The Eternal Heart - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: The Conspiracy of The Ranking Battle
The curtains finally fell on the “knockout competition”, which was the first segment of the Great Outer Sect Tournament after three days.

On the Array Board, the names of those in the top 20 were shining and dazzling.

The six, who were jointly in first place, in particular, attracted the attention of many people.

“I never thought that he could reach this stage…”

Le Feng lightly sucked in a breath of air as his gaze fixated on the two words, “Chen Yu”, which was aligned next to his.

He could never have anticipated that Chen Yu would reach this stage three months ago when they were killing the Metal Brown Bear.

If he knew that Chen Yu would have such achievements today, Le Feng definitely wouldn’t use the [Towering Cloud Step] as a bargaining chip with Chen Yu.

Le Feng had a huge superiority in advancing to the top three concerning his martial arts form.

For example, his two major competitors Hu Yiba and Yuan Beitong were half a strand inferior to him in terms of their martial arts form, but Chen Yu was different.

He equally perfected the [Towering Cloud Step] and even cultivated the [Fiendish Cloud Fist] that was even more profound. It seemed as though he also cultivated a resistive external technique with an unknown name.

Le Feng even felt that Chen Yu’s strength possibly wasn’t as simple as it looked on the surface.

Le Feng arrived at a terrifying conclusion out of the remaining regret he felt. Chen Yu would be his greatest threat in charging to the top three!

The difference between the top 3 and the fourth place in the Great Outer Sect Tournament was too great.

First, the reward for being in the top three was 20,000 Contribution Points, a top-ranking martial arts skill, and a mid-ranked Profound Body Pill.

From fourth place to tenth place, which was the reward for the top 10, it turned into 10,000 Contribution Points, a high-ranked martial arts skill, and a low-ranked Profound Body Pill.

The rewards differed by an entire grade on the whole!

Secondly, it would always be easier for the top three to be selected into the inner sect!

It could be said that the difference of one placing, by ranking third and fourth, would affect the fates of people like Le Feng or Hu Yiba.

Hu Yiba was a model example.

He was fourth in the last tournament, yet the top three more or less entered the inner sect.

“It looks like I must do something…”

Le Feng decided as his eyes twinkled.

At this moment, all of the disciples on Cloud Sky Summit were dispersing one after the other.

After the knockout competition ended, the participants would rest and reorganize themselves for a day before the ranking competition would be held the day after.

After all, many disciples were injured after engaging in repeated battles. They were all fatigued and needed adequate time to recuperate.

Chen Yu didn’t think too much about it.

He started regulating his breath as he recuperated in preparation for the decisive battle tomorrow.

…

At night.

In a desolate courtyard in the outer sect.

Rustle!

The figures of a few outer sect disciples quietly walked into the courtyard one after the other.

Soon, five people, four males, and one female assembled in the courtyard.

If there were other disciples present, they would be incredibly surprised.

At this moment, as many as five of the disciples temporarily ranked in the top 10 in the current Great Outer Sect Tournament arrived all at once.

Hu Yiba, Yuan Beitong, Cheng Yun, Le Feng, and Tong Yuling comprised the four males and one female respectively.

“Le Feng, we don’t seem to know each other that well. I wonder why you have suddenly gathered us here tonight?” Hu Yiba indifferently asked.

The rest of the gazes converged on Le Feng’s face one by one.

As it turned out, Le Feng was the one who proposed for the five great elite disciples to come together.

“I won’t beat around the bush either. What thoughts do all of you have after seeing Chen Yu’s strength in the tenth round of the competition today?” Le Feng said with a faint smile.

Chen Yu!

When these two words left his mouth, a light flashed across Hu Yiba and Cheng Yun’s eyes.

The few people exchanged glances and understood his intentions very quickly.

“Le Feng, are you asking us to help you deal with Chen Yu together so that it’s easier for you to enter the top three?” Cheng Yun sneered.

“No, I want us to help one another. All of you will benefit from following my plan.”

Le Feng looked calm and appeared self-confident as well.

After that, Le Feng lowered his voice so that they approached him before he started whispering.

Oh?

After Hu Yiba and Cheng Yun attentively listened to what he said, they soon looked interested and expectant.

“Hahaha…that’s a good stratagem. Chen Yu is a great obstruction blocking us from advancing into the top three. Every single one of us will challenge him once in the ranking competition tomorrow. We’ll drag him to his death while he’s still alive in this covert wheel battle.”

Hu Yiba laughed heartily as he became extremely pleased.

In all of the previous ranking battles, a rough ranking would first be arranged based on the results of the knockout competition.

After that, those who weren’t convinced with the results could challenge those ranked ahead of them.

Le Feng’s plan was extremely direct. The five powerhouses present could issue a challenge to Chen Yu once to expend his physical and vital energy.

“Yuan Beitong, Tong Yuling, what do you guys think?”

Hu Yiba turned his gaze.

“Based on Wang Lingyun said, Chen Yu has very great strength. To stabilize my name as the ‘God of Strength’ in the outer sect, I naturally want to challenge him,” Yuan Beitong said in a low muffled voice.

Good!

Le Feng and the others felt pleased. Yuan Beitong was slightly simple-minded so he was very suited to spearhead the attack.

Everyone shifted their gaze to the final person, Tong Yuling.

“I don’t have much hope in entering the top three, so I won’t participate in your operation.”

Tong Yuling gave her reply after muttering to herself irresolutely for a moment.

Her words somewhat disappointed Le Feng. Until now, Tong Yuling and he had a pretty good relationship, but he never thought that she would reject him this time.

Le Feng didn’t know that Chen Yu had saved Tong Yuling’s life that day when they went to kill the Bald Bloody Hand together.

The five of them dispersed very quickly.

“Le Feng, you’ve changed…”

Tong Yuling followed the handsome young man with her eyes, watching his figure from the back as he left and let out a soft sigh in his heart.

…

In a refined loft on the peak of the sect.

“Are you sure? That boy from before had successfully cultivated the [Bronze Statue Technique]? He perfected the Bronze Skin level and even cultivated it to a realm above that?”

The eyes of an old man with a red face were extremely wide as he stared at the old man with the white beard in front of him.

The old man with the white beard was that Elder Nangong, Nangong Li’s grandfather.

“Why do I need to lie to you? Not only did that boy achieve some success in the [Bronze Statue Technique], his [Fiendish Cloud Fist] is also at its initial form at the very least,” exclaimed Elder Nangong with the white beard in surprise.

“It’s only been two to three months. With this boy’s Half Soul Physique, it’s inconceivable as well.”

The old man with the red face had a strange expression on his face.

If it was an inner sect genius who could achieve this, they could still accept it.

But the target was an ordinary disciple with a Half Soul Physique.

“No matter what, there’s a certain possibility in executing that ‘Netherworld Moon’s Ancient Well’ conspiracy plan,” said Elder Nangong with a smile.

“Heh heh! I never thought that the seed I randomly sowed that day would actually succeed. Other than Younger Martial Brother Pan, you, and me, no one else in the sect knows about the secret of the ‘Netherworld Moon’s Ancient Well’,” the old man with the red face said with a content expression.

“We must keep this matter a secret.”

The duo reached a common understanding as their voices became softer.

…

Early the next morning.

Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

The Cloud Vibrating Bell was struck four times in a row. The sound resonated through the skies and reverberated between the mountain ranges.

On Cloud Sky Summit.

Tournament stages A and B were combined to form a large tournament stage that was double the size.

An “Array Board” was erected in front of everyone with 20 names gleaming into view before their eyes.

The names were ranked in order from first, second… until the 20th.

Among these names, there were six people whose names were lined beside one another. They were: Duan Xiaolong, Nangong Li, Hu Yiba, Le Feng, Chen Yu, and Tong Yuling.

Many silhouettes came together at the summit.

Since this was the day of the decisive battle, there were even more people here than the previous three days.

Other than the Sect Master of Yunyue Sect, Fairy Xia Yu, and Elder Nangong with the white beard, two or three more Elders came along as well.

“Heh heh! I heard that the outer sect disciples have pretty good aptitudes this time. I came over to try my luck.”

An old man with a red face amongst them smiled as he moved over.

“Huh?! Elder Mao, you never ask about matters regarding the external realm, yet you actually have time to come over and watch the Great Outer Sect Tournament today?”

The Sect Master of Yunyue Sect and a few other Elders clicked their tongues in wonder.

Hmm?

Chen Yu’s gaze fell on that old man with the red face. He recognized him in a single glance. Wasn’t this Elder Mao the one who recommended the [Bronze Statue Technique] to him that day in the Heavenly Martial Pavilion?

Other than the higher-ups in the sect, there were also a few inner sect disciples who came to observe the Great Outer Sect Tournament.

A total of 60 to 70 inner sect disciples had come to watch. It wasn’t considered to be a great number, but it was surely a lot more compared to the number that came in the past.

“Xueqing, you actually have the leisurely frame of mind to watch the ‘Great Outer Sect Tournament’?”

The Seventh Prince’s languid voice could be heard.

He was wearing a gorgeous changpao, which was different from the regulated clothes disciples wore in general. He was like a crane in a flock of chickens.

A refined, pure, and beautiful young lady stood charmingly beside him. Her exquisite cheongsam outlined her delicate and beautiful appearance. Her long black hair that reached her waist resembled a waterfall as it moved in the wind. She really appealed to aesthetics.

The young lady’s tender countenance was akin to a tree peony after the rain. Her skin was like snow-white porcelain that had a tinge of rosiness. One felt a rush of excitement at the kind of fresh and pure fragrance she exuded which resembled the scent a flower emitted when it first bloomed.

“Mu Xueqing!”

“The number one beauty of the outer sect! Didn’t she enter the inner sect already?”

Mu Xueqing’s appearance attracted numerous attentive gazes. Her popularity practically canopied the power struggle between the two dragons, Nangong Li and Duan Xiaolong.

The light in the young lady’s eyes was bright and beautiful, akin to the first glimmer of dawn as she was fixated on the ranking on the Array Board.

First place, Chen Yu, 10 points.

That name made the young lady’s long eyelashes tremble slightly as she had a hint of a complicated look on her face.

She still remembered the sentence the young man indifferently left on the day they parted. “Also, we’ll meet again in the inner sect in the future.”

At this very moment, the young man’s name was ranked first, even though a total of six people temporarily occupied the first place.

“How interesting.”

The Seventh Prince smiled leisurely as his gaze swept across a few names on the Array Board.

He still wore an indifferent expression.

He had been wooing Mu Xueqing for some time now. Even though it was very difficult for him to succeed, he was enjoying such a process.

On the contrary, he would find it dull if he succeeded too easily.

As for Chen Yu, he treated this individual, who could potentially be a “rival in love”, as a bit of a flavoring agent.

“The ranking match is commencing,” announced that old man in black robes before the Array Board loudly.

All the disciples present fell silent.

“The rules of the competition dictate that those ranked behind can issue a challenge against those ranked in front. Everyone only has two chances to challenge one another. Defeat results in losing one attempt to issue a challenge whereas no attempts will be deducted for winning. The winner and the one being challenged will swap rankings. On the other hand, the challenger will retain their original ranking upon being defeated.”

The rules were the same as in prior years. It was extremely simple.

Everyone had two attempts at challenging one another. There was no deduction in attempts upon winning, whereas attempts were deducted upon losing.

As such, they had to be careful in choosing the target they wanted to challenge.

If the target they challenged was too high and the individual failed twice, they wouldn’t make any headway at all.

“Everyone has two chances starting from now!” yelled the old man in black robes in a low tone.

Just as the old man finished speaking, Chen Yu suddenly felt waves of fighting intent and enmity locking onto him.

Those gazes came from Hu Yiba, Yuan Beitong, Cheng Yuan, and even Le Feng.

He suddenly felt that something was amiss.

“Younger Martial Brother Chen, you have to be careful. Hu Yiba and the rest will join hands and single you out. They want to sweep you out of the competition for the top three places.”

A familiar female voice rang beside Chen Yu’s ear.

It was unknown when Tong Yuling stood beside Chen Yu and spoke to him in a lowered voice.

“Sweep me out of the top three?”

A sneer of cold intent hung on the corner of Chen Yu’s lips.

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“But my goal isn’t the top three!”

What?!

It wasn’t the top three?

Was it possible that he wanted to…

A raging storm rose in Tong Yuling’s mind as she looked at Chen Yu in disbelief. She realized that she couldn’t see through this young man anymore.