Above the clouds, Xu Mu silently walked to a corner and began to close his eyes and adjust his breathing.
"How is it, not seriously injured, right?"
Qian Qian and Jiang Sheng guarded Xu Mu, acting as his protectors while asking with worried expressions.
Although they had full confidence in Xu Mu, after witnessing Zhen Jie's methods, they still felt a pang of anxiety for him. So, even though the battle had concluded, they were concerned about Xu Mu sustaining internal injuries.
"It's fine, just a significant expenditure of energy. I'll be alright after a short rest." Xu Mu did not open his eyes. With each breath, the surrounding elemental energies of heaven and earth were absorbed into his body like a whale swallowing water. This even stirred up a vortex of clouds, drawing the attention of many.
"What's going on, why couldn't you finish him!" On the other side, Ye Gong asked Zhen Jie with a grim expression and an unfriendly tone.
Zhen Jie, who had returned to his normal state, looked somewhat pale. He ignored the wounds or blood on his body, standing still with a calm demeanor. He hadn't even taken a single pill.
It was evident that these injuries or the expenditure of energy meant nothing to him.
Zhen Jie glanced at Ye Gong and said coldly, "You still have the nerve to ask me?"
"If it weren't for you and that fool from the Qi family guaranteeing me that Mu Xu was just a third-stage physical cultivator, would I have chosen him for battle in the second round?"
Zhen Jie's tone was icy, and a murderous aura emanated from his eyes. He felt utterly betrayed by Ye Gong.
After all, everyone could see that the second round of the Myriad Races Alliance was merely a sifting process, designed to further eliminate those who had arrived by luck and were weak. It was not yet the stage for final decisive battles; the three opportunities to avoid combat were the best proof of this.
Under such rules, it was believed that all geniuses would try their best to conserve their strength for the next round. Only those with weaker abilities, forced to fight with all their might, would engage in life-or-death struggles.
Xu Mu and Zhen Jie clearly did not fall into that category.
Yet, Zhen Jie had chosen Xu Mu. They had fought fiercely for half an hour. Although both had held back, the consumption of energy was still substantial. And it was precisely this depletion that could potentially influence crucial upcoming matches, such as Zhen Jie's fated battle against Chen Changkong.
"Whether you believe it or not, before this, we truly didn't know he had such hidden depths." Ye Gong's facial muscles twitched violently. Facing Zhen Jie's ferocity, he could only temporarily back down.
"Furthermore, your decision to fight him wasn't solely because of our Ye family, was it? Your Jialan clan seems to have already suffered a loss at this kid's hands."
As soon as this was said, everyone from the Jialan clan turned their heads and stared intently at Ye Gong.
Zhen Jie's eyes were filled with killing intent. He naturally knew about that incident. Because of a bet, Jialan Lou, the Jialan family head's most beloved youngest son, had died in the Sacred City.
When Jialan Meigui returned, he did not reveal the killer's identity. He merely left behind a letter in haste before disappearing. The family head had almost gone mad.
It was at this very time that the Ye family approached them, providing clues that pointed directly at Xu Mu. That was why Zhen Jie had made his choice.
But he had never imagined Xu Mu would be so formidable.
"Enough, there's no hurry for now."
Zhen Jie shook his head, the fierceness in his eyes gradually receding. He calmly glanced at Xu Mu and then dismissed the matter.
Ye Gong exchanged glances with the other Earth Fiends. His expression was unpleasant as he led his group away, heading to discuss countermeasures with the Qi family.
The actions and reactions of these people were all clearly observed by Jiang Taixu and the other two. They exchanged glances and said nothing more.
The next battle was fought by Xuanyuan Shennian, the first-ranked family among the Hundred Clans. She casually selected an opponent ranked lower.
The opponent was a prodigious individual clad in a colorful cloak. Facing Xuanyuan Shennian, he did not intend to conserve his strength or concede. From the outset, he displayed immense fighting spirit. As he unleashed his abilities, the heavens and earth were filled with a dazzling rainbow, its multicolored hues imprinted on people's pupils, appearing to be a form of illusionary art.
Outside the arena, some had already fallen victim. They became entranced, drool escaping their lips as they chuckled foolishly. The Daoist judge maintaining order immediately intervened, using a radiant light to block the illusion, thus snapping those individuals back to reality.
Within the combat space, Xuanyuan Shennian remained unfazed by such a powerful illusion. Her expression was calm, completely undisturbed. She merely gazed at the cloaked youth through the rainbow, and then her pupils trembled slightly.
In an instant, a mysterious energy surged forth, entering the youth's mind. Subsequently, the vast rainbow and radiant light transformed into gray.
The youth's pupils also turned gray.
*Bang!*
The youth's expression became vacant, and then, like a puppet, he fell straight onto the white cloud ground, foaming at the mouth.
"Mirror Lake!" Outside the arena, an elder from the youth's sect exclaimed, standing up with great tension as they looked at the fallen youth, worried about his condition.
"Xuanyuan Shennian wins!" On the judges' bench, a relatively young middle-aged man announced the outcome of the battle. He then personally stepped forward to examine the youth's condition and nodded slightly.
"It's alright, he was merely caught in an illusion, and his consciousness has fallen into a deep sleep. He'll be fine after a nap."
Hearing this, the elder from the youth's clan outside the arena let out a sigh of relief. It had taken their Xuanyuan Sect many years to produce such a genius with profound insight into the path of the soul. If he were to die now, it would be truly unbearable.
"The descendant of the Xuanyuan clan is indeed terrifying," an old man remarked with a sigh. The colored-cloaked youth's strength was evidently considerable; his illusionary technique could even affect prodigious individuals outside the combat space.
However, Xuanyuan Shennian defeated him in his strongest area, and it only took a glance. From the moment he was ensnared to his fall, less than three seconds had passed.
"Next up, Ji Xuansu."
Following Xuanyuan Shennian's victory, the battles continued. The genius from the Ji clan among the Hundred Races stepped onto the stage. He wore simple attire, held a scroll in his hand, and his eyes were pure. Cultivating righteous energy, he managed to blast his opponent out of the barrier with mere sonorous recitations, securing victory.
After him, perhaps feeling that continuing this way was too time-consuming, the five judges deliberated and decided to open ten combat spaces simultaneously. Twenty individuals would be selected for combat in each round.
Thus, the pace quickened, and more and more people were chosen for battle. Familiar faces began to appear one after another.
First was Nangong Huaitian. As the Saintess of the Nangong clan, hailed as someone who would surpass her brother, she naturally secured victory with ease, her veil remaining undisturbed.
Next was Ye Gong. He chose Qian Qian as his opponent, and Qian Qian directly chose to avoid combat. Subsequently, Ye Gong had to fight someone else and emerged victorious.
Jiang Zheye, Jiang Taixu, and Jiang Zhuo, three direct descendants of the Jiang family, all took to the stage sequentially. Their initial choices of opponents were either the Qi family or the Ye family, the latter also opting for avoidance.
After these individuals, Xu Mu saw Wanyan Zhenyao appear. For some reason, his ranking was very low, and thus he was chosen by a prodigy ranked over seven hundred. After a fierce battle, Wanyan Zhenyao emerged victorious, replacing the opponent's rank.
Qi Lan, Qian Qian, and Jiang Sheng, their rankings were too low, so they were all subject to being chosen.
Among them, Qi Lan fought with all his might, achieving two wins in the initial three engagements. Qian Qian had one win, one loss, and one draw. Jiang Sheng, however, lost all three battles.
There was no alternative. After several rounds of combat, the opponents chosen for Jiang Sheng were primarily top-ranked geniuses. The disparity in strength was too great, and no miracle occurred.
In this manner, after an unknown number of rounds, the second round of the Myriad Races Alliance finally concluded. Those who did not meet the requirements for advancing to the next round were all eliminated. In the end, only just over two thousand seven hundred individuals advanced to the third round.
"The rest is up to you now," Jiang Sheng said, looking at Qian Qian, Xu Mu, and the others with envy and regret. He had given his all but could only stop here.
Ranked three thousand nine hundred and twenty-fourth, this was already his limit.
"Don't worry, leave it to us." Xu Mu smiled and patted Jiang Sheng on the shoulder. Instantly, Jiang Sheng, along with the other eliminated geniuses, was enveloped in a radiant light and disappeared from the space!
...