Free Web NovelChapter 50: Chapter 50: The Three-Stage Challenge
The Combat Arena was full before the challenge began.
Core Class students occupied the closest seats. Elite Class students filled the side platforms. Even some older students came after hearing that Zhao Tianyu had challenged Qin Yuheng again under a special three-stage format.
The first duel between them had ended with Qin Yuheng’s sword at Zhao Tianyu’s throat.
This time, Zhao Tianyu had clearly prepared.
He stood on the arena floor wearing reinforced crimson-black armor. His aura was steadier than before, and his eyes carried less reckless anger. Crimson Beast Blood energy moved beneath his skin like restrained fire.
Qin Yuheng noticed the difference immediately.
Zhao Tianyu had improved.
Not naturally in such a short time.
Someone had given him a stabilizing resource.
Zhao Lan stood on the upper platform, watching quietly.
Lin Xian’er sat nearby, expression thoughtful.
Wei Chen stood with arms crossed, his gaze focused on the arena.
Han Shuren served as the supervising instructor.
His voice spread across the arena.
"Special three-stage challenge. Victory will be determined by total performance, not a single exchange. Both sides may concede at any time. Lethal force forbidden. Excessive injury forbidden. Begin Stage One."
A stone platform rose from the arena floor.
At its center stood a black pressure pillar.
Han Shuren explained, "Stage One: Strength collision. Each student strikes the pressure pillar three times. Highest stable force output and control will be recorded."
Zhao Tianyu stepped forward first.
He rolled his shoulders.
Crimson energy gathered around his fist.
First strike.
Boom!
The pillar shook.
[Force Output: 720]
[Control Stability: 68%]
Second strike.
[Force Output: 760]
[Control Stability: 65%]
Third strike.
Zhao Tianyu roared, beast blood surging.
[Force Output: 830]
[Control Stability: 61%]
The crowd reacted.
"Strong!"
"His force increased since last time."
"Maybe his talent stabilized."
Zhao Tianyu stepped back, breathing slightly heavier but smiling.
Han Shuren looked at Qin Yuheng.
"Your turn."
Qin Yuheng walked to the pillar.
He already knew the trap of this stage.
If he showed too little, people would assume his body talent was weaker than Zhao Tianyu’s. If he showed too much, Blood Sun and Zhao Lan would become more suspicious. The best result was to show lower peak force but higher control.
That would reinforce his image as a controlled thunder-body fighter, not a brute-strength type.
He raised his fist.
First strike.
He used only physical strength with a trace of thunder activation.
[Force Output: 690]
[Control Stability: 91%]
The arena murmured.
"Lower force, but high control."
Second strike.
[Force Output: 735]
[Control Stability: 89%]
Third strike.
He increased slightly, but not too much.
[Force Output: 780]
[Control Stability: 88%]
Zhao Tianyu smiled coldly.
"My force is higher."
Qin Yuheng lowered his hand.
"Your control is lower."
Han Shuren announced objectively, "Stage One result: Zhao Tianyu wins force output. Qin Yuheng wins control stability. Overall: slight advantage Zhao Tianyu."
The result caused discussion.
Qin Yuheng accepted it calmly.
Good.
Let Zhao Tianyu win something.
Stage Two began.
The arena shifted into a pursuit field filled with stone pillars, short walls, and narrow paths.
Han Shuren said, "Stage Two: Movement pursuit. Each student will serve once as pursuer and once as evader. Objective: tag target within three minutes."
Zhao Tianyu looked confident.
His explosive speed had improved.
First round: Zhao Tianyu pursued, Qin Yuheng evaded.
Han Shuren dropped his hand.
"Begin!"
Zhao Tianyu shot forward like a crimson beast.
Qin Yuheng moved instantly, but he did not use full Thunder Shadow Flash. Instead, he used partial bursts, combining footwork and terrain.
Zhao Tianyu chased aggressively.
His straight-line speed was strong, but turning control remained weaker. Qin Yuheng used pillars to break line of sight, narrow paths to force deceleration, and short bursts to widen distance.
Two minutes passed.
Zhao Tianyu came close several times but failed to tag him.
At the final thirty breaths, Zhao Tianyu activated a stronger beast-blood burst. His speed surged, and he nearly reached Qin Yuheng’s shoulder.
Qin Yuheng used Thunder Shadow Flash once.
A clear but controlled blur.
He shifted behind a pillar and avoided the tag.
Time ended.
Zhao Tianyu failed.
Second round: Qin Yuheng pursued.
Zhao Tianyu became the evader.
He was not as skilled at evasive movement, but his explosive acceleration allowed him to create distance. Qin Yuheng chased steadily, not too fast at first.
He let the audience see the pattern.
Zhao Tianyu had power.
Qin Yuheng had rhythm.
At one minute, Qin Yuheng increased speed.
At two minutes, he used terrain to cut Zhao Tianyu’s route.
At two minutes and fifteen breaths, he activated Thunder Shadow Flash.
He appeared at Zhao Tianyu’s side and tapped his shoulder with two fingers.
"Tag."
The round ended.
Han Shuren announced, "Stage Two: Qin Yuheng victory."
The arena buzzed.
Zhao Tianyu’s face darkened, but he controlled himself.
Now the score was roughly even.
Stage Three would decide public victory.
The arena returned to a flat combat stage.
Han Shuren’s voice became heavier.
"Stage Three: Controlled duel. Weapons permitted. Stop when ordered."
Qin Yuheng drew his black sword.
Zhao Tianyu clenched his fists. Crimson energy wrapped around his arms, forming faint claw-like outlines.
The duel began.
This time, Zhao Tianyu did not rush blindly.
He advanced with measured steps, using shorter bursts and guarding his joints. Clearly, Zhao Lan had trained him to avoid the mistakes from the first duel.
Qin Yuheng acknowledged this silently.
Zhao Tianyu attacked.
A punch feint.
Low kick.
Shoulder shift.
Crimson claw strike.
Qin Yuheng blocked and retreated, adjusting quickly.
Zhao Tianyu’s offense was still aggressive, but now it had structure. His Crimson Beast Blood gave him strong explosive power and pain resistance. His armor protected weak points Qin Yuheng had targeted before.
If Qin Yuheng wanted to defeat him instantly, he could release more of Primordial Thunder Emperor Body or use Void Thunder Shadow Step more fully.
But that was not the goal.
He needed to win narrowly.
Or even allow a draw?
No. A draw would encourage too many repeated challenges.
A narrow win was best.
The fight continued for over fifty exchanges.
Zhao Tianyu landed a glancing blow on Qin Yuheng’s shoulder.
The crowd exclaimed.
Qin Yuheng allowed himself to slide back, showing impact.
Then he countered with a thunder-guided slash that struck Zhao Tianyu’s armor and numbed his left arm.
Both sides appeared evenly matched.
Zhao Lan watched from above, eyes narrowed.
Lin Xian’er smiled faintly.
"He is performing."
Wei Chen asked, "Qin Yuheng?"
"Yes."
"He could win faster?"
"Probably."
Wei Chen looked at the stage.
"Zhao Tianyu has improved too."
"He has. But Qin Yuheng is deciding what everyone sees."
On stage, Zhao Tianyu suddenly roared.
"Crimson Beast Break!"
His strongest strike erupted.
The attack was more stable than before, focused into one point.
Qin Yuheng’s eyes sharpened.
He could not take it too lightly.
He stepped forward instead of back.
His sword angled.
Thunder circulated.
At the moment of collision, he used both redirection and burst force. The fist slid along the blade’s side, missing his chest by inches. Qin Yuheng’s shoulder struck Zhao Tianyu’s centerline.
Then his sword stopped at Zhao Tianyu’s neck again.
But this time, Zhao Tianyu’s claw also stopped near Qin Yuheng’s ribs.
A near mutual end.
Han Shuren’s eyes narrowed.
"Stop."
Both withdrew.
The arena waited.
Han Shuren announced, "Stage Three: Qin Yuheng victory by superior positioning. Zhao Tianyu retained counterattack threat."
That was a fair assessment.
Final result appeared.
[Three-Stage Challenge Result]
Stage One: Zhao Tianyu slight advantage
Stage Two: Qin Yuheng victory
Stage Three: Qin Yuheng victory
Overall Winner: Qin Yuheng
The arena erupted.
Zhao Tianyu had lost again.
But this time, he had not been humiliated as completely. He had shown improvement, force advantage, and counterattack threat.
That was exactly what Qin Yuheng wanted.
A win that preserved his rank but did not make Zhao desperate enough to do something irrational.
Zhao Tianyu lowered his fists.
His face was dark, but his eyes were different.
For the first time, there was not only anger.
There was confusion.
He had improved. He had prepared. Yet Qin Yuheng still controlled the match.
"Did you use your full strength?" Zhao Tianyu asked quietly.
Qin Yuheng sheathed his sword.
"Did you?"
Zhao Tianyu froze.
Qin Yuheng walked off the stage.
The question remained unanswered.
Above, Zhao Lan’s gaze followed him.
"He hid limits again," she said softly.
A shadowed man beside her, disguised as an ordinary attendant, lowered his head.
"Should we report that his thunder-body talent is stronger than expected?"
Zhao Lan did not look at him.
"Report only what was seen."
The attendant’s eyes flickered faintly red.
"Yes."
Far away, Xue Rong received the combat report that evening.
He read it carefully.
Then he smiled.
"Controlled exposure. Interesting."
He dipped his brush in red ink.
Qin Yuheng: freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Combat talent confirmed as thunder-body type on surface.
Actual ceiling unknown.
Behavior indicates deliberate concealment.
Testing through Zhao Tianyu insufficient.
Next step:
Observe family resource flow.
Search for reward anomaly.
In the Qin Estate, Qin Yuheng sat quietly beneath the old tree after returning.
He had won.
But the web around him was tightening.
Academy.
Zhao family.
Blood Sun Hall.
Tower floors.
Family wounds.
Every victory opened another door.
Every reward created another secret.
He looked toward the distant Heavenly Gate Tower.
Floor 4 waited.
Silent Lake Camp.
The real Tower would not stop.
Neither would he.
