Chapter 533: Chapter 253 Start of the Contest_2
"Those who are ranked within the top ten on the card, please come up to the stage."
Card?
Fang Yu and his companion Green Monkey quickly looked at the card; Hei Ao, who relished the attention, also hastily glanced at it.
Ranked thirty-nine.
That was Fang Yu’s ranking on the card.
Not bad, thirty-ninth wasn’t considered low.
But... on the third stage, only the top ten get rewards.
Outside of the top ten, rankings mean nothing.
Thump thump thump.
At this moment, ten people successively ascended the stage.
However...
So weak!
The first thing Fang Yu looked at was the target of Hei Ao and Green Monkey.
Ranked tenth.
[Hua Longyin: 531/531.]
Ranked third.
[Fu Wangli: 584/584.]
It seemed that the ranking selection on the card wasn’t about choosing the strong; it was merely random.
Among the ten on the stage, only three or four had the strength of eight to nine hundred health points; the others were ordinary and not worth mentioning.
"Isn’t this an easy catch?"
Fang Yu whispered.
But looking at Green Monkey, the latter seemed unimpressed.
Even Hei Ao, who was always eager to fight, was now unusually composed and showed no intention of entering the arena; however, his body trembled slightly as if he was restraining the impulse to fight.
"Why aren’t you guys joining in?"
Fang Yu asked curiously.
He was thinking about them joining early, getting eliminated early, and then he would turn the tides and seize the Talisman of Malevolence Dispelling.
"No rush."
Green Monkey explained: "Going up now would just waste energy and make us targets for everyone. Haven’t you understood the rules of this competition yet? Only those who remain standing without further challengers can maintain their ranking."
So that was it...
This meant, the later you strike, the better you can preserve your ranking.
And the earlier you fight, you would face a continuous stream of challengers, wasting energy and exposing your strength, which might end up in vain.
"So when do you plan to make your move?"
"At least, wait until someone capable of defending the stage shows up first."
Green Monkey seemed to have his own plan; Fang Yu needn’t worry too much.
At that moment, the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.
Fang Yu and Green Monkey focused and saw that someone had gone up to challenge.
And it was an acquaintance.
It was Zi Touyue, someone they had defeated before, filled with malicious aura, and his moves were lethal enough to kill.
However...
[Zi Touyue: 650/650.]
His moves might have been somewhat effective in the second stage, being ruthless and forcing others to be wary.
But on the third stage, did he really think those fierce moves would still work? After all... the third stage was rule-free, his trump cards, those lethal moves, here might be as common as anything else, something everyone knew how to use.
As expected, Zi Touyue opened with a lethal move, only to find... his opponent was even more ruthless.
Crack, while blocking the attack, his opponent counteracted and broke his arm.
"Ahhh!!"
Zi Touyue yelled in agony, deterring those below who were eager to join the challenge.
Some people in the audience didn’t expect the competition on the third stage to be so brutal; it had just begun, and someone’s arm was already broken.
As Zi Touyue retreated and knelt on one knee, panting heavily, he glared resentfully at his opponent.
But the opponent just scoffed, suddenly drew closer.
A flash of the sword, blood splattered, directly blinding both of Zi Touyue’s eyes.
"Ahhh!! My eyes! My eyes!!"
Zi Touyue covered his eyes and screamed miserably, rolling on the ground, before being kicked off the stage by his opponent.
"Disgraceful."
Then, raising both hands, he received cheers from the crowd below.
As for Zi Touyue, who struggled to his feet below the stage, furiously roaring in helpless rage, nobody cared about him anymore.
He roared a few times at the person on the stage, dropped a few harsh words, and then staggered through the crowd, exiting outside.
This wave of defeats could very well mark the end of any further progress in their Martial Arts journey in this lifetime.
"Such people have reached their limits in strength."
"Too naive. This is the third arena, the main battlefield of the Bonfire Gathering. With such strength, they naively think they can win a ranking; they are doomed to end up like this."
No one felt sympathy for Zi Touyue. True combat should indeed be this brutal.
Once you step into the arena to challenge, you should be mentally prepared for this.
Even careful fighters like Hei Ao and Green Monkey first observe the situation and wait for the right opportunity to challenge.
But where some fail, others succeed.
As Fang Yu said earlier, the people currently guarding their rankings are just too weak.
A batch of them was quickly eliminated.
Those who succeeded in their challenges looked down at the crowd below, somewhat feeling as if they stood at the pinnacle.
However, this illusion, with waves of challengers appearing, soon completely dissipated.
People in the arena kept changing, hardly any lasted long.
Or rather, those truly capable of holding the arena for an extended time haven’t made their move yet.
Fang Yu looked towards He Bashan, Eastern Gate Orchid, and several other formidable fighters.
They were all observing the situation in the arena, yet they hadn’t stepped in.
What Fang Yu particularly cared about was which ranking these people were aiming for.
If their target coincided with that of Hei Ao’s group, things could get tricky.
"It’s about time."
Suddenly, Green Monkey spoke.
Fang Yu was startled and looked towards her.
He saw her already stepping toward the arena.
"Are you making a move?" Fang Yu asked.
Hei Ao also frowned at her, feeling it was a bit too early.
But Green Monkey seemed to have a different plan.
After all, she aimed for the tenth ranking, a position with much less competition than the top few, and even the number of challenges was fewer.
For Green Monkey to enter the arena at this time, victory was assured, but the issue was how long she could defend the arena.
"It’s Green Monkey!"
"He’s finally making a move!"
"I’ve been curious about Green Monkey’s true strength; he was quite active in the second arena."
Seeing Green Monkey stepping up, the crowd immediately burst into discussions.
It seemed Green Monkey had also gathered quite a few fans in the second arena, but the louder they cheered, the uglier her expression became.
Clearly, Green Monkey did not like being called that nickname.
Stomp!
With Green Monkey stepping onto the arena and standing firm, her opponent also held his breath and seriously regarded the challenger.
"So, you are Green Monkey, I’ve seen your fights from below on the second arena. Too light-hearted, your strength isn’t enough to defeat me. Step down yourself, don’t waste my time."
That person spoke rather arrogantly.
A strange expression crossed Fang Yu’s face.
This guy probably didn’t know how strong Green Monkey really was.
Even Fang Yu himself, given the same amount of stamina, would not confidently say he could definitely defeat Green Monkey.
Well, when all strengths are unleashed, the prodigies of the Five Great Families have far superior methods than ordinary Martial Artists.
Looking at Green Monkey’s current opponent.
[Net Yuzi: 627/789.]
This is the consumption in arena battling.
Defending the arena, even for masters, would deplete health; as for Green Monkey and others, it meant a significant drain of stamina, akin to fighting a series of battles, constantly being challenged.
That’s also why Green Monkey and other strong fighters haven’t entered the arena yet.
Even if they win now, they still have to defend the arena and reveal their strength to others; it’s a loss overall.
So theoretically, it’s better to enter as late as possible.
But since Green Monkey has entered, she must have her reasons.
Stomp!
At this moment, Green Monkey made her move.
With lightning speed, she dashed in front of the man.
Before he could react, she pointed at his neck.
There was a snap.
Fang Yu even suspected Green Monkey might have broken the man’s neck.
After all, this was the third arena; Green Monkey started to make her moves without any reservations or hesitations.
With a thud, the man fell straight down, unconscious.