Chapter 219: Chapter 218: Dinglong Association

「Three days later, Black Stone Avenue.」

The once-spacious bluestone street was now dominated by a massive, temporarily constructed Martial Arts arena.

Nearly a hundred martial arts halls from all over the city, large and small, had gathered here today.

Leading them were the three great, long-standing halls—Hongshan Martial Arts Hall, Chasing Wind Martial Arts Hall, and Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall—along with recently rising mainstays like White Ape Martial Arts Hall and Canglan Martial Arts Hall. It was truly a Martial Arts extravaganza, the likes of which the Outer City hadn’t seen in a century.

An alliance of martial arts halls on this scale naturally garnered the close attention of the Public Security Bureau.

Ye Xiaohong, head of the four Commanders, personally donned his Profound Iron Heavy Armor and led a team to the scene to keep things in check.

"Everyone."

Ye Xiaohong stood atop a high platform, his tone surprisingly amiable. "With this alliance of your martial arts halls, be mindful of your limits. Don’t cause any trouble and give the Black Lotus Sect an opening to exploit."

Most of these hall masters, capable of establishing their own schools, were powerful experts in the Muscle Forging Realm. Gathered together, they were a force strong enough to shake the very foundations of Black Stone City.

Now that they were willing to cooperate with the Public Security Bureau to fight the Black Lotus Sect, they were considered allies, so Ye Xiaohong showed them ample respect.

Hong Jingtian, Hall Master of Hongshan Martial Arts Hall, was the first to step out from the crowd. He cupped his fist and announced in a resonant voice, "Commander Ye, you can rest assured. We have formed this alliance today simply to ensure our survival amidst the coming chaos, and we value harmony above all. Whether it’s sparring matches or dividing up trade routes, we will exercise restraint. My Hongshan Martial Arts Hall is willing to lead by example!"

Hall Master Yan Xiao of Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall also nodded slightly in agreement. "Brother Hong is absolutely right. With a great enemy at our doorstep, we local factions should stand united. We know how to conduct ourselves."

Hall Master Liu Cheng of Chasing Wind Martial Arts Hall was a thin man past sixty. He stroked his goatee and said, "This old man has done business in Black Stone City his entire life; I know what’s most important. In today’s assembly, we will only determine who is superior, not who lives or dies."

Seeing that the three strongest martial arts halls in the Outer City had made their stances clear and set the tone, Ye Xiaohong nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, I shall be so bold as to accept your invitation and serve as the referee for this Dinglong Association!"

The three great martial arts halls had set the rules for the assembly in just a few words, and not a single one of the masters from the dozens of smaller halls dared to object.

In the world of Martial Arts, might makes right. The masters of those smaller halls had, at best, just entered the Muscle Forging Realm; some were barely holding on at the Refining Flesh Realm Perfection. Before the three great halls, they didn’t even have the right to a seat at the table.

"Everyone, the auspicious hour has arrived. Shall we begin as planned?" Hong Jingtian glanced at Yan Xiao and Liu Cheng, naturally bypassing all the other halls as he finalized the proceedings.

The two nodded slightly in agreement.

Taking his rightful place as leader, Hong Jingtian strode to the edge of the arena. His piercing gaze swept across the crowd, and his voice boomed like a great bell:

"Everyone knows full well why we’re holding this Dinglong Association today! The Black Lotus Sect is pressing down on us, and other powers are eyeing us like hungry tigers. If we remain a scattered mess, sooner or later we’ll be devoured, skin, bones, and all!"

"We Martial Artists don’t beat around the bush like scholars. To put it simply: strength is supreme! Today, in this arena, every hall had better show us what they’re truly made of! The five core seats in the alliance we form after this Dinglong Association will go to the halls whose younger generation has the strongest fists!

From now on, all martial arts hall factions and commercial interests in Black Stone City’s Outer City will be managed and distributed by these five!"

The moment he said this, a commotion erupted below the stage. The eyes of many hall members burned with fanatical ambition.

Five seats!

The three great halls were sure to occupy three seats, which meant the remaining two were their chance to leap the dragon gate! 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"Let me repeat the rules one more time!"

Hong Jingtian waved his hand, silencing the crowd. "This tournament is restricted to disciples below the Muscle Forging Realm! Blades have no eyes. Aside from sinister hidden weapons and poisons, all other methods are permitted! However, we will all be allies soon. If a victor is already decided and one party still deliberately tries to cripple their opponent’s foundation, then don’t blame my blade for being merciless!"

Having laid out the rules, Hong Jingtian turned and cupped his fist toward Ye Xiaohong. "Commander Ye, I’ll leave it to you!"

Ye Xiaohong nodded and walked to the center of the arena. The terrifying aura of someone at the Perfection stage of the Muscle Forging Realm instantly radiated outward, crushing the entire crowd into silence.

"The Dinglong Association begins now! All guests in the audience, please remain in your seats and do not interfere with the matches."

His gaze swept meaningfully over the viewing pavilions erected around the square.

Flying Fish Martial Arts Hall, Ba Dao Martial Arts Hall, Spirit Serpent Martial Arts Hall, Hundred Flowers Palace, Divine Weapon Manor... Besides these ’Overseas Dragons’ who had recently flooded into the city, there were also representatives sent by Inner City giants like the Thousand Mechanism Tower and the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce.

Many of the Outer City’s own families, such as the Liu Family, the Xu Family, and the Huyan Family, had also sent people to watch.

This Dinglong Association wasn’t open to the public, but nearly every power of any real note in Black Stone City was present.

Everyone knew perfectly well that once this alliance of martial arts halls was formed, its purpose wasn’t just to defend against the Black Lotus Sect, but also to guard against outsiders like them who were trying to get a slice of Black Stone City’s pie!

"Heh, a bunch of country bumpkins huddling together for warmth. How quaint. I just wonder if these so-called geniuses of Black Stone City are all just fancy pillows—nice to look at, but utterly useless."

Inside the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts Hall’s pavilion, a man in white with an exceedingly effeminate face fanned himself with a Feather Fan, making no effort to conceal the mockery and contempt in his voice. "If they’re too pathetic to even withstand a few of our moves, we might as well take direct control of this pack of losers. It would save them the trouble of holding us back when the time comes to fight the Black Lotus Sect."

His snide remarks were not spoken quietly and clearly reached the ears of many local Black Stone City Martial Artists nearby.

They all glared, but while they were furious, they dared not speak out. These factions from major cities like Jian’an Prefecture and the capital of Qing Province looked down on Martial Artists from a border town like theirs with an innate, lofty arrogance.

"The Dinglong Association tournament is now open! Which hall’s disciple wishes to claim the first victory?" Ye Xiaohong’s voice had barely faded when...

"Luo Xiuyuan of Ninefold Martial Arts Hall! Allow me to start us off!" A roar like muffled thunder erupted from the crowd.

BOOM!

A tower of a man suddenly pushed off with his legs, shattering two flagstones. His body, like a tiger descending a mountain, slammed onto the center of the arena, making the entire platform hum.

The Qi and Blood in his body surged; he was clearly an expert at the peak of the Third Acupoint. His astounding speed drew an immediate round of cheers from the crowd.

"Excellent! Ninefold Martial Arts Hall has made a name for itself recently, and it seems they have the goods to back it up! That’s Luo Xiuyuan, their second-in-command among the disciples. He’s not even thirty, and they say he’s just a hair’s breadth from breaking through to the Flesh Refining Realm!"

"Hahahaha! I’ve long heard of Brother Luo’s fame! He Qianqiu of the He Clan Martial Arts Hall has come to ask for a lesson!" Amidst loud laughter, another agile figure leaped into the air and landed steadily on the arena.

"Begin!"

At Ye Xiaohong’s command, the two instantly locked in combat. Fists and palms met as their Qi and Blood clashed. The fight was fierce and impressive, earning cheers from the apprentices of the smaller halls below.

But in the distance, the effeminate man from the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts Hall yawned in utter boredom, his eyes dripping with contempt. "Almost thirty and he hasn’t even reached the threshold of the Flesh Refining Realm. How does trash like this have the gall to get on stage and embarrass himself? The Martial Arts of Black Stone City have truly fallen to a laughable state. This is a complete waste of my time."

His incredibly arrogant commentary finally provoked a local Martial Artist. "Who is that pretty boy? What an ego!"

"Quiet!" Someone immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, whispering in a cold sweat, "That’s Xu Xianzhou, the young master of the Spirit Serpent Martial Arts Hall! He’s a notoriously ruthless figure back in Jian’an Prefecture. He’s only twenty-three, but he’s already a top expert at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm! He has every right to be arrogant!"

"What?! A twenty-three-year-old at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm?"

The Black Stone City Martial Artists, who had been indignant just a moment before, were thunderstruck into collective silence.

A twenty-three-year-old at the Late-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm... a terrifying cultivation speed. Even their own recognized number one genius, Cui Wanhe, was only on par with that, right?

No wonder he looked down on the match happening in the arena!

The locals from Black Stone City fell silent. They hadn’t expected some random person from an outside faction to be such a prodigy. No wonder these people looked down on the competitors on stage.

BANG!

While the crowd was still reeling, the match on the stage was decided. Luo Xiuyuan created a false opening, then sent his opponent flying off the platform with a heavy fist. He cupped his hands and shouted, "Thank you for the match!"

But before he could even savor his victory, a new challenger leaped onto the arena.

...

Time passed. In the blink of an eye, two hours had gone by.

The sparring matches continued in full swing, but no astonishing geniuses had yet appeared.

Atop the high platform, Hong Jingtian and the other two leaders watched the somewhat dull proceedings, all shaking their heads almost imperceptibly.

"Brother Yan, Old Man Liu, it’s time to send up our core disciples. Since our three halls intend to occupy three seats, we should probably show what we’re made of, lest we give others something to gossip about."

Yan Xiao nodded, his expression grim. "In that case, my Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall shall be the first to defend a ring."

Looking down from above, his cold gaze swept over the Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall disciples. "Sun Yan, you’re up."

His words caused a gasp of surprise to ripple through the crowd.

"Didn’t Su Yu cripple one of Sun Yan’s legs? How is he healed?"

In the White Ape Martial Arts Hall’s seating area, everyone’s expressions tightened. All eyes turned in unison to the familiar figure slowly parting the crowd.

Chen Fan sat to the side, a dark flicker of schadenfreude passing through his eyes.

’Oh, Su Yu, Su Yu, it seems even the heavens won’t let you have an easy time. A vindictive mad dog like Sun Yan has actually recovered his strength. You just had a lucky break and got ahead for a moment. Let’s see how you get torn to pieces by this mad dog during the Dinglong Association.’

But Su Yu, seated at the very front, remained perfectly calm, not a single ripple of emotion disturbing his expression.

In the spotlight of ten thousand gazes, Sun Yan ignored the surrounding shock.

He walked out from the crowd, step by step, then leaped nimbly, landing steadily on the giant white stone arena.

Sun Yan stood in the center of the arena and glanced up at Hall Master Yan, whose expression was as still as water. ’This is my last chance to turn things around,’ he knew with perfect clarity.

’After Su Yu crippled my leg, I thought my Martial Arts journey was over. It was my senior master who swallowed his pride and begged the Hall Master to grant me an extremely precious Profound-grade Top-Grade Treasure Pill. Only then was my leg healed.’

’Today is my chance to wash away all that humiliation.’

His gaze swept toward the White Ape Martial Arts Hall section, landing on the figure that had tormented his thoughts day and night.

But he offered no arrogant provocation, merely grinning as the aura around him grew steady and profound.

’Su Yu, you’d better have broken through to the Flesh Refining Realm. Only then will tearing you to pieces be worth all the humiliation I’ve suffered.’

Sun Yan retracted his gaze. His voice, low and hoarse, carried across the entire square:

"Sun Yan of Iron Armor Martial Arts Hall. Twenty-four years old. Early-stage of the Flesh Refining Realm."

"Who will grant me a match?"