Chapter 631: Myriad Dharma University, Zhang Yu Wins!

Chapter 631: Myriad Laws University, Zhang Yu Triumphs!

Gazing at the matchup list materializing in the sky, Zhang Yu mused, "The grand finale... is indeed a contest of individual prowess."

"Thirty contestants, paired off in one-on-one duels."

"In today's first round, fifteen victors will emerge from the thirty."

"In the second round, aside from one contestant receiving a bye, the remaining fourteen will battle for seven advancing spots."

"In the third round, the eight survivors will clash in pairs to determine four winners."

"Then come the semifinals and the finals... culminating in the ultimate one-on-one duel to crown the strongest of the Ten Great Leagues."

"To ensure the contestants remain in peak condition, allowing time for healing and repairs, there is a week of rest after each round."

Reviewing the procedures and rules, Zhang Yu thought to himself, "Pure, unrestricted combat... truly a rare and traditional tournament format in Kunxu."

"A week of rest is a tremendous advantage for me. If I make it to the finals, that means I have four more weeks."

At the same time, Zhang Yu had already seen the name of his first-round opponent.

Ling Pojun, hailing from the Immortal Armaments University, thought, "Zhang Yu, of all people? He must be the best opponent I could have drawn this round."

Although Zhang Yu had proven his formidable overall strength through match after match, in Ling Pojun's eyes... it all depended on who he was being compared to.

Compared to the other opponents in this round—figures like Kuang Tianqing, Yan Xiang, Zang Shenyu, and Tian Shenggong—Zhang Yu's strength seemed remarkably approachable.

This was especially true of the power Zhang Yu had displayed: in the first match, it was rooted in civil engineering techniques; in the second, he gained an edge through aquaculture, and only by cooperating with the dragon-transformed Ying Zhoufan did he surpass Jiu Tianliu in displacement speed.

"As it stands, Zhang Yu's strength requires preliminary preparation to take effect; in the upcoming one-on-one duel, he holds absolutely no advantage."

"But likewise, I am probably the best opponent Zhang Yu could have encountered in this round."

Ling Pojun knew that the finals and semifinals were far beyond his reach.

The main reason he had made it into the final thirty was that he had been selected for the relay team alongside Zang Shenyu, Tian Shenggong, Ye Xingli, and Xu Haixuan.

"If I can defeat Zhang Yu and ride the last wave of hype, I will be content."

As for whether he could win the next round, it was no longer in Ling Pojun's considerations, or rather, he had never even entertained the thought of winning again. At this moment, "defeating Zhang Yu," "securing such a victory in the individual tournament," and "capitalizing on the final wave of traffic" were Ling Pojun's sole preoccupations.

Driven by a thirst and resolve for victory, Ling Pojun, like the other twenty-nine contestants, was enveloped in divine power and launched into the sky, distributed across fifteen different battlefields on the floating island.

These randomly distributed arenas featured diverse environments: jungles, deserts, snowy plains, and vast oceans.

The matched pair of contestants would engage in their duel within a battlefield spanning a ten-kilometer radius.

With a resounding thud, Ling Pojun crashed onto the earth, landing in a hilly region.

Almost the very instant he touched down, he sprang to his feet and sprinted forward.

Within his ocular relic, dashed lines traced the trajectory of Zhang Yu's recent descent.

"Zhang Yu's hallmark is that the longer his preparation time, the more devastating his combat power becomes."

"He must be rushing to construct something right now, trying to lay down a grand formation to counter me."

"I cannot give him that chance..."

"The outcome of this battle between us will likely be decided by how quickly I can reach him."

Just as Ling Pojun was charging forward with relentless momentum, accelerating to close the distance to Zhang Yu, he saw a massive torrent surging toward him from ahead.

The floodwaters swept in like a soaring dragon, and standing atop the crest was Zhang Yu, clad in the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor.

Simultaneously, vast amounts of moisture in the air were being continuously drawn in by the armor, wildly expanding the volume of the flood.

"Hm?" Startled by the sight, Ling Pojun shouted, "Zhang Yu, I never expected a mere civil engineering brat like you to dare face me in a direct confrontation!"

Insulting his opponent through the civil engineering major and harping on this perceived flaw was a talking point Ling Pojun had prepared long ago, one he believed would surely resonate with the masses.

Next, Ling Pojun planned to launch an attack on the topic of his opponent's alleged discrimination against demon-blooded descendants, further stoking his popularity.

But faced with Ling Pojun's insults, Zhang Yu, standing on the tidal crest, merely smiled faintly and said, "A typical Jihu person, with Jihu logic."

Ling Pojun paused, sensing the disdain in his opponent's tone, and asked coldly, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Yu smiled slightly and replied, "The world is divided into two kinds of people: Jihu people and Wandao people."

"Jihu people attend Jihu schools, use Jihu legal relics, study Jihu techniques, achieve Jihu results, and possess a Jihu mindset just like yours."

As a student of Immortal Armaments University, although Ling Pojun had always been a user of the Jihu brand, he knew it was deliberately smeared and belittled at other schools.

And though Zhang Yu's words were not explicit, to Ling Pojun... it was clear he was using Jihu as a pejorative adjective for something low-end.

At the same time, Ling Pojun suddenly realized what was happening and thought, "This guy... he's manufacturing controversy to stir up hype? While I'm treating him as prey, he's treating me as prey too." Ling Pojun shouted, "Jihu integrates cutting-edge technology with affordable prices, making it the most cost-effective brand. Keep smearing it like this, and watch out for a lawsuit!"

"Oh? Did I smear anything?" Zhang Yu said indifferently. "Isn't your school a Jihu school? Don't you have a Jihu mindset?"

"What the..." Ling Pojun felt he was being cursed at, but as a student of a university where everyone was a Jihu fan, he couldn't immediately think of a retort.

So Ling Pojun simply let out a fierce roar and lunged violently toward Zhang Yu, intending to use combat to change the subject.

With a deafening boom, the torrent controlled by the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor slammed fiercely into Ling Pojun, transforming the entire battlefield into an underwater world.

Instantly, Ling Pojun and Zhang Yu were locked in fierce combat within this submerged realm.

Soon... Ling Pojun noticed more and more fish shadows emerging amidst the surging currents.

Within the layers of bloody water, swarms of fish-like demonic beasts twisted and swelled, growing rapidly before lunging at Ling Pojun in a unified frenzy of biting.

"So fast? So many?" Ling Pojun was secretly alarmed. "I heard Zhang Yu has been buying up demon blood in bulk lately; it seems this is what it's for."

With a thunderous strike, he obliterated a large swath of fish demons, only to be shocked as Zhang Yu activated the Formless Heart Weapon of Heaven and Earth's Ruinous Tribulation; the fish corpses radiated a precious light, transforming into temporary magical treasures that drifted through the flood like flying swords.

The fish demons continued to breed and grow, their numbers multiplying endlessly.

And even when blasted to death, they became material for the Formless Heart Weapon, turning into temporary flying swords.

These temporary swords drifted through the underwater world, resembling dense, sprawling schools of fish that continuously swarmed toward Ling Pojun.

As the surrounding waters expanded, they grew increasingly turbid and unfathomably deep.

Heavy terrestrial gravity and swirling currents entangled Ling Pojun's body, demanding ever greater exertion for every movement.

Coupled with the twenty-four Taihao Holy Law flying swords weaving through the fish schools, poised to strike, Ling Pojun felt an escalating sense of threat.

Meanwhile, beyond Ling Pojun's field of vision, two fish demons conjured by the Myriad Transformations Divine Scripture of the Demon Sage swam among the schools, secretly stirring up waves to amplify the flood's might.

"This is bad!"

Alarm bells rang incessantly in Ling Pojun's mind as he sensed the unfavorable turn of the battle.

"Using the mountain-moving divine power of Heavenly Kunlun in tandem with the Azure Water Golden Crystal Armor to control the water and create a battlefield suited to him—in this underwater arena, the water will increasingly burden my movements while bolstering Zhang Yu."

"The endlessly breeding fish demons attack me while alive, and when dead, they become his artifact-refining materials to attack me all over again."

"This is a quagmire; the longer I fight him in it, the deeper I sink."

"Zhang Yu has perfectly integrated his various military-grade powers; he doesn't need much preparation to form a combat framework tailored to his strengths."

"I can't keep fighting him within his framework..."

Realizing this, Ling Pojun abruptly retreated, trying to break out of this underwater world.

But the surrounding waters suddenly turned into layered barriers, obstructing his advance from all directions and transforming into an inescapable undersea prison.

At that very moment, Zhang Yu's soft shout echoed through the water.

"Are you fleeing?"

Ling Pojun continued his retreat, offering no reply.

Zhang Yu murmured indifferently, "Extreme Tiger Tactic."

Ling Pojun gritted his teeth fiercely, only to instantly feel a piercing sword intent lock onto him.

"Ten thousand blades of sword qi surge to the heavens, cleaving through the chaos to reveal the azure sky..."

The surging deluge transformed into a myriad of tornadoes that lunged at Ling Pojun, empowered by the gravitational pull of the Earth Fiends to coil tightly around his body.

Simultaneously, the corpses of countless piscine fiends turned toward Ling Pojun, their lifeless eyes staring at him with a cold, chilling sharpness that pierced the soul.

In the very next instant, Ling Pojun's figure was utterly swallowed by the overwhelming tide of spectral fish.

Minutes later, as the deluge dissipated, only Zhang Yu remained suspended in midair, one hand gripping the blood-drenched, unconscious form of Ling Pojun.

Wanfa University, Zhang Yu is victorious!

...

As divine power transported Zhang Yu and his defeated opponent back outside the arena, he noticed that nearly half the contestants had already concluded their matches and arrived ahead of him.

"I wonder how Azhen and Senior Sister are faring in their matches."

Just as this thought crossed his mind, his gaze sharpened; dropping Ling Pojun aside, he swiftly approached Ye Xingli.

(End of Chapter)