The tournament was about to begin. Su Baiyu had already positioned himself behind his Family Head, while behind another middle-aged man stood a different young man. His name was Liu Maoshan, the eldest son of the Liu Family Head. He appeared to be very strong—at least stronger than Li Yitong's brother, Li Yifeng.

Chen Zheng glanced at him subconsciously. Just then, their eyes met, and they exchanged a slight nod. Chen Zheng had a slightly better impression of this man than he did of Su Baiyu. At least he wasn't interested in the women by Chen Zheng's side.

The three contestants for the imminent tournament were ready, while the other clan members spectating from the crowd discussed the matter in low voices.

"Whoa, is that the outside help the Li Family hired? He doesn't look that strong. I bet the Li Family is going to lose again!"

"Yeah, I don't think he's even as strong as Li Yifeng. I really don't know why they bothered hiring an outsider!"

"I've always thought Li Yifeng was very strong. This guy probably used some underhanded trick to beat him!"

During their conversation, they completely failed to notice Li Yifeng standing right behind them, his face instantly darkened. Finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer and snapped angrily, "Are you doing this on purpose? Talking crap about me when you know I'm standing right here?!"

The men jumped in fright. When they turned their heads, they saw Li Yifeng standing right behind them. However, the group quickly recovered. One of them even said deliberately, "Li Yifeng, aren't you angry that your Li Family hired an outsider and won't let you fight?"

Li Yifeng snorted coldly. "What's it to you?! What's your name? How about I pay you a visit later? If you've got guts, stop talking trash and fight me right now!"

The man just shrugged, not daring to say anything more. There was nothing he could do. While Li Yifeng couldn't defeat the prodigies of the Su and Liu families, that didn't mean he couldn't beat them! Besides, Li Yifeng wasn't known for being particularly bright. If he actually took offense, he would very likely show up at their door looking for a fight.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that the man had fallen silent, Li Yifeng let out a cold laugh, feeling much better.

Just then, an elderly man dressed in a traditional tunic suit stepped onto the platform. The next second, the entire square fell silent.

"I hereby announce the triennial Three-Family Tournament officially begins!"

Then, the elderly man continued, "I will state the rules once more! The formats are an Arena Challenge or rotational battles—you may choose for yourselves. No firearms, no advanced technology, and no deliberate killing. All matches must stop before serious injury is inflicted!

"Alright, may the competitors from the three families now come forward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Su Baiyu whispered to the Su Family Head, "Dad, I'm going up!"

He then turned to Chen Zheng and flashed a vicious smile. Chen Zheng couldn't be bothered with him, because at that moment, the system's voice sounded in his mind again.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for successfully triggering a choice!]

[Choice One: Arena Challenge! Become the champion of the arena and win this entire tournament! Reward: Major System Function Update!]

[Choice Two: Rotational Battle! Participate in the rotational battle and achieve victory! Reward: A ten-point increase in Li Yitong's favorability!]

Chen Zheng was stunned for a moment. The system's functions can be updated?! I thought it only had the selection feature!

Without a second thought, Chen Zheng chose the first option.

Are you kidding me? I can always work on Li Yitong's favorability later, but this opportunity to update the system is a one-time deal! Besides, I haven't even picked the ripe fruit that is Liu Qianqian yet. If I max out Li Yitong's favorability now, won't they have to form a line? I can't do that. It's too scummy!

By now, Su Baiyu had reached the platform, his gaze fixed intently on Chen Zheng.

"The Li Family's outside help! Do you dare come up here?! Su Family! Bajiquan! Su Baiyu!"

Li Cangyun turned to look at Chen Zheng and simply nodded. No matter who was on the platform, the Li Family had to win two matches.

Chen Zheng nodded back and walked straight toward the stage.

"Good, you've got some nerve. I'd like to see what kind of power you actually possess to think you can marry Li Yitong!" Su Baiyu practically spat out the last half of his sentence, his teeth clenched in fury. As he spoke, he assumed a Bajiquan stance, a powerful force surging from his body.

Many people could tell that Su Baiyu had already cultivated Inner Strength and entered the Innate Realm.

"Hold on, don't be in such a rush!"

Just then, Chen Zheng suddenly held up a hand.

Su Baiyu frowned. "What do you mean? If you're scared, then get lost now and don't embarrass yourself here!"

Chen Zheng chuckled lightly. "Don't be so hasty. I'll be sending you off to recuperate soon enough!"

"What the hell did you just say?!" Su Baiyu was like a wild beast released from its cage, wanting nothing more than to tear Chen Zheng to shreds.

But Chen Zheng didn't even bother to look at him. Instead, he turned to Li Cangyun and declared, "Patriarch Li, I choose the Arena Challenge!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the onlookers couldn't help but gasp.

An Arena Challenge! That format hadn't been used in the competition for a very long time! One would never dare to choose it without absolute confidence in their own strength.

"What's going on? Why choose an Arena Challenge? If he loses, didn't the Li Family hire him for nothing?" Li Yifeng frowned.

Li Yitong was completely stunned. Oh my god, he actually chose the Arena Challenge! Wait... Isn't he already married? That scumbag!

The world of traditional martial arts didn't adhere strictly to secular customs. So, even though she knew Chen Zheng and Wei Zixuan had officially registered their marriage, she merely blushed and called him a scumbag in her head.

"Hey! This year's tournament is getting interesting. Someone actually chose the Arena Challenge, and an outsider at that!"

"Damn, he's got some serious guts. The Li Family probably mentioned offhandedly that he'd get more benefits if he won the Arena Challenge. He's really biting off more than he can chew!"

The crowd buzzed with quiet discussion, all of them convinced Chen Zheng was about to pay the price for his greed.

"Hah... He gets a little bit of power and suddenly thinks he's invincible," Li Yiyu sneered from a corner.

Standing next to him, Li Cangmu couldn't hold back and shouted, "Chen Zheng, what exactly do you think you're doing? The Li Family hired you to win the tournament, not to deliberately make a fool of us!"

He then turned to Li Cangyun. "Brother, is this really the outside help you invited? Why not let Yifeng or Yiyu go up? Even if they lose, it won't be as disgraceful as this!"

Li Cangyun glanced coolly at his younger brother and said softly, "He... could send you flying with a single punch."

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