Chapter 604: Team Tournament — A Chance for the Weak to Devour the Strong
Zhang Yu glanced at Jin Napan beside him, who was covered in holographic advertisements, then at the ad projections on Bai Zhenzhen’s chest and back. A flicker of envy crossed his eyes.
It was impossible for him not to feel envious of those plastered with advertisements. After all, they represented company endorsement, the attention of countless people, money, Spirit Coins, and Immortal Dao Potential!
Even the three reinforcements — Wen Wuya and his companions — had ad projections on their flying swords, slicing through the battlefield.
Not to mention Kuang Tianqing, their fierce opponent moments earlier, who was practically plastered with ads from Giant Corporations.
But the battle had been too intense and time too tight for Zhang Yu to think about these things; he had subconsciously ignored all the ads.
“After such a grueling fight, I don’t even have a single advertisement on me? What a massive loss!”
The longing for advertisements flashed through his mind and vanished. Then Zhang Yu noticed other students arriving at the scene.
Once they confirmed Kuang Tianqing had retreated, the group dispersed, each heading in different directions to regroup with their respective teams.
Zhang Yu turned to Jin Napan of Vajra University and asked, “Senior, shall we head out together?”
Jin Napan chuckled and replied, “No, no, we’re headed in different directions.”
Knowing Kuang Tianqing had targeted them both, Jin Napan had no interest in traveling with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen. He couldn’t be sure Kuang Tianqing wouldn’t continue stalking them, waiting for a chance to strike from the shadows.
Though Jin Napan wasn’t interested in traveling together, he was keenly interested in information about Kuang Tianqing.
He had observed the battlefield briefly after arriving, but his time was limited, and he hadn’t faced Kuang Tianqing directly. He knew Zhang Yu must possess far more comprehensive intel.
Jin Napan said, “Junior Brother, your battle with Kuang Tianqing must have yielded valuable insights into her capabilities, right?”
Zhang Yu smiled slightly, careful not to reveal any information prematurely.
He knew that intelligence about Kuang Tianqing — especially her mastery of various military-grade daoist arts — would be a crucial bargaining chip in the days to come.
Zhang Yu replied, “Senior, let’s add each other as friends first. I’m a bit disoriented right now. I’ll heal my injuries and organize the intel before we discuss it further.”
After adding Jin Napan as a friend, Zhang Yu watched his rapidly departing figure before turning to Bai Zhenzhen beside him. “A-Zhen, let’s go together. Come with me to the Myriad Laws University rendezvous point first.”
Bai Zhenzhen, however, gazed at Zhang Yu’s pallid complexion and asked, “Yu Zi, are you alright?”
Having endured a protracted direct confrontation with Kuang Tianqing and been struck by Bai Zhenzhen’s life-extinguishing sword qi, Zhang Yu now appeared gravely injured.
Yet Zhang Yu waved dismissively. “I’m fine. I’m in perfect condition right now.”
“Let’s hurry. The sooner we regroup, the safer we’ll be.”
In the next moment, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen vanished in a blur, swiftly heading toward the Myriad Laws University rendezvous point.
As they traveled, Bai Zhenzhen’s eyes flickered across Zhang Yu, recalling the battle scenes. She thought to herself, “I’m still too weak. Against Kuang Tianqing in my current state, I stand no chance.”
“But we’ll inevitably face her again.”
She strained to recall the sensation of unleashing that black sword qi, thinking to herself, “That was the peak power the Extreme Emotion Sword Dao can achieve at the Foundation Establishment stage. Only that can threaten Kuang Tianqing.”
“I must master the use of this power.”
“And maintain my sanity while wielding it.”
Bai Zhenzhen recalled the moment she had witnessed Zhang Yu nearly being humiliated, her heart stirring with renewed determination. “I will never let anyone insult Zhang Yu again.”
“This feeling of powerlessness…”
Fueled by intense anger, fear, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of urgency, Bai Zhenzhen’s Divine Spirit Root and sword qi were undergoing gradual but profound transformations within her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu raced forward at full speed, continuously activating his body’s regenerative abilities to gradually heal himself.
Simultaneously, his Bionic Eye remained vigilant, monitoring real-time communications in the Four-School Group and the school team chat, tracking crucial battlefield intelligence.
“Wen Wuya! We need backup here!”
“Senior Wen Wuya, help! Help! Help!”
“Calling Senior Wen Wuya, can you share your reconnaissance data? We’ll reward you handsomely.”
As Wen Wuya launched his all-out offensive, she and the other two Heavenly Sword University students instantly became hot commodities in the group chats, bombarded with desperate requests for assistance.
Watching the scene unfold, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “Heavenly Sword University’s Immortal Dao Technology and Wen Wuya’s support have been crucial in this match. In fact, Wen Wuya’s assistance will be indispensable when we face Kuang Tianqing next.”
“Then… what can I contribute in the upcoming team tournament?”
“Or, how should I confront Kuang Tianqing next?”
After facing Kuang Tianqing head-on, Zhang Yu had to admit there was a significant gap between their strengths.
As he pondered how to counter her, thoughts raced through his mind: formations, magical artifacts, intelligence gathering, support…
“Alone, I stand no chance against Kuang Tianqing.”
“But the team tournament environment offers us a chance to fight her.”
“By battling Kuang Tianqing, I can gain more attention.”
“If I can demonstrate greater value and presence, I can secure company endorsements, school investments, and more resources to enhance my strength.”
“Kuang Tianqing…” Zhang Yu’s gaze sharpened, his determination hardening. “We may be her prey, but she is equally our prey.”
Resist her! Surround her! Repel her! Defeat her! Even… kill her!
Zhang Yu knew that with each step forward, he would reap greater rewards, significantly boosting his chances of winning the Ten Greats League championship.
At that moment, a glimmer of realization surfaced in his mind: “The team tournament isn’t just about the strong crushing the weak and clearing obstacles.”
“It’s also an opportunity for the weak to devour the strong!”
“And the specific method…”
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept across Wen Wuya, who was actively engaging in the Four-School Group chat within his Bionic Eye.
“Just like Wen Wuya, I must lure Kuang Tianqing onto my turf.”
“Only in my domain, in the areas where I excel, will I have the chance to defeat her like Wen Wuya did, to devour her popularity and traffic, and to absorb more nutrients for my growth.”
“And in this competition, the domain where I excel the most…”
As these thoughts gradually formed in his mind, a faint smile curled the corners of Zhang Yu’s lips.
“Kuang Tianqing, it’s my turn to devour you next.”
As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen gradually approached the rendezvous point, they could see a raging storm swirling ahead.
“What is that…?” Bai Zhenzhen exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Yu nodded, glancing at the messages in the school team’s group chat. “It’s Dao Qiankun.”
“According to him, his daoist arts power now covers a 100-li radius. Any students from the Heavenly Demon, White Bone, Netherworld, or Joyous Union Universities who enter this domain will face his attacks.”
Zhang Yu’s expression grew solemn. “No wonder he’s considered a top contender for the championship, just like Kuang Tianqing. My senior’s strength is truly unfathomable.”
Meanwhile, messages continued to flood the Four-School Group chat as they traveled.
“Jiutian Liu from the Finance Department of Myriad Laws University single-handedly infiltrated Netherworld University’s rendezvous point and rescued a captured prisoner.”
“Tian Shengong, the top-ranked student from Immortal Armaments University, transformed his mobile fortress into a prison, capturing three prisoners and locking them inside.”
As Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen plunged into the storm, they soon found themselves in the eye of the tempest, a region of eerie calm at its center.
Within this tranquil zone, countless puppets of varying shapes and sizes were excavating mineral veins, constructing fortresses, and reshaping the terrain.
One of the puppets sensed Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s presence, turned its head to face them and sent a message: “You’ve arrived?”
Zhang Yu knew this formidable puppet army originated from Yan Qianji.
But he hadn’t expected… that Yan Qianji also possessed Civil Engineering skills, capable of controlling such a vast number of puppets for construction.
Zhang Yu: “Did you build all this?”
Yan Qianji: “Just some useless skills.”
Yan Qianji: “Hurry inside. Brother Dao has been waiting for you.”
Instantly, a dotted line guiding their path appeared before Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
Reading Yan Qianji’s message, Zhang Yu’s heart stirred. He replied, “Brother Dao has been waiting for me all this time?”
Yan Qianji: “Everyone else arrived long ago.”
Yan Qianji: “If it weren’t for the sake of waiting for you, he wouldn’t have been able to sit still any longer.”
Zhang Yu nodded inwardly. Following the dotted line, he arrived at an underground prison constructed by a puppet legion.
Dao Qiankun stood with his back to Zhang Yu, facing a blood-red phantom bound by layers of powerful restraints.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over the blood-red phantom. “Second-ranked at Netherworld University… Xie Shenzi”, he thought.
Dao Qiankun said slowly, “We ran into this fellow on the way and casually captured him.”
He turned to face Zhang Yu and asked, “What’s Kuang Tianqing’s current strength?”
Zhang Yu’s heart skipped a beat. “He’s really interested in intelligence on Kuang Tianqing”, he realized.
Zhang Yu replied directly, “I recorded the entire course of my recent battle with Kuang Tianqing.”
With that, Zhang Yu sent the video to Dao Qiankun, adding, “I’ve also gathered some intelligence on Kuang Tianqing’s daoist arts, which I can summarize in writing for you, Senior.”
Dao Qiankun’s gaze toward Zhang Yu grew increasingly appreciative and admiring. “What do you want in return?” he asked.
Zhang Yu said, “Senior, I believe this team tournament is an excellent opportunity to deal with Kuang Tianqing.”
“We can unite with other schools to weaken her Immortal Dao Potential, destroy her military-grade Bionic, gather more intelligence about her… or even kill her once.”
Dao Qiankun replied calmly, “Uniting with other school teams won’t be that simple.”
Zhang Yu countered, “We can start with Heavenly Sword University.”
Dao Qiankun turned to Bai Zhenzhen. “Can you speak for Heavenly Sword University?”
He added, “But Wen Wuya is highly sought after right now. Everyone is begging for their support.”
Zhang Yu countered, “Yet I believe Wen Wuya is waiting for you.”
“Heavenly Sword University’s tactics have significant flaws.”
“They need you more than ever right now.”
“With A-Zhen and Wen Wuya’s support, we’ll effectively have united Heavenly Sword University’s team. It’s only a matter of time before Vajra and the Immortal Soldiers align themselves with us as well.”
Dao Qiankun looked at Zhang Yu, then suddenly chuckled. “Continue.”