After a brief rest—half the time it takes an incense stick to burn—the second round of matches began.
As the presiding instructor, Luo Zhan, prepared to draw names, Gou Xu approached with a smile. "Instructor Luo, allow me to handle the draw for this round."
Luo Zhan paused, then chuckled. "Very well, Instructor Gou. I'll leave it to you."
"Heh, you're too kind, Instructor Luo," Gou Xu replied, his tone light but his heart easing with relief. He knew the Qin family's influence all too well. Having taken their money, failure to deliver would bring consequences even a Star Academy instructor couldn't escape.
Seeing Gou Xu take the stage, Qin Fen's eyes gleamed below, a sinister smirk aimed at Qin Chen.
"Madam, it's been arranged," Qin Yong whispered, having returned unnoticed to Zhao Feng's side in the stands.
"I see. Well done," Zhao Feng replied, her smile venomous. Qin Chen's sudden rise had sparked unease in her. If he weren't crippled in this exam, she'd never rest easy.
At that moment, Qin Yuechi glanced back at Zhao Feng and then at Gou Xu on the stage, a cold glint flickering in her eyes.
The change in instructors for the draw went unnoticed by most—a minor detail in the heat of the tournament.
Gou Xu reached into the wooden box, his hand lingering as he felt the nameplates, then drew two. "Second round, first match: Wang Qiming versus Huang Yuxuan!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement—a marquee matchup to start the round.
Huang Yuxuan, a veteran advanced-class student, was at peak Human-Level Late Stage, one of the few considered close to breaking through to Earth-Level.
"Wang Qiming, I won't surrender," Huang Yuxuan declared, gripping a heavy iron spear, his gaze sharp.
At his level, even against a superior opponent, pride wouldn't allow an easy forfeit.
Wang Qiming's face remained impassive. "Whether you surrender or not, the outcome is the same."
"We'll see about that," Huang Yuxuan retorted coldly.
Gou Xu, seeing both ready, announced, "Match begins!"
The words barely left his mouth when Huang Yuxuan stomped the ground. Boom! The stage cracked, air swirling into a vortex as he shot toward Wang Qiming. His black spear swept forward like an ocean tide, engulfing Wang Qiming in a storm of spear shadows.
"Sweep the Thousand Armies!"
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The air quaked, the spear's terrifying force tearing through it like paper. Endless spear shadows swallowed Wang Qiming, like a reef submerged by a tidal wave.
Just as the barrage seemed poised to overwhelm him, a blinding saber light flashed, like the first dawn breaking the night, searing into every onlooker's eyes.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed. The spear shadows vanished, leaving Huang Yuxuan's face pale with shock, retreating rapidly.
He was fast, but the saber light was faster.
Whoosh!
Wang Qiming's blade sliced through the spear shadows, and he pressed forward. With a flick of his wrist, the saber flared again, its light passing before Huang Yuxuan in an instant.
Pfft!
Huang Yuxuan's martial robe tore open, a shallow cut across his chest oozing blood.
"I…" Huang Yuxuan stared blankly at the wound, his iron spear clattering to the ground, his eyes dazed.
On the other side, Wang Qiming sheathed his saber and stepped off the stage.
"Wang Qiming wins!" an instructor declared.
The crowd erupted in a deafening uproar.
"So fast—one move?"
"Huang Yuxuan is a peak Human-Level Late Stage martial artist, yet he couldn't withstand a single strike from Wang Qiming? How is that possible?"
"Is the gap between Human-Level and Earth-Level really that vast?"
Students gasped, staring at Wang Qiming in awe.
"Hm?" Li Qingfeng and Zhao Lingshan narrowed their eyes, studying Wang Qiming intently.
Amid the clamor, the second match began.
Gou Xu reached into the box again, his hand lingering before pulling out two nameplates. "Second match: Qin Fen versus… Qin Chen!" he announced loudly.
"What?"
The crowd froze, stunned.
"Is that a mistake?" Lin Tian gaped at Qin Chen.
All eyes turned to Qin Chen and Qin Fen. The bad blood between the two Qin family members was no secret, but no one had expected them to actually face off. In a round of sixteen, with an eighth-chance probability, they'd been paired?
"Haha, Qin Chen, if you've got the guts, step up! I'll teach you the meaning of regret," Qin Fen crowed, leaping onto the stage with a savage grin.
Qin Chen ascended slowly, casting a glance at Gou Xu, who feigned nonchalance. A cold smirk flickered in Qin Chen's mind. From the moment Gou Xu took the stage, he'd suspected this was no coincidence.
But to everyone else, it seemed like pure chance.
Facing Qin Fen, Qin Chen said calmly, "Soon, you'll see who's the one regretting."
"Laughable! I'll admit you've improved, but in front of me, you're still just trash!" Qin Fen sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. Words were unnecessary between them. Today, only one would remain standing.
"Really?" Qin Chen replied, his voice steady, unruffled.
Qin Fen's brow twitched. Qin Chen's composure unnerved him. Does he have some hidden trump card to be this calm?
But he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Qin Chen's talent—or lack thereof—better than anyone. No matter what fluke or breakthrough Qin Chen had achieved, he couldn't possibly match him. For fifteen years, Qin Chen had been powerless under Qin Fen's bullying, never once fighting back.
"A Qin family feud, heh. This should be good. Young Marquis, who do you think will win?" a noble-born student beside Li Qingfeng asked with a teasing grin.
"Hard to say," Li Qingfeng replied, frowning. "Qin Fen's strong, but Qin Chen seems to have some tricks. It could go either way. Wei Zhen, what do you think?"
Li Qingfeng knew Wei Zhen might have insight.
Wei Zhen stared at Qin Chen, a trace of wariness in his eyes. "Li Qingfeng, if you underestimate Qin Chen, you'll regret it. In this fight, Qin Chen will win."
"No way!" another student scoffed.
"Wei Zhen, you're exaggerating. Forget the Young Marquis—even I could crush Qin Chen with one hand," another sneered.
Wei Zhen glanced at him. "Then why aren't you in the top sixteen?"
The student's face flushed red. "Bad luck, that's all," he muttered.
"Believe it or not, Qin Fen's in trouble this time," Wei Zhen said coldly.
Li Qingfeng turned to the stage, his brow furrowed. He knew Wei Zhen's character well. Why was he so wary of this youth?
Could Qin Chen really have something up his sleeve?