I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 732: Chapter Twenty-Six: Two Roads

“Brother, what’s going on?” Tang Xing looked confused, tugging at Tang Luo’s sleeve and asked, “Isn’t this the Longzhou Youth Martial Arts competition, but why are all the martial artists standing on the stage dressed in Martial Saint Mountain’s robes? Are they disciples of Martial Saint Mountain?”

Aside from Xiao Ziyu, Cui Haoran and Li Xuanba also wore disgruntled expressions. They were unafraid of battling against the scions of noble families, but the thought of facing disciples from the Martial Saint Mountain unnerved them. After all, every martial artist in Longzhou had grown up listening to the legend of the Martial Saint. Now, they had to confront the descendants and disciples of the Saint, and understandably, their fighting spirit suffered somewhat.

“Don’t worry, these are all outer disciples of Martial Saint Mountain.” Tang Luo glanced back at his three anxious teammates, comforting them: “Take a closer look at the ones on stage. They are at most twenty-five or twenty-six years old, their martial arts training experience is no different from yours. Some even have lower cultivation levels than you. Don’t be intimidated by the name ‘Martial Saint Mountain’.”

During the ascent, Tang Luo had kept his senses sharp to gather as much information as possible. The most significant piece of information he obtained was from overhearing Bu Xiao instructing these disciples on the hilltop.

It was because he had overheard this that he began to take the competition somewhat lightly. His initial goal was to catch a glimpse of the exquisite martial arts of Martial Saint Mountain however, facing a group of outer disciples, his motivation waned.

Despite that, as team leader, Tang Luo conscientiously shared the key points of this challenge with his teammates: “You all heard the referee just now. This stage is essentially testing the strength and weakness of the martial artists. The three-day period is enough for you to challenge dozens of stages. As long as your cultivation is not too weak, you can always find the relatively weaker link, defeating them to get a breakpoint and advancing to the second stage. But if you focus only on getting to the next stage, you will be at a disadvantage for the second stage.”

Martial arts is just so, the strong are always strong, while the weak are always weak. It’s not about talent or lineage, but about mastering every step to its utmost, getting stronger to the limit. All the trials related to quantity signify resources. Even if it’s their first time participating in this martial arts competition, Tang Luo is sure that the difference between entering the second round with a single breakout point and entering with a hundred is far more than just convenience suggested by the referee.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Why is this stage allotted a full three days? If it’s just to get a break point to enter the second stage, one day should be enough!” Tang Luo looked at his four team members and explained: “The key to this stage is to grab the breakpoint. Look behind.”

Theoretically, the prestigious families from Longzhou who were lodged at the guesthouse should be the first to come up the mountain, but they were the last to arrive when the participating teams gathered.

“Do you know why these noble sons would leisurely walk up the mountain without rushing to the stage?” Tang Luo casually explained: “It’s because they want to plan the best way to seize the breakpoints. Those who are in a hurry to get on the stage are just collecting information for them.”

As long as the martial artists have strength and weakness, most of them of the same age would not dare to claim an overwhelming power. If they only need to break the point of one side, there’s no need for these calculations. But if they want several break points, the strategy becomes extremely important.

The team members followed Tang Luo’s gesture and looked across, those sons of the noble families indeed didn’t hastily mount the stage, instead, they were pacing in front of each stage. Some were even taking notes, looking more like information collectors from Wind Media than upcoming combatants.

“Note down all the weak performers’ stage number. After a day or two of holding the stage, they will become weaker. These noble sons can then steal the show on the third day and sweep the stage. This way, they won’t have to expend much energy, they can get the most tokens, and they can also avoid unnecessary injuries from the stage fights. This is the experience accumulated by the nobles who have participated in the Longzhou Youth Martial Arts Competition for consecutive twenty sessions.” Tang Luo’s expression remained neutral as he pointed towards the Liu clan’s son who was pacing about not far away and explained to his teammates.

“Then we…” Tang Xing seemed perplexed: “Should we do the same as them?”

Several team members also looked at Tang Luo. They had made it clear before that once they reached the Martial Saint Mountain, they would follow the lead of their team captain. If Tang Luo felt that this strategy was better, they would abide by his decision even if they had other ideas.

As martial artists, they felt somewhat disdained about such battle strategies. In essence, this was about avoiding stronger opponents and selecting weaker ones in order to win more stages, and also choosing to fight when the weaker ones were fatigued.

Even if they managed to win a hundred breakpoints with such tactics, what would be the purpose?

“That would depend on what your goals for this martial arts competition are.”

“Huh?” The team members were surprised at the seemingly irrelevant response from Tang Luo, who they expected to order them to imitate the others.

“If you want to make a name for yourself in a single battle, and steadily build up your advantages step by step, then this is undoubtedly the best strategy.” Tang Luo shrugged, “The fight is just a fight. Whether the martial artist on the stage is strong or weak, the only thing they can give you in the end is a breakpoint. As for whether this breakpoint comes from the strongest or the weakest, when it ultimately comes to counting, it only counts as one.”

Morality, pride and modesty are not advantages during a fight, but rather fatal weaknesses. It must be said that in this type of game, it’s very hard to achieve a so-called win-win strategy, and so the wisdom of the nobles provides them with such a fighting strategy.

Like scavenging jackals, the sons of the nobles roamed among the stages, looking for weak stage-holders to record. And when the time comes, they will show their fangs.

Although jackals don’t earn respect, they always fill their bellies just like every time there is a count, the noble sons shine. As for where the breakpoints come from, under the brilliant number, they always seem to lose their significance.

The team members remained silent, even the prideful Xiao Ziyu seemed to be deliberating, wondering whether to consider a different perspective since he not only represented himself but also the young martial artists of the Longxi New Alliance.

Looking at his pondering team members, Tang Luo suggested another path: “If you really don’t like this path, you could try leaving your names in the hearts of the inner disciples of Martial Saint Mountain.”

“This trial for you guys is a qualification to enter the second stage, but for these defenders, it’s crucial for getting into the inner door of Martial Saint Mountain; in other words, there are future inner disciples and even direct disciples of the Martial Saint Mountain amongst these hundred stages, why not try giving them a crushing defeat?”