Enemies on a Narrow Road
The following day, amidst the eager anticipation of countless people, it arrived slowly.
At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky, the Inner Academy, quiet all night, stirred once more like a forest awakening, amidst a cacophony of noise.
After a quick breakfast, the students from the Inner Academy rushed towards the square, hoping to secure a good viewing spot.
The vast square, bathed in the glow of the sky, was already packed with people in less than an hour. The hustle and bustle of yesterday echoed throughout the square, making it exceptionally lively.
After almost everyone had arrived, Lin Ming led the members of the Medicine Gang to the square and then onto the Medicine Gang's high platform.
After the first round of matches yesterday, only Wang Sheng from the Medicine Gang advanced to the second round, besides Lin Ming. The rest of them have been eliminated.
After Lin Ming arrived, it took about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before the elders on the high platform in front of him gradually appeared. A moment later, after the Great Elder Su Qian took his seat, the second day of the competition was about to begin.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's begin today's competition!" Great Elder Su Qian stood up, glanced around, and continued, "After yesterday's eliminations, only twenty-five people have advanced to the second round. During the one-on-one battles, one person will advance directly to the next round because they have no opponent."
As soon as Great Elder Su Qian finished speaking, a commotion erupted below. After all, they had already reached the second round, eliminating half of the contestants. The fact that someone could advance to the third round without even fighting was incredibly attractive to any participant.
Seeing the commotion below, Great Elder Su Qian coughed lightly, the sound of which subsided in the square.
"Hehe, the academy is certainly aware of your discussions. So, for the sake of fairness, after deliberation among our elders, we have decided to give this direct advancement spot to Zi Yan," Great Elder Su Qian said with a smile.
After Great Elder Su Qian announced the results, some of the participants were a little disappointed, but most of them breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, none of the people present wanted to fight Zi Yan. Everyone attending the exhibition today was mentally prepared that they might become the unlucky one to fight Zi Yan.
After all, the person who fought Zi Yan yesterday was knocked down by a single punch from Zi Yan. He had to be carried off the stage by others.
Those who advance to the second round are all extremely powerful. Correspondingly, these people are all prominent figures in the Inner Academy.
Therefore, they value their reputation more than ordinary people. You know, in a battle, if both sides fight to the last moment, even if you lose, at least you have no regrets.
However, in a fight against Zi Yan, the outcome of that punch depends on one's resistance. Those with strong resistance will be carried away conscious, while those with weak resistance will be carried away unconscious.
No one could accept such a result. Before Great Elder Su Qian announced the results, most of the participants thought that if they were unlucky enough to be drawn to fight Zi Yan, they would simply admit defeat rather than endure the result of a punch and see how strong their resistance was.
So now that they know Zi Yan has automatically advanced, all the contestants breathe a sigh of relief. Because at least in this round of the competition, they don't have to face this big boss.
Seeing the reactions of those below, Great Elder Su Qian nodded in satisfaction. However, due to the rules, Great Elder Su Qian still spoke up, "Do any of the participants have any objections to this result?"
After listening to Great Elder Su Qian's question, all the contestants shook their heads in unison, a sight that made everyone chuckle.
"Alright! Since everyone has no objections, then Zi Yan will automatically advance to the next round. The rest of the participants, please come forward and draw lots!" After Great Elder Su Qian finished speaking, he waved his sleeve again, and the wooden bucket for drawing lots appeared on the stone platform once more.
The drawing rules were the same as the first round, except that the number of participants was reduced, with only twelve red and twelve blue bamboo sticks available.
After everyone had finished drawing, it was Lin Ming's turn to draw.
After casually grabbing a lottery Lottery Stick from the box, Lin Ming left the drawing table. In this round, for some unknown reason, no one revealed their lottery number.
After leaving, Lin Ming glanced at his Number Plate and then smiled.
A moment later, everyone had finished their round of drawing.
"Now that everyone has drawn their numbers, let the competition begin! The two who drew number one, stay and compete; the rest of you, return to your respective posts." With the Great Elder's command, everyone except the two who remained still left the center of the plaza.
Seeing the two remaining on the field, everyone present was first astonished, then excited. After all, for these two to meet could only be a matter of fate resolving their grudges.
"Lin Ming, let's settle all our old and new scores this time!" Bai Wei said viciously upon seeing that his opponent was his sworn enemy, Lin Ming.
For Lin Ming, encountering Bai Wei in this round was quite a surprise. After all, he had just eliminated Lei Qian yesterday, and now he was facing Bai Wei again. Lin Ming could only think that the White Dragon Gang's fate could only end here.
Yesterday, when Lei Qian came on stage, he said fiercely that he would make sure Lin Ming couldn't make it into the top ten. I didn't expect the situation to reverse so quickly. After Bai Wei was eliminated, the White Dragon Gang will be eliminated. It is the White Dragon Gang that will be unable to make it into the top ten.
So, Lin Ming couldn't help but laugh at this dramatic scene. Both battles in both rounds were against members of the White Dragon Gang, and the White Dragon Gang only had these two members participating in the Strong Ranking. Now Lin Ming had encountered them both; it could only be said that even the heavens were against the White Dragon Gang!
"Bai Wei! I didn't expect to run into you. What a small world! But you're right about one thing: let's settle our feud today!" Lin Ming's expression gradually changed from a smile to a grim one. After he finished speaking, he gripped the Star Dragon Saber tightly and pointed it directly at Bai Wei.
"Yes! The suppression your Medicine Gang on my White Dragon Gang over the past few years will be completely avenged by me, Bai Wei, today." Bai Wei retorted without backing down, pointing his Snake Sword forward to clash with Lin Ming's Star Dragon Saber.
The atmosphere in the arena had become extremely intense due to the confrontation between these two Strong Ranking- ten players. Seeing this, the elder in charge of the competition did not hesitate and directly announced the start of the match.