Chapter 34: A Relatively Eventless Third Round

The third round was finally about to begin.

First came the drawing of lots.

As the time for the draw arrived, Deputy Captain Sun Hongshan finally appeared. He wore a gray trench coat, towering and imposing. With a faint, almost mocking smile, he looked at Shen Ye. “You must be the newcomer, Shen Ye? I heard you have Captain Shen as your backing—quite bold, aren’t you?”

“Bold? Not really,” Shen Ye shrugged, completely unfazed by Sun Hongshan’s imposing presence.

“Your killing of my deputy shows a complete lack of respect for your seniors and for the deputy captain. Isn’t that bold enough?” Sun Hongshan sneered. “These days, those who are too bold, too reckless, and dare to provoke everything don’t live long.”

“Well, you have to be someone who can take my life first. So far, there’s no one like that. Deputy Captain Sun, you’d better worry about yourself,” Shen Ye retorted bluntly.

Ma Nuonuo chimed in from the side, “Haha, Shen Ye, well said. I support you. Sun Hongshan always acts like he’s something special.”

“Let’s start the draw,” the referee said, watching the crowd on the floor nearing a quarrel, feeling a headache coming on.

Sun Hongshan drew first and got 1A.

Ma Nuonuo drew second and got 2A.

The third to draw was Li Da, who got 1B—meaning his first-round opponent would be Sun Hongshan. This made Li Da’s heart skip a beat, but he quickly summoned indomitable courage. After all, to win this squad leader position, he had to face Sun Hongshan—there was no escaping it.

The fourth to draw was Feng Leng, a strong third-dan. He had fought a mid-third-dan in the previous round and had held out until now. He drew 4A.

Shen Ye, as a newcomer, naturally drew last. He got 4B. Returning to his seat with this draw, Hu Qi praised, “Your draw is good. Feng Leng’s strength isn’t that great—just a strong third-dan. Even injured, you should be able to hold your ground against him. But the trouble is, Feng Leng is a speed-oriented fighter. If the fight drags on, your injury might worsen.”

“Feng Leng specializes in hidden weapons,” another newcomer, Hu Qi, had already taken up the role of Shen Ye’s information provider.

“Then we’ll just see how it goes,” Shen Ye shrugged nonchalantly, focusing on observing Sun Hongshan’s moves next.

...

The first match of the third round was Sun Hongshan versus Li Da.

This was also the most dazzling fight of the round.

Sun Hongshan stepped onto the stage.

Li Da appeared, carrying his broad sword.

Li Da said gravely, “Sun Hongshan, meeting me may be your misfortune. Because I am not so easily defeated.”

“You are the third-ranked figure in the eighth squad, just beneath Ma Nuonuo and me. If I could choose, I wouldn’t want to face you. But since we’re matched, I will decisively defeat you,” Sun Hongshan said with supreme confidence.

“To defeat me, you must have the ability,” Sun Hongshan’s hands gripped the hilts of his two swords.

Three minutes had passed.

With a movement of his hands, both swords were drawn simultaneously, stabbing swiftly toward Li Da.

The moment the swords left their sheaths, they blazed like fire.

These twin blades were called the Flame Calamity Double Swords.

They were crafted using advanced technology, forged with intense heat.

The blades’ temperature reached a scorching 500 degrees Celsius.

Anything they touched would be burned.

Ma Nuonuo wielded twin swords with agility.

But Sun Hongshan’s style was brutally domineering, swinging the Flame Calamity Double Swords with searing heat. Being deputy captain of a special operations squad certainly meant he was formidable.

Li Da immediately raised his broad sword to block.

Clang!

The three swords clashed midair.

Suddenly, Sun Hongshan switched swords; his left-hand sword blocked the broad sword while his right-hand sword darted rapidly toward Li Da.

Li Da, having held his rank as the third in the eighth squad for so long, was no weakling. His sword forcibly broke through Sun Hongshan’s left-hand sword block, the upper half of his blade taking the brunt of the strike.

They exchanged over ten moves.

In the end, Sun Hongshan’s strength prevailed; after more than thirty moves, he secured victory.

...

Ma Nuonuo’s fight was against a third-dan opponent, and she won with ease.

...

Finally, it was Shen Ye’s turn against Feng Leng.

Shen Ye stepped onto the stage.

Feng Leng, looking about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, around 1.8 meters tall, wearing a floral T-shirt, had already lit a cigarette before stepping up.

The three-minute conversation period began.

Feng Leng flicked away the nearly finished cigarette and said, “If you weren’t injured in the last fight, I would have conceded automatically, because I’m not as strong as you. But since you are injured, it gives me a chance. After all, a strong third-dan defeating a wounded fourth-dan is nothing unusual. Don’t blame me for being unscrupulous—on the stage, it’s only life and death; there’s no such thing as scruples.”

“True enough. Then let’s begin,” Shen Ye said plainly.

As soon as the three minutes ended, Feng Leng retreated at lightning speed, creating distance.

At the same time, dozens of icy stars shot toward Shen Ye.

Relying on exceptional eyesight, Shen Ye swung his Tiger Meditation Sabers, clanging as he blocked the hidden weapons.

Simultaneously, he pushed off with his feet, rapidly closing in on Feng Leng.

Seeing this, Feng Leng kept retreating, turning corners while firing more hidden weapons.

However, the relatively confined arena was not suitable for hidden weapons to be effective.

Before long, Feng Leng was cornered by Shen Ye.

But at a critical moment, Shen Ye’s injury flared in pain, leaving an opening that Feng Leng seized to escape.

With a whoosh, Feng Leng fled.

Shen Ye furrowed his brows, clearly in pain, but quickly suppressed it and resumed the chase.

After a while, he cornered Feng Leng in the tight space.

Finally, the blade rested across Feng Leng’s throat, ending the battle.

The gap in their strength was vast.

One was a strong third-dan.

The other a strong fourth-dan.

There were no twists in this fight; it ended with Shen Ye’s victory.

Yet, everyone watching noticed Shen Ye’s injury flared painfully during the match.

They all guessed that the wound was severe—encountering an ordinary opponent might be manageable, but against a formidable enemy, it could be fatal.

There were four matches in the third round.

The winners were Sun Hongshan, Ma Nuonuo, Shen Ye, and a mid-fourth-dan named Li Linyi.

After an hour’s rest, the fourth round of the draw began.

Sun Hongshan drew 1A.

Ma Nuonuo drew 2A.

Li Linyi drew 2B.

Shen Ye drew 1B.

This meant Ma Nuonuo would face Li Linyi, and Sun Hongshan would face Shen Ye.

At the sight of the draw, the atmosphere instantly turned strange.

Sun Hongshan and Shen Ye already had a grudge—after all, Shen Ye had slain Sun Hongshan’s deputy.

Moreover, Sun Hongshan’s patron, Sun Dehai, and Shen Ye’s patron, Shen Shipeng, had been lifelong enemies spanning decades.

The third round had been somewhat subdued, but the fourth round promised an explosive clash—like a meteor colliding with the earth—intense and thrilling beyond measure.