81: Chapter 81

81

"You go first, I'll wait a bit."

Su Qingxue's eyes suddenly shimmered, her voice carrying a hint of sweet, seductive charm: "Do you want to... try something new?"

"Uh... what kind of new thing?"

Jiang Haojie's Adam's apple bobbed.

This woman was definitely up to no good.

"Let's go together..."

She leaned close to his ear, her warm breath brushing past, then wordlessly pulled his hand and led him straight to the bathroom.

...

"Today is the competition for the top five, and the rules have changed,"

Ma Chenyu's voice echoed through the venue. "In the first round, participants will face off in pairs. The winners will compete for the championship tomorrow, while the losers will have their top ten rankings determined today."

"Now, the drawing of lots begins."

The giant screen above the judges' seats rotated in response, with light and shadow intertwining.

Soon, two faces and their corresponding information appeared on it.

However, Ma Chenyu did not immediately announce the start.

The screen rotated again, and another set of match information appeared.

This was repeated five times until the screen finally came to a stop, presenting the complete order of the five matches.

Jiang Haojie's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He had thought the tournament format would deliberately separate the five Fifth-Order Awakened to ensure they could all advance to the final championship battle.

Unexpectedly, Song Gaoling from Beichen Academy was pitted against Long Feiyu from Qingshan Academy—both were Fifth-Order.

Meanwhile, his luck seemed exceptionally good; his opponent was only a Fourth-Order Awakened.

"First match: Wang Xiaodong of Yongye Academy versus Mei Yuling of Qingshan Academy."

A man and a woman then stepped onto the stage.

Jiang Haojie had already used his ability to investigate the two on the first day of the event: Wang Xiaodong, Fifth-Order, SS-rank talent 'Ice Crystal Jade Bone,' of the Reinforcement Type;

Mei Yuling, Fourth-Order, S-rank talent, capable of mutating into a Golden Giant Python.

At the referee's command, Wang Xiaodong's body instantly became crystalline, like a translucent ice-jade statue, as he charged forward at high speed.

Mei Yuling transformed almost simultaneously, turning into a brilliant golden python over ten meters long and as thick as an adult's thigh.

Wang Xiaodong suddenly stopped and retreated rapidly.

This unusual move immediately drew whispers from the audience.

"What's he doing? Why did he suddenly pull back?"

"Idiot, did you forget that Mei Yuling is best at close-quarters constriction? Who among those who challenged her at close range before wasn't strangled into submission?"

"But Wang Xiaodong is a Physical Enhancer. How can he fight without getting close? Isn't he bound to lose?"

"Just watch, it might not be that simple."

Jiang Haojie's gaze swept over the ring, and he sighed softly.

Wang Xiaodong's talent was somewhat mediocre, offering limited personal benefit, but winning this match shouldn't be a problem.

As for Wang Xiaodong's strategy, he could see it clearly—though it seemed overly cautious, it was the safest path.

While he was thinking, Mei Yuling had already twisted her snake-like body, slowly closing in on Wang Xiaodong.

At this moment, she truly resembled a Golden Giant Python, and Wang Xiaodong was her locked-on prey.

Her speed wasn't fast, but she pressed forward step by step, trapping her opponent within an invisible circle.

Before long, Mei Yuling seemed to judge that the distance was sufficient.

Her long tail suddenly whipped out, and her body sprang up like a tightened spring, lunging straight for Wang Xiaodong's face!

At that very instant, Wang Xiaodong suddenly turned around, and the aura around him surged—the fluctuations of a Fourth-Order Awakened instantly jumped to the Fifth-Order!

Fifth-Order!

The pupils of everyone on the sidelines constricted.

They didn't have Jiang Haojie's eyes that could see through the truth, so they naturally had no way of knowing these people's true cultivation levels.

They had thought Lu Baichuan was the only Fifth-Order, but who would have expected Wang Xiaodong to have hidden this move as well?

A flash of surprise crossed Mei Yuling's eyes, but it immediately solidified into deeper determination. Her attack didn't stop; instead, it became even swifter.

Her massive snake body had already coiled around Wang Xiaodong like a vine.

Wang Xiaodong, however, showed no panic. A faint smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth as he neither struggled nor resisted, letting her entwine him.

"Why isn't he resisting?"

Whispered questions rose from below the stage.

While everyone was confused, Wang Xiaodong's body suddenly began to twist and deform—he actually seemed to turn into a large snake as well, intertwining with Mei Yuling's body.

The originally lethal constriction was easily neutralized by him.

This was Wang Xiaodong's talent: the ability to perform a specific assimilation of himself with what he touched.

However, this ability had its limits; he had to physically touch the opponent's skin.

It was precisely because he was pressed against Mei Yuling's snake body that he could make his limbs as flexible and hard to bind as a snake.

Mei Yuling hadn't expected him to have this trick. Since the constriction had failed, she immediately steadied her mind, opened her giant mouth, and lunged to bite the side of Wang Xiaodong's neck!

Wang Xiaodong dodged to the side.

Although he had assimilated his body to be as soft as a snake, he hadn't truly become one.

Mei Yuling could open her mouth to bite, but he couldn't retaliate in kind.

But that didn't mean he was powerless to strike back.

He pressed his fingers together like a cone and suddenly struck a certain point on Mei Yuling's body—

"Argh!"

Mei Yuling cried out in pain.

Where his fingers landed, a bloody hole immediately appeared, and the surrounding flesh rapidly took on a jade-like grayish-white luster.

This was exactly the new ability he had gained after entering the Fifth-Order: Jadeification.

Of course, this technique also had its limits—it didn't turn things to jade upon contact; it required meeting certain unknown conditions to take effect.

His goal wasn't a fatal blow but to leave wounds on the opponent—only when the wound showed that thin jade-like texture would the power of healing be completely sealed.

Unless the opponent's strength far exceeded his and they could forcibly shatter the traces of Jadeification, any healing methods would be ineffective.

Mei Yuling gritted her teeth, enduring the waves of pain, and tried to launch another attack.

However, Wang Xiaodong's figure was as elusive as a shadow, always avoiding her attack range at the last possible second.

Instead, she added several more wounds to her body, with blood constantly seeping from them, staining her robes.

Fortunately, her body had expanded significantly after beastification; otherwise, the blood loss alone would have been enough to make her lose consciousness.

Even so, Mei Yuling's situation was already very difficult—Wang Xiaodong's ability seemed to naturally counter her, and with the wounds unable to close and heal, her strength and will were being drained every moment.

Finally, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to signal her surrender.

"In this match, Wang Xiaodong of Yongye Academy wins."

A low cheer immediately erupted from the direction of Yongye Academy.

Although everyone knew the top five seats would eventually go to the Five Great Academies, Wang Xiaodong's early victory meant he was temporarily in the lead.

Even if it was only a temporary lead, it was enough to bring smiles to the faces of the Yongye group.

"Next match: Lu Baichuan of Zhanwu Academy versus Wang Han of Nanyu Academy."

After Wang Xiaodong and Mei Yuling left the ring, Ma Chenyu's voice spread throughout the venue again.

Unexpectedly, Wang Han chose to forfeit directly.

Lu Baichuan had already revealed his Fifth-Order cultivation in the previous round, while Wang Han was only a Fourth-Order Awakened, and his talent was also inferior.

Rather than fighting a bitter battle on stage and wasting his energy, it was better to preserve his strength to compete for the top ten rankings.

A few sighs came from the audience, but no one truly blamed Wang Han—everyone understood the insurmountable divide between the Fourth and Fifth Orders.

A conclusion had been reached many years ago: the Fifth-Order is the true watershed on the path of awakening.

Below the Fifth-Order is merely the initial stage of accumulation, not even considered as having entered the door, much like a person gradually growing from an infant to a youth.

Only by stepping into the Fifth-Order can one truly embark on the journey of an Awakened.

Retreating without a fight certainly hurts one's pride, but it is undoubtedly the most sensible choice.

To do something knowing it is impossible is sometimes not courage, but foolishness.

Lu Baichuan returned to his seat with a calm expression, as if what had just happened was merely an insignificant interlude.

After the referee announced the result, Ma Chenyu's voice rang out once more:

"Next match: Qin Qinglan of Beichen Academy versus Mu Luo of Nanyu Academy."

...

There wasn't much suspense in the clash between Qin Qinglan and Mu Luo.

Although Qin Qinglan had reached the Fourth-Order and possessed an SSS-rank talent, Mu Luo was, after all, a Fifth-Order Awakened.

No matter how she exerted her full strength, her attacks like a violent storm, she could never break through Mu Luo's composed defense.

In the end, she had to pull back her attacks, cup her hands in surrender, and stop just outside the top five.

"Next match: Song Gaoling of Beichen Academy versus Nangong Bo of Qingshan Academy."

Inside a hidden compartment of the gymnasium, the light was dim.

Qingshan Academy's head, Gu Qian, had a face as dark as a rain cloud. She tapped her fingertips lightly on the edge of the table, her voice suppressed with slight anger: "This arrangement is simply absurd.

For two Fifth-Order Awakened to meet at this time—if this were the final battle for the championship, I would naturally have nothing to say."

Her gaze swept across the field, her voice revealing clear anxiety: "But this match right now means one of them must stop early.

For my Qingshan Academy, this price is too heavy."

The academy had always been known for its support capabilities; combat was not its specialty.

Now that they had finally produced a promising talent, he happened to run into a strong enemy of the same order at this time.

Winning would be one thing, but if he lost, not only would his path be cut off, but he might also be injured, affecting tomorrow's battle.

Wang Changxiao's brow was furrowed, but his tone was steady: "Headmaster Gu, the drawing of lots is a set procedure, and you didn't raise any objections before."

No one could interfere with the results of the computer's random selection; otherwise, the fairness of the tournament would vanish.

Besides, the contestants from both sides had already stepped onto the ring. It was too late to discuss it now.

Gu Qian suddenly stood up, her tone resolute: "I apply to suspend the match.

Qingshan Academy only has this one contestant left. If he loses this match, the academy will fall out of the top five—I absolutely cannot accept that."

Meanwhile, on the ring.

Song Gaoling and Nangong Bo stood facing each other.

As soon as the referee announced the start, the two seemed to have a tacit understanding. Their auras suddenly surged, releasing without reservation—

The pressure of Fifth-Order Awakened swept across the entire venue like a tide.

A series of low gasps sounded from the audience.

Two Fifth-Orders meeting at this moment—could this be an early performance of the championship battle?

Song Gaoling and Nangong Bo glanced at each other, a sharp light flashing in both of their eyes at the same time.

The vague wariness they had felt for each other before finally had an answer: it turned out the other had been hiding their true strength all along.

"The match is suspended."

A steady female voice suddenly came over the broadcast, interrupting the tense atmosphere in the arena.

An uproar broke out.

"What's going on? Why the sudden suspension?"

"It was just getting exciting! Let us keep watching!"

Dissatisfied discussions spread like ripples, but no one responded.

In the audience, Jiang Haojie raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself: Is it because they don't want the two Fifth-Orders to clash too early, or are there other considerations? Is it secretly stipulated in the tournament rules that high-order Awakened must be saved for the final showdown?

While he was still pondering, in the hidden meeting hall on the upper floor of the gymnasium, the atmosphere was as tense as a drawn bowstring.

"Headmaster Gu, I'm afraid your move is not in accordance with the rules."

Several officials looked at Gu Qian with displeasure.

The tournament rules had been established over several generations. If they were changed at will because of one person's wishes, wouldn't it become a laughingstock?

Gu Qian sneered: "Rules? If we follow your rules, Qingshan Academy will fall out of the top five this time."

Regardless of the academy's actual combat power, the title of "Top Five"

had to be maintained.

This was the bottom line, as well as their dignity.

Sun Wanyu shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a bit of helpless moderation: "The match hasn't even started yet, so why conclude the outcome? Perhaps this time, Qingshan Academy can win."

Although he said this, he knew in his heart—if the prestigious Qingshan Academy couldn't even keep its place in the top five, it would be a disgrace that the entire academy would find hard to wash away.

"Now is not the time to argue about this. I just want Qingshan Academy's person to steadily enter the top five."

Chen Minan looked up: "What do you mean?"

Seeing the heads of the Five Great Academies in a deadlock, the heads of the other academies remained silent.

At this stage of the tournament, it no longer had anything to do with them.

They stayed here merely to see for themselves how the situation would develop—this was always where one could catch the wind earliest.

"Swap the positions of Jiang Haojie and Nangong Bo."

Wang Changxiao's brow tightened: "How can that be? Leaving aside whether Jiang Haojie is willing, it just doesn't make sense procedurally."

"What doesn't make sense about it?"

Gu Qian's tone was light, "Do you all really think Jiang Haojie can keep winning?"

For a student from an ordinary academy to make it into the top ten was already a rare achievement; how could he possibly be compared with those cultivated by the Five Great Academies?

Chen Minan shook his head: "Doing this will inevitably break the rules.

Besides, don't forget that Jiang Haojie is the first participant from an ordinary academy to reach this point.

If we manipulate things like this, how will the outside world see it? When the public opinion ferments, saying that our Five Great Academies and the Top Ten Prestigious Schools joined forces to suppress an ordinary student, the situation will be hard to handle."