Chapter 39 Drawing Lots

The following morning, thirty newly appointed Demon Suppressors gathered at the training ground, dressed in black flying fish robes with long swords hanging at their waists.

In the center of the training ground, Zhao Shan stood with his hands behind his back, flanked by several veteran demon-suppressing envoys, including Zhou Wu, Qin Feng, and Sun Yan.

"Today is the selection for the 'New Talent Competition' in Qingzhou Prefecture. The rules are very simple." Zhao Shan's voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the venue. "Opponents will be determined by drawing lots, and it will be a single-elimination tournament. The winners will advance to the next round, until the top five are determined."

Zhou Wu stepped forward and placed a black wooden box in front of everyone: "There are thirty bamboo sticks in the box, engraved with numbers one to thirty. Adjacent numbers are paired up, that is, number one to number two, number three to number four, and so on."

"Now, come forward one by one to draw lots."

The newly appointed demon-suppressing envoys lined up in a long queue, taking turns drawing bamboo sticks from the wooden box.

Shen Lian drew number twelve, and his opponent will be number eleven.

Li Hu leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Lian, I drew number nine."

Chen Yun said, "I'm number sixteen."

Wang Lin looked at the bamboo slip in his hand: "Number twenty-two."

Shen Lian nodded slightly: "Everyone, be careful and try to squeeze into the top five to win the qualification to participate in the Qingzhou Prefecture 'New Talent Competition'."

Wang Lin and the other two nodded emphatically, their expressions becoming more serious.

The drawing of lots was completed quickly.

Zhao Shan surveyed the crowd and announced loudly, "The competition will end when it's over. No one may intentionally kill anyone. A player who concedes defeat, falls off the stage, or loses their fighting ability will be declared the loser. The selection will now begin. Number one and number two, please step onto the stage."

The arena was set in the center of the training ground, made of bluestone, and was ten zhang in circumference.

The two demon-suppressing envoys leaped onto the arena, clasped their fists in salute, and then drew their swords against each other.

clang!

The clang of metal rang out, and the selection process officially began.

Shen Lian stood below the stage, calmly observing the battle. He recognized both of the newly appointed Demon Slayers. One was named Zhang Meng, a burly man skilled in fierce sword techniques; the other was named Liu Chuan, agile and versatile, also adept at sword techniques.

Both were at the first level of the Body Tempering Realm, and their strengths were roughly equal.

"Zhang Meng has strong blood and qi, his moves are wide and powerful, and his explosive power is very strong." Shen Lian thought to himself, "Liu Chuan's footwork is exquisite, but his sword strength is insufficient, making it difficult to break through Zhang Meng's defense. He will probably have a hard time winning this match."

After thirty moves, Zhang Meng unleashed a powerful "Mountain Splitting Strike," knocking the longsword from Liu Chuan's hand, the blade stopping three inches in front of his throat.

"You flatter me!" Zhang Meng sheathed his sword and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Zhang Meng wins the first match!" Qin Feng announced loudly.

In the following matches, the winners and losers were determined one by one.

Li Hu's opponent was a small, thin demon-suppressing envoy named Zhao Xiaoliu, who possessed the strength of the first level of the Body Tempering Realm and had already mastered the "Demon-Subduing Blade Technique."

"Tiger, be careful, don't be careless," Shen Lian reminded him.

Li Hu nodded and leaped onto the arena.

"Please enlighten me." Zhao Xiaoliu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes suddenly turning sharp.

As soon as the gong sounded, Zhao Xiaoliu immediately charged towards Li Hu with his sword. The long sword slashed down from above, which was the first move of the "Demon Subduing Sword Technique", and he slashed down towards Li Hu's face.

Li Hu lowered his waist and stood on his horse, circulating the "Tiger Subduing Stance," his blood and qi surging within him. He held his long sword horizontally in front of him to block Zhao Xiaoliu's slash.

Zhao Xiaoliu swung his knife repeatedly, launching a frenzied attack on Li Hu.

Li Hu calmed himself down and used his long sword to protect his vital points.

"This Li Hu is quite composed." Zhou Wu nodded slightly from below the stage.

Qin Feng laughed and said, "Shen Lian has instructed him in swordsmanship. Li Hu's current strength should not be underestimated. Zhao Xiaoliu may not be able to defeat him."

After twenty moves, Zhao Xiaoliu was unable to gain the upper hand and his breathing became slightly disordered. Just as he changed his move, a glint flashed in Li Hu's eyes.

"Now!"

Li Hu suddenly took a step forward and unleashed a powerful "Mountain Splitting" strike at Zhao Xiaoliu. His timing was impeccable, leaving Zhao Xiaoliu with no way to dodge.

Zhao Xiaoliu was shocked to see this and quickly raised his knife to block.

clang!

The two swords clashed fiercely, and Zhao Xiaoliu felt a tremendous force, which forced him to retreat repeatedly, his right hand trembling uncontrollably.

Li Hu suddenly appeared in front of Zhao Xiaoliu, his long knife held against his neck.

"You flatter me." Li Hu sheathed his sword and nodded to the other party.

"Li Husheng!"

A cheer erupted from the audience.

Li Hu jumped off the stage and walked towards Shen Lian and the others.

Chen Yun smiled and said, "Congratulations."

Li Hu chuckled and said, "That kid is fast, but he lacks stamina. If I can't break through his defenses, he'll expose a weakness. As long as I hold out for a while and find his weakness, he won't be my match."

Soon, it was Shen Lian's turn to go on stage.

Shen Lian's opponent is Han Feng, number eleven. Han Feng is quite low-key among the newly appointed Demon Suppressors, but his strength should not be underestimated.

The two stepped onto the ring.

Han Feng clasped his hands in greeting: "Brother Shen, please give me your guidance."

"Brother Han, you're too kind," Shen Lian returned the greeting.

The gong sounds.

Han Feng struck first, wielding his sword and attacking Shen Lian with three consecutive slashes, the "Wave-Slaying Style" from the "Demon-Subduing Sword Technique," the sword light flashing continuously.

Shen Lian remained indifferent, his feet lightly shifting using the "Tiger-Taming Stance" footwork, his figure darting and dodging on the arena to avoid Han Feng's attacks.

After more than ten moves, Shen Lian understood.

Han Feng's swordsmanship was solid, and his strength was steady, clearly showing that he had put in a lot of hard work. However, it had a major flaw: his swordsmanship lacked variation, and the transitions between each move were somewhat stiff.

"It's my turn."

Shen Lian's eyes narrowed, and his body suddenly accelerated.

He wielded his sword and unleashed a powerful strike, a surge of energy coiling around the blade, before slashing down at Han Feng's head.

Han Feng retreated rapidly, simultaneously holding his long sword horizontally in front of him.

clang!

Shen Lian slashed at Han Feng's blade, and Han Feng felt a continuous force coming from it, causing the long blade in his hand to tremble.

Shen Lian strode forward, his long saber flashing like a serpent emerging from its hole. He unleashed three moves of the "Demon Subduing Saber Technique" in quick succession, slashing several times at Han Feng.

Han Feng barely managed to withstand Shen Lian's attacks, but was forced to retreat repeatedly.

"Brother Shen's swordsmanship... has improved again!" Wang Lin exclaimed in astonishment.

Chen Yun said softly, "Senior Brother Shen has mastered the sword technique to a high level. He can use any move at will and is no longer bound by fixed routines."

Shen Lian's sword stance suddenly changed. He stepped on the Xuan Step, his body spun rapidly, and his long sword drew a perfect arc as he slashed horizontally towards Han Feng.

Han Feng's expression was solemn. He held the knife in both hands and slashed at Shen Lian with all his might.

clang!

The moment the blades clashed, Shen Lian slightly turned his wrist, and a spiraling force suddenly erupted.

Han Feng was pulled to the side by a force and staggered forward several steps.

The tip of Shen Lian's longsword appeared in front of Han Feng.

"You flatter me." Shen Lian then sheathed his sword and smiled.

Han Feng paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Brother Shen's swordsmanship is superb; I, Han, am completely convinced of my defeat."

"Shen Liansheng!"

"How did you manage that stab just now?"

"It seems to be using skillful force to deflect the opponent's force, and then using that force against them."

"Shen Lian's control over the sword energy has reached a level of perfection."

A gasp of amazement erupted from the audience.

Looking at Shen Lian on the stage, Zhao Shan's eyes flashed with approval: "This boy's talent is indeed amazing. In just a few months, he has mastered the 'Demon Subduing Blade Technique,' and what's even more commendable is his ability to adapt and not be bound by the moves."

Zhou Wu laughed and said, "It seems that Qinghe County might produce a dark horse in this 'New Talent Competition'."

Qin Feng disagreed: "Qingzhou Prefecture is full of geniuses, and there are quite a few young experts at the third and fourth levels of the Body Tempering Realm. Shen Lian's strength is indeed good, but he has only been cultivating for a short time, and his realm is probably still some distance behind theirs."

The competition continued.

Chen Yun faced off against a demon-suppressing envoy named Chen Shan. With her exquisite swordsmanship, she seized an opening after thirty moves and defeated him with a single strike.

Wang Lin's opponent was a burly man with astonishing strength.

Instead of engaging in a direct confrontation, he used agile footwork to fight, exhausting his opponent's stamina before decisively striking and easily winning.