After recovering from his shock, Gongsun Po shook his head.
"You are indeed outstanding. Unfortunately, the gap between us is simply too great."
Despite his lingering palpitation, Gongsun Po didn’t consider Ye Xuan a match for him. No matter how strong a Beast Soul was, it couldn’t possibly allow someone to kill an opponent so many layers above them, right? After all, he was at the 7th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. His strength was thousands of times greater than Ye Xuan’s.
Under everyone’s complicated gazes, Ye Xuan returned to his mother’s side. Hua immediately gave Ye Xuan a thumbs-up. The stronger Ye Xuan was, the happier she became. She knew that her young master intended to fight his way back to the Profound Cloud Sect, and only with this kind of growth speed would he be qualified to do so.
To the side, Liu Ruoxi wore a cold expression, inwardly cursing, "The Gongsun family really is full of trash." She only cursed the Gongsun family members for being useless, still unwilling to admit that it wasn’t that others were too weak, but rather that Ye Xuan was simply too outstanding.
The battles continued.
Without the interference of Ye Xuan’s Beast Soul Power, the others could exert their full strength once again. Deafening rumbles almost never ceased.
"Ring One. Direct Lineage, Gongsun Runfa wins."
"Ring Three. Direct Lineage, Gongsun Po wins."
"Ring Eight. Direct Lineage, Gongsun Hao wins..."
More and more victors emerged, but most of them belonged to the Direct Lineage. There was only one exception.
"Ring Ten. Zhao Wuji wins."
This announcement was highly unusual. Zhao Wuji from Ring Ten, just like Ye Xuan, attracted everyone’s attention. Only at this moment did people take a careful look at him. Zhao Wuji had a burly figure, but his face was incredibly ordinary. If placed in a crowd, he would be absolutely unnoticeable. Yet at this moment, he was the center of attention.
"What! The one he defeated was Gongsun Hai!"
Upon seeing clearly who Zhao Wuji had defeated, everyone was astonished. Gongsun Hai’s cultivation was at the 4th Layer of the Demon Spirit Realm. This Zhao Wuji was merely a member of the most marginal of the Side Branches. Did he really possess such great strength that he could defeat Gongsun Hai? If one could say that Zhao Wuji won his first match through pure luck, then in this second match, he had definitely relied on sheer strength.
"Hai, what happened?" Gongsun Po suddenly appeared beside Gongsun Hai and helped the half-kneeling man to his feet. Even he hadn’t expected Gongsun Hai to lose here.
Gongsun Hai gritted his teeth. "Brother, I’ve brought disgrace to you and Father..."
"What happened? Were you no match for him?"
Gongsun Po hadn’t paid attention to his younger brother’s battle earlier because Ring Ten was a bit far from him. By the time he secured his own victory and wanted to check in, Gongsun Hai had already been defeated.
"Brother, I’m not... This guy is just too terrifying. He fought with absolute disregard for his own safety, perfectly willing to suffer grievous injuries just to drag me down with him. He wasn’t even afraid of my killing moves..."
Gongsun Po didn’t say a word, instead sizing up Zhao Wuji. Zhao Wuji’s body was also riddled with wounds, fresh blood gushing out. Yet, his gaze was as firm as a rock. It was a look that the children of the Direct Lineage could never truly comprehend. Only those from the Side Branches who worked hard in silence knew what that gaze meant.
Without another word, Gongsun Po supported Gongsun Hai and returned to Gongsun Xin’s side. Gongsun Hai didn’t dare to look at Gongsun Xin, feeling he had thoroughly embarrassed his father.
Gongsun Xin, however, simply patted Gongsun Hai on the shoulder. "Failure is not a terrifying thing. But do you know why you failed?"
"Why, Father?"
"Your willpower is simply not resolute enough. Look at Zhao Wuji’s eyes. He might look ordinary, but he fights like a Wild Beast. Standing in that ring, his goal was crystal clear—he had to win."
"Father, I wanted to win too..."
"You *wanted* to win, but he *had* to win."
Saying this, Gongsun Xin cast another glance at Ye Xuan and sighed with emotion. "The sharp edge of a Treasure Sword comes from honing, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Your status in the Direct Lineage has given you a sense of pride, but perhaps, it cannot give you unyielding willpower..."
The inhabitants of the city were inherently arrogant. Ordinary people couldn’t compare to them at all; no matter how hard they tried, they would always fall short. But those were just ordinary people!
True Demons, even if born from humble beginnings, would never curse fate or blame others. They knew better than anyone that a brilliant life had to be earned through one’s own hard work. The path of a Cultivator was like sailing against the current—if you don’t advance, you will be pushed back.
Hard work might not guarantee success, but without hard work, failure was absolute. In this world, no one had the right to mock someone who worked hard, even if they had not yet achieved anything.
Ye Xuan’s talent was already that of a Demon, wasn’t it? But did he show even the slightest hint of mental laziness? No! On the contrary, he constantly felt that he never had enough time.
Ye Xuan understood better than anyone that dignity was earned through one’s own strength. If a person of humble origins still refused to work hard, they were worse than a puddle of useless mud. In this world, even geniuses were working hard. What right did an ordinary person have to be lazy?
"Those who drew numbers eleven through twenty, step up and fight," Gongsun Wenjin’s voice rang out.
The second wave of battles commenced. About twenty minutes later, the matches concluded.
In the stands, Gongsun Wenjin stood up and announced, "Alright, the top twenty slots have been finalized. I see that all of you have sustained injuries to some degree. Go to Gongsun Xin to collect Healing Pills and Spirit Revitalizing Pills. Once you’ve recovered a bit, we’ll continue with the drawing of lots."
As soon as he finished speaking, the injured participants immediately headed over to Gongsun Xin to collect their Elixirs. After ingesting them, everyone sat in meditation to regulate their breathing and heal.
This was especially true for Zhao Wuji. Sitting on the ground with his eyes closed, he seized every available second. To prevent him from being disturbed, the people from the Side Branches formed a circle, protectively enclosing him in the center. Zhao Wuji’s performance had made him a hero in the eyes of his fellow Side Branch members. No one had expected him to possess such formidable combat strength.
Zhao Wuji had been away from home for fifteen years. Fifteen years later, he had stood out in the Side Branch competition, successfully earning the right to participate in the grand tournament. If he could pass the next round, Zhao Wuji would create a miracle the likes of which hadn’t been seen in a long time! He would become the first Side Branch disciple in five hundred years to enter the top ten. His lineage would regain the Gongsun surname, and he would be renamed Gongsun Wuji.
At this moment, even quite a few members of the Direct Lineage were inquiring about Zhao Wuji’s strength. After all, if you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
About half an hour later, Gongsun Wenjin spoke once more. "That’s about enough time. Let the battles continue. Next, we will determine the top ten. Step up and draw your lots."
At his words, a fierce light erupted in everyone’s eyes. Entering the top ten meant guaranteed rewards, so in the upcoming battles, every single person would fight with their lives on the line.
The light shining in Zhao Wuji’s eyes was exceptionally brilliant. He had gone out to temper himself for fifteen years. Over those fifteen years, he had cultivated day and night, even to the point of devastating his own body, all for the sake of breaking into the top ten. Only by entering the top ten would his mother and sister be spared from being expelled from the Gongsun family.
Every year, many new lives were born into the Gongsun family, which also meant that every year, many people were driven out. The Side Branches that were expelled from the Gongsun family would sever all ties with them forever. It would even be incredibly difficult for them to stay in the city as ordinary residents.
The layout and resources of the city were already firmly established and stable. There was no extra land or storefronts left for them to make a living. In other words, once they left the Gongsun family, they were entirely on their own.
The city was already overcrowded; almost everyone’s only way out was to leave the city and migrate to weaker, smaller towns. There, they might at least become a big fish in a small pond.