For the next competition, the disciples were then divided into two groups of eight. The finalists would be
determined from the two groups.
Of course, it went without saying that the newcomer disciples who had made it thus far were
undoubtedly powerful. It was believed that Moore would win the championship, though Carla also had a
fighting chance. After all, the two of them were the strongest throughout the newcomer contest. They
weren't in the same group, which meant it was likely they would be the ones facing each other in the
final battle.
However, there was also talk of a dark horse among the top sixteen disciples. Eunice was the
candidate, since she was one of two new disciples who had made it to the last rung of the competition.
She managed to stand out even though she was new; anyone could see that she was extremely
talented.
The other new disciple was Rocky.
Although Rocky had a very remarkable performance in the second round, especially when he defeated
three disciples at the medium stage of the Spiritual Infant like Hayden. The matter was not known to
many people in the Sky-suppressing School, because Hayden had already sent people to seal off the
news from the public. And the masters of the school didn't spread the news and just pretended that the
matter didn't happen, due to the suppression from the force of the Summer Palace. As a result, almost
no one knew how strong Rocky was. In their opinion, it was pure luck for him to become one of the top
sixteen disciples, and he would soon be eliminated in the following competition.
The two groups of disciples were to fight one-on-one battles. Rocky's group went first.
Inside the competition area, four arenas of the same size were lined up one by one. Outside the
arenas, a sea of people had gathered to watch how the competition would unfold.
The four battles in the first round of the competition would be held simultaneously. The determined
winners from those battles would then move on to the next round of the competition in the afternoon.
From there, the finalists would participate in the last battle.
Therefore, each round was incredibly important to the sixteen disciples. They could afford no moment
of carelessness, and would have to fight to the best of their abilities with each round if they wanted to
make it to the final battle.
Just then, the eight disciples from the first group were preparing for the first round.
Unfortunately for Rocky, his opponent was a disciple with Spiritual Infant at the medium stage. He was
one of the only two disciples at that level besides Moore and Carla.
"No wonder Eunice asked me to not take this fight so seriously," Rocky said with a smile, eyeing his
unexpectedly powerful opponent. "She didn't think I had a chance!"
Rocky's opponent, the disciple in yellow, also stared at him, but his eyes were hostile, as though he
hated Rocky from the depths of his being.
Rocky, noticing his opponent's death glare, immediately figured out what that meant: the disciple in
yellow was working for Hayden.
Just as Rocky had guessed, Hayden watched the two from his seat in the audience, smiling sinisterly.
Squinting at Rocky's figure, he sneered, "Finally, that brat will get what he deserves!"
Half an hour later, the four battles in the first round of the competition began.
The eight disciples, including Rocky, all entered their respective arenas, preparing to fight against their
opponents.
Rocky faced the disciple in yellow and bowed slightly.
"Let's begin!" Rocky said, cupping his hands politely.
The disciple in yellow also raised his hand as though to return the gesture, but instead, he launched a
surprise attack. That left Rocky with no time to respond. Before he knew it, the disciple in yellow had
his arms raised like wings, white spider threads shooting out madly. In the blink of an eye, the spider
threads had coiled around Rocky's hands and feet, restricting his movements.
Rocky narrowed his eyes and struggled to break free, only to find that the threads were getting tighter
and tighter.
"Humph, don't even try," the disciple in yellow sneered. "At your level of strength, there's no way you
can break out of my spider threads. But that doesn't mean I'll let you surrender right away. After all,
Master Hayden asked me to teach you a good lesson!" With the flick of his wrist, the threads wrapped
around Rocky felt like sharp blades, slicing into his clothes.
In everyone's eyes, it seemed Rocky had no choice but to wait helplessly until he was totally defeated.
Disappointed, the audience started booing. They all felt Rocky was too weak and was unworthy to be
among the top sixteen disciples.
Even Eunice shook her head. At that rate, Rocky had no way to turn the tables. After all, his opponent's
strength was above his. Moreover, he was not prepared for the spiritual skill used by his opponent. The
result was not hard to imagine!
Just when everyone thought the battle was over, the Mystical Dragon Sword on Rocky's back suddenly
buzzed and was unsheathed. Several rays of sharp sword radiance flashed out from it, slicing the
threads that were wrapped around Rocky's body.
The crowd broke into an uproar. The spider threads were so tough, ordinary Spiritual Weapons could
not cut them off. However, Rocky's seemingly dull huge sword made it look so easy!
Without a moment to lose, the Mystical Dragon Sword then whizzed through the air, aiming straight at
the disciple in yellow.
The disciple had been under the impression he'd defeat Rocky with one fell swoop, so he was not
prepared for Rocky's counterattack. Before he even realized what was happening, the Mystical Dragon
Sword rammed into him.
A strong spiritual light flashed, momentarily blinding everyone watching. When their vision cleared, they
found the disciple, flung back ten meters, kneeling on the ground and spitting blood.
Everyone was stunned. No one saw that coming.
They didn't expect Rocky was so remarkable. Not only did he emerge from the first attack unscathed,
but he also managed to seriously injure his opponent!
"Why do I get the feeling that this guy grew stronger the past two days?" Eunice couldn't help but
mutter.
On the arena, Rocky watched his opponent calmly.
"Damn it!" The disciple in yellow spat, obviously humiliated. After all, he was injured by a new disciple
who was weaker than him. In his anger, the spiritual power in his body grew irritable. His eyes were
instantly bloodshot, and a black gas suddenly started to enshroud his body. Everyone watching
trembled with fear.
Rocky frowned slightly. Something was wrong with his opponent...
Sure enough, the disciple suddenly roared and pounced on Rocky like a wild beast. At the same time,
his originally pure spiritual power was filled with the strong evil aura, which indicated he was spiraling
into utter madness.
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