Chapter 116: Deceived

Returning to the venue, Chu Tianfeng stopped wandering aimlessly and went straight to the Group B registration area to queue up.

As he joined the line, Wang Caizhang and Wang Zaitian, standing in the distance, exchanged a knowing smile and a slight nod. Chu Tianfeng dismissed the actions of the Wang family elders with a smirk. He reasoned that until they were certain of his true identity, they wouldn't dare make a move against him in public. They were likely still coveting the psychic jade and wouldn't want to bring it into the spotlight; after all, keeping quiet and making a fortune was the golden rule.

The registration line for Group B was much longer than that of Group A. Fortunately, there were more staff members handling the registration for Group B, so the queue moved at a reasonable pace. Half an hour later, it was finally Chu Tianfeng’s turn.

"ID card!" the registrar, a man in his thirties with the cultivation of an early-stage Hua Jin, commanded.

Chu Tianfeng took out his ID and handed it over, feigning a respectful demeanor. The man took it, swiped it across a machine, and a green light flashed with a beep.

"Very well!" The man handed the ID back and gestured to his right. "Pay over there."

To his right sat a woman in her forties with short hair and thick-rimmed glasses. Seeing Chu Tianfeng approach, she greeted him with a beaming smile: "The entry fee is twenty thousand. Thank you for your support!"

After paying the twenty thousand, he received only a receipt and a palm-sized wooden plaque engraved with the number 251. Chu Tianfeng deeply suspected the woman had done it on purpose. Upon seeing him decked out in gold, she had flirted with him incessantly, but finding her past her prime, Chu Tianfeng had ignored her. Thus, he was honorably presented with the number 251 plaque.

By then, the Group A lottery had just concluded. Chu Tianfeng glanced at the bulletin board and noticed that the organizing committee had intentionally designated representatives from major sects and influential families as seeded players, placing them in different groups to avoid early confrontations between powerful factions. The Du family of the Dashan Hall was placed in Group 15, alongside representatives from the Wuyi Sect, Langya Sect, and Wushan Gate.

Furthermore, the Wang, Long, and Feng families, along with the Qingcheng, Tianshi, Huangshan, Hengshan, Quanzhen, Huashan, and Wuxin Academy factions, were all seeded at the top, with their group opponents mostly hailing from second-tier sects. Among them, the Wang family’s representative was that "Brother Yao," Wang Lianyao; the Long family was represented by Long Yue; and the Feng family representative was a woman named Feng Ming-shuang.

A whistle blew, and the Group A matches officially began. The Group B matches had started slightly earlier, and by the time Chu Tianfeng arrived, the arena was already in full swing.

Two young men, both in their thirties and both at the middle-stage Hua Jin level, were locked in combat. One was large and tall, while the other was as thin as a noodle. The fat man seemed eager for a quick victory, launching a relentless assault that gave his opponent no room to breathe. The thin man appeared passive, but he was cautious, rendering the fat man’s attacks mostly ineffective. The audience was highly engaged, cheering for their respective favorites.

Chu Tianfeng stood among the crowd, indifferent to who won or lost. It had nothing to do with him, so he didn't care. However, considering the twenty-thousand-yuan entry fee, he hoped for a more exciting show—ideally, something like the fat man’s wild, chaotic brawling.

Alas, wishes were merely wishes. The thin man refused to cooperate, circling the arena until the fat man's various techniques found no purchase. The referee for Group B, an elderly warrior at the early-stage Yuan Tian level, stood by the edge of the stage, eyes narrowed as if dozing off.

Chu Tianfeng, losing his patience, joined the crowd in heckling. Someone shouted, "Fatty, beat that dog-son monkey to death!"

Chu Tianfeng chimed in, "Fatty! Kill him and I’ll give you twenty thousand!"

Another yelled, "Fatty, go for his gut!"

Chu Tianfeng shouted, "Fatty, poke him in the chrysanthemum!"

Unfortunately, the fat man lacked the stamina. Exhausted and gasping for air, he was caught off guard by the thin man and kicked off the platform. The crowd roared with laughter.

Suddenly, a nimble figure leaped from the crowd, tapped lightly on the shoulders of the spectators, and soared onto the stage.

"Number 118, Leng Jun, challenges the victor." It was a handsome young man with flowing long hair and a white casual suit, appearing dashing and free-spirited.

"Wow! It's Leng Jun!" As Chu Tianfeng was about to use his spiritual sense to check the man’s gender, a young female warrior nearby shrieked.

"Leng Jun, I love you!" a crisp female voice cried out from nearby.

Chu Tianfeng, bewildered, asked the man next to him, "Brother, who is Leng Jun?"

The man looked at him as if he were an alien. "You don't know Leng Jun?"

Chu Tianfeng shrugged, thinking, *If I knew, why would I ask?*

"Leng Jun was apprenticed to the Shanglin Zen Monastery in his youth and was accepted as a personal lay disciple by Master Jianxing. He’s trained for eighteen years and rarely meets an equal among his peers," the man explained loftily.

"That's not the point. The point is that Leng Jun was once a stunt double for the superstar Wu Bai and has appeared in many movies," the shrieking girl added.

"Yes, he is my idol," a middle-aged woman nearby added, clutching her fists with a dreamy expression.

Chu Tianfeng could only look up at the sky. It was perfectly clear, without a single cloud in sight.

Fortunately, the match resumed within a few minutes. It had to be said that Leng Jun’s skills were indeed impressive. Despite being at the same middle-stage Hua Jin level, his attacks were far sharper than the fat man’s. While the fat man had only chased shadows, Leng Jun’s movement was swift; he followed up with strikes the moment his opponent dodged.

The result was predictable. After dodging a few moves, the thin man was forced to the edge of the stage. Changing strategy, he attempted a counter-attack, but he was no match for Leng Jun’s rhythm. With a final flurry of attacks, Leng Jun forced him off the stage.

Another young warrior leaped onto the stage, also at the middle-stage Hua Jin level. They exchanged blows in a spectacular display, and the crowd cheered with fervor. Naturally, Leng Jun had the overwhelming majority of the fans, drowning out the support for his opponent. Leng Jun did not disappoint; within ten minutes, he kicked his opponent off the platform.

The applause was thunderous. Several young men and women swarmed the stage; some offered flowers, others shyly handed over hotel room keys, though most held blank notebooks for autographs. The elderly referee, after several futile verbal warnings, finally lost his patience, grabbed the intruders one by one, and tossed them off the stage.

The competition continued.

Two more young men leaped up, attempting a wheel-tactic to wear Leng Jun down. However, Leng Jun was simply too strong. He defeated the third opponent in minutes and the fourth in under half an hour.

As the fourth opponent was knocked down, Chu Tianfeng decided to seize the opportunity and leaped onto the stage. But before he could even stand firm, another warrior flew up behind him—a young woman!

She wasn't bad-looking, provided one ignored her pair of thick, fleshy lips; she could arguably be called a "beauty." Once on stage, she shot Chu Tianfeng a look and, with those thick lips, said in a cloying voice, "Big Brother, would you mind letting me have this round?"

Chu Tianfeng wanted to refuse, but he was defeated by those lips. "Don't let me down," he said, turning and jumping off the stage.

"Don't worry, Big Brother, I won't!" the beauty called out, blowing kisses at his back.

"Do you know the rules?" the elderly referee interrupted impatiently.

The beauty turned, bowed slightly, and said, "I do, thank you, Elder."

"Very well," the referee said, glancing at Leng Jun. "Begin."

He then stepped aside, waiting for the show to start. But—

The beauty did not, as the referee had expected, charge at Leng Jun with a flurry of punches and kicks. Instead, she just gazed at him with deep affection, watching... and watching.

Chu Tianfeng finally realized what was happening: she was a plant!

*I’ve been had!* Chu Tianfeng felt a surge of annoyance, cursing the pair on stage in his heart.

Strangely, most of the audience seemed to understand and support the beauty's actions. They held up their hands, shouting, "Leng Jun, I love you!" or "Leng Jun, I want to marry you!" Many others were cheering, "Be together! Be together!"

Only a few warriors, like Chu Tianfeng, grumbled in protest.

"Leng Jun, you cowardly turtle!" someone shouted.

"Leng Jun, how is your mother?" Chu Tianfeng, ever the polite one, loudly inquired about his elder.

"Hey, sausage-lipped woman, get down here! I swear I won't kill you!" someone else turned their aggression toward the girl.

"Ruhua, run! Your husband is here!" Chu Tianfeng chimed in.

The beauty on stage didn't seem to mind at all. Covering her small mouth, she spat toward the crowd, "Disgusting!"

*Ugh...* Fine! Chu Tianfeng was defeated once again.