Chapter 61: Three Black Horses
The fire-igniting rod was turned into a scorching red iron bar by Xiao Piji’s internal energy in a critical moment. With full force, it sent Kai Xin flying even higher, far beyond the arena’s boundaries.
Yet Xiao Piji still didn’t win this round. The Willow-Leaf Dagger in Kai Xin’s hands was like a god-killer; Xiao Piji was killed in one strike after attacking, and he didn’t even see Kai Xin fall out of the arena before hearing the system announce his defeat.
Even so, Kai Xin was still drenched in cold sweat from fear!
Secret techniques truly were game-changers in one-on-one fights. If not for his quick reaction, he might have been overwhelmed by Xiao Piji earlier.
It seems…
He must practice “Black Dragon Kill” harder.
Just one “Xiao Piji” nearly cost him his life—how could this veteran with past-life experience bear it?
It was humiliating.
“You’ve won Round 5! You can now choose to enter Round 6 or wait for the next stage…”
The system notified him.
Kai Xin had already won more than four rounds. By the rules, even if he lost the next two, he could still pass the first stage. But he didn’t intend to stop there.
He wanted to learn more about the others’ strengths, to see if there were anyone else with secret techniques or exceptional skills…
It was also a way to gather more information for the upcoming final stage.
However…
The next two opponents were just average, allowing him to easily advance to the next stage.
But Kai Xin didn’t know that after the first stage of the Nanhua University Martial Arts Tournament ended, the eliminated students flocked to the “Nanhua Martial World Ranking” forum to discuss it. The most controversial figure was the blue-clothed Kai Xin, who covered his face with a tattered triangular cloth and acted extremely arrogant!
“Kai Xin?” As the organizer of this event, Lonely Three Wolves had been closely monitoring the forum discussions and progress. After seeing the battle REPs uploaded by several people, they exchanged puzzled looks.
“Impossible?”
Bai Lang swallowed hard. The masked swordsman in the battle REPs was like a killer from a movie—ending fights in just two moves, his swordsmanship swift as dragons and snakes, instantly defeating his opponents. Without exception, they were kicked out of the arena. Putting it all together, the sense of power was utterly unmatched.
He could never believe that the masked swordsman was actually one of the hardworking top students.
But they vaguely remembered that when they entered the game, Happy seemed to have rejected the game name “Lonely Xiao Xin” and used the name “Happy” to navigate in “Jianghu”. If the Masked Swordsman was Happy, and Happy was that mysterious and powerful expert, then this kid’s strength must surely rank among the top three in Nanhua! Thinking further, the three of them stared wide-eyed, filled with inexplicable excitement and joy! If that was indeed the case… this martial arts tournament might allow Happy to bring back some of the prize money for them! “By the way, this must be kept strictly secret—no one outside can know that Happy is from our dorm!” “Mm!” “What about the prize money this time?” “Obviously! Everyone gets a share!” The Lonely Three Wolves gathered together, sneering at this shameless decision. … Nanhua University’s participation in this officially organized regional martial arts tournament was entirely due to Happy’s casual suggestion, deviating from the script of their past life. As a result, several “dark horses” emerged in this tournament that shouldn’t have taken place! Besides the Masked Swordsman “Happy,” two others also caught everyone’s attention. One was called “Typhon Dragon,” and the other “One Tube”! The former not only reached a high level in combat but also mastered the excellent “36 Routes Xuanyuan Sword Technique,” winning seven out of seven battles, including against Unscrupulous Fighter and Phoenix in Colorful Robes, all by decisive victories—using a highly lethal secret technique… Eventually, his identity was revealed by someone from his own dorm; he was a junior student in the e-commerce department, living off-campus, introverted, and currently single. The latter had a rather funny name—“One Tube,” reminiscent of a mahjong tile—and also resembled it in appearance. A student in the foreign languages department, a football fan, and a goalkeeper, he had developed impressive “Iron Cloth Robe” martial skills in “Jianghu”! Although not invulnerable, activating these skills turned his fat body as hard as metal, making ordinary swords and knives ineffective. Somehow, “One Tube” managed to force Nanhua University’s top-ranked competitor, Brother Yicha, into a draw through a reckless fighting style, forcing him to retreat with a bitter smile and proceed to the next round—earning him the nickname “Number One Tank” in forums! As for Happy… with his swift moves and decisive actions, he had already earned the titles of Masked Assassin and Masked Swordsman. Compared to the other two, though lacking their dominance and distinctiveness, he was far more mysterious.
Two of the three dark horses defeated Xiao Piji Luanju and Buzhu Liulang respectively, while one drew with Yu Cha Xiong, who ranked first. This not only set off a frenzy in Nanhua University’s forums but also made more people realize that top experts were right around them, and that an otherwise ordinary person might be the next dazzling rising star.
“I wonder if we can make it to the top of the strongmen list after this martial arts tournament.”
“Yeah.”
Some of the once-dominant experts at Nanhua University, despite winning several rounds in a row, saw their overconfidence fade after witnessing Yu Cha, Xiao Piji, Liulang, and others suffer losses. Aside from these three dark horses who suddenly became famous, many others also showed strong abilities. After the first round, even more fierce competition was to come.
Reaching a good ranking wasn’t something that could be achieved just with words.
……
An hour later, the first round of the combat arena ended. Over three thousand people had been eliminated, leaving less than nine hundred in the second round, of whom fewer than two hundred were experts from other schools… The rule changed from winning four out of seven battles to winning three out of five. According to the system, contestants had to defeat three randomly selected enemies and win three matches to qualify for the third round!
Three wins out of five!
The moment the system announced the end, Kai Xin’s opponent quickly appeared across from him, their face gradually becoming clear… Upon seeing them, Kai Xin’s lips twitched slightly: It was her!
Feng Wu Caiyi… The founder of the Caiyi Sect, once his comrade-in-arms. He never expected that after defeating Xiao Piji, the next familiar face he would encounter would be her.
As Kai Xin sighed inwardly, the tall and aloof Feng Wu Caiyi also stared at him with a complex expression. Dressed in a light white robe, her elegant long sword emitted a cold glow in the air. She stood there like a fairy among the clouds, truly living up to her reputation as “Nanhua’s Talented Lady.” Indeed, she always attracted attention wherever she went.
After seven rounds, she had taken a break offline and naturally heard some information about the masked swordsman “Kai Xin,” knowing that he was a strong contender for the top three. So when she saw the mask, she knew she had unfortunately won the “grand prize,” her delicate brows furrowing slightly.