69: Chapter 69

69

He didn't know when it would be his turn.

The roster hadn't been announced in advance, so all those who hadn't competed yet could only wait quietly.

At noon, Zhanwu Academy provided meals for everyone; there was no need to leave, so they ate on the spot.

“Next group: Xu Qing from Beihua University versus Lu Yiming from Shuofeng University.”

Jiang Haojie lazily raised his eyes and looked toward the arena.

Xu Qing was already standing on the stage, and across from her, a young man carrying a sword stepped up steadily.

He shook his head slightly.

The outcome was already decided.

Although Xu Qing only had an A-grade talent, she could transform into an Oriental Divine Dragon, making her combat power not inferior to an ordinary S-grade in the slightest.

Her opponent, however, was merely a B-grade Physical Enhancer; the talent gap was like a chasm, and the victory was already determined.

The referee gave the command.

Lu Yiming's longsword left its scabbard as he took the lead with a rapid attack.

“Roar—”

A flash of contempt crossed Xu Qing's eyes, and then she tilted her head back and let out a long cry; the dragon's roar was clear and resonant, echoing throughout the venue.

In the next moment, her form changed abruptly, transforming into a lithe and agile Oriental Divine Dragon, its silver scales reflecting the light and its three claws grasping the air.

Though it didn't have five claws, that pure dragon bloodline already caused the surrounding atmosphere to turn cold and solemn.

“So this is the Oriental Divine Dragon... It truly has a natural majesty. No wonder it's called one of the pinnacles of mutated forms.”

“Such an opportunity is truly enviable.”

“The aura of the Oriental Divine Dragon is indeed more majestic.

Western-style dragon forms are also fierce, but they lack a certain ancient divinity.”

The audience whispered among themselves.

Those capable of transforming into dragons were few and far between even looking back three hundred years; seeing it with their own eyes now, it was inevitable that their hearts would surge with emotion.

Seeing Xu Qing's form change so suddenly, Lu Yiming's Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously, but he did not hesitate because of it.

The surrounding discussions grew noisier, and a hint of arrogance flickered in the depths of Xu Qing's eyes; the way she looked at her opponent was now completely different from before.

She suddenly spun around, and her dragon tail swept out with the sound of breaking air.

Lu Yiming's expression changed drastically as he held his sword horizontally to block, yet that E-grade longsword couldn't even leave a scratch on the dark blue dragon scales.

With a muffled thud, Lu Yiming was sent flying into mid-air.

Before he could fall, Xu Qing raised her head and exhaled a freezing breath.

The moment the frost swept over him, Lu Yiming turned into an ice sculpture and crashed heavily onto the arena, the ice crystals making a crisp cracking sound against the surface.

The scales all over Xu Qing's body receded like a tide, and she returned to her human form.

The referee stepped forward quickly to investigate, his brow suddenly furrowing tight.

“Lu Yiming is dead.

Xu Qing of Beihua University wins.”

The stands erupted in a wave of sound mixed with gasps of shock.

Although there had been no shortage of serious injuries in previous matches, there had never been a loss of life; the sudden death caused a strange commotion to sweep through the entire stadium.

In the seating area for Shuofeng University, a middle-aged teacher stood up abruptly, his gaze piercing the arena like a knife: “Xu Qing! You clearly could have held back, so why did you have to go for the kill?”

Xu Qing carelessly brushed her sleeve: “I couldn't pull back my strength in time. My apologies.”

A faint smile still played on her lips, as if she were talking about the weather.

The Shuofeng University teacher turned to the judges' panel, his voice as heavy as cold iron: “I demand a ruling of intentional murder against Xu Qing and the cancellation of her eligibility to compete.”

On the judging platform, Ma Chenyu exchanged low-voiced opinions with his colleagues.

Xu Qing raised her voice at the right moment: “If I had intended to kill him, why would I need to use dragon breath? It's clearly because he himself couldn't handle an ordinary move.”

She furrowed her brows slightly, putting on a perfectly measured look of grievance, “Must the strong be tied hand and foot out of consideration for the weak?”

Voices of agreement immediately rose from the audience.

“A martial arena is like a battlefield; holding back is an insult to your opponent!”

“If you're afraid of death, why get on the stage?”

“Can Shuofeng University not afford to lose?”

The wave of voices surged toward the Shuofeng University seating area.

That teacher laughed out of extreme anger: “Good, very good.

Then in the future, when my Shuofeng University accidentally kills a Beihua student during a match, I hope you all remember today's standard.”

Ma Chenyu's brow furrowed deeply upon hearing this.

If this truly turned into a situation of mutual slaughter, this intercollegiate league would become a slaughterhouse.

Before he could speak, the leader of Beihua University stepped slowly out of the shadows, his voice not loud but clearly penetrating the noise: “It would be better for your school to watch its words.

Some things... once said, cannot be taken back.”

When the panel of judges finally announced the ruling, the frost-white lights happened to fall on the melting silhouette of the ice sculpture.

Xu Qing turned and walked toward the preparation area, the hem of her clothes brushing against the unmelted ice shards on the ground, leaving a trail of wet marks.

Somewhere in the audience, someone suddenly whispered: “Look, when she transformed earlier... did the tip of her tail sweep an extra half-foot on purpose?”

The voice was drowned out by the broadcast announcement for the next round of contestants to take the stage.

At the edge of the arena, staff were covering the body, which was gradually becoming soft again, with a black cloth.

Beihua University sat firmly in the top spot, while Shuofeng University was pushed to the bottom—this was the unspoken ranking among the Top Ten Prestigious Schools.

“Are those words meant to be a threat?”

The face of that Shuofeng University teacher was so dark it looked like it could drip water.

A voice suddenly broke into the broadcast, interrupting the tense atmosphere: “Enough, everyone say less.

In school matches, there have never been explicit prohibitions against certain methods. This matter ends here.”

The voice came abruptly; everyone looked around but couldn't find the person speaking.

The teacher from Shuofeng University said no more and sat back down expressionlessly.

Xu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief; seeing that there was nothing more for her to do, she quietly retreated to her seat.

At this moment, in a secret room deep within the Zhanwu Academy gymnasium, fifteen figures sat in a circle.

They were none other than the heads of the Five Great Academies and the Top Ten Prestigious Schools.

“Old Ye, what did you mean by those words just now?”

The principal of Beihua University looked displeased, his gaze piercing toward the principal of Shuofeng University.

The one who had spoken over the broadcast just now was indeed the Shuofeng principal, Ye Feng.

Ye Feng smiled, his expression relaxed: “What could I mean? It's a school match; having a bit of blood and seeing some real results makes it more interesting to watch.”

Another principal nearby spoke up after some deliberation: “Old Ye, this is no small matter. Are you really going to let the situation develop like this?”

“Relax, how big a deal can it be? The future of the Dragon Country will always belong to these young people; we can't keep them tucked under our wings forever.”

Ye Feng waved his hand dismissively.

Hearing this, the others said no more.

Inside the gymnasium, the competition proceeded as usual.

The clashes between other schools still had some restraint, stopping when they could.

Only Shuofeng and Beihua were different; once students from these two universities met, it was a life-and-death struggle with no holding back.

Such fierce duels, on the contrary, set the blood of the entire audience on fire.

“Next match—”

The host's voice rang through the stadium, “Jiang Haojie of Longcheng University versus Chen Wenjun of Hengyang University.”

The crowd went quiet for a moment, followed by low murmurs of discussion.

Longcheng University? That didn't seem to be among the Top Ten Prestigious Schools.

“This Jiang Haojie really got lucky. I thought he'd run into Brother Ma, but someone else intercepted him.”

“Hmph, just dumb luck.”

“No rush. Once he loses this match, it won't be too late for us to find a chance to deal with him.”

The lackeys around Ma Bin chattered away, feeling rather regretful.

Ma Bin's own face wasn't very good either; he had originally hoped Jiang Haojie could last one more round, so perhaps the two of them would have a chance to meet on the field.

The discussion online was equally heated.

“Longcheng University? You've got to be kidding. A student from an ordinary university is also coming to participate in the school matches?”

“Pointless. Isn't this just coming up to give away points? It's a total waste of time.”

“Go Chen Wenjun! Give that kid from the ordinary university a good lesson!”

Meanwhile, in the Longcheng University rest area, the teachers and students who had waited all day finally saw Jiang Haojie take the stage.

Although they didn't hold much hope in their hearts, at this moment, Jiang Haojie represented the face of Longcheng University.

Deep down, they couldn't help but feel a faint sliver of expectation.

Zou Wenlin clenched his hands so hard his knuckles turned white, silently pressing all his encouragement into the depths of his heart.

Under the focus of countless gazes, Jiang Haojie and Chen Wenjun stepped onto the arena one after another.

Chen Wenjun looked at his opponent, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint arc. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough: “If I were you, I wouldn't have stood here to make a fool of myself.”

The referee's voice fell, but the field was in a state of stagnation.

Chen Wenjun stood in place, his gaze lazily sweeping over Jiang Haojie, his eyes filled with nothing but disdain.

A person who was only a First-Order Awakened with a talent no better than B-grade was no different from an ant in his eyes.

“Please.”

Jiang Haojie casually shrugged his shoulders.

To him, even speaking to such an opponent was redundant.

A sneer surfaced on Chen Wenjun's lips: “Don't say I'm bullying the weak—I'll give you the privilege of making the first move.

Lest you come all this way and can't even touch me, that would be embarrassing.”

Hearing this, Jiang Haojie's brow twitched slightly.

Letting him strike first?

Fine then.

He walked straight forward, his figure suddenly appearing before Chen Wenjun, and he raised his hand for a simple slap across the face.

“Slap—”

The crisp sound wasn't loud, but it rippled out like an invisible wave.

The stadium, which had been boiling with noise just a moment ago, suddenly fell into a dead silence.

All eyes focused on the arena; everyone froze on the spot, unable to comprehend what they had seen for a moment—

Chen Wenjun was gone.

Only Jiang Haojie remained standing quietly on the stage.

...What happened?

After a long pause of several seconds, the text in the livestream exploded like a tide.

“What just happened?”

“A B-grade talent, a student from the Top Ten Prestigious Schools, was actually taken out in one move by someone from an ordinary university?”

“Where's the referee? This can't be a fixed match, can it!”

Jiang Haojie turned to the referee, who was also stunned: “Can the result be announced now?”

The referee suddenly snapped back to his senses and shouted: “The winner of this match—Longcheng University, Jiang Haojie!”

Jiang Haojie walked off the stage unhurriedly, murmuring to himself: “Someone actually actively requested that I move first... How considerate.”

The most bewildered person was none other than Chen Wenjun.

He only felt the world suddenly spin; before he understood what had happened, he was already lying below the stage.

As he struggled to get up, he happened to hear Jiang Haojie's whispered remark, and a surge of metallic sweetness suddenly rushed up his throat.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, then his vision went black, and he completely fainted.

In the seats for Hengyang University, everyone's faces were ashen.

One student had already lost earlier; they had hoped Chen Wenjun would win back a round, but who knew this fool would lose so ridiculously due to overconfidence.

If he had lost in a fair and square duel, it would have been one thing; but it was such a farcical ending, losing to a student from an ordinary university—this shame would likely follow Hengyang University for a long time.

Over at Nanyi Academy, Su Qingxue looked at Jiang Haojie's back as he easily won, and she couldn't help but cover her lips with her sleeve, a smile spreading in her eyes.

This guy, dealing with a First-Order Awakened was simply like playing with a child.

“Brother Ma, that kid has some skill.”

“Indeed, that move just now wasn't simple... I underestimated him before.”

“Psh, it was clearly Chen Wenjun putting on airs and crashing.”

The followers around Ma Bin discussed in low voices.

Ma Bin himself hadn't expected this development either; besides his surprise, a surge of excitement rose in his heart.

Good, keep moving forward.

The further you go, the greater the chance we'll meet...

Don't disappoint me.

Bai Yang's knuckles were white from clenching: “That bastard, his luck is pretty good.”

“Whew—”

Zou Wenlin looked at the result on the stage, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.

He had originally worried that Jiang Haojie would exit dejectedly in the first round, which would have been too embarrassing; fortunately, this young man did not bring him shame.

“He passed! Jiang Haojie made it through the first round!”

“Chen Wenjun was acting like that earlier; now he'll probably hide away and beat his chest in regret.”

“He brought it on himself.”

A low cheer erupted among the Longcheng University seats.

Who said ordinary institutions were destined to be far from the peak of competition? Even the so-called pride of the Top Ten Prestigious Schools lost to Jiang Haojie.

The schedule wasn't over, and leaving wasn't allowed, so Jiang Haojie could only return to his seat and wait through the long delay.

The process of watching others fight was drowsy and sleep-inducing, until the first round of the elimination tournament finally concluded as evening fell at seven o'clock.

After returning to his residence and finishing dinner, Jiang Haojie immersed himself in cultivation.

Perhaps those drinks he had with Su Qingxue the night before had taken effect; he vaguely felt the edge of a breakthrough, though exactly when he could cross that threshold was still blurry.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knocking sound suddenly rang out.

Jiang Haojie withdrew from his focused state and opened the door; Su Qingxue was standing under the hallway light, her figure looking solitary.

This time, he stepped aside to clear the way.

Once she walked into the room, the door was gently closed.

“It's late, why aren't you resting?”

Su Qingxue shot him a look: “Can't I come?”

Jiang Haojie shook his head with a smile and didn't respond.