Chapter 107: First two rounds

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: First two rounds

The roar of the crowd had barely settled before the rules of the first round were announced.

The hundred contestants stood below the arena, listening as the chief referee’s voice spread throughout the entire battlefield.

"The first round will reduce the number of contestants from one hundred to sixty-four."

A wave of murmurs immediately spread through the contestants.

"The sixty-four contestants selected for combat will be divided into thirty-two pairs. The winner of each match will advance."

The referee paused.

"The remaining sixteen contestants will be allowed to proceed into the third round."

That caused even more discussion.

Some contestants looked relieved.

Others looked annoyed.

A few immediately began searching the crowd for the strongest people they could identify.

The referee continued.

"Contestants who are allowed to proceed don’t have an automatic victory. They have merely avoided the first two round. From the second round onward, everyone will fight."

The rules were simple.

There would be no killing.

Leaving the battlefield counted as defeat.

Surrender counted as defeat.

Being unable to continue counted as defeat.

And if a contestant deliberately attempted to kill another contestant, the formations surrounding the battlefield would intervene.

The referee raised his hand.

"Contestants receiving byes, remain in the preparation area."

Twenty-eight names were called.

Several belonged to the seven great forces.

The remaining contestants were then assigned their matches.

Tolu listened quietly.

Then his name was called.

"Tolu."

A number followed.

He looked toward the board.

His first opponent was a young man named Femi.

Middle Adept.

Earth affinity.

Sword user.

Nothing about the information was particularly impressive.

Tolu adjusted the grip on his hammer.

Then he walked toward the battlefield.

---

The first matches began.

The arena exploded with noise.

Two contestants entered the battlefield.

The formation activated.

A bell rang.

They attacked.

One contestant used a spear while the other relied on a pair of short blades.

Their movements were fast enough that ordinary spectators could barely follow them.

The crowd screamed whenever one of them landed a hit.

One was knocked backward.

He recovered.

The other rushed forward.

The match lasted several minutes before the spear user finally forced his opponent outside the boundary.

The crowd cheered.

The winner raised his weapon.

The referee announced the result.

Then the next match began.

One after another, contestants entered.

Some matches were close.

Others were over almost instantly.

A young woman from Ile Agbede Academy defeated her opponent in less than thirty seconds.

A contestant from the general pool surprised everyone by defeating a Peak Adept from a smaller cultivation family.

Another fighter surrendered after his opponent shattered his weapon.

The arena remained loud throughout.

The spectators were beginning to understand something.

The minimum requirement was Middle Adept.

But that did not mean the hundred contestants were equal.

Some had better techniques.

Some had better weapons.

Some had greater battle experience.

Some had powerful bloodlines.

And some had simply trained harder.

Eventually, Tolu’s match was called.

"Tolu of the Omimi Family!"

The announcement caused some heads to turn.

Not because Tolu was famous.

He wasn’t.

Most people had never heard his name before.

But the mention of the Omimi Family made several spectators pay attention.

Tolu walked onto the battlefield.

His hammer rested against his shoulder.

Across from him, Femi entered.

He carried a broad sword.

His expression was confident.

He looked Tolu over.

Then he glanced at the hammer.

"You use that thing?"

Tolu nodded.

Femi smiled.

"Then I’ll have to make sure you don’t get close."

Tolu said nothing.

The referee stepped between them.

"Begin!"

Femi moved first.

His sword flashed.

He crossed the distance in an instant.

Tolu raised his hammer.

CLANG!

The impact shook both weapons.

Femi’s expression changed.

He had expected Tolu to be forced backward.

Instead, Tolu remained exactly where he was.

Femi immediately changed his approach.

His sword came from the side.

Tolu ducked.

The blade passed over his head.

Tolu swung.

Femi jumped backward.

The hammer smashed into the ground.

BOOM!

Stone cracked beneath the impact.

The crowd erupted.

"That hammer is heavy!"

"Look at the ground!"

"He’s an earth cultivator!"

Femi’s eyes narrowed.

He rushed forward again.

This time he attacked continuously.

Slash.

Thrust.

Horizontal cut.

Diagonal strike.

Tolu blocked.

Ducked.

Turned.

Blocked again.

Femi’s sword was faster.

Tolu’s hammer was heavier.

Every time their weapons collided, the sound echoed through the arena.

Femi suddenly feinted toward Tolu’s shoulder before twisting and attacking his leg.

Tolu reacted.

He jumped.

The sword passed beneath him.

While still in the air, Tolu reached toward the ground.

A small stone rose from the battlefield.

Stone Grip.

Femi noticed it.

"What—?"

The stone shot forward.

Femi twisted his head.

The stone struck his shoulder.

Not hard enough to injure him badly.

But enough to disrupt his balance.

Tolu landed.

His hammer was already moving.

Femi hurriedly raised his sword.

The hammer struck the flat of the blade.

The force sent Femi sliding backward.

He dug his feet into the ground.

But Tolu was already moving.

Femi’s eyes widened.

Tolu swung again.

Femi blocked.

His arms shook.

Another strike.

His knees bent.

Another.

The sword slipped from his hands.

Tolu stopped the hammer a few centimeters from his chest.

Silence fell.

Femi stared at the weapon.

Then slowly raised his hands.

"I surrender."

The referee immediately announced the result.

"Tolu wins!"

The arena erupted.

Tolu lowered his hammer.

He hadn’t needed to reveal much.

That was important.

He had no intention of showing everything he could do during the early rounds.

Every powerful technique he possessed was something he would rather keep hidden until he needed it.

He walked away from the battlefield.

Behind him, Femi retrieved his sword.

He looked at Tolu’s back with a mixture of frustration and respect.

---

The first round continued.

More contestants were eliminated.

A young cultivator from the general pool defeated a family heir.

A fire cultivator burned through an opponent’s defensive technique.

An ice cultivator froze the battlefield beneath his opponent’s feet.

A wind cultivator moved so quickly that several spectators initially thought he had teleported.

There were surprises.

There were disappointments.

There were moments where the crowd went completely silent.

By the end of the round, thirty-six contestants had been eliminated.

Sixty-four remained.

The hundred had become sixty-four.

And suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

Everyone understood that the easy matches were over.

---

The second round began later that afternoon.

Sixty-four contestants.

Thirty-two matches.

Thirty-two winners.

Thirty-two eliminated.

The remaining contestants gathered again.

This time, nobody looked relaxed.

The contestants who had received byes had watched the first round carefully.

They had seen what their future opponents could do.

The survivors had also learned from their previous battles.

Everyone was more cautious.

More serious.

The first second-round match began.

Then another.

Then another.

The level of combat immediately increased.

A contestant who had dominated his first opponent was eliminated in less than two minutes.

Another contestant who had barely survived his first match suddenly displayed an entirely different technique.

The crowd became increasingly excited.

By the time the twentieth match ended, people had stopped casually talking.

They were watching.

Actually watching.

Every remaining contestant had earned their place.

Tolu waited near the edge of the preparation area.

His second opponent was stronger than the first.

Yemi.

Peak Adept.

Fire affinity.

A pair of curved blades.

He had received a bye during the first round.

Tolu had watched him fight before.

Yemi was fast.

Very fast.

And unlike Femi, he had real combat experience.

Tolu stepped onto the battlefield.

The crowd reacted.

Not as loudly as they did for some of the famous candidates.

But there was recognition now.

People had seen his first match.

They knew the young man with the enormous hammer wasn’t someone they could casually dismiss.

Yemi entered opposite him.

Flames appeared around his blades.

He smiled.

"I watched your first match."

Tolu nodded.

"So did I."

Yemi laughed.

"Then you know I’m different from that guy."

"I know."

The referee raised his hand.

"Begin!"

Yemi disappeared.

Tolu immediately turned.

A blade came from behind.

CLANG!

He blocked.

Yemi spun.

The second blade came toward his ribs.

Tolu stepped back.

The blade barely missed.

A burst of flame followed.

Tolu raised his arm.

Earth energy surged.

A wall of stone rose between them.

BOOM!

Fire exploded across the wall.

Yemi broke through.

Tolu swung.

Yemi ducked.

The hammer passed over his head.

Yemi’s blade cut toward Tolu’s side.

Tolu twisted.

The blade scraped his clothing.

Yemi attacked again.

Tolu retreated.

For the first time in the competition, he was being forced backward.

The crowd noticed.

"That fire cultivator is fast!"

"He’s not giving him any room!"

"The hammer user can’t land a hit!"

Tolu continued retreating.

Yemi pressed the advantage.

His blades moved like flames.

Every attack was fast and precise.

Tolu blocked one.

Two.

Three.

The fourth cut slipped through his defense.

Tolu turned his body.

The blade grazed his shoulder.

A thin line of blood appeared.

The crowd roared.

Yemi smiled.

"You’re slower than I expected."

Tolu looked at the blood on his fingers.

Then he smiled.

"You’re faster than I expected."

Yemi’s smile disappeared.

Tolu planted his feet.

The ground beneath him cracked.

Earth energy surged outward.

Yemi immediately charged.

Tolu raised his hand.

A stone rose.

Yemi sliced through it.

Another stone came.

He cut through that one too.

Then a third.

A fourth.

The stones weren’t meant to hit him.

They were forcing him to move.

Left.

Right.

Forward.

Backward.

Tolu was controlling the battlefield.

Yemi realized it too late.

His movement had become predictable.

Tolu suddenly stepped forward.

Yemi swung.

Tolu blocked with the hammer.

The impact pushed Yemi’s arm away.

Tolu stepped inside his guard.

Yemi tried to retreat.

Too late.

Tolu struck him with the shaft of the hammer.

THUD!

Yemi stumbled.

Tolu followed.

The hammer came down.

Yemi crossed both blades above his head.

BOOM!