Meanwhile, Li Yuanqing and Li Shiran, the center of everyoneās attention, sat leisurely on the main stage, watching the youths of their age fight fiercely in the Martial Arts Arenas below.
Because this Martial Arts Tournament was for the younger generation, it emphasized harmony. As a rule, fights to the death were not allowed.
If a situation looked dangerous, the elders of the two combatants could even forcibly stop the match and concede on their juniorās behalf.
Consequently, the initial battles were a bit like watching chicks peck at each other.
But overall, the fights were still quite exhilarating.
The crowd of spectating Jianghu Martial Artists was also very supportive, cheering constantly from the sidelines.
The first round of matches ended quickly, with over a thousand people successfully advancing to the second round.
With the weaker contestants weeded out, the competition in the second round was clearly far more intense than the first.
Fierce battles raged across the dozens of Martial Arts Arenas, occasionally drawing gasps and causing small disturbances among the crowd.
When the second round ended, the thousand contestants had been reduced to five hundred.
The pool of contestants was now much smaller.
Li Changāan had been secretly observing the battles in the arenas the entire time.
But so far, he hadnāt spotted any Martial Artist who matched the description of the mysterious black-haired youth.
Li Yuanqingās gaze swept over the battlefields below as he asked in a low voice, "Brother, have you found our target?"
Li Changāan shook his head. "No. Donāt worry, there are still too many people."
Another three rounds passed, and the young Martial Artists present were finally whittled down to just one hundred.
But there was still no sign of the mysterious young man among them.
āNo, thatās not entirely true. After all, the ones left are all youths under the age of fifteen.ā
āMany of them even have long, black hair.ā
āBut other than their age and appearance, no matter how I look at them, I canāt connect any of them with the Child of Destiny Iām looking for.ā
āAmong the one hundred who remain, more than eighty percent of the Martial Artists come from good family backgrounds.ā
āAnd among the remaining twenty percent, even if their family backgrounds arenāt as prominent, none of them are orphans.ā
āSomething seems wrong here.ā
Even Li Shiran was starting to get suspicious. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Brother, do you think we tipped our hand? Did he figure us out ahead of time?"
Li Changāan frowned as well.
āThe young people who could win through so many rounds of competition are basically all from the elite class, with backgrounds and family legacies.ā
āEven if there are a few dark horses mixed in who werenāt favored at the start...ā
ā...even these dark horses arenāt nobodies; each one has a background of some sort.ā
āIn other words, among the hundred people remaining, not a single Martial Artist fits the profile of the Child of Destiny.ā
āThis is obviously not normal, and itās completely outside my expectations.ā
āI thought that as long as he came for the Martial Arts Tournament, Iād be able to find him quickly.ā
āBut even now, I really havenāt noticed anything out of the ordinary.ā
āCould it really be because word got out?ā
āOr did I guess his objective wrong from the very start? Maybe he isnāt interested in the Martial Arts Tournament at all, but in me?ā
As he considered these possibilities, Li Changāan began to feel that this was becoming tricky.
This was the only chance he currently had to uncover information about the Child of Destiny.
If something went wrong this time, or if the Child of Destiny even noticed something was amiss, then finding him in the future would be much more difficult.
The Jiuzhou Continent was vast and boundless, and many parts of it were the territory of other nations.
Even if Li Changāan turned over every stone, it would be impossible to find him in such a vast area.
āSo where exactly did things go wrong?ā
āCould it be that the Child of Destiny sensed danger at this tournament?ā
āBut thatās not right, either!ā
āI never intended to kill the Child of Destiny right away.ā
āThis Martial Arts Tournament was just a way to scout him out, to figure out who he is and where he comes from.ā
āEven if the Child of Destiny is truly favored by fate, his intuition shouldnāt be *that* ridiculously sharp.ā
Just as Li Changāan was pondering where an oversight could have occurred, a new round of matches was about to begin below.
According to the rules, this could be considered the final stage.
Li Yuanqing, as a Prince, would also be joining the competition to face the other Martial Artists.
Li Yuanqing didnāt dare to speak much with Li Changāan. He just cast a nervous glance his way, asking what he should do next.
Li Changāan thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Stick to the original plan. Go on."
"No matter who you face, anyone who tries to stop you from taking first place, just sweep them all aside."
āWeāve come this far and invested so much time, energy, and money. Thereās no reason to suddenly give up at this crucial juncture.ā
Li Changāan decided to see the Martial Arts Tournament through to its proper conclusion.
āPerhaps the Child of Destiny did come. Maybe heās just hiding among these young Martial Artists, waiting for the right moment to bare his fangs.ā
āWorst case, even if the Child of Destiny really didnāt show up, as long as Li Yuanqing wins, we can always hold a third tournament.ā
When the crowd saw the Second Prince himself enter an arena, the spectating Martial Artists and common folk immediately erupted in cheers and praise.
In recent years, the Second Prince Li Yuanqingās reputation as a "peerless genius" had spread throughout all of Great Zhou.