A red-haired student with a resolute face stepped onto the arena.
But he looked nothing like a student. He looked more like a middle-aged man in his thirties. His explosive muscles were practically bursting out of his uniform.
Mo Zixuan's mouth twitched when he saw him. "Referee, isn't he too old to be a student?" The referee also froze slightly at the sight of the man, then checked the roster in his hands. It read: Liu Gang, Silver Mid-tier martial artist, eighteen years old. After comparing the man's appearance with the roster, the referee announced that there was no problem.
The students from Yancheng Martial University wore helpless expressions, too. Their captain really did look just a tiny bit too old. Liu Gang, meanwhile, seemed calm; clearly, he was used to people questioning his age. He simply said, "If I lose, Yancheng Martial University will forfeit all the remaining matches."
Mo Zixuan was at a loss for words. Where had this Strange Uncle come from, pretending to be a student? But when he heard what Liu Gang said, his eyes lit up, and he smiled. "No problem."
As soon as the referee announced the start of the match, a pitch-black great axe appeared in Liu Gang's hand, and his aura erupted. Mo Zixuan's gaze sharpened. A Silver Grade martial artist. Liu Gang didn't use any Battle Skills; he simply wielded the great axe and charged at Mo Zixuan. Since Mo Zixuan's weapon was a bow, he didn't dare meet him head-on, and could only just barely evade Liu Gang's attacks with his footwork.
Suddenly, red light blazed around Liu Gang, and his speed surged. He swung his axe at Mo Zixuan's face. Mo Zixuan couldn't dodge the sudden burst of speed in time and could only use his bow to barely block the strike. Liu Gang pressed his advantage, following through with a kick that sent Mo Zixuan flying. Mo Zixuan grimaced in pain. Seeing Liu Gang charge after him, he endured the agony in his abdomen and fired three arrows in quick succession to halt Liu Gang's assault.
This isn't going to work. I've already fought two matches, and I've used up nearly half my Spiritual Power. If this keeps up, I'm bound to lose. Mo Zixuan's mind raced as he analyzed the situation.
He quickly made up his mind. He'd have to take a gamble and end the fight fast. Even if he couldn't win, he could at least drain his opponent's Spiritual Power. Mo Zixuan began moving rapidly, drawing his bow and nocking arrows. Arrows flew toward Liu Gang from every direction as if they cost nothing.
Liu Gang swung the Sky-Opening Axe in his hand, sending out streak after streak of axe light to intercept the incoming arrows. Just then, Mo Zixuan unleashed his second Battle Skill as a Silver Grade martial artist. Gathering all the Spiritual Power around him, he fired an arrow into the sky.
The arrow shot into the clouds at an unstoppable speed, vanishing in an instant. Just as everyone was wondering what had happened, lightning suddenly flashed in the sky, and an enormous arrow came hurtling down toward Liu Gang. This was Mo Zixuan's strongest attack so far: Battle Skill, Wrath of the Firmament.
"Is this your final attack?" Liu Gang realized what Mo Zixuan was planning. He stopped holding back, and in an instant, his aura surged.
Facing the arrow plunging from the sky, he unleashed the Battle Skill: Sky-Opening!
The Sky-Opening Axe in Liu Gang's hand blazed with Black Light. A terrifying streak of Black Light slashed down from the axe, meeting the enormous arrow head-on. The moment the black radiance touched the arrow, a tremendous explosion rang out in midair, sending smoke and dust billowing in every direction.
Just as Liu Gang began to relax, countless arrows suddenly shot toward him from within the dense cloud of smoke. He couldn't dodge in time. The referee swiftly appeared beside Liu Gang and simply drew a line in the air with one finger. The incoming arrows all exploded.
The referee glanced at the two of them, both panting heavily, then announced, "In the third match between Yancheng Martial University and Shancheng Martial University, Shancheng Martial University wins. Yancheng Martial University, please send out your fourth contestant."
The arena and the stands erupted in cheers. The spectators shouted themselves hoarse over the thrilling match. The Shancheng Martial University students below, including Lin Hao, all stood and applauded Mo Zixuan. He had given them a huge surprise today. Even Lin Hao hadn't expected that the arrow of Wrath of the Firmament had a follow-up attack.
Jiang Tianhai and Fang Wei, seated among the judges, were also impressed. "We need to give this kid a proper education. He'll be another pillar of the nation someday."
Liu Gang wore a helpless expression on the arena. In the end, he had still let his guard down.
He hadn't expected the enormous arrow to split into countless smaller arrows and attack him. If the referee hadn't stepped in, he might have been turned into a sieve.
"I lost! Yancheng Martial University forfeits the remaining matches."
Liu Gang was crestfallen. The two remaining members of Yancheng Martial University were only Bronze Mid-tier, and sending them out would just make them cannon fodder. Their teachers were also rather helpless. They had already accomplished their goal by making it into the top sixteen. They just hadn't expected Shancheng Martial University to be so strong when they faced them in the very first match.
The referee glanced at Yancheng Martial University's waiting area. Seeing the university's principal nod, he announced loudly, "I declare Shancheng Martial University the winner of the first match of the Hundred Schools League, between Yancheng Martial University and Shancheng Martial University. Shancheng Martial University advances to the top eight." The moment the referee finished, the Shancheng Martial University team rushed onto the arena.
"Brother Mo, you were so cool!"
"That counts as a one-man sweep of five opponents!"
"Of course it does! And it was a one-man sweep of five in the round of sixteen, too!"
The team members piled on top of Mo Zixuan, looking even happier than if they'd won the championship. Lin Hao patted Mo Zixuan on the shoulder, too. "Well done. You really made us proud."
Jiang Weiwei and Su Xiaorui watched the students fooling around on the arena and, for once, didn't stop them. How many years had it been? They had finally made it into the top eight.
On the other side of the waiting area, someone scoffed. "Tch. You're this happy just because you beat an obscure university like Yancheng Martial University? You really haven't seen much of the world. Just wait until you run into us, and you'll see what happens to you. You think one measly Silver Grade martial artist is impressive?" The speaker was Mo Yu, the top genius of Modu Martial University. The other team members chimed in, too. "Look at how clueless they are. When they meet us, the captain won't even have to lift a finger. Any one of us could sweep all five of them."
By then, the Shancheng Martial University team had returned to the waiting area. Mo Zixuan had nearly exhausted all his Spiritual Power in the last match, so he had to recover quickly. The quarterfinals were being held today as well, and he would probably have to fight again later.
Meanwhile, the referee on the arena announced the start of the second match.
Lin Hao glanced at the match schedule. Their next opponent was almost certainly going to be Modu Martial University, since Modu Martial University was also facing an ordinary university whose strongest competitor was only Silver Grade.
"Principal Jiang, our next match should be against Modu Martial University. I plan to enter the arena myself," Lin Hao said. Even Modu Martial University's weakest competitors were Silver Grade. He couldn't bring himself to send a bunch of Bronze-rank nobodies out as cannon fodder. He might as well go out himself and sweep this top university, putting on a good show for Shancheng Martial University.
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