In the third round, Lin Ye finally encountered an opponent who looked somewhat formidable.
At the moment they clashed, the shock of the collision let Lin Ye sense that his opponent was probably in the Late Body Tempering Stage. Their strength seemed about on par numerically, and, by a curious coincidence, the tall, skinny boy also used the Rolling Stone Fist. His moves came naturally, an obvious sign of Great Success Grade.
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Ye's face. The boy reminded him of himself not long ago, stirring a sense of curiosity. Rather than immediately use Lost Track Steps and Mountain-Suppressing Fist, Lin Ye met him head-on with the Consummation-grade Rolling Stone Fist.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull thumps of fists striking flesh rang out across the arena. Though they both used the Rolling Stone Fist, the gap between Consummation and Great Success was unmistakable in their exchanges. Lin Ye's punches were denser and heavier, his force flowed more smoothly, and he had better control of the rhythm.
The tall, skinny boy looked visibly shocked. He hadn't expected his opponent to have a higher level of mastery in their fist technique. For a moment, his offense faltered.
After a dozen or so moves, the boy began to fall behind, and gaps appeared in his defense.
Lin Ye stopped holding back. Lost Track Steps kicked in, and he used a deft arcing step to cut around his opponent's flank. Then a crushing punch, heavy as a mountain, slammed into the boy's chest. The boy was sent flying, and the fight was over.
[Round Three: Victory.]
Seeing the victory prompt for the third round appear, Lin Ye couldn't help reflecting. Last time, he had fallen in the third round; this time, he had won with ease. And his opponent was much like he himself had been back then, which gave him a faint sense of déjà vu.
But he had little time to dwell on it before the fourth-round melee began.
[Round Four: Survival Melee.] [Rules: Twelve examinees will be randomly assigned to the same large arena setting (a simulated abandoned neighborhood). Any fighting method is allowed. The five examinees left standing will advance to the next round.] [Notice: During the melee, deliberately teaming up to gang up on the same target is strictly forbidden. The system will monitor the fight automatically. Violators will forfeit their qualification to win.]
A flash of light passed, and Lin Ye found himself in a neighborhood of ruins. Broken asphalt lay underfoot, and tilted streetlights and half-collapsed buildings surrounded him.
Twelve figures had been scattered at random throughout the wreckage.
In moments, the sounds of shouts, fists and feet colliding, and debris crumbling from buildings filled his ears.
Lin Ye's heart tightened. He looked toward the source of the noise and saw that a fierce melee had already erupted at the center of the neighborhood, at the crossroads.
From a distance, he could make out at least five or six examinees colliding right from the start, Blood Qi surging as their fists tore through the air.
They were probably the unlucky ones who had spawned in the middle of the neighborhood, and were trying to seize the initiative or eliminate threats before the chaos settled.
As for Lin Ye, he had gotten lucky. He glanced around: he was behind the ruins of a half-collapsed building, in a relatively concealed spot where he'd be hard to notice.
Lin Ye immediately reined in his presence and leaned against the rubble, watching the center of the battlefield with only his eyes and his senses.
There were few weaklings in this round.
But the fighting at the center was fierce. Before long, examinee after examinee turned into white light and vanished. At last, only four remained, caught in a brief standoff. They eyed one another warily, but none dared make the first move, afraid of becoming a target for the others to gang up on—or of being caught by a hidden "oriole" waiting to reap the benefits.
That unspoken balance lasted less than ten seconds. A burly boy with a faint scar on his face and a fierce look in his eyes was the first to break the silence. He gave a cold snort and swept his gaze over the outskirts of the neighborhood like a falcon.
"Since none of us wants to be the target of a group attack, why don't we clear the area first?"
The other three immediately caught his meaning.
Indeed, instead of wasting time suspecting one another here, they could first clean out the "minnows" hiding in the shadows. If too many were left in the end, they could settle things then.
The four exchanged glances, understanding passing between them. Almost simultaneously, they sprang into action, shooting off in different directions like four arrows to hunt down the other examinees.
A short while later, screams and the sounds of battle rang out from all over the neighborhood.
The ruins where Lin Ye was hiding had yet to be affected, but he knew it was only a matter of time before they searched his way. His mind raced as he analyzed the situation. Taking on any of the four strongest examinees head-on was unwise for now.
His goal was to make it into the top five, not to fight someone to the death here. Doing that would only make him an easy meal for someone else.
So...
I can use the terrain to keep them at bay. As long as they think the "cost" of clearing me out is higher than the "reward" of eliminating someone else, I might avoid becoming their first target.
With that, Lin Ye settled on a plan. Like a ghost, he moved silently through the shadows of the ruins. The Mastery Grade Lost Track Steps gave him more than just short-range speed; they also lent him an uncanny sense of blending into his surroundings.
He avoided open spaces, stuck close to walls and ruined alleys, and slipped through broken windows to pass through buildings, constantly changing his position.
But those four weren't the only hunters around.
A lean examinee with a pair of short daggers was hiding nearby as well. When he noticed that Lin Ye seemed to be "alone" and didn't look particularly strong, greed flashed in his eyes.
Compared to those four, this other examinee who was hiding nearby seemed like easier prey. If he could defeat him first, that would mean one less competitor.
So he quietly crept out from behind a broken wall, then lunged at Lin Ye's back like a venomous snake, aiming both daggers straight for his heart with vicious precision.
Fortunately, Lin Ye was on high alert. He sensed something was off the moment the other boy moved.
Without turning around, he suddenly stepped into Lost Track Steps. His figure seemed to sway, leaving behind a fleeting afterimage that misled the eye. The lean examinee was delighted—until his daggers stabbed through empty air instead of Lin Ye. His heart lurched.
Before he could change his move, Lin Ye's true figure appeared at his side like a specter, striking out with a punch.
The lean examinee's heart turned cold. He immediately swung his daggers to block.
Clang!
Fist met blade with a sharp ring like iron striking iron.
Lin Ye knocked him back with a single punch, then watched him calmly.
Seeing Lin Ye looking at him so calmly, the lean examinee understood that he was being warned: Lin Ye wasn't an easy target.
He wasn't happy about it, but there could be someone else nearby lying in wait to play the "oriole." So he glared at Lin Ye, then darted into another stretch of ruins without looking back, seeking trouble elsewhere.
A boy searching from the west side happened to witness the whole thing. He had a stern face and wielded a narrow-bladed long sword. He'd seen the lean examinee sneak up on Lin Ye, then watched Lin Ye effortlessly evade him with strange footwork and drive him off.
"Tch. Those are some fancy steps."
The stern-faced swordsman glanced toward where Lin Ye had disappeared, then toward the fights breaking out elsewhere in the neighborhood, furrowing his brow.
He hated dealing with opponents like this—good at footwork and clearly skilled at skirmishing and staying alive. In this environment, fighting someone like Lin Ye would take a lot of time and energy, and might leave him open to a sneak attack from someone else. It wasn't worth the effort.
"Forget it. I'll deal with the others first."
The stern-faced boy murmured to himself. He planned to leave Lin Ye alone and first take care of the easier targets. If too many people were left at the end, there'd still be time to deal with a slippery opponent like Lin Ye.
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