Cannon Fodder Cultivation Guide

Chapter 155 - Cruel Confrontation

Elder Du ultimately left in defeat, beaten down by Zhang Yiyi's questions. He didn't even have the thought to try any tricks.

"Busybody."

Now that only Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng remained in the room, Luo Qiheng uncharacteristically spoke up with those two words. Zhang Yiyi paused, uncertain if he meant Elder Du or if he thought she meddled too much in Du's affairs—or maybe he meant both.

"Yes, busybody!" She nodded, repeating Luo Qiheng's words, then unexpectedly laughed, perhaps realizing she was indeed meddling.

For the next two days, Zhang Yiyi didn't concern herself with whether Elder Du would continue his efforts to persuade the Wang family head. She knew nothing could change.

As expected, on the day of the challenge tournament, the Wang family exercised their priority selection by choosing the Tang family. The Sun family, with the second selection, challenged the Li family—whom Elder Du had tried to get Wang to choose instead.

With the match-ups finalized, the remaining eighteen mid-tier families naturally became spectators, while the Wang, Sun, Tang, and Li families took center stage.

The rules of the challenge tournament were simpler than the qualifying rounds: eleven rounds of one-on-one combat, using any means necessary, life or death unrestricted. Six victories out of eleven would determine the winner, who would secure a place among the twenty mid-tier families for the next hundred years, while the loser would drop to a lower rank.

Each family sent eleven representatives, with four at the Foundation stage, four at the Golden Core stage, and three at the Nascent Soul stage. Foundation stage would face Foundation stage, Golden Core against Golden Core, and Nascent Soul against Nascent Soul.

First up was Sun vs. Li; once their results were determined, Wang would face Tang.

"Brother, don't you think this decision-making method seems a bit reckless?" Below the stage, Zhang Yiyi cast a small barrier and openly discussed the tournament with Luo Qiheng. She found it unreliable that such significant family standings depended on just four Foundation, four Golden Core, and three Nascent Soul cultivators. Wouldn't multiple rounds reduce the potential for trickery or outside interference?

Luo Qiheng, however, saw no issues with it. The list of competing cultivators was submitted beforehand, ensuring they were either family disciples or retainers; hiring outside experts on short notice would be near impossible. In the cultivation world, strength ruled supreme; often, a single powerful individual could overwhelm an entire family. Strength disparities weren't always bridged by numbers. Besides, so long as everyone agreed to the rules, there was little issue.

Zhang Yiyi was still young and somewhat idealistic. Over time, as she encountered more of the world's hidden darkness, she'd come to appreciate today's brightness. He didn't bother explaining this, knowing she was intelligent enough to understand in time.

"Hmm." So he merely nodded in response, noting her recent habit of addressing him as "brother."

"Do you think Sun stands a chance against Li?" Zhang Yiyi watched the contestants from both families line up in their designated zones under the stage.

Luo Qiheng thought she was talking a bit too much—probably because Cheng Yang wasn't there to answer her every question. He didn't quite understand why some cultivators, especially female ones, liked to chatter so much.

"I don't know," he replied curtly, casting her a sidelong glance. "Less talk, more watch."

His dismissive glance made Zhang Yiyi swallow her next question. This man had openly dismissed her chatter, which annoyed and amused her. She hadn't expected answers from someone as reticent as Luo Qiheng; she was simply asking for fun, more self-talk than anything.