Chapter 617: Come Here, Zhang Yu
Due to the four Heavenly Demon universities’ significant lag in the previous team tournament, they received fewer advancement slots, with their advancing students making up just over 30% of the 55 participants. In contrast, the four Myriad Laws universities, having dominated the previous round, secured over 60% of the advancement slots.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over Kuang Tianqing and the students standing beside her, inwardly noting, “Besides Kuang Tianqing, the top students from the four Heavenly Demon universities — Yan Xiang of Netherworld University, Mu Qiansi of Joyful Union University, and Di Lianzhong of White Bone University — have all advanced as expected.”
This wasn’t entirely surprising. After each school team received its advancement slots based on their capture rankings from the previous tournament, they were free to select their advancing students. It was only natural that the top students from the Four Heavenly Demon universities would be chosen to advance.
In the next moment, a Spirit Realm Projection materialized in the air. As the names of the competitors flashed across the screen, they gradually coalesced into a personal ranking list.
First Place: Dao Qiankun, 7 prisoners captured.
Second Place: Tian Shengong, 6 prisoners captured.
Third Place: Kuang Tianqing, 5 prisoners captured.
Zhang Yu studied the ranking list, his thoughts racing. “Is this the individual ranking based on the number of captives secured during the last team tournament? And in cases of ties, the one who secured their captives first is ranked higher.”
Because the ranking was based on the number of captives, the four Heavenly Demon universities had suffered another significant loss in the previous round. As a result, the four Myriad Laws Univeristies dominated the list, while the four Heavenly Demon univeristies occupied only a few spots.
As Zhang Yu scanned the names on the list, he thought to himself, “These individuals… they’re practically all top-tier powerhouses from their respective universities.”
Zhang Yu knew that the top three students from each of the Ten Great Universities possessed extraordinary strength, standing like titans above their peers.
Yet, as the Ten Greats League progressed and the elite from each school converged, even after the first round of eliminations, there were still a staggering twenty-seven top-three contenders present.
These Heavenly Chosen, who had once been untouchable legends within their own schools, rarely seen and towering over tens of thousands of students, had now gathered in such numbers that it almost created the illusion that Heavenly Chosen were as common as dogs.
But Zhang Yu knew better. This was merely an illusion. Though these twenty-seven might seem numerous in this context, compared to the vast university student population, they were merely the elite few standing atop the pyramid.
The current ranking of the top 11 contestants, based solely on the number of prisoners they had captured, didn’t necessarily reflect their true overall strength, but it undoubtedly showcased the elite of the elite among the participants.
Zhang Yu wondered, “Why reveal this ranking now? Does it have something to do with the next stage of the competition?”
In an instant, as the names of the top 11 contestants were listed, the rules for the second stage of the competition materialized.
After a quick glance, Zhang Yu felt a sense of clarity. “The second stage is a hybrid format, somewhere between a team tournament and an individual contest.”
Reviewing the rules, Zhang Yu summarized mentally: “The top 11 contestants will become team captains, each selecting four teammates from the remaining 44 competitors to form 11 teams of five.”
“These 11 teams will then compete in a relay race, with the top six teams advancing their entire roster to the Finals.”
Examining the relay race details, Zhang Yu fell into deep thought again. “For the captains, team selection and member assignments will be crucial to securing advancement in this competition.”
Within Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye, the five specific relay tasks materialized.
“The first task is to break through an encirclement of eighteen Hercules Demons in rapid succession, reaching the target location as quickly as possible to hand off to the next teammate.”
“The second task is Mountain-Moving, followed by Stealth, then the Underwater Race, and finally… Altering the Weather.”
“The total time taken across all five events will be summed up, and the six teams with the lowest cumulative times will advance.”
As Zhang Yu reviewed the five relay tasks, he pondered which event he was best suited for.
After giving the eleven captains half an hour to strategize, the team selection process began.
Starting with Dao Qiankun, ranked first, the captains took turns selecting one member for their teams. The order then reverted to Dao Qiankun for the second round, continuing until all members were chosen.
Under the gaze of the audience and the eager eyes of countless livestream viewers, Dao Qiankun smiled and beckoned Zhang Yu over. “Come here, Zhang Yu.”
Zhang Yu showed no surprise, calmly walking over to stand behind Dao Qiankun.
However, Dao Qiankun’s first pick caught many off guard, astonishment flickering across the faces of several competitors.
True Monarch Tranquility, watching the competition, frowned slightly, thinking to himself, “Why would Dao Qiankun choose Zhang Yu as his first pick?”
“Cang Shenyu focused solely on defense in the previous round, rarely capturing anyone personally, which kept him out of the top 11 and prevented him from becoming a Captain…”
He glanced at Cang Shenyu among the 44 contestants. The Vajra University’s top student was undoubtedly the most deserving first pick, considering his strength and resources.
Meanwhile, in the arena, Jiutian Liu, another of the 11 Captains, mused inwardly, “Zhang Yu’s advertising ranking may have risen to third place, but that’s just due to his popularity, not his actual skill.”
Jiutian Liu surveyed the other contestants, thinking, “There are at least a dozen participants here with proven strength far exceeding Zhang Yu’s. Several of them have absolute dominance in the five-stage relay event.”
“Wasting his first pick on Zhang Yu… Is Dao Qiankun overly confident? Or simply careless?”
At that moment, Tian Shengong, the Captain ranked second and top student from Immortal Armaments University, smiled and said to Dao Qiankun, “Since you’re being so generous, I won’t hold back.”
Tian Shengong turned to Cang Shenyu and said, “Old friend, why don’t you join my team?”
As the captains continued selecting their members, Dao Qiankun’s team quickly reached its full complement of five.
Zhang Yu surveyed his teammates: besides himself and Dao Qiankun, the remaining three were Yan Qianji, Wen Rongjue, and Li Shiwei.
Yan Qianji, ranked third overall in the school and first in the Artifact Refinement Department, was undoubtedly a powerhouse.
Li Shiwei was the second-ranked student in the Dao Techniques Department, while Wen Rongjue held the third position in the Finance Department, each possessing remarkable skills.
With team selection complete, the next step was assigning events. Each team would decide which members would participate in which event.
Dao Qiankun stated calmly, “The final leg of the five-leg relay requires altering weather phenomena. I’ll take charge of that. What event do each of you want to cover?”
Yan Qianji spoke up, “The first leg involves breaking through eighteen Hercules Demons. I’m quite familiar with these military-grade puppets, so I’ll take charge of that.”
Wen Rongjue smiled slightly. “I’ve studied Qi Luck concealment extensively. I’ll handle the third leg: stealth.”
Li Shiwei, second-ranked in the Dao Techniques Department, said, “The remaining two stages are Mountain-Shifting and Underwater Race. My daoist arts are better suited for Mountain-Shifting, so I’ll choose that one.”
Listening to the group’s discussion, Dao Qiankun nodded slightly, pleased that their proposed arrangement aligned with his own plan.
However, he still turned to Zhang Yu and asked, “Zhang Yu, what do you think?”
After reviewing the specifics of each leg of the Five-Stage Relay, Zhang Yu felt his strengths lay in Mountain-Shifting or Underwater Race.
Especially now that his Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor had reached Level 20, his advantage in the Underwater Race had significantly increased.
With newfound confidence, he nodded firmly at Dao Qiankun and declared, “Then I’ll take charge of the fourth stage: the Underwater Race.”
Once the five team members had agreed, they submitted their assignments and dispersed to their respective arena positions as instructed.
Zhang Yu glanced at the map and muttered to himself, “This Five-Stage Relay essentially circles the entire floating continent.”
“Each of us five competitors starts at a different point…”
With a burst of energy, Zhang Yu shot skyward, following the Spirit Realm’s guidance projected within his Bionic Eye. He sliced through layers of turbulent air currents at breakneck speed, arriving in an instant at one corner of the floating continent.
Gazing at the shimmering, boundless expanse of water before him, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “What an enormous lake! At first glance, it looks just like the sea.”
“How could there be a place like this on a floating continent?”
“This is truly… an enormous undertaking.”
“How much money did they spend on this competition?”
At that moment, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but feel that the companies contracted to build the arena were the true beneficiaries of the Ten Greats League, earning far more than the competitors themselves.
As Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power surged through him, Zhang Yu gently descended with his sword casket onto a sandy shore.
This beach served as the starting point for the Underwater Race.
Upon arriving, Zhang Yu noticed that several other competitors had already gathered there.
“Zhang Yu, you’re assigned to this stage too?”
Hearing the voice, Zhang Yu looked up and glanced at the information floating above the speaker’s head. “Immortal Armaments University, 4th place: Ling Pojun,” he noted mentally.
Zhang Yu remembered Ling Pojun from the previous match. Ling Pojun had tried to ride his coattails by deliberately provoking a conflict, claiming the support staff was idle and demanding Zhang Yu build a laboratory for them.
Ling Pojun gazed at Zhang Yu before him, thinking to himself, “This guy’s popularity is off the charts right now.”
“But even though he’s in the top three for popularity, his overall strength definitely doesn’t rank that high. His specialty is support. In the last match, he only managed to hold off Kuang Tianqing thanks to the combined efforts of his team, the advantages of the formation, and the prior preparations…”
Still… how could Ling Pojun resist cashing in on Zhang Yu’s immense popularity?
This time, however, Ling Pojun adopted a different approach. He looked Zhang Yu squarely in the eye, his expression earnest, and said, “Junior Brother, though we were allies in the last match, we’re rivals now. I won’t hold back.”
“Let’s give it our all and push each other to achieve even greater heights!”
Just then, a resounding dragon’s roar echoed through the air as a draconic shadow descended from the sky, landing on the same sandy beach.
“Zhang Yu! You’re participating in this trial too? Fortune favors me today!”
Zhang Yu turned to see a colossal dragon over a hundred meters long glaring at him with its draconic eyes.
Zhang Yu’s gaze swept over the dragon’s head, noting mentally, “Ranked 2nd at Celestial Monsters University, Ying Zhoufan of the Monster Studies Department.”
“Why does that name sound familiar?”
A moment later, Zhang Yu remembered. During the previous team tournament, he had encountered a high-blooded monsterfolk student named Ying Yufan, who looked remarkably human.
Curiously, Zhang Yu asked, “What’s your relationship with Ying Yufan?”
“He’s my younger brother,” Ying Zhoufan sneered, his dragon eyes flashing with cruelty as he glared at Zhang Yu. “That useless fool actually missed the chance to capture you when he faced you last time.”
In Ying Zhoufan’s eyes, encountering Zhang Yu — who was acting alone and hadn’t yet begun setting up formations or constructing defenses — during the previous match had been the perfect chance to capture him.
But his incompetent younger brother had squandered the opportunity.
“Still, it’s all the better this way.”
With a flick of his dragon tail, Ying Zhoufan unleashed a gale-force wind that whipped up a storm along the coastline.
“Originally, Zhang Yu was already near the top of the monsterfolk discrimination rankings,” he thought darkly. “Humiliating him would have earned me plenty of fiend energy.”
“Now that he’s become so popular, this match is the perfect opportunity to devour him completely! To utterly digest him!”
The more he thought about it, the more exhilarated he became, his dragon eyes gleaming with malice. “I’ll humiliate him relentlessly, trample his dignity into the mud, and turn his humiliation into my own fame and fiend energy.”