A crowd had gathered in great numbers.
Though tightly packed, there was still space for movement among them.
"Did you hear? They say the Blade King participated in the preliminaries yesterday."
"Of course, Iâve already heard plenty. Weâre lucky we didnât end up in the same group as himâ¦."
"I wonder what happened during that match."
The head of the Peng family, who had reached the realm of Hwagyeong.
The Blade King, Peng Zhou, was participating in the martial tournament.
That fact alone was enough to heat up the atmosphere everywhere.
Many were curious about what had transpired on the first day of the preliminaries where the Blade King had appeared, butâ
"No matter how curious you are, thereâs no way to find out."
"True enough."
There was no way to learn the details.
Before entering the preliminaries, all martial artists were placed under a binding restriction by the Alliance.
Specifically, a ban on revealing anything about the events they experienced during the preliminaries.
Thanks to this, no one knew what had happened the day before.
"Even if we knew, what difference would it make?"
"At least we could mentally prepare ourselves."
"Itâs obvious that if the Blade King is competing, heâs going to win anyway. So whatâs the point?"
A renowned figurehead, the patriarch of one of the Four Great Families, was participating.
As a result, skepticism was abundant.
"Do you think someone like a patriarch can even manage the Divine Dragon Formation?"
"Itâs odd that a patriarch is even participating in the first place."
While the tournament was typically for unaffiliated martial artists or those just starting to make a name for themselves,
the participation of someone as famous as a family patriarch raised questions about its purpose.
Some viewed it from that perspective.
Howeverâ
"Still, thereâs no rule saying patriarchs canât participate. Thatâs just a bias."
"Exactly. Even if theyâre heads of families, theyâre still martial artists."
Such differing opinions inevitably led to debates.
"Hah, so are you saying even the Three Lords could participate without issue?"
"Why are you bringing up the Three Lords now!"
The Three Lords, revered as Zhongyuanâs supreme beings.
Would those who gazed down from the heavens even bother with such a minor festival?
"Itâs obvious that this would just be a playground for them. Do you think theyâd stoop to mingling with the lower ranks?"
"Exactly. Why would those exalted and magnificent figures even consider it? That comparison is utterly absurd."
"What did you say!?"
What began as light banter gradually escalated into a heated exchange.
Given that they were martial artists, their rising tempers often led to fights.
However, since fighting was prohibited before the martial tournament, they managed to hold themselves back, barely avoiding an outright clash.
Andâ