novelraw Chapter 345: Bye
Chapter 345: Bye
Five days passed quietly.
To Su Zhan’s slight surprise, the expected retaliation from the Ghost Fiend Sect and the Giant Sun Gang never arrived.
The Dragon Rise Society’s Main Hall was on high alert inside and out, and Long Shouzhuo had made thorough arrangements.
Perhaps Black City’s ironclad rules, along with the unfathomable pressure emanating from the City Lord's Residence, truly served as sufficient deterrents.
They kept those two furious factions from daring to act rashly during the competition.
At the Black City Martial Arena, the top-25 matches proceeded on schedule.
After the brutal eliminations of the previous round, the remaining contestants were stronger, and the atmosphere had grown even more severe and murderous.
The draw results had long been announced;
the first match was one of the focal battles.
Chen Qing versus Li Kui.
The referee read out both names.Su Zhan stepped onto the platform.
His opponent, Li Kui of the Dragon Rise Society, shuffled onto the stage almost as if moving the same hand and foot, his face pale and eyes evasive, clearly refusing to meet Su Zhan’s gaze.
He stood across the arena, his body trembling so faintly it was almost imperceptible.
The referee glanced at both of them without expression, confirmed they were in position, and then, following procedure, briskly waved his hand:
“Begin!”
“I forfeit!!!”
Li Kui screamed at the top of his lungs, using every ounce of strength in his body, his voice ringing clearly across the entire platform.
After he shouted, his legs went weak and he nearly collapsed, only just managing to prop himself up while pleading with his eyes at the referee. He cast a quick look at Su Zhan, terrified that by forfeiting so quickly he might have offended the other and provoked a sudden attack.
“……”
Silence fell over the arena for a single instant.
“Hahaha! You forfeit already? Not even going to throw a punch?”
“This Dragon Rise brat is way too cowardly!”
“You think you’d want to face that bad omen? Did everyone forget what happened to Shi Lie?”
“At least trade a couple of blows—just forfeiting is humiliating!”
“Which is more important, life or face? Wise move!”
Su Zhan remained where he had just stood.
This is... over?
He had even planned how to remove his opponent from the stage within three moves without endangering his life—doing it gently would give Long Shouzhuo face and honor the bond of being same sect members.
He had already calculated the force and angle of each strike.
And yet... the other person refused to wait even a second and simply surrendered?
Su Zhan’s brow tightened subtly.
Am I that terrifying?
He thought that, when facing one of his own, he had already restrained all killing intent and hostility, not locking on like he would against an enemy.
He’d stood there believing his demeanor had been calm.
Suddenly Su Zhan realized that ever since he had shown that cruel side on the platform, in most people's eyes he was no longer Chen Qing the person, but a symbol of cruelty.
That symbol was so distinct that even temporary allies could feel no shred of safety from it.
The referee was unsurprised by such a lightning-forfeit, only glancing at Li Kui once more to confirm he was not coerced, then decisively announced:
“Li Kui forfeits. Chen Qing, winner!”
Su Zhan said nothing and quietly walked off the platform.
What had been a Dragon Rise internal match many had anticipated ended in this ridiculous fashion.
Su Zhan won without bloodshed and easily advanced to the top 13.
He walked back to his seat step by step, and the contestants nearby instinctively widened the distance between themselves and him.
The top-25 matches concluded one after another.
Those who remained were truly elites and ruthless fighters.
The top 13 were decided!
After a brief cleanup.
From the high platform, the City Lord’s Residence representative’s voice rang out again:
“Congratulations to the thirteen who advanced. Next, we will draw the opponents for the top-7 matches. In this round, one of the thirteen will get a bye and directly advance to the top seven. Now, begin the draw!”
A massive screen lit up as thirteen names began to roll rapidly.
At that moment, almost every advanced contestant held their breath.
At this stage, every opponent mattered.
A bye was like a windfall—preserving strength and entering the next round at full power, while also offering a chance to observe potential opponents’ cards.
Su Zhan watched the screen, his expression unreadable.
To him, who the opponent was, or whether he got a bye, mattered little;
he had confidence he could defeat any opponent.
It was only a matter of using more techniques versus fewer techniques.
The names on the screen began to slow their flashing.
Under countless gazes, they finally settled.
[Bye: Chen Qing]
Unlike the usual envious or jealous looks directed at someone who draws a bye, Su Zhan clearly felt that the gazes coming from the directions of the other twelve qualifiers were not resentful or envious but... relieved!
Several people visibly relaxed their shoulders when they confirmed he was the one who got the bye.
“Good... he got the bye.”
“Heavens, at least we don’t have to face that lunatic so early...”
“Lucky, truly lucky! This at least lets us advance one more round.”
“Tsk, giving him a bye is generous, but it’s better than being beaten to death on stage...”
For the other contestants, Su Zhan receiving the bye was not a bad thing but a relief.
They would rather face other strong opponents than meet this merciless killer in the top-seven round.
The strength and brutality Su Zhan had shown had already left a massive psychological shadow on every competitor.
Meeting him later meant an extra round survived in this cruel competition—another chance.
Su Zhan took it all in.
The referee announced the draw result and that the top-seven matches would be held in five days.
Su Zhan did not linger in the arena and turned to leave.
Where he passed, the crowd automatically opened a path;
no one dared obstruct his momentum, and the looks cast at him were filled with awe.
A bye to advance, no bloodshed.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
The atmosphere for the top-seven round was tenser than any previous round.
Those who made it this far were the top of Black City’s younger generation, or prodigious outsiders, each carrying their own convictions.
The huge screen lit up again.
Seven names began to scroll.
This would decide who could step into the final top four—one step closer to the coveted championship and an audience with the City Lord.
[Bye: Chen Qing]
When the screen stopped, one bye could be attributed to luck;
two consecutive byes, especially in a contest packed with strong fighters, was perhaps a bit too fortunate.
Many people’s looks toward Su Zhan turned complicated and unreadable.
Even luck seemed to be siding with this deadly omen.
Su Zhan himself remained calm.
Bye or not, it made little difference to him.
Just as he was about to turn and leave like before,
“Stop!”
An arrogant voice cut through the air.