Chapter 2108 — Gritting Their Teeth and Holding On

The contestants entered the formation one after another. What caught Wei Zhao's attention was that An Mingyue's fighter was actually a man with a dull, vacant stare—rather sluggish-looking. That empty, glassy gaze stirred something faintly in Wei Zhao's heart, giving him a strangely familiar feeling...

It was as though he had seen this person somewhere before, yet for the moment he could not place it. He watched the man walk woodenly into the formation, pick a spot at random, sit down cross-legged, and speak to no one at all. Wei Zhao had no choice but to look away.

The contest was about to begin, so naturally he had no time for idle distractions—only that contestant from the Fire Wolf Gang left Wei Zhao with an uncomfortable feeling.

"Get ready to begin. When the horn sounds, we will channel our true qi and activate the formation. Contestants, be careful!" said Elder Zhao.

Sure enough, a mournful blast of the horn rang out, and the formation came to life. The young contenders within it immediately felt an immense pressure bearing down on them—a powerful surge of true qi pressing in from all sides, so oppressive that they could scarcely breathe!

No one dared be careless. They hurriedly circulated their internal-energy methods to fight back! This true qi belonged to Heaven-rank experts; unlike the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it could not be cultivated or absorbed. There was no way to resist it but to pit one's own true qi against it head-on—and that made it a terribly difficult ordeal!

It was like two masters pressing palms together in a contest of true qi—utterly impossible to cheat, a direct clash of strength against strength. One slip, and one might be injured!

Wei Zhao frowned and likewise circulated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to resist! Once his internal-energy method began to turn, the oppressive feeling vanished in a flash. It seemed the Heaven-rank experts driving the formation had measured things precisely: the Earth-rank contenders could just barely hold out. Any stronger, and they would be unable to resist at all; any weaker, and there was no telling how long the contest would drag on. As it stood, it was just right—it all came down to who could last the longest!

Wei Zhao did not much care. He could withstand pressure like this for a hundred years. He simply shut his eyes and entered the jade-pendant space, where an endless flow of energy replenished his consumption. In other words, Wei Zhao was not actually using up so much as a thread of his own true qi. He was matching the formation entirely with the energy from the jade-pendant space...

Watching Wei Zhao inside the formation—his expression unchanged, as composed as an old monk in meditation—Elder Zhao's face turned rather grim. The other contestants might not be showing obvious discomfort just yet, but Wei Zhao was far too calm and unhurried, was he not? At this rate, Wei Zhao would likely post another excellent result!

"Wei Zhao seems to be having no trouble at all. Should we increase the true qi and raise the pressure?" Elder Zhao asked after a moment's thought.

"That may not be wise. There are other disciples in there too—raise the pressure and I fear the others will not be able to bear it!" Elder Yu shook his head, vetoing the proposal. After all, Wei Zhao having no trouble at the start did not mean he would have none throughout!

"Very well, then let us wait and see!" Elder Zhao nodded and continued to channel true qi into the formation...

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, some contestants could hold out no longer. Cold sweat had begun to bead on two of the disciples' foreheads. Clearly they were forcing themselves to endure now—like a crossbow at the end of its draw!

At last someone gave out. He rose to his feet and bolted out of the formation, gasping in great gulps of air. Plainly he had spent a great deal of energy and was utterly exhausted! The contest mattered, to be sure, but if he kept forcing himself, he would likely be injured!

And they could hold out no longer. Even if they persisted a while more, they could never place in the top three, so they might as well concede gracefully!

Once someone had taken the lead, other disciples who could hold on no longer came out of the formation one after another. They too were at their limit, and one by one they gave up! Everyone was thinking much the same: since the top three were out of reach anyway, why torment themselves?

Once that psychological line collapsed, there was no point in holding on any longer. In the end, only five remained inside the formation!

Among them were Wei Zhao, the disciple of the Golden Bell Sect, the disciple of the hidden Yu family, the disciple of the hidden You family, and the disciple of the Fire Wolf Gang!

Without question, these five were the strongest contenders for the top three! Yet because Wei Zhao was among them, Elders Zhao, You, Yu, and Tang outside the formation were thoroughly displeased! How had this brat lasted to the very end yet again?

Moreover, among these five, who was strong and who was weak was plain at a glance. The disciples of the hidden Yu and hidden You families had remained, to be sure, but they were without doubt forcing themselves! The hidden Yu family's disciple was holding on thanks to the peculiar nature of his method and the depth of his strength!

The hidden You family's disciple, meanwhile, had taken a great many qi-restoring pills before the contest—that was how he had lasted this long!

Even so, compared with Wei Zhao, the Fire Wolf Gang disciple, and the Golden Bell Sect disciple, they still fell far short!

"I cannot go on... I concede!" The Yu family disciple finally broke, dashing out of the formation and gulping down air in great gasps. Plainly he had reached his absolute limit and could endure no more!

Elder Yu sighed. It seemed second and third place were out of the question as well! Only four contestants remained now, and the competition would only grow fiercer. No one wanted to be eliminated, so of course everyone was holding on. The hidden You family's disciple was drenched in sweat, and the Golden Bell Sect disciple was scarcely any better!

Though what he cultivated was the Golden Bell Shield technique, given his age and level of cultivation, he simply could not withstand Heaven-rank pressure for so long—so he too was beginning to falter!

Look again at Wei Zhao and the Fire Wolf Gang disciple: both sat cross-legged without the slightest sign of distress, as though wholly unaffected—as if resting on ordinary open ground rather than inside a formation!

And so the Golden Bell Sect disciple was waiting on the hidden You family disciple. He was not contending for first, nor for second—he wanted only third! So long as he outlasted that You family disciple, he would be third!

The hidden You family disciple had the same thought. He could not match Wei Zhao or the Fire Wolf Gang disciple, but he reckoned the Golden Bell Sect disciple must be struggling too—and so he gritted his teeth and held on... (To be continued.)

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