Chapter 208: Chapter 203: Preliminary Victory

Zhao Wu’s Martial Artist Realm was low to begin with, and now, suspended in the air, he couldn’t move an inch. Seeing the two fireballs closing in, Zhao Wu shut his eyes. ’It’s over.’

But just as the two fireballs were about to hit Zhao Wu, Ye Shuangshuang’s arms, wreathed in red flames, suddenly moved. The two red fireballs abruptly changed direction and collided ten meters in front of Zhao Wu, exploding on impact.

"BOOM!!"

After the massive explosion, a wave of scorching energy swept out from the blast zone. Zhao Wu was caught in the shockwave and instantly blown off the battle stage. As for his four teammates, they had already been scattered by Little Tiger’s brutish attacks and were then unceremoniously kicked off the stage by Qing Lei’s flickering figure.

The entire battle lasted less than a minute, yet not a single student was injured. The Inspector looked a little dazed. He knew, of course, that Mu Chen’s group hadn’t used their true strength. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they hadn’t used any power at all, relying purely on Body Techniques for their attacks, because their Martial Rings were never displayed.

Zhao Wu had already climbed back to his feet offstage. For a First-Ring Martial Artist, a fall from that height wouldn’t cause any serious injury. He looked at Mu Chen with gratitude, cupped his fist, and said, "Captain Mu Chen, thank you. We forfeit the next round of individual matches."

Mu Chen shook his head. "There’s no need for that. We’re all fellow students. Since we were going to win anyway, there was no reason to injure you."

"Since Zhao Wu’s team has forfeited the individual matches, the winner on stage fifty-five is Mu Chen’s team! They advance to the top five of the preliminary round!" the Inspector announced, raising his hand high.

Mu Chen and his team exchanged smiles and slowly walked off the stage. Their first victory had been a foregone conclusion. The difference in their levels was simply too great, and even their physical conditioning was vastly superior. It was like watching an adult fight a child.

Without the oppressive presence of Mu Chen’s team, the other eight teams on stage fifty-five finally began to show their true strength. Their battles were quite commendable, but in He Long’s eyes, their efforts were a complete joke.

"It’s like watching children play. Utterly boring."

He Long never bothered to lower his voice, ensuring every word reached the ears of the other Holy Hall Students. But, thanks to Qin Garden’s indoctrination, the Holy Hall had long since written off the Outer Circle Students. In their eyes, the students hopping around and shouting on the stages were no different from toddlers.

The preliminary round to select the top five from each group of ten proceeded under He Long’s constant barrage of insults. In less than twenty minutes, half of the one thousand teams had already been eliminated.

Zhun Cang announced loudly, "The round to select the top five is over! Next is the round to select the final winner! Please draw lots again for your pairings. This time, one of the five teams will receive a bye and advance directly to the preliminary finals. This is also a test of luck. Remember, in a Martial Artist’s life, opportunity and luck can grant you power far beyond the ordinary."

The Inspector stood to the side, a black lottery box already prepared. Little Tiger eyed the box and asked, "Brother Mu Chen, let me go draw this time! I’ve never drawn lots before."

Mu Chen smiled. "Of course. Go ahead, Little Tiger. Try to draw us a bye."

Little Tiger scratched the back of his head. "I’ll give it a shot..."

With that, Little Tiger leaped onto the stage, reached into the box, and pulled out a blank slip. The Inspector stared for a moment, then announced, "Uh... Mu Chen’s team gets the bye!"

"A bye?" Ye Shuangshuang, Qing Lei, and the others were all shocked.

Mu Chen murmured, "Little Tiger’s luck really is amazing."

Unbeknownst to them, Little Tiger drawing the bye didn’t disappoint the remaining four teams at all. In fact, it made them ecstatic. The other captains quickly drew their lots, paired off, and began their final matches.

Little Tiger hurried back down, a triumphant grin on his face. "Brother Mu Chen, I got the bye! Hehe..."

Mu Chen patted Little Tiger’s shoulder. "From now on, you’re our designated lot-drawer."

"Okay!" Little Tiger agreed cheerfully.

What followed was a long wait. With half the contestants eliminated, those who remained all had some degree of strength. Among the teams left on their stage, one even had Martial Artists of the Martial Master Realm—more than one, in fact, though they were a bit on the older side.

As expected, after a fierce battle, this very team with the Martial Master students was the one left standing. Mu Chen made a note of their captain’s name: Jandy.

"The finalists have been decided! The next match will be between Mu Chen’s team and Jandy’s team. Prepare yourselves. The match begins in half an hour!" the Inspector shouted.

Mu Chen’s group was already prepared, but the members of Jandy’s team had just fought two consecutive battles. They all immediately sat down to enter a state of Cultivation, trying to quickly recover their depleted Primordial Power.

Meanwhile, in the Holy Hall stands, He Long’s gaze had also fallen upon stage fifty-five. It was impossible for him to say he didn’t care, not when Mu Bingling’s eyes had been fixed on Mu Chen the entire time. ’I’m the Crown Prince of a Middle and Upper Class Empire, and this woman won’t even spare me a glance?’ The thought infuriated him.

"Looks like I’ll definitely have to join this competition. I’m going to beat that Mu Chen until he’s on his knees right in front of you," He Long muttered. A wisp of lightning crackled and arced across his clenched fist.

Half an hour passed. Mu Chen and his team were on the stage, assuming the same positions as before—their four-directional attack formation, the most suitable array for the five of them. Their opponents were clearly no pushovers. Since Mu Chen hadn’t placed a limit on their numbers, their team had six people. What’s more, they were also using an Array: the Hexagram Array, with the six of them standing at the points of the star.

A flicker of interest showed in Mu Chen’s eyes. His group had studied the Hexagram Array privately, but five people couldn’t unleash its full power, which was why they’d opted for their own formation. ’Once Mu Bingling gets to Demon Castle, though, we could give it a try,’ he thought.

"Captain Mu Chen, we will fight you with everything we have," Jandy said, his expression grave and his voice firm as he looked at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "We will treat this match with respect."

’After all,’ he thought, ’any single one of us could crush their entire team by going all out.’

At the Inspector’s signal, the final match of the preliminary round officially began. As usual, Little Tiger charged forward first. The moment the battle started, a savage, beast-like aura erupted from his body. Like an enraged lion, he threw a heavy punch at the empty air, the force of the blow carrying a powerful shockwave. This was the opening move of their formation, designed to shatter the enemy’s ranks so they could be picked off one by one.

However, their opponents were clearly Outer Circle Students who had studied arrays. Jandy bellowed, "Converge!"

In response, the six scattered members moved toward Jandy, bracing together to receive the ranged attack. Of course, Little Tiger’s immense physical power still forced them back a few steps, but fortunately, their formation didn’t break. After weathering the blow, Jandy shouted again, "Disperse!"

The six members once again took their positions at the points of the hexagram. At the same time, one of their teammates leaped from his spot, landing directly in the center of Mu Chen’s group—right in front of Mu Chen himself.

This sudden development stunned Mu Chen for a fraction of a second. But that was all it took. In that instant, the enemy’s Hexagram Array completely locked down their movements. The Hexagram Array was inherently a Lock Array, used to restrict an opponent’s mobility. Fueled by Primordial Power, the array formed an invisible Sealing Barrier.

Seeing that they had trapped Mu Chen’s group, the six opponents began to rotate rapidly, launching a frenzied assault as they spun. But with Little Tiger at the front, how could they possibly complete their encirclement? While they were still spinning into position, Little Tiger’s ability to break through enemy lines burst forth. He let out a explosive roar, suddenly leaned forward with his arms crossed over his chest to gather power, and then bellowed, "Barbaric Charge!"

A red Round Shield suddenly materialized on Little Tiger’s shoulder. Of course, this shield wasn’t made of Primordial Power, but was a condensation of his own physical aura. Thus, his Martial Artist Realm was never revealed.

"Hah!"

With a roar, Little Tiger’s shoulder slammed into the hexagram-shaped barrier of Primordial Power. CRACK! With barely a pause, the fragile barrier shattered. The Primordial Power condensed by someone at the Martial Master Level was simply too weak; Little Tiger hadn’t even used twenty percent of his strength.

Little Tiger’s Barbaric Charge completely shattered the enemy’s formation. To make matters worse, one of the opposing team members had the misfortune of being in Little Tiger’s direct path as he broke through the barrier. Fortunately, Little Tiger retracted his aura instantly, so the student was only sent flying without suffering serious injury.

Seeing his team’s formation broken, Jandy quickly retreated from Mu Chen’s group, attempting to reform their ranks at a distance. But Mu Chen wouldn’t let them off so easily. He extended an arm, spread his fingers, and made a sudden grasping motion toward Jandy’s feet. A soft hum was heard as Bingling began to condense, and Jandy’s expression changed to one of shock as he suddenly toppled over backward.

That’s right—Mu Chen had used Primordial Power Materialization. But the move was so subtle that aside from Di Cang, Zhun Cang, Lingyun, and Qin Garden, almost no one in the audience noticed. They just thought Jandy had lost his footing while backing away and slipped.

Jandy’s fall signaled the end of the fight. Ye Shuangshuang and Qing Lei once again acted as the cleanup crew, efficiently sending Jandy’s teammates off the stage one by one. After Ye Shuangshuang "escorted" Jandy himself off the stage with a kick, the team dusted off their hands. "We won."

Mu Chen nodded. "I didn’t expect to find people in the Outer Circle’s ordinary classes who study arrays. It seems we’re not as hopeless as they say."

Ye Shuangshuang scoffed. "Of course not! Those Holy Hall Students? They’re nothing special. Just wait until the finals. I’ll turn them all into barbecue!"

At the mention of barbecue, Little Tiger’s ears perked up. "Barbecue... I haven’t had Brother Mu Chen’s roasted meat in a month! I want some after the tournament is over today."

Mu Chen chuckled. "Alright. But we won’t have a barbecue after the matches are over. We’ll go out to eat. My treat."

"Really?" Little Tiger asked.

Mu Chen ruffled Little Tiger’s hair and laughed. "Would I lie to you? It’s not like Brother Mu Chen is too poor to afford a single meal."

"Whoopee...!"

Joy lit up their faces—not because of the meal, of course, but because of the deep, sibling-like bond they all shared...