Wrath of the Firmament

At that moment, a student with red short hair and a resolute face stepped onto the competition stage.

Only his appearance didn't look like a student at all; instead, he resembled a man in his thirties. His bulging muscles looked ready to burst through his school uniform.

Mo Zixuan's mouth twitched at the sight. "Referee, is he even within the student age limit?" The referee also paused for a moment upon seeing the man, then flipped through the roster in his hand. The list read: Liu Gang, Silver Mid-tier martial artist, eighteen years old. After comparing it to the man's face, the referee declared him eligible.

The students from Yancheng Martial University looked equally helpless. Their captain really did look a bit... prematurely aged. Liu Gang, however, remained calm, clearly used to being doubted about his age. He spoke flatly: "If I lose, Yancheng Martial University forfeits all remaining matches."

Mo Zixuan's face darkened. Where did this strange uncle come from, pretending to be a student? But at the other's words, his eyes lit up, and he smiled. "No problem."

As the referee announced the start of the match, a pitch-black giant axe suddenly appeared in Liu Gang's hand, and his aura exploded outward. Mo Zixuan's eyes narrowed—a Silver Grade martial artist. Liu Gang didn't bother with any techniques; he simply charged at Mo Zixuan, axe swinging. Mo Zixuan's weapon was a bow, so he dared not clash head-on. He barely dodged Liu Gang's onslaught with his footwork.

Suddenly, a red light flared around Liu Gang, and his speed surged. He swung the axe straight at Mo Zixuan's face. Caught off guard by the sudden burst of speed, Mo Zixuan could only raise his bow to block the blow. Liu Gang pressed his advantage, following up with a kick that sent Mo Zixuan flying. Wincing in pain, Mo Zixuan saw Liu Gang charging again and forced himself to ignore the ache in his gut, firing three arrows in quick succession to stall the attack.

"This won't work. I've already used up nearly half my Spiritual Power from the last two matches. If this drags on, I'll definitely lose." Mo Zixuan's mind raced, analyzing the situation.

Then he made his decision—he'd go all in. He had to end this fast, even if he couldn't win, he'd drain his opponent's Spiritual Power. Mo Zixuan moved swiftly, nocking arrow after arrow and firing them from all directions at Liu Gang like they cost nothing.

Liu Gang swung his Sky-Opening Axe, sending out blade auras to meet the arrows. Just then, Mo Zixuan activated his second Silver Grade technique. Gathering all his remaining Spiritual Power, he shot a single arrow into the sky.

The arrow tore into the clouds with unstoppable speed and vanished. As everyone stared in confusion, thunder crackled across the sky, and a colossal arrow descended, hurtling toward Liu Gang. This was Mo Zixuan's strongest strike—the technique: Wrath of the Firmament.

"Is this the final blow?" Liu Gang realized Mo Zixuan's intent and held nothing back. In an instant, his aura swelled.

Facing the descending arrow, he activated his technique: Sky-Opening!

The Sky-Opening Axe in Liu Gang's hand blazed with black light. A terrifying black beam cleaved upward from the axe, meeting the massive arrow head-on. The moment the black light touched the arrow, a deafening explosion erupted midair, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Just as Liu Gang began to relax, countless arrows shot out from the dust cloud, all aimed at him. He couldn't dodge in time, but the referee swiftly appeared at his side, tracing a finger through the air. The incoming arrows exploded on contact.

The referee glanced at the two panting fighters and announced: "Yancheng Martial University versus Shancheng Martial University, third match. Shancheng Martial University wins. Yancheng Martial University, send out your fourth contestant."

Cheers erupted from the stands and the arena floor. The audience roared their approval of the thrilling match. Below, the Shancheng Martial University students, including Lin Hao, stood up to applaud and cheer for Mo Zixuan. Today, he had given them a huge surprise. Even Lin Hao hadn't expected that Wrath of the Firmament arrow to have a follow-up attack.

On the judges' panel, Jiang Tianhai and Fang Wei exchanged impressed glances. "This kid needs proper training. He'll be a pillar of the nation one day."

On stage, Liu Gang looked helpless. In the end, he had let his guard down.

He never expected that massive arrow to split into countless smaller ones and strike him from all directions. If the referee hadn't intervened, he'd have been riddled with holes.

"I lost. Yancheng Martial University concedes the remaining matches."

Liu Gang was dejected. His two remaining teammates were only Bronze Mid-tier—sending them up would just be throwing them away. The Yancheng Martial University instructor also looked resigned. Making it to the top sixteen had already fulfilled their goal. They just hadn't expected to run into such a strong Shancheng Martial University in the very first match.

The referee glanced at Yancheng's bench. Seeing their principal nod, he announced loudly: "I declare the first match of the Hundred Schools League: Yancheng Martial University versus Shancheng Martial University. Shancheng Martial University wins. They advance to the top eight." The moment the referee finished, Shancheng's team rushed onto the stage.

"Brother Mo, you're amazing!"

"That's practically a one-versus-five."

"And in the top sixteen of the finals, no less."

Mo Zixuan was buried under his teammates, who looked happier than if they'd won the championship. Lin Hao clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job. You really made us look good."

Jiang Weiwei and Su Xiaorui watched the students horsing around on stage and, for once, didn't stop them. How many years had it been since they'd made it to the top eight?

On the other side of the preparation area, "Tch, beating some no-name Yancheng Martial University gets them this excited? How pathetic. Wait until they run into us with our Silver Grade fighters." The speaker was none other than Mo Yu, the top genius of Modu Martial University. The other team members chimed in: "Look at them, so green. When we face them, even one of us could take them all out without the captain lifting a finger."

Back at Shancheng's bench, Mo Zixuan's Spiritual Power was nearly drained from the last match. He needed to recover quickly, since the top-eight matches were also scheduled for today. He'd probably have to fight again.

On stage, the referee announced the start of the second match.

Lin Hao glanced at the bracket. Their next opponent was almost certainly Modu Martial University. Modu was up against another ordinary martial university whose strongest fighter was only Silver Grade.

"Principal Jiang, our next match should be against Modu Martial University. I plan to go first," Lin Hao said. Modu's weakest members were all Silver Grade. He couldn't bear to send a bunch of Bronze rank cannon fodder up against them. Better to just take the stage himself and tear through that top-tier university, to give Shancheng some face.