Chapter 367: Chapter 368: Xu Liang is Out

“Be very careful with him, one must always be vigilant of others. If he has any malicious intentions, you’ll be prepared,” Wang Cai solemnly advised.

The seventh battle began, and it was Donghuang’s turn to make a move. As soon as the fight started, the spectators above the stage did not even get a clear view of what happened before it was over. Donghuang’s opponent was instantaneously enveloped in light and transported away, leaving only Donghuang standing there with his hands bound, standing silently, his aura seemingly able to contend with the entire Duel Arena.

“This person is very strong.” Others might not have seen what happened, but Wang Cai and Mu Can did.

The moment the battle commenced, Donghuang instantly moved right in front of his opponent and threw a punch, carrying with it an overwhelming force like a mountain crashing down, and landed viciously on the opponent’s chest. In an instant, a light appeared, transporting Donghuang’s opponent out of the Duel Arena—it seemed that Tongshen Mountain preemptively transported the opponent away, sensing that if the punch truly landed, the person would have had no chance of resisting and would have been killed on the spot. Donghuang struck and then instantly moved back to his original position, all of this occurring in the blink of an eye. Aside from a very few people in the stands, the rest didn’t get a clear look at what had happened before the fight was over.

“This is too strong.” In Xu Liang’s eyes, he only saw the initial light settle down when a beam of light directly transported Donghuang’s opponent out of the Duel Arena. This fight didn’t even last a few seconds, and the eliminated person was likely bewildered in their heart, having just felt stable on the ground when they were immediately knocked out.

“His speed must be at least at the peak of Martial Saint,” Wang Cai spoke up, recalling the time Mu Can encountered Donghuang on the stone steps, when Donghuang’s strength was about the same as Mu Can’s. But now, his physical condition has improved to the stage of a peak Martial Saint. It seems that not only did Mu Can have a fortuitous encounter here, Donghuang did as well.

“He might also be one of the chosen ones,” said Mu Can, looking at Donghuang with a complicated expression, then slowly his eyes became resolute.

What lifelong enemy, what strongest opponent, I will crush you, shatter you.

A raging inferno of battle blazed fiercely in Mu Can’s heart, and even in his eyes, one could see that hunger for combat. I have been looking forward to this battle for a long time, so let it come quickly. Whatever peak of Martial Saint, I will smash it all with one punch.

“Don’t worry, I have confidence in you. Apart from you, I haven’t seen a second person who can make Lord Wang Cai suffer a setback. With your thick-skinned nature, you will definitely be stronger than him,” Wang Cai hurriedly cheered, seeing Mu Can’s fighting spirit.

“Are you praising me? Because I feel like you’re mocking me,” Mu Can glanced sideways at Wang Cai, speaking indifferently.

“Haha, no, not at all, I’m praising you, right, Xu Liang?” Wang Cai, noticing Mu Can’s displeased expression, quickly spoke up.

Even though Xu Liang was forthright, he knew that he shouldn’t meddle in their affairs. With a cry, he clutched his head, “Ouch, I’m hurt, my head hurts so much.”

“We have one with a thick skin,” Wang Cai, seeing Xu Liang’s reaction, could only heave a heavy sigh.

There wasn’t much to see in the following fights, but Mu Can keenly noticed something.

“Wang Cai, have you noticed that among the twenty people who fought this round, none of them used the cultivation techniques from the Ultimate Secret Manual? It seems like they’re all holding back.”

“Yep, it looks like none of them are simple. They’re all preparing for the second round of fights. You’ll see, the second round should reveal their true strength.” Wang Cai sneered. The reason he and Mu Can hadn’t used cultivation techniques from the Ultimate Secret Manual was straightforward—they hadn’t fought at all and had directly achieved victory. However, the fact that the others hadn’t used them indicated they were all concealing their full capabilities.

Thus, the ten fights concluded, and there were ten victors, of whom four happened to be acquaintances of Mu Can.

Wang Cai, Xu Liang, Dongfeng Shuo, and Donghuang were all old friends of Mu Can, while the remaining five included the strong man wielding the giant axe, an unfortunate soul who exhausted all his spiritual power during the fight, and three seemingly ordinary cultivators.

However, Mu Can knew that the three remaining cultivators must also be formidable, especially since they were among those who obtained the Ultimate Secret Manual in the Scripture Pavilion, and neither he nor Wang Cai knew them.

“The second round, just like the first, victors score three points, and losers score one.”

“These points must serve some purpose, otherwise why not simply use an elimination system? There must be a reason behind this points system.” Xu Liang’s eyes lit up as he spoke, speculating that if it were a simple elimination system, there wouldn’t be any need to bother with a complicated points system.

Existence is justified; since Tongshen Mountain has devised such rules, it undoubtedly means that these points are valuable.

“Right, what Xu Liang said is plausible. I have a feeling that these points might allow for the exchange of parts of the secret manual memories after being eliminated.” Wang Cai agreed.

It seemed essential to earn more points; however, Mu Can’s attitude towards battle had always been straightforward—fight and then win. This was the meaning of Mu Can’s life. No matter what kind of opponent he faced, Mu Can never lost his fighting spirit.

When the second round began, the stands fell silent. Those who could make it through this round would stand a good chance of entering the top three. At this point, everyone hoped to be paired with a weaker opponent. Some even looked at Xu Liang and the cultivator who had depleted his spiritual power with smiles on their faces. Clearly, these two seemed to be the prime candidates for elimination. If anyone could be matched against them, victory would be easy.

The match list for the first fight was announced, causing an uproar.

The two individuals considered the weakest were paired together. But this was also good; for the others, as long as they could advance to the next round, the chances of securing a top-three finish were high.

Xu Liang was set against the unfortunate cultivator who had exhausted his spiritual power, and they were evenly matched in strength.

What Xu Liang did not expect was that his opponent seemed like a completely different person from before, with a series of dizzying attacks smashing onto him. The man could actually control the earth, and sharp spikes of earth erupted beneath Xu Liang, leaving him in a difficult situation. Of course, although Xu Liang was ultimately defeated, he managed to injure his opponent, laying some groundwork for future battles. Since this person had won, there was a high possibility that he would face either Mu Can or Wang Cai later on, and this was a form of groundwork for the two of them.