"Since that’s the case, please make the arrangements for Feifei to have a match with that kid."
Although the Supreme Head Teacher spoke in a low voice, the high-ranking officials responsible for arranging the battles did not dare to disobey.
Sect Leader Chang Yueying was somewhat displeased, but there was nothing she could do since Chang Yueli was her master and had a much stronger cultivation level.
As a result, two individuals who were unlikely to meet were paired together, though they would not face each other so soon.
Meanwhile, Elder Jin was also making arrangements for two other matches.
One was targeted at Zhao Zhi and the other at Dai Yuling.
The other high-ranking officials simply turned a blind eye to this, as it was no big deal after all.
As a result, Zhao Zhi’s next opponent was a Transcendent Realm Third Layer Apex martial artist, while he was only at the Second Layer Peak.
Dai Yuling’s next opponent was at the Early Phase of the Transcendent Realm Fourth Layer, while she was only at the Initial Stage of the Third Layer.
Elder Jin didn’t set up opponents that were too unfair, as that would be too obvious, and he still cared about his reputation.
Besides, he felt that opponents one realm higher were already enough to defeat Zhao Zhi and Dai Yuling.
After all, neither of them were geniuses and had struggled against opponents of the same level before.
"Ling Xiao, you little beast, you dare disrespect me, I will make everyone around you suffer!"
He glared coldly at Ling Xiao, thinking to himself.
How petty the Head of the Enforcement Hall could be, no wonder the disciples he trained were all so despicable.
Ling Xiao was closely monitoring all of this.
When Zhao Zhi’s opponent appeared, basically everyone thought that Zhao Zhi was bound to lose.
"Older Brother, it’s all because you insisted on befriending that Ling Xiao. Now look, I can tell someone is deliberately setting you up."
Zhao Ci had gradually calmed down at this point, but she still felt uneasy about Zhao Zhi’s friendship with Ling Xiao.
"No matter, if I lose, then I lose. There will be other opportunities. Besides, even if I can’t participate in the Pagoda Climbing Ceremony, what of it? I chose Ling Xiao as a friend because he is loyal!"
Zhao Zhi said these words and was about to step onto the platform, but he was pulled back by Ling Xiao, who then whispered a few words into his ear.
Zhao Zhi asked in surprise.
"Trust me, once you’re up there, just do it!"
Ling Xiao nodded at him.
"Alright! I trust Senior Brother Ling!"
Zhao Zhi leaped onto the Martial Arts Platform.
As everyone from Elder Jin’s side was waiting to mock him, he suddenly finished the fight with a very beautiful technique.
A single move to victory!
He had fully exploited his opponent’s weak point!
Although his opponent was a realm higher, it wasn’t by too much.
Geniuses can challenge those beyond their level because they have exceptional insight and can detect their opponent’s weaknesses.
Zhao Zhi may not be a genius, but with Ling Xiao’s guidance, a full-powered strike was naturally an easy victory!
"It’s that Ling Xiao again! Sect Leader, doesn’t this violate the rules?"
Meng Yuan couldn’t help but ask.
"How dare you speak to the Sect Leader like that!"
Guanghan Celestial Venerate had long been dissatisfied with the people on Elder Jin’s side and had been holding back until now when he finally erupted.
"This disciple admits his fault!"
Meng Yuan’s expression was ugly as he admitted his wrongdoing.
"Enough, this does not violate the rules. Offering guidance before a match is not a problem, but it cannot be done once the fight has started."
Chang Yueying reminded.
The following battle involving Dai Yuling unfolded much the same, as she steadily defeated her opponent after receiving pointers from Ling Xiao.
Although the two of them knew that such actions might be seen as winning without honor, they were merely reluctant to reveal their ultimate techniques at this stage.
Otherwise, relying on their strength, they could have won miserably.
The Pagoda Climbing Ceremony was crucial. Even for those with the worst luck, as long as they didn’t die within, their cultivation level and overall strength would soar upon emerging.
Therefore, both of them did not want to miss it.
Ling Xiao helped them for this very reason.
In the subsequent battles, Bai Feifei, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, Leng Hao, and Ming Tian all continued to secure steady victories over their opponents.
Bai Feifei, Wu Yang, Qin Wu, and Ming Tian, in particular, were able to resolve their fights with practically a single move.
However, what surprised Ling Xiao was that he even had a bye round, which somewhat puzzled him.
Of course, he didn’t dwell on it too much.
As the number of contestants dwindled, having a bye was a possibility.
"There’s no doubt that Bai Feifei is the strongest, and Wu Yang and Qin Wu are veteran Inner Sect Disciples. This is their last time participating in the Pagoda Climbing Ceremony, being Transcendent Realm Seventh Heaven Martial Artists, naturally their strength is formidable. After them, I’m afraid it comes down to Ming Tian and Leng Hao, the two geniuses, right?"
"Hey, don’t forget about Ling Xiao. He’s still unbeaten so far. If there were a rule for promotion based on consecutive victories, he probably should’ve been promoted already."
"That’s true, though Ling Xiao may be an Outer Disciple, his strength is unfathomable."
"This guy is also a monster. Despite being so strong, he refuses to join the Inner Sect, which is really bizarre."
The murmuring of the crowd rose and fell, with the focus of discussion, ironically, all being on Ling Xiao, as up to this point, he was the one they found most difficult to read.
"Just you wait and see, Ling Xiao is only good at playing tricks, he may not have any real strength."
Clearly, opinions on Ling Xiao were sharply divided.
Those who liked him really liked him a lot.
Those who didn’t, were both jealous and frustrated, always trying to nitpick and find fault with him.
When the number of participants was reduced to sixty, the eliminations became more intense.
Zhao Zhi finally lost another match. He now had two losses, but Ling Xiao thought Zhao Zhi was very wise in this defeat.
Since the opponent had a Precious Treasure Artifact, there was no need for a head-to-head clash.
After all, being allowed two defeats was absolutely permissible.
With the last forty spots nearing, there was no reason to deplete one’s energy. Perhaps, after this round of fighting, there would be no need for more battles.
Dai Yuling faced Ming Tian and promptly conceded defeat.
Knowing she stood no chance of winning this battle, she wouldn’t force it.
Besides, even with this loss, it was only her first defeat.
Shangguan Lei, on the other hand, was extremely lucky.
Of course, it could also be said that Elder Jin arranged weaker opponents for him, allowing him to win easily; he remained unbeaten up to this point.
I wonder what expression would be on Elder Jin’s face knowing that Shangguan Lei has been secretly helping Ling Xiao?
"Ling Xiao versus Leng Hao!"
The opponent Ling Xiao encountered was actually not weak; one of the two great talents, second only to Ming Tian.
He was set up against such an opponent simply because the Supreme Head Teacher hoped to use Leng Hao to gauge Ling Xiao’s strength as a reference for Bai Feifei.
After all, although Bai Feifei was very strong, she virtually had no experience in fighting others. She had killed many Ferocious Beasts, but there’s a big difference between beasts and humans.
Leng Hao was being used by others without his knowledge.
Ling Xiao glanced up at Golden Light Heavenly Lord on the platform.
The Golden Light Heavenly Lord had been kind to him, and he didn’t want Leng Hao to lose too badly.