NOVEL NEXT Chapter 160: Reaching the Top
Chapter 160: Reaching the Top
Unlike the preliminary rounds, the early rounds were no longer a ten-person free-for-all. Instead, it was a three-person melee.
Although the number of participants decreased, the pressure on the participants increased.
In a ten-person brawl, the chaos made it rare for nine people to gang up on one, as there was no such tacit understanding. However, in a three-person fight, it was much easier for two to team up against one.
The stronger competitor would often be targeted first, leaving the two weaker ones to duke it out. This scenario was common.
But for those with truly formidable strength, no matter what the situation, they would stand out.
Xu Lian was such a case. As soon as his golden energy flared up, the other two would flee the arena in fear. Even if they teamed up, it wouldn’t matter – even a hundred of them wouldn’t stand a chance…
Thus, in the initial rounds, Xu Lian continued his “ten-layer skip”, rapidly climbing the arenas.
However, when he reached the 3,695th layer, things changed. His “ten-layer skip” streak came to an end!
From this layer onward, he began encountering genius opponents at the Transformation Strength Realm. Since they were also in the Transformation Force Realm, they didn’t give him any “face”…
“Begin!” the official in charge of registration, who was also the referee, announced.
Xu Lian raised his palms, and golden energy flared up like flames.
The two geniuses standing in a triangular formation with him didn’t flee. Instead, golden energy surged out of their hands as well.
“…” Xu Lian, who was used to his opponents surrendering, was stunned for a moment. It seemed that from this level onward, all the participants were at least at the level of Transformation Force. Relying on his golden energy to intimidate his opponents was no longer an option – he would have to fight.
The two geniuses didn’t rush to attack. Instead, they watched him carefully.
“His golden energy seems to be more condensed than ours. His cultivation level is probably higher than ours. Should we team up to defeat him first and then decide the winner among ourselves?”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Then let’s attack him together.”
“Let’s do it.”
The two of them quickly agreed and charged at Xu Lian, each unleashing their fighting techniques.
“…” Xu Lian didn’t say a word as the two geniuses launched a joint attack.
Then, he made his move.
And then… there was no “then”.
The fighting techniques unleashed by the two geniuses were shattered by Xu Lian’s blows. Each of them took a palm strike from him, spitting blood as their bodies flew like shattered dragons, crashing into the barrier at the edge of the arena before sliding down unconscious.
In fact, barriers had been erected around the arenas since the early rounds. This was because the geniuses who participated in the early rounds were much stronger, and their destructive power could easily harm the spectators.
The crowd fell silent for a moment.
Then, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.
“Xu Lian!”
“Xu Lian!”
“Xu Lian!”
They chanted his name in unison.
As if they had won the match themselves, their faces beamed with pride and excitement.
This was indeed the case. Xu Lian, who had fought his way from the first layer all the way to the 3,695th layer, had stirred up quite a sensation among the common folk of the Imperial Capital. Many commoners had taken notice of him, seeing him as a representative of the “grassroots rising to prominence”.
The common folks were even more excited than he was.
Xu Lian arrived at the arena on the 3,700th layer.
This place was definitely different.
Next to the arena was a jade viewing platform. Noblewomen dressed in luxurious robes and young girls adorned with vibrant attire sat on it. Obviously, these were the female relatives of the princes and nobles who were here to watch the fights.
Two young men were already standing on the arena, obviously waiting for a third contestant to begin the match.
One of them, a young man in white robes, stood with his eyes closed, as still as if he were asleep.
The other, a young man in martial attire, kept waving and smiling at the girls on the viewing platform, causing them to blush and glare at him.
One of the noblewomen called out, “Ming’er, someone from the lower ranks has already fought his way up. The match is about to begin. Concentrate and don’t be careless. Look at the young master from the Duke of Jing’s household, he is already in top form.”
The young man in martial arts clothes laughed, “Mother, don’t worry. The young master from our Duke Ying’s household isn’t inferior to the Duke of Jing. We’ve competed before – sometimes I win, sometimes he does. It all depends on one’s performance on the day.”
The noblewoman jokingly scolded, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose. Just don’t get hurt.”
Xu Lian approached the official in charge of registration and handed over his competition token.
The officials here were different, dressed in crimson robes, indicating that they were at least fourth rank or higher.
The official took the token, inspected it, and finding no issues, pointed to the arena, signaling for Xu Lian to step up.
The crowd of commoners who had followed Xu Lian up fell silent and gathered quietly below the arena to watch the match. The presence of the crimson-robed officials and noblewomen on the viewing platform exerted an invisible pressure, preventing them from making any noise.
Xu Lian stepped into the arena and formed a triangular formation with the young man in the white robes and the one in the martial attire.
As the crimson-robed official announced, “Begin!”
The young man in white robes and the one in martial attire immediately charged at each other, engaging in a fierce battle.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”…
Their combat techniques were diverse, clashing and erupting with bursts of light.
Xu Lian was left on the sidelines, completely ignored…
Clearly, both of them saw each other as their greatest competitors, while Xu Lian, who had fought his way up from the lower layers, was of no concern to them.
This was quite interesting… Xu Lian quietly retreated to a corner, crossing his arms and watching the battle with interest. After all, this was the last match of the early rounds. If he won, he would advance to the elimination rounds, so there was no need to rush.
Moreover, since the two of them were fighting so intensely, it would be somewhat impolite for him to intervene, wouldn’t it?
The noblewomen and young ladies on the observation deck noticed Xu Lian’s actions and felt a bit annoyed.
“Why isn’t he making a move? Is he waiting for the young masters from the Duke of Jing and Duke Ying households to wear each other out so that he can take advantage?”
“He’s really cunning.”
On the other hand, the common folks were secretly pleased, praising Xu Lian for his clever strategy.