275: Chapter 275 The Competition Begins

As time passed, more and more heavyweights arrived, and the campus became increasingly lively.

When the pre-assigned VIP seats were nearly full, the hosts of the city finally made their late appearance.

Xu Chaoyang arrived accompanied by his wife, Wei Mingzhu, and the Envoy of the Sangyu Delegation.

They first approached the presiding seats to pay their respects to the Crown Prince, and Crown Prince Crown Prince Ye Xuanji returned the gesture quite affably.

After taking their respective seats, Commander-in-Chief Gao Jing of the Sang City Army muttered to Commander-in-Chief Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun of Yu City beside him.

“What is that man Xu up to? Not only are His Majesty and the Crown Prince here, but why did someone from Feng City show up too?”

Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun smiled slightly. “He’s likely throwing up a smoke screen.”

Gao Jing snorted. “That man is far too calculating. We’d best be careful.”

Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun waved his hand dismissively. “Brother Xu should still be sincere.”

“His willingness to accept the wager and use the results of this match to resolve our strategic differences is already a significant concession.”

“He holds the Divine Ruins in his hands, and Song City is a vital node for launching the strategy; reaching this point wasn't easy for him.”

Gao Jing glanced at him with disdain. “You call that a concession?”

“From Sangyu to Song City, and then north from Song City, the distance exceeds 1,300 kilometers. Even a forced march would take four or five days.”

“He actually wants to strike Feng City to the north first. By then, our soldiers will be exhausted. How much combat effectiveness will they have left?”

“When the time comes, the leadership of this allied army will likely fall to him.”

Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun shook his head with a smile. “Huaidou is situated on the Xihuai Plateau. The road westward is narrow; a large army can't even deploy there.”

“If we can't achieve a rapid Breakthrough, even if we travel a few hundred kilometers less, we'll still be blocked outside the plateau.”

“Even if that step goes smoothly and we successfully encircle Huaidou—given that it's a millennium-old fortress with ten divisions of powerful troops—will that battle be easy?”

“Your strategy might not be that brilliant either.”

“What truly decides leadership is seeing which of our families can produce a Huagai Realm in the future.”

Gao Jing said in a low voice, “That's still better than handing over our lives and fortunes to him.”

“Besides... Old Han, I don't think Xu Chaoyang looks like he's going to yield.”

“Do you think this man Xu might have some other scheme?”

“He agreed so readily; could he be hiding a trump card that can win this match?”

Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun frowned deeply. “That... should be basically impossible, right?”

“Our three juniors are all rare geniuses seen once in a millennium.”

“We've seen the data on the Song City contestants. While they aren't weak, the gap is still quite large.”

“Even the most outstanding one, Miao Manman, is far from being able to compare to that boy Guan Guo.”

Gao Jing still waved his hand. “I feel like something's wrong.”

“Miao Yulin's granddaughter is certainly no match for Guan Guo.”

“But that Tang Long, as the President of the White Clothes Society, shouldn't be as weak as the data suggests.”

Commander-in-Chief Han Shixun couldn't help but laugh out loud. “My friend, you're perhaps being overly anxious.”

“Even if you're right and Tang Long is a hidden talent who eventually defeats Zhu Le,”

“Gao Guo is already a guaranteed win, and that Lu Xiaohu couldn't possibly be a match for Junji.”

“We hold two victories firmly in our hands. Do you think Xu Chaoyang can just go back on his word?”

Gao Jing sighed. “The logic in what you say is impeccable. I hope I'm just being paranoid.”

As he spoke, thunderous cheers erupted.

Ye Qingcang, Emperor of the Dongyu Kingdom, appeared accompanied by Tang Long and the others.

All the ministers, officials, teachers, and students rose to their feet, applauding enthusiastically.

Wei Mingzhu watched Ye Qingcang walk toward the highest main spectator stand and asked Xu Chaoyang in a low voice,

“How did the Emperor end up walking with Tang Long?”

Xu Chaoyang gave a mirthless smile. “It’s not surprising. Hasn't this kid given us enough surprises already?”

“How is this a surprise?”

“Of course it is. The Emperor loves grand achievements. Tang Long wants to curry favor with him, so he must win today's match.”

Wei Mingzhu sighed softly. “Tang Long's strength is impressive, but he can win one match at most. The White Clothing Society and the First Specialized Academy cannot win the whole thing.”

Xu Chaoyang shook his head with a smile. “Although I haven't figured out how he'll win either... I believe he can do it.”

The waves of cheering drowned out their conversation as the Emperor began his speech.

“My fellow officials, citizens of Song City, and students of the First Specialized Academy!”

“Our Dongyu was founded on martial prowess. For a thousand years, the martial arts have flourished, and we are known as a warrior race in this world precisely because of this profound martial spirit!”

“I have come uninvited today to add a bit of luster to this fierce competition between dragons and tigers.”

“However, I do not intend to overstep my bounds and steal Governor Xu's thunder.”

At this point, laughter broke out from the surroundings, and both eyes and cameras turned toward Xu Chaoyang.

On several large temporary screens, Xu Chaoyang appeared bowing slightly toward the Emperor with a face full of smiles.

“I won't say more! Just act as if I am not here!”

“Everyone, sit! Strike the drums! Let the matches begin!”

As the Emperor finished speaking, over a hundred large drums prepared on all sides were struck simultaneously.

Amidst the rhythmic drumming, Principal Wang Dong walked excitedly to the center of the field to announce today's contestants and rules.

First-year group: Tang Long, First Stage, versus Zhu Le, Fourth Stage.

Second-year group: Lu Xiaohu, Second Stage, versus Zhao Junji, Fifth Stage.

Third-year group: Miao Manman, Sixth Stage, versus Guan Guo, Seventh Stage.

This is a no-holds-barred battle. Victory or defeat is determined by death on the spot, loss of combat ability, being knocked out of the ring, or surrender.

When the names and stages of the opposing sides were clearly displayed on the large screens, the students of the First Specialized Academy let out a chorus of boos.

The members of the Sangyu Delegation were indeed too exaggerated; the Third Stage was already the graduation standard for a specialized academy, and the Seventh Stage was enough to graduate from a high institute.

At this moment, the three members from the Sangyu side had already entered the field, and Tang Long's group had walked to the sidelines.

Coming to Wei Lin's side, Tang Long looked him over, and Wei Lin's face immediately filled with shame.

“President, I've disgraced the White Clothing Society...”

Tang Long cut him off and patted his shoulder.

“Second Stage against Fourth Stage—as long as you dare to fight, there is no disgrace. You did very well.”

“Losing one match doesn't matter, but do not think you are forever inferior to your opponent. Use this as motivation to strive for the top.”

“I will personally reclaim your debt for you.”

After speaking, Tang Long and the other two walked into the field together.

Once in the center, Guan Guo scanned them one by one and then asked with a smile,

“Is it just the three of you? Our side should have informed you earlier that as long as it's one-on-one, we don't mind how many of you come at us in a gauntlet.”

Tang Long chuckled. “Are you really that generous?”

Guan Guo stared intently at Tang Long for a few seconds, then waved his hand.

“Since there's nothing more to say, let's begin. Good luck to you all!”

The six of them walked toward three designated thirty-meter circles, marked clearly with one, two, and three—simple and direct.

As Wang Dong announced the start once more, Miao Manman was the first to have lightning flicker across her entire body, emitting a series of thunderous booms.

Lu Xiaohu also directly transformed into a tiger-man, his physique swelling to nearly double its size.

In comparison, Tang Long's side was the calmest; he simply walked toward Zhu Le step by step.

Zhu Le also wore a cruel grin as he strode forward. “Brat, I heard you want to give me a hundred slaps. You—”

Before he could finish, Tang Long suddenly accelerated, crossing the three-step distance almost instantly and landing a slap across his face.

Zhu Le had tried his best to dodge, but he was just a fraction too slow to avoid it.

Under the protection of his scales, the slap didn't cause much damage, but it rang out loud and clear.

The audience erupted in laughter, and Zhu Le's face turned beet red with embarrassment.

In the other two combat circles, Guan Guo and Zhao Junji also cast dissatisfied glances over.

Zhu Le dared not be careless again. His body immediately swelled, shredding his shirt in the blink of an eye to reveal shiny scales covering his entire body, even his face.

Then he let out a roar and lunged at Tang Long again, his steps leaving a trail of clear footprints in the ground.