Chapter 72

In the competition of the Great Wasteland, there are not many rules. The process is simple and brutal: one person defends the stage, and the others attack. Whoever has the ability can step up.

In the end, the person who successfully defends the stage until no one else steps up wins a spot and can take a wooden plaque symbolizing victory from the stage.

This rule may sound chaotic, for example, it cannot avoid the scenario where two top contenders fight on the stage, or the continuous battles can drain the defender's energy, making the fight disadvantageous for the defender.

However, the people of the Warrior Preparatory Camp are too lazy to consider these issues; simplicity and brutality are their style.

Originally, neither Yao Yuan nor Lian Chengyu cared much about this meaningless competition. Yao Yuan directly handed over the power to set the rules to Zhao Tiezhu, and Zhao Tiezhu, being a rough man, how could he possibly come up with a fair and reasonable rule? If the rules were too complicated, the participants wouldn't understand them.

As soon as the competition began, Zhao Tiezhu was the first to jump up!

He was an impatient person, and he had been waiting for this opportunity to show off his hidden strength. Zhao Tiezhu couldn't wait to display his skills.

The stage was ten zhang wide, and Zhao Tiezhu stood in the center, striking a pose that showed off his muscles. "Come on! Who wants to spar with me!"

Zhao Tiezhu started to challenge, and immediately, the spectators began to cheer.

No one expected the first match to be a showdown between experts. Zhao Tiezhu was well-known for his reputation and his high-profile behavior, so everyone knew that he was at least in the top ten of the Warrior Preparatory Camp.

"Hehe, Brother Zhao, let me spar with you!"

A muscular man jumped onto the stage. His surname was Sun, and his strength in the Warrior Preparatory Camp was average at best, far from being a match for Zhao Tiezhu. However, he and Zhao Tiezhu were good friends, often hunting together and sharing meat and drinks.

He could tell that Zhao Tiezhu wanted to show off, so he went up to the stage to cooperate.

The members of the Warrior Preparatory Camp had trained together for a long time, and they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses. Sun knew he had no chance of being selected for the nine spots, so he decided to do Zhao Tiezhu a favor.

"Haha, good, Brother Sun, come on!"

Both Zhao Tiezhu and Sun were belligerent, and in the Great Wasteland, there were no complicated formalities in a match. They just started fighting!

With many clan members watching, both of them put in extra effort.

These members of the Warrior Preparatory Camp were indeed strong, but to say they had any fighting techniques would be an exaggeration. Their fights looked more like low-quality Hong Kong action movies, with slow movements, punches that hit flesh, and frequent grappling.

Sun, even before his strength increased, couldn't match Zhao Tiezhu. After a few exchanges, he was pinned to the ground by Zhao Tiezhu, who had grabbed him around the waist.

When two people fight without any technique, they eventually realize that all the moves and techniques they learned are useless. In the end, they just end up rolling on the ground, holding each other. The stronger one wins.

This is also the principle of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where in the UFC, most fights are won by crude moves like twisting arms and pressing necks.

"Good!"

Someone in the crowd shouted. Although Zhao Tiezhu's moves weren't very graceful, the Lian clan members, who were excited by even a single wrestling match, were thoroughly entertained.

After Sun, another person stepped up to challenge Zhao Tiezhu and was also defeated.

After two intense battles, Zhao Tiezhu was in high spirits and seemed to be getting stronger.

"Haha, who else wants to come up?" Zhao Tiezhu shouted, his face flushed as if he had drunk a jar of rice wine.

At this point, everyone could see that Zhao Tiezhu would likely take the first of the nine spots.

"Brother Zhao, let me play with you," a large man jumped onto the stage and said in a deep voice.

His appearance immediately caused a wave of cheers.

"It's Zhang Dali! Zhang Dali has always been strong, lifting a 200-jin stone lock at the age of fifteen. We don't know how strong he is now!"

A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. In the Lian clan, the top members of the Warrior Preparatory Camp were well-known.

Zhang Dali had already gained fame in the Lian clan when he lifted a 200-jin stone lock at fifteen. He was likely to be selected for one of the nine spots.

With Zhang Dali and Zhao Tiezhu, this was a clash of titans, and the crowd was instantly electrified.

"Zhang Dali, haha, good! I've been wanting to spar with you for a long time, come on!"

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes lit up. Last year, he was slightly inferior to Zhang Dali, but this year, his strength had improved significantly, and he was eager to test himself against a strong opponent.

Zhang Dali leaped onto the stage, standing three zhang away from Zhao Tiezhu. Without any formalities, they both roared and charged at each other.

Both were muscular, and their charge was like that of two bulls.

"Bang!"

Zhao Tiezhu and Zhang Dali collided head-on, and the sound of flesh and bone hitting each other was clearly audible, causing many to pale in fear.

If they had hit someone else, it would have likely broken their bones.

The fight between Zhao Tiezhu and Zhang Dali was clearly more intense than the previous one with Sun.

Both had strength equivalent to six to seven hundred jin, more than twice that of a first-class male. With such a strength difference, even a dozen first-class males would be no match for Zhao Tiezhu.

"Go, Brother Tiezhu!"

In the crowd, Lian Cuifhua shouted at the top of her lungs. Recently, due to the "work" Lian Chengyu had assigned her, she had become close to Zhao Tiezhu, and they had started a relationship.

Thinking about Zhao Tiezhu's prowess in bed the previous night, Lian Cuifhua felt her heart flutter.

Hearing the cheers and Lian Cuifhua's encouragement, Zhao Tiezhu fought like he was on drugs, launching a fierce attack. Zhang Dali, with his great strength, also fought back fiercely, having a significant advantage.

In the Warrior Preparatory Camp, fights mainly relied on strength, which is why lifting stone rollers was a popular performance and a source of pride.

After a long struggle on the ground, Zhao Tiezhu finally managed to pin Zhang Dali, keeping him immobile.

Zhao Tiezhu's victory was mainly due to his better physical condition and endurance, which he had improved through medication.

He won this match because of his endurance!

Zhang Dali, feeling a lack of oxygen, couldn't understand how Zhao Tiezhu could be so tireless, as if his strength was inexhaustible.

Generally, members of the Warrior Preparatory Camp, though strong, would get tired after lifting a 200-jin stone roller a few times. It was rare to see someone like Zhao Tiezhu, who became stronger with each fight.

Zhang Dali panted heavily and asked, "You... haven't reached the Qi Chang realm, have you?"

"Hahaha, not quite there yet!" Zhao Tiezhu started to boast. In reality, all members of the Warrior Preparatory Camp were at the Xiong Yong realm, and Zhao Tiezhu was far from reaching the Qi Chang realm, where one can inhale like a snake and exhale like an arrow. It's not that easy.

Zhao Tiezhu just had better endurance. If he stayed in the impoverished Lian clan, it would be questionable whether he could ever reach the Qi Chang realm.

The common people also knew what the Qi Chang realm meant. The Divine Kingdom election had been announced for a long time, and Lian Chengyu had already explained what the Zixue realm was.

Under the false propaganda of the Lian clan's ruling class, people believed that Lian Chengyu had already reached the Zixue realm. To the ignorant commoners of the Lian clan, the Zixue realm was as powerful as a god.

If Zhao Tiezhu was a bull, then Lian Chengyu was a terrifying wild beast, with a vast difference between them.

The more people knew about Lian Chengyu's strength, the more they hoped he would lead them into the city. They also felt that serving Lian Chengyu as a household slave was a matter of honor. In this chaotic world, people didn't think about freedom; for those who couldn't even afford food, freedom was a luxury and a joke. They just wanted to follow a good master and have a meal to eat.

"Hahaha!" Zhao Tiezhu laughed heartily. He was very satisfied with the current situation. He knew he had no chance of passing the Divine Kingdom election, but being able to show off his strength today made him feel like he had reached the peak of his life.