Battle of the Top 100

On the second day, the grand battle to determine the top fifty from the top hundred proceeded as scheduled, with the martial arts field at the Martial Arts Institute still crowded with people. 

"How did it go? Did you all advance?" Han Yan'er asked as she watched the group gather. 

"Yeah, the opponents weren't strong, so we quickly dealt with them," Tang Yu nodded. 

"What about Kuang Qing? Why hasn't he arrived yet? Did he encounter a tough opponent?" Gu Hongyi looked around and noticed that Mo Qingkuang had not appeared. 

Han Yan'er shook her head, "He finished first and went to watch the matches of the disciples from the Yuan Sword Sect." 

"Liu Xuan's match?" Chen Shi raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that Mo Qingkuang would be so impatient to observe his opponents. 

"No, he seems to have gone directly to the one named Yang Lin," Han Yan'er said. 

"Yang Lin? Is that the lover of the woman insulted by him yesterday, Chu Yanran?" Gu Hongyi's eyes flashed with a hint of malice. 

"Something's up; they must have something going on!" Tang Yu seemed to grasp some truth. "Yesterday, it looked like he was humiliating Chu Yanran, but it seems he has been provoking this Yang Lin all along." 

"Let's go check it out." Gu Hongyi started walking. 

"I'll go see Liu Xuan; he's my biggest rival." Chen Shi shook his head and walked in another direction. 

*** 

Han Yan'er and the others arrived at Lin Yang's arena and found the scene in a strange state. 

Mo Qingkuang stood among the crowd below Lin Yang's platform, locking eyes with Lin Yang on the stage. The sparks in their eyes seemed to ignite the atmosphere. 

People around felt that something was off with Mo Qingkuang's aura. An intense killing intent made everyone shiver. They stepped back, creating an empty space around Mo Qingkuang, about a meter in radius. 

Through yesterday's preliminary rounds, Central Province had basically confirmed that Yuan Sword Sect had sent seven disciples, including Liu Xuan, Lin Yang, Song Qian, Zhuang Fan, and others. Chu Yanran had been eliminated by Mo Qingkuang, but the remaining six had all advanced to the top hundred. 

Through some backstage manipulation, the Central Province had arranged opponents for them, each exceeding their actual strength, especially Liu Xuan, who had been matched with a fourth-rank martial master. 

To save face for this Martial Exam, the Imperial Clan had to break the rules themselves, seeking a foolproof plan. 

Han Yan'er looked up at the stage. Lin Yang's opponent was a young man wielding dual blades. 

"Liú Wúying! I didn't expect it to be him!" Tang Yu exclaimed. 

Lin Yang's opponent this time was Liú Wuying, a somewhat famous figure in Capital. A dual-blade user, his cutting speed was extremely fast, earning him the title of 'Bladeless Shadow.' 

Liú Wuying was already nineteen this year, a peak second-rank martial master. He had a chance to enter the Martial Arts Institute in the last Martial Arts Examination but was prevented by his family, citing his young age. 

Although he had already exceeded the age for participating in the Martial Arts Examination, he had gained recognition from the Martial Arts Institute and was allowed to join for cultivation. 

However, due to the disturbance caused by the Yuan Sword Sect this time, the Imperial Clan had to request him to modify his age and participate in this Martial Arts Examination, where his opponent happened to be Lin Yang. 

"What are you looking at? I'm your opponent!" Liu Wuying, holding dual blades, stood opposite Lin Yang, visibly displeased. 

From the moment he stepped onto the stage until now, the scar-faced opponent in front of him, seemingly from the Yuan Sword Sect, had been in a staring contest with the recently famous Kuang Qing for almost fifteen minutes. 

His talent was not low, and he had always held himself in high regard. He even believed that if not for the age issue, the Martial Arts Champion title of the last Martial Arts Examination might not have been given to Chen Kong. 

His voice interrupted the gaze between Lin Yang and Mo Qingkuang, redirecting the attention back to him. 

"Ha, this Yang Lin is entirely focused on Kuang Qing, who humiliated him yesterday. He completely ignored his actual opponent. This Liu Wuying is not someone easy to deal with." Tang Yu observed, seemingly enjoying the situation. 

"Yeah, Liu Wuying is always arrogant, but he is also exceptionally strong. Yang Lin's behaviour seems to have provoked him. Maybe that scar on his face will gain another companion." Gu Hongyi nodded in agreement. 

Lin Yang refocused on Liu Wuying, while also making a mouth gesture towards Mo Qingkuang. 

Mo Qingkuang, seeing this, was shocked. He understood! Lin Yang's message was: 'Mo Qingkuang, wait for me.' 

"Oh, he recognized me? Your disguise technique didn't work?" Mo Qingkuang asked inwardly. 

"It's normal to be recognized. Your actions yesterday were sus, even if Lin Yang didn't think about it, his teacher, the Saint Alchemist who is a cunning old fox would have definitely found out about it." Mo Fan replied, prepared for such an outcome. 

Although the Divine Makeup Art was magical, Mo Qingkuang's insane actions yesterday made it possible for Lin Yang to recognize him if he wasn't a fool. 

"So, what if he found out? If you show enough talent in this martial arts competition, do you think the Central Province won't protect you?" Mo Fan said. 

Liu Wuying, feeling ignored by Lin Yang, grinned with a hint of ferocity, "I don't care who you are. Today, you're unlucky. If you want to challenge Kuang Qing, surrender now and go challenge him separately! Otherwise, you probably won't have the ability to fight again within half a year." 

"Heh, quite confident, huh?" Lin Yang smiled. Since he didn't encounter Mo Qingkuang, he would warm up with this guy. 

Han Yan'er and the others approached Mo Qingkuang, asking in a low voice, "What's the deep-seated grudge between you and him? Why do you look like you won't stop until one of you is dead?" 

Mo Qingkuang shook his head, choosing not to speak. 

"Alright, speak or not, it's your choice. Anyway, this Yang Lin probably won't have a chance to trouble you for a short time. He has successfully angered Liu Wuying, so this Yang Lin will definitely suffer." Tang Yu shook her head with disappointment. 

Mo Qingkuang's gaze remained fixed, staring intently at the stage. He spoke confidently, "No, Lin Yang will win." 

"What are you saying? Who will win? Who is Lin Yang?" Gu Hongyi asked in confusion upon hearing Mo Qingkuang's words. 

"Lin Yang? Are you saying that he's Lin Yang? The one I fought with in the Nianhua King's Tomb? If it's him, he's unlikely to be a match for Liu Wuying." Tang Yu was also surprised. 

In the Nianhua King's Tomb, it was Lin Yang who fought with him. He felt that although Lin Yang had a slight advantage in their battle, it wasn't by much. 

Liu Wuying was also a noble child from the Capital, and they were somewhat familiar with each other. He knew well about Liu Wuying's strength. As a peak Second-Rank Martial Master, he might be even stronger than some ordinary Third-Rank Martial Masters. How could he not deal with this Lin Yang? 

"He fought with you without going all out," Mo Qingkuang looked at Tang Yu as if he were a fool. 

'That's Lin Yang. If anybody can deal with him, what right does he have to be my lifelong enemy?' 

Although he hated Lin Yang to the bone, he could not deny Lin Yang's terrifying talent of breaking through eight realms in three months and the terrifying shadow of the ninth-rank Martial Artist who defeated him as a pseudo-martial master.