Gu Changhuan nearly laughed out loud.

The Yu Clan really was giving up a great deal.

When the four clans originally established the Nine Perches Market within the Nine Perches Mountains, they agreed that to maintain peace and balance the alliance, each family would take one-tenth of the market tax revenue. The remaining sixty percent would be decided by the Market Competition.

First place would grant the victor's clan an extra thirty percent of the tax revenue, second place an extra twenty percent, and third place an extra ten percent.

Twenty years of tax revenue-if a clan could monopolize forty percent of it-would easily cover the cost of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Gu Changhuan was lost in these thoughts when Gu Changqing suddenly called out to him.

"Seventeenth Brother, it's your turn."

Gu Changhuan snapped back to attention and saw that Zhang Yihe had already risen to her feet. He quickly stood up as well and walked toward the arena.

Seeing that her opponent was the very scoundrel who had been sneaking glances at her earlier, Zhang Yihe tightened her grip on her spear.

She sent him a voice transmission. "Be sensible and surrender. Otherwise, don't blame me if I leave a few holes in you."

A little embarrassed, he replied the same way. "You're beautiful. Is it so wrong to look?"

With that, Gu Changhuan drew his Azure Cloud Sword.

Hearing his words, Zhang Yihe felt a faint surge of pleasure; like any woman, she appreciated compliments on her appearance.

Seeing him draw a weapon, she struck first. A sudden blur flashed before Gu Changhuan's eyes as her spear thrust directly toward his right shoulder.

"Such speed!" Gu Changhuan was startled, but he was no ordinary cultivator.

He twisted backward to the left to dodge the thrust, then delivered a sharp kick straight into the arm holding the spear.

Zhang Yihe gasped in pain, her grip loosening as she dropped the weapon. Realizing her mistake, she immediately leaped backward to create distance.

"Miscalculated. I didn't expect this pretty boy to have some real skill."

Zhang Yihe put away her spear and moved the arm he had kicked.

It hurt intensely.

The Spirit-Tempering Disc had refined Gu Changhuan's body, making him far stronger than an ordinary cultivator. He could not resist artifacts with his bare flesh, but he could kick a hole in the ground.

"Abandoning close combat?"

As she put away her spear, Gu Changhuan activated two talismans and sent them flying at her. He used the Light Body Technique as well, moving too quickly to track.

There was little room on the platform. With the talismans almost upon her, Zhang Yihe dodged to the other side.

"No, I've fallen for it!"

She immediately tried to change direction.

But it was already too late.

Gu Changhuan's Azure Cloud Sword rested steadily against her neck.

The victor was decided.

Zhang Yihe never imagined she would lose, let alone lose so swiftly-and to a Qi Condensation Eighth Layer scoundrel at that!

Glaring fiercely at him, she stormed off the stage in a rage.

Gu Changhuan cared little for her anger. He was simply grateful for the confined arena; without it, he couldn't have defeated her so cleanly.

Behind Gu Wanhao, Gu Changqing watched approvingly. Changhuan had read her movements perfectly.

Gu Wanhao nodded too. Good fighting skills. Just like his grandfather at that age!

When the first round concluded, three of the four Gu Clan members had advanced.

Only one Yu cultivator had made it through. From the vacant look in his eyes, he would almost certainly lose his next bout.

Coincidentally, Gu Changhuan's second-round opponent was none other than that very Yu Clan cultivator.

The man promptly surrendered without a fight.

Gu Changqing, however, faced a difficult opponent.

Fang Kaiji of the Fang Clan, standing at the Qi Condensation Ninth Layer.

Recognizing Gu Changqing's nimble movement technique, Fang Kaiji immediately protected himself with three defensive spiritual talismans and relied on long-range techniques to harass him.

Gu Changqing blocked and dodged the spells and occasional surprise talisman attacks with a shield. His Spiritual Power gradually ran low.

It was clear Fang Kaiji intended to wear him down through exhaustion.

Sighing, Gu Changqing conceded defeat.

His opponent was too cautious to allow a close-quarters approach, and the defensive shield had drained too much of his spiritual power to mount a counterattack.

Gu Changfeng also fell to a member of the Zhang Clan.

As the second round ended, the remaining victors were Gu Changhuan, Fang Kaiji, Zhang Yiqiao, and Fang Kaitong.

The third-round draw pitted Fang Kaiji against Fang Kaitong, and Gu Changhuan against Zhang Yiqiao.

When the results were announced, the Foundation Establishment elder leading the Fang Clan twitched slightly at the mouth.

Yet he raised no objection.

At ninth-layer Qi Condensation against Gu Changhuan's eighth, Zhang Yiqiao seemed to have a good chance of winning.

Both matches began simultaneously. On the Fang Clan side, Fang Kaitong immediately yielded.

As for the other arena...

Gu Changhuan had no intention of retreating.

As they stood on opposite sides, Gu Changhuan prepared to take the initiative, but Zhang Yiqiao suddenly shouted, "Taste my Thunderclap Pellet!"

With that, a small round bead hurtled straight toward his face.

Gu Changhuan drew his Azure Cloud Sword and cleaved the bead in two, releasing a sharp, pungent cloud of fumes.

Gu Changhuan darted away with the Light Body Technique and coughed twice. So that so-called Thunderclap Pellet was a chili bomb!

Zhang Yiqiao grinned wickedly. "You're the first to try my Thunderclap Pellet, Fellow Daoist Gu. How was it?"

Gu Changhuan snorted.

So he liked tricks too? Then Gu Changhuan need not hold back.

Stowing his sword back into his storage bag, he retrieved the Haotian Mirror in one hand while activating a Cloud-Mist Talisman with the other, vanishing into the sudden haze.

When the mist cleared, Zhang Yiqiao had already collapsed unconscious.

Gu Changhuan had won once again, though the spectators remained baffled by his methods.

The crowd could hardly believe that a cultivator of lower rank had triumphed once more.

After the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the final match commenced.

"Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Gu," Fang Kaiji said, immediately slapping three defensive spiritual talismans onto his robes.

Gu Changhuan raised an eyebrow: was the man trying the exact same exhaustion strategy?

He had picked the wrong opponent. Gu Changhuan might not be the most skilled fighter, but none of the Qi Condensation cultivators present could compare with his reserves of Spiritual Power.

He might as well turn the plan against him.

Gu Changhuan played along, using the Haotian Mirror to block Fang Kaiji's spells while trying to attack him.

After an incense stick's time, he even swallowed a "Pill" to suggest he was running out of Spiritual Power.

At the sight of this, joy flashed in Fang Kaiji's eyes.

After Gu Changhuan took a second "Pill," Fang Kaiji finally left the protection of his defensive talismans to finish off his supposedly exhausted opponent.

Fang Kaiji used the Light Body Technique to rush to Gu Changhuan's side, sword in hand. But his apparently sluggish opponent blocked the sword at once.

The Haotian Mirror met the sword with a piercing scrape of metal.

Fang Kaiji realized he had been tricked and tried to retreat behind his defensive talismans.

Gu Changhuan gave him no such opening. A beam of spiritual light flashed from the Haotian Mirror, locking Fang Kaiji firmly in place.

Fang Kaiji felt something cold against his neck. Then he heard Gu Changhuan say,

"You lost."