A World Worth Protecting

After the match was concluded, the scores of the various contenders were updated on the Spirit Intranet. There had been over a hundred people who had managed to emerge victorious in the four matches so far.

Each of these hundred contestants received great attention. However, since they had never battled against each other before, it was difficult to distinguish who was superior. This was actually a deliberate arrangement by the Dao College, as the goal of the tournament was not to let one single person emerge champion but to see who was within the top thousand.

Even though that was the intention, students from the Dao College were still analyzing the results of the contenders by faculty. They eventually produced a ranking and estimated the fighting capabilities of everyone on the list.

The name sitting at the top of the list was not a senior student, nor was it Wang Baole. It was Zhao Yameng!

Her moves were too unpredictable. From the start to end, she only needed single a wave of her hand to create an array formation in seconds. Regardless of who went against her, they were unable to escape her clutches. She did not even need to use a second attack as her opponents were trapped in the array formation, eventually conceding defeat when they could no longer withstand the suppressive force.

None of her opponents were weaklings. These contenders who had made it to the fourth round, even if they were Head Prefects from the same faculty, were defeated within three breaths!

As a result, Zhao Yameng’s fame rose exponentially. Some even said that she was the top performer among everyone of Ethereal Dao College in these recent years!

Other than Zhao Yameng, Zhuo Yifan and several elite senior students also won all four matches consecutively, but their fame was nothing compared to Zhao Yameng’s.

Even though Wang Baole had won four consecutive matches as well, he had not gotten serious in the previous three matches. Therefore, his ranking was not high, trailing behind Zhuo Yifan and several others. However, with his recent victory in the fourth match, his ranking was raised by numerous students.

“Winning five out of five matches would be an easy feat for these people!”

“In the final match to come, the main focus will be to see who out of these hundred will go against each other!”

“That’s right! It is only considered a true battle if they go against each other! Even if they lose, they will still receive a ranking. It is just that no one would willingly lose!

With everyone’s anticipating the battles to come, the final match that determined one’s ranking and ability to enter the mystic realm finally arrived!

The arena of Wang Baole’s fifth match was arena Number One, located within the Combat faculty!

Wang Baole was in his peak state. When he arrived and appeared at the arena, the student spectators all had their eyes fixed on him.

They watched as Wang Baole neared the arena step by step. When he finally put his foot on the arena, there were still no whispers or discussion from the spectators. However, suddenly, expressions of shock and surprise spread from afar.

“Gosh! Wang Baole’s opponent…”

“It’s…”

“Zhao Yameng!”

As the commotion rippled through the crowd, the beautiful Zhao Yameng, dressed in her Head Prefect Daoist robe, slowly approached from the opposite direction with the company of many other students. When she noticed Wang Baole standing on the arena, the calm and elegant Zhao Yameng let out a curious gaze.

Noticing Zhao Yameng, Wang Baole momentarily gasped.

It’s her!

He had been guessing who he would meet on the arena on his journey there, but he had never thought that he would actually meet Zhao Yameng! In reality, the person that Wang Baole was dreading meeting most was Zhao Yameng.

Wang Baole had never seen Zhao Yameng’s array formation abilities in person, but based on the description by people on the Spirit Intranet, he got a sense of how bizarre and frightening it could be.

“I’m either the unlucky one, or she’s the unfortunate one,” Wang Baole mumbled to himself. The pair looked directly at each other as Zhao Yameng finally stepped onto the arena.

Before they could even speak, the excitement of the spectators went out of control, spreading in all directions. Immediately, on the Spirit Intranet, numerous pieces of news of the match was spreading like wildfire.

After all, Zhao Yameng’s fame had skyrocketed after her four previous battles, catching the attention of many. Wang Baole was also immensely famous as well. Therefore, their meeting generated great excitement among the masses.

“The match between Wang Baole and Zhao Yameng is probably the most exciting out of all the matches in this tournament!”

“Wang Baole specializes in using Dharmic artifacts, and his physical body could withstand attacks from a Head Prefect of the Combat faculty. Zhao Yameng, on the other hand, is mysterious and unpredictable, and she did not need to use a second attack in order to win in any of her previous four matches!”

“Does anyone want to bet who will win? My bet is on Wang Baole!”

“Ha, my bet goes to Zhao Yameng, my goddess!”

As the entire Dao College got riled up, people who had won four matches consecutively, such as Zhuo Yifan, also began to hear news of the matter. Some of them had already met their opponents while those who had not all heaved a sigh of relief.

Similar to Wang Baole, the other contenders also did not wish to meet Zhao Yameng. However, Wang Baole was another individual that they were very reluctant to meet in the arena.

“It’s great that these two monsters are going against each other!”

“Haha, it seems like I can win five out of five matches!”

“I hope that this match can be over quickly so that I can go over to watch their battle for myself!”

Even the teachers of Dao College, as well as the Deans and the Chancellor, all headed toward the arena located within the Combat faculty. They seemed to want to watch the match in person so as to ensure that no unexpected situations occurred.

As the number of spectators grew, the teachers presiding over the match also felt rising stress. Looking at the two individuals, who were looking at each other silently, they finally announced the commencement of the battle in a low, serious voice!

With the announcement, everyone quietened down immediately, focusing all their attention on the pair.

Noticing that Zhao Yameng, ever since stepping into the arena, had been looking at him peacefully, without blinking even once, Wang Baole cleared his throat and began speaking. “Hey, Zhao Yameng, we’re both from the same batch, and we already have a place on the rankings. Furthermore, I am so good looking. What do you think? Let’s just take this match easy. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

These shameless words caused some to burst out in laughter when it was heard by the spectators watching from the sidelines. Some looked at Wang Baole with derision. This unexpected move by Wang Baole made the teachers inevitably puzzled as well.

“Wang Baole, I can feel that you’re powerful… very powerful!” Zhao Yameng ignored Wang Baole’s words. She looked serious as she gazed at Wang Baole and spoke softly.

“Will you battle me with all your might?” Zhao Yameng’s voice was sweet and pleasant, reverberating around the arena.

Wang Baole looked closely at Zhao Yameng and sensed her determination. He thought for a moment and became serious. Wang Baole was usually a facetious person, but he knew that when some people were determined, they should be respected. People like that included the combat fanatic from the Combat faculty in the previous match and this straightforward Zhao Yameng standing in front of him right now.

Actually, Wang Baole felt that Zhao Yameng was obviously weak and no match for him physically. However, his intuition told him that Zhao Yameng was someone extremely dangerous.

This sense of danger was similar to what he had felt when he met the elder leading the men in black.

A spirit body by birth… Wang Baole thought about back to the time when this woman arrived in the Dao College. She had generated much fanfare and discussion on the Spirit Intranet. A desire to battle slowly developed within Wang Baole, and he nodded in agreement.

“Please guide me!” Zhao Yameng broke into a grin as she slowly raised her right hand, pointing a finger directly at Wang Baole. With her action, the Spirit Qi lingering in the surroundings gathered, forming an invisible vortex.

Wang Baole’s expression changed. He did not hesitate and immediately rushed forward, not in a straight line, but in a curved path toward Zhao Yameng. However, it was still too late. Zhao Yameng let out a curious gaze, raising her slender fingers on her right hand, as she grabbed tightly in that very instant.

With her grasp, a loud boom arose from nowhere. That invisible vortex made of Spirit Qi was instantly transformed into an array formation through some mysterious means by Zhao Yameng. Out of thin air, an array formation trapped Wang Baole from within!

At that moment, the Spirit Qi surrounding Wang Baole exploded into an invisible hurricane, sweeping in all directions, forcing Wang Baole to stop, both in his track and in his breathing. When he looked at the surroundings, all he could see was a fog, and the outside world was no longer visible.

It’s no wonder that her opponents from her previous four matches were defeated. She could actually gather the Spirit Qi into an array formation. That’s a sick move!

The other students could not figure out Zhao Yameng’s moves, but since Wang Baole was trained in the Great Void Qi Devouring Art, he was highly sensitive to Spirit Qi, which allowed him to see through her act.

Right now, with his eyes shimmering, Wang Baole quickly found an area where the Spirit Qi was weaker based on his confidence in his sensitivity toward the Spirit Qi.

Five areas! After recognizing the areas that were weaker in Spirit Qi that were being reinforced at a rapid speed, Wang Baole rushed to throw a punch. At the same time, several Dharmic artifacts were flung out of his storage bracelet, landing all around him.

As the loud boom reverberated, every onlooking student was flabbergasted as they watched the match outside the array formation made of Spirit Qi.

“It’s that move again!”

“In the previous four match, Zhao Yameng trapped her opponents by waving her hand to summon the array formations!”

“Zhao Yameng is so strong that even Wang Baole is trapped by the array formation!”

As the students discussed among themselves, the Chancellor and other teachers, especially the Dean of the Array Formation faculty, all turned to look at Zhao Yameng in amazement.

“Zhao Yameng was born with a spirit body, giving her the extraordinary ability to surpass others through her knowledge of array formation. If she is further groomed, she will definitely become the elite of the Federation in the future! As for Wang Baole, he is another prominent figure as well, but he just does not compare to Zhao Yameng!”

When the Array Formation Dean finished his sentence, Goatee from the Dharmic Armament faculty, who was standing nearby, grunted in a low voice.

“It was just a rough start. Once the Dharmic Armament faculty is prepared, your array formations will be useless!

The two showed no sign of backing down. Now that their most cherished students were in battle, an argument immediately emerged.

The Chancellor, who was standing and watching by the sidelines, noticed Wang Baole’s moves and was filled with anticipation.

To be able to see where the Spirit Qi is weak in such a short period of time shows that Wang Baole’s sensitivity toward Spirit Qi is high as well!

On the arena, Zhao Yameng was shocked that Wang Baole was so sensitive and quick at noticing. Weak areas of the array formation were shut dead by Wang Baole even before they were completed successfully, and they were being transformed into an ever-present loophole.

Zhao Yameng’s eyes lit up as she raised her right hand, pointing directly at Wang Baole. That was the first time, in the entire tournament, that she had made a second move!