136: Chapter 133 The Third Round! Popularity

Fang Yu waited on the arena for a moment longer. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery shifted, and he reappeared on the initial plaza.

However, there were far fewer people on the plaza compared to before.

Out of the students from Huguang Martial Arts University, only Yan Tianheng and Yu Guizhou remained besides Fang Yu.

"Is the second round over? What about Yin Xu and the others?" Fang Yu hesitated.

"They must have been eliminated. There are only a few thousand people left on the plaza, so they should all be those who successfully advanced," Yan Tianheng said calmly. "To break into the third round, one generally needs a level two or three Inner Scenery technique, plus a life level of 36 or higher."

"Yin Xu's strength was still a bit lacking," Yan Tianheng added.

Fang Yu couldn't help but nod.

If even Yin Xu's strength was lacking, it was even worse for the other two students ranked lower from Huguang Martial Arts University.

"It really is hard," Yu Guizhou grinned. "I got seven wins out of nine battles, ranking third in my group. Two of those wins were extremely close. I can only say I barely advanced. It will probably be difficult to break into the fourth round."

Both Yan Tianheng and Fang Yu nodded.

With Yu Guizhou's strength, making it to the third round was not too difficult.

"Fang Yu, what about you?" Yu Guizhou asked curiously. "Did you run into any trouble?"

"No, nine wins out of nine battles," Fang Yu replied with a smile.

"That's good," Yu Guizhou nodded.

Neither of them asked Yan Tianheng. As an Earth Martial Artist, under the current tournament rules, it was virtually impossible for Yan Tianheng to encounter any real opponent before the fifth round.

"The students from Jingchu Martial Arts University have all been eliminated," Yan Tianheng suddenly remarked.

Fang Yu also looked over to the side.

As martial arts universities both from Huguang, the teams from Jingchu Martial Arts University and Huguang Martial Arts University stood next to each other.

But now, the space for Jingchu Martial Arts University's team had become completely empty.

In fact, it wasn't just Jingchu Martial Arts University. Around the periphery of the plaza, the teams of many ordinary martial arts universities had completely vanished.

In contrast, the team from Xinyue Martial Arts University standing right in the center was still densely packed with thousands of people. According to Fang Yu's rough estimate, there were probably over four thousand of them.

One must know that there were only 7,680 spots in total for the third round.

"Congratulations, everyone, on successfully advancing to the third round." Senior Su Lang's figure appeared high in the sky. Clad in blue-green battle armor, his voice remained gentle. "Each of you is eligible to receive a reward of 2 million Star Coin from the Alliance, and you have all earned direct admission to graduate school at the ten key universities. Of course, if you are a senior, even if you cannot participate in next year's Blue Moon High School Martial Arts Competition due to other commitments, your direct admission spot will still be reserved." As his voice fell...

Many people on the plaza showed looks of joy, and Yu Guizhou was no exception.

In this era,

only Crescent Martial Arts University and the ten key universities were qualified to recruit martial arts graduate students. Martial arts universities on the Blue Star Old Earth did not have graduate programs at all.

Spots for martial arts graduate students were extremely scarce... Even among the undergraduate martial arts students of Xinyue Martial Arts University, some would fail the graduate entrance exams and be forced to enter the workforce directly.

Getting admitted as a graduate student meant receiving more training resources from the Alliance, allowing them to continue to dedicate themselves entirely to Cultivate martial arts.

If they entered the workforce, they would have to rely on their own hard work to secure all the resources needed to Cultivate.

"The direct graduate admission spot can be reserved?" Fang Yu thought to himself.

However, Fang Yu didn't care too much.

Having come this far,

the goals in Fang Yu's heart had long since changed. Graduate school at the ten key universities? He looked down on it.

A Level 1 Starry Sky Seed, a graduate student at Xinyue Martial Arts University, and becoming a Sky-Patrol Martial Artist in the future—these were his true goals.

"Next, I will announce the rules for the third round of battles." Senior Su Lang's voice rang out clearly in the ears of every competitor on the plaza.

Everyone listened intently.

"The third round is similar to the second round. Based on your performances in the first two rounds, the 7,680 participants will be divided into 2,560 groups of three," Senior Su Lang said slowly. "It will still be a round-robin format, where everyone must battle the other two in their group."

"The only difference is that only one person from each group will advance."

"In case of special circumstances, tie-breaker matches will be held."

On the plaza, the expressions of many people, including Yu Guizhou, shifted slightly. In the second round, it was five out of ten advancing, so even if one carelessly lost a match, there was still some room for error.

But in the third round, one had to win all matches to advance. There was no margin for error.

However, overall, this rule was still considered fair.

Soon,

a small light screen appeared in front of everyone. Fang Yu was no exception. Aside from the rule explanations, the screen also displayed the list of opponents for the third round.

Fang Yu glanced at it:

Fang Yu (Senior, Rank 999)

Ronan Quinn (Rank 4599)

Bennett Ryder (Rank 6233)

"Judging by the rankings, my opponents in the third round seem even weaker than those in the second?" Fang Yu thought to himself. "That makes sense. With one out of three advancing, competitors who performed slightly better in the first and second rounds probably won't be matched against each other."

For the strong, the third round was actually easier.

But for the weak, the third round would be difficult.

"Damn it."

"Among my opponents, one is ranked 2,001st in points," Yu Guizhou couldn't help but complain from the side. "The other is ranked 3,288th. I'm actually the one with the lowest points ranking."

Fang Yu and Yan Tianheng exchanged a glance.

Yu Guizhou had been ranked over 3,600th in the first round.

Judging by the System's matchmaking, competitors ranked between 2,000th and 4,000th in the first round were likely the primary targets of elimination in the third round. Conversely, experts like Fang Yu who had broken into the top one thousand had already proven their strength, making the third round very easy for them.

As for Yan Tianheng, it was even easier for him... His two opponents in the third round were both ranked over 7,000th in points in the first round.

"Guizhou, give it your all," Yan Tianheng said softly. "A competitor ranked in the two thousands isn't much stronger than you. There is a theoretical chance for an upset."

"Yeah, I really have to fight for my life," Yu Guizhou nodded heavily, his eyes filled with desire.

Once he won, not only would the official prize money increase to 5 million Star Coin, but there would also be plenty of rewards from the province and the school, and it would greatly bolster his resume. On the path of martial arts, Opportunity and foundation had to be fought for.

Moreover, there was absolutely no danger of death in this kind of competition, so how could he not give it his all?

The second round came to an end.

Fang Yu, Yu Guizhou, and Yan Tianheng once again threw themselves entirely into Cultivate, striving to make themselves stronger. Even Tang Jianxin and the others did not come to disturb them.

Just a few hours later, various battle clips of their second-round matches were quickly streamed, broadcast, and promoted across the entire internet through various channels.

Obviously,

although the second round of the competition was not livestreamed across the network, the System had been monitoring it the entire time. As soon as the round ended, it automatically generated various highlight videos for promotional use.

Of course, the promotional videos were very brief. For instance, the video edited from Fang Yu's nine battles was only forty-odd seconds long, but as a promo, it was highlight-reel material.

Swiftly,

within the Xia Nation, all 24 key featured contestants advanced with perfect win records.

The fame of Fang Yu, Zhuang Yiliu, and Yan Tianheng expanded further, and their popularity in Huguang Province skyrocketed.

... "In our Huguang Province, the only ones who advanced with nine straight wins are Zhuang Yiliu, Yan Tianheng, and Fang Yu."

"Go for it!"

"Zhuang Yiliu and Yan Tianheng are undeniably strong, but Fang Yu's battles are the most brutal—he goes straight for decapitations."

"But they seem to be in virtual combat. Otherwise, how could the battles be so brutal? It looked like they killed all their opponents."

"Yeah, it seems to be the latest technology that can perfectly simulate everything."

"He defeated Kato Yuichi so easily, or so it felt to me. Is he really only ranked 999th? I feel like he's much higher."

"Maybe Fang Yu can charge all the way to the fifth round."

"Tomorrow, the third round of the competition will be broadcast across the entire civilization. We can all enter the official livestream rooms. Whose match do you plan to watch?" "I'm watching Fang Yu's."

"There's no real suspense for Zhuang Yiliu and Yan Tianheng. They are Earth Martial Artists, how could they possibly lose in the third round?"

"I'll watch Fang Yu's."

"Haha, as vocational college students, we have to support our fellow vocational student."

In terms of strength, Fang Yu was far inferior to Yan Tianheng and Zhuang Yiliu. Among the 24 key featured contestants of the Xia Nation, his strength was at the very bottom. However, after the extensive promotion, his popularity within Huguang Province actually surpassed both Yan Tianheng and Zhuang Yiliu.

Even looking at the entire Xia Nation, Fang Yu's popularity was continuously soaring, having already entered the top ten among all competitors in the nation. Originally, there was no distinction between day and night on New Moon, but the city utilized a protective shield covering the entire area to simulate it using lights. Night fell.

Having Cultivated for the entire afternoon, Fang Yu made a video call home while eating dinner.

"Grandson, beautiful job!" His grandfather, Fang Zhiyuan, appeared on the video, chuckling as he said, "Another perfect advancement. These past few days when I go out for walks, I just say 'Fang Yu is my grandson.' I've almost become a celebrity in the group's residential community. Lots of old ladies are adding me as a friend. But I think some of them are too old, so I only add the younger ones," Fang Zhiyuan added earnestly.

Fang Yu laughed upon hearing this.

His grandfather's mindset was always so young.

"Brother!"

"Tomorrow at nine, the online platforms and local TV stations in our Wuling City will all stream your battle," Fang Siyue said excitedly from the side. "Our school even sent out a notice that classes will be suspended for half an hour tomorrow morning at nine to broadcast your match live."

"That exaggerated?" Just hearing it made Fang Yu feel it was a bit over the top.

"We have no choice, Brother. You're the only contestant from Wuling City left in the competition," Fang Long shrugged. "And you're a core member of the Xinghe Group... I don't know about other high schools, but our Xinghe Middle School is paying close attention."

"Yes."

"These past few days, Fang Long and I have almost become school celebrities," Fang Siyue smiled. "Everyone knows you are our big brother."

Fang Yu couldn't help but smile too.

He didn't think this would negatively affect Fang Long and Fang Siyue... A true martial arts powerhouse needed to temper their Heart-Nature, which had to be done across various environments.

Such risk-free tempering of one's Heart-Nature was actually a very rare Opportunity.

"Yeah, I'll do my best not to let everyone down," Fang Yu smiled.

"Fang Yu."

"Our total online followers have achieved a Breakthrough of ten million. Judging by the followers' IP addresses, most of them are from Huguang Province," Meng Shi reported to Fang Yu. "The group's relevant departments estimate that tomorrow's stream will have over 3 million viewers, with a certain probability of exceeding 5 million, and a small probability of passing 10 million." "3 million? 5 million?" Fang Yu nodded slightly.

These numbers were actually incredibly staggering.

After all, tomorrow was only the third round of matches, not the Peak battles. Thousands of matches would start simultaneously, which would severely split the viewership... plus the match was scheduled for nine in the morning.

One must keep in mind that the time on New Moon was synchronized with the time in the Xia Nation.

This unprecedented level of attention also put some pressure on Fang Yu's heart.

Yet, he remained very calm.

After hanging up with Meng Shi, Fang Yu turned off his phone and threw himself back into Cultivate. What he spent the most energy on now was working hard to raise his life level.

"Techniques are hard to improve in a short period of time."

"But with every increase in life level, my strength will see a noticeable boost," Fang Yu thought to himself. "And I'll be one step closer to truly initiating my second Awakening."

Night passed, and day arrived.

December 13th, 9:00 AM.

Across the entire Blue Moon Alliance, countless people tuned in on time via online platforms, television, and other media to watch this grand competition. With thousands of matches happening simultaneously, the attention each received naturally varied.

Yet, the viewership for Fang Yu's match livestream was ranked extremely high among all the competitors.

Inside the Tianlan Realm,

Fang Yu entered on time, once again appearing on an arena. Not far away, a mixed-race man of black and white descent, standing about 1.8 meters tall, had already appeared. (PS: Keep writing! There should be another chapter around one o'clock.)