Chapter 41: Resurrection Match

The next day, the second round of the camp's grand tournament—the redemption matches—was about to begin. Countless soldiers had already gathered around the periphery of the valley. Many were engaged in lively discussions, creating a bustling atmosphere.

"Have you heard? The rewards for this camp tournament actually accumulate!"

"Everyone knew about that ages ago. If someone manages to make it to the third round, the prize will be astonishingly generous!"

"It's just a pity we don't have the fortune to claim it!"

...

The most attractive aspect of this camp tournament was undoubtedly the generous rewards. Countless people secretly cast envious glances, dreaming of using this opportunity to soar to greatness.

While everyone was chattering away, another person chimed in with a mysterious tone, "The real grand finale is coming up later, you know? If anyone can take the crown in this tournament, there is a very high chance they will be taken in as a disciple by the Commander!"

A single stone stirred a thousand ripples!

Hearing this, the crowd widened their eyes in shock, whispering to one another and exchanging astonished glances. Becoming the Commander's disciple was something every single soldier in the Vanguard Camp dreamed of. For a moment, everyone's gaze toward the center of the valley grew even more fervent, cursing themselves for not training hard enough.

"Looking at it this way, I'm certain Military Supervisor Cui will take first place," someone deduced. Cui Dongxing rarely made a move, but every time he did, it was nothing short of miraculous. Most importantly, his uncle was none other than the Military Advisor himself.

"I think Martial Officer Wu is more likely," another person countered, shaking his head. Wu Xiao's capabilities were obvious to all, especially his acute tactical instincts, which had even won praise from the Great General. When it came to combat, he truly feared no one.

As soon as these words were spoken, the two factions immediately broke into a fierce debate.

Amidst the crowd, someone casually brought up Qin Jue, who had basked in the limelight yesterday. However, the mention was met with utter scorn: "Him? Reaching the third round is already impressive enough. As for first place? Pure delusion!"

"Unless he can break through to the perfection of the Bone Refining Realm on the spot, there's the tiniest shred of a possibility."

Qin Jue's performance yesterday had indeed shocked many soldiers. Yet, they refused to believe he could contend with the likes of Cui and Wu. The gap between them was simply too vast!

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

Suddenly, the beat of drums thundered through the air, and everyone instantly fell silent with solemn respect. Aside from the forty-odd injured competitors, the remaining participants walked into the valley. Immediately after, the twenty victors from the first round marched toward their designated positions from yesterday.

***

Qin Jue walked forward with brisk and spirited strides. Refreshed and invigorated after last night's rest, his formidable physique had allowed him to recover completely. At this moment, he was pondering how to attract more martial artists to challenge him during this second round. Given his performance yesterday, it was virtually impossible to provoke a joint siege by the crowd today. It seemed he would have to think of another way...

Just then, a tall figure approached him. Qin Jue instantly turned his head with heightened alertness.

A young man came into view, with soaring eyebrows, a sharp, hanging-drop nose, and an uninhibited, swaggering gait—it was none other than Wu Xiao. The other man's sudden approach filled him with doubt.

"You're Qin Jue, right?" Wu Xiao stopped in front of him, his deep eyes flashing with a fierce competitive light.

"Hm?" Qin Jue hesitated, unsure why the other man was seeking him out.

Immediately afterward, the corners of Wu Xiao's lips curved upward as he said with palpable excitement, "Once you reach the perfection of the Four Realms, let's have a fight!"

With that, he strode away in large, confident steps.

Qin Jue's sharp gaze locked tightly onto the retreating figure, a blaze seemingly burning within his eyes. He had heard that this fellow was a notorious "combat maniac" in the army. If he could duel him, wouldn't that mean an endless stream of victory points? For a martial artist at the perfection of the Four Realms who possessed no martial techniques, Qin Jue was still confident in his ability to hold his own. It was a pity the timing was wrong; otherwise, he would have gladly traded blows with him right then and there.

Pulling back his thoughts, Qin Jue continued forward.

Another person passed by him. This man possessed sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, striding proudly with an innate, inexplicable majesty. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead, as if nothing in the world could catch his eye.

Seeing this person, Qin Jue's expression grew noticeably grave. Compared to Wu Xiao, this technique-wielding Cui Dongxing was clearly a much thornier opponent. If he still hadn't added enough points to break through to the perfection of the Four Realms, he stood no chance against him.

Soon, all twenty participants arrived at their respective positions. The second round of redemption matches officially began!

Qin Jue stood in the arena, waiting for his opponent to step forward. Unfortunately, due to his performance yesterday, many held deep misgivings about him and were utterly reluctant to step up. Seeing challengers successively mounting the other platforms, Qin Jue couldn't help feeling an itch of impatience. If he had known there would be a redemption match, he would have purposefully lost at a critical moment yesterday. That way, he wouldn't have needed to advance to the great success of the Four Realms, nor would he have appeared so terrifying.

Alas, a drawn bow has no reverse arrows!

Qin Jue glanced at his personal interface. After consuming thirty-five victory points yesterday and upgrading his physical stamina, he currently had twenty-five victory points left. To reach the perfection of the Four Realms, he needed at least thirty-five points. From this perspective, crossing swords with Cui Dongxing would still be quite challenging.

At that moment, a challenger finally appeared before Qin Jue. His eyes lit up. At a time like this, the last thing Qin Jue wanted was for no one to dare challenge him. After all, without opponents, he couldn't use the art of "acting" to rekindle hope among the watching martial artists.

He had to seize this opportunity.

Qin Jue assumed his stance, calculating mentally how he should fake his struggles this time.

However...

When he felt he had executed the battle with flawless acting, the result left him bitterly disappointed. Aside from the initial challenger, not a single other person stepped forward.

"Is my acting that terrible?" Qin Jue watched as other martial artists swarmed to challenge different opponents, his confidence taking a hit.

Yet, this was only natural. Given his display yesterday, pretending to struggle laboriously today would simply be too unconvincing. People weren't fools; they would naturally see through the charade.

Up on the high platform, Wang Chong silently watched the entire battle, slightly startled. Qin Jue had just made a breakthrough, and with his strength vastly increased, he should have needed time to adapt and adjust. Generally speaking, this process required at least three to five days. Yet, the young man had perfectly adapted in a single night—truly surprising. It seemed he was indeed naturally born for the battlefield!

As time passed, the second round of redemption matches gradually drew to a close. The original intent of this round was to give those who made mistakes a second chance, but the number of actual blunders was limited. Those who failed to become flag-holders in the first round had little to no likelihood of changing their fate in the second. Consequently, the final twenty spots remained largely unchanged.

Throughout the entire second round, Qin Jue had miserably managed to acquire only a single victory point. He would simply have to wait until the third round to find a way to make up for it with more points.

The second round of the camp tournament concluded, and the final twenty contestants were officially locked in. The third round was scheduled for the following day, with specific rules to be announced then.

Everyone had no choice but to wait one more day...