Then, the old man on the stage looked around, cleared his throat, and said with a smile, "Welcome to the Heavenly Eagle Martial Arts Academy. I'm the curator, Du Hongchen. As you can see, the most outstanding talents of our Nan Yun Province are gathered here to fight for the unique honor. However, the rules of this year's preliminaries have been changed. In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, we've added a special assessment before the fight to eliminate those who are trying to take advantage of the situation."
As soon as he said that, a murmur broke out. This old man actually didn't play by the rules. At first, they thought that it would be a real fight.
In the past, there were always a few participants who were trying to take advantage of the situation. Once they got on the stage and met an opponent they couldn't defeat, they would forfeit. Not only did it waste time, but it also ruined the enjoyment of the competition. It was undeniable that some people were eager to fight and were full of confidence. However, there were also some who just wanted to participate in the competition. Generally, being able to participate in the elite preliminaries was also a kind of honor. Even if they were at the bottom, it was still worth bragging about.
Following Curator Du's words, the crowd murmured.
"Why is there still a screening?"
"Tsk, I'm not afraid of fire anyway!"
Seeing the restless scene, Curator Du glanced at it indifferently and a trace of disappointment flashed across his eyes. It seemed that he had stopped in my direction for two more seconds. Being stared at by him like that, I instinctively felt a little weak. This old man could actually hide his aura so skillfully. Could he be an expert at the Transforming Strength stage?!
To be honest, I had a place in Yun City before, but the gathering of geniuses also brought me a lot of pressure.
Curator Du walked down the stage and sat on the judge's seat next to him. After a while, a beautiful hostess with a good figure walked up the stage. Her sweet voice was like that of a lark.
"Next, let me introduce the judges of this year's elite preliminaries. First of all, let's give a warm round of applause. Let's welcome our Xing Yi Martial Arts master …" As the beautiful hostess spoke, the judges appeared one after another. Basically, every one of them was a big shot in the province. They looked calm and composed as they sat next to Curator Du and couldn't help but greet him.
At first, I didn't pay attention to the few big shots who came out, but the hostess changed the topic.
"Alright, now that the male judges have been introduced, it's time for our special guest, Miss Guan from Beijing!"
I was stunned as I wanted to see just how beautiful she was. Not long later, a beautiful figure slowly walked out from the back of the stage. When I took a closer look, it was actually my master, Guan Ruolan. Oh my god, the worst part was that she was wearing a knee-length skirt that revealed her fair and slender legs. Looking at her walking was an absolute pleasure.
Thinking about it, I hadn't seen my master for almost a month. I really didn't expect to meet her again at this place. Moreover, she was a special guest. However, compared to the long introduction of the judges, there was very little information about my master. I only knew that she was from Beijing and the judges sitting in that row were quite polite to her. Even Curator Du looked at me and smiled. She directly sat next to Curator Du. Damn, I didn't expect my master to be so famous!
What's more annoying is that she clearly felt my fiery gaze, but pretended as if she didn't know me. However, Master's entrance attracted a wave of exclamations. It's definitely rare to see a beauty with such looks, temperament, and figure. Although she's dressed rather conservatively, she has a different kind of charm.
Originally, I wanted to perform well, but I didn't expect my master to come. Now, I couldn't afford to lose face. Luckily, I had been practicing hard recently. Facing these strong opponents, I was still calm.
Not far from the right side of the judges' table, there was a tall and big thing. It was quite eye-catching. Four staff members were stationed there. Because it was covered by a black cloth, we couldn't see what was inside, revealing a sense of mystery.
Following that, Curator Du gave a signal with his eyes, and a few staff members walked towards the object and worked together. With a swoosh, the curtain fell, and a huge bronze bell was revealed. The dragon and phoenix patterns were carved on it, and it could be said to be lifelike.
In the face of the puzzled look of the crowd, the beautiful host immediately announced the rules. This time, the contestants needed to use their Qi to ring the bronze bell at a distance of ten meters away. Of course, under normal circumstances, the louder the bell was, the stronger the contestant's Qi was. It was also a time to test their true abilities.
It was undeniable that most of the contestants were strong in the Concealing Strength Stage, but there was a problem. Many of them took shortcuts and forcefully improved their cultivation by eating some elixirs. This kind of martial artist not only had an unstable foundation, but it was also difficult to fully absorb it. It was like a hollow snowball that could collapse at any time.
It was not uncommon for martial artists to forcefully use elixirs to accumulate their cultivation, but these people often did not have too high achievements. Although there were no side effects, his master had once said that such a good thing as Marrow-Cleansing Pill, eating the first pill would have the best effect. After that, the effect would only be greatly reduced. Therefore, some guys, in order to participate in the competition, piled up flashy cultivation at all costs. Even if they had the idea of trying their luck, they still had to come and try.
And this bronze bell had become the best test tool. Whether the Qi strength was vigorous and condensed enough, and whether the corresponding cultivation had reached the corresponding level, would be tested!
It was the same as the so-called golden jade on the outside, rotten cotton on the inside.
In front of Curator Du, there was a list of names. According to his observation, most of the contestants this year's Qi strength was very superficial. Nine out of ten of them were piled up by elixirs. Therefore, this assessment was still very necessary. Not only did it save time, but it could also avoid casualties.
"Each of you has 30 seconds. I won't arrange any order. If you want to try, go over by yourself. Whether it's a mule or a horse, it's time to pull it out." With Curator Du's dull voice.
Not long after, a tall and sturdy young man confidently walked over to where the line had been drawn. Because he had volunteered, he attracted a lot of attention. After all, daring to be the first to eat the crab was a kind of courage. The sturdy man took a deep breath and practiced a few moves. He looked like a ferocious tiger that contained a sharp energy.