54: Chapter 54 Zhou Bai's Goal: Delivering the Reward
Seeing Lu Wei suddenly collapse on the ground, Zhou Bai's heart skipped a beat.
He was already prepared to use Phantom Sky Travel to counterattack. He never expected this guy to collapse on his own first.
Not only was Zhou Bai a bit bewildered, but the spectators around the Magic Cube Martial Arts Arena were also stunned, frozen in place.
Seriously, dude? At the critical moment, you pull this...
"The second round, eighth match of the elimination rounds is over. Lu Wei has lost his combat ability due to a Qi and Blood Power backlash. Victory goes to Zhou Bai!"
After a long moment, the host stepped onto the stage, checked Lu Wei's condition, and immediately announced.
"Damn, Zhou Bai won again? He made it into the top 25?"
"Unbelievable. How is Zhou Bai's luck so good? He even ran into an opponent suffering from Qi and Blood Power backlash..."
"A worthless top 25 spot. I don't acknowledge this top 25 ranking at all..."
"Laughable. You people are really something. It's not like Zhou Bai made Lu Wei suffer the backlash. Who's to blame if you can't control your own power?"
"Hehe, my God of Vocational Colleges won again. How maddening? I'm going straight to your Vajra University forum to post..."
After a brief silence, the entire Magic Cube Martial Arts Arena once again erupted into heated discussion.
Numerous spectators argued fiercely over the match result, their faces flushed red.
Some even demanded a rematch, but that was clearly impossible.
"Damn it, we almost won! Lu Wei, that useless waste..."
From the spectator stands, Xu Xiu, seeing Zhou Bai leave the stage victorious, heavily pounded his thigh, fuming with anger.
"Waste! Even with Dragon Elephant Essence Blood, he couldn't win!"
On the other side of Xu Xiu, Qin Hao also stared coldly at Zhou Bai on the stage, his eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty glint.
The many contestants who hadn't been eliminated yet wore grave expressions.
Although the outcome of this match was somewhat unexpected, the strength Zhou Bai displayed was enough to make any of them wary.
No one dared claim that, if they were in his place, they could definitely defeat Zhou Bai.
Zhou Bai naturally paid no mind to what others thought. By now, he had already returned to the training room.
"The Battle of the Dawn is truly a place where tigers and dragons hide. Besides Qin Hao, the others are also not to be underestimated!"
Zhou Bai murmured softly as he restored his Qi and Blood Power in the training room.
Having completed Ninth Bone Tempering, Zhou Bai's Qi and Blood Power had reached a staggering 70,000 units.
His mental power, aided by the Mysterious Soul Elixir, had also reached 16,000 Hertz, surpassing that of an ordinary Fourth-Rank Martial Artist.
This battle also made Zhou Bai feel a hint of pressure. Those top-tier geniuses with peak SS-rank Talents and nurtured by powerful resources were equally terrifying.
"Zhou Bai, you're incredible! You defeated Lu Wei!"
At that moment, Chen Jianghe also entered the training room, speaking with immense excitement.
Although he had anticipated Zhou Bai's potential victory, the actual win still thrilled Chen Jianghe immensely.
"It's just defeating one Lu Wei. My goal is the Champion!"
Zhou Bai took a deep breath and then said slowly.
"The Champion?"
Hearing Zhou Bai's words, Chen Jianghe's expression became somewhat dazed, as if stunned by what he said.
The Champion of the Battle of the Dawn... was that something their Azure Bird Academy could even be associated with?
"Uncle Chen, am I not allowed?"
Zhou Bai smiled slightly.
"Allowed! Of course you are!"
Thinking of the strength Zhou Bai displayed today, Chen Jianghe quickly replied with great excitement.
Now that Zhou Bai had entered the top 25 and was in excellent condition, he had a great chance to contend for the championship.
The thought that their Azure Bird Academy might actually win the championship made Chen Jianghe's face flush red, and he grew even more excited.
"Zhou Bai, you rest here. I'll find a way to get you some more good resources to increase your chances of winning!"
Chen Jianghe then said excitedly to Zhou Bai.
"Uncle Chen, that's not necessary. I've basically reached the limit of what I can improve in the short term. Resources that boost Qi and Blood Power or mental power aren't very meaningful now!"
Zhou Bai continued slowly.
"Zhou Bai, let me get you some weapons then. At this stage, basically every contestant has several A-rank weapons. Having only one puts you at a big disadvantage!"
Chen Jianghe added.
Hearing Chen Jianghe's words, Zhou Bai's eyes lit up.
Indeed, the contestants who made it to the elimination rounds were generally very well-prepared, especially with weapons, armor, and even Soul Weapons.
However, to ensure a certain level of fairness in the competition, only A-rank weapons were permitted in the elimination rounds.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Uncle Chen!"
Thinking of this, Zhou Bai no longer refused and said to Chen Jianghe.
"Don't worry, leave it to me. You just focus on preparing for your fights!"
Chen Jianghe then said solemnly.
After speaking, Chen Jianghe left the training room.
Zhou Bai continued resting in the training room, recovering his condition while also stabilizing the greatly increased Qi and Blood Power within his body, preparing for the Tenth Bone Tempering.
After the seventh Bone Tempering, Qi and Blood Power can circulate throughout the entire body, increasing its operational efficiency.
After the Tenth Bone Tempering, Qi and Blood Power can form a self-sustaining cycle within the body, maximizing its operational efficiency, reducing losses, and enhancing recovery speed.
Now that Zhou Bai had achieved Ninth Bone Tempering, he naturally wanted to strive for the Tenth.
For Zhou Bai, with his solid foundation, this would be a significant boost, allowing him to use S-rank Martial Skills more frequently.
Meanwhile, the second round of the elimination rounds continued. The subsequent matches between many geniuses still presented incredibly exciting content.
The various tense and thrilling battles were much more intense than in the previous rounds.
Clearly, at this stage, no one wanted to lose. Moreover, the relatively weaker contestants had mostly been eliminated, leaving behind mostly martial geniuses who had already reached the Fourth-Rank.
"Junior Brother Zhou Bai, you don't have to fight the next round!"
A few hours later, Zhao Shiyu, wearing a floral dress and looking pure and charming, came to the training room and said to Zhou Bai.
"Don't have to fight?"
Zhou Bai looked puzzled.
"Yes. The second-round battles were too intense. Many geniuses fought to their absolute limits and can't participate in the third round. Now, only 19 contestants can fight in the third round..."
"Since the number is odd, a draw was held. Junior Brother Zhou Bai drew a bye and advances directly to the fourth round!"
Zhao Shiyu continued, extremely excited.
"So I just waltz into the top ten?"
Zhou Bai was also quite pleased and smiled.
"Yes, you've made the top ten!"
Zhao Shiyu exclaimed with emotion, her face full of awe.
She never imagined that the person closest to her would make it into the top ten of the Battle of the Dawn, the most prestigious competition for new martial artists.
"Senior Sister, about that reward you mentioned before... can we cash it in now?"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Zhou Bai gently lifted Zhao Shiyu's chin and whispered.
...
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