The second team member from the South Courtyard immediately took the stage. This was a Martial Artist with a Life Energy Level of 20.2, slightly stronger than the first. He used a pair of Water-Splitting Needles, and his moves were agile and cunning.

The continuous battle had taken a heavy toll on Zhou Mingxuan, but his eyes remained resolute.

The two became entangled in a struggle, the muffled thuds of their Qi and Blood colliding echoing endlessly.

Zhou Mingxuan abandoned flashy moves, pushing his defense to the absolute limit. With each swing of his Short Halberd, he precisely parried his opponent’s tricky attacks.

He was waiting—waiting for an opportunity to win with a single strike.

Finally, at the exact moment his opponent thrust out both needles in an attempt to forcefully break his defense, Zhou Mingxuan didn’t dodge or evade. He met one needle head-on with his left arm. His sleeve was instantly shredded, drawing a streak of blood.

But his right hand, holding the Short Halberd, seized that fleeting opening and viciously stabbed into his opponent’s shoulder blade!

"PSHHH!"

Blood sprayed into the air.

The South Courtyard’s second member cried out in pain. One of his arms was temporarily disabled, and his combat ability was greatly reduced.

Zhou Mingxuan had paid a price as well. His left arm was injured, and his Qi and Blood were severely depleted.

He desperately mustered his remaining energy, wanting to defeat his opponent completely, but his stamina was too drained. He was unable to press the attack and was instead stabbed in the abdomen.

"South Courtyard, Qi Feihuai wins!"

The South Courtyard had won a match back, but there were only a few cheers from the audience. Anyone could see that Qi Feihuai’s injuries were severe, leaving him with little combat strength.

In contrast, thunderous applause erupted from the East Courtyard’s section.

Zhou Mingxuan wasn’t a top-tier contestant, but with his tenacious will, he had practically dealt with two opponents by himself, giving the East Courtyard a perfect start.

"You worked hard, Old Zhou." Shen Wei grinned as he watched Zhou Mingxuan teleport back. "Leave the rest to me!"

A flash of light, and Shen Wei’s burly figure appeared on the stage.

His opponent was none other than Qi Feihuai, who had been severely wounded by Zhou Mingxuan.

Facing a fully-fit Shen Wei, his opponent was already demoralized. Compounded by his injuries, he was powerless to resist.

Shen Wei didn’t even use the Iron Wall Technique. He just took a few crude, heavy steps forward, his Thick-Backed Battle Saber swinging with savage momentum in three consecutive heavy chops!

"CLANG! CLANG! PSHHH—!"

On the third strike, the opponent’s blocking longsword was sent flying. The saber’s edge flashed past, and the opponent dissolved into white light.

"East Courtyard, Shen Wei wins!"

A clean and decisive victory, won with almost no effort.

The situation was instantly clear.

The East Courtyard had won two matches in a row. Shen Wei was in perfect condition, and they still had Xu Wuyi, who hadn’t even fought yet, as their anchor.

As for the South Courtyard, only one person was left—Li Hao.

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

"The South Courtyard is in trouble. Only Li Hao is left."

"Li Hao is strong, but Shen Wei isn’t tired, and after him, there’s the even more monstrous Xu Wuyi. How can he possibly win?"

"Let’s see if Li Hao can pull off a miracle. He might have a chance against just Shen Wei, but taking them both down... that’s too difficult."

In the South Courtyard’s rest area, the atmosphere was heavy.

Li Hao slowly rose to his feet. His face was expressionless, but deep in his eyes, a flame flickered.

He knew this was a desperate situation.

His only chance of victory was to defeat Shen Wei with minimal cost, conserving enough strength to challenge the unfathomable Xu Wuyi.

...

On the stage, Shen Wei hefted his Thick-Backed Battle Saber, watching Li Hao teleport up. He gave a gruff laugh. "Li Hao, I’ve been wanting to have a go at you for a long time!"

Li Hao said nothing, merely crouching slightly, like a cheetah poised to strike.

He held a pair of long, narrow Curved Sabers, their blades emitting a cold, blue gleam.

"Begin!"

The moment the referee’s voice fell, Li Hao moved.

His body left a series of blurry afterimages, his speed astonishingly fast—on a completely different level from the previous two South Courtyard members!

’So fast!’ Shen Wei’s pupils contracted. Not daring to be arrogant, he let out a low roar and instantly activated his Iron Wall Technique, a faint grey luster covering his entire body.

"CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK!"

Li Hao’s Curved Sabers were like a violent squall, hacking, slicing, and stabbing from all sorts of bizarre angles. They landed on Shen Wei’s Protective Grey Aura, kicking up a series of sparks.

Shen Wei swung his saber in a furious chop, but Li Hao’s Body Technique was too nimble. He always managed to evade the heavy blade by a hair’s breadth, then immediately counterattacked with even greater speed.

For a moment, the only thing visible on the stage was Li Hao’s ghost-like figure circling around, the light from his blades forming a dense net. Shen Wei, meanwhile, was like a great bear surrounded by a pack of wolves, possessing immense strength but unable to effectively land a blow.

’I can’t let this continue!’ Shen Wei grew anxious.

He was only a Beginner with his Iron Wall Technique. Although the defense was strong, it consumed a great deal of Qi and Blood.

Li Hao’s hit-and-run tactics were clearly designed to wear him down to death.

Shen Wei tried several times to trade injuries, attempting to force a lock on Li Hao. But Li Hao’s timing was frighteningly precise; he always managed to land a clean hit just as Shen Wei’s old strength was spent and new strength had yet to gather.

Although he couldn’t break through the Iron Wall Technique’s defense, the continuous impacts still made Shen Wei’s Qi and Blood churn, his movements gradually slowing.

This dragged on for five minutes. The high-intensity assault, combined with maintaining the Iron Wall Technique, was gradually draining Shen Wei’s Qi and Blood.

’This is so frustrating!’

Shen Wei roared and recklessly erupted with Qi and Blood, sweeping his Battle Saber horizontally in an attempt to force Li Hao back.

He knew his chances of winning were slim. The only thing to do now was to injure Li Hao as much as possible and create an advantage for Xu Wuyi in the next match!

However, at the very instant his move grew old, a sharp glint flashed in Li Hao’s eyes!

He abandoned his hit-and-run tactics. Crossing his twin sabers, his Qi and Blood surged at an unprecedented speed. Man and blade-light seemed to merge into one, transforming into a blue bolt of lightning that shot straight for the opening under Shen Wei’s ribs!

This strike concentrated all his speed and power!

"CRACKLE!"

The faint grey protective light flickered violently, let out a mournful cry as if overwhelmed, and finally shattered!

The saber tip sank an inch into his flesh, and blood instantly stained Shen Wei’s training uniform.

Shen Wei’s massive frame shuddered violently, his forward momentum coming to an abrupt halt.

Li Hao showed no mercy. With a flick of his wrist, he brought the Curved Saber upward in a vicious slash across Shen Wei’s chest!

"PFFT—!"

Shen Wei spat a mouthful of blood toward the sky. The immense force of the blow sent him flying backward to slam heavily against the edge of the stage before he dissolved into white light.

"South Courtyard, Li Hao wins!"

The entire arena was in an uproar.

Li Hao had actually won, and by "grinding down" the astonishingly defensive Shen Wei, no less!

Although he himself was almost unscathed, everyone could see his slightly heaving chest and the fine beads of sweat on his brow.

To secure victory while minimizing his losses, he had chosen the safest, but also the most mentally and physically draining, tactic.

At this moment, his stamina was severely depleted.

Li Hao stood in the center of the stage, taking several deep breaths to forcibly calm his churning breath. His sharp gaze shot toward the East Courtyard’s rest area, landing on the black-clothed figure who had been sitting and watching the entire time.

Xu Wuyi.

Only he was left.

Defeat him, and the South Courtyard could turn the tables and claim victory!

This was their only chance, and their last.

In the East Courtyard’s rest area, Shen Wei’s figure materialized. He clutched his chest, grimacing. "So annoying. That guy is slippery as an eel. Old Xu, it’s up to you now. Avenge me!"

But as he walked over to Xu Wuyi, his angry expression faded, and he said in a low voice, "This Li Hao definitely has a True Intention of Martial Arts. My own True Intention couldn’t lock onto him. You need to be careful!"