Chapter 639 - 639: Intentional Encounter

As Chu Qingyun walked to the edge of his platform, closer to the central grand platform, he realized something. Even though he had taken down Zhang Ying in just three punches, someone had been even faster!

Shen Hao, who had been drawn first, had actually defeated his opponent even faster than he had.

And mind you, Shen Hao had also been facing a so-called Inner Sect Core Disciple.

However, Chu Qingyun didn't really care. He hadn't been deliberately trying to finish quickly.

If he'd wanted to defeat Zhang Ying in a single blow, he was more than capable of doing so.

Chu Qingyun looked around and saw that, besides Shen Hao, he was the only other person who had finished his battle.

In other words, he had finished second. For the finals, his opponent would be the person who finished second to last.

'I wonder who I'll face in the finals...'

Chu Qingyun muttered to himself and casually glanced over the other platforms before his gaze settled on Xu Shijie's.

Xu Shijie's opponent wasn't even considered a Quasi-Core Disciple, just a reasonably strong seeded disciple from the Outer Sect.

Though Xu Shijie hadn't won yet, he already had the absolute upper hand. Victory was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, on another platform, Zhou Yongyang was looking over at Chu Qingyun.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhou Yongyang's eyes when he saw Chu Qingyun had already finished his battle, but it was quickly replaced by a cold smirk.

'So fast... good. I was worried you'd be slow, not fast. He finished second, huh... That means I just have to finish second to last...'

From the very start of his match, Zhou Yongyang had been paying close attention to Chu Qingyun's platform, even while locked in fierce combat with his own opponent.

His goal, of course, was to exploit the semifinal rules to ensure he would face Chu Qingyun.

"Hmph, I suppose I'll play with you a little longer," Zhou Yongyang said suddenly with a cold laugh.

Zhou Yongyang's opponent, however, was completely baffled.

But he didn't have much time to dwell on it. Even though Zhou Yongyang wasn't going all out, he was still completely overpowering him, leaving him virtually no room to retaliate.

Before long, the third, fourth, and fifth victors were decided.

Strictly speaking, finishing one's match early was a slight disadvantage. All you could do was passively wait to find out who your opponent in the finals would be.

For the vast majority of the disciples, however, this was something they simply couldn't control.

In an all-out fight, trying to control your pace and hold back even a little could easily lead to your own defeat and injury if your opponent didn't do the same.

Therefore, only someone whose strength vastly surpassed their opponent's could manage such a feat.

Among the forty-eight contestants, it was likely that only Chu Qingyun, Shen Hao, and Zhou Yongyang possessed the strength to pull it off.

Even the so-called Quasi-Core Disciples couldn't do it.

Just as the twenty-second person was knocked off their platform by a blast of Primordial Power, Zhou Yongyang struck. "I've played with you long enough. It's time for you to go down!"

With a cold laugh, Zhou Yongyang channeled Martial Soul Power into his fist and sent his opponent flying off the platform with a single punch.

Zhou Yongyang: the twenty-third to defeat his opponent, placing him second to last.

And so, according to the rules for the finals, he would face the person who had finished second on the central grand platform: Chu Qingyun!

Only two platforms remained, and Chu Qingyun had, of course, taken note of everything.

After effortlessly sending his opponent flying, Zhou Yongyang leaped to the edge of his own platform. He shot a provocative look at Chu Qingyun and broke into a mocking grin.

Chu Qingyun returned the cold smile in kind.

'This Zhou Yongyang really thinks he's something special. I wasn't looking for trouble with him, yet he deliberately held back to finish second to last just to come after me.'

Everyone present, including the referees, could clearly see that Zhou Yongyang had intentionally finished second to last. His goal was to target the person who had finished second.

Many of the competing disciples were inwardly snickering and feeling relieved. In their eyes, Chu Qingyun had offended Zhou Yongyang and was now taking a bullet for the rest of them.

The referees felt somewhat helpless, but the rules were the rules, and there was nothing they could do.

This rule—pairing the first to finish against the last—was originally designed to prevent the strongest and most elite disciples from eliminating each other near the end of the tournament.

In most cases, the rule was quite effective.

But it also had loopholes. Someone like Zhou Yongyang, whose strength was far beyond the others, could exploit this rule to target someone who had finished earlier.

On the Observation Platform, a satisfied smile instantly spread across Zhou Jianxiong's face when he saw the result.

"Haha, just as I predicted! Zhou Yongyang was aiming for second to last so he could deliberately get matched with that Chu Qingyun!" Zhou Jianxiong boomed with laughter.

"Hmph, that Chu Qingyun's strength is nothing to scoff at. He shattered a Tier Four Defensive Soul Technique with his bare hands. Even you and I might not have been able to do that back in our day."

"Besides, I get the feeling that Chu Qingyun hasn't even used his true strength at all,"

said two of the Core Disciples beside him, who were at odds with Zhou Jianxiong.

They had been keeping an eye on Chu Qingyun's battles because of Zhou Jianxiong.

"Tch. So he shattered a Tier Four Soul Technique. What's the big deal? Yong Yang is a genius the likes of which our Qianshui Dynasty sees only once every fifty years!"

Zhou Jianxiong seemed to have absolute confidence in Zhou Yongyang.

"Oh? So confident? Don't tell me that Zhou Yongyang has some powerful ace up his sleeve," someone asked.

But Zhou Jianxiong just smiled mysteriously. "You'll see. Though I doubt it will even come to that."

From the northern and southern towers, the Elders had also been watching the battles below.

Zhou Yongyang's deliberate targeting of Chu Qingyun had naturally not escaped their notice.

Elder Zhu and the eight others all looked rather displeased.

The nine of them had arranged the matchups specifically to prevent the disciples with the greatest strength and aptitude from eliminating one another.

Now, Zhou Yongyang's actions clearly went against the spirit of these rules.

However, the rules were what they were, and there was nothing they could do. After all, exploiting a loophole was a skill in itself and could be considered a display of strength in its own right.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qian frowned.

"The one who finished second to last... that's Zhou Yongyang, isn't it? I hear he's been all the rage in the Outer Sect this year. With his level of strength, there's no way he would naturally finish second to last. He must be doing it to target Chu Qingyun, who finished second!"

Zhou Qian said with conviction, a look of displeasure on his face.

However, the Sect Leader of the Saint Extreme Sect and the two Supreme Elders beside him showed no reaction whatsoever upon hearing Zhou Yongyang's name.

Clearly, they had no idea who that was.