I panicked a little. Although Song Wenxuan's voice transmission was almost imperceptible, it still couldn't escape the ears of the elders. However, at this critical moment, Grandmaster Chen raised his eyebrows and enveloped us with a soft and hard aura.
It was like an invisible barrier that prevented the elders from eavesdropping. If they insisted on doing so, they wouldn't be able to avoid a clash of power. It wouldn't be easy to clean up the mess.
For elders of their stature, if they had a disagreement in public, it would only lead to unwarranted speculation. As the saying goes, when the forest is big, there are all kinds of birds. In a place like Beijing, some people just liked to make groundless accusations.
So, after a short hesitation, the elders looked at each other and gave up on pressuring Song Wenxuan further. For this kind of thing, even if it was put on the table, they would still be in the wrong.
I let out a sigh of relief. Grandmaster Chen had acted in time. Otherwise, Song Wenxuan would be in a difficult position. It was like having a bug on your body when you were whispering to someone. You knew it, but you couldn't take it off. It wasn't a good feeling.
Then, Song Wenxuan made a long story short and shared some things with me. My heart sank and I couldn't help but sigh. Beijing was indeed the holy land of martial arts. The overall quality of martial artists wasn't something Nan Yun could compare with.
No wonder Director Du hoped that I could make a name for myself in Beijing. It wasn't just for my own future, but also for Nan Yun's martial arts status in the country.
A few minutes later, Song Wenxuan looked at me deeply. "Brother, do your best!"
Thousands of words turned into a single word of encouragement. He hoped that I would be able to continue what he couldn't accomplish.
Not long after, the other eleven groups of matches also came to an end.
However, according to the rules, the next round of matches would be held in an hour, giving the top twelve some time to rest.
I took a look. In addition to me, Yang Zecheng had also easily advanced to the top twelve. However, Luo Tao seemed a little tragic. After a fierce battle, he was defeated in the end.
"Hey, Senior Brother Luo, can you do it or not? You were full of confidence and boasted that you would at least be in the top six. But now, you've failed in the first round!"
"That's right. Look, even that outer sect disciple has advanced. What reason do you have to be eliminated?"
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have given up my seat to him."
Hearing these sarcastic remarks, Luo Tao couldn't help blushing. He stretched his neck and said, "Hey, it's easy for you to say that. The disciples of the Supreme Martial Arts School are second only to Gyeongbu Hall. Moreover, my opponent is the 'Eternal Second' of the Supreme Martial Arts School. To put it bluntly, except for the Eldest Senior Brother, if you have the ability to defeat him, you will be beaten to a pulp. Moreover, I almost knocked him off the stage just now. Are you blind?!"
"That's true, but even the outer disciples have advanced. With Senior Brother Luo's strength, you shouldn't have been eliminated so quickly."
"Hey, I understand now. What Senior Brother Luo wants to say is that he was very unlucky today. If he had met Cheng Mingyuan from Hongxing Hall, he probably wouldn't have been eliminated in one round."
In fact, Luo Tao had a certain reputation in the Guowei Martial Arts School. However, it was indeed a shame for him to be eliminated in one round. Moreover, Luo Tao's position in Grandmaster Chen's heart would also plummet. As the saying goes, "When a wall is down, everyone will push it. When a broken drum is beaten, ten thousand people will beat it." They didn't mind adding insult to injury at this time.
There was no threshold for participation in the dojo challenge. As long as one was a disciple of the six major martial arts schools and had confidence in his strength, he could sign up. However, to participate in such a big event, one must have some self-awareness. Otherwise, if he was defeated, the martial arts school behind him would also be humiliated.
Although they didn't have the confidence to participate in the dojo challenge, whenever their fellow disciples were defeated, they would inevitably jump out to make sarcastic remarks. In this regard, the leaders of the major martial arts schools also had a supportive attitude. As the saying goes, "Know shame and be brave."
"Damn it! Are you comparing me with that outer disciple?
Are you kidding me? He was lucky to be ranked at the bottom of the Hongxing Hall. If it were me, Cheng Mingyuan would have directly given up. Don't forget that a few days ago, if it weren't for my master's presence, Zhuang Feng would have been sent to the hospital by me. How could he advance now? "Luo Tao said indignantly.
"As I expected, in order to ensure fairness, the dojo challenge does not allow the use of divine weapons and elixirs to temporarily enhance combat effectiveness. That is to say, it all depends on one's own ability."
Luo Tao liked to blow his own trumpet. Several disciples saw what happened that night with their own eyes. He gained the upper hand with the help of a medium-grade refined weapon. However, Luo Tao didn't mention anything about the refined weapon afterward.
In addition, those disciples misled the public, so most people in the Guowei Martial Arts School thought that Luo Tao was stronger than me.
But then again, if there were no restrictions on the use of elixirs and refined weapons, the duel would definitely be more exciting. However, there were also corresponding drawbacks and concerns. Now, I had grasped the surface of True Martial Seven Skills. Even if Luo Tao borrowed a medium-grade refined weapon, he still couldn't do anything to me. This was my confidence in True Martial Seven Skills.
With Luo Tao's rebuttal, those sarcastic voices stopped, but at this time, He Gang couldn't help but remind him.
"Hehe, Brother Luo, luck is also a part of strength."
Obviously, He Gang was defending me. He had witnessed the whole story of the confrontation that night, but he didn't point it out because he was insignificant.
"Hmph, He Gang, you talk too much. I advise you to think about how to deal with the assessment at the end of the month. You failed last time. If you fail again, my master won't give you another chance. Stop pretending. When you are no longer a member of the Guowei Martial Arts School, I will teach you a lesson!"
Luo Tao glared at him fiercely. He Gang couldn't help but shrink his head, unable to conceal the fear in his eyes.
This hour was relatively long. Some of the big shots in the judges' seats went to the bathroom, while others comforted the disciples who failed.
Grandmaster Chen walked over unhurriedly with a dignified look, so the atmosphere suddenly became serious.
I didn't care. I still held my head high and chest out. In contrast, Luo Tao was like a frosted eggplant. Yang Zecheng had an unruly expression on his face. It seemed that he couldn't wait to start the next round of the competition.
"Zecheng, Xiao Zhuang, you two did well. Keep up the good work. If you can enter the top six, in addition to the original rewards of the challenge, I will not treat you badly."
Grandmaster Chen's tone was quite gentle. He had also changed the way he addressed me from master to master.