Chapter 85

To be fair, if Li Xing had not been the first to appear in the first round, but instead appeared later, even if he failed, there probably wouldn't be so many people criticizing him.

But one wrong step, and everything goes wrong. Now, Li Xing has lost all confidence. In front of an opponent of the same realm and level, he couldn't even withstand one move and suffered a crushing defeat. It's no wonder people are criticizing him, and even the candidates from Zone 10 are being implicated.

"Next, Candidate 1201 Yang Ji and Candidate 1776 Zhao Qi to the stage!..."

At this moment, a stern and resonant voice echoed on the stage.

"Buzz!"

In an instant, the noise in the arena seemed to diminish. Many of the originally emotionally agitated candidates from Unit 10 instantly quieted down, looking around as if trying to find Yang Ji's whereabouts in the crowd.

"Yang Ji!—"

Almost simultaneously, at the front of the crowd by the edge of the stage, Yang Wen and Yang Wu's pupils suddenly contracted, shooting out cold rays like needles.

These two words seemed to have a certain magic, instantly stimulating all their nerves.

"Look carefully, we must find out if this Yang Ji is that guy!"

The two looked as if they were facing a great enemy, their gazes constantly sweeping across the entire venue.

It was not easy to find one person among thousands in the bustling Wu Hall. However, the two were not anxious; as long as Yang Ji stepped onto the stage, he would not escape their eyes.

"Surprisingly, it's a challenge match!"

Yang Ji glanced at the stage. "Zhao Qi," who had just defeated Li Xing, was still standing there and had not left. In the Wu Examination, a candidate usually leaves the stage after a match, regardless of whether they win or lose.

This situation, where a candidate stays on the stage for consecutive matches, is called a "challenge match."

"Zhao Qi" was still waiting on the stage. Yang Ji glanced at this opponent, who was now full of confidence and smugness, and suddenly had an idea.

Boom!

When Yang Ji appeared at the edge of the stage, the originally quiet crowd instantly erupted again. Especially the candidates from Unit 10 in the crowd, who were the loudest.

"Go, Yang Ji!"

"Beat them!"

"Show these guys the strength of Zone 10!"

...

These candidates from Unit 10 were all shouting with red faces and swollen necks, more excited than if they were on the stage themselves. "Li Xing" had lost three consecutive matches, causing all the candidates from Zone 10 to be criticized. Everyone was harboring a deep resentment.

Perhaps in the past, people didn't think much about the significance of different zones, but at this moment, everyone was united, desperately hoping for Yang Ji's victory.

"Li Xing" had lost three consecutive matches, losing all face and even performing poorly in his martial arts. However, the strongest in Zone 10 was not "Li Xing," but "Yang Ji," who had defeated Shen Tong!

At this moment, all the hopes of Zone 10 were placed on Yang Ji.

...

"Is this guy Yang Ji?"

In the noisy crowd, only Yang Wen and Yang Wu were indifferent to the outcome of the match. Their eyes were fixed on the figure at the edge of the stage, their gazes filled with doubt.

The luxurious brocade clothing, the golden mask, and the sharp, overwhelming aura emanating from within—such a person would not be considered strange even if they were a direct disciple of a major clan.

Such a person seemed to have no connection with the figure in their memory, but for some reason, Yang Wen always had a strange feeling.

Mask? Why wear a mask?...

They both had the same name, "Yang Ji," but he was wearing a golden mask. Was it just a coincidence, or was he being overly suspicious?

"This guy... doesn't look like Yang Ji!"

Yang Wu muttered beside him.

The person in front of him seemed to have no connection with the "Yang Ji" in his memory. The moment Yang Wu saw him, a voice in his head told him—this guy is not Yang Ji!

"Wait, let's see."

Yang Wen said firmly, his gaze fixed on "Yang Ji," as if trying to discern any clues from him.

"Alright, let's see."

Yang Wu said indifferently. Yang Wen had always been cautious, and he had long been accustomed to it.

...

"What's going on?"

On the stage, Han Bin was dumbfounded. Yang Ji had only been gone for a while, but he seemed like a completely different person. However, despite the drastic change in his aura, Han Bin was still certain that the person was Yang Ji.

The Wu Examination was such a significant event that no one would dare to mess around. The court would never make a mistake.

"What happened?"

After pondering for a moment, Han Bin suddenly smiled. He instinctively felt that there was something hidden behind Yang Ji's sudden change.

At the edge of the stage, the squad leader responsible for inspecting the bronze plaques frowned when he saw Yang Ji's mask and turned to look in the direction of the "black-faced man."

Wearing a mask was not a problem, but the real identity must be confirmed.

On the other side, the black-faced man and another squad leader nodded, indicating there was no issue.

"Go ahead."

The squad leader responsible for inspecting the bronze plaques relaxed and stepped aside.

"Are you from Zone 10?"

As soon as Yang Ji stepped onto the stage, he heard "Zhao Qi" on the opposite side sneer, his voice full of arrogance and condescension, exuding a sense of disdain from the core.

Yang Ji just nodded and did not speak.

"Tsk, you're the second-ranked in Zone 10, right? I thought this match would be challenging, but you're so weak. I feel ashamed for you. — Get ready quickly, I hope you can withstand one move from me!"

"Zhao Qi" said, waving his hand dismissively without waiting for Yang Ji's response, and returned to his half of the stage, as if he couldn't wait any longer.

Seeing such an arrogant and childish opponent, Yang Ji couldn't even get angry; he just shook his head and smiled.

This guy had easily beaten "Li Xing" to a pulp and had subconsciously formed the impression that "all the people from Zone 10 are like this."

If even Li Xing was like this, then the second-ranked "Yang Ji" would be even worse.

Yang Ji didn't even bother to explain. "Different people, different ways." The best way to deal with such a person was to give him a harsh lesson.

"The match begins!"

On the stage, the "squad commander" with a strong aura glanced at the two and announced the start of the match.

"Boom!"

The moment the match was announced, Zhao Qi's eyes lit up, and he sprang forward like a "fighting rooster" full of battle spirit.

A dense aura of blood energy surged from Zhao Qi's body, making his entire figure indistinct, transforming into a dense blood light.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Qi moved extremely fast, making an "S"-shaped curve, darting from the left to the right in front of Yang Ji.

A murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. Although Zhao Qi was arrogant, his cultivation was solid and extremely powerful. His movement was unpredictable and incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from sight.

During the first round, most of Zhao Qi's opponents were left bewildered by his ghostly movement and were easily defeated.

"Boom!"

As the crowd was still stunned by Zhao Qi's movement, his body leaped from the blind spot on Yang Ji's right side, his arms spread wide, and he kicked toward Yang Ji.

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Zhao Qi's mouth, and a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, as if he could already see Yang Ji being kicked off the stage in a miserable state.

"The Great Sage Martial Technique" — "Cleaving the Blue Mountain"!

This was a move from a high vantage point, very effective in the competition, looking powerful and majestic.

The only drawback of this move was encountering a stronger opponent.

Zhao Qi would not have used such a "leaping" move lightly, but the impression left by "Li Xing" was too deep.

"This move will send you flying off the stage in one kick!"

Zhao Qi chuckled to himself.

Just as he was confident of victory, he suddenly heard a metallic roar, like a mountain collapsing and the sea surging, or a thousand horses galloping. Before Zhao Qi could react, he saw a blurry black shadow rise from below like a cannonball, charging at him with overwhelming force.

"Oh no!—"

Zhao Qi was shocked, and before he could fully react, he was kicked in the waist by an incredible force.

"Boom!"

In the stunned gaze of countless people, a flash of white light appeared, and Zhao Qi let out a惨叫, flying out like a broken kite...

No one could describe the shock of this moment; time seemed to freeze.

Yang Ji's speed was too fast, and his strength too powerful. By the time everyone was still cheering for Zhao Qi, the match was already over!

Yang Ji's timing was perfect, not too early or too late, striking just as Zhao Qi's strength was exhausted, making it look as if Zhao Qi had willingly let Yang Ji kick him, which seemed incredibly foolish.

All the previous "glamour" now looked like a joke!

At that moment, everyone thought Yang Ji had lost his vision, but Yang Ji had deceived everyone!

Boom!

The first to react were the candidates from Zone 10, erupting in a thunderous cheer, followed by the entire crowd, all of whom were stunned by this dramatic turn of events.

"Awesome!—"

"Yang Ji, well done!"

"This is the first of Zone 10!"

"See that? See that!"

"Who says we're weak? Who dares to say Zone 10 is weak?"

...

The moment Zhao Qi helplessly flew out, all the candidates from Zone 10 were沸腾. After being suppressed for so long, they finally had a chance to breathe and let out their frustrations.

Who dares to belittle Zone 10 now? Who?

—This is exactly the feeling they wanted.

"Too cool, absolutely too cool!"

"See that, this is Zone 10!"

...

Facing the shocked and admiring gazes of the crowd, the students of Zone 10 finally felt a sense of pride and unprecedented satisfaction.

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