The knockout stage has ended, and Jiang Wuyuan has successfully advanced.

This was expected.

At this moment, the conference hall, where all the bigwigs were gathered, was located on the best viewing platform in the entire martial arts arena.

Wang Sihai, the vice president of Huaxia Academy; Qiong Qianli, the vice president of Jiangnan Academy; Ruan Yanqing, the vice president of Zhantian Academy; and Wang Taiping, the vice president of Xijing Academy, all gathered here.

"What a loss, such a huge loss." Wang Taiping shook his head, his face full of regret. "Why didn't I try to fight for it again back then?"

Qiong Qianli, the only woman among the four, remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she was also bleeding.

Jiangnan Academy, the richest of the four academies, couldn't even compete with Zhantian Academy, a penniless institution!

"Gentlemen, it was Xiaoyuan's own choice at the time, it has nothing to do with me." Ruan Yanqing, having gained an advantage, acted innocent, making the other three people present turn ashen with disgust.

"Hmph, it's not like our academies haven't recruited any prodigies." Wang Sihai forced himself to save face.

Ruan Yanqing smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Although the three of them always looked down on Ruan Yanqing and acted as if their students were the most capable, they still had great respect for Zhan Tian Academy.

At the very least, the strategic significance of the Battle Heaven Academy to the Dragon Kingdom is self-evident.

"I wonder how that kid will perform in the next match," Qiong Qianli said softly.

"I won't let you down." Ruan Yanqing smiled slightly, her tone revealing certainty.

——

On the other hand, with the successful conclusion of the preliminary rounds, the first stage of the national competition has officially come to an end.

The semi-finals will begin tomorrow.

Participants can choose to rest or engage in free activities during this period.

As soon as Jiang Wuyuan followed the team from Zhantian Academy out of the gate of the Second Martial Arts Arena, he saw a crowd gathered there.

Many people were holding microphones and carrying cameras on their shoulders.

Jiang Wuyuan frowned slightly, clearly not wanting to be the center of attention.

"It's the Zhan Tian Academy team! Liu Can and Huangfu Ren!"

"Wow! It's Ip Man-sin! She's so beautiful!"

"Ruan Kongyin is also incredibly talented. As expected of a member of the Ruan family, he is naturally elegant with his wealth of knowledge."

"Look, isn't that Jiang Wuyuan?"

"It's him! It's him! His looks and charisma are absolutely stunning."

Jiang Wuyuan walked quickly through the crowd with a cold face.

Sometimes I really wish my hearing wasn't so sharp. Jiang Wuyuan thought helplessly.

With only half a day left before the second day of the competition, very few people were going out.

Most athletes chose to stay at the hotel to rest and recuperate, and to improve their physical condition.

If the preliminary rounds were just an appetizer...

The real test will definitely come in the semi-finals and finals.

——

The night passed quickly.

Jiang Wuyuan snapped out of his meditation and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

He is only one step away from breaking through to the Martial King level.

But when this step can be taken is still unknown.

I just hope they don't break through during the game.

As Jiang Wuyuan pondered this, he stood up and put on his combat uniform.

Upon arriving at the arena for the second time, Jiang Wuyuan discovered that the number of people in the entire training ground had decreased by eighty percent compared to the previous day.

It's not impossible for someone to slip through the mud and reach this level, but the probability of that is still very small.

Those who remain must all possess genuine talent and skills.

So much so that when groups of martial kings and emperors sat together, the aura emanating from their bodies solidified, making them appear extremely solemn and terrifying.

"Do you still remember what I told you last time?" Ruan Kongyin asked softly.

“I remember.” Jiang Wuyuan nodded.

He knew that Ruan Kongyin was asking him about the second match they had talked about last time.

Lava Realm, High-Level Monsters.

Although he is confident, he is not arrogant and will certainly deal with unknown dangers carefully.

Ruan Kongyin was very confident in his abilities: "This can be considered as me secretly giving him extra training, so you must not be careless."

"rest assured."

On the hour, the familiar chimes rang out again.

The deep, powerful echo brought everyone's attention back to the room.

The referee remained unwavering in his stance.

He appeared in the center of the arena, raised his hand, and a rift to a secret realm opened behind him.

Through the entrance, one can vaguely see the scene inside the secret realm.

It was an endless sea of ​​fire.

The churning lava was a fiery red spectacle.

Even the heat waves rising from it can distort the space, which shows how high the temperature is.

"First of all, congratulations to all the contestants present for successfully entering the semi-finals! Now I would like to introduce the rules of the semi-finals."

First, anyone who chooses to withdraw from the secret realm midway through the competition will be considered to have forfeited.

Secondly, there is a risk of death in the secret realm. If you are afraid, you can choose to give up now.

Third, anything obtained in the secret realm will belong to the participant and will not need to be handed over.

Fourth, upon entering the secret realm, you will find an extra token in your hand. This token will record the coordinates of an address you must reach within two days. Anyone who fails to arrive within the allotted time will be eliminated!

These are all the rules for this competition.

Jiang Wuyuan listened attentively, feeling that it was not much different from the version Ruan Kongyin had told him.

"Now, all contestants may enter the secret realm one by one." Zhan Buhui suddenly smiled. "There is a ten-minute time limit. Those who have not entered the secret realm after ten minutes will be considered to have forfeited."

Jiang Wuyuan and Ruan Kongyin exchanged a glance, then got up and flew into the entrance of the secret realm with the flow of people.

The moment he entered the secret realm, Jiang Wuyuan immediately erected a blood and qi barrier around himself.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!