A Grudge Match

After forcing the skinny examinee back, Lin Ye hid behind a broken wall. He watched the stern young swordsman leave without heading his way, and felt himself relax a little. His strategy had worked.

He had shown enough troublesome qualities to make top predators decide he wasn't "worth the trouble." That way, he could avoid becoming the enemy's first target.

He didn't particularly care what other people thought of him.

So, for the rest of the round, Lin Ye continued playing the role of the "Ruin Ghost."

He never took the initiative to attack the examinees who looked strong. When other examinees tried to hunt him, he mostly focused on frightening them off and keeping them at bay. Only when he couldn't avoid a fight did he strike like lightning, dispatch them quickly, and immediately move on.

Just like that, he roamed the district like an elusive shadow.

As the number of examinees dwindled, the sounds of fighting in the district gradually grew sparse.

When the system notification sounded, Lin Ye finally emerged from the ruins and made his way to the center of the district. Four figures were already standing there.

One was a tall, brawny boy with a faint scar on his face and a fierce look in his eyes; another was the stern young swordsman who had just been watching him. There was also a lithe young woman, and the skinny examinee who had just tried to hunt him.

When Lin Ye appeared, the scar-faced boy glanced at him disdainfully and snorted, saying nothing. The stern young man with the long saber likewise remained silent, standing with his arms around his saber. The lithe young woman, on the other hand, looked at Lin Ye with keen interest, as if she found him rather intriguing.

As for the skinny examinee who had just tried to hunt him, when he saw that the fifth person was Lin Ye—the very person who had "humiliatingly" frightened him off—his gaze instantly filled with murderous intent. He even made a taunting throat-slitting gesture at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye acted as if he hadn't seen the provocation.

After all, he'd already achieved his goal: securing a spot in the next round his own way. His methods might not have looked very honorable, but advancing was what mattered. As for the skinny examinee's taunts, Lin Ye simply took them as a sign that the other man was getting desperate.

Of course, if they crossed paths again later, he wouldn't mind taking the other man out. In the brief moment they'd exchanged blows, Lin Ye had sensed that his opponent's Blood Qi Value wasn't much higher than his own.

That was enough.

A moment later, the notification appeared again.

[Fourth-round battle royale complete. Advancing to the fifth round.]

[Congratulations, examinees. You have entered the top 1,000 in the province.]

Light enveloped him, and he was teleported away.

When his vision cleared, Lin Ye found himself standing on a platform about thirty meters in diameter. Even more strikingly, rising tiers of circular stands surrounded it, making him feel as if he were in an arena. Shadowy figures filled the seats, their forms flickering with light. Their faces were indistinct, but he could feel their "gazes" fixed on the platform. He could even make out the faint, system-processed clamor of their conversations.

"So there are spectators once you reach the higher rounds, after breaking into the top thousand..."

Lin Ye immediately understood. The rounds beyond the top thousand were attracting attention from higher up. Perhaps it was to make the selection process more public and transparent.

Then he composed himself and focused on the other side of the platform.

His opponent's figure was gradually taking shape. The other man seemed to be looking around and sizing up his surroundings, but when Lin Ye looked at him, his gaze sharpened.

Surprise rose in Lin Ye's heart. His opponent was none other than the skinny examinee with the twin daggers, the one he had frightened off with Lost Track Steps during the fourth-round battle royale.

This could be interesting.

What a small world.

Lin Ye's lips curved upward.

When the other man turned toward the platform, he recognized Lin Ye too. His expression shifted from stunned, to delighted, to vicious.

"Hahaha, the heavens really are on my side."

The examinee with the twin daggers couldn't help chuckling. His voice rang clearly through the platform's loudspeakers, dripping with undisguised spite and excitement. "That rat who kept running around in the fourth round has finally been cornered on a platform. Let's see how you run this time."

His words sparked a slight commotion among the spectators, followed by a buzz of discussion.

Clearly, the audience had gathered from the dagger-wielder's words that there had been some history between them in the previous round.

"How interesting. Talk about a grudge match."

"Looks like those two clashed in the last round. This should be fun."

"Judging by what the boy on the left said, he must've taken a beating from the boy on the right in the previous round."

"Haha, running into a grudge match right at the start? You don't see that every day."

The spectators around them eagerly watched the drama unfold, looking forward to the battle ahead.

Ignoring both his opponent's taunts and the spectators' chatter, Lin Ye calmly adjusted his breathing. The Spirit-Nurturing Stance quietly circulated as he readied himself.

The platform was completely different from the ruined district where they'd fought before.

There was little space here, and no cover at all, which limited the effectiveness of Lost Track Steps.

But it also meant that his opponent would have a harder time getting away.

"Both sides, prepare!"

The referee's electronic voice rang out.

"Countdown begins. Examinees, get ready."

3

2

1

Begin!

The moment the countdown ended, the skinny examinee sprang into action. He had clearly learned from the previous battle royale and didn't try to launch a sneak attack. Instead, he pushed his speed to the limit and rushed straight at Lin Ye.

At the same time, he flipped his twin daggers in his hands, carving out a dazzling web of cold light that gave Lin Ye no time to use his strange footwork to evade.

"What a fast charge. The boy on the other side is in danger."

"He really is fast. Looks like he's studied an explosive movement art."

"He's going all out. Dodge!"

As the skinny youth rushed forward, someone in the stands cried out.

Faced with the swift and vicious assault, Lin Ye did something that surprised everyone. Instead of using footwork to dodge as they expected, he stepped forward half a pace with his left foot and clenched his fist. A deep, weighty aura suddenly rose from his seemingly unremarkable frame.

"Oh no, is he going to take the hit head-on?!"

"That's not a very wise move."

"Can Rolling Stone Fist stand up to an Entry-Level Martial Art?"

Unlike the spectators, the skinny examinee wielding the twin daggers felt something entirely different. It wasn't the oppressive force of an Entry-Level Martial Art. Lin Ye's fist didn't seem particularly fast, yet it carried a strange "sticking" quality. The air in front of it seemed to thicken, and as his swift daggers struck that invisible field, their movement visibly slowed for an instant.

Clang!

A moment later, a metallic crash rang out.

The spectators looked over and saw Lin Ye's gloved fist braced against the skinny youth's dagger. He had met attack with attack, blocking his opponent's advance.

"How can that be?"

"Is Rolling Stone Fist really that powerful?"

"No way."

Many spectators gasped, unable to understand how Lin Ye's Rolling Stone Fist could block the other man's attack. But among the audience were also those with keen eyes, who could see some of what was going on.

"His fist is steady. He's grasped the essence of Rolling Stone Fist."

"This fist technique... doesn't look like ordinary Rolling Stone Fist."

On the platform, the battle continued.