Chapter Roundwwh
As Hu Liu finished speaking, the crowd fell silent. Everyone held their breath as they listened attentively to the tournament rules.
After a few moments of stillness and no objections from the competitors, Hu Liu announced the rules for the semifinals.
“The second round will be the semifinals. The top ten competitors from each preliminary round will advance.
The third round will be the finals, where only the top competitor from each semifinal match will qualify.
This is the format for all three rounds. If anyone is unclear, the posted announcements provide a detailed explanation.
Now, regarding the battle regulations, on behalf of Luo City, I solemnly declare:
1/ No killing is allowed in the competition.
2/ No use of lethal poison is permitted.
3/ Victory is determined by knocking opponents off the stage.
4/ Anyone who falls off the stage is immediately eliminated and cannot participate in further matches.
This concludes the rule announcement. Once again, I emphasize and warn everyone:
1/ Violators of the rules will be disqualified immediately.
2/ Serious offenses will result in permanent banishment from Luo City.
3/ If necessary, Luo City reserves the right to use force against rule-breakers.
With that, the first preliminary round will now begin!”
As soon as Hu Liu finished, another round of drums and gongs resounded throughout the arena. A few moments later, a Luo City guard stepped onto the stage carrying a large chest.
The chest was placed on a table, and when the red cloth covering it was lifted, the audience saw that the chest was transparent on one side, revealing hundreds of rolled-up slips of paper inside. Each slip contained ten numbers arranged in sequence.
Hu Liu stepped forward, reached into the top opening of the chest, and stirred the papers thoroughly in front of the audience. Then, he grabbed a handful of slips and placed them on a tray held by another Luo City guard.
One by one, numbers were drawn and recorded until 480 competitors were selected. Only then did Hu Liu withdraw his hand.
“I hereby announce the selected numbers for the first match:
Numbers 30 to 40
Numbers 170 to 180
Numbers 560 to 570
Numbers 3,040 to 3,050
Numbers 2,570 to 2,580…”
As soon as the list of 480 participants was read, those with corresponding numbered plaques began stepping forward, guided by Luo City guards. They moved toward the waiting area, preparing to take the stage.
The entire match schedule for over 4,000 participants was finalized in under half an hour.
Finally, after a thunderous round of drumming, the first group of 480 competitors ascended the stage!
Watching the first battle participants land gracefully onto the competition platform, the Yu family couldn’t hide their excitement, even as they tried to remain composed.
Yu Luo, in particular, was deeply fascinated by the display of skill. Seeing such martial prowess, she couldn’t help but imagine how formidable Luo City could become with 4,000 such fighters under its command.
If these warriors could be recruited into Luo City’s ranks, then even without the Yu family’s modern firearms, they might stand a chance against Feng City in the future!
As the 480 fighters settled on the stage, what was once a spacious arena suddenly felt crowded.
Understanding the rules of elimination, the competitors instinctively rushed toward the center of the stage using their light-footwork techniques—knowing that falling off meant instant defeat.
Those slower or less skilled were pushed toward the edges, realizing their disadvantage too late.
Watching this unfold, those waiting for their turn silently vowed to seize the center when their match came.
Then, Hu Liu blew the start whistle.
In an instant, the 480 warriors sprang into motion, their weapons flashing under the sun.
Swords clashed against axes; Giant war hammers smashed into spears; Two-meter-long broadswords collided with triple-pronged tridents; Thirteen-section iron whips lashed out violently.
A chaotic free-for-all erupted as fighters clashed in all directions.
Within less than five minutes, the first eliminations began—one unfortunate competitor was sent flying off the stage by a massive war hammer!
Then another; And another; Then five more.
The knockouts quickly added up, with some fighters sustaining injuries before they could react.
Anticipating this, Yu Luo had medical personnel—including Du Ruo and Tang Xueli—stationed nearby. They immediately rushed in to treat injured competitors, handing out external wound salves and internal medicine prepared by Ye Jiamei.
On the stage, the battle grew even more intense. Within less than 30 minutes, the number of fighters had dropped below 300.
With fewer participants remaining, the remaining warriors had more room to maneuver, making offense and defense easier.
Among them, Yu Luo noticed something intriguing—several competitors were purely focused on defense, evading attacks without counterattacking.
To the hot-blooded warriors, such tactics seemed cowardly and dishonorable.
Yet, despite their scorn, these evasive fighters continued surviving, successfully dodging multiple eliminations.
Initially, Yu Luo expected the match to end within 30 minutes, but surprisingly, it stretched past an hour. Even Ye Jiamei was starting to get drowsy, while the final dozen fighters still battled fiercely, showing no signs of exhaustion.
“Luo Wu, do you think you could last until the end in this preliminary round?”
Studying the fighters’ movements, Yu Luo knew she had cheated her way into martial arts proficiency through her system, so she couldn’t gauge their true skill levels.
Luo Wu considered for a moment before replying, “Miss, it’s hard to say. Many who were eliminated early were still quite strong—but they were simply unlucky and got ganged up on.
However, these remaining fighters clearly have real strength. They’re not slowing down at all despite fighting for over an hour. I can’t say for sure if I could last against them.”
