Forget it. He might as well go back and help out with the support division's matches, rather than grow more frustrated with age.
No, he meant the top five hundred in the nation. Yes, that had to be it. Lackey A frantically consoled himself.
The matches continued. Aside from the few who could defeat their opponents quickly, everyone else had to expend tremendous effort to scrape out a victory. After all, anyone who had made it this far was no pushover. They were evenly matched, and winning without a trump card was practically impossible. Many fought for five minutes without settling the outcome and were ultimately both eliminated.
For Jiang Hao, this outcome could not have been better. Every contestant eliminated moved him up one place. At this rate, he might make the top two hundred without even needing to fight in the fifth round.
Many were dissatisfied with these rules. They clearly had the strength, yet they were still eliminated. But that was not quite right either. Looking at it from another angle, if you were strong, why couldn't you defeat your opponent? Thus, those eliminated could only swallow their grievances.
Once all the matches had ended, Jiang Hao eagerly checked the points rankings. Sure enough, even with the support contestants included, he was still just shy of catching the last bus: 205th.
As long as tomorrow's elimination matches knocked out contestants ahead of him, he would win.
At this stage, 251 contestants remained. Another fifty-five support contestants had made the cut, bringing the total to 306. To compete for a place in the top two hundred, contestants ranked from 201st to 306th would each challenge someone above them, excluding support contestants. If they won, they would take their opponent's ranking. If they lost, they were out.
Jiang Hao most wanted to draw Song Jie, and Song Jie most wanted to draw Jiang Hao. Whoever lost would be eliminated.
The fifth day was finally approaching. This elimination round would also determine the final roster for the second stage of the competition.
The support division's matches had already ended. Wen Ruxue ultimately secured second place on the points leaderboard by an overwhelming margin.
Ever since their last trip to Wu Ji Mountain, she had possessed absolute confidence in Jiang Hao's strength.
The draw results came out soon.
This draw differed from the previous four. Only 101 numbers had matching counterparts, and there were two drawing containers, one for those inside the top two hundred and one for those outside. If someone in the top two hundred drew an unmatched number, congratulations-their ranking remained unchanged.
Jiang Hao held number 23. In other words, he would face whoever drew the same number, and if he won, he would take their current ranking.
"Hao, what number did you draw? Please don't draw me. Please, please!" Chubby clasped his hands in prayer. He truly did not want to face Jiang Hao. Whether he could win aside, neither of them wanted to see the other eliminated.
"Right, what numbers did you two draw?"
"23."
"77."
The two answered in unison.
That was close. Both inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, then exchanged knowing smiles.
Wen Ruxue said, "Go for it! ＾０＾~"
"Thank-"
Jiang Hao had just been about to thank her when he realized he had mistaken her meaning. Wen Ruxue was making an encouraging gesture toward the third Competition Platform. Following her gaze, he saw a pretty, short-haired girl wearing a neat, fitted leather jacket and leather pants blink her big eyes at Wen Ruxue's voice.
She also glanced at Jiang Hao beside Wen Ruxue. Whether she knew him or not, she actually raised her thumb and drew it across her throat in a provocative gesture.
"Oh, now she's got my temper going! What's that supposed to mean?" Chubby rolled up his sleeves and prepared to charge over for a fight.
Jiang Hao stopped him with one hand. "If you rush over now, the referee will probably come after you for disrupting order. Wen, do you know that girl?"
"Yes. Gongsun Qianxun, Senior Sister Qianxue's younger sister."
So it was her. He did not know this Qianxue, but he certainly knew Gongsun Qianxun. She was the person who had firmly occupied third place on the points leaderboard.
He failed to notice Wen Ruxue suddenly fall silent beside him, her expression turning somewhat strange. Her lips moved, but in the end, she did not mention that matter.
Gongsun Qianxun seemed extremely popular, her name even better known than Jiang Hao's title of Chicken Bro. Beautiful and powerful, she was hardly someone people could dislike.
Consequently, her supporters packed the area in ring upon ring. Most were young men. They were all at that age when youthful hearts began to stir-who didn't have someone they admired?
At the referee's command, a faint feline silhouette flashed behind Gongsun Qianxun and vanished. Immediately afterward, Gongsun Qianxun herself disappeared from everyone's sight.
Her opponent's expression grew even more tense. Unable to locate her, he could only keep running in hopes of creating distance. Meanwhile, his Beast Pet, a Rhino-Horned Savage Bull, kept kicking its hind legs and charging wildly around the arena, apparently trying to force the invisible Gongsun Qianxun into the open. But as an agility-type fusion contestant, Gongsun Qianxun moved astonishingly fast even while sneaking.
Before anyone had the slightest idea where she was, a tremendous force suddenly kicked her opponent straight out of the ring.
The Rhino-Horned Savage Bull charged over right afterward, but it was already too late. The match was over.
A silhouette materialized, and Gongsun Qianxun returned to her original position, as though she had been standing there without moving all along.
Clean and decisive!
No one had seen how she did it. That kick might have been a little too heavy; after falling, her opponent lay on the ground groaning for ages, unable to move.
"Holy shit, could I date this girl? She's so violent. But I like it."
Beside him, Chubby stared at Gongsun Qianxun with a face full of excitement, making no attempt to hide the gleam in his eyes.
Jiang Hao: ???
Wen Ruxue:
He had wanted to rush over and beat her up just moments ago, and now he already liked her? That change had come far too quickly.
"Ruxue, how did you find time to watch my match? Come on, let's get something to eat." The moment Gongsun Qianxun stepped off the Competition Platform, she squeezed her way over to Wen Ruxue, grabbed her hand, and tried to pull her away.
She paid no attention whatsoever to how anyone beside them felt.
As for Chubby's burning gaze, she ignored it outright. She had long since grown accustomed to such looks of admiration.
Wen Ruxue glanced awkwardly at Jiang Hao. She had come here to watch his match in the first place. "Let's wait a little longer. Jiang Hao, let's all get something to eat after your match. My treat."
Gongsun Qianxun was displeased, and every bit of it showed on her face. Like a haughty little princess, she lifted her chin and looked at Jiang Hao. "I've seen your matches. Do you dare fight me?"
"I'll fight you! I'm really strong too!"
Chubby shoved Jiang Hao aside and thumped his chest.
He took the spirit of abandoning friends at the sight of a pretty face to its absolute limit.
Unfortunately, his burning enthusiasm met a cold shoulder. Gongsun Qianxun made no effort to conceal her disdain for Chubby. She gave a cold snort, not even bothering to acknowledge him.
Chubby immediately felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him, and his enthusiasm gradually faded.
Amid the awkward atmosphere, Jiang Hao calmly helped Chubby out. "You can fight me, no problem. But you'll have to beat my buddy first."
To put it bluntly, Jiang Hao truly was not afraid of this wildcat. His Big Hen came equipped with her own GPS targeting function. No matter where Gongsun Qianxun sneaked off to, Big Hen could still drag her out and give her a beating.
"Fine. You said it. Fatty, when are you free?"
Chubby gave Jiang Hao a grateful look and nodded like a chicken pecking grain. "I'm free every day. If you're in a hurry, tell me where you live. I'll come find you tomorrow."
I think you're the one in a hurry, not her. If you can win her over with that pathetic approach, I'll admit defeat. After silently mocking him, Jiang Hao heard a referee calling for number 23. He excused himself and hurried up to the arena.
As Jiang Hao entered, thunderous cheers immediately erupted, both for him and for his opponent. Only Gongsun Qianxun had received a reception like this.
His opponent was Jia Ming, known as Gen Mountain Ape. His Beast Pet was a Gen Mountain Ape, a descendant of ancient apes with high attack and defense. No wonder so many people were cheering for them. The coming match was bound to be exciting, and its outcome was far from certain.
The referee said, "Begin!"
Jia Ming released his Beast Pet first. It was a fully grown Gen Mountain Ape, and its sheer bulk exerted waves of pressure. Even sitting down, it stood two meters tall, its body more muscular than Pang Dudu's. When it bared its teeth, four canine fangs gleamed as sharp as knives.
"Fusion!"
Jia Ming roared. Moments later, a three-meter-tall humanoid ape charged straight at Jiang Hao. The Competition Platform was only ten meters across, a distance it covered in a few strides. Its raised fist was as large as Jiang Hao's head. Wouldn't a single hit kill him on the spot? It was far too vicious.
"Cluck-cluck! Cluck-cluck!"
A three-shot burst.
Lure, Fireball, and Wind Orb launched together.
Lure was a transparent egg. It did not activate when it passed through his opponent, instead stopping beyond the marked boundary behind Jia Ming. Jiang Hao's goal was simple: lure his opponent straight out of the ring and force a violation. If that failed, it would at least create some distance between them.
Two fireballs struck Jia Ming instantly, drawing a muffled grunt from him, but his feet never stopped. Jia Ming's goal was equally clear: knock Jiang Hao straight out of the ring and claim victory. That was why he had charged Jiang Hao from the outset rather than his Beast Pet, Big Hen.
Bursting like fireworks, the dazzling Wind Orb struck Jia Ming, yet still failed to defeat him.
It would have been a lie to say Jiang Hao was not panicking. This combination had instantly defeated every previous opponent, but Jia Ming kept charging as though nothing had happened. Left with no choice, Jiang Hao could only run around the marked area to create distance.
This was the weakness and disadvantage of ranged fighters. Though ranged Beast Pets could deal tremendous damage from afar, their Beast Tamers could not protect themselves with their pets' strength the way close-combat fusion fighters could. As a ranged Beast Tamer, Jiang Hao had to watch out for his own safety while mentally directing his Beast Pet in battle. The strain was easy to imagine. Once his mental energy ran dry, death would not be far behind.
Fortunately, this was not a battlefield.
"Bam!"
A Heavy Strike smashed into the spot Jiang Hao had just occupied. The entire Competition Platform trembled. The force was downright savage.
Having missed, Jia Ming roared and was about to continue his pursuit when an irresistible force suddenly enveloped him. He instinctively turned and ran backward against his will, about to step beyond the marked boundary.
"Whoa, it's happening again! What's going on?"
Cries of amazement erupted below the Competition Platform.
Before you continue