Chapter 277: Weakness and strength, the final battle begins

On the outskirts of Red Wood Ridge, an open space with a radius of five hundred meters had long been cleared in advance to serve as the martial arts tournament venue for the Cold-Resisting level grouping.

The biting cold wind at midnight did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd watching the battle.

Following Xia Hong all the way to the east side of the venue, everyone's gaze was focused on the twenty-three Cold-Resisting level members who were about to battle.

Xia Hong did not waste words and directly announced the results of the first round of drawing lots:

"Results of the first round of drawing lots: No. 1 Chen Yingyuan, No. 2 Luo Yuan, No. 3 Yuan Cheng, No. 4 Hong Guang, No. 5 Hong Tian, No. 6 Meng Yi, No. 7 Huang Yong, No. 8 Xia Chuan, No. 9 Yu Wendao, No. 10 Hong Gang, No. 11 Zhu Yuan, No. 12 Peng Bo, No. 13 Zhu Ling, No. 14 Chen Yingba, No. 15 Xu Ning, No. 16 Lin Kai, No. 17 Yue Feng, No. 18 Lu Yang, No. 19 Zhao Hu, No. 20 Qiu Peng, No. 21 Wu Tianxing, No. 22 Zhao Bao, No. 23 Zhao Long."

There were a total of 23 lots in the first round. Battles were conducted according to the sequence of the lot numbers: No. 1 and No. 2 battled as a group, No. 3 and No. 4 as a group, and so on. The person who drew the No. 23 lot was the one who got the bye.

So, the moment Xia Hong announced the lot numbers, everyone immediately knew who their opponent was. As a result, some were happy and some were sad.

Everyone was at the Cold-Resisting level of cultivation. Although they didn't know each other's strength perfectly, they at least had a general idea in their hearts.

Among the 23 existing Cold-Resisting level members in Great Xia, the six strongest were undoubtedly Xia Chuan, Yu Wendao, Chen Yingyuan, Peng Bo, Chen Yingyuan, and Wu Tianxing. This was beyond doubt.

Therefore, Luo Yuan, Huang Yong, Hong Gang, Zhu Yuan, Zhu Ling, and Zhao Bao, who were matched against these six, couldn't help but shake their heads, secretly sighing that their luck was too poor.

Zhao Long, who drew the No. 23 bye lot, also had no joy on his face.

According to Xia Hong's previous regulation, as long as one fought a match, regardless of winning or losing, one could obtain a Yang Origin Pill.

Although getting a bye allowed one to directly advance to the second round, it also meant losing the opportunity for a battle. The key was that he knew his own strength very well; even if he advanced to the second round, the chance of getting into the top five was very slim. Rather than that, it would be better to draw a weaker opponent and get a Yang Origin Pill first.

"First match, Chen Yingyuan versus Luo Yuan, begin!"

At Xia Hong's command, Chen Yingyuan and Luo Yuan entered the arena directly.

"It's started. How strong is the strength of the Cold-Resisting level? Today, I can finally see it with my own eyes."

"When Secretary Director Yu Wen killed that bird that accidentally broke into the main building at the beginning of the year, I was far away and didn't see it clearly. This time, I can finally see it up close."

"I heard from Father that the unit of measurement for Cold-Resisting level strength is 'Zong', meaning the impact force of an adult intermediate Snow Mane. Exactly how many jin would that be?"

"This is the realm that Father and Uncle He are currently striving for!"

The Zhao Yuanwu siblings, Liu Peng, Xiao Heng, Luo Cheng, including the other ninety-plus Earth-Digging Realm members present who had never seen a Cold-Resisting level member make a move, were clearly much more excited than the others present.

This was also normal. To them, who hadn't officially participated in hunting, the Cold-Resisting level was already the most powerful existence.

Luo Yuan and Chen Yingyuan, who had entered the arena one after another, also began.

"Please!"

Knowing that his cultivation was inferior to his opponent's, Luo Yuan seized the initiative.

As his voice fell, he shot toward Chen Yingyuan like a cannonball. The broadsword in his hand drew a dazzling arc in the night, reflecting in everyone's eyes.

"So fast!"

"That blade light, how could it be so bright?"

"That's not blade light; it's the snow mist melted by the high temperature of the airflow. Lord Luo's speed is too fast and his power is too strong; the snowflakes in mid-air were directly melted."

"Hiss!"

If the momentum caused by Luo Yuan's strike only made the Earth-Digging Realm members gasp, Chen Yingyuan's response that followed completely left them with dull expressions, their mouths opening and closing, unable to say a single word.

Chen Yingyuan's long spear actually slashed down horizontally, hard-stopping Luo Yuan's blade edge, and the spear tip went straight for Luo Yuan's neck.

It was that horizontal slash, the moment their powers collided.

Clang......

A loud sound erupted, and an invisible horizontal wave suddenly spread in all directions, sweeping away all the little snow that had just accumulated on the ground.

Whoosh......

A wild wind swept over. The hundred people who had just broken through to the Earth-Digging Realm were suddenly swaying, and a few almost fell.

Zhao Yuanwu, Liu Peng, Xiao Heng, Luo Cheng, and all the other young people who had never gone out hunting were instantly stunned.

"Just the aftermath of the exchange can knock us over?"

"How could they be so strong!"

"This is the Cold-Resisting level. Is Father now this powerful too?"

"I must break through to the Cold-Resisting level, I must!"

"Breaking through to the Earth-Digging Realm doesn't count for anything at all......"

"This is true strength!"

"Lord Luo is already this strong, then to what extent must the leader's strength be?"

Although everyone had different thoughts in their hearts, the idea of breaking through to the Cold-Resisting level simultaneously emerged in their minds.

They looked at the two fighting in the arena, the thirty-plus Cold-Resisting level members watching from the sidelines, and Xia Hong in the very front, their eyes full of intense longing.

Unlike the huge momentum caused by Luo Yuan's broadsword, Chen Yingyuan's long spear only brought out a bit of cold light.

But it was this bit of cold light that broke through Luo Yuan's wide and bright blade edge.

Everyone didn't even see clearly when the spear tip had already stopped in front of Luo Yuan's neck.

"Can't even hold on for one move? This gap in power is really too big!"

Although he knew he would definitely lose, the outcome of being defeated in one move still made Luo Yuan a bit unable to accept it, and his expression was somewhat dazed.

"A three-fold power gap between you and me, Lord Luo. If I let you hold on for one move, then I, Chen, would be too useless. I'm afraid even the leader wouldn't be able to stand it!"

Seeing Luo Yuan's puzzled expression, Chen Yingyuan smiled and said, "After I took the Yang Origin Pill gifted by the leader, my power has already increased to nine Zong."

So that was it!

Hearing this, Luo Yuan finally felt a bit more comfortable in his heart.

"First match, Chen Yingyuan wins!"

As Xia Hong's voice sounded, the two immediately stepped down.

Yuan Cheng and Hong Guang of the second group also entered the arena.

Hong Guang's basic power was only a little over one Zong, which couldn't compare to Yuan Cheng's three Zong. Relying on combat experience, although he circled for a while, he ultimately lost.

Then came the third group, Hong Tian and Meng Yi.

The two had equivalent basic power, and in the end, Meng Yi's combat experience was slightly better.

The fourth group, Huang Yong and Xia Chuan, had almost no suspense.

The fifth group, the sixth group, the seventh group......

Unlike the others, who watched every match with great interest, Xia Hong only felt a bit sleepy, and for most of the time, he didn't even put his energy into the two fighting.

There was no help for it. Of the 23 Cold-Resisting level members participating in the competition tonight, except for Chen Yingyuan, Peng Bo, and two others, he was too familiar with the other nineteen.

Xia Chuan and these people were taught by him. Could he not know what their respective basic power was, their combat experience, and even their combat talent?

Basically, as soon as the two went up, he knew who would win.

Under such circumstances, he naturally had no mood to pay attention to the competition.

What he really paid attention to and was curious about were the battles between Xia Chuan, Yu Wendao, Peng Bo, and Chen Yingyuan.

It was just a pity that the four did not meet in the first round.

Following the eleventh match, where Wu Tianxing defeated Zhao Bao, the first round also ended.

"Second round of drawing lots begins!"

The 11 people who qualified from the first round, plus Zhao Long, 12 people drew lots for the second round.

Soon, Xia Hong had a new list in his hand.

"No. 1 Zhao Long, No. 2 Yuan Cheng, No. 3 Xia Chuan, No. 4 Xu Ning, No. 5 Chen Yingyuan, No. 6 Wu Tianxing, No. 7 Peng Bo, No. 8 Qiu Peng, No. 9 Yue Feng, No. 10 Yu Wendao, No. 11 Chen Yingba, No. 12 Meng Yi."

It really was a case of "good things come after much trouble"!

In the second round of drawing lots, these four people actually didn't meet again.

Xia Hong lost interest in the second round and directly signaled for people to begin.

Winning this round would not only allow one to get another Yang Origin Pill but also directly advance to the top six, with a chance to compete for the top five.

As a result, the gunpowder smell of the second round was clearly much stronger.

Zhao Long and Yuan Cheng, who entered the arena first, directly unleashed the Great Xia Holy Pattern and fought for hundreds of breaths. In the end, Yuan Cheng's twin-bladed great axe was slightly better.

Then came Xia Chuan and Xu Ning. Xu Ning unleashed the Holy Pattern but still lost;

Chen Yingyuan's strength was stronger than Wu Tianxing's, so there was no suspense in his victory;

Peng Bo almost crushed Qiu Peng, becoming the fourth winner;

Yu Wendao defeated Yue Feng; Chen Yingba defeated Meng Yi.

The top six were also revealed.

"This round, they should finally meet!"

Xia Hong directly waved his hand, signaling the six to begin the third round of drawing lots.

"No. 1 Xia Chuan, No. 2 Yuan Cheng, No. 3 Yu Wendao, No. 4 Peng Bo, No. 5 Chen Yingba, No. 6 Chen Yingyuan......"

After Xia Hong finished reading the results of the drawing, he continued, "After this round ends, the top three will be out. I'm too lazy to distinguish the fourth and fifth. I'll just use the defeat time of the three losers in this match as the standard. The one with the longest time is fourth, and the next is fifth. No objections, right?"

The opponents were originally random, and everything was very fair. Naturally, no one could raise any objections, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Alright, then begin!"

The highlight of this round was the second match, Yu Wendao versus Peng Bo.

Because there was a battle for the fourth and fifth rankings, Yuan Cheng in the first match, although he knew he couldn't beat Xia Chuan, used all his strength and persisted for a full two hundred and thirty-nine breaths.

Afterward, Xia Hong focused on the second match, Yu Wendao versus Peng Bo.

Yu Wendao still used that broadsword. Upon entering the arena, without a word, he directly unleashed the Great Xia Holy Pattern and rushed toward Peng Bo, seizing the initiative.

Although he hadn't fought Yu Wendao, having been in Great Xia for so long, Peng Bo had a certain understanding of him and didn't take it lightly. He raised his ghost-head broadsword with both hands and blocked it in front of him, testing his power first.

Bang......

"Nearly eight Zong!"

With just one collision, Peng Bo's expression changed instantly.

Whoosh......

Of course, it was just a change in color.

He was at the late Cold-Resisting stage, and his basic power was already eight Zong. After taking that Yang Origin Pill given by Xia Hong, his power had increased a bit. Although it was not enough to crush Yu Wendao, he still had the advantage.

As for combat experience, would a person over fifty years old be afraid?

"Secretary Yu Wendao, be careful!"

Peng Bo's expression stirred. As his voice fell, the ghost-head broadsword suddenly flipped forward from behind him, not only sweeping away the broadsword but also fiercely slashing diagonally forward. The blade edge swept up snow mist, and the piercing sound of the blade immediately resounded through the entire arena.

Swish......

The broadsword attacked his chest. Yu Wendao had no fear on his face. Borrowing the power of Peng Bo's horizontal sweep, after withdrawing the broadsword, he took advantage of the momentum to insert it into the earth under his feet. Holding the hilt with both hands and pushing off the ground with his legs, his body actually performed a low-altitude circular movement.

Whoosh!

Yu Wendao really successfully dodged Peng Bo's strike.

No, dodging wasn't the end of it.

After landing, he actually took advantage of the momentum to pull out the broadsword, moved the hilt horizontally, turned the blade edge into a flat surface, and fiercely slapped toward Peng Bo, who couldn't stop his body.

Peng Bo knew his power was above Yu Wendao's, so he had used almost all his strength in that strike just now. With the terrifying power of over eight Zong pulling him, his body couldn't stop at all for a moment. In his panic, he could only withdraw his broadsword to block at his side.

Bang......

The broadsword slapped the broadsword. Peng Bo's body, which was already in a forward-rushing state, was hit fiercely by Yu Wendao's accumulated power and suddenly flew out like an iron arrow released from a bowstring for over a hundred meters. The loud sound of him hitting the ground shook the surrounding hundreds of meters.

Even so, he still rubbed against the ground for over ten meters before finally stopping.

Swish......

How was he hit flying?

Peng Bo on the ground hadn't had time to figure out this problem when a sharp sword sound came to his ears.

His reaction wasn't slow either. He inserted two fingers into the ghost-head, turned his wrist, and the broadsword stood up directly from the ground, blocking the direction from which the sword sound came.

Clang......

He blocked it!

At the same time that this thought surfaced in Peng Bo's mind, a heavy punch suddenly hit his face.

Bang!

Yu Wendao didn't come with the broadsword; he directly threw the broadsword to attract him to use the broadsword to block. The real killing move was his fist.

In the blink of an eye, although Peng Bo reacted, it was already too late.

His body was hit directly from the ground, rising at least twenty meters into the air.

The most troublesome thing was that his ghost-head broadsword had also left his hand!

And in the process of him rising into the air, Yu Wendao not only retrieved the broadsword but also took advantage of the momentum to kick the ghost-head broadsword away and leaped up.

Swish......

The broadsword suddenly lifted. Peng Bo, who had just flipped his body, hadn't landed yet when he felt the broadsword graze past his forehead.

After landing, Peng Bo reached out and caught a tuft of his black hair. His face was full of astonishment. After being silent for over ten breaths, he looked up at Yu Wendao's young face and sighed heavily, his old age fully revealed.

"No wonder Secretary Director Yu Wen can manage the Hunting Department. Peng admires you!"

As Peng Bo's voice fell, the entire arena was silent.

Those Earth-Digging Realm members probably didn't understand the significance of Yu Wendao's victory.

But others like Xia Chuan, Chen Yingyuan, Chen Yingba, Wu Tianxing, including Yuan Cheng and a group of Cold-Resisting level members, had faces full of shock and disbelief.

Especially Xia Chuan and Chen Yingyuan; the look in their eyes toward Yu Wendao, besides shock, had a few more shades of solemnity.

"Yu Wendao is not bad. Peng Bo's defeat time was 381 breaths, temporarily ranked fourth."

Xia Hong smiled and gave the first praise of the night to Yu Wendao.

Yu Wendao was indeed not bad.

In a situation where his power was inferior to his opponent's, to win, he could only rely on combat experience and combat talent, or else he would have to fight for his life.

In internal sparring, both sides didn't need to fight for their lives.

And when it came to combat experience, Yu Wendao was clearly not as good as Peng Bo.

Therefore, Yu Wendao's victory was entirely due to his extraordinary combat talent. This kind of thing was not something he could teach.

"Third match, continue. Chen Yingba versus Chen Yingyuan!"

This match had even less suspense.

Although Chen Yingba's basic power was six Zong, whether it was combat experience or talent, he was not on the same level as his elder brother.

The key was that Xia Hong had fought both of them, so he knew very well that Chen Yingba should have been taught hand-in-hand by his elder brother.

In this way, there was nothing more to say.

Chen Yingyuan should have had some crooked thoughts, wanting to deliberately extend Chen Yingba's defeat time, but after a light cough from Xia Hong as a hint, he immediately reacted that he couldn't hide it from anyone and directly defeated his younger brother.

"Third match, Chen Yingyuan wins. Chen Yingba is directly... After Xia Chuan and Yu Wendao decide the winner, you can compete with the loser for second place."

Fourth round, no need to draw lots?

Chen Yingyuan got a bye directly and could only be second or third.

The hundred Earth-Digging Realm members present mostly showed confusion. Only a few smarter people saw some clues from the laughter of the Cold-Resisting level members and Chen Yingyuan's sheepish smile.

Being sneaky and slippery naturally had to pay a price.

Actually, it couldn't be considered much of a price.

Chen Yingyuan's strength was inferior to Peng Bo's; Xia Hong could be sure of that.

Rather than saying it was for punishment, it was better to say it was to save time.

After Chen Yingyuan's sheepish smile, he nodded and didn't raise any objections. Clearly, he had a general idea in his heart.

"Come on, last match, Yu Wendao versus Xia Chuan!"

The winner would be able to form Great Xia's first army.

Yu Wendao, who had rested for one match, walked back into the arena.

On this side, Xia Chuan also slowly walked toward the arena.

It was just that behind him followed a three-meter-high behemoth.

Seeing that behemoth, Yu Wendao's eyes were full of solemnity, and the hands holding the broadsword couldn't help but increase their force.

"That is......"

"Secretary's...... Blade Puppet!"

"Isn't the Secretary's Blade Puppet five meters high? Why did it shrink?"

"It must be something the Secretary newly developed in Longyou during this period. I feel it's even more terrifying than that five-meter-high one from before."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 278 =====