It was noon, and they gathered in the cafeteria.
As Chen Chu took his seat, Xia Youhui followed with a tray and wore a slightly bitter expression. "Ah Chu, I have no hope of advancing this time."
Surprised, Chen Chu inquired, "What happened? Even if you couldn't make it to the top fifty with your strength, you should at least pass the first round, right?"
Lin Xue, Lu Haitao, Li Wenwen, and Luo Fei joined them at this moment. Luo Fei and Lin Xue settled opposite them, while Li Wenwen and Lu Haitao occupied the adjacent table.
Lin Xue shook her head, explaining, "Xia Youhui's luck hasn't been on his side. His first opponent was An Chengqing, so he surrendered right away."
Xia Youhui interjected defensively, "That's because she's in a higher realm, and I'm not foolish. When facing someone at the second-tier level, I have to surrender."
With a shrug, Xia Youhui added as if to prevent being underestimated, "Don't think it's just me; even you, Captain, would have no chance against her."
"In other words, no one in this ranking competition can challenge her for the first place."
"So formidable," remarked Chen Chu, clearly taken aback.
Xia Youhui confidently asserted, "Of course. Upon advancing to the second layer, her strength will be on par with our foundation-building phase. She'll experience significant improvements, and her arm strength will increase by at least 100 kilograms."
"In addition, practitioners at the second-tier level wield true power. Especially when using advanced techniques, the surge in strength is amplified by at least threefold, if not fourfold."
"Who can contend with her in this all-encompassing reign of terror?"
Chen Chu nodded thoughtfully. With a baseline strength of 400 kilograms, plus a threefold enhancement from true power, her speed and kinetic energy would increase dramatically.
She could deliver a single blow with a force exceeding 3,000 kilograms, equivalent to over three tons of impact. No one could match her with such strength, not even the individual wielding the iron pillar.
This was not merely a test of strength; as Nantian Wugao's most outstanding prodigy, An Chengqing's true combat capabilities were sure to be terrifying.
Chen Chu was perplexed, saying, "No, if you lose just one match, you should still advance to the first round without much trouble."
With more than 500 participants and six games per person, maintaining an undefeated record for all six matches was challenging. Losing one match would likely still secure a spot in the top 200.
"The issue is that I lost three games."
With a sigh, Xia Youhui continued, "In the second round, I encountered a freak who wielded a pillar. His strength was astounding, and he sent me flying off the ring three times with his pillars."
"Though I won three consecutive matches, in my sixth game, I faced an opponent named Li Meng, a practitioner of the Hunyuan Hammer technique. His skills were my kryptonite."
"Underestimating his hammer technique, he built up momentum, and despite my strong defense, he hammered me back twenty times in a row, resulting in my fall from the ring."
"Your luck has been exceptionally poor," Chen Chu remarked, feeling unsure of what else to say.
After sharing his own story, Xia Youhui casually inquired, "By the way, Ah Chu, how are you doing? How many matches have you lost?"
Coughing lightly, Chen Chu replied modestly, "I'm doing fine. I've been fortunate; the opponents I've faced so far haven't been overly formidable. I should have a good chance to advance."
"Your luck is simply incredible," Xia Youhui muttered enviously.
While he thought Chen Chu was genuinely fortunate, he couldn't know that Chen Chu had actually overwhelmed his adversaries with sheer strength, including Li Meng, who had bested Xia Youhui.
Chen Chu, curious about Lin Xue's performance, asked, "How about you, Monitor?"
"I'm doing well; I haven't encountered particularly strong opponents," Lin Xue replied calmly.
Li Wenwen, a short-haired girl at the neighboring table, raised her hand and said with a smile, "I've only lost two games, so I should have a chance to advance. Better than Xia Youhui and Haitao."
"I've lost three games," Lu Haitao lamented, a bit disappointed. He had been unlucky, facing three 'geniuses' who practiced advanced techniques. Without them, he likely could have advanced to the next round.
Following lunch, everyone returned to the sports center.
They had an hour to spare before the afternoon matches commenced. Chen Chu found a seat at random in the auditorium.
At that moment, a faint fragrance wafted over; it was Luo Fei, seated behind him. She leaned slightly and asked curiously, "Chen Chu, have you broken through to the pinnacle of the first layer?"
Chen Chu turned to look at the girl, whose face was close to his. He shook his head and replied, "No, but I've made progress in the Dragon Elephant Skill recently."
"Dragon Elephant Skill?" Concubine Luo seemed puzzled.
Chen Chu nodded and replied in a hushed tone, "Yes, that's correct. I've been practicing the Dragon Elephant Kung Fu lately, and it has effectively doubled my strength. That's why I was able to defeat my opponents today."
"True martial arts match," Luo Fei murmured, seemingly surprised.
"I believe that's the reason," Chen Chu replied, understanding that he couldn't keep it a secret from her. He intended to use this explanation to account for the changes in himself.
Compatibility with Zhenwu techniques was a rather enigmatic aspect, even the creators of such techniques couldn't be certain.
Luo Fei exclaimed, "To achieve strength comparable to the pinnacle of the first-tier within a week suggests your compatibility with the Dragon Elephant Art is at least on a high level. It's a pity."
With a tinge of regret on her face, Luo Fei continued, "The Dragon Elephant Kung Fu is only a low-level martial art. If you had practiced a higher-tier power-based technique, you might have had a better chance of catching up to An Lingqing."
Chen Chu responded nonchalantly, "It's alright. When I've mastered the Dragon Elephant Art and amassed enough contribution points, I'll switch to an advanced technique. Perhaps I'll have a better affinity with that one."
As long as he reached a high level of proficiency with his primary Zhenwu technique, he could transition to a higher-tier technique of the same type, with the original technique automatically overwritten.
Therefore, Chen Chu wasn't overly concerned about the fact that the Dragon Elephant Gong was a low-level technique.
While waiting, Chen Chu noticed that there was still some time left, so he shifted his consciousness, instantly entering the perspective of the heavily armored beast.
Within the dry cave, the heavily armored beast, which had grown to ninety centimeters in size, slowly opened its eyes, stretched its limbs, and slid into the river through an underwater opening.
Grrrrrrrr!
Bubbles swirled around as the heavily armored beast's tail gently swayed. It swam towards the deeper section of the river.
Before long, a half-meter-long grass carp came into view beneath the river's surface, about ten meters deep.
The dark figure rested on the riverbed, motionless, resembling a piece of driftwood observing the grass carp's movements. It continued to watch as the fish swam closer until it was nearly half a meter away...
Boom!
Mud scattered as the heavily armored beast's tail suddenly struck, causing the water to explode behind it. Like a sharp projectile, it shot forward, seizing the grass carp's head in one swift motion.
Click! Under the powerful bite force, the grass carp's head was instantly crushed, a brutal spectacle.
In just a few strokes, the heavily armored beast devoured the half-meter-long grass carp, then vanished into the water, searching for its next prey.