Guan Shan Had Everything Under Control

"Once Yu Qitian loses, only that Gu Chen will make it into the top ten."

Du Heng silently steeled himself.

"I'd like to see what kind of waves one Gu Chen can make!"

Li Kai had the same thought.

Under their covert instructions, people from both camps began relentlessly targeting Yu Qitian.

Before long, Yu Qitian unwillingly fell to their successive challenges.

Worse, a War Soldier who was also a Sixth-tier Martial Apprentice kicked him hard enough to break two of his ribs, leaving him spitting blood!

"Referee, aren't you taking sides a little too blatantly?"

A War Soldier from the Second Camp hurried over to help Yu Qitian up, glaring at the referee with indignation.

"Every time our camp is about to win, you step in and help people from the other camps block our attacks!"

"But when our people are at a disadvantage, you just stand by and do nothing. How is that fair?"

Many War Soldiers followed behind him, glaring furiously at the referee.

Though no one else spoke, they all meant the same thing.

They believed the referee was targeting them.

"Liu Liang's attack wasn't fatal to Yu Qitian. Besides, Yu Qitian hadn't lost the ability to fight at the time."

The referee merely snorted and replied coolly,

"If I'd stepped in to save Yu Qitian, and he refused to concede, what should I have done then?"

"But Yu Qitian had clearly been injured by Liu Liang! Liu Liang even pinned him to the ground. He couldn't fight back anymore!"

The people from the Second Camp were on good terms with Yu Qitian, and several of them stepped forward to speak up for him.

But the referee stood by his position.

"As long as he hasn't conceded, I have to assume he can still fight. Otherwise, that would be unfair to the other fighter."

"I can only intervene when someone's life is in danger, like when Gu Chen threatens his opponent's life."

With those two casually delivered sentences, the referee had settled the matter.

Gu Chen fought viciously, every strike threatening his fellow soldiers' lives.

The other camps might have held the advantage, but they'd followed the rules and committed no violations!

His meaning was clear: the Second Camp was the one breaking the rules!

"Damn it, Yu Qitian was the one who got hurt, yet you're siding with Liu Liang at every turn!"

"Why should someone as blatantly biased as you get to be a referee?"

The people from the Second Camp were furious, but there was nothing they could do.

They had little standing, and the referee was a Martial Master. Who would believe their side of the story?

"Forget it. I'll take the loss this time. Everyone, let's go back."

The army medic had already arrived and lifted Yu Qitian onto a stretcher.

Before leaving, Yu Qitian used the last of his strength to urge everyone to let the matter drop.

Everyone still felt he'd been treated unfairly, but they could only give up helplessly and tell him to focus on recovering.

"Old Yu, get some rest and heal up."

Just then, Gu Chen came over from a distance and helped the medics carry Yu Qitian's stretcher.

"These people clearly came looking for trouble. I'll avenge you."

Yu Qitian's pale face managed a strained smile, but the movement sent pain shooting through his injuries.

"Old Gu, hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

Yu Qitian admired only one person in the Second Camp: Gu Chen!

With Gu Chen taking action, those people were sure to regret it.

After Yu Qitian was taken away, Gu Chen stepped onto the platform where Liu Liang had been fighting.

But Liu Liang reacted as if he'd seen a cat—his face changed, and he turned and jumped off the platform.

"I'm exhausted from that fight. I need to rest!"

Gu Chen watched Liu Liang step down from the arena, his face dark with anger.

But the rules prevented him from stopping his opponent from taking a normal break.

Gu Chen glanced around and spoke in a low voice.

"I don't know why all of you are targeting people from the Second Camp, but I'll accept any challenge."

"Even if you want to take turns against me, I'll accept them all!"

"Three of you, five, or ten—it doesn't matter. If you've got the guts, come at me!"

Gu Chen's words immediately enraged the War Soldiers from the other camps.

"Damn, Gu Chen's got some nerve!"

"We just don't want to waste our strength on you. Do you really think you're invincible?"

"You're still asking for a gauntlet? What an arrogant bastard!"

"Who's going up there to teach him that there's always someone stronger?"

Zhang Chuang, watching from the crowd, gave a sinister smile.

"Gu Chen, you've played right into my hands."

He'd wanted people to wear Gu Chen and Yu Qitian down in a succession of fights.

But Gu Chen's strength had unnerved everyone. No one dared challenge him.

Now that Gu Chen had issued his challenge, if no one stepped forward, it would be as if he were putting all the War Soldiers from the other camps beneath his feet!

They were all proud and haughty. Who would admit they were inferior?

Even if Gu Chen were made of iron, he was bound to lose today!

In the generals' section,

Li Kai and Du Heng watched Guan Shan at the front, secretly delighted.

"Now you've got a real headache!"

The Head Instructor of the First Camp was named Zhou Kuan.

Zhou Kuan wasn't worried about other camps challenging his position, nor did he scheme and struggle like Li Kai and Du Heng to seize the Second Camp's spot.

Sitting beside Guan Shan, he spoke with an easy smile.

"Old Guan, that Gu Chen from your camp may be strong, but he's not thinking clearly."

Anyone could see that the other camps were treating the Second Camp as their biggest rival and targeting it.

But for one person to challenge everyone from the other camps was a little too reckless.

To his surprise, Guan Shan still looked completely unbothered.

He didn't seem fazed in the slightest by Gu Chen's plan to take on a crowd.

"Old Zhou, just wait and see."

Guan Shan smiled.

"Old Li and Old Du are about to lose their cool."

Zhou Kuan stared at Guan Shan curiously.

He couldn't understand where Guan Shan's confidence came from.

Forget Gu Chen—even the War Soldiers of his own First Camp wouldn't dare say something that arrogant!

"Could Guan Shan have personally taken Gu Chen on as his disciple and taught him himself?"

Zhou Kuan wondered to himself.

A Head Instructor taking a War Soldier as a disciple didn't violate the rules.

It was the only reason he could think of for Guan Shan to trust Gu Chen so much.

Meanwhile, fights were breaking out one after another on the platform.

Gu Chen had taken the referee's earlier words to heart.

This time, he didn't aim every sword strike at his opponents' vital points.

Instead, he made a show of being evenly matched with each opponent.

Only after a drawn-out fight would he break their ribs, snap their arms, and kick them off the platform!

Because Gu Chen never displayed overwhelming strength, the others still had hope of winning.

One after another, they stepped onto the platform, only to be kicked off one by one.

"Damn, is this guy made of iron?"

"Every time, I'm just a little short. This guy hasn't even rested once—how strong is his willpower?"

"Every time, I think I've seen his limit, but Gu Chen still wins. It's unbelievable."

The referee from earlier watched with a livid face, barely stopping himself from climbing onto the platform to order Gu Chen to stop.

Just as the people from the Second Camp had suspected, he had taken bribes from the other camps.

But he hadn't altered the rules. He'd only given the other camps' people a little protection within the rules.

It wasn't against the rules, and he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.

But Gu Chen was cutting off his source of income!