Chapter 60: First in the Competition

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Gu Han and Pan Hu collided repeatedly on the Martial Arts Platform.

Pan Hu's strength was astonishing; under the furious barrage of his lance, he literally snapped Gu Han's standard sword.

Gu Han showed no weakness; seizing the moment when Pan Hu's lance broke his sword, he punched Pan Hu in the throat!

Although he pulled his punch, Pan Hu still felt excruciating throat pain from the blow, as if it were nearly broken.

Pan Hu's eyes turned bloodshot; even with a severely injured throat, he refused to back down.

In close combat, the lance was of little use.

He grunted, dropped the lance, and threw a punch at Gu Han's chest.

Bang!

Although the punch landed solidly, Pan Hu let out a muffled groan!

His pupils contracted sharply; he felt Gu Han was completely like an iron man!

The punch felt like striking a steel plate, and the one injured was actually Pan Hu himself!

Gu Han's body merely staggered slightly before steadying!

Immediately after, Gu Han grabbed Pan Hu's wrist with one hand and slammed him onto the Martial Arts Platform floor with an over-the-shoulder throw!

Bang!

The heavy impact sound made everyone around the Martial Arts Platform stare at each other in shock, their scalps tingling.

The referee quickly leapt onto the Martial Arts Platform, saw the dazed and dizzy Pan Hu, confirmed he had nearly lost his fighting ability, and announced the match's outcome to the crowd,

"Gu Han wins this battle!"

A crowd of thousands fell into a sudden silence.

What followed was a roar like mountains and seas.

"Gu Han is awesome!"

"Good heavens, to actually see in one's lifetime the First Camp losing the champion's spot!"

"Good grief, before today's Ten Camps Competition even started, this was absolutely something I never dared dream of!"

"Damn, before the competition even started, someone was taking bets; the odds for any other camp to take first had reached one to fifty, and if you bet directly on Second Camp, the odds were probably over a hundred!"

"Really? If I'd known earlier, even betting a single Quenching Blood Pill would have raked in a fortune!"

"Such a long shot is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Everyone cared about different things, but the vast majority were cheering for Gu Han, this dark horse, winning the championship!

Gu Han had already secured victory over Zhang Lang and Pan Hu.

Regardless of who wins between Zhang Lang and Pan Hu, Gu Han's champion position cannot be shaken.

Even the Third and Fourth Camps, because they coveted the Second Camp's position, were dissatisfied with Gu Han.

But most Combat Soldiers, Logistics Soldiers, and Firekeepers didn't care about this.

They were ordinary people; even if they seized the Second Camp's position, it wouldn't bring them much benefit.

By contrast, someone like Gu Han, who rose from the Logistics Soldiers, could make them empathize more.

Only a few people like Li Kai and Du Heng felt unwilling to accept it.

The battle between Zhang Lang and Pan Hu could no longer attract much attention.

After a long while, Li Kai let out a helpless sigh, as if mocking himself,

"After dreaming of the Second Camp for so long, in the end it's still just a fantasy."

Du Heng's eyes filled with unwillingness as he resentfully glared at Li Kai,

"Old Li, after paying such a price, are you willing?"

"Unwilling? What can being unwilling do?"

Li Kai glanced at Du Heng,

"We're all on the same side; I advise you not to do anything you shouldn't."

After saying that, Li Kai turned and left.

Although he wouldn't do anything harmful to Gu Han, it didn't mean he was willing to stay and watch Gu Han's award ceremony.

Du Heng gazed wistfully at Li Kai's retreating back, then at Gu Han being tossed high into the crowd and falling back down, wondering what he was thinking.

Zhou Kuan gave a wry smile as he looked toward Guan Shan,

"I never expected that in the end, Gu Han would still win."

Guan Shan smiled faintly, not surprised by the result, yet he still said,

"Gu Han's performance indeed gave me a big surprise."

"But the First Camp's position still belongs to you."

Camp rankings depend not only on which camp wins the championship, but also on overall strength.

On the battlefield, even if personal combat prowess is outstanding, one can still die under the encirclement of elite units.

Only when the army's overall strength is strong can it cope with various environments.

That said, Zhou Kuan still couldn't feel happy.

They have monopolized both the championship and the top overall strength position for years.

No other camp can even hope to catch up to them.

This time the championship position was taken away, and they simply couldn't accept it at once.

The battle between Zhang Lang and Pan Hu soon ended.

In the fight between the two and Gu Han, both sides were badly injured.

However, Zhang Lang had more opportunities to rest, so his condition was slightly better than Pan Hu's.

When Pan Hu could not close the distance, Zhang Lang easily defeated him and secured second place.

But for Zhang Lang, the championship was the position that rightfully belonged to him.

"If my skill is inferior, I can only accept it."

Zhang Lang looked at Gu Han, the center of attention among the crowd, and gave a helpless wry smile,

"But that's good; at least it gave me the motivation to keep moving forward."

When a person becomes first, he is bound to become complacent.

Only when there is still a goal ahead to pursue can he be spurred to strive.

After the rankings were finally settled, Gu Han, Zhang Lang, and Pan Hu, in that order, followed the guide's lead to the award podium.

At that moment, General Guan Zhen, who had not appeared since the competition began, finally reappeared.

The crowds of Mu Shan Cheng's citizens hurriedly offered a respectful salute to General Guan Zhen,

"I have seen General Guan Zhen."

Mu Shan Cheng lies on the frontier and borders the neighboring state of Jian Chi.

Had General Guan Zhen not exerted himself to defend it, Mu Shan Cheng would likely not have been able to hold out.

Guan Zhen gestured with his hand, signaling everyone to rise, and then he smiled and said,

"In this Ten Camps Competition, everyone's performance has pleased me greatly."

"It's not just that the people of the First Camp outshine the rest; more importantly, all the camps advancing together is a healthy development model!"

"Gu Han's strength displayed this time even moves me to sigh."

"The student surpassing the teacher—that is the eternal truth!"

General Guan Zhen's evaluation of Gu Han left everyone present stunned.

"The student surpassing the teacher—doesn't that mean Gu Han's future achievements will far exceed those of the instructors?"

But when they thought of Gu Han's age, they suddenly understood.

Although the participants were all Combat Soldiers of the same cohort,

but the conscripts were drawn from across the country by lottery, and their ages varied.

An age gap of four or five years is nothing unusual.

Even Zhang Lang, who ranked first aside from Gu Han,

Even though his talent far surpasses that of other Combat Soldiers, his age is already in his early twenties.

He is two years older than Gu Han!

For Gu Han to win first place despite his age disadvantage is truly remarkable!