenly understood what the blind man had mentioned before: the purpose of the ancient coin was to unlock the contents of the iron piece.

However, the time was too short, and due to his own carelessness, Tang Jie had only discovered last night the changes in his true qi. Yet he had no idea what might happen when he stepped onto the arena in the upcoming competition.

After taking his seat, Tang Jie noticed that Chen Nan’s eyes seemed to be fixed on him. Meeting Chen Nan’s gaze with an equally fearless look, Tang Jie began surveying the crowd around the venue. He realized that over a dozen ancient martial arts families had gathered, with each family’s section occupied by around twenty people. They all appeared to be masters. Adding in the spectators, there were several hundred people attending the event.

It looked like today’s competition was bound to be intense. With this on his mind, Tang Jie began carefully observing the contestants each family intended to send to the arena, quietly noting their movements. The size and strength of a master’s inner strength could often be deduced from their subtle actions.

Mr. and Mrs. Wang, along with the third granduncle and several family elders, sat together. After casually discussing some matters regarding the competition, it was announced that the event would officially commence in half an hour.

The family that claimed first place in this competition would become the leader of all ancient martial arts families, with all other families required to follow the victors’ commands. Additionally, the winner would receive a prize of one million.

Tang Jie glanced at the honor trophy and medals that had already been placed on the judges’ table. He only lingered on them briefly, more intrigued by the one million than any awards. With that kind of money, he could take the woman he loved on adventures around the world-a dream he kept close to his heart.

However, whether he could actually win the competition was something he wasn’t entirely confident about. Still, retreating had never been part of his nature, even under such uncertain circumstances.

As the host announced that the competition would begin in thirty minutes, Tang Jie noticed the contestants from each family standing up to stretch and warm up. He snorted softly to himself, convinced that these must be the weakest masters who would inevitably be eliminated once they took the arena. True masters, he thought, didn’t need to go through warm-ups that looked like they belonged more at a marathon than at an elite martial arts event.

Wang Qianya suddenly remembered what her parents had instructed her to do the night before and came over to find Tang Jie.

“So, how are you feeling? Confident?” Wang Qianya asked, taking a seat beside him.

“What if I’m not?” Tang Jie looked at her with a smirk, deliberately teasing her. In his mind, confidence wasn’t an issue at all. Even if a top-tier master appeared, he’d still fight them without hesitation.

“Want me to give you a little confidence?” Wang Qianya asked with a sly smile. However, Tang Jie noticed a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

“Sure,” Tang Jie quickly replied. Having a beauty boost his confidence before a competition? Who’d say no to that? If anything, he thought, it’d be even better to have a whole cheerleading squad full of beautiful women rooting for him. With that kind of support, he’d probably be able to go three hundred rounds, even against a master in the Heaven Transformation Realm.

Tang Jie continued observing the competitors after speaking, when a delightful fragrance wafted into his nose. Suddenly, a smiling face flickered before his eyes, and then something soft and warm touched his lips.

By the time Tang Jie snapped out of his daze, Wang Qianya was sitting right in front of him with a mischievous smile on her face. His eyes widened in disbelief-she had just kissed him… proactively kissed him.

What?! That was his first kiss! Just like that, it had been stolen by her. Tang Jie stared at Wang Qianya, feeling his heart flutter wildly, pure happiness and excitement coursing through him. He had completely forgotten the fact that he had sneakily kissed Wang Qianya himself the day before.

“Well? Feeling confident yet? Or do you need another one for good measure?” Wang Qianya teased, her tone playful.

Another one…? Yes! Yes, please! Tang Jie’s eyes sparkled with joy as he vigorously nodded his head.

“Hmph! In your dreams. Win the competition first, and then we’ll talk,” Wang Qianya turned around, brushing him off with a deliberate air of indifference.

“So… if I win the competition, what will you reward me with?” Tang Jie asked with a grin, not missing a beat. Wang Qianya froze for a moment before turning back to look at him, an enigmatic smile playing on her lips.

“Anything you can think of,” she replied.

Tang Jie was startled-anything he could think of? If that were the case, could that mean… she herself could be…?

Watching Wang Qianya shyly dart back toward her parents, Tang Jie felt as if he were floating on air. It was at that moment that the host officially announced the beginning of the ancient martial arts tournament.

Snapping back to reality, Tang Jie noticed that two individuals had already stepped onto the arena, each representing their respective families. Judging by their confident strides and posture, Tang Jie quickly assessed that both were masters in the Acquired Great Perfection Realm.

Such skillful competitors right off the bat-it was going to be an exciting tournament. Tang Jie focused intently on the competition, carefully observing the two individuals. One of them, as it turned out, was a member of the Feng ancient martial arts family. Thinking of Feng Lun, Tang Jie became more intrigued and directed all his attention to the competition, curious about how members of the Feng family would perform.

As for the other competitor, Tang Jie was just about to figure out which family they represented when he noticed Chen Nan intently staring at the person on arena. Seeing the similarities in their attire, Tang Jie immediately connected the dots-this individual was undoubtedly from the Chen ancient martial arts family.

“The first competition: Feng ancient martial arts family versus Chen ancient martial arts family,” announced the host, confirming Tang Jie’s deduction once the competitors had taken their positions on the arena.

As the host’s voice resonated around the venue, the two participants clasped their fists and bowed respectfully to one another. With that, they assumed their stances, ready to battle.

Tang Jie’s eyes focused on the Chen family’s competitor, a young man in his early twenties wearing a light green tunic. He looked oddly familiar. After staring at him for a moment, realization struck-this was the same person who had been with Chen Nan at the alleyway near the station, watching the group attack Tang Jie that day.

A cold smirk crept onto Tang Jie’s face. If this man wasn’t taken down by his current opponent, Tang Jie was ready and eager to use this competition to settle his score with him.

Before Tang Jie could ruminate further, the Chen family’s representative moved. His foot lashed out with lightning speed, the attack carrying a menacing force straight toward the Feng family competitor. The move was sharp, ruthless, and filled with a cold, brutal intent to maim.

The Feng family’s representative was also a young man in his early twenties and a skilled fighter in his own right. He narrowly dodged the initial blow and shifted into a swift counterattack against the Chen family’s fighter.

The battle intensified quickly. The two young men exchanged blows at a furious pace, the force of their true qi unleashing gusts of wind that rippled across the arena. Within the blink of an eye, they had exchanged over a dozen moves.

It wasn’t long before the Feng family representative began to falter. He found himself forced back further and further until he was cornered near the edge of the arena. Sensing an opportunity, the Chen family fighter seized the moment with a Whirlwind Kick. The Feng fighter, caught off guard, barely managed to evade being knocked off the platform. He struggled to regain his footing, retreating to the rear of the arena. But before he had a chance to catch his breath, the Chen family fighter launched a spinning kick. This time, the Feng family representative failed to dodge. The kick landed squarely, hurling him several meters backward.

The Feng family fighter hit the ground hard, too stunned to rise. Before he could recover, the Chen family competitor darted forward, raising a foot with deadly intent. He aimed a powerful stomp at the fallen fighter. Tang Jie’s mind raced as he watched the scene unfold-he could see the malicious intent in the Chen family fighter’s posture. That stomp was loaded with enough force to cripple, if not outright kill, the man from Feng family.

“Enough! The Chen family wins!” At this critical moment, the host intervened decisively. Sensing the Chen fighter’s ruthless intent, the host quickly declared a winner, saving the Feng family representative from potential tragedy.

Tang Jie’s lips curled into a cold smile as he observed the Chen family competitor. Ruthless as expected. This was the Chen family’s infamous hallmark-utterly merciless, even in public competitions. They fought not just to win but to annihilate their opponents without hesitation.

The host’s announcement brought the next competitor to the arena. Tang Jie’s eyes shifted to the newcomer, a representative from another ancient martial arts family he didn’t recognize. The Chen family fighter remained on the arena, as per the tournament’s elimination rules: the victor stayed to face new challengers.

In this next matchup, the Chen family was met with a fighter who seemed slightly stronger than the previous Feng family competitor. However, gauging from his moves, Tang Jie assessed that this newcomer’s abilities peaked at the Acquired Great Perfection Realm-not much of a leap in difficulty.

After thirty minutes of intense fighting, no clear winner emerged. Tang Jie, still observing closely, noticed something peculiar. The Chen family fighter’s hand kept drifting toward his waist, intentionally or perhaps subconsciously. Tang Jie narrowed his eyes as he studied this subtle habit. A sharp glint flickered in his gaze, and his lips curled into a cold sneer. There it was again-yet another of the Chen family’s dirty tricks.