My Core is the Boss

The broadcast announcement left the martial artists stunned and confused.

In previous years, the tournament’s viewership had been mediocre at best. To boost ratings, the organizers had introduced a pre-match trash-talk segment. Competitors were given three minutes on stage to hurl insults at one another.

The segment became the most popular and had the highest ratings as a result. Many of the more entertaining verbal clashes were clipped and uploaded online, especially those in which the martial artists talked big only to be utterly crushed in the following match. The contrast made for excellent viewing and was most entertaining.

Now, under the new "Promote Civility, Establish New Conduct" policy, verbal sparring has been completely banned. Were they just giving up on viewership ratings altogether? Which higher-up was insane enough to come up with such a ridiculous policy?

Xing Yu couldn’t help but complain, "Aiya. Things have been getting way too surreal lately."

Recently, all sorts of strange events have been unfolding in the Qin Yuan Kingdom. Rumors of spiritual qi revival, sword immortals wiping out entire military camps in a single strike, and that voting incident... Everything was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Compared to all that, this new policy didn’t even seem that outrageous anymore.

Wang Shiqiao glanced discreetly at Qi Yuan not far away. "We just have to follow it. After all, we don’t exactly have the power to break the rules."

Qi Yuan also chimed in sincerely, "I think the government’s requirement is quite humane. If everyone behaves more civilly, a lot of conflicts can be avoided, and the world will be filled with love and peace."

If everyone were civilized, he wouldn't have to exterminate entire families just to promote world peace.

Xu Tiehua remarked seriously, "We can't truly know the intentions of those above us, so let's just follow the rules. Besides, we’re only here to watch right?"

Although he could still achieve decent results at city-level competitions, the national level was a different story. With the best martial artists participating, he stood no chance whatsoever.

Qi Yuan echoed. "Right, follow the rules. I’m a law-abiding citizen too."

Wang Shiqiao fell silent. That's your idea of being law-abiding? Chopping off a head and giving it away as a gift? What decent person does that?

Qi Yuan said enthusiastically, "Anyway, I’ve got bigger ambitions. I came here to win the championship!"

Now that he had reached the Jade Blood realm, participating in the Martial Arts Tournament was a piece of cake.

Just then, Han Xianyun approached, cheering, "You will definitely win the championship, Mr. Qi!"

Not long ago, turmoil had swept through the capital, and the Mu family had been wiped out. His elder brother had since been transferred into the provincial cabinet. Han Xianyun himself had been granted the title of honorary earl. Riding a wave of success, he knew full well that he owed everything to Qi Yuan. He was both respectful and in awe toward Qi Yuan and Canary.

Qi Yuan asked curiously, "Didn’t you used to think I couldn’t win?"

Han Xianyun replied without hesitation, "That was before. This is now."

Qi Yuan nodded approvingly. "You’ve got good judgment. If there’s a chance in the future, I’ll introduce you to an amazing wife."

It was a pity that Han Xianyun couldn't enter the Death Qi World or the Underworld. Otherwise, Elder Huang or even the Sea God could help arrange something.

Han Xianyun’s expression turned slightly complicated.

Before he could respond, a burly man with a face tattoo said mockingly, "Do you think just anyone can win the tournament, Han Xianyun?"

He was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

The tattooed man’s eyes were filled with admiration. "If anyone’s going to win, it'll be a true powerhouse like the Southern Lion, Zhang Yang!"

Han Xianyun couldn’t help but laugh. "If you said you were going to win, I might think more highly of you. But putting your hopes on someone who once defeated you? That’s rather amusing."

Before the tournament, the tattooed man had challenged Zhang Yang and lost within three moves. His confidence had clearly diminished since then.

The tattooed man appeared somewhat regretful. "Hmph. You don’t understand the vastness of the world. Even at the martial peak, there are still differences. Given time, Zhang Yang would surely surpass martial peak. What a pity..."

He had heard that after winning this tournament, Zhang Yang would retire. This would be his final battle. It was a pity he would never get to witness someone break beyond the martial peak. With that, the tattooed man flicked his sleeve and left.

Following that, Xu Tiehua’s eyes widened. "You’re the Northern Crane? A peak martial artist?"

As a martial artist himself, he had naturally heard of the Southern Lion and Northern Crane. And this young man, who addressed Qi Yuan as "Mr. Qi," is actually Han Xianyun? Then Qi Yuan...

A flood of thoughts ran through his mind. The way he looked at Qi Yuan changed once again.

Standing behind Xu Tiehua, the people from the Mingwu Martial Arts Gym also began to see Qi Yuan differently. Even though Qi Yuan had only been here for a few months, Han Xianyun's description suggested that Qi Yuan had at least reached the peak of martial arts.

Could he really be a peerless genius?

Han Xianyun smiled. "That's right. It's me."

Sweeping his gaze across all the gathered martial artists, Qi Yuan sighed. "Too weak. Being invincible really is lonely."

Xing Yu rolled her eyes. "Qi Yuan, even if you’re a genius, you shouldn’t underestimate everyone else."

Deep down, she suspected that Qi Yuan had surpassed the martial peak. Given all the strange incidents that had been happening lately, it wasn't that hard to believe.

Qi Yuan replied, "I’m not underestimating them. I want them to step up. Unfortunately, they’re too weak. If I weren't here to win the championship, I wouldn’t even bother participating."

Canary clung to Qi Yuan’s arm, asking cheerfully, "Should I injure them so they withdraw from the competition? That way, you can win the championship right away."

Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Wouldn’t that be a bit inappropriate?"

***

Meanwhile, inside the building, an anxious-looking woman reported, "My lord, contestant Wang Fusheng just verbally provoked the target individual."

The man in a military uniform's expression changed instantly. "What? How dare he?!"

The target individual was someone they had to treat with extreme caution. And someone actually dared to provoke him? Was he tired of living?

He was enraged. "Send people to detain him. How dare he make provocative remarks and threaten another contestant before the competition! Disqualify him from the tournament. Also, on suspicion of endangering national security, arrest him immediately!"

They had been walking on thin ice, afraid of offending Qi Yuan in the slightest. And now, someone had the nerve to provoke him. What if Qi Yuan shot down a few more of those Eyes in the Sky?! Who would take responsibility for that?! Who would bear the consequences?!

The man in military uniform commanded sternly, "Arrange staff to immediately brief all participants. They are strictly forbidden from using foul language or provoking their opponents in any way. Understood?"

This matter had to be handled properly. Otherwise, forget about getting promotions or raises, he probably would not even keep his life.