"It adopts a wheel battle format. Defeating a demon of the Third Grade Lower Rank earns one point. The higher the score, the higher the rank. If scores are tied at the end, then there will be additional matches until a winner is determined." Chen Yi paused, looked over the gathered talents, and asked calmly, "Do you understand the rules?" Lin Xueru and Xiao Xuanzhen exchanged a glance, finding Chen Yi a bit strange at the moment, but they nodded nonetheless. Xie Dongan, Wei Nantian, and others who had contact with Chen Yi felt similarly, but with the tournament imminent, they couldn’t dwell on it. "We shall abide by the rules set by Lord Heroic." Seeing this, Chen Yi nodded, "Good, then let’s begin." "The first contestant, Hong Chenxing from Qinghe Academy!" From among the thirty or so talents participating in the martial arts competition, a scholar in a long robe stepped forward and bowed: "This humble one greets Lord Heroic Marquis." "Which one will you face first?" Hong Chenxing hesitated for a moment, "This humble one would like to try the demon of the Third Grade Lower Rank first." Chen Yi waved his hand, and from the Thousand Mechanism Tower behind him emerged a Leopard Demon, its cultivation at the Third Grade Lower Rank. The Leopard Demon appeared vicious, and the shadow cast by its ten-zhang tall demon body enveloped Chen Yi and the others. It looked down at Chen Yi, then glanced around, seemingly understanding something, and grinned: "Little Sword Immortal! Remember your promise to me; if I win, you’ll let me return to the Demon Court!" Chen Yi glanced to the side and replied coldly, "A promise from this Marquis is binding. What I promised you will naturally be kept." Upon hearing this, the Leopard Demon’s gaze fell on Hong Chenxing in his scholar robe, its ferocity becoming even more menacing, with two tusks protruding from its jaw gleaming in the sunlight. "Then let’s begin, roar—" With its roar, dark clouds rapidly gathered above Qu Pond, and under the shroud of its dim demon energy, a set of pitch-black armor was formed, along with a giant long knife in its claws. Chen Yi cast a glance, signaling the other talents to retreat to a corner of the arena, then expanded his Sword Intent, unleashing four silver-white sword rays into the sky, covering the arena to prevent the ensuing battle’s aftermath from affecting the stands and painted boats alongside Qu Pond. Looking up at it, Hong Chenxing swallowed instinctively; is this wretched thing really just a Third Grade Lower Rank Demon General? Calling it a First-grade Void Extreme Realm Demon King wouldn’t be excessive—the power and murderous intent of its demon energy far exceeded his imagination. Hong Chenxing felt this way, let alone the Jianghu Guests and commonfolk watching the duel. Upon first seeing the Leopard Demon, they were stunned. For those who had lived safely within Kyoto Prefecture, demons were akin to bandits or Evil Demons, mere folktales told by storytellers, never this vivid or present before them. Even the knowledgeable members of aristocratic families or sects had mostly encountered only small-time Evil Demons; few had seen a Great Demon capable of human speech, let alone one above the Third Grade Realm. Hence, most of the spectators in the stands and on the painted boats were staring blankly at the Leopard Demon. "Is this the Great Demon from beyond Beixiong Pass?" "By heavens, I’ve encountered a Great Demon lurking in a Forbidden Land before, but it was nothing compared to this." "Terrifying... utterly terrifying... if such a demon were to invade the Wei Dynasty territory, I can hardly imagine anyone escaping its claws..." "Such a presence truly frightens people!" Meanwhile, in the painted boat, Emperor Wei shifted his gaze from the Leopard Demon, scanning the surroundings with a strangely bitter expression. "Just a single Demon General has already instilled fear in my Great Wei citizens. If they were to witness tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of demons charging forth, with hundreds of Fierce Demon Generals blazing with fury, wouldn’t they be scared to death?" Emperor Wei couldn’t help but curse. He had not expected that the citizens, the aristocratic families, and the Jianghu Guests within the Da Wei Dynasty would react this way upon seeing a Demon General. "What a disgrace! Disgracing me and my Da Wei Dynasty!" The Great Master glanced at Xie Jing, who was lowering her head respectfully, and shook his head slightly before speaking: "There is no need for Your Majesty to worry. Isn’t this scene exactly what we hope for? All the Evil Demons have been stopped beyond Beixiong Pass, thus safeguarding the seventeen states of the Wei Dynasty and leaving the populace unaffected." "No, this is not what I hoped for!" Emperor Wei scoffed, "Left Minister, initially when Lord Heroic spoke those words, I thought he was boasting due to his profound cultivation. Now it seems I must indeed enlighten our subjects!" "I not only want them to learn to read and write, but also to understand the dangers at our borders, to appreciate the difficulties faced by the soldiers of Great Wei, and to make known to those complacent aristocrats that their current ease is made possible by those who protect all four corners!" "I want the whole world to understand that without me, without the court officials, without the Marquises protecting them, all they possess now are mere illusions!" Xie Jing pursed her lips slightly, glanced at the nearby ministers, and silently stood up before kneeling: "Your humble servant requests His Majesty to issue an edict. I am willing to lead this venture!" The civil servants quickly followed suit, kneeling behind him. In contrast, the Prince Zhenbei and King of the Southern Garrison, along with the surrounding Marquises, watched Emperor Wei with quiet smiles. How many of these civil servants truly understood the border situation, and how many had seen a demon army? No, never mind a demon army, just the "Dragon Gate" was enough to make many hearts tremble with fear.