Li Hao’s figure slowly materialized in the South Courtyard’s rest area. His face was pale, and his chest still throbbed with the phantom pain of being pierced by a sword.

He lowered his head, lips pressed tightly together, and said nothing. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The roar of the crowd washed over him like a tide. Most of the audience was still buzzing with excitement from the spectacular and intense duel.

The South Courtyard students behind Li Hao were also cheering him on.

"What a shame, Li Hao was so close!"

"Qin Rui’s final backhand with the sword was stunning! It was almost inhuman!"

"Li Hao can hold his head high even in defeat. It’s amazing that he could push Qin Rui that far!"

"The South Courtyard may have lost the match, but Li Hao didn’t bring us any shame!"

The chatter was filled with respect for Li Hao’s skill and sympathy for his narrow loss.

To most people, it was a battle between top geniuses decided by a hair’s breadth. Li Hao was just a little unlucky, outmaneuvered by a single move. The strength he had shown was more than enough to earn everyone’s respect.

However, over in the East Courtyard’s rest area, Xu Wuyi’s brow furrowed slightly.

"What’s wrong, Old Xu?" Shen Wei noticed his odd expression and leaned in. "Li Hao fought well. He almost made a comeback."

Xu Wuyi’s gaze remained on the empty arena, as if he were replaying that split-second exchange in his mind. He slowly shook his head and said in a low voice, "Something’s not right. At the final moment, Li Hao’s Heart and Spirit... wavered."

"His Heart and Spirit wavered?" Shen Wei was taken aback, not quite understanding.

"Yes," Xu Wuyi said slowly. "His blade slowed. Otherwise, he should have been the one to land the first blow on Qin Rui."

Shen Wei scratched his head. He hadn’t seen it at all; to him, both fighters had just seemed absurdly fast.

Xu Wuyi just shook his head again without explaining. ’There’s no proof for something like that, and it’s not like I can go ask them to confirm it,’ he thought. ’It’s just a gut feeling.’

...

「Meanwhile」 In the North Courtyard’s rest area, a flicker of doubt also crossed Zhao Qingwei’s cool, clear eyes.

Her slender fingers tapped unconsciously against her sword sheath as she whispered in a voice only she could hear, "’His aura was disrupted?’"

Like Xu Wuyi, her Spiritual Power was far beyond her peers’, making her more sensitive to subtle fluctuations on a spiritual level.

Li Hao’s hesitation, though brief enough to be negligible, was like a small stone tossed onto the surface of a calm lake in the eyes of experts like them—it created ripples.

But as for what caused that hesitation, none of them could know.

...

On the stage, Qin Rui stood with his sword in hand, panting slightly.

Defeating Li Hao had not been without a cost.

The multiple sword wounds on his body stung, his Qi and Blood were greatly depleted, and his Spirit was drained from the intense focus the duel had required.

The referee looked to him, waiting for his decision on whether to remain on the stage.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Qin Rui raised his hand and calmly announced, "West Courtyard will substitute."

A flash of light later, his figure was teleported back to the rest area.

"Good fight," Xu Zhi said, walking up to him.

Tana clapped her hands. "Nicely done. That kid’s as slippery as an eel. Good thing you were the one to face him."

Qin Rui accepted a drink but didn’t take a sip, merely shaking his head. "He was acting a little strange at the end."

As the one who had been in the fight, he had also vaguely sensed that momentary dissonance from Li Hao. There had been no time to dwell on it during the battle, and even now, he only registered it as something odd, not giving it much more thought.

He looked at Xu Zhi, his tone regaining its composure. "I’m leaving the rest to you. Finish it quickly."

Xu Zhi smiled confidently. "Don’t worry. It’ll be a clean sweep."

...

The mood in the South Courtyard’s section grew even more somber.

Li Hao’s defeat sealed their fate in this round of the competition.

The two remaining team members exchanged a look, seeing both helplessness and a hint of relief in each other’s eyes.

They never stood much of a chance against the powerful West Courtyard anyway.

Soon, the matchups appeared on the main screen:

West Courtyard: Xu Zhi.

South Courtyard: Zhang Fan (South Courtyard’s second-string fighter).

The outcome of the battle was never in doubt.

Zhang Fan’s Life Energy Level had just barely surpassed 20. In terms of Qi and Blood quality, Martial Technique proficiency, and combat experience, there was a clear gap between him and Xu Zhi, who had broken through long ago and possessed a much more solid foundation.

Xu Zhi didn’t even need to use any flashy moves. Relying solely on his superior Basic Spear Technique and his steady, practiced Step Technique, he completely suppressed Zhang Fan within a dozen exchanges.

CLANG!

Zhang Fan’s weapon was sent flying by a clever flick of Xu Zhi’s spear.

The tip of the spear stopped just before his throat.

"West Courtyard, Xu Zhi is victorious!"

It was a clean and decisive victory, giving his opponent no chance to even struggle.

The South Courtyard’s final team member took the stage, but the result was the same.

Xu Zhi’s momentum was unstoppable. His Spear Technique unfurled like a relentless tide, completely overwhelming his opponent.

In less than three minutes, the South Courtyard’s final member also had a spear at his throat before dissolving into white light.

"West Courtyard, Xu Zhi is victorious!"

"Third round, the West Courtyard wins!"

The referee’s final verdict rang out, bringing the match between the West Courtyard and the South Courtyard to a close.

The West Courtyard advanced easily, their strength undeniable.

Throughout the entire match, Tana hadn’t even needed to take the stage again.

...

「With the third round over」 The atmosphere in the venue relaxed slightly.

On the massive holographic scoreboard, the standings for each courtyard updated in real time.

West Courtyard: two wins, 6 points, topping the leaderboard.

East Courtyard: also two wins, 6 points, tied for first place.

North and South Courtyards: two losses each, 0 points, at the bottom of the standings.

Next, the South and North Courtyards would compete for third place.

And the ultimate champion would be decided between the two undefeated teams: the East Courtyard and the West Courtyard!

This was without a doubt the most anticipated match of the entire Inter-Courtyard Elite Tournament.

"Of course it comes down to the East and West Courtyards for first place!"

"The ultimate showdown! Xu Wuyi versus Qin Rui! Just thinking about it is thrilling!"

"The East Courtyard has Xu Wuyi, who pulled off a three-person sweep. The West Courtyard has Qin Rui, who powerfully defeated Li Hao, and Tana and Xu Zhi are no pushovers either. It’s impossible to predict who will win!"

"My money’s on the West Courtyard. Their overall strength seems higher."

"Xu Wuyi is in peak form! How dominant was that three-person sweep? I’m rooting for the East Courtyard!"

Discussions and predictions erupted from every corner, cranking the crowd’s anticipation to the max.

In the East Courtyard’s rest area, Xu Wuyi, Shen Wei, and Zhou Mingxuan sat together.

In the brief moments before the match was about to begin, Xu Wuyi’s communicator buzzed. He had received a private message from Qin Rui.

"Xu Wuyi. You and I, first match. A fair fight. What do you say?"

The message was concise and direct, in Qin Rui’s typical style.

Shen Wei saw Xu Wuyi looking down at the message and, noticing it was from Qin Rui, leaned over. "What’s he saying?"

"He’s challenging me to face him in the first match," Xu Wuyi said calmly.

Shen Wei’s brow arched. "What do you think? Do you want us to go first and wear him down?"

Xu Wuyi considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No need. This is going to be a battle of pure strength; tactical order won’t have much of an impact. Since he’s issued the challenge, I’ll accept."

There was no stylistic advantage between him, Qin Rui, or Tana. The winner would be decided by raw power.

And the others, like Xu Zhi and Shen Wei, wouldn’t be able to do much to wear down fighters of their caliber anyway.

So he quickly replied to Qin Rui with a single word: "Okay."

It was more than just a response to Qin Rui’s challenge; it was a declaration of confidence in his own strength.

In the face of absolute strength, any clever tactics become meaningless. Only by crushing the opponent’s strongest fighter head-on could he claim an undisputed victory.

When the final matchup for the first bout appeared on the screen—"East Courtyard: Xu Wuyi; West Courtyard: Qin Rui"—the entire stadium erupted.

"Ace versus ace! They’re starting with the main event!"

"This is insane! It’s like starting with the final match!"

Amid the deafening cheers and roaring discussions, two figures materialized simultaneously on the wide, alloy stage.