The Third Round of the Competition

The next morning, Yan arrived at the arena even earlier than the day before. The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the valley was filled with the chill of early winter. On the open ground below the platform, most of the participating warriors had already gathered. After the first two rounds of elimination, those standing here now were undoubtedly the best among the Fire Tribe warriors.

Yan's gaze swept calmly across the crowd. Compared to yesterday, the warriors' overall aura was more refined. Most stood quietly, some with their eyes closed in rest, others gently moving their joints. Only when their eyes met did a sharp glint appear. A silent tension permeated the air—the invisible aura of the strong. Yan knew that from this round onward, each arena would take longer than yesterday.

As the long, drawn-out sound of the Niujiao rang out, the remaining soldiers quickly joined the ranks. Jianshi stood on the platform, looking down at the eight hundred faces below, some resolute, some excited, and Chenwen. After the registration staff finished counting, they came up to the platform and whispered to him that everyone was getting angry.

Jianshi nodded slightly, stepped forward, and his booming voice echoed throughout the arena, "Warriors! I saw everything from the stage yesterday! Your performance deserves the title of the Fire Tribe Warriors!"

The audience fell silent immediately, and everyone straightened their backs.

"The battles to come will grow increasingly fierce, and our opponents will become stronger!" Jianshi's gaze slowly swept over each of them. "But I want you to remember that standing opposite you are brothers who have shared life and death! Giving your all is a sign of respect for your opponents; stopping when the point is reached is a sign of kinship! Show your best skills, but also uphold the martial spirit of our Fire Tribe warriors!"

He paused, then his voice suddenly rose. "Enough with the unnecessary words! I wish all the warriors the best of luck in achieving their desired rankings! Now—begin!"

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The eight hundred warriors roared three times in unison, their shouts shaking the valley like a tidal wave, stirring the blood of the onlookers! The surrounding tribesmen also erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and the entire valley was enveloped in this exhilarating atmosphere.

Under the referee's guidance, the participating warriors quickly dispersed and were led to their respective arenas. With the number of participants reduced, the number of arenas was also reduced to forty. Yan followed the flow of people to his own arena, which was already set up. Four referees stood at the four corners of the arena, their expressions serious.

Yan noticed that among the twenty contestants in this arena, there were several familiar faces, including warriors from the former affiliated tribes and outstanding fighters from his own tribe in recent years. He was scheduled to fight in the third match.

The first match began quickly. One of the two opponents was a young warrior from the Deer Tribe, agile and with bright eyes; the other was a warrior from the Green Sheep Tribe, with steady steps and long breaths. Both had clearly undergone systematic training, and their solid skills were immediately apparent. The sounds of wooden spears piercing the air, the rustling of footsteps, and the occasional low shouts mingled together.

Their fighting styles were quite different: the Deer Tribe warriors were agile and adept at roaming and launching surprise attacks, with tricky spear techniques; the Green Sheep Tribe warriors, on the other hand, focused on stability, with tight defense and powerful counterattacks. The two sides went back and forth, and the battle was deadlocked. More than twenty rounds had passed in the blink of an eye, and it was still difficult to determine the winner, which drew cheers from the onlookers.

Just after a fierce clash of wooden spears, the Deer Tribe warrior seemed exhausted and retreated, revealing a small opening. The Green Sheep Tribe warrior's eyes flashed, and he seized the opportunity to rush forward swiftly. However, this was a trap! The Deer Tribe warrior's retreat suddenly stopped, his waist twisted, and the wooden spear in his hand drew an arc with the force of the rotation, accurately and swiftly sweeping it into his opponent's calf that he could not retract in time!

"Smack!"

The Green Sheep Tribe warrior grunted, lost his balance, and fell to one knee. The Deer Tribe warrior's spear tip immediately pointed at his throat.

"We concede." The warrior from the Green Sheep Tribe was quite decisive, though his face showed reluctance, he still said it frankly.

The referee stepped forward and announced loudly, "First match, Lutui wins!"

The Deer Tribe warrior, Lutui, sheathed his spear, reached out and helped his opponent to his feet. The two patted each other on the shoulder, a wonderful and friendly duel that set a good tone for today's competition.

The second round began immediately. Yan recognized both of the two people who took the stage this time. One was the leader of a small tribe among the several thousand tribesmen who had been brought back from the northern region ravaged by the Wolf Tribe a few days ago. He was named Heilian, with a stocky build and thick arms, clearly a powerhouse. The other was a Xiaotou among the three thousand tribesmen brought back from the Stone River basin on the east bank of the upper reaches of the Fish River. He was named Shifeng, with a lean but strong build and sharp, eagle-like eyes.

Both men had once been leaders, and in their time, they had enjoyed superior conditions in their tribes compared to the ordinary people, resulting in robust physical constitutions. Upon their first encounter, their styles differed from their previous match—both opted for direct, hard-hitting attacks, clashing directly with their strength! Each clash of their wooden spears produced a dull thud, raising clouds of dust beneath their feet as they relentlessly attacked for over ten rounds, neither giving an inch, resulting in a draw.

As time went on, the battle entered a phase of testing endurance. Heilian seemed to have the upper hand in strength, but Shifeng was incredibly resilient and more agile, always managing to cleverly deflect force during the gaps between head-on collisions. After thirty rounds, both were drenched in sweat and panting heavily, their movements noticeably slower, but the fighting spirit in their eyes remained undiminished.

In the fortieth round, after a full-force exchange, both were forced back several steps. Heilian gasped for breath, his arms trembling slightly, while Shifeng seemed to be in worse shape, his face pale, barely managing to stay upright by leaning on his wooden spear. However, just as Heilian gritted his teeth and prepared to advance again, Shifeng suddenly let out a low roar, as if squeezing out the last bit of strength from his body, and took a half-step ahead, bringing his wooden spear down on Heilian's head!

Heilian could only barely block, but was so shaken by the resolute impact that he staggered backward, his heel landing outside the ring!

"Out of bounds! Second match, Shifeng wins!" the referee declared immediately.

Upon hearing the verdict, Shifeng Feng felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His wooden spear clattered to the ground, and he swayed, almost collapsing, before being caught by the referee who rushed forward. The Heilian paused for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile, walked up to Shifeng, and lightly bumped fists with him. "Impressive! Let's compete again next time!"

Shifeng managed a weak smile and nodded. This contest of wills moved all the spectators.

"Prepare for the third match! Yan, versus Shanteng!"

Yan composed himself, took his spear, and stepped onto the arena. His opponent was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, named Shanteng. Yan remembered him; he was a warrior from a small tribe that had joined the Fire Tribe earlier than the Deer Tribe, and had always performed diligently in the Hunting Team since joining.

"Leader Yan." Upon seeing Yan, Shanteng bowed respectfully, his eyes showing both awe for the powerful and a hint of eager fighting spirit.

Yan Hui smiled and said, "Shanteng, this is a martial arts arena. There are only opponents here. Show me your skills and let me see the results of your training in the Hunting Team."

Shanteng took a deep breath, gave a heavy "hmm," and got into a fighting stance. He knew this was a rare opportunity, and if he could get some guidance from Yan, it would be better than practicing hard on his own for a long time.

"Begin!" the referee commanded.

With a low shout, Shanteng Teng charged forward with Xunjie steps. His wooden spear, imbued with brute force, thrust straight at Yan's chest, attempting to gain the upper hand through speed and power. This thrust was quite swift, displaying impressive explosive force.

However, in Yan's eyes, although the thrust was powerful, it was too straightforward and lacked variation. He shifted his feet slightly and quickly dodged to the side, causing Shanteng's sure-fire thrust to miss. Shanteng had used too much force and couldn't stop in time, staggering several steps forward before regaining his balance, his vest completely exposed to Yan's attack range.

After regaining his footing, Shanteng's face flushed red with fear. If this had happened on a real battlefield or if Yan had intended to end the fight quickly, he would have been defeated.

"Your strength and speed are acceptable," Yan's calm voice came, "But you used too much force, didn't leave any room for maneuver, and your forward lunge was too forceful, leaving no room to maneuver. Remember this in the future: even when you strike with all your might, you must leave yourself room to react. Come on!"

Shanteng Teng was startled. Yan's few words had hit the nail on the head regarding his earlier mistake. He immediately regained his composure, no longer rushing for quick success, and launched another attack with a steady and methodical approach. This time, he paid attention to the control of his strength and the coordination of his footwork, and his spear technique also became more deceptive and varied.

Yan was as steadfast as a rock and as fluid as flowing water. He did not rush to attack, but instead used exquisite parries and dodges to neutralize Shanteng's offensive. Occasionally, he would counterattack with a spear, but it was mostly meant to point out the weaknesses in Shanteng's moves. The more Shanteng fought, the more alarmed and excited he became. He felt as if he were sparring with a high mountain and a great river, and he could learn something from each encounter.

After five moves, Yan had roughly figured out Shanteng's strength. When he saw Shanteng Teng launch Dali slash, he stopped dodging and instead drew a semi-circle from bottom to top with his wooden spear, then swung it around!

"Buzz!"

Shanteng felt a subtle yet powerful force travel along the spear shaft. His tiger's mouth trembled violently, and he could no longer hold onto his wooden spear. The spear immediately flew out of his hand, and he was also shaken and staggered backward. He barely managed to stand up after retreating three or four steps outside the arena, his left hand gripping his numb right wrist, his face full of shock.

"Yan wins the third match!" the referee announced loudly.

When Shanteng came to his senses, his eyes were not filled with frustration, but rather with gratitude and excitement. He picked up the wooden spear and bowed deeply to Yan again. "Thank you for your guidance, Leader Yan!" Although he lost this battle, he felt that he had gained more than if he had won one.

Yan nodded. "You have a good foundation. Practice more in the future, and pay attention to the technique of exerting force and the timing." After saying that, Yan put away his spear and walked towards the rest area.

Beside the ring, the Youth Team members, including Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai, couldn't contain themselves any longer and burst into enthusiastic cheers, even happier than if they had won themselves. Yan waved to them, signaling them to be quiet.

The matches continued, and as Yan had predicted, the battles generally lasted longer, with one exciting scene after another. Some used skill to overcome brute force, some wore down their opponents with perseverance, and others displayed amazing combat wisdom. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the final match on the 40th arena was decided.

The morning's matches have all concluded, with another four hundred people leaving the field in disappointment. The four hundred victorious soldiers, led by the referees, gathered again on the side of the rostrum.

With fewer people, the registration and lottery process became even faster. Only four hundred small wooden boards remained in the huge wooden box, representing two hundred battle numbers. Yan reached inside, his fingertips touched a small wooden board, and pulled it out. On it was engraved a simple symbol representing "sixty-nine".

After registration, everyone received their food and ate and rested by the competition area, waiting for the afternoon's matches.