Chapter 43: The Point Tournament

On the third day of the military camp's grand tournament, with the first light of dawn just breaking, everyone gathered outside the valley, gazing expectantly toward the center.

Yesterday, twenty contestants stood in neat formation before a military officer.

The officer swept his gaze across the crowd, confirmed their identities, and slowly began to speak: "The third round of the competition is a points-based match..."

This final round would determine rankings based on accumulated points, lasting for a full day and night.

The twenty competitors would vie for points within a five-mile radius centered on the valley. Each person started with one point. Defeating an opponent would win you all of their points, and the defeated person would be directly eliminated.

The rankings for the third round would be decided based on final point totals and the time of elimination.

"Sir, what are the rules?" someone in the crowd asked.

The officer kept a stern face and replied gravely, "In this points match, there are no rules and no resurrections. You may use every possible means to acquire points, with one condition: you must not kill your opponents."

At these words, many people wore looks of astonishment, not expecting the final round to be so fiercely contested.

Standing among the crowd, Qin Jue pondered quietly.

A points-based match was not necessarily a bad thing for him, and jungle warfare actually favored his strengths.

Suddenly...

A sensation stirred within him, and he turned his head to look aside.

He saw Cui Dongxing standing with an arrogant expression, looking at him with undisguised disdain and a trace of chilling malice in the depths of his eyes.

Yesterday's affair was far from over!

Meeting that gaze, Qin Jue remained calm and unruffled.

His opponent was strong, but he felt no fear.

Once he accumulated enough victory points, sooner or later, he would have to settle things with this fellow!

At that moment, under the officer's instructions, a group of soldiers began distributing identity tallies for the points.

These tallies served as proof of participation and had to be worn at the waist. Losing the tally meant losing one's points and facing immediate elimination.

After the distribution was complete, the officer checked the time and raised his voice once more: "The competition will officially begin in a quarter of an hour. You may disperse now."

The final round tested more than just individual strength; it also examined one's judgment of the situation, choices in adversity, and so on.

The higher-ups did not want everyone to blindly clash head-on from the very beginning; rather, they hoped the contestants would rely on strategy and planning.

After all, a battlefield was not a dueling arena, and brute force alone could not solve every problem.

At the command, the contestants departed in various directions, beginning to plot and strategize.

For everyone, since it was a points match, it meant that everyone had a chance, and they naturally approached it with extreme caution.

Qin Jue also chose a deserted direction and left.

As he moved, Cui Dongxing, head held high, strode purposefully in his direction.

Noticing this, a few martial artists nearby shifted their gazes and quietly altered their course, drawing closer to the two of them.

When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits... They wanted to play the role of the fisherman.

However, more martial artists remained unmoved.

In their eyes, this was bound to be a match with a stark disparity in strength. Given Cui Dongxing's prowess, his victory was absolute.

Perhaps he was simply waiting for someone to walk right into his trap.

"This fellow surnamed Cui is too petty!" Chen Xi muttered softly as he watched Cui Dongxing's actions.

Last night, they had already learned that the reason the man was making trouble for them was simply because the commander had publicly praised their squad leader.

Initially, when Chen Xi first heard of this person, he thought he was full of pride, distinctively individual, and possessed the demeanor of a true expert.

As it turned out, he was merely a narrow-minded person.

"I hope the squad leader can shake this guy off," Xiao Wushan prayed silently.

Although he also despised Cui Dongxing, he had to admit that among the twenty contestants, this man was undoubtedly the strongest. Being targeted by him was hardly a good thing.

In the arena, realizing Cui Dongxing's intentions, Qin Jue's eyes flashed, and he abruptly accelerated, dashing toward a nearby dense forest.

Cui Dongxing sneered, pressing forward step by step.

As a fourth-stage martial artist at perfection, aside from his explosive vital energy, his speed was not slow.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them closed.

Qin Jue plunged into the woods, stepping lightly onto a branch as he watched his pursuer leap agilely through the mountain forest, closing in at high speed!

Simultaneously, other martial artists were also drawing near the location.

His gaze grew cold, yet he had no intention of confronting Cui Dongxing head-on. Instead, he turned and accelerated his departure.

A true expert understands how to assess the situation and bide their time.

Qin Jue's current victory points did not yet support a breakthrough in his realm. If he were to fight Cui Dongxing, who possessed martial arts techniques, his chances of winning were slim. Even if he managed a lucky win, it would undoubtedly be a mutual destruction, ultimately benefiting outsiders.

Therefore, until a plus sign appeared beside his cultivation technique, he would temporarily avoid a direct showdown.

With his speed boosted, Qin Jue vanished from Cui Dongxing's sight within moments.

After all, his speed was comparable to that of Xu Pan-yue, who possessed movement techniques. When executed at full effort, shaking off a pursuer was a simple matter.

Cui Dongxing, who had been keeping up initially, saw Qin Jue disappear right under his nose. His footsteps halted abruptly, a flash of annoyance and resentment crossing his face.

He knew very well that continuing to chase would be futile, so he simply stopped moving forward.

Cui Dongxing halted atop a tree, standing tall and upright, gazing ahead with a chilling glare flickering in his eyes, filled entirely with contempt and disdain.

"Hmph!" A cold snort escaped his nostrils, and a storm brewed in his heart: "With such a cowardly and timid rat, just what did the commander see in him?"

The more he thought about it, the more dissatisfied he became, his fists clenching slightly.

In Cui Dongxing's mind, he was the undisputed standout in the camp; even that madman Wu Xiao could not compare to him.

Yet now, the commander was showing special favor to this fellow Qin Jue, something he simply could not fathom.

After a long while, facing the autumn breeze, Cui Dongxing regained his usual composure. He raised his chin slightly, his expression stern, and parting his thin lips, he declared decisively, "Just wait. After this is over, the commander will naturally realize he misjudged his man."

With that, he suddenly turned his head, locking his gaze onto the two fellows who had intended to act as the fishermen, and lightly tapping his toes, he gave chase.

On the other side, once Qin Jue was certain Cui Dongxing was no longer pursuing him, he slowed his pace.

Presently, a five-mile radius was not a small area. Engaging in reckless combat would undoubtedly draw a collective onslaught.

Qin Jue intended to lie low first and slowly look for opportunities.

He threaded cautiously through the mountain forest, yet he discovered no traces of fighting along the way.

This was only natural; everyone wanted to play the role of the fisherman, so the spectacle of the snipe and the clam locking horns naturally would not easily manifest.

"Boom!"

Just as Qin Jue was standing on a tree branch observing the area ahead, a martial artist suddenly burst forth from the pile of withered leaves below, clenching his right fist and lunging straight toward Qin Jue at extreme speed.

Qin Jue's gaze narrowed. Reacting swiftly, he threw out a punch of his own.

"Bang!"

Their fists collided. Qin Jue remained completely unmoved, while his opponent's expression changed drastically.

Qin Jue intended to press the attack, but seeing that his sneak attack had failed, the man stepped onto a nearby trunk, violently propelled himself sideways, and vanished into the brush.

Seeing this, Qin Jue immediately gave chase.

However, the opponent seemed exceedingly familiar with the surrounding terrain, and coupled with the dense thickets that provided easy cover, hiding was simple.

Although Qin Jue held the advantage in speed, if the other party kept hiding the way he had just done, there was truly nothing he could do.

Losing his target, Qin Jue sighed inwardly at the missed opportunity.

Yet this was to be expected.

Anyone who could reach the third round was no pushover; they were not as easily dealt with as he had imagined.

He had no choice but to continue searching while also paying closer attention to spots on the ground suitable for concealment.