Chapter 606: Team Tournament Day Two
Time flew by, and the second day of the team tournament arrived.
Under Zhang Yu’s relentless construction efforts, the fortress originally built by Yan Qianji had been expanded severalfold.
The central prison core was now encased in dozens of layers of armored plates, shielded by dual great formations that blocked communication with the Spirit Realm, and reinforced with numerous defensive fortifications.
Yet Zhang Yu showed no signs of stopping, continuing his relentless production and construction.
Meanwhile, as the Four-School Cooperation unfolded, the assembled powerhouses, led by Dao Qiankun, launched coordinated strikes across the battlefield.
Leveraging Dao Qiankun’s supreme combat prowess and Wen Wuya’s formidable detection abilities, they swiftly defeated and captured multiple elite students from rival schools.
By this time, the prison constructed by Zhang Yu had already received six captives.
Through the Four-School Group chat and Bai Zhenzhen’s combat footage, Zhang Yu had observed numerous battles and gathered valuable intelligence.
He witnessed Dao Qiankun using a single finger to seal heaven and earth, trapping three elites from White Bone University.
He saw Jiutian Liu manipulating Qi Luck, remotely severing his opponents’ cultivation in several cultivation arts.
Cang Shenyu, the top student of Vajra Monastery, single-handedly repelled a combined assault from four powerhouses.
Tian Shengong, the champion of Immortal Armaments University, transformed his Aerial Fortress into a colossal, three-hundred-meter-tall towering giant, capturing two prisoners in a single engagement.
Of course, the Myriad Laws Four-School Alliance hadn’t emerged unscathed. One student each from Vajra Monastery, Heavenly Sword Sect, and Immortal Armaments University had been defeated and captured.
Two of these captures were achieved through ambushes by the elusive Kuang Tianqing.
This top-ranked student from Heavenly Demon University was like a sword hanging over everyone’s heads.
No one knew where she would appear next or when she would strike. After each attack, she would immediately vanish, defeating and capturing only one opponent at a time, never giving her adversaries a chance to swarm her.
As Zhang Yu reviewed the battlefield reports, he sensed that as the Myriad Laws Four-School Cooperation deepened, the elite students from the four Heavenly Demon schools were also gradually converging. The scale and intensity of their battles were escalating with each encounter.
Throughout this period, Wen Wuya tirelessly searched for the location where the captives were being held.
However, even the Sky-Patrolling Flying Sword Network had its limitations. Concealment by clouds, mists, vegetation, and terrain, combined with various evasion techniques, consistently thwarted Wen Wuya’s attempts to pinpoint the prisoners’ whereabouts.
“They’re likely underground”, Zhang Yu thought to himself. “If that’s the case, finding them will be incredibly difficult.”
“Unlike our approach of open, transparent construction, aimed at maximizing scale and intensity, their goal is to conceal their tracks and avoid detection.”
“However, to achieve this, they must necessarily limit the scale of their construction. Their stronghold’s defenses are likely weak.”
Unconsciously, the two sides’ prison construction styles had diverged.
Outside the prison walls, beyond the other fortifications, Zhang Yu had also built several rest areas.
After the four-school cooperation began, at least one top student from each school was stationed here at all times. Many members of the four school teams also came to the prison’s outer perimeter to rest, recuperate, and maintain their equipment.
Before long, this place had become more than just a prison for captives; it had also become a place for students to rest and gather.
One day, as Zhang Yu was setting up a spiritual energy circuit, a student clad in Extreme Tiger Brand Bionic armor and advertisements approached him.
Ling Pojun, fourth-ranked at Immortal Armaments University, from the Artifact Refinement Department.
“Zhang Yu, right?” Ling Pojun asked, looking at Zhang Yu. “Are you currently in charge of infrastructure here?”
After Zhang Yu nodded, Ling Pojun continued, “I need an Artifact Refinement Laboratory to repair my equipment. How long will it take you to build one?”
Zhang Yu paused, staring at Ling Pojun as if he were an idiot. “Figure it out yourself,” he said. “None of that is my responsibility.”
Ling Pojun glared at him coldly. “You’re in charge of infrastructure. If you don’t do it, do you expect me to build it myself?”
“Zhang Yu, you’re just holed up here all day, never going out to fight. You should be serving us properly and saving us time…”
Zhang Yu frowned slightly, sensing the hostility radiating from Ling Pojun. “What’s this guy up to?” he wondered.
Ling Pojun sized up Zhang Yu, thinking, “The battles outside are getting increasingly dangerous. Even with my strength, I can’t guarantee absolute safety anymore.”
“The upcoming battles will be the domain of the top-ranked students from each school, along with the second and third-ranked from a few elite institutions. It’s their stage to showcase their power and harvest attention.”
“If I want to keep growing my popularity and hype, I need to find other ways.”
Ling Pojun had never seriously considered winning first place in the Ten Greats League.
In his view, leveraging the League’s immense popularity to boost his visibility, secure greater attention and investments, and enhance his Immortal Dao Potential was always his primary goal.
“Devouring the weak is just another way to gain attention,” Ling Pojun thought, observing Zhang Yu. “Zhang Yu rode Kuang Tianqing’s coattails yesterday, so he must have garnered some attention, but his strength isn’t anything special…”
He chuckled inwardly. “And since he dove into the construction site, he hasn’t emerged once, reeking of mud and dirt. Plenty of viewers must already look down on him.”
“If I pressure him and provoke a conflict, I should garner considerable support and attract a massive wave of attention.”
As for those who might disapprove? Ling Pojun couldn’t care less. He understood that controversy generates buzz — even infamy is still fame.
Especially as a top student from Immortal Armaments University and a user of the Extreme Tiger Brand Bionic, he was long accustomed to harvesting attention through controversy and conflict.
Compared to risking injury or capture by continuing to fight, arguing with Zhang Yu and stirring up conflict seemed far more cost-effective to Ling Pojun.
It was only because Kuang Tianqing and he were on the same floating continent, in the same arena, and he genuinely had a chance to be killed her that he held back. Under normal circumstances… he would have gladly picked a fight with her.
“Zhang Yu, I have nothing against you personally,” Ling Pojun thought with icy composure. “But the Immortal Path Competition is a zero-sum game: devour or be devoured. You have potential but lack strength, so don’t blame me for what comes next…”
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Ling Pojun let out a cold snort and took a decisive step forward. A surging aura crashed over Zhang Yu, and the Extreme Tiger Brand Bionic on his body erupted with an even brighter radiance.
Glaring coldly at Zhang Yu, he declared, “While you’ve been holed up here, safely grinding experience, we’ve been out there risking our lives, burning Spirit Coins every second.”
“Now you’re reluctant to handle some logistics? Where’s the outstanding student of Myriad Laws University? Where’s the spirit of teamwork?”
Watching the other man’s righteous indignation, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but think, “This guy… why does it feel like he’s not even talking to me?”
As Zhang Yu observed the increasingly prominent Extreme Tiger Bionic and advertisements on Ling Pojun’s body, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he mused to himself, “This is a live broadcast. Could he be trying to boost his popularity by provoking a conflict with me?”
Zhang Yu frowned, realizing he had no time for petty infighting.
To hunt down Kuang Tianqing, Zhang Yu knew that every second was precious.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s lack of reaction, Ling Pojun pressed on with his criticism: “What’s the point of digging around here all day, tinkering with these crumbling walls? Do you really think you can defend against an enemy assault with this trash?”
As he spoke, Ling Pojun thought to himself: “Of course they have some use, but most viewers will see them as pointless.”
“Viewers aren’t interested in logistics, civil engineering, or defensive fortifications.”
“Only offensive maneuvers, crushing opponents, and capturing prisoners are what truly capture their attention.”
Just as Ling Pojun was about to continue his rant, Zhang Yu cut him off, his voice flat: “I’m going to cultivate now. If you have nothing else to say, you should leave.”
Ling Pojun was slightly taken aback. The next moment, he saw Zhang Yu project a cultivation art, as if about to begin practicing it immediately.
“This guy…” Ling Pojun thought. In live streams like this, once a contestant began practicing a cultivation art — especially in Zhang Yu’s manner of projecting the art’s content — copyright concerns inevitably led to widespread censorship and audio muting.
If Ling Pojun remained here now, he would essentially forfeit all live stream coverage.
With a cold snort, and knowing he was no longer being recorded, Ling Pojun didn’t bother saying another word and simply left.
After Ling Pojun’s departure, Zhang Yu continued to immerse himself in his work.
Over the next few hours, besides overseeing continuous construction and production, Zhang Yu was also deeply pondering another matter.
“Besides drawing Kuang Tianqing into a battlefield where I excel, I also need to enhance my own strength to better execute the next phase of my plan.”
Zhang Yu understood that with only two days left in the team tournament, any significant improvement in his strength would have to come from honing his skills and strategies, not from raw power alone.
“I need to make better use of the power I possess.”
Zhang Yu recalled the battle footage of Kuang Tianqing, sensing the seamless coordination and mutual reinforcement of multiple Military-Grade Powers, forming a complete combat system.
Beyond Kuang Tianqing, Zhang Yu’s intelligence gathering and Bai Zhenzhen’s recordings revealed that many top academic overachievers from other universities operated similarly.
Dao Qiankun, Jiutian Liu, Yan Qianji, Wen Wuya… Their Military-Grade Powers formed cohesive systems, enabling perfect coordination and maximizing their combat effectiveness.
“My Military-Grade Powers can also synergize, but not as seamlessly.”
Zhang Yu knew that his mastery of Level 20 Military-Grade Powers was still too recent, lacking the continuous practice, refinement from cultivation, and refinement that comes from sustained application.
“Their Military-Grade Powers have all undergone personalized modifications, honed through constant experimentation and gradual accumulation during the refinement of their systems.”
“I need to make similar adjustments now.”
“How can I best combine and adapt my Military-Grade Power to counter Kuang Tianqing?” Zhang Yu pondered.
In an instant, the ground before him erupted with stone swords drawn forth by the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power. Infused with the Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon, each stone sword transformed into a temporary flying sword, radiating a faint yet piercing sharpness.
Fueled by the rising Earthly Fiend Gravity, the flying swords soared into the sky, coalescing into a vast sword formation.
“This counts as a combination, right?”
“And then there’s the Heavenly Sun Radiance God and the Great Sky Sacred Law Flying Sword.”
Zhang Yu glanced at his dao heart. During his battle with Kuang Tianqing yesterday, he had used the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology to burn his dao heart in order to unravel her daoist arts. His dao heart’s current level was 19 (86%).
“As long as my dao heart remains at level 19, it won’t significantly impact my combat power”, Zhang Yu mused.
“That means I can still use the Encyclopedia of Celestial Technology a few more times.”
“But how should I use it?”
Time continued to slip away as Zhang Yu prepared and the team tournament raged on.
Before he knew it, the final day of the team tournament had arrived.