Free Web NovelChapter 169: The Battle God Arena
Chapter: The Battle God Arena
The next morning, Nine Lotus Academy was far more crowded than it had been during the first round.
Yesterday’s mountain trial had reduced more than thirty-three thousand participants to a mere one thousand survivors. Instead of reducing the excitement, however, the result had achieved the opposite effect. News of the surviving geniuses had spread throughout the martial world overnight. Every major family, sect, organization, and academy wanted to witness what happened next.
By noon, the Battle God Arena had become the center of attention.
The massive arena resembled a giant stone bowl carved into the earth. Tens of thousands of spectators filled the surrounding stands. Floating platforms hovered above the arena for important guests and powerful families. The highest platform naturally belonged to the Octopus Organization and the Nine House Masters.
Even before the competition started, countless discussions filled the air.
"Mark Smith is definitely securing a seat."
"Emma Rock too."
"I heard the Clark Family has several strong participants."
"Don’t forget the White Family girl."
"What about the hidden talents from yesterday?"
Everywhere people looked, conversations revolved around the same topic.
Who would enter the top five hundred?
Who would be eliminated?
Who would reveal themselves today?
Inside the participant area, the atmosphere was considerably more serious.
The thousand remaining contestants stood separated into various groups. Some belonged to large families. Others represented hidden sects. Quite a few stood completely alone.
Tony arrived together with Lily and Julie.
Compared to yesterday, Julie looked much better. A night’s rest had restored most of her strength, though she still occasionally complained about the mountain trial.
"I still think yesterday was ridiculous. I spent half the competition protecting a flag from thieves, robbers, and lunatics. If I see another golden flag anytime soon, I’m throwing it into a lake."
Tony laughed.
"That’s a strange thing to say considering you qualified."
Julie immediately glared at him.
"Easy for you to say. You didn’t climb half the mountain while carrying a target on your back."
Lily rolled her eyes.
"Don’t encourage him. He’s probably still proud of what he did."
Tony looked innocent.
"What exactly did I do?"
Julie immediately became interested.
"What did he do?"
Lily stared at Tony before shaking her head.
"Nothing useful. While everyone else was risking their lives, this shameless fellow somehow appeared at exactly the right moment and stole an opportunity others spent an hour fighting for."
Tony immediately objected.
"Stole is such an ugly word."
"Then what should I call it?"
"Efficient resource acquisition."
Julie burst into laughter.
Even Lily couldn’t help smiling.
Unfortunately, Tony’s reputation had already spread.
Several nearby participants overheard the conversation and immediately moved a little further away.
Nobody wanted to become involved.
Meanwhile, famous geniuses continued arriving one after another.
Mark Smith entered accompanied by several Imperial Family members. The moment he appeared, conversations throughout the arena quieted noticeably. His expression remained calm, and the Sky Rank Serpent Spirit Sword on his back attracted attention wherever he walked.
Emma Rock arrived shortly afterward.
Unlike Mark, she ignored everyone completely and occupied a corner of the participant area by herself.
Leo Clark and Kevin Clark entered together.
Jean White stood with several White Family supporters.
Hank Cooper looked as relaxed as if he were attending a social gathering rather than a major tournament.
The unknown talents from yesterday also appeared.
The bald monk.
The giant carrying an iron pillar.
The woman with the bamboo umbrella.
Several others whose names still remained unknown.
As the scheduled starting time approached, the atmosphere gradually changed.
The casual conversations disappeared.
Smiles vanished.
Everyone’s attention shifted toward the battlefield.
At precisely two o’clock in the afternoon, Vice Principal Rutherford stepped onto the central platform overlooking the arena.
The noise immediately died down.
His gaze swept across the crowd before he spoke.
"Everyone, the top five hundred competition is about to begin. All unrelated personnel, please retreat beyond the designated boundaries of the Battle God Arena."
His voice echoed clearly throughout the massive venue.
After ensuring everything was prepared, Ruthorford raised his hand.
The arena floor suddenly trembled. A moment later, five hundred stone stools slowly rose from beneath the ground.
They were arranged throughout the battlefield with roughly equal spacing between them.
Each stool looked ordinary. Yet every participant stared at them intensely.
Because every stool represented qualification.
Ruthorford waited until everyone’s attention focused upon the battlefield.
Then he continued. "Attention, participants. The rules are extremely simple. In the middle of the Battle God Arena stand five hundred stone stools. As long as you occupy one of those stools when the round concludes, you will advance into the top five hundred. The competition duration will be three hours."
The participants immediately understood the problem.
Securing a stool wasn’t difficult. Keeping it for three hours would be another matter entirely.
"I will count to three."
Every participant tensed.
"One." Spiritual energy surged throughout the arena.
"Two." The atmosphere became suffocating.
"Three." The instant the word left his mouth, one thousand participants exploded forward.
The Battle God Arena instantly descended into chaos. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The strongest geniuses rushed toward the central region. Others targeted the edges.
Some immediately attacked rivals. Some formed temporary alliances. Others searched for easier opportunities.
The battlefield transformed into complete disorder within seconds.
Tony watched the chaos for a moment before shaking his head.
"Why are they all working so hard?"
Before either Lily or Julie could answer, Tony casually leaped into the air.
The movement immediately attracted attention.
Several participants thought he had discovered something important.
Instead, Tony simply flew toward a stone stool located near the edge of the battlefield and sat down comfortably.
The spectators watching through the live broadcast stared in disbelief.
The competition had only begun.
People were still fighting desperately for positions. Yet Tony had already occupied a seat.
Even Julie couldn’t help laughing. "That actually suits him."
Unfortunately, Tony’s peaceful moment lasted less than ten seconds.
A young man landed directly before him. His cultivation had already reached the Internal Post Stage.
His expression carried obvious arrogance.
"Move aside."
Tony blinked. For a moment, he genuinely thought he had heard incorrectly.
The young man frowned. "Didn’t you hear me? I said move aside."
Tony slowly looked around... Then pointed at himself. "You’re talking to me?"
The young man sneered. "Who else?"
Several nearby participants immediately slowed down.
They recognized Tony.
Which made the situation far more interesting.
Tony stared at the man for several seconds before laughing.
The young man immediately became angry. "What are you laughing at?"
Tony finally stopped laughing. "You’re the first person today brave enough to tell me to move."
The young man smiled coldly. "Then move."
A heartbeat later, Tony’s palm struck forward.
The attack looked casual.
Almost lazy.
Yet the result shocked everyone nearby.
The arrogant participant screamed as his body shot through the air like a cannonball. He crossed half the battlefield before crashing into the ground and rolling several dozen meters.
Silence.
Several spectators blinked repeatedly.
The difference was too large... The fight ended before it began.
Tony dusted his hands.
Then, without the slightest embarrassment, he raised his voice.
"I’m the young master of the Clark Family. Does anyone else want this seat?"
The surrounding participants immediately changed direction.
Some cursed inwardly.
Others laughed.
One particularly slender participant sitting on a nearby stool immediately stood up.
"Young Master Tony, please take this one instead."
Tony looked pleasantly surprised. "What a reasonable person."
The poor fellow didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Meanwhile, Julie finally arrived near Tony’s position. After fighting her way through several challengers, she stood beside him and smiled proudly.
Tony glanced toward another participant occupying the neighboring stool.
The participant immediately stood up. "Miss Julie, please sit here."
Julie nearly burst into laughter.
Not far away, Lily covered her face.
For the first time in her life, she discovered that shamelessness could actually be contagious.
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Tq
