Chapter 274: Eliminated, breakthrough wave, Green Hibiscus Grass

"No. 3 arena, Meng Ning's tenth match, starts now!"

"No. 41 arena, Chen Hua's eighth match, starts."

"No. 17 arena, Zhu Xing's ninth match, starts."

"No. 50 arena, Tong Xingsheng's tenth match, starts."

………………

The main street of the inner city is bustling with noise.

Accompanied by the sound of referees, in the fifty arenas surrounded by wooden stakes, blades and swords flew. Some with large differences in strength decided the winner in just over ten breaths, while some who were evenly matched fought inextricably, and couldn't decide the winner even after a hundred breaths.

"Father, good luck!"

"Father, good luck! Father, good luck!"

Beside the No. 21 arena, the siblings Xiang Yan and Xiang Rong were cheering for their father, Xiang Ping, with red faces, without caring about the teasing gazes from the people around them.

"Father is in which match now?"

Suddenly, two palms patted the siblings' shoulders. Both turned their heads to look and smiles instantly appeared on their faces.

"Brother, has the selection for the Woodcutting Realm group ended?"

"Big Brother, did you advance?"

Xiang Liang didn't answer, just nodded and chuckled.

"Brother, I just heard that only seven squads advanced. You are too strong!"

"Big Brother is the most amazing."

Seeing the smile on their big brother's face, the siblings immediately understood that he must have advanced, and cheered in surprise. Eight-year-old Xiang Rong even couldn't help but pounce into her big brother Xiang Liang's arms.

Xiang Yan and Xiang Rong had always admired their big brother Xiang Liang, especially since Xiang Liang risked his life to escape the camp to offer treasures to Great Xia last time, exempting their family from corvée labor. The siblings admired him even more.

It was just that the two didn't notice that Xiang Liang's face clearly carried disappointment.

However, Xiang Liang didn't say much. Looking at his father, Xiang Ping, who was fighting with his opponent on the stage, he asked again: "Which match is Father in now?"

Xiang Yan immediately replied with a hint of pride: "Father has already won four matches in a row, and now it's the fifth match."

Only the fifth match……

Xiang Liang looked at his father, who was showing signs of defeat on the stage, and sighed slightly.

Father shouldn't be able to advance!

Although the preliminary matches for the Woodcutting Realm were difficult, they were group selections after all. As long as the luck was good enough, there was always hope to advance. He himself was an example.

The Earth-Digging Realm was different.

It was said to be ten combat opportunities, but in fact, as long as you lose one match, you will be eliminated directly, and there is no chance for subsequent combat. Moreover, even if you win ten matches in a row, it doesn't guarantee you will advance; you have to compare the winning time with others who won ten matches in a row. Xiang Liang had just walked from the outer city and passed many arenas, and had already heard quite a bit of information. The Earth-Digging Realm group had already had over 128 people win 10 matches in a row, so comparing the winning time was inevitable. Father Xiang Ping was only in the fifth match on the stage, and

Xiang Liang had just walked over from the outer city and passed by many arenas; he had already heard quite a bit of information. In the Earth-Digging Realm grouping, more than 128 people had already won 10 consecutive matches, so comparing the duration of victory was inevitable. On the arena, his father Xiang Ping had only fought to the fifth match and already showed signs of defeat, so naturally, there was no hope of advancing.

Clang…………

"I concede!"

The facts were as Xiang Liang expected. On the arena, as the broadsword in Xiang Ping's hand was directly knocked away by his opponent, he also directly chose to concede.

"Xiang Ping, fifth match, defeat, eliminated!"

"Zhou Yingkai, seventh match victory, time taken 126 breaths, prepare for the eighth match."

As the referee from the Camp Supply Department at the side of the arena shouted the competition result, Xiang Ping was not angry because he lost the match; instead, he cupped his hands toward his opponent and smiled: "Congratulations to Brother Zhou for breaking through in the middle of the battle. Perhaps you can advance to the next round!"

Xiang Ping considered his combat talent not weak; his shortcoming was in basic strength. Before joining Great Xia at the beginning of the year, his strength was close to fifteen thousand jin. Half a year had passed, and relying on Great Xia's abundant beast meat resources, his basic strength had rushed all the way to nineteen thousand.

A basic strength of nineteen thousand, being able to hold out until the fifth match, was in itself very rare.

The martial arts selection for the Earth-Digging Realm grouping was said to be completely random matching of opponents, but as long as one observed carefully, one would discover that the further one went, the stronger the opponent became. Therefore, wanting to win ten consecutive matches without breaking through the thirty-thousand-jin limit was basically impossible.

His opponent in this round, Zhou Yingkai, originally had a basic strength of over twenty-nine thousand. Relying on rich combat experience, Xiang Ping had managed to maneuver with the other party for dozens of breaths with great difficulty. He didn't expect that Zhou Yingkai would actually break through in the middle of the battle. Once he passed the thirty-thousand-jin limit and his skin-membrane changed, he immediately realized that he couldn't possibly win, so he simply conceded directly.

The other party broke through the thirty-thousand-jin limit and had the qualification to sprint for the top 128. If he continued to entangle, he would just be constantly increasing the duration for the other party. Rather than that, it was better to go with the flow and do a favor; perhaps it could make the other party remember a personal favor.

Zhou Yingkai clearly also saw Xiang Ping's intention. He shook his head and smiled bitterly: "It seems Brother Xiang hasn't paid much attention to the situation of the Earth-Digging Realm grouping. Now, if you want to advance to the top 128, your basic strength must be at least over forty thousand jin. I definitely have no chance."

Forty thousand jin, how is this possible!

Hearing this, Xiang Ping's expression froze, his face full of disbelief.

But the Earth-Digging Realm practitioner from the Camp Supply Department who was presiding over Arena No. 21 smiled and nodded at this time: "That is indeed the case. Among the current top 128, the lowest basic strength is over thirty-eight thousand jin, and more than half of the people haven't competed yet. This standard will definitely be raised to forty thousand jin in the end."

The current top 128, the lowest basic strength is thirty-eight thousand!

Xiang Ping's expression stiffened instantly, his pupils full of disbelief.

Things that made him disbelieve were not just these.

Zhou Yingkai saw Xiang Ping's expression and knew he hadn't paid attention to the situation in other arenas. He sighed slightly and said: "Brother Xiang doesn't know yet. When the Earth-Digging Realm grouping selection started in the first half of the night, in the very first match, four people—Ying Xuan, Ying Yi, Zou Yuankai, and Tong Xinglong—broke through to the Frost-Resisting Realm and announced their direct advancement. Later, I heard that several others also broke through one after another. Like me, those who broke through to the thirty-thousand-jin limit are estimated to be nearly two hundred. I didn't hold any hope of advancing at all!"

…………

Until Xiang Ping walked off the arena, he was still dizzy.

Since he came to Great Xia at the beginning of the year and entered the hunting team, he had no intuitive experience of the overall situation of the camp. He only knew that Great Xia's strength was very strong, but he truly hadn't expected it to be strong to the current extent.

According to what Zhou Yingkai just said, quite a few had broken through to the Frost-Resisting Realm, and the thirty-thousand-jin limit was nothing at all. Then, for someone like him whose basic strength hadn't even passed twenty thousand, among the Earth-Digging Realm group in the camp, he couldn't even be considered middle-tier?

"Great Xia, exactly how many Earth-Digging Realm practitioners are there?"

Xiang Ping's muttering to himself was coincidentally heard by Xiang Liang, who was greeting him.

He had also heard the conversation on the arena just now and knew the confusion in his father's heart at this moment. After pondering for a moment, he said: "Before the martial arts tournament, it was probably over four thousand six hundred, but I estimate that after this tournament ends, it will probably double, or perhaps even more!"

Double, that would be over nine thousand, ten thousand.

How is this possible!

Xiang Ping's expression froze suddenly, and he turned his head to find his three children standing at the side.

Thinking that his eldest son Xiang Liang was helping out in the Camp Supply Department and must be clear about the camp's population situation, he continued to ask: "How could there be so many?"

Xiang Liang shook his head helplessly and said: "The Woodcutting Realm population in our camp was already nearly twenty thousand to begin with, plus the twelve thousand from Longyou, the total number broke through thirty thousand. Ever since the news of the martial arts tournament was announced last month, everyone has been suppressing their cultivation and not breaking through. As soon as the tournament started tonight, people have been breaking through constantly. The Earth-Digging Realm grouping is actually fine; the breakthrough situation in the Woodcutting Realm grouping is simply..."

Insane!

Xiang Liang could only use these four words to describe it at this moment. Because his grouping was too far back, he watched the entire selection process of the Woodcutting Realm grouping.

Starting from the advancement of Zhao Yuankong's group in the fourth round, in the fifth round of assessment, there was a group where three people broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm simultaneously inside the iron cage.

Breaking through was nothing; the key was that Qiu Peng did not call a halt to the assessment but allowed that group to successfully hunt the cold beast and pass. Once this happened, everyone knew that breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm during the assessment was not considered a violation.

Realizing this point, the remaining groups all went crazy.

Once they entered the iron cage, they had nothing else to do. Anyone who could break through all began to break through in the middle of the battle. After all, the difficulty of hunting the cold beast decreased after breaking through, and the hope of advancing could also be greatly increased.

Moreover, the rule for grouping before the competition was that each group was equipped with more than a dozen peak Woodcutting Realm practitioners. Because of this, people breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, one after another.

"There were eighteen rounds of selection in total. Starting from the fifth round, after that, almost every group that entered the iron cage had 5 to 7 people breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm. Overall, just counting the number of breakthroughs I saw, there were at least seven or eight hundred. The key is that this is just Xia City. Counting the people who broke through at the three strongholds of Jinggu, Wuyuan, and Longyou, it definitely broke through a thousand.

Moreover, this is only the first day of the martial arts tournament. Since breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm does not affect the subsequent tournament, the number of people breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm in the next few days will definitely increase more and more..."

After hearing his son's words, the surprise on Xiang Ping's face had gradually disappeared, replaced only by numbness, and in the end, a trace of loneliness couldn't help but flash in his eyes.

Before merging into Great Xia, He Feng was a medium-sized camp. As a leader, Xiang Ping naturally had some spirit.

After being merged into Great Xia at the beginning of the year, he didn't sink into despair because of this but quickly chose a hunting team to join. Relying on the contribution points earned from hunting, he exchanged for resources and practiced diligently, thinking that after becoming stronger, he would gradually improve his status.

If possible, he also wanted to create a hunting team of his own and then gradually rank among the high-level officials of Great Xia.

But looking at it now, this idea was clearly a bit naive!

The Hunting Department currently stipulates that an individual's basic strength must be at least over twenty-five thousand to have the qualification to create a small team. He hadn't even reached this standard yet, let alone the fact that this was just one of the standards.

Seeing the loneliness in his father's eyes, Xiang Liang comforted him: "Father, no need to be discouraged. We have only joined the camp for half a year, after all; it's normal to have a gap with others. As long as we strive to catch up, standing out is only a matter of time!"

Xiang Ping nodded, and a trace of fighting spirit gradually rose in his eyes.

Although he was already thirty-eight years old this year—according to the average life expectancy of the Frozen Abyss people, which is over forty, he was firmly entering his twilight years—as long as he broke through to the Frost-Resisting Realm and added another sixty years of lifespan, he would still have plenty of time and opportunities.

Thinking that his son also participated in the selection for the Woodcutting Realm grouping, Xiang Ping immediately asked: "Ping'er, did you advance?"

"Big brother advanced, he is the most impressive!"

Before Xiang Liang could speak, his younger sister Xiang Rong in his arms answered for him.

Hearing that his son advanced, Xiang Ping's face was instantly full of surprise. His son's basic strength was just over six thousand jin, which definitely couldn't be considered outstanding among the crowd of Woodcutting Realm practitioners in the camp. Being able to advance was completely beyond his expectations.

Clearly, the father didn't understand the selection mechanism of the Woodcutting Realm grouping yet.

After Xiang Liang explained the selection of the Woodcutting Realm grouping, he shook his head and said:

"I was in Group 168, which counts as good luck. The leader, a person named Zhu Wu, led our whole team to advance together. The second round starts tomorrow night. It's also the same as the Earth-Digging Realm grouping: each person has 10 combat opportunities, and finally, the top 128 are selected to enter the finals. I definitely have no chance in this round!"

Xiang Ping then understood that his son's advancement relied on luck. Hearing the dejection in his son's tone, he also smiled and said: "Didn't you just advise me a moment ago? Now you're wilted yourself. This is only the first year, what are you panicking about? I heard from our captain that this martial arts tournament will be held once every year from now on. You put in some effort, and perhaps you can enter the top hundred next year."

This was the truth. With Great Xia's current abundant supply of beast meat, Xiang Liang would definitely reach the peak of the Woodcutting Realm before June next year, and then the hope of sprinting for the top hundred would be great.

"Understood, Father. This time, I'll treat it as accumulating experience. Next year, I must strive to enter the top hundred—no, the top ten!"

Xiang Liang's expression lifted slightly, and he raised his goal by quite a bit.

Not just the top ten; according to my age, if I want to catch up with the most outstanding batch of people in the camp, I must enter the top three next year to have hope!

"That's the spirit!"

Seeing the determination in his son's eyes, Xiang Ping naturally cheered him on, and then he took his three children to other arenas to watch the excitement.

The more he watched, the more his heart jumped with fear!

"Those who just broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm are basically just making up the numbers on the arena. Those who can win ten consecutive matches all have basic strength exceeding the thirty-thousand-jin limit. Some unlucky Earth-Digging Realm limits even lost in the ninth match. No wonder that Zhou Yingkai just now said he had no hope of advancing."

After watching the situation of more than a dozen arenas in a row, a confusion gradually emerged in Xiang Ping's mind, and he couldn't help but turn his head to ask Xiang Liang.

"Ping'er, in our Great Xia now, how many Earth-Digging Realm limits are there whose basic strength has exceeded thirty thousand jin? Do you know clearly?"

Xiang Liang pondered for a moment and shook his head: "I don't know. I estimate only Deputy Si Zheng Qiu and a few other lords know..."

Speaking of this, he paused and continued: "It should be over two hundred!"

………………

After all, working in the Camp Supply Department, Xiang Liang's guess actually had some basis, but he didn't count the influence brought by this martial arts tournament.

After dawn, in the main hall on the top floor of the main building, Qiu Peng was reporting to Xia Hong with great excitement about how exaggerated the breakthrough wave brought by the martial arts tournament last night was.

"Leader, it's too scary! In the Woodcutting Realm grouping, just the 172 groups here in Xia City alone, there are over 800 people who broke through to the Earth-Digging Realm. Wuyuan has 232 people, Jinggu has 167 people, and the people from the three strongholds of Longyou haven't been counted yet. I estimate that the newly added Earth-Digging Realm practitioners last night were at least over 1,700. And this is just the first night. According to this trend, by the time the tournament ends, the total number of newly added Earth-Digging Realm practitioners will be at least over 3,000."

The more Qiu Peng spoke, the thicker the smile on his face became. Seeing that Xia Hong didn't have much of a reaction, he continued: "The situation in the Earth-Digging Realm grouping is also scary. Last night, there were eight people who broke through to the Frost-Resisting Realm in the middle of the battle: Ying Xuan, Ying Yi, Zou Yuankai, Tong Xinglong, Zhu Shun, Lu Sheng, Li Longkai, and Xiao Kangcheng. As for those who broke through the thirty-thousand-jin limit, there are even more—a total of 242 people. Counting the previous ones, there are currently 504 Earth-Digging Realm limits in Xia City. If you count the ones over in Longyou, it's at least over 600."

Hearing this passage, Xia Hong finally had some reaction, and a trace of surprise flashed slightly in his eyes.

Previously, when he returned to Xia City, he had estimated that Great Xia's Earth-Digging Realm limits were only over 200. Hearing it now, it was clearly a bit underestimated.

"Over 600, not bad. For the martial arts tournament of the two groupings, how many more days do you estimate it will take to finish?"

Qiu Peng immediately answered: "The second round of selection for the Woodcutting Realm grouping will start as soon as night falls. The people from Longyou should arrive in the second half of the night. It is estimated that the top 128 can be selected tonight, and then it can end in the first half of the night tomorrow;

The Earth-Digging Realm grouping already competed for more than half last night. It can end in the first half of the night today, and the second half of the night will continue with seven rounds of elimination matches. This will be fast. I estimate that before dawn tomorrow, the Earth-Digging Realm grouping can have results."

The top ten of the Earth-Digging Realm grouping can have results before dawn on the third of June;

The Woodcutting Realm grouping has too many people, and it also needs to decide the top hundred, so it's normal for it to consume more time. It will take until the night of the third of June to have results.

Xia Hong nodded and then said: "The martial arts tournament for the Frost-Resisting Realm grouping will be chosen for the second half of the night on the third of June. After the top ten of the Earth-Digging Realm and the top hundred of the Woodcutting Realm are all determined, I will choose a place and officially start."

Hearing that the Frost-Resisting Realm martial arts tournament would start in the second half of the night on the third of June, Qiu Peng's expression instantly became a bit more solemn. He was in this grouping, so naturally, he had to pay attention.

"For those who break through the Earth-Digging Realm limit subsequently, how many more do you estimate there will be?"

Hearing this question, Qiu Peng pondered for a while. The Camp Supply Department had a rough outline of the cultivation situation of the camp's population. As the Si Zheng, he naturally knew better than others and quickly told Xia Hong the approximate number.

"I predict that here in Xia City, there should be more than two hundred more. I don't know much about the situation of those 2,000 people in Longyou recently. I will only know after the selection situation there comes out."

600 plus 200 is over 800.

Counting the ones in Longyou, 1,000 people should be about right.

Xia Hong breathed a sigh of relief slightly and waved his hand: "Go and rest. After night falls, finish the martial arts tournament as soon as possible."

"Yes, this subordinate takes his leave!"

Not long after Qiu Peng left, a string of information prompts appeared in Xia Hong's mind.

【Green Lotus Grass: Beast-attribute spiritual medicine, can assist beasts in opening their wisdom and improving their strength; it can also be used by humans for alchemy. Currently, there is no synthesis formula.】

"It's those five wooden plants I brought back from the bank of the Xing River!"

Xia Hong reacted immediately, then confirmed the information again, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"No wonder that Red Carp was so angry. Beast-attribute spiritual medicine—does it mean it's specifically for cold beasts? It can also be used for alchemy, and there's no synthesis formula, which means the medicinal materials currently recorded by the Alchemy Workshop don't have anything that can be used in conjunction with it."

Xia Hong pondered for a moment, suddenly remembered something, and his eyes lit up instantly.

(End of chapter)