BZZZZZ...

At Weihu Chang Zui’s command, volleys of glowing arrows shot forth from the hands of dozens of University Institute students, streaking toward Lu Chao and his nine companions.

Each arrow was imbued with the Innate True Qi of these students.

Luo Wendeng’s face fell. He was the first to shout, "Protect Jiang Yu and the others!"

The five from Azure Flame were strong enough to block these arrows...

But the same couldn’t be said for the Jiang Family Siblings, the third veteran Dragon Flame student, and Iron Shield. They had to be protected; every single arrow had to be blocked.

Just then, however, Lu Chao—body wreathed in soaring flames—snapped his eyes open.

He let out a low roar. "Fire Sparrow, Frenzied Dance!"

The words had barely left his lips when he launched himself from his warhorse like a Fire Sparrow, flying to meet the dozens of arrows. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

A single sweep of his spear, like the long cry of a Fire Sparrow, instantly shattered the dozens of sharp arrows into fragments. CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Lu Chao then crashed into Chang Zui and the other students, his Fire Sparrow spear danced among them.

"AHHHH!"

Chang Zui and the dozens of others had no time to react before Lu Chao was among them. A chorus of agonized screams erupted.

All anyone saw was Lu Chao’s True Qi swirling like a Fire Sparrow among the dozens of students. One by one, they were sent flying with screams, scattering like fireworks. He was unstoppable.

On the cliff reserved for Inner Courtyard students, Wu Yiyi’s expression changed dramatically. Forgetting to keep up her pretense, she cried out, "Fake Lu Chao, you dare to fight back?!"

She had barely finished speaking when Lu Chao retracted his spear.

It had all happened too fast. In a near instant, Lu Chao had swept through the dozens of remaining students. All of them had collapsed to the ground, able to do nothing but groan in agony, unable to rise.

Lu Chao turned, his gaze fixed on Wu Yiyi and Zheng Zhuhe. In a single bound, he was back on his warhorse.

He wheeled his horse around and spurred it toward the Inner Courtyard’s viewing cliff.

He roared in a low voice, "Tan An! Bow and arrow!"

Tan An snapped out of his stupor and immediately tossed the bow and arrows he was carrying to the charging Lu Chao.

Catching them, Lu Chao instantly drew the bow, aiming at Zheng Zhuhe on the viewing cliff.

He didn’t fire immediately, however. Instead, he said coldly, "Zeng Quan, isn’t it time you announced our victory?"

His voice boomed toward the highest cliff.

Zeng Quan snapped out of it, his gaze sweeping across Battle Valley. Thanks to Lu Chao’s final, terrifying onslaught, not a single student from the University Institute was left standing.

He could, of course, declare Dragon Flame Academy the victor. But instead, Zeng Quan said, "Let’s wait. Perhaps some of the students can still fight."

He understood Lu Chao’s intention. If he announced Dragon Flame Academy’s victory now,

...then Fake Lu Chao would be free to leave Battle Valley, fire on Zheng Zhuhe, and rescue Wu Caicai. Though Zeng Quan didn’t think Lu Chao’s arrow posed any threat to Zheng Zhuhe, he still refused to declare a Dragon Flame victory.

If Lu Chao dared to fire on Zheng Zhuhe now, Zeng Quan would declare that he had violated the rules.

He could then have him eliminated from the second trial.

Lu Chao, however, gave a savage grin. "The nine of Dragon Flame! Land another blow on every opponent to secure our victory!"

His voice shook the heavens, and Zeng Quan’s expression soured once more.

Luo Wendeng immediately understood and replied with a thunderous, "Yes! Everyone, with me! We’ll finish this!"

With that, he spurred his horse into a gallop.

He rode to the nearest opposing student and plunged his sword straight into the man’s thigh, piercing clean through the bone.

It wouldn’t kill them or affect their future cultivation, but it would ensure they were completely unable to fight.

"ARGH!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the sky—the agony of a sword piercing bone, the pain of a shattered femur.

Tan An roared as well, "If you won’t declare us the victors, we’ll just make sure none of you are able to fight until you do!"

He too ran a student through the bone with his sword.

Instantly, Battle Valley was filled with agonizing cries, punctuated by shrill screams of, "I forfeit! I forfeit!"

The University Institute students who hadn’t yet been run through were terrified out of their minds.

They scrambled to shriek their forfeits.

Lu Chao kept his bow drawn, his horse trotting toward the Inner Courtyard viewing cliff. He shouted again, "General Dean Zeng, have we won yet?"

In response, murderous intent boiled in Zeng Quan’s eyes.

Suddenly, Marquis Longyin rode down again, blocking Zeng Quan’s path. "General Dean Zeng, it is time to make the announcement."

「At the same time...」

His Order Enforcement Team Members reappeared, their gazes fixed on the high-level experts from the University Institute to prevent them from making any rash moves against Lu Chao.

「On a certain mountain peak...」

Dongfang Ren stared at Lu Chao on his warhorse. ’He’s finally showing his true colors. Besides the inferior grade of his Heavenly Destiny Bone, Fake Lu Chao is in no way weaker than the real one... The Bone of Myriad Stars... perhaps it holds infinite possibilities.’

A sharp glint shone in his aged eyes.

「Meanwhile...」

Zheng Zhuhe suddenly rushed toward Wu Caicai, pressing his sword to her shoulder. "Fake Lu Chao!" he yelled. "Dismount, kneel, and declare Dragon Flame Academy’s surrender! Do it now, or believe me... I’ll start by cutting off one of this woman’s arms!"

Wu Yiyi, snapping out of it, resumed her act. "Young Master Lu, please save my Sister Caicai!"

At the words of Zheng Zhuhe and Wu Yiyi, Zeng Quan immediately turned to Marquis Longyin.

"The result is not yet decided," Zeng Quan declared. "There are still many Chongyue Students and their sponsors who have neither lost the ability to fight nor forfeited."

"Which means there are... infinite possibilities."

Zeng Quan’s voice boomed across the entire valley.

Luo Wendeng only had nine people; it would take them time to disable every last opponent.

Zheng Zhuhe, on the other hand, could act very quickly. He could cut off Wu Caicai’s arm in an instant to force Fake Lu Chao to be the first to surrender.

If Fake Lu Chao surrendered, it would all be over.

And if Fake Lu Chao dared to shoot, he would be eliminated from the second trial. Dragon Flame Academy would be left with only nine students... also a loss!

Besides, what good would shooting do? His arrow couldn’t possibly save Wu Caicai from Zheng Zhuhe.

Sun Shijin and the others were at a loss.

But just then, Wu Caicai, held captive by Zheng Zhuhe, suddenly declared, "I, Wu Caicai, withdraw from the Beast Flame Tiger Institute."

As her voice faded, Lu Chao snapped his head up. VWOOM!

The arrow flew from his bow, blazing with an intense light as it shot toward Zheng Zhuhe like a Fire Sparrow.

Zheng Zhuhe was already raising his sword to cut into Wu Caicai’s arm, but the sight of Lu Chao’s approaching arrow made his heart pound. An intense sense of crisis forced him to swing his blade toward the Fire Sparrow Arrow instead.

CRACK!

Sword met arrow, erupting in a blinding flash of fire.

At that exact moment, Wu Yiyi smiled. ’Fake Lu Chao actually shot his arrow,’ she thought. ’Dragon Flame Academy is doomed.’

Marquis Longyin’s gaze hardened. ’Fake Lu Chao acted too impulsively.’

A sharp glint flashed in Zeng Quan’s eyes as he announced, "Lu Chao of Dragon Flame Academy, for attacking a spectator during the second trial, is hereby eliminated! With only nine students remaining, Dragon Flame Academy is therefore..."

Before he could finish, Wu Caicai’s voice rang out from within the fiery blast of True Qi where sword had met arrow.

"I, Wu Caicai, hereby join Dragon Flame Academy!"

Amid the flare of True Qi, accompanied by her own voice, her figure leaped from the cliff. In mid-air, she ripped off the outer uniform of the Beast Flame Tiger Institute, drifting down into Battle Valley.

She looked up in Zeng Quan’s direction. "Dragon Flame Academy once again has ten Innate Students for the second trial."