"Arena Number Fifty-Five: Team Mu Chen advances to the mid-stage competition. Transfer to the Imperial Academy Arena," the Inspector announced, his face devoid of expression, seemingly unsurprised.

"Arena Number Seventy-Six: Team Qiu He advances to the mid-stage competition. Transfer to the Imperial Academy Arena." Another low shout echoed from the distance.

Mu Chen and his companions stopped in their tracks and looked toward Arena Number Seventy-Six in unison. Standing on that platform was none other than Qiu He. Dressed in robes as white as snow, he cut a striking figure. Whether it was just their imagination, Ye Shuangshuang, Little Tiger, and the others felt his attire was rather similar to Mu Chen’s. His expression was serene, and his teammates stood ramrod straight behind him.

Mu Chen’s Spiritual Power instantly fanned out, completely enveloping Arena Number Seventy-Six. A moment later, he smiled and withdrew his Spiritual Power. "Let’s go," he said. "It’s no surprise Qiu He made it through the preliminaries. His entire team is at the Eighth-Ring Martial Master level, and he himself has already reached the rank of a One-Ring Great Martial Master."

Qing Lei grinned. "So that’s how it is? That kid is catching up fast. Looks like I can’t afford to be lazy anymore."

Ye Shuangshuang said, "That’s not the whole story. He’s one of the ordinary martial artists, whose cultivation speed is many times faster than ours. The Gathering Essence Pill has a far greater effect on him than it does on us. He was only able to break through so quickly because of the pill’s properties."

Mo Qing gently squeezed Ye Shuangshuang’s hand. "You can’t just write him off like that. Everyone has seen how hard he works. He’s chasing us, so we can’t afford to slack off for even a moment."

After she spoke, Mo Qing’s gentle, watery eyes stole a glance at Mu Chen. The corners of her lips curved up as she whispered, ’Because... we have someone to chase after, too...’

Of course, only she could hear those words. Mu Chen took a step forward and said, "Let’s go."

Little Tiger and the others automatically yielded half a step, a gesture that clearly showed they saw Mu Chen as their mainstay. Mu Chen could only offer a helpless smile in response.

The Imperial Academy Arena was a rather unique place. Despite being an arena, the Holy Hall Students rarely used it. As a result, on any given day, the vast majority of people using it were students from the outer circle. Mu Chen had come to watch once before out of boredom.

To be honest, the first time Mu Chen laid eyes on the structure, he was captivated by its magnificent architectural form and splendid decorations. It was, quite simply, a work of art.

Its entire form was dynamic. The top was a massive, circular plane, and it tapered down like a spinning top, growing smaller and narrower toward the base. Despite this, it stood perfectly stable, and the building’s entire outer shell was in constant rotation. From any conventional standpoint, the construction of such a building was nothing short of a miracle.

Encircling the building was a wall over ten meters high. The wall was a milky white, its surface carved with countless images of warriors and Martial Artists locked in combat. What made it even more artistic, however, was the gate, which was forged to look like a gigantic longsword and shield. When closed, the sword and shield crossed, exuding an aura of grim lethality at a single glance. When open, the two separated, creating a palpable sense of tension, like swords drawn and bows flexed for battle.

He gently placed his palm on the giant sword. As if sensing his presence, the gate automatically retracted into the wall. Mu Chen couldn’t help but sigh in admiration for the architect’s genius.

Little Tiger’s eyes darted everywhere, unable to take it all in. Having grown up in a Primitive Beastman Tribe, where the only dwellings were tents and thatched huts, he had seen magnificent buildings like these only a handful of times in his entire life, to say nothing of one so peculiar.

Inside, both sides were lined with stone sculptures of warriors. In short, everything here was inextricably linked to combat. ’An arena should be just like this...’

The venue for the mid-stage competition was at the very top of the arena, where ten spacious platforms had been set up. For Martial Artists, reaching the rooftop was a simple matter. As one of the first teams to claim victory, Mu Chen’s group was naturally the first to arrive.

The weather in the Xuanling Empire was exceptionally stable, so this fully open battle stage was left exposed to the sky. Having been here before, Mu Chen wasn’t particularly surprised. Qing Lei, Mo Qing, and Ye Shuangshuang stood where they were, looking around, while only Little Tiger was like a curious child, hopping and skipping about to get a closer look, eliciting amused smiles from the others from time to time.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, a clamor of voices rose from below. Mu Chen’s group immediately looked toward the entrance. Sure enough, after the first person appeared, countless students began sprinting up from the lower levels. And the instructors? They, of course, simply flew up by Walking on Air.

Of the six thousand participating students, only six hundred had reached the arena. In just a single hour, over five thousand students had been eliminated. After this next round, only sixty would remain. Mu Chen scanned the crowd and quickly spotted thirty-five familiar faces.

Seeing Mu Chen look their way, the students from Demon Castle all broke into smiles. Mu Chen returned their smiles. ’Looks like everyone really has improved a lot.’

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Zhun Cang nodded his dark, bald head. "Children, competition is cruel. After the first round of eliminations, six thousand participants have been drastically reduced to six hundred. But this is only the beginning, as you have merely passed the preliminaries. This place will be the venue for your mid-stage competition. There are ten arenas here, and ten teams will compete in each one. The format is identical to the preliminaries. And just like before, only one-tenth of you will remain."

Hearing this, Ye Shuangshuang said, "In that case, the chances of us Demon Castle students running into each other will be much higher."

Mo Qing nodded. "Yes, but it’s unavoidable."

Mu Chen wasn’t concerned. ’Since it’s a competition, there will inevitably be winners and losers. Only through competition can you discover your own weaknesses, and only by experiencing failure can you become stronger. Therefore, Demon Castle needs this kind of competition.’

"Time is short, so let’s get started. All team captains, come forward to draw lots." With a wave of his arm, Zhun Cang signaled the instructors, who brought forward ten prepared lottery boxes.

Mu Chen didn’t move. He had already said that Little Tiger would handle all the lot drawings from now on. Blushing, Little Tiger ran up. When the other captains saw it was Little Tiger drawing for the team, they didn’t bother to make way for him, which just went to show how much of a unique presence Mu Chen was in their minds.

After waiting for two others, it was finally Little Tiger’s turn. He rubbed his hands together, thrust one into the box, and pulled out a white slip of paper. On it was clearly written the number "3."

The instructor glanced at the number Little Tiger had drawn and announced loudly, "Team Mu Chen, Arena Number Three."

The moment the announcement was made, countless sighs could be heard. It was clear who they were for—the sighs undoubtedly came from the other teams assigned to the same arena as Mu Chen.

Led by Mu Chen, Mo Qing and the others arrived at the base of Arena Number Three. There, Mu Chen spotted a familiar team—it was none other than Qiu He’s.

Mu Chen paused, surprised. "Qiu He, you’re in Arena Number Three as well?"

Qiu He nodded with a wry smile. "My luck is just bad. I was hoping to advance a few more rounds, but I didn’t expect to run into you here, Class President. I suppose it’s a kind of luck in itself, though. Getting to face you early... even if I know I’ll lose, I can’t help but feel excited."

Mu Chen laughed. "That’s what I like about you. If you can always maintain that mindset, you’ll definitely be just as strong as me one day. Keep it up!"

"Mmm."

Receiving Mu Chen’s affirmation, Qiu He was visibly excited. For some reason, he always felt that the man before him, Mu Chen, would one day reach a height so lofty that others couldn’t even dream of looking up to it. Earning his approval made Qiu He even happier than earning his own self-acceptance.

"Sigh." Qing Lei glanced at Arena Number Five. "Looks like all the Demon Castle students are going to get wiped out in that arena."

Hearing this, Mu Chen shot a strange look toward Arena Number Five. The sight made him feel as if the heavens were playing a cruel joke. There were only thirty-five students from Demon Castle to begin with. Besides Mu Chen, Mo Qing, Little Tiger, Qing Lei, and Ye Shuangshuang, there were exactly five other teams. Now, Arena Number Three held two of their teams, and it turned out the remaining four were all in Arena Number Five. ’What is this, a suicide bracket?’

Qiu He had clearly noticed this as well and just shook his head, giving Mu Chen a wry look. Mu Chen simply smiled, unconcerned. "It’s fine. We’re not here for the rewards anyway. Our goal is to temper ourselves. The true meaning of this competition is to fight against opponents of similar strength."

A look of understanding dawned on Qiu He’s face. "That’s true."

Just then, all the teams at each arena finished taking their positions. This time, the supervisors for each platform were no longer students, but instructors.

A refined-looking instructor in a red robe and spectacles walked over, holding a black box. "Students, come on up and draw your lots."

His voice was gentle and cultured, sounding like that of a poet or scholar. Mu Chen once again dispatched Little Tiger to draw. This time, Little Tiger really came through, drawing the number one. Number one meant they were in the opening match. If they won, they wouldn’t have to wait for the other matches to finish.

The second person to draw was Qiu He. His luck really did seem to be lacking, as he drew number ten. With four matches before his, he would have to wait for some time.

After stepping down, Qiu He took a deep breath. "Not getting to face you in the first match, Class President... I don’t know if that’s good luck or bad."

Mu Chen said, "It makes no difference. Our two teams are bound to face each other in the end anyway."

"That’s true."

The remaining eight captains went up one by one to draw their numbers. Mu Chen paid them no mind; he only needed to see which team drew number two. It turned out to be a team from the outer circle, and judging by their captain’s appearance, their average age was quite high.

"The first match: Team Mu Chen from the outer circle versus Team Xue Wen from the outer circle! Will both teams please come to the stage!"