102: Chapter 12 Nine Shadows Escape into the Void, Unfit for Great Use

Upon hearing Zhou Bai's words, Qin Hao felt his lungs about to explode with rage.

However, Qin Hao had no recourse, as what Zhou Bai said was true.

Zhou Bai was the Champion, while he, Qin Hao, hadn't even made it into the elimination rounds.

"Damn it, if only I had known back then..."

A flicker of regret surfaced again in Qin Hao's heart; he shouldn't have been overconfident during the Selection Round.

Then, without saying anything more, Qin Hao sat down on the other side, clearly acquiescing to Zhou Bai's leading role.

"God Bai, what about me? What's my responsibility!"

Xu Xiu quickly asked Zhou Bai.

"You'll need to adapt on the fly during the match, assessing the situation to choose between defense or joining the attack..."

Zhou Bai continued.

"Alright, God Bai, I'll give it my all to complete the task!"

Xu Xiu said with full confidence.

Although Xu Xiu didn't like these teammates, he had to admit their strength was truly terrifying.

So, even if M Country and Sakura Country had fifth-rank powerhouses, Xu Xiu wouldn't be overly intimidated.

After further discussing the details of the upcoming match, they each returned to their rooms.

"Team battle, fifth-rank opponents..."

In his room, Zhou Bai looked at the data in the electronic document, murmuring to himself.

[Name]: Zhou Bai

[Level]: Fourth-Rank Martial Artist

[Talent]: Dutian Divine Thunder (SS), Divine Thought Sovereign (SS)

[Qi and Blood]: 16,860 Ka (+)

[Spirit]: 7,120 Hz (+)

[Skills]: Endless Hell (First Layer), Nine Heavens Thunder Saber (Advanced), Phantom Sky Travel (Advanced), Indestructible Thunder Body (Fourth Layer), Battle Saint Method (Intermediate), Profound Spirit Soul Extinguishing Seal (Beginner)...

[learning points]: 430

[Items]: energy fruit*388, skill upgrade card*4

"System, upgrade Phantom Sky Travel!"

After a moment's thought, Zhou Bai decided to upgrade the S-rank Martial Skill Phantom Sky Travel, since he currently had four skill upgrade cards.

[Ding, consumed one skill upgrade card. S-rank Phantom Sky Travel has been upgraded to SS-rank Nine Shadows Void Escape!]

[Nine Shadows Void Escape]: SS-rank movement Martial Skill. Can transform into a phantom, possessing swift speed and the ability to split into phantom clones for attack. Upon mastering to perfection, can split into nine phantom clones...

[Ding, Nine Shadows Void Escape was upgraded from the advanced Phantom Sky Travel. The advanced proficiency can be directly converted to beginner proficiency in Nine Shadows Void Escape!]

Soon after, the system's prompt sounded in Zhou Bai's mind.

Simultaneously, the cultivation memories related to Nine Shadows Void Escape instantly merged with Zhou Bai.

"Not bad. SS-rank Nine Shadows Void Escape is directly at beginner level!"

Feeling the influx of memories in his mind, Zhou Bai's face was filled with delight.

This saved Zhou Bai some learning points.

Moreover, the power of Nine Shadows Void Escape significantly boosted Zhou Bai's strength.

Even at beginner level, Nine Shadows Void Escape was very strong for the current Zhou Bai, allowing him to split into two phantom clones, which provided a great advantage in battle.

Although the phantom clones didn't possess the full attack power of the main body, Zhou Bai's own attack power was formidable; even a partial enhancement was terrifying.

Furthermore, the phantom clones could also receive the combat power boost from the Battle Saint Method.

"Next, I'll continue cultivating and tempering my cranial bone, enhancing my Qi and Blood Power and spiritual power, to face tomorrow's battle in the best possible state!"

After upgrading Phantom Sky Travel, Zhou Bai's confidence soared, and he entered a state of focused cultivation.

...

"How were the new martial arts talents who arrived today?"

In another luxurious palace within Xuanhuang Fortress, a young man dressed in black with sharp, lean features spoke slowly.

"Brother Ye, those new talents are trash; not a single fifth-rank among them!"

"Yeah, you should have seen it. There were even two guys arguing over who was the runner-up, a theoretical runner-up at that. It absolutely shocked me for ten thousand years..."

"Exactly. I just went to see how they were planning for tomorrow's team battle. To my surprise, as soon as I arrived, they dispersed and went back to their rooms without any discussion at all. I really don't know how they plan to win, or what qualifies them to win..."

Inside the palace, several other peerless geniuses from Xia Country chimed in with complaints, their words filled with disappointment and frustration at their lack of drive.

Ye Wushang didn't respond, instead turning his gaze to the stunningly beautiful Mu Qinghuang in red beside him.

"Those people are hardly up to the task!"

After a moment of thought, Mu Qinghuang spoke slowly.

"What about the new talents from Imperial Martial Arts University..."

Ye Wushang pondered briefly before continuing.

"Brother Ye, you have no idea. Those guys from Imperial Martial are even worse. They got their heads stomped on by a Vocational College student who took the Champion title in the Battle of the Dawn. Two from Imperial Martial made it to the top four, yet they let a freshman from a Vocational College snatch it away..."

"The prestige of Imperial Martial is being ruined by these guys..."

As soon as Ye Wushang finished speaking, the other geniuses nearby quickly added.

"Getting their heads stomped on by a Junior College Student to lose the championship? Have our Imperial Martial new talents become so weak?"

Hearing his companions' words, Ye Wushang was completely stunned.

Ye Wushang was last year's Champion of the Battle of the Dawn, possessing terrifying strength and a deep understanding of the competition's intensity.

This year, because the World Martial Arts Competition involved resource allocation for secret realms, Ye Wushang had devoted himself entirely to it and hadn't paid attention to this year's Battle of the Dawn.

In Ye Wushang's view, a Junior College Student was practically synonymous with trash.

Now, hearing that Imperial Martial's freshmen had their heads stomped on by a Junior College Student for the championship, Ye Wushang felt all hope vanish.

"It seems it's just as Qinghuang said. These people are hardly up to the task!"

Ye Wushang sighed, then spoke slowly.

Everyone nodded.

"It's fine, Brother Ye. We never really counted on them anyway!"

A tall, burly genius nearby said slowly.

"It's just a pity. Tomorrow's team battle also affects some resource allocation. It seems now M Country and Sakura Country will gain a bit more advantage. Sakura Country is one thing; their points are behind ours. But M Country is our strongest rival. If they get an extra new team's help..."

Another genius sighed as he spoke.

Hearing this, everyone felt a wave of helplessness.

Aaron Helens from M Country was simply too strong, having exerted immense pressure on them since the competition began.

It was almost suffocating...

Now, if M Country gained more advantages, it would likely be even harder to achieve final victory in this World Martial Arts Competition...

"For now, we can only take it one step at a time..."

Ye Wushang slowly raised his head, his eyes firm as he spoke.

...