Chapter 83

The Wu Hall was surrounded by a sea of people. Although it wasn't as bustling as on the first day, there were still over four to five thousand "students" gathered.

Among these people, actually nine out of ten had already been eliminated in previous rounds, but they still didn't want to miss this year's Wu Dao Festival.

As Yang Ji entered the hall, he immediately noticed that all the steel platforms in the "well"-shaped hall, which were used for the first round of the martial trials, had been dismantled. Deeper inside, the massive steel barriers that originally separated the inner and outer areas had also disappeared, revealing a much larger space.

The Wu Hall was packed with people, and at the center of the crowd stood a steel platform several times larger than the previous one.

Unlike the first round of the martial trials, the steel plates of the platform for the second round were clearly much thicker, resembling a giant steel crab crouching in the Wu Hall.

Behind this "steel crab," about several thousand feet away, a huge, ceiling-high steel wall stood, dividing the entire "Wu Hall" into two competition zones, north and south.

Compared to the first round, the scale of the second round was clearly much larger. The platform had been reinforced to accommodate candidates with greater strength.

The guards were also clearly of a higher rank and in greater numbers, standing in rows like a steel flood, giving people an indescribable sense of pressure.

On the platform, the host of the competition had been directly upgraded from a team leader to a battalion commander!

"Yang Ji! ——"

Just as Yang Ji was observing, a voice of surprise suddenly sounded in his ear. Following the sound, he immediately saw Han Bin not far away.

He was standing at the entrance, near the wall, as if he had been there for quite some time.

"Han Bin, why are you here?"

Yang Ji raised an eyebrow, pushed through the crowd, and walked over.

"Haha, to wait for you, of course."

Han Bin had a smug look on his face. Among so many candidates watching the second round, only he had thought to wait for Yang Ji at the entrance.

"Yang Ji, good luck!"

Han Bin raised his arm, his face full of excitement. "I came specially to cheer you on. You are the only person I know in this list of candidates for the second round."

Watching others compete is completely different from watching someone you know. Han Bin was now somewhat impressed with his own foresight, having judged that Yang Ji had the potential to become a "Wu Tongsheng" even before the first round of the martial trials ended.

Yang Ji couldn't help but laugh, but he still thanked him. After all, Han Bin's notebook had given him quite a bit of help.

"Yang Ji, in this competition, there are three people you need to pay special attention to: Zuo Guangdou, Lu Youxiang, and Wang Xian. They are likely to be your strong opponents! I watched their matches, and they are no ordinary competitors, all advancing with a perfect record!"

Han Bin said.

"Is this the latest information?"

Yang Ji smiled.

"Yang Ji, don't be careless. Now, at the Long Dragon Tavern, many experts are discussing that in your half of the competition, they are definitely among the final seven."

Han Bin said with a serious expression.

"Oh, I see."

Yang Ji nodded thoughtfully.

Han Bin's notebook listed many people, but since the matches were not fixed, he had only seen a few of them in person.

Han Bin's serious tone indicated that these three were indeed exceptional, and he wanted Yang Ji to pay special attention to them.

"Clang! ——"

As they were talking, a bell sound rang out, drawing everyone's attention. The vast hall immediately fell silent.

"The time has come, the competition can begin. Before the competition, I will announce a few rules."

On the platform, a battalion commander in full armor, exuding a strong and solemn aura, stepped forward to the front of the platform, facing the crowd.

His voice was authoritative and resonant, like two large bells echoing in the air, spreading a fierce, flame-like aura.

"The second round of the martial trials is slightly different from the previous one. If you lose in the competition, you won't be immediately eliminated. However, if you lose seven times, you will be automatically eliminated from the competition..."

The battalion commander's gaze swept over the entire field, and the hall was silent, not a sound to be heard.

"This is actually in line with the rule that only seven people can be selected for the 'Wu Keju.' If you lose seven times in a row, you won't even need to participate in the final round; you will lose the qualification to compete for the position of Wu Tongsheng."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

The "Wu Keju" will only select the strongest seven people, and even the "eighth strongest" will be eliminated!

"All candidates must not attack the opponent's head, groin, or heart..."

The following rules were relatively simple, similar to those of the first round.

"Now, the competition begins!"

With the battalion commander's voice, the north and south competition zones simultaneously erupted in thunderous cheers, drawing everyone's attention.

Yang Ji glanced in the direction of the cheers, faintly "seeing" the start of another grand event. In the second round of the martial trials, the north and south competition zones would each select seven people to compete for the final glory.

This was destined to be a brutal elimination!

"I'll go prepare."

Yang Ji turned around and looked at Han Bin.

The second round of the martial trials required re-verification of identity according to the rules. Before the competition, Yang Ji had to confirm his household registration and travel permit again.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll cheer for you."

Han Bin said with a smile.

Yang Ji smiled and shook his head, then walked away.

"Number 2312, Lin Lun, and Number 6545, Li Xing, please step onto the platform..."

With the authoritative voice, the competition began, and two candidates stepped onto the platform.

"Li Xing?"

Hearing this name, Yang Ji stopped. He had a vague impression of this person, who seemed to be from Unit 10, just like him.

On the fifth day of the Wu Keju, Yang Ji defeated Shen Tong, and according to the rules, Shen Tong was eliminated. The person who replaced Shen Tong and advanced as the second place from Unit 10 was this "Li Xing"!

"It must be him."

Yang Ji didn't pay much attention and continued walking. Although Li Xing wasn't as strong as Shen Tong, his position as the "second strongest" in Unit 10 seemed a bit weak, but his strength was still decent.

Boom!

Just as Yang Ji was walking not far from the platform, a deafening sound suddenly rang out. In that moment, Yang Ji saw a figure fly out heavily.

"Lin Lun wins!"

The battalion commander's voice echoed from the platform.

"So fast?"

Yang Ji was secretly surprised. He had only walked halfway across the competition area, and the match was already over, which was beyond his expectations.

Although Li Xing's strength might be a bit lacking, his defeat was too quick.

"Lin Lun is really strong, no wonder he is the strongest in Hall 18!..."

A voice of discussion came from the crowd.

Yang Ji looked up at the platform. Just losing the first match in the second round put a lot of pressure on Li Xing, and his mood was clearly low. According to the rules, losing six more times would mean elimination.

"Pity, his practical experience is lacking. Facing an opponent like Lin Lun, he had little room to maneuver."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

On the platform, Li Xing was dejected and was about to step down. Suddenly—

"Next match, Number 6545, Li Xing, and Number 4432, Zhao Bai, please step onto the platform..."

This announcement made Li Xing, who had just reached the steps, visibly startled. He clearly didn't expect to have to go up again so soon after his loss.

"Li Xing, Zhao Bai, please prepare to step onto the platform."

The battalion commander, who was hosting the second round, didn't care much and urged them with a blank expression.

Just like the first day of the Wu Keju, the order of the matches for the second round was predetermined.

Whether you won or lost was not important, and no one cared. The purpose of the second round was to select the strongest seven people to participate in the final.

"This guy is in trouble."

Yang Ji watched Li Xing on the platform, and a thought flashed through his mind. Li Xing was clearly unprepared, having just lost a match and now having to go up again, with no mental preparation.

Yang Ji could even see the panic and tension in his eyes. In such a situation, it would be difficult for him to perform at his normal level.

Sure enough, Li Xing was full of flaws, and his opponent seized the opportunity to knock him off the platform.

The crowd fell silent, all eyes focused on "Li Xing" on the platform. If his loss in the previous round was somewhat understandable, this time it was truly unacceptable.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Xing was knocked off the platform again, appearing even more flustered. Small-scale competitions were one thing, but now with four to five thousand spectators and the presence of the battalion commander, Li Xing was clearly not used to it.

"This guy... his ability to handle pressure is not up to par!"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

Everyone was around fifteen or sixteen years old, and clearly not everyone had the mental strength to accept failure.

Moreover, Yang Ji even felt that Li Xing seemed to lack confidence in replacing Shen Tong. This lack of confidence seemed to be growing with each defeat.

"He is probably going to be eliminated!"

A trace of pity flashed in Yang Ji's eyes.

His opponent in the second round was about the same strength as him, but in this mental state, Li Xing clearly couldn't compete.

Boom!

When Li Xing was knocked off the platform for the second time in a clumsy manner, a chorus of boos finally rose from the crowd.

"Which unit is this guy from? He's too weak!"

Someone in the crowd called out. For many who were expecting a strong match, these first two matches were clearly not what they had hoped for, or at least not up to their expectations.

"Seems to be from Unit 10."

A voice in the crowd replied.

"Unit 10? No way! So weak! How can someone with this level of strength advance, let alone be the strongest?"

"Yeah, is Unit 10 all like this? I could do better than him!"

"Haha, if I had known, I would have strongly requested the examiner to place me in Unit 10. Maybe I could sweep the competition."

...

The crowd was buzzing, and the discussion naturally shifted to the 10th platform where Li Xing had advanced.

In the crowd, upon hearing these comments, the candidates from Unit 10 glared angrily at those around them, and even Li Xing on the platform was hated.

This was originally just a problem of Li Xing not performing well, but now it had affected the reputation of all the candidates who had participated in the 10th platform.

Yang Ji frowned. The situation had developed in a way he hadn't expected.

A simple competition had suddenly turned into a dispute over the strength of the different units.

...