CHAPTER 30: THIRD ROUND - THE LAST ROUND.

Half an hour later, the Illusory Array Formation trembled, catching everyone’s attention.

Instantly, everyone in the arena fixed their gaze on the formation, their faces filled with curiosity and anticipation.

An electric silence hung in the air.

Jun Wu shifted his gaze to the formation. He was also curious; he wanted to see the next person that would come out.

From the Illusory Array Formation, a silhouette stumbled out, drenched in cold sweat. Her chest rose and fell, but the bright smile on her face spoke volumes of her emotion.

"Finally, I’m out," Yuan Lan muttered in satisfaction and pride.

She adjusted her robe, straightened her back, and raised her head to look at the now quiet audience.

Although she tried to hide her happiness, it was still obvious on her face. With chin raised, she turned and looked at the five elders supervising the competition.

She approached them and said calmly, "Elders, I’m out."

"Congratulations. You’ve passed the second round. You’re the second apprentice to pass," Elder Shen announced, giving her a slight nod of encouragement.

"Go to that side," she added.

She froze, unable to believe her ears. She was the second person!

How!

She believed she was quite fast in finding the weakness of the Illusory Array Formation and breaking it.

To her, no one could beat her speed.

But now... she learned she was in second place.

Her thoughts were in disarray, and she tried to mask it with calmness and indifference. However, when her eyes locked on the lone figure at the side—

Her jaw dropped slightly.

"Y-You!" she exclaimed subconsciously.

How could it be him?

The only person that could beat her in coming out could only be Ma Long, but she was proven wrong. It was the boy that was a lot younger than her.

How could this be?

Her mask of calmness and indifference faltered. The pride of the Yuan clan’s youngest Array Formation Apprentice to become a master held no value to her any longer.

She arrived beside Jun Wu and looked at him intently. She wanted to question how he broke the Illusory Array Formation faster than her.

But she controlled the impulse.

She took a deep breath to control her erratic emotions, returning to her calm and indifferent self as she focused her attention on the Illusory Array Formation.

’At least, I came second,’ she thought, regaining a bit of her confidence.

The thought of her rival coming, only to find out two people had beaten him, made her forget her current situation.

Twenty minutes later, another person came out. It was a middle-aged man. His presence did not raise any stir.

He joined Jun Wu and Yuan Lan with an air of confidence.

With the third person coming, the others followed after. Each of them was shocked when they saw Jun Wu was already out.

To them, they did not believe he would pass the second round. But here he was.

Now, no one dared to look down on him.

With only a few minutes left for the second round to be over, the noise in the arena grew with each passing second.

Inside the VIP section, Elder Kai wore a deep frown on his face. His fist was clenched under his robe.

He had bragged and looked down on others, praising his Ma Long. Yet, he was still stuck in the Illusory Array Formation.

This was not even a complete Illusory Array Formation. For the competition, the association had left many flaws in the array formation for others to use.

As long as one had a solid foundation in Array Formation, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to pass this round.

To him, Ma Long would pass this round with ease.

Yet, reality was different from his thoughts.

"Hahaha. Elder Kai, I guess your so-called talented disciple will fail this round," one of the elders of the Yuan clan mocked.

"Humph! That’s not for you to say," Elder Kai snorted but had nothing to add.

’This bastard! What’s he doing in there!’ His frown deepened.

But the Yuan clan would not miss the chance to ridicule him.

"I won’t blame that boy if he failed this round. It’s not his fault but the fault of his master. I guess he was too busy caring about his face instead of teaching him."

"Y-You!" Elder Kai snapped, pointing his finger at the Yuan clan elders, his eyes bloodshot.

"What! There are only a few minutes left. I guess you won’t mind becoming Mystic’s laughingstock when your disciple fails," she added, not caring about Elder Kai’s deadly glares.

Every word pierced Elder Kai’s heart. He trembled on the brink of fainting when he heard a loud yell.

"He’s out!"

Hmm?!

Quickly, he turned and looked at the Illusory Array Formation and saw Ma Long staggering out of the formation.

He looked exhausted and drenched in sweat.

Looking at him, Elder Kai released the pent-up breath that he did not know he was holding.

’At least he is out.’ He sighed in relief.

A sneer crept up his face as he gave the Yuan clan a sharp glare before he returned to his seat.

Although this round, he lost all face, there was still the last round. As long as his disciple passed the last round and beat everyone—

He would regain his lost dignity.

On the field, Ma Long had lost all his previous haughtiness. With slumped shoulders, he joined the group that passed the second round.

When he saw Jun Wu, his eyes widened in disbelief, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Time up.

The Illusory Array Formation was switched off and those still inside found themselves back on the field. For a moment, they were confused, but slowly they realized what happened.

They had failed the test.

Elder Feng stepped forward and announced,

"For those that failed to come out, please leave. You’re out of the competition." He paused and looked at the group that passed the second round.

"Now, for the third round, the final round of this year’s competition, please return to the field."

"This round, we’re going to determine the winner and best apprentice that is close to becoming a Grade 1 Array Master in the Soaring Cloud Region."