Chapter 636 - 636: Extremely Unlucky

After Meng Hongliang was defeated and thrown from the battle circle, an unusual quiet fell over battle circle number seventeen. No one made a move.

As for Chu Qingyun, he didn't immediately attack anyone either. Instead, he took two steps back, returning to the edge of the battle circle.

"Everyone, aren't you going to fight? The battles in the other circles have already begun," Chu Qingyun said, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before him.

After a moment's hesitation, some of the participants began to attack targets they had already singled out.

Many of them knew one another and had a general idea of each other's strengths and weaknesses. As a result, the weaker participants immediately became targets.

As for ganging up on the strongest person, it was a thought they only entertained for a moment.

In each battle circle, the strongest contenders were far more powerful than the rest.

They also tended to stay at the edge of the circle, meaning they only had to defend against enemies from one direction.

Attacking the strongest as a group might yield some results if they were lucky, but it was certain that the first to charge in would become cannon fodder.

Everyone was a competitor. They all wanted to last as long as possible and show off their own strength. No one wanted to be cannon fodder.

Previously, they hadn't dared to face Meng Hongliang.

Now, they were even more terrified of facing Chu Qingyun.

The fighting erupted in an instant and spread rapidly.

Soon, battle circle number seventeen devolved into a chaotic free-for-all, just like the others. A constant stream of participants were injured and knocked out of the circle, eliminated from the competition.

Of course, a few hopeful individuals tried their luck, attacking Chu Qingyun in an attempt to knock him out and make a name for themselves.

Unsurprisingly, Chu Qingyun tossed every one of them out of the circle with ease.

Fierce brawls broke out across all forty-eight battle circles.

The number of participants within them dwindled rapidly.

But once the numbers dropped to a certain point, the pace of elimination slowed.

The fighting area was more spacious, and those who remained were all skilled enough not to be eliminated so easily.

However, this was precisely the moment for the true powerhouses in each circle to act.

For them, the battle royale phase wasn't a major concern—unless they ran into a dark horse like Chu Qingyun.

Their real fight, therefore, would only truly begin in the semifinals.

In battle circle number seventeen, Chu Qingyun still had to face five ninth-level Martial Spirits.

When Chu Qingyun prepared to make his move, two of them jumped out of the battle circle voluntarily. The remaining three were promptly and effortlessly knocked out by him.

Ordinary ninth-level Martial Spirits were now no match for Chu Qingyun at all.

With that, the battle in circle number seventeen came to a complete end.

He was the only one left standing, completely unscathed, in the entire battle circle.

The battles in the other circles also concluded one by one, until a single victor stood alone in each.

It was then that many people on the Observation Platform began to take notice of Chu Qingyun.

This included those in the high tower to the north of the Observation Platform.

Compared to the other viewing areas, the northern tower was sparsely populated, with only four people.

But every person here was a major figure in the Saint Extreme Sect—and even the entire Northern Domain.

The man in the lead was middle-aged, with a tall, slender build and a serene expression. A faint smile perpetually graced his features. He was the Sect Leader of the Saint Extreme Sect.

Flanking him were two white-haired yet vigorous old men. Both were Supreme Elders of the Saint Extreme Sect, powerful experts at the Martial Sect level.

Standing nearby was Zhou Qian, the Dean of the Pill Institute.

As one of the top Alchemists in the Northern Domain and the Dean of the Pill Institute, Zhou Qian was fully qualified to stand alongside the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders.

Of course, his status was still slightly lower than theirs.

Zhou Qian hadn't noticed Chu Qingyun before, but when Chu Qingyun emerged as the sole survivor in battle circle number seventeen, he immediately caught the Dean's eye.

His surprise and curiosity drew the attention of the other three, and they too turned their gazes toward Chu Qingyun.

"To have joined the sect only a month ago and already made it this far in the Inner Sect qualification trials... such talent is a rare sight even in the Saint Extreme Sect."

"If he's nurtured properly, the Inner Sect could very well have another Elder in the future."

The two Supreme Elders said, nodding in agreement.

Clearly, they were quite satisfied that a new disciple had managed to emerge victorious from his battle circle.

However, Zhou Qian shook his head helplessly, complaining, "That Chu Qingyun was a genius I originally recruited for the Pill Institute. I never thought the Inner Sect would be the one to reap the benefits."

Hearing this, the Sect Leader chuckled softly. "The Pill Institute, the Inner Sect, the Outer Sect—they are all part of the Saint Extreme Sect. There's no need to be concerned, Dean Zhou."

"However, I am rather curious," the Sect Leader mused. "I wonder if this Chu Qingyun can truly pass the Inner Sect qualification trials…"

The battle royale format quickly eliminated the vast majority of the four hundred-plus participants. Before long, only the top forty-eight remained, advancing to the semifinals.

The forty-eight victors stood silently in their respective battle circles, waiting.

Once all the eliminated participants had left the field, the referee on the central platform spoke again.

He produced a drawing box from his Storage Ring. "The forty-eight of you who have emerged from your battle circles are all elite disciples of our Saint Extreme Sect."

"However, there are only twelve spots for Core Disciples. This means another thirty-six of you must be eliminated."

"I assume you are all aware of the tournament rules, so I won't waste time explaining them."

"I hold in my hand a drawing box containing forty-eight lots. They are numbered one through forty-eight, corresponding to your respective battle circles."

"We will now begin the draw. The pair of numbers drawn will ascend one of the twenty-four battle platforms in order and await their match!"

With that, the referee plunged his hand into the drawing box and began the draw.

All forty-eight participants stared at the box, their expressions tense. Their hearts pounded in their chests.

This was the moment that would decide their fate, and it all came down to luck.

Drawing an opponent weaker than yourself meant a smooth victory and a spot in the finals. But drawing someone stronger… that would be a disaster.

"Number one!"

The very first lot the referee drew was number one.

Instantly, everyone's heart—including Chu Qingyun's—skipped a beat.

Shen Hao, the victor from battle circle number one, was one of the two strongest contenders Xu Shijie had specifically warned Chu Qingyun about!

Everyone was on edge. No one wanted to be matched against Shen Hao.

The referee then pulled out a second lot. "Number one will face… number nine!"

Before the referee had even finished speaking, everyone else whipped their heads around to look at the victor from battle circle number nine. A slightly chubby young man stood there, his expression utterly grim.

'What terrible luck! The absolute worst!'