I Can Upgrade My Talent Infinitely-Chapter 119: Drawing Opponents
"Next, we will draw your opponents for the first round."
Once Feng Tianrui spoke, the area below the stone platform fell silent again.
"Before we draw your opponents, our Elder Miao will draw one first."
Upon hearing this, Miao Qinghong came to stand beside Feng Tianrui.
With two hundred fifty-five people registered, one person would get a bye in the first round. Undoubtedly, Miao Qinghong was here to draw the lot for that lucky individual.
Miao Qinghong quickly drew a slip.
Feng Tianrui took the slip from Miao Qinghong’s hand and then announced loudly:
"Number 231, you get a bye!"
"Whoa! That’s me."
As soon as the bye result was announced, a disciple below the stone platform immediately reacted.
This was an Inner Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
Getting a bye at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer was undoubtedly lucky. If it were someone at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer, it would be just average.
A disciple at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer wouldn’t fall in the first round unless their luck was especially bad.
The senior and junior brothers next to this disciple congratulated him.
After Miao Qinghong stepped back, Feng Tianrui spoke again:
"The disciple whose number I call, please come up."
"Number one."
"Here."
A disciple at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer jumped onto the stone platform.
"Go ahead and draw."
"Yes."
This Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciple casually drew a slip.
"Number one versus number two hundred twenty-seven!"
"I’m number two hundred twenty-seven..."
A female voice carried over. Everyone instinctively looked toward the sound to see a junior sister at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.
One could already imagine the outcome of this Magical Combat.
Feng Tianrui proceeded to the next draw.
"Number two."
"Here."
...
’It’s number one hundred fourteen. I’m done for.’
When the Qi Refining Tenth Layer disciple, number eighteen, went on stage and saw the number he’d drawn, his face darkened.
’I have to face Bai Qinying in the first round? Isn’t this just sending me straight to elimination?’
Back at the foot of Battle Peak, he had already looked over all the numbers of those who posed a threat to him. The one that left the deepest impression was naturally number one hundred fourteen, because she was the strongest.
"Number eighteen versus number one hundred fourteen!"
Bai Qinying looked at her first-round opponent.
’My luck isn’t bad. At least this first-round opponent is worth fighting. If I’d run into a junior brother or sister below the Qi Refining Tenth Layer—other than that Yuan Yunfan—I could’ve finished the match in an instant.’
’A Magical Combat like that would be completely pointless.’
...
"Number one hundred sixteen."
"Here."
When his number was called, Fang Yun made his way through the crowd and quickly ascended the stone platform.
Both Senior Sister Bai Qinying and Senior Sister Song Qiaoqiao already had their opponents. He, however, was now drawing his.
Before him, a little over eighty disciples had drawn, and he was the eighty-first.
"Number two hundred thirty-five," Fang Yun said under his breath, looking at the slip in his hand.
Feng Tianrui, however, announced loudly: "Number one hundred sixteen versus number two hundred thirty-five!"
"Brother Hong, I remember you’re number two hundred thirty-five, right?"
"That’s right, number two hundred thirty-five is me! Hahaha."
In the crowd, an Inner Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer laughed heartily, his laughter drawing the attention of many Inner and Outer Sect Disciples.
His name was Hong Lingfeng.
Hong Lingfeng, at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, was quite looking forward to a Magical Combat with Fang Yun.
’Originally, I was planning to find a chance for a friendly Magical Combat with him once his cultivation broke through to the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.’
’Looks like that won’t be necessary now.’
Having drawn a match against Fang Yun in the very first round, he felt very lucky that his wish had been granted ahead of schedule.
If Fang Yun had already reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, he wouldn’t have considered encountering him in the first round of the Inner Sect Grand Competition to be a lucky thing.
Compared to a friendly Magical Combat with Fang Yun, advancing in the Inner Sect Grand Competition was more important.
Facing a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Fang Yun, he had no confidence he could break through Fang Yun’s defense. This would likely lead to a draw in the Magical Combat, causing both of them to be eliminated—unless Fang Yun chose to surrender toward the end of the fight.
But a Fang Yun who was still at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer was a different story. Hong Lingfeng was confident he could break through Fang Yun’s defense and defeat him.
"Such good luck. I also wanted to run into Junior Brother Fang."
"What are you looking at me for?"
"Don’t you want to, Senior Brother Deng?"
"Me... I have no interest in this Junior Brother Fang."
In a corner to the right of the stone platform stood Deng Qian and another Inner Sect Disciple also at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. Deng Qian’s cultivation was already approaching the peak of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.
Deng Qian had naturally also registered for the Inner Sect Grand Competition.
’With enough good luck, I could even take second place and get a Lower Grade Foundation Establishment Pill.’
’As number eleven, I already went up and drew my opponent. It’s an Inner Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. This must be the start of my good luck.’
Once the drawing of lots was finished, the one hundred twenty-seven pairs, plus the one person with a bye, would first be divided into two brackets by the Elders, and then randomly matched up.
’Theoretically, as long as my bracket is weak enough—without a single person at the Qi Refining Tenth Layer—I could actually get second place just on luck.’
"Senior Brother Deng, this doesn’t sound like you. I remember you’ve always been quite interested in junior brothers and sisters like Junior Brother Fang."
"This Junior Brother Fang only knows defense during Magical Combat. What’s the point of having a friendly match with him?"
"Oh, is that so?"
’Based on what I know about Deng Qian, I don’t really believe what he’s saying now,’ the Qi Refining Ninth Layer Inner Sect Disciple thought.
’Deng Qian’s personality is similar to mine in some ways, but he takes things much further. I’m a lot more restrained.’
’Even if I wanted to challenge Fang Yun, I’d wait until he reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer, when we’d only be one minor realm apart.’
After Fang Yun’s first-round opponent was announced, the noisy chatter below grew louder.
Most disciples at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer hoped to avoid Fang Yun. In contrast, some at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer shared the same eager sentiment as number two hundred thirty-five, Hong Lingfeng.
After Fang Yun returned to Song Qiaoqiao and Bai Qinying’s side, a tall Inner Sect Disciple pushed his way toward them.
Fang Yun remembered this disciple quite well.
Sheng Qiyuan!
When he was still at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, he had a friendly Magical Combat match with Sheng Qiyuan. At that time, Sheng Qiyuan was only fourteen years old and had cultivated both Qi Refining and Body Refinement to the Fifth Layer.
He still remembered Sheng Qiyuan saying that he hoped they could meet in a future Inner Sect Grand Competition.
"Senior Brother Fang."
"Junior Brother Sheng."
The Elder on the stone platform continued calling out numbers, which didn’t affect their conversation.
But they couldn’t talk too loudly. If their voices were too loud, they would receive a warning glare from the Elder on the stone platform.
"It’s a real shame I didn’t get you as an opponent in the first round, Senior Brother." Sheng Qiyuan himself hadn’t been assigned an opponent yet. Theoretically, just moments before, there had been a small possibility of him facing Fang Yun in the first round.
Before Fang Yun’s turn, eighty pairs had been formed from one hundred sixty disciples. Among the ninety-four disciples remaining, Sheng Qiyuan had stood a one-in-ninety-four chance of being drawn by Fang Yun.
