Chapter 629: Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu Wins!
As the duel roster appeared in the sky, Zhang Yu thought to himself, “The final round… it’s truly a competition of individual strength.”
“Thirty competitors have been paired off in one-on-one matches.”
“In today’s first round, the thirty competitors will be narrowed down to fifteen winners.”
“In the second round, among the fifteen winners, one will receive a bye, while the remaining fourteen will duel to determine seven advancing competitors.”
“In the third round, the eight remaining competitors will be paired off again, resulting in four winners.”
“Then comes the semifinals and the finals… in the ultimate one-on-one showdown, the strongest competitor in the Ten Greats League will be crowned.”
“To ensure the competitors’ condition and allow time for healing and repairs, each round will be followed by a week of rest.”
Examining the process and rules, Zhang Yu mused inwardly, “Pure, unrestricted combat… this is a rare traditional competition format in Kunxu.”
“The week of rest between rounds is a huge advantage for me. If I make it to the finals, that means I’ll have four more weeks to prepare.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Yu had already seen the opponent he would face in the first round.
Ling Pojun from Immortal Armaments University thought to himself, “Zhang Yu? He’s probably the best opponent I could have drawn in this round.”
Although Zhang Yu had proven his well-rounded strength through successive matches, Ling Pojun believed that it all depended on who he was competing against.
Compared to other opponents in this round — Kuang Tianqing, Yan Xiang, Cang Shenyu, Tian Shengong, and the rest — Zhang Yu’s strength seemed remarkably approachable.
In particular, Zhang Yu’s demonstrated power relied heavily on preparation. His first match utilized Civil Engineering techniques, while his second match leveraged aquaculture for an advantage. Even his victory in movement speed against Jiutian Liu required cooperation with Ying Zhoufan, who could undergo dragon transformation.
“From what I’ve seen so far, Zhang Yu’s strength only shines with prior preparation. In a one-on-one duel, he’ll have absolutely no advantage.”
“But by the same token, I’m likely the best opponent Zhang Yu could have drawn in this round.”
Ling Pojun knew that the finals and semifinals were far beyond his reach.
His inclusion in the final 30 was primarily due to his selection for Cang Shenyu, Tian Shengong, Ye Xingli, and Xu Haixuan’s team in the relay race.
“If I can defeat Zhang Yu and ride this final wave of momentum, I’ll be satisfied.”
Whether he could win the next round was no longer his concern — or rather, he hadn’t even considered winning again. At this moment, “defeating Zhang Yu,” “securing this one victory in the individual competition,” and “riding this final wave of momentum” were Ling Pojun’s sole focus.
Fueled by his burning desire for victory and unwavering determination, Ling Pojun, along with the other 29 competitors, was enveloped by divine power and propelled skyward, dispersing across 15 different battlefields on the floating island.
These randomly assigned battlefields varied greatly in terrain, ranging from dense jungles to arid deserts, snow-covered plains to vast oceans.
The two competitors matched against each other would clash within a battlefield spanning a 10-kilometer radius.
With a resounding thud, Ling Pojun crashed to the ground, landing in a hilly region.
Almost the instant he landed, Ling Pojun sprang to his feet and charged forward.
Within his Bionic Eye, dotted lines marked Zhang Yu’s recent trajectory.
“Zhang Yu’s strength lies in his preparation time. The longer he has, the more formidable he becomes in battle.”
“He must be frantically setting up a great formation to counter me.”
“I can’t give him that chance…”
“The outcome of this battle may hinge on how quickly I reach him.”
As Ling Pojun surged forward, relentlessly accelerating to close the distance, he saw a massive flood rushing toward him.
The deluge surged like a soaring dragon, with Zhang Yu standing at its crest, clad in the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor.
Simultaneously, the armor was drawing vast amounts of atmospheric moisture, continuously expanding the flood’s volume.
“Hmm?” Ling Pojun’s heart jolted at the sight. “Zhang Yu,” he roared, “who would have thought a mere Civil Engineering brat like you would dare face me head-on?”
Ling Pojun had long prepared to insult his opponent by mocking his Civil Engineering background, relentlessly exploiting this perceived weakness to gain public approval.
Next, he planned to attack Zhang Yu’s alleged discrimination against monsterfolk, aiming to further stoke controversy and boost his own popularity.
But facing Ling Pojun’s insults, Zhang Yu, standing at the forefront of the crowd, simply smiled. Looking at Ling Pojun, he said, “A typical Extreme Tiger Person, with typical Extreme Tiger logic.”
Ling Pojun froze momentarily, sensing the disdain in Zhang Yu’s tone. “What do you mean by that?” he demanded coldly.
Zhang Yu chuckled softly. “There are only two kinds of people in this world: Extreme Tiger People and Myriad Paths People.”
“Extreme Tiger People attend Extreme Tiger schools, use Extreme Tiger Bionics, study Extreme Tiger cultivation arts, achieve Extreme Tiger results, and thus develop the kind of Extreme Tiger mindset you possess.”
As a student at Immortal Armaments University, Ling Pojun had always been a loyal user of Extreme Tiger Brand products. Yet he knew that Extreme Tiger Brand was deliberately vilified and belittled at other universities.
Though Zhang Yu hadn’t explicitly stated it, Ling Pojun understood perfectly… Zhang Yu was clearly using “Extreme Tiger” as a derogatory term.
At that moment, Ling Pojun suddenly realized what was happening. “This guy… is he creating controversy to generate hype? While I thought I was hunting him, he was hunting me all along.”
Ling Pojun roared, “Extreme Tiger combines cutting-edge technology with affordable prices, making it the best value brand! Keep slandering us like this and you’ll face a lawsuit!”
“Oh? Have I slandered anything?” Zhang Yu replied calmly. “Isn’t your school the Extreme Tiger University? Don’t you all follow Extreme Tiger Thinking?”
“You son of a — !” Ling Pojun felt insulted, but as a student of Immortal Armaments University, where everyone was an Extreme Tiger fan, he couldn’t think of a proper retort.
With a furious roar, Ling Pojun charged toward Zhang Yu, hoping to shift the focus through combat.
A thunderous crash shook the battlefield as the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor-controlled torrent collided with Ling Pojun, transforming the entire area into an underwater realm.
Ling Pojun and Zhang Yu immediately engaged in fierce combat within this submerged arena.
Soon, Ling Pojun noticed an increasing number of fish-like shadows emerging from the surging currents.
Within the layers of blood-tinged water, countless Fish Monsters writhed, swelled, and rapidly grew before swarming toward Ling Pojun, snapping and tearing at him.
“So fast? So many?” Ling Pojun thought, inwardly alarmed. “I heard Zhang Yu had been buying up large quantities of Demon Beast blood recently. It seems he’s using it for this.”
With a thunderous strike, Ling Pojun annihilated a large group of Fish Monsters. To his astonishment, as Zhang Yu’s Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon activated, the corpses began to glow with a Treasure light, transforming into temporary magical artifacts — flying swords that darted through the currents like living weapons.
The Fish Monsters continued to multiply and grow, their numbers swelling relentlessly.
Even when slain, their bodies became fuel for the Heaven and Earth Cataclysmic Formless Heart Weapon, morphing into temporary flying swords.
These temporary flying swords swarmed through the underwater world, coalescing into dense, living shoals that relentlessly attacked Ling Pojun.
As the surrounding water expanded, it grew increasingly murky and unfathomable.
Layers of Earthly Fiend Gravity and swirling currents tightened around Ling Pojun’s body, making each movement require exponentially greater Military-Grade Power.
The presence of twenty-four Great Sky Sacred Law Flying Swords weaving through the swarm of fish, poised to strike, only heightened Ling Pojun’s sense of danger.
Unseen by Ling Pojun, two Fish Monsters transformed from the Monster Saint’s Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture swam among the fish, secretly stirring up waves and amplifying the torrent’s power.
“Not good!”
Alarm bells rang in Ling Pojun’s mind as he recognized the unfavorable turn the battle had taken.
“By combining the Heavenly Kunlun Mountain-Moving Divine Power with the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor to control the water, Zhang Yu has created a battlefield perfectly suited for himself. In this underwater arena, the water will only hinder my movements while empowering him.”
“The constantly multiplying Fish Monsters will attack me whether they live or die. If they die, they become materials for his artifact refinement, continuing their assault.”
“This is a quagmire. The longer I fight him here, the deeper I sink.”
“Zhang Yu has perfected and integrated his various Military-Grade Powers. He can now deploy a combat framework tailored to his strengths with minimal preparation.”
“I can’t continue fighting him within his framework…”
Realizing this, Ling Pojun immediately retreated, attempting to escape the underwater realm.
But the surrounding water suddenly transformed into impenetrable barriers, relentlessly obstructing his progress from all directions, trapping him in a submarine prison.
At the same moment, Zhang Yu’s voice echoed through the water:
“Running away?”
Ling Pojun continued his retreat without answering.
Zhang Yu said calmly, “Extreme Tiger tactics.”
Ling Pojun gritted his teeth, instantly sensing a Sword Intent locking onto him.
“Ten thousand sword qi surge to the heavens, cleaving chaos to reveal the azure sky…”
The raging torrents coalesced into swirling vortexes, each enhanced by Earthly Fiend Gravity, relentlessly constricting Ling Pojun’s body.
Simultaneously, the corpses of fish-shaped Demon Beasts aligned themselves, their lifeless eyes glaring coldly at Ling Pojun, radiating a chillingly sharp aura.
In the next instant, Ling Pojun’s figure was swallowed by the swarm of fish shadows.
Minutes later, as the torrents dissipated, only Zhang Yu remained floating in mid-air, holding the bloodied, unconscious Ling Pojun by one hand.
Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu wins!
When Zhang Yu, carrying Ling Pojun, was transported back outside the arena by divine power, he saw that nearly half the competitors had already finished their matches and arrived ahead of him.
“I wonder how A-Zhen and Senior Sister are doing,” Zhang Yu thought.
Just as he was pondering this, his gaze sharpened. He dropped Ling Pojun and strode over to Ye Xingli.