Yu Qitian Enters the Arena

The Tenth Battalion Grand Competition.

With the Third and Fourth Battalions leading the charge,

several battalions began to encircle the War Soldiers of the Second Battalion.

The War Soldiers of the Second Battalion refused to back down, resisting the encirclement by several battalions on their own.

Although the Second Battalion was still at a slight disadvantage, its situation was much better than the generals had initially expected.

At the generals' seats,

the head instructors of several other battalions sat beside Guan Shan, wearing insincere smiles as they looked at him.

"Old Guan, you've been hiding quite a trick from us."

"Truly, time makes all the difference. The Second Battalion's performance has far exceeded my expectations."

"Looks like I should congratulate you in advance on holding on to your position in the Second Battalion."

Hearing those words, which were practically an open attempt to stir up trouble, Li Kai, the head instructor of the Third Battalion, and Du Heng, the head instructor of the Fourth Battalion, couldn't help frowning in anger.

If the Second Battalion performed poorly, they would be the ones with the best chance of taking its place.

That was why their two battalions had joined forces to take on the Second Battalion this time.

If the Second Battalion secured its position, all their plans would come to nothing!

"We can't keep holding back anymore."

Du Heng and Li Kai both issued orders, sending their War Soldiers to challenge the Second Battalion's men on the martial arena.

They even sent out some War Soldiers they'd originally planned to save for the final fight over the top ten spots.

They were determined to claim the Second Battalion's position!

As for the First Battalion, the gap between their strength and its was simply too great. They shouldn't covet the top spot.

The battles on the martial arenas instantly reached a fever pitch.

The War Soldiers of the First Battalion still held an overwhelming lead.

But the War Soldiers from the other battalions were fighting in earnest. Many were beaten so badly that they were carried off the arenas; without ten days or half a month of rest, they probably wouldn't recover.

Still, injuries as severe as Fang Wen's remained rare.

After taking Gu Lin's place, Deng Kai defeated two War Soldiers of the same tier before stepping down from the martial arena as well.

"Too bad. I only beat two people."

Gu Lin smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's fine. Anyone who steps down to rest can still return to the arena."

That was true, but everyone knew that defeating opponents of the same tier one after another without taking a break would surely earn them more attention from the generals.

Guan Shan wasn't surprised by how things were going.

To hold on to second place, he had organized all kinds of competitions starting from the day these recruits entered the battalion, and even handed out Blood Tempering Pills as rewards.

The military didn't engage in production, so any funding depended on the favor of those people in the Imperial Court.

Every one of those Blood Tempering Pills had come out of Guan Shan's own pocket!

Blood Tempering Pills might not be worth much to him, but many small things could add up to something big. A sufficient quantity of them was no small expense.

If he failed to keep the Second Battalion's name and rank, he would lose both the prize and his investment.

Once the Third and Fourth Battalions stepped up their efforts, the other battalions they'd originally enlisted withdrew from the struggle between the three leading battalions of their own accord.

With the other two major battalions outnumbering them, the Second Battalion's War Soldiers gradually began to show signs of fatigue as they used the strategy of pitting inferior horses against superior ones.

When you had enough men, you could simply choose opponents you knew you could handle.

That alone could greatly boost your chances of winning.

The Second Battalion's men did their best to counterattack, but there were too few of them to fill the gaps.

"Gu Chen, wait a little longer. I'm itching for a fight, so I'm going up there first."

Seeing a War Soldier from the Second Battalion fall behind, Yu Qitian tossed out those words and quickly headed for the martial arena.

A heavy impact rang out from the arena, mixed with a muffled grunt.

A figure went flying with a crash, nearly slamming into a stone pillar at the edge of the arena.

Fortunately, the safety staff reacted in time and caught him.

If he'd hit it full force, he'd be lucky if he only ended up bedridden. Even an unbroken spine would count as good news!

After what happened when Fang Wen was seriously injured, Guan Zhen had ordered all the referees and safety staff to keep a constant eye on the martial arenas.

He'd even assigned an extra assistant referee to every arena, worried that another disaster like that might occur.

This had helped curb the number of War Soldiers suffering serious injuries.

Meanwhile, Yu Qitian jumped onto the martial arena and folded his arms, speaking calmly to the man.

"You can step down and rest now. I'll challenge someone else."

The man had indeed planned to take a break, but seeing Yu Qitian act so arrogantly, he flew into a rage.

"Arrogant brat! You really think you can beat me for sure?"

Anyone Yu Qitian chose as an opponent was bound to be one of the top contenders in their own battalion.

People like that were fiercely proud.

Faced with Yu Qitian's almost contemptuous tone, he couldn't stand it!

As soon as the referee's whistle sounded, the man gripped his solid wooden staff and charged at Yu Qitian, sweeping the staff toward his chest.

Faced with that powerful blow, Yu Qitian merely shook his head.

"I told you to rest, but you wouldn't listen."

People weren't machines. When they were worn down, their strength and speed both declined.

To stand a chance against Yu Qitian, a War Soldier from another battalion had to be among its top three at the very least.

This man was fairly capable, but Yu Qitian estimated he barely ranked in the top ten.

Yu Qitian retreated swiftly, letting the man's staff sweep through empty air.

Then, when the man's momentum faltered, Yu Qitian flung the scabbard in his hand.

Under the man's stunned gaze, the scabbard smacked him in the forehead with a thud.

The War Soldier immediately felt dizzy and collapsed unconscious onto the martial arena.

The onlookers gathered around the arena fell into utter silence.

"Damn, this guy's so pathetic!"

"At least the other guy lost after a proper fight. This bastard got knocked out by a scabbard!"

Although the man had already defeated other Sixth-tier Martial Apprentices, proving his strength, the spectacle of his humiliating defeat still made people cover their faces.

The medical staff waiting nearby hurried over and carried him away. The battle continued.

Around the martial arena, eager War Soldiers from the various battalions turned their eyes toward Yu Qitian, but for a while, no one dared challenge him.

They didn't know much about the other battalions' men and could only judge them by the strength they displayed in a fight.

And judging by Yu Qitian's performance, he had a strong chance of claiming one of the top ten spots!

The other War Soldiers who could contend for the top ten were all confident in themselves, but none of them wanted to take a gamble.

Winning would be fine, but losing would mean missing out on the top ten.

They might even drag down their battalion's ranking. It simply wasn't worth the risk.

And so, the martial arena where Yu Qitian stood remained empty, with no one challenging him!