Supremely Talented Tyrant-Chapter 1516 - 1715: Ancient Martial Artist Tournament!

Time passes swiftly like flowing sand; in a blink of an eye, several days have gone by.
These past few days, Hao Jian has been hanging out with Liang Yuwei and others, causing a ruckus. Naturally, time flies by quickly, but while playing is playing, business still needs to be taken care of.
Time quickly flew by, and the Ancient Martial Artist Tournament was approaching. With that, Hao Jian was ready to set off.
Since that murderer said his master would kill him at the tournament, of course, he had to go and investigate thoroughly, uncovering all the people behind the scenes.
Thus, Hao Jian traveled light and entrusted Shu Ya to Jiang Long, instructing him to take good care of her and make sure she's not harmed. Jiang Long naturally knew how important Shu Ya was to Hao Jian; most important was his past mistake, for which he felt very guilty. Thus, he pledged with his life that with him around, Shu Ya would be safe.
Moreover, with Xie Qianqian, the top figure on the Assassin's List, present there, Hao Jian could leave with peace of mind.
Then, after a brief explanation to Shu Ya, Hao Jian went alone to the Ancient Martial Artist Tournament.
Before leaving, Shu Ya was worried about Hao Jian, for he had explained everything to her. However, after Hao Jian reassured her, she gradually felt at ease, but her heart still worried for him.
Originally, she wanted to go with Hao Jian, but he explained the journey was dangerous and feared that if things turned violent, he might be unable to protect her from harm; hence, to avoid causing trouble for Hao Jian, Shu Ya abandoned the idea.
Spice Ginger arranged a dedicated driver for Hao Jian, so although the distance was a bit far, they drove for a day and ultimately reached the destination.
The Ancient Martial Artist Tournament is quite renowned throughout Huaxia's Ancient Martial Arts World, attracting many participants each year. Almost all Ancient Martial Artists from Huaxia arrived on time, even if they didn't get to challenge; seeing the world and building connections was still excellent.
Since Ancient Martial Artists are secretive, they cannot flaunt themselves in public.
This time, the tournament venue was set on an island, specifically prepared for the event. Thus, the island was well-developed, equipped with everything necessary like a small city. Although called a small island, it's quite large, capable of accommodating many people—at least tens of thousands.
Additionally, to disguise the tournament, it's advertised as an inter-industry exchange; without an invitation, ordinary people cannot attend.
Therefore, only Ancient Martial Artists from the martial arts world can participate.
By the time Hao Jian arrived, it was already considered late; many Ancient Martial Artists had already come before him. However, as the competition starts in two days, Hao Jian wasn't in a rush to enter, so he rented a room near the island for some rest.
Along the way, he heard many discussing the event, but they mentioned it under the guise of business exchanges.
Soon, Hao Jian checked into a hotel, took his room key, and entered the room.
Once inside, Hao Jian began to ponder. There will surely be many participants in the tournament, and chaos is likely ensue. The murderer's master behind the scenes is definitely watching him from the shadows, thus he shouldn't reveal his identity at the start. Though he isn't afraid, exposing it would leave the master hidden and him out in the open.
Facing someone in plain sight is easy, but countering someone concealed is troublesome.
Thus, it's crucial to stay hidden at first and keep his identity unexposed.
Subsequently, Hao Jian left the hotel and began observing the island surroundings.
The island is surrounded by sea on all sides, with only one landing spot, which is occupied by the tournament organizers. Only with an invitation can one pass through.
Getting an invitation isn't difficult; practically any Ancient Martial Artist can obtain one. Hence, it was effortlessly simple for Hao Jian to acquire one after wandering about.
This was his first time participating in Huaxia's Ancient Martial Artist Tournament; he hadn't attended before. If not for the master behind the scenes, he wouldn't have come this time either.
After all, such tournaments hold no meaning for him.
Two days passed quickly, and the much-anticipated Ancient Martial Artist Tournament arrived as scheduled.
The number of people around the island increased over the two days, filling hotels to capacity. Some latecomers found no accommodation and resorted to setting up tents or sleeping in cars.
Finally, the tournament began. From last night, the queueing for entry had commenced.
Hao Jian arrived in good time, and after a relatively short wait, presented his invitation and entered the island.
The island lived up to its reputation; clearly, the organizers had put thought into preparing for this tournament. At least in terms of island upgrades, a fortune had been spent, yet well worth it.
The returns and impacts from hosting such a grand tournament far outweigh the expenses, thus proving profitable. Therefore, they're willing to spend the money.
Only a well-managed event attracts more Ancient Martial Artists, right?
After arriving on the island, Hao Jian sighed in his heart. When he has time in the future, he also wants to get an island like this, but on a smaller scale, just for him and Shu Ya. No need for a big place.
Hao Jian wandered alone on the island.
Each invitation letter includes a corresponding place to stay. Of course, there are charges because the organizers need to make money there to cover expenses.
But a night's stay isn't expensive, and for Hao Jian, it's negligible, so he arranged the accommodation according to the room listed on the invitation.
The rooms on the island mostly have a Huaxia retro design, which matches the identity of Martial Artists. Additionally, Hao Jian quite appreciates this style.
So after settling down, he took a symbolic stroll to admire the place.
But suddenly, he seemed to see a familiar figure, but it was just a fleeting glimpse, so he couldn't be sure. He just felt the figure was familiar, but couldn't recall their name.
So, eventually, he let it go.
At this moment, someone suddenly patted Hao Jian on the shoulder from behind. Hao Jian turned around and saw a middle-aged man with a mustache.
Hao Jian looked surprised.
The mustached man spoke: "My name is Feng Shiyuan. I've been wandering the Jianghu for many years, specializing in fortune-telling and reading fortunes about wealth and life. I'm here to ask if you want a reading to see how you might do in the Ancient Martial Arts tournament."
Without giving Hao Jian a chance to speak, the man named Feng Shiyuan continued: "But I suggest you should get a reading. After all, money is an external item, no need to worry about a small amount!"
Feng Shiyuan looked at Hao Jian with a calm expression.
Hao Jian just smiled lightly. He's seen many conmen in the Jianghu, but it's the first time he's seen one with a side hobby of pickpocketing.
Hao Jian said: "Even so, what's the deal with you taking my wallet?"
Feng Shiyuan initially wanted to conceal it, but didn't expect Hao Jian to notice. Ordinarily, someone might get awkward, but a conman like him stayed calm without changing his expression.
Feng Shiyuan took out a wallet from his pocket, which happened to be Hao Jian's.
He then said, "It's clear you are an expert. I was just testing you, but you easily saw through me in seconds. Truly, you are an expert!"
Hao Jian took back his wallet without a word. This kind of Jianghu conman is also an Ancient Martial Artist and managed to get on the island. It seems this tournament doesn't strictly limit participants; as long as you're an Ancient Martial Artist, you can get in.
With that in mind, Hao Jian was about to turn and leave, but as he took a step, Feng Shiyuan stopped him again.
"Whether you want a reading or not, I know everything under the heavens. If you want to know something, a small fee and I could tell you!" Feng Shiyuan said.
Hao Jian originally intended to leave but hearing this, he thought it over since he wasn't familiar with this place. Given that the tournament info is sealed off and can't be found online, there are things he didn't know.
Hao Jian then turned back and asked, "What do you know about this Ancient Martial Arts tournament?"
Seeing a business opportunity, Feng Shiyuan immediately beamed with joy.
"To be honest, there's nothing I don't know!" Feng Shiyuan replied.
Hao Jian said: "Since that's the case, speak then. If you try to deceive me and I find out, you'll face consequences!"
Feng Shiyuan was startled; Hao Jian's aura was indeed extraordinary, so he was a bit scared. The fortune-telling might be deceitful, but he did know the information.
Feng Shiyuan said: "If I were to lie, that'd be ruining my own reputation!"
"Hmm!"
Hao Jian waited for Feng Shiyuan to speak.
"From what I know, the tournament's organizer is still the Heavenly Machine Pavilion. You know the Heavenly Machine Pavilion is very mysterious. They organize almost every Ancient Martial Arts tournament, with many elder organizations under them, but that's not important!" Feng Shiyuan said.
"What's important is that I've heard many ancient martial arts talents will participate this time, so this tournament is bound to be exceptionally thrilling!" Feng Shiyuan said.