Full-Level Fierce Person
Chapter 283 - 178 Martial Arts Competition

Chapter 283: 178 Martial Arts Competition

Not long after, a tall figure clad in brightly colored armor appeared on the five-story deck.

The man grandiosely took a seat in a chair.

Luo Keji, Luo RuJie, and others uniformly knelt down in submission, echoing in unison, "We pay respects to the Prefectural Governor!"

A commanding shout spread along both banks of the Qingshui River.

In an instant, crowds of commoners also knelt down en masse, loudly chanting, "We pay respects to the Prefectural Governor!"

At that moment, hundreds of thousands of people along the riverbank knelt simultaneously, creating a vast and spectacular scene.

"You may rise!"

The Prefectural Governor chuckled lightly, and with a wave of his hand, his voice seemed to possess an indescribable magic, swiftly reaching everyone’s ears.

"Thank you, Sir!"

The people hastily got to their feet.

Just then!

A massive warship sailed up from downstream, also towering five stories high, its grandeur not at all inferior to that of the Prefectural Governor’s vessel.

Under the watchful eyes of all, that warship stopped in the middle of the river and confronted the ten upstream warships from afar.

Fang Zhixing and others looked intently and noticed that the flag fluttering in the wind at the top of the mast bore a large "Tian" character.

"That’s the judge’s warship!"

"Indeed, the judge has also come to watch the fight," it was suddenly clear to everyone.

"Haha, Brother Tian!"

Seeing this, the Prefectural Governor stood up, his hands clasped behind his back, shouting across the distance, "I didn’t expect you, such a busy man, to also have the time to come and watch the competition."

Subsequently, a middle-aged man in an official’s robe emerged on the deck of that warship, exuding the demeanor of a civil servant, with a refined appearance and a leisurely manner.

Tian Heyi responded with a composed smile, "Prefect Luo, such a grand event is bound to be splendid, a rare spectacle that I simply cannot miss."

Hearing this, the Prefectural Governor surveyed the crowd and said, "You all heard him, I hope you will definitely exhibit your true skill and knowledge before the judge and show off the elegance of Qinghe County’s younger generation."

"Yes!"

Sounds from all participants aboard the ten warships resounded like a tidal wave.

The Prefectural Governor nodded, smiling, "Time is of the essence, so let us begin."

Immediately, Luo Keji stepped forward through the crowd.

The competition was held on the river, principally managed by the naval forces.

As the naval forces’ General, Luo Keji was duty-bound to act as the host.

He announced powerfully, "There are two rounds of testing. The first round: scramble for pearls; the second round: one-on-one duels among the top ten."

"Regarding the rules of the scramble for pearls, you are all presumably aware. I will only emphasize two points.

First, participants are allowed to snatch pearls from each other but, once an opponent concedes, their life must not be harmed further; those who violate this will be disqualified.

Second, no changing of armor is permitted.

That is to say, if you participated in the first round in light gear, you can only wear the same attire in the second round.

Conversely, if you donned heavy armor from the start, then you can still wear heavy armor in the second round."

"Understood!"

The contestants, full of fervor, were eager to begin.

"The duration of the competition is the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, with no rest in between."

Luo Keji announced loudly, "Now I declare, the scramble for pearls officially begins, please enter the water, competitors."

No sooner had the words fallen!

People surged on-board the ten warships, figures leaping eagerly into the river one after another.

Splash, splash~

The scene resembled a flock of ducklings diving into water, creating countless splashes on the river, a sight too fast for the eyes to follow.

Some dived directly underwater, while others employed light-footed techniques, skimming the water’s surface, bounding downstream in just a few leaps.

Shortly, someone burst forth from the water clutching a "Shallow Water Arrowfish," ripping off the tri-colored pearl adorning the fish’s head with one swift motion.

Then, they tucked the tri-colored pearl into a pouch at their waist, casually discarding the dead Shallow Water Arrowfish.

This scenario unfolded for each contestant.

The river seemed to boil from the commotion caused by hundreds of competitors, creating innumerable white waves.

Yet Fang Zhixing noticed that Luo Qianqian, Tian Taixing, and others were conspicuously absent from the water.

They remained nonchalantly on the deck, seemingly quite entertained by the frantic scrambling of contestants for the pearls.

"Look at them, toiling so hard, and all just to pave the way for us," sneered Feng Xingkan, the Young Sect Master of the Black Tiger Sect.

"Haha, well said!"

Another person heartily agreed, adding, "The harder these poor souls strive, the richer we become."

"Indeed, the harsh truth of this world is laid bare before everyone, yet few realize it," Peng Haolin also couldn’t help but express his agreement.

Like this, the time of one incense stick swiftly passed.

The second incense stick was promptly ignited.

At that point, the situation in the water changed.

Contestants no longer hunted for Shallow Water Arrowfish, but instead began to snatch pearls from each other’s hands.

A brutal struggle for the pearls thus commenced, and before long some were injured in the fray, blood splattering everywhere, staining the river red.

However, as most of the contestants were people of status, they typically refrained from fatal blows unless there were deep-seated grudges.

Also!

According to the rules, those who lost the fight could concede, hand over their pouch, and save their life.

Gradually, most of the second incense stick had burned away.

It wasn’t until this moment that Luo Qianqian, Tian Taixing, and the others finally made their move.

Fang Zhixing’s gaze sharpened, focusing on Luo Qianqian.

She was clad in a stunning set of armor that shined brilliantly in the sunlight, resembling a valiant goddess of war descending from the heavens, radiating with majesty.

The armor hugged her figure, showcasing her curves with a mix that was three parts bewitching and seven parts valorous.