Chapter 133: The King of the Melee
Students from martial arts universities around the world who wanted to watch the battle had to enter the spectator stands within the battle space. However, the teachers and deans from prestigious schools could observe from higher-level areas, which were quiet and comfortable. The students could not see these observation platforms.
"Li Yuan is on stage," Dean Xu said with a smile, pointing at Li Yuan on the arena. "They even wore a mask."
"He's full of clever tricks," Dean Li Yang said with a laugh. "He probably came up with this idea on the fly after seeing everyone avoid Gaurav in the first round."
"Li Yuan has been smart since he was a child," said the chubby elder, Dean Qin, with a smile as he joined them.
The three vice-deans spoke in a friendly manner.
"Doesn't this just show a lack of confidence? If he were truly strong, he wouldn't need such petty tricks," came a sharp voice from the side.
All three deans turned angrily to see who had spoken.
"Who could it be? Oh, it's Morita Daikū," Li Yang said, recognizing the speaker. "Last year, you were keeping a low profile. Now that Japan has produced Kimura Tatsuo, you dare to show off in front of me?"
The stout man who had just spoken glared back.
"Bahskar taught Gaurav this year, and I haven't seen him bragging all over the place, let alone being as obnoxious as you," Li Yang continued. "If you have a foul mouth, go wash it."
The virtual network had an automatic translation system, so their words were directly translated.
"Dean Li, long time no see," said Bahskar, an elder in a black robe from India, standing not far away. Gaurav was his student.
"Long time no see."
"You've always been low-key, Bahskar," Li Yang said with a smile. "Gaurav is very strong this year and might win the championship. Unlike some people whose students aren't strong enough, yet they have the loudest voices."
"Gaurav is still a bit behind Li Yuan," Bahskar said modestly. He was quite familiar with Li Yang.
Morita Daikū, having been mocked by Li Yang, was burning with anger but found himself being ignored.
"Hmph."
"Li Yuan? In the second round of the cage battle this afternoon, Kimura and Li Yuan will be in the same match. We'll see who lacks strength then," Morita Daikū said coldly.
Suddenly.
Not only Li Yang, Dean Xu, and Bahskar but also teachers from other schools nearby were taken aback.
Dozens of teachers fell silent for a moment.
"Ah," Bahskar coughed and whispered, "Morita, were you not at school last month and didn't get detailed information on these students?"
"Correct."
"I went to the Star Realm in July and just returned yesterday," Morita Daikū wasn't stupid and immediately sensed something was wrong. "What's the matter? Is this Li Yuan really that strong?"
"I don't know how strong he is," Bahskar shook his head. "I just know that with Li Yang's personality, Kimura Tatsuo is in for a rough time this afternoon."
"Look."
"The third match has started. See for yourself how Li Yuan performs," Bahskar said 'kindly.'
...
In the battle space, the countdown for the third cage battle had already entered the final three seconds.
"Fang Kui!"
"Li Yuan!" On the spectator stands, the loudest and most numerous shouts were for these two names.
Especially for 'Li Yuan,' it wasn't just the students from Kunlun Martial University, but also many students from ordinary martial arts universities in China, including Jiangbei Martial University students, who were cheering.
On the arena, 200 participants from different schools and countries heard the overwhelming cheers, each feeling a surge of pride.
This competition was not just for themselves but also for their schools and their countries' honor.
As the countdown ended, the restraints on all participants were simultaneously lifted.
"Boom!" "Boom!" Almost all 200 participants moved at once.
Most immediately avoided those masked, spear-wielding participants.
No one was foolish.
These participants were all elites, even if they hadn't seen Li Yuan before, most had been briefed about him by their schools.
Knowing his terrifying strength, they recognized him as a top contender.
Now that they couldn't identify him, there was only one possibility—he had to be one of the masked participants.
"Clang!" "Clang!" Even though many tried to avoid them initially, the melee inevitably erupted.
No one could stay out of it, as the arena wasn't that large.
"Boom!"
Li Yuan, wearing a mask and holding a long spear, flashed forward, striking at one of the participants like lightning.
"Not good." The participant's expression changed, trying to raise their hand to block.
"Swish!"
The spear sliced through his neck, blood splattering, and his body instantly vanished.
"Whoosh!"
Retracting his spear, Li Yuan drew a half-circle in the air, blocking a fierce slash.
"Bang!" In a fierce clash, Li Yuan's spear shaft twisted like a dragon, bypassing the opponent's blade, and with a flash of cold light, pierced their throat.
Dead!
"2 points acquired," Li Yuan received the notification, scanning the participants who had turned pale.
"Is he Li Yuan?"
"He must be!"
"The scoreboard shows Li Yuan with 2 points, exactly matching his two kills."
"Killing two in two moves? That's brutal." The participants were shocked.
Those who made it to the second round were supposed to be the elite of their schools.
But facing this masked terror, who was likely Li Yuan, they were utterly powerless.
"An Nong's idea worked," Li Yuan thought.
Though these participants were still trying to avoid him, initially, there were four suspects, so everyone had only a 25% chance of avoiding him.
It wouldn't be like the first match, where everyone avoided Gaurav from the start.
Thus, it would be harder for Gaurav to rack up points.
"Run!"
"This is Li Yuan." The participants near Li Yuan, terrified, tried to flee.
The information indicated Li Yuan's strength, but seeing him in action, they realized he was even more formidable.
However, having failed to avoid him at the start, they were now stuck in the melee.
Where could they run to?
Moreover, while all participants had simulated equal physical fitness, Li Yuan's explosive speed was significantly superior.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!" Participants fell one by one under Li Yuan's spear.
One shot, one kill!
Li Yuan's points skyrocketed, quickly surpassing 30.
The number of participants on the arena dwindled rapidly.
In reality, though, Li Yuan hadn't even used his Star Spear Technique, relying solely on his superior skills to eliminate participants.
"Starry Spear Technique?"
"Few are worthy of facing my Starry Spear Technique," Li Yuan thought calmly.
His goal in racking up points was to secure a spot in the fourth round and avoid the elimination matches.
"Hmm?" Li Yuan's eyes moved, suddenly focusing on a distant figure.
Dozens of meters away, a burly youth wielding two battle axes was chasing down two masked participants.
The masked ones were Kunlun Martial University students.
Swish!
Li Yuan moved towards them.
...
"Die!"
The burly Fang Kui, wielding two battle axes, was chasing down two masked participants.
As one of the top three martial talents at Lion City Martial University, Fang Kui's skills were exceptional, and his dual axes were powerful, having killed over ten participants in a short time.
He was the second strongest on this arena, next to Li Yuan.
"Swish!"
One axe strike sent a Kunlun Martial University student's sword flying, and his body vanished in mid-air.
Another axe strike aimed to eliminate the other Kunlun Martial University student.
"Clang!"
A long spear struck like lightning, blocking the nearly fatal axe strike.
...
On the spectator stands.
Seeing Li Yuan and Fang Kui face off, tens of thousands of students stood up, shouting excitedly.
Most spectators hadn't known Li Yuan or Fang Kui's names or achievements before the match.
But now, everyone could see that these two were the strongest in this cage battle.
Their clash was the highlight of the match.
Even the arena's giant screen turned to focus on them.
"Fang Kui."
"Fang Kui, defeat him."
"Fang Kui, you're the strongest." Over 100,000 students from ASEAN went wild at this moment.
Lion City Martial University was the top martial arts university for ASEAN's billion people.
"Defeat Li Yuan."
"I love Fang Kui." Countless comments flooded the viewing screens.
...But the cheers from ASEAN students lasted less than two seconds.
"Li Yuan!"
"Li Yuan!" Over 200,000 students from China erupted, their roars shaking the heavens, completely overwhelming the ASEAN students' cheers.
Nearly half the spectators were from China, naturally giving them a stronger presence.
Moreover, in the eyes of countless chinese students, the scene of Li Yuan saving his fellow student with a spear was incredibly heroic.
...
On the melee arena, other participants quickly moved away from Li Yuan and Fang Kui.
Their early clash was a blessing for the others.
"Li Yuan? You're stopping me?" Fang Kui, holding his axes, stared at Li Yuan. "You're stronger than me, but if you focus on me, you'll waste time..."
Fang Kui knew Li Yuan's strength and didn't want to confront him now, as his points were still insufficient.
He had seen Li Yuan's combat prowess earlier and felt he could hold out for a while.
"Annoying."
Li Yuan's voice was cold as his entire body erupted with power. He had seen Fang Kui's profile before—he had broken through to the fourth stage of martial arts shortly after the college entrance exams. His skills were good, but they didn't impress Li Yuan.
"Shua!"
The techniques of a high-level fourth stage expert, coupled with the fastest explosive move of the Starry Spear Technique's five major killing techniques—Breaking Dawn Piercing Cloud.
In an instant.
Li Yuan fully unleashed his power.
"Something's wrong! He was hiding his strength!" Fang Kui immediately sensed the danger. His heart skipped a beat as he felt Li Yuan's aura transform completely.
Like a miniature star exploding, Li Yuan's spear swept towards Fang Kui, forcing him to hastily raise his battle axes to block.
"Boom!"
As soon as Fang Kui raised his axes, the spear struck. The weapons clashed, and he felt a terrifying force transmit through his axes, sending him crashing backward. His arms went numb, and he almost lost his grip on his axes.
This spear was too fast! Too fierce!
"Boom!"
Another terrifying spear light slashed through the air. The spear light was dazzling, like a giant star rolling across the sky, crushing everything in its path. It struck Fang Kui's battle axes heavily, causing his entire arm to cave in and break, blood splattering.
"Bang!" The metallic spear shaft, with its terrifying impact force, didn't lose momentum, continuing to strike his body heavily.
"Ah!" Fang Kui crashed to the ground, severely injured.
"Swish~" Retracting the spear, Li Yuan smoothly sliced it across Fang Kui's neck, blood spilling out.
Fang Kui's body turned into nothingness.
Dead!
"Did you waste my time?" Li Yuan muttered to himself. "Three strikes, including the time you wasted with your noise. A total of eight seconds. Indeed, you wasted a bit of my time."