Chapter 535: You Can’t, I Can
Following closely!
A disciple from the headquarters stepped onto the combat platform with a box of sticks in hand. In the box were a total of fifty-four bamboo sticks, with one end of the bamboo stick exposed outside the box, and the other end engraved with the names of the fifty-four participating disciples!
Drawing lots to determine opponents!
Simply put!
There are eighteen branches, a total of one hundred and eight disciples in the early stages of dark energy. Each branch has six members, with the names of three individuals written on the bamboo stick, waiting to be drawn by participants from other branches. The other three individuals actively draw from the participants of other branches!
Therefore!
Among the one hundred and eight people, there are only fifty-four bamboo sticks responsible for drawing and being drawn. According to the rules, if one draws their own teammate from the same branch, it is considered invalid and a new draw is required!
“Please!”
The headquarters disciple walked straight to a disciple from one of the branches, handed over the box of sticks, and gestured, “Draw your first-round opponent at random!”
“Alright!”
The branch disciple was a bit nervous, took a deep breath, then reached out to draw a stick. Upon seeing the name on the stick, he immediately showed joy on his face and handed the stick to the headquarters disciple!
The headquarters disciple took the stick, glanced at it, and shouted, “Dripstone branch’s Isla River, against Eldermoor branch’s Ethan Hawk!”
At the announcement!
There was a commotion in the crowd!
An apprentice from the Eldermoor branch, with a grim expression, walked out, it was Ethan Hawk!
Obviously!
Whether Isla River or Ethan Hawk, they both knew the participating players before the match. Isla River probably knew Ethan Hawk’s strength and felt confident in winning, so he was excited!
On the contrary!
Ethan Hawk also roughly knew about Isla River’s strength, feeling a greater possibility of losing, naturally feeling despondent!
“Please!”
The headquarters disciple seemed accustomed to such scenes, remained calm, and moved on to the next branch disciple, handing over the box of sticks, signaling, “It’s your turn!”
In this way!
The headquarters disciple, holding the box of sticks, walked counterclockwise, taking nearly ten minutes to draw all fifty-four bamboo sticks, pairing all the early-stage dark energy participants with their first-round opponents!
In this early stage of dark energy, there were many figures like Sean, Dana, Raymond in the mid-stage, attracting attention. The disciples chosen to compete against them from other branches turned pale, their legs weak, even having the urge to withdraw directly!
Combat?
What’s the damn point of competing, it’s more like seeking a beating!
Soon!
Everyone was matched according to the drawing results. The headquarters disciple left the combat platform without looking back, shouting, “Fight until surrender or loss of combat ability!”
“Begin!!!”
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!!!
Almost at the moment when the headquarters disciple’s voice landed, all one hundred and eight people on the combat platform simultaneously erupted their dark energy without any hesitation, unleashing their abilities directly towards their opponents!
For a moment!
The huge combat platform was filled with shadows of people, dark energy crisscrossing, like two armies clashing, quickly turning into chaos, with the sounds of dark energy collisions and the cries of academy disciples intertwined, incessant and piercing!
The spectators were dazzled, unable to keep up!
“Five seconds!”
Suddenly, Chan, standing next to Sean, said in a deep voice, “You win only after the second move. It seems that the new students this year are not that good!”
Just then!
In just five seconds, a disciple in the chaos was instantly knocked out, severely injured and unconscious, losing combat ability. Consequently, his opponent naturally won the first round!
This speed was already very fast!
However!
As the disciple who determined the victory in the first round among the fifty-four groups, claiming first place, the time of five seconds seemed quite ordinary compared to previous years!
“His opponent isn’t weak, I can only say he’s unlucky. Otherwise, he should be able to finish the fight in about three seconds!”
Ken shook his head, looking at Chan, and asked, “Are you confident in winning within three seconds?”
“No!”
Chan shook his head without hesitation, “Unless I come across an idiot, otherwise, it’s very difficult to win in three seconds!”
Ken rolled his eyes!
Damn!
You can’t even do it yourself, and yet you have the nerve to look down on others???
One move!
Three seconds!
Too difficult!
In any case, all those participating in the tournament were handpicked outstanding disciples from the branches, although their combat abilities varied, the differences were not too drastic. To defeat an opponent within a short three seconds, absolute dominance was required, reserved only for exceptional geniuses!
Moreover!
With randomly matched opponents, the chances of a genius facing another genius were not small!
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Later, if Chan were to face Dana, or Raymond, let alone winning in three seconds, it would be difficult to win at all, and even if Dana and Raymond could defeat Chan, it would be impossible to do it within three seconds!
This was about luck!
To set a record in the combat, both strength and luck were essential!
“However!”
Chan looked at Sean, changed the subject, and continued, “I can’t, but he probably can!”
Ken also looked at Sean!
This time!
Ken didn’t refute, for a simple reason- he and Chan had personally witnessed Sean’s terrifying strength back at Plainwater Town Branch. Recalling it still gave them shivers, so they also believed that as long as Sean didn’t encounter the standout figures from other branches, the hope of defeating the enemy with one move was indeed not small!
“Are you praising me?”
Sean didn’t turn around but replied, “You say I can’t, stating it so confidently, I can, why add a ‘probably’?”
“So!”
“Be more confident, remove the ‘probably’!”
At this, Chan and Ken exchanged glances, both looking embarrassed. They never expected, really never expected, to compliment Sean to his face, pat him on the back, yet Sean, in return, didn’t appreciate it, looking quite displeased. Could it be… he found their praise not good enough, not loud enough??
Damn!
To be as arrogant as Sean, there was simply no one else like him!
Chan and Ken even secretly thought to themselves: when it comes to drawing lots later, it would be best for you to draw practitioners like Dana and Raymond, see how this pretentious guy can still act all high and mighty!
It’s damn frustrating!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
While they were discussing privately, sounds of almost frantic explosions were heard, with branch disciples being blasted out one after another, with constant outcomes of victory and defeat. Especially after five minutes, almost every second, someone was winning, and someone was losing!
In less than ten minutes!
The first round of combat for the early-stage dark energy disciples was over, with fifty-four people entering the next round. However, among these fifty-four, some won easily, some struggled to win, and there were even cases of both parties being wounded, winning very reluctantly!
It was because of this that the tournament’s rules stipulated successive rounds of combat for the three realms. After the first round of combat in the early stages of dark energy, it was the turn of the mid-stage dark energy participating disciples to have their first round of combat, allowing the winners in the early stage to have time to rest and replenish the dark energy consumed in combat!
“Next match!”
After all the early-stage dark energy participating disciples left the combat platform, Pastiff on the spectator stand slowly stood up and announced, “Mid-stage dark energy disciples from various branches, take the stage!”
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Swoosh!!!
The moment Pastiff finished speaking, a sound of breaking wind resounded once again. Including Sean, all one hundred and eight mid-stage dark energy participating disciples leaped onto the giant combat platform like locusts!