Chapter 50 – The Competition Continues

Another burst of golden light shot into the sky, trailing wisps of simulated energy as another unlucky student was eliminated. Qiang Ming exhaled through his nose, the sound bordering on a sigh of disappointment.

"That's number ten," he muttered, resting the Blackstone Abyss Hammer against his shoulder as he glanced at the vanishing glow. "I swear… If these brats are the continent's future elite, then this continent's doomed."

He didn't get a chance to dwell on the disappointing caliber of his latest opponents. Just as he began turning away, a voice echoed through the simulated forest, crisp and authoritative—Chen Yi's.

"Fifty percent of the class has been eliminated. Shrinking the battlefield by half."

The tone wasn't excited or proud—merely informative—but the words made Qiang Ming's blood stir. His lips pulled into a grin, sharp and hungry.

"Finally," he said. "Time to weed out the rabbits and find the wolves."

Without wasting a second, Qiang Ming broke into a run. His footfalls were near silent despite the force in his stride, his hammer steady in his right hand, the Lich's Hands slowly unfurling from his back in anticipation. The forest itself shifted, trees thinning and terrain narrowing as the battlefield condensed.

He wasn't running blindly—he was heading toward the center, where the best of the survivors were most likely to converge.

On the way, he encountered two different three-person teams. One tried to ambush him with a net of vines and a feint from an invisible attacker. The other came with brute strength and speed. Neither made it thirty seconds.

One ended with two concussions and a broken leg. The other ended with one of Qiang Ming's hammers embedded in a tree—and three boys unconscious and glowing.

His pace never slowed.

Qiang Ming was now in the process of dismembering a four-man team—and to their credit, these ones were stronger than the rest. Still not enough, but close. He'd even broken a sweat.

One of them, a girl with shimmering green wings—Martial Spirit: Windstrider Butterfly—had already been knocked out cold by a swinging backhand that sent her into a boulder. The other three fought with desperation.

There was a burly boy with glowing red arms, Blood-Fused Gauntlets, who tried to grab Qiang Ming in a bearhug. A girl with a floating belt of fire around her waist—Solar Ember Hoop, a rare auxiliary tool spirit—tried to boost her allies with intense burning buffs. And a third, a thin, bald-headed girl with a palm-sized crystalline stone floating near her forehead—Gemstone Eye, a spirit-type that granted mental clarity and pressure projection.

They circled Qiang Ming, panting and bleeding. He simply stood there, hammer spinning slowly in one hand, watching them with half-lidded eyes.

"You've got some spirit," he said. "But this is where your story ends."

Just as he launched forward, ready to end the match with a three-pronged combo of hammer, fists, and soul bone grapples, Chen Yi's voice echoed once more across the realm:

"There are only twelve of you left. Time for the final rumble."

Everything stilled.

The world shimmered, the trees and terrain dissolving in streaks of light. Qiang Ming raised an eyebrow as the forest gave way to a new location—a perfectly circular arena, fifty meters across, the floor tiled with smooth obsidian stone.

The final battlefield.

He looked around as the survivors began to re-materialize across the ring.

Class 0 was intact—Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan stood in a loose diamond formation. At their side was a girl with vivid red hair and a Martial Spirit Qiang Ming couldn't place, though her stance was balanced and ready. Behind them stood a group of three—Yu Cheng and his two teammates, the ones Qiang Ming remembered had joined forces early.

Yu Cheng's Black Scythe rested easily in his hands. He was lean, sharp-eyed, and at Rank 39, the highest among the participants. His three yellow rings glowed with simmering arrogance. His companions were no pushovers either—both were Rank 33, one with a Horned Rhino Spirit, and the other with Shadow Wire Serpents wrapped around his arms.

The last group of three was… not so lucky. Their bodies were trembling, bruised, one girl had a dislocated shoulder, and the boy beside her was limping heavily. They were alive, but not for long.

Qiang Ming stood alone.

Well, not entirely. His hammer rested against his shoulder like a loyal dog, and the faint fog of his soul bone trailed behind him like coiling smoke.

The injured trio looked at him. He looked back. And without warning, he acted.

He flung the Blackstone Abyss Hammer forward like a meteor.

The weapon screamed through the air and crashed into the center of the injured group.

The boy in the middle's head exploded into light before he could even cry out. The other two blinked in confusion—only to feel themselves seized by something they couldn't see.

Two skeletal hands gripped their necks and shoulders, hoisting them into the air like dolls.

Qiang Ming clenched his fists, and the Lich's Hands mirrored the motion—crushing both students' torsos into pulp. Twin eruptions of light signaled their exit.

Just like that, three were gone.

Qiang Ming cracked his knuckles and turned slowly toward the remaining eight.

His eyes scanned over everyone, but they stopped—of course—on Tang Wulin.

There was a familiarity there. Not just rivalry or friendship, but a shared weight. A path forged in fire and tempered with struggle.

Qiang Ming smiled faintly.

"Let me deal with this pest first," he said, nodding toward Yu Cheng, "and then I'll come for you guys."

Wulin didn't respond, but his brow furrowed, and a glint passed through his golden eyes. Gu Yue narrowed her eyes, her elemental energy already stirring. Xie Xie clenched his daggers tightly. Xu Xiaoyan looked from face to face, nervous but steady.

Yu Cheng snarled. "Pest?" His scythe unfurled into a circular arc behind his back. "You've got a lot of nerve, hammer boy."

His two teammates stepped forward without needing to be told. The three of them spread out in a fan, locking Qiang Ming in their sights.

Qiang Ming shrugged his shoulders once, and the hammer flew back to his hand with a loud thwack.

"You wouldn't believe how many people said that before…"

He dashed forward, and so did Yu Cheng.

Hammer met Scythe.

The weapons collided in the center of the arena, a shockwave rippling outward, sending dust and sparks high into the air.

And so the final battle began.