Chapter 1157: I Have Three Great Regrets

"Interesting."

Xiang Bei was a tall and imposing young man, clad in a splendid black and gold martial attire that was stretched taut by his muscles. He always held his head high, his double pupils overflowing with arrogance.

Among the top eight, there were five prodigies from the hegemonic states. Thus, in the quarter-finals, at least two hegemonic state prodigies would clash early. Qi and Chu happened to be the unlucky pair to draw this outcome. The remaining three hegemonic state prodigies were all matched against opponents from outside the hegemonic states.

Deng Qi of the Mu State faced Xie Ai of the Xue State. Huang Sheli of the Jing State faced Chu Min of the Xia State. Qin Zhizhen of the Qin State faced Bei Gong Ke of the Yong State.

Xiang Bei had undoubtedly drawn a bad lot, but he merely found it "interesting." The saying "the strong have strong luck" was essentially true strength, sufficient to resist any risk, even in the midst of misfortune, one could still win good results with strength. Thus, misfortune would naturally cease to be misfortune.

Xiang Bei was undoubtedly a man of extreme confidence. Upon seeing the match list, he stepped onto the martial platform without hesitation. He stood with downcast eyes, his expression impassive. From beginning to end, he did not spare Jiang Wang more than a single glance. One could call it arrogance.

He wasn't specifically targeting Jiang Wang; this was his usual demeanor. He had been disdainful of the Inner Mansion selection rounds of the Yellow River Grand Assembly, and in Chu, he was also known for his arrogance. In the internal selection competition in Chu, he had personally defeated Zuo Guangshu and said the following:

"I have three great regrets: one is that I was not born nine hundred years earlier, unable to witness Huang Weizhen; two is the tragic defeat in the River Valley, the wails of countless households in Great Chu; three is the early death of Zuo Guanglie. I regret the decline of the esteemed Zuo clan, I regret that the world sees no flame blossoms! All my courage is wasted, yet when I look around, there are no heroes!"

Huang Weizhen was a sage of Chu, the creator of the Pavilion of Performance Arts. One could say that this person ushered in the era when Chu's magical arts were unparalleled in the world. The Battle of the River Valley, needless to say, was a pain Chu had not experienced in a hundred years. Xiang Bei was not the only one who felt "great regret."

And his third great regret, it was evident that within the same realm, he only considered the former Zuo Guanglie as an opponent. It was unknown if his views had changed after this competition for the Outer Mansion pinnacle talent. Leaving aside Chong Xuanzun, Dou Zhao, who was also in Chu, should not have caused him to still say that there were no heroes to be found.

But whether his views had changed or not was not important. Jiang Wang only knew that this person's disdain for Zuo Guangshu had so angered the boy that he had not left the Tai Xu Illusionary Realm for several days and nights.

In the battles for the top eight, encountering Xiang Bei, Jiang Wang likewise did not feel it was bad luck. On the contrary, he was very satisfied, feeling that his heart's desire had been granted.

Unlike Xiang Bei's "seeing no one else, all heroes in the world are like grass," Jiang Wang carefully sized up this opponent, from his neck all the way down to his vital points in the chest and abdomen. He observed very seriously. He had been watching from the moment he walked towards the martial platform, and he continued to watch after stepping onto the platform.

He watched until Xiang Bei finally could not keep his gaze down. No matter who it was, being stared at the vital points for so long, it was difficult to maintain a completely aloof state... He could only raise his eyes and meet Jiang Wang's gaze with his mysterious double pupils.

Thanks to Jiang Wang's seriousness, it should be said that the prodigies of Qi and Chu occupying the Alpha-numbered martial platform were the group that entered the state the fastest in the battles for the top four. If it weren't for Yu Xi's clear light barrier, the battle would probably have already begun.

Deng Qi glanced at Jiang Wang's back and also took a look at Xiang Bei's neck vital points before slowly walking onto the martial platform to face his opponent in this round, Xie Ai from the extremely cold Xue State.

Xie Ai was very beautiful. To what extent was she beautiful? Huang Sheli, who had already stepped onto the Beta-numbered martial platform and was facing Chu Min from a distance, was still frequently looking towards the Delta-numbered martial platform – that was the battlefield of Xie Ai and Deng Qi.

Her skin was cold white, her eyebrows thin, her face slender, and there was little expression on her face, but it naturally made people feel a pang of heartache. She truly had a face that was too sorrowful and cold. As her name suggested, beautiful and sorrowful.

The reason Huang Sheli did not place all her energy on this face was that she also had to occasionally keep an eye on Jiang Wang... In short, she was constantly paying attention, very much not wanting to be overshadowed by this fellow.

As for the opponent... Could someone like Chu Min, who even tried to go for the loser's bracket in the selection rounds, be considered an opponent? Of course, this was just Huang Sheli's personal opinion. She looked down on this style of behavior, but that did not prevent Chu Min from making it all the way to the top eight.

Regarding "being ignored," unlike Yelü Zhi's furious tantrums, Chu Min was only happy, even wishing for it. However, he still pretended to be angry on the surface.

At the same time... he couldn't help but pay attention to Jiang Wang. If the Qi State prodigy could be eliminated by the Chu State prodigy in this round, that would be the best possible outcome. At least in the Inner Mansion field, the results achieved by the Xia State would not be inferior to Qi State. And if he could seize the opportunity of Huang Sheli's carelessness... This Yellow River Grand Assembly, perhaps it would be the beginning of Xia State surpassing Qi State!

The battle between the hegemonic state prodigies was naturally the most anticipated battle of the entire event. The arrogant Xiang Bei also possessed strength that matched his arrogance. In the previous round's battle for the top eight, he had easily crushed Bai Yuxia, the Yue State prodigy. He hadn't even used his signature weapon, relying only on a pair of iron fists, striking Bai Yuxia to near death in three punches.

Bai Yuxia had come through by encountering tough opponents all the way, and his strength was evident to all; he was definitely not weak. One could only say that he had encountered too many strong opponents, his foundation had long been seen through, and in an event like the Yellow River Grand Assembly, he was destined not to go far.

And the Qi State prodigy Jiang Wang, even just a smile, had scared his opponent's Blood Ghost into backlash, causing him to faint and leave the field. This created the record for the fastest victory in the history of the Yellow River Grand Assembly. It made people wonder, how terrifying must this person be to scare his opponent like that?

From any perspective, this battle was incredibly exciting and anticipated.

All this attention... Jiang Wang, standing on the martial platform, had completely cast aside. Now was the time for battle, he only stared at his opponent. He only thought about how to win.

He and his Chang Xiangsi were fully prepared. He wasn't staring at Xiang Bei's eyes, but rather at his shoulders. Born with the phenomenon of double pupils, it was impossible not to cultivate pupil techniques. Although he had learned the Dry Sun Pupil and his soul power was strong, he did not intend to attack the enemy's strength.

Speaking of which, due to Lin Zhenren's withdrawal from the competition, this was the first time he had experienced Yu Xi's clear light up close. This light seemed ethereal and powerless. Yet, it had a firm resolve that could not be surpassed. It flowed there quietly, so thin that it seemed like it could be blown away with a single breath. But he knew he couldn't cross over, nor could his opponent.

When the announcement of the battle's start sounded, this clear light flowed away like water. Jiang Wang's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, and a black shadow had already swam across his eyes. The black shadow spread out momentarily, and then darkness was everywhere, his eyes were devoid of light, and he saw the long night.

He had already been struck by a pupil technique! Xiang Bei's pupil technique was too terrifying. Jiang Wang had been fully on guard and had avoided looking into his eyes, but he was still struck. A warning came from within the Tongtian Palace, that strong sense of crisis, and the discomfort transmitted by the Dao Pulse True Spirit... It indicated an external enemy invasion.

At the Inner Mansion level, one could use soul attacks as a conventional means, and even invade the opponent's Tongtian Palace – this was not like Jiang Wang's soul-hiding serpent's hit-and-run harassing tactics. From the intensity of the invasion, this was a true soul-level battle! Xiang Bei's terror was clear from this single glance!

But... Jiang Wang closed his eyes顺势. Very good! Welcome to visit! My Tongtian Palace has been the deathbed of a true person of this era!

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