85: Chapter 85: Martial Arts Competition Ends, Ranking of Students Enters the Entrance Palace

Xing Zhige watched the long sword pressed against his throat, a layer of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

After a moment, he let out a long, turbid breath, lowered the giant axe in his hand, and gave a wry smile:

"Brother Lu's 'Cloud Flow Clone Step', combined with that Taixuan Sword Art, is truly impossible to guard against."

"I have lost, and I am convinced."

Lu Yuchen flicked his wrist, and with a "clang," his sword returned to its sheath. He bowed elegantly:

"Brother Xing's axe-style Protective Aura is also peerlessly domineering."

"If I hadn't taken advantage of my movement technique, the outcome would have been truly unpredictable."

"I concede!"

A brilliant, Peak duel came to an end.

The entire venue erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

...

As the final match of the martial arts tournament ended.

Above the firmament, the phantom of the immortal stele that spanned the horizon rumbled and shook once more.

Golden light surged frantically on its surface, and the original battle list began to change rapidly.

According to the rules of Four Seas Academy, losing the first round did not mean complete elimination.

Besides the absolute combat power of the Martial Artist, the Academy also valued the potential of the Martial Artist even more.

After all, the students in the Heaven Class varied in Realm from the Xuanguan Seven Apertures to the Peak of the twelve apertures.

If a seven-aperture student were made to fight a twelve-aperture student, and losing meant elimination, that would be a purely brain-dead setting.

Therefore, the rules for the second round of matchups after the first round were extremely reasonable.

The winners of the first round would face those who lost in the first round but had a higher Realm or a higher ranking on the hidden dragon ranking than themselves!

If you could continue to win, it proved you had the potential to challenge those at a higher level or replace them, allowing you to continue advancing.

Soon, the list for the second round was refreshed.

Because Chen Shanzhi had displayed the strength of the Xuanguan Eight Apertures in the first round.

Although it was somewhat difficult, he still defeated Tang Liu, who was ranked ninety-ninth.

Therefore, the opponent the immortal stele matched him with in this round.

Was a Martial Artist who was also at the Xuanguan Eight Apertures, but whose ranking on the hidden dragon ranking was as high as ninetieth!

And as for Tang Xiaowu, because she also revealed eight-aperture strength in the first round and won easily.

The immortal stele arranged for her, surprisingly, was a student with Xuanguan Nine Apertures, but whose ranking on the hidden dragon ranking was actually lower than hers because their bone age was twenty-one!

As for Tang Liu.

This unlucky original protagonist.

Because the person he lost to in the first round was Chen Shanzhi, who was only recorded on the immortal stele as having "Xuanguan Five Apertures" at the time.

Being defeated by a Martial Artist whose Realm was a full three apertures lower than his own.

Thus, in the judgment of the immortal stele, this belonged to a "combat power of five" loser with absolutely no potential.

Therefore, Tang Liu didn't even have the qualification to participate in the resurrection tournament.

He was directly removed from the name list by the immortal stele and completely eliminated from the martial arts tournament.

The first day of the martial arts tournament ended here. The crowd dispersed, still wanting more.

...

The next day, the martial arts tournament continued.

Without any suspense, Chen Shanzhi used less than ten moves on the arena.

He once again used the extremely violent "Nine-Turn Golden Body Art of the Witch God" to pin the Martial Artist ranked ninetieth to the ground and rub him, successfully securing his second victory.

As the match ended.

Golden light flashed on the immortal stele.

His ranking on the hidden dragon ranking directly changed from ninety-ninth to ninetieth!

As for Tang Xiaowu, she was equally stunning.

She forcefully crossed an aperture and defeated her opponent with Xuanguan Nine Apertures!

Thanks to the bonus of fighting across levels, Tang Xiaowu's ranking on the hidden dragon ranking instantly rushed to eighty-eighth.

Immediately following this, the final round of the martial arts tournament arrived!

In this round, perhaps because Chen Shanzhi had won too easily in the first two rounds.

When the immortal stele generated the final list, it actually arranged for him a very formidable opponent!

A top expert at the Peak of Xuanguan Nine Apertures, ranked seventieth on the hidden dragon ranking!

When this list came out, the whole venue was in an uproar.

Everyone was convinced that Chen Shanzhi was definitely going to fall this time.

After all, a Xuanguan Eight Apertures fighting a Peak Nine Apertures, with a chasm of twenty places in the hidden dragon ranking in between!

Even Tang Xiaowu, off the stage, was so nervous that her palms were full of cold sweat.

However, half an hour later.

When that expert with Xuanguan Nine Apertures was subjected to Chen Shanzhi's storm-like, formless yet heavy-as-a-thousand-catty close-quarters combat.

Finding an extremely tiny flaw, Chen Shanzhi shattered his Galaxy Protectors Astral Qi with one punch and directly knocked him unconscious on the arena.

The entire Martial Arts Arena fell into a silence that lasted for half a cup of tea.

Everyone looked at the young man in the brocade robe on the arena, rubbing his wrists with a calm expression.

Their worldview was once again pressed to the ground and fiercely rubbed.

Above the sky, golden light flashed across the immortal stele.

[Chen Shanzhi, enters the hidden dragon ranking at seventieth place!]

This dream-like leap in ranking completely silenced all the students who had mocked him.

As for Tang Xiaowu, in the final round, she still fought an ordinary Martial Artist with Xuanguan Nine Apertures.

Although she won again, because this was already a cross-level challenge within the normal range.

The immortal stele's assessment of her potential did not jump again.

So her ranking remained at eighty-eighth.

...

As the martial arts tournament of the Heaven Class came to a complete end.

The subsequent martial arts tournaments for the Earth Class and the Xuanhuang classes were also fought fiercely.

But compared to the Heaven Class, they seemed a bit dull.

Under the all-weather restoration, enhancement, and blessing of the Martial Arts Arena formation.

The martial arts tournaments of the following three classes were declared over in just one day.

Among them, the commoner Sword Cultivator from the Earth Class named Wu Jing.

Relying on his heavy black iron sword and the strength of the Xuanguan Seven Apertures he had just broken through to.

He fought his way through the ranks, easily breaking into the top ten of the Earth Class, and successfully obtained a spot to be promoted to the Heaven Class.

After the martial arts tournaments for all Martial Artists were completely over.

At dusk.

At the entrance of the huge jade archway of the central Martial Arts Arena.

Amidst a roar, a huge golden notice, three zhang long and wide, was posted out of thin air!

At the very top of the notice, five purple-gold characters written in a vigorous and cursive style were written:

[academy wind and cloud ranking]

Below these five large characters, from top to bottom, fifty golden shimmering names were listed densely.

These fifty people were the top Prodigies of this batch at Four Seas Academy, after synthesizing their actual combat results and potential rankings from the immortal stele!

At the same time, this also represented having the opportunity to obtain a spot to enter the Academy Secret Realm at the end of the year!

Countless excited students instantly surged up like a tide, wanting to see the final ranking.

Chen Shanzhi held Tang Xiaowu's hand and also mixed into the periphery of the crowd, looking up slowly.

His gaze swept all the way down.

Finally, at the very end of the list.

Chen Shanzhi saw two extremely familiar names, pressed tightly together.

[Thirty-ninth place: Chen Shanzhi]

[Fortieth place: Tang Xiaowu]

Looking at the names on the list, a faint arc curled at the corner of Chen Shanzhi's mouth.

In just three days, with a few martial arts matches.

He had forcefully torn off the label of a playboy that had been on him for over a decade.

Directly stepping on the head of the original plane's son, he had brazenly killed his way into this wind and cloud ranking, which represented the highest honor of the Academy!

For a time, within the entire Four Seas Academy, the reputation of this Marquis of Zhenguo's heir.

Actually, actually began to have a hint of improvement...