The next day, as daylight broke.
The vast plaza of the City of Tree Eyes was already filled with people.
This was the most anticipated segment of the selection competition.
While the two-on-two duels were exciting, they also risked opponents not displaying their true strength due to disparities in skill.
For instance, in the fight between Zhang Ergou and Jiang Xu, most people hadn't even seen what happened.
The battle was over before it truly began, leaving the spectators with no clear understanding of Zhang Ergou's capabilities.
Mu Chen's final approach was a battle of attrition, where each youth entering the third round would face the other twelve participants.
For the audience, this was incredibly thrilling, making them feel their journey was worthwhile.
However, for the thirteen individuals in the third round, the experience was far less pleasant.
Firstly, fighting twelve opponents in a single day posed a significant drain on their spiritual energy.
Secondly, the person who fought last might gain a considerable advantage.
Yet, Mu Chen had considered these issues as well.
To ensure the battles among the thirteen participants were as fair as possible,
He did not require the winners to remain on the stage in this round. Instead, the drawing of lots method was retained.
In the first round, only one person would receive a bye.
The other twelve would have opponents, but their matches would be staggered.
This allowed the initial fighters a brief period to recover their spiritual energy.
The thirteen youths entering the third round raised no objections to this arrangement.
This setup had done its best to eliminate any potential for unfair advantage.
Thus, they had nothing to complain about.
As for whoever drew the bye, they could only attribute it to sheer luck.
Coincidentally, in the first drawing of lots,
Zhang Ergou drew the bye.
Instead of feeling jealous or envious, the other twelve participants seemed to relax.
Jiang Yu and Li Zhan, of course, were exceptions.
Clearly, no one wanted to face Zhang Ergou in the first round.
This demonstrated the significant psychological impact Zhang Ergou's fight with Jiang Xu had on them.
Hua Xu and Mu Chen also couldn't help but sigh at Zhang Ergou drawing the bye.
This fellow's luck was simply too good.
Zhang Ergou looked at the bye slip in his hand and managed a wry smile.
He had hoped to finish his fights early and return to meditate and cultivate. It seemed his wish would go unfulfilled.
Soon, the other twelve participants drew their opponents.
The first pair of combatants stepped onto the stage, while the others returned to their original positions.
In the first match of this round, both sides seemed to be deliberately holding back their strength.
The battle between the two was lukewarm. After more than ten exchanges, neither had inflicted any damage on the other.
"Brother Mu, it seems your method isn't very effective after all,"
Hua Xu teased, watching the fight on the stage. Seeing Mu Chen falter seemed to bring him great joy.
"Brother Hua, just keep watching. It's only just begun."
Mu Chen appeared unhurried, as if he had anticipated this situation.
Before long, a victor was determined.
Although a winner was decided, the match left people feeling rather perplexed, as if the two had colluded.
They had clearly not exerted their true strength.
The subsequent five matches saw a similar scenario unfold with remarkable consistency.
Each pair of combatants held back, unwilling to reveal their strength too early.
As a result, their attacks were hesitant, greatly diminishing the spectacle.
Mu Chen could not fault them for this.
These youths all wished to preserve their strength for the final battles, so they would naturally not go all out from the start.
This was to be expected; who would unleash their full power in the initial stages?
Wouldn't that expose all their trump cards?
Those who had reached this stage were already the crème de la crème among the aspiring talents.
They were certainly not clueless novices.
They knew what to do and when.
Half an hour later, the six pairs of youths had all determined their victors.
Next, Mu Chen instructed one of the six victors to receive a bye, meaning Zhang Ergou would not have a bye this round.
Then, the six defeated individuals drew lots to determine their opponents.
Zhang Ergou would take the place of the victor, and the six would draw lots among themselves to choose opponents.
Looking at the large character "Bing" in his hand, a youth in purple robes showed a troubled expression.
This was because Zhang Ergou's number plate also bore the character "Bing."
The other youths who had yet to draw their opponents breathed a collective sigh of relief. Their thinking was that the later they encountered Zhang Ergou, the better.
This would give them a chance to win more matches.
However, fighting Zhang Ergou carried a high probability of incapacitating them.
Jiang Xu was a prime example.
If that were to happen, they would be unable to participate in subsequent duels and would simply be ranked last.
This was why the purple-robed youth wore such a troubled expression.
What they didn't realize was that Zhang Ergou's ruthlessness stemmed from his grievances with the Jiang family, and they mistakenly believed he was always this way.
The two matches preceding Zhang Ergou's took only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to completion.
One of the victors was Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu felt a twinge of regret at not drawing Zhang Ergou. He had absolute confidence in his own strength.
He believed that if he faced Zhang Ergou, he would spare no effort in crippling him,
rendering him incapable of further combat.
However, the outcome was not as he wished, and events were not unfolding according to his will.
The next battle was between Zhang Ergou and the purple-robed youth.
Looking at Zhang Ergou standing opposite him, the purple-robed youth desperately wanted to surrender.
But before the battle began, Mu Chen had decreed that anyone who surrendered on the stage would be
directly eliminated and disqualified from the selection.
This completely extinguished the hope of those who had intended to surrender immediately upon facing Zhang Ergou.
Clearly, the battle from yesterday with Jiang Xu had instilled sufficient fear in everyone.
Seeing that Zhang Ergou was not moving, the purple-robed youth hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Ultimately, reason triumphed over fear, and the purple-robed youth initiated the attack first.
The purple-robed youth raised his broadsword, and a fierce gust of wind sliced directly towards Zhang Ergou.
Wind surged, and the powerful gale tore open a path, heading straight for Zhang Ergou on the stage.
Although the purple-robed youth harbored some apprehension towards Zhang Ergou, his strike showed no hesitation.
The scene everyone had anticipated, where Zhang Ergou would casually swat away the purple-robed youth with a palm strike, did not materialize.
Instead, Zhang Ergou adopted a serious expression and took a step back.
Holding his long spear, he began to spar with the purple-robed youth.
"Is... is something wrong here?"
The spectators shared this thought. Had Zhang Ergou's strength declined overnight?
Or was the purple-robed youth so powerful that Zhang Ergou had to treat him with utmost seriousness?