Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Bring out the Roaming King Thrones!”
Zi Hongyuan’s thunderous voice subsided and out walked a band of people. There were four in total and were holding up a golden, sparkling throne at their center. They placed each of the thrones 30 feet from one another and had arranged them into a neat line.
“Those are the Roaming King Thrones!”
A wave of surprise rang out from the crowd and many of the participating students had licked their lips upon the sight of the thrones. There was a fervent passion in their gaze!
Each of the thrones was made out of gold and at least 3 feet tall. Engraved on these thrones was the image of a soaring dragon which gave them a majestic aura.
Furthermore, there were also digits engraved on each throne, starting from number 1 to 10.
Each of the thrones had represented the Ten Great Roaming Kings respectively, and those who managed to nab a spot on the thrones would then obtain the corresponding Roaming King title! Aside from the rewards that came with getting a seat, it would also provide the students with an overwhelming sense of glory.
Since Luo Feng mentally prepared himself beforehand, he was not too surprised at the thrones. Instead, he had narrowed his eyes and fixed his sights at the first three thrones. At that moment, his gaze was practically filled with determination!
Nevertheless, Luo Feng was not the only one who had his sights on the top three Roaming King Thrones.
At the opposite end of the common area, Lin Xiaoxiao rubbed her fists together as she stared at the top three Roaming King Thrones. She was basically mesmerized.
“Tianyang, can you really assist me in securing a top three finish?” Lin Xiaoxiao retracted her gaze and looked towards Li Tianyang instead.
Li Tianyang had his arms crossed as he answered nonchalantly, “Rest assured, junior sister. Since I’ve already made a promise to Young Master Duanmu, there’s no way I’ll go against my words. With your strength, you’ll have no problems making it to top ten. However, in order to make it into the top three, your only rival would be Qin Luoxue. However, with my assistance, she won’t be a problem.
“Thank you, senior brother!”
Lin Xiaoxiao was so excited that her face had flushed red. As she stared at the top three Roaming King seats, she had subconsciously licked her lips.
As she was only one in the apex of the Strength Boundary, she would be able to make it into the top ten with luck at her side. However, the top three seats were definitely out of her reach. Nevertheless, now that she had Li Tianyang’s help, it was likely that she would make it to top three and obtain a Yellow Rank Upper Class technique. Once that happened, all she would need to do is put in some effort to cultivate and she would advance to the Iron Bone Boundary. Following that, she would then take the Inner Institution’s assessment and finally make it into the Inner Institution.
Suddenly, Li Tianyang took back his words. “However, before that, there’s something else I need to do.”
Lin Xiaoxiao could sense a cold aura emanating from Li Tianyang. She shuddered slightly and looked in the same direction as Li Tianyang. It was then that a familiar figure entered her sights.
“Luo Feng…”
As Lin Xiaoxiao noted the familiar figure, a chilly smile appeared on her face.
She had heard of Luo Feng and Li Tianyang’s skirmish in Green Edge Town, and knowing Li Tianyang, he would definitely seek revenge. As such, it was clear that he would not go easy on Luo Feng this time.
For some reason, the one thing that Lin Xiaoxiao did not want to see, which was Luo Feng’s growth, had been occurring quite frequently. This had instilled a mysterious sense of fear in her, but once she heard that Li Tianyang was about to teach Luo Feng a lesson, she could not help but feel elated.
Luo Feng had been eyeing the Roaming King Thrones when suddenly he had a feeling that someone was watching him. Sensing this, he turned to face his observer and had coincidentally exchanged glances with Li Tianyang’s malicious glare. Nevertheless, he laughed it off as if it had not bothered him.
With the strength he had at that time, be it Lin Xiaoxiao or Li Tianyang, he no longer had much to fear.
It was soon time for the beginning of the tournament.
Zi Hongyuan stood up from his seat and faced the hundreds of students in the common area. He then announced, “Everyone, today marks yet another run of our annual Roaming King Tournament! The first hundred students who manage to clear the run would receive rewards from the institution along with limitless glory. I’m sure you’re already well aware of the prizes, so I’ll cut right to the chase.”
“All of you will depart from the eastern gate. Then, you’ll need to make it through the Demon Forest, then the Giant Wood Valley, and finally the Wangchuan River1. Once you’ve cleared these three areas, return to the institution by the western gate. I’ll be waiting for your triumphant return with much anticipation over here!”
Rumble…
The moment Zi Hongyuan’s voice subsided, the common area suddenly began to quake as the two massive stone gates located at the east and the west of the institution gradually swung open. The scenery outside the gates was extremely barren, and no one knew where they would lead.
Despite that, everyone was staring fervently at the eastern gate, since that was the starting line of the tournament!
“Let the tournament begin!”
Upon Zi Hongyuan’s words, the hundreds of students in the common area began to rush towards the eastern gates with a woosh.
After stepping out of the eastern gate, the first thing that greeted Luo Feng’s sight was a deep and long mountain valley.
The valley was shaped like a horseshoe and was called the Purple Snake Valley, as it was similar to a giant python that had wrapped itself around Purple Spirit Peak. It was at least ten miles long! It was this very valley that participants of the Roaming King Tournament had to make it through in order to return to the institution.
Rumble…Rumble…
The participants scrambled to make it to the valley. Many of them had picked up Light Body techniques as they feared that they would fall behind everyone else.
Despite that, Luo Feng had proceeded at a leisurely pace. He had not activated his Soaring Dragon Steps.
After all, it was not a crucial point in the tournament and he saw no need to waste his energy.
“Ruolan, we’ll split up for now. We’ll regroup once we reach the Wangchuan River,” Luo Feng told Bing Ruolan.
There were three stages in total to the Roaming King Tournament, which was the Demon Forest, the Giant Wood Valley, and the Wangchuan River respectively. Within these three stages, having large numbers was detrimental for the first two stages.
“Alright, please take care of yourself. It seems that Li Tianyang is still holding a grudge over his loss in Green Edge Town the other day,” Bing Ruolan advised.
“Hahaha… Don’t worry, if he’s already lost to me in the past, the same result would repeat itself in the future!” Luo Feng announced with utmost confidence as he patted the Tiger Essence Saber on his back.
Bing Ruolan’s mouth twitched as she thought Luo Feng was exaggerating.
After all, Luo Feng was only in the later phase of the Strength Boundary whereas Li Tianyang was already in the middle phase of the Iron Bone Boundary. Even if Luo Feng had possessed a tremendous deal of strength, there was still no way that he would be a match for Li Tianyang.
“Fine, fine. You’re strong, happy now? I’ll be leaving then…” Bing Ruolan batted her eyes, and once she had finished her sentence, her pale blue silhouette had already melded into the crowd, and a moment later, she was lost within the thick mountain forest.
“This chick doesn’t believe me! Fine, I’ll show you how amazing I am later!” Luo Feng rubbed his nose and grumbled. Following that, he began to give chase.
Rustle… Rustle… Rustle…
Although Luo Feng had not activated his Soaring Dragon Steps, he still possessed tremendous speed. He was like a leopard hunting its prey as he gradually put a distance between himself and the average students. Before long, he had reached the first stage, the Demon Forest.
The valley was originally only a few dozen feet wide, but once he reached the forest, it had suddenly widened by several magnitudes. The trees were at least ten feet tall and possessed thick foliage. A white veil of mist wafted through the woods, giving it a sense of mystery, and instilling a sense of fear within the hearts of the students.
Despite that, Luo Feng’s pacing had not slowed in the slightest as he immediately rushed into the Demon Forest. Upon entering, there was a small group that consisted of four Golden Sun Class students located a few dozen feet to his left.
“Wang Wen, I heard that it’s best to enter the Demon Forest solo.” A student with a small frame timidly advised as he glanced at the tall trees surrounding them.
The student called Wang Wen then turned his head around and stated, “Li Erchuan, just look at your own abilities. We have almost always been at the bottom of the Golden Sun Class, so unless we team up, there’s no way that we’ll clear this stage!”
Wang Wen pointed at Luo Feng and snorted. “See that Silver Moon Class punk? I bet that he’s about to be eliminated soon enough!”
The other three students nodded at Wang Wen’s statement.
At that moment, a strange phenomenon occurred.
Rustle…Rustle…
Following that, a piercing cry filled the forest as plenty of black figures emerged from the thick foliage.
Woosh…Woosh…
Rocks and sticks began to pour down like raindrops from the canopy.
“Those are… The Herculean Tree Apes! AHHH!” The student with a small frame, Li Erchuan cried out, and after being struck by a stone, he crumpled onto the ground while writhing in pain.
It was only then that the students noticed the black silhouettes among the trees.
The black silhouettes were at least twice the height of a grown adult, possessed sturdy arms, and had blood-red eyes. They were the Rank One demonic beasts that lived within the Demon Forest, the Herculean Tree Apes.
The Herculean Tree Apes grabbed whatever they could, from rocks to thick branches and constantly hurled them towards the students. Occasionally, they would even come down from the trees and hit the students with their branches, and for every strike they launched, they would howl cheerfully, as if they were celebrating the occasion.
“These vermin! Surround them!”
Wang Wen howled, and the four students instantly formed a circle.
Woosh!
Wang Wen pulled out his sword from his scabbard, and after aiming precisely at a charging Herculean Tree Ape, he thrust his sword and stabbed the Herculean Tree Ape’s right arm. “Eeep!”
The Herculean Tree Ape cried out in pain, and after letting loose a piercing shriek, it retreated.
As if the students had stirred a hornet’s nest, a cacophony of cries erupted within the forest a mere moment later!
The surrounding Herculean Tree Apes began to glow a deep crimson and started to beat their chests. After letting loose a battle cry, they jumped down from the trees and charged towards the four Golden Sun Class students, utilizing their sticks and stones to bash the students like a wild hurricane!
As Luo Feng stood at the opposite end, all he could hear at first was the students’ angered shouts. However, as time passed, all that remained were cries of agony.
“These darn idiots!”
Luo Feng silently shook his head and glanced sympathetically at the students.
The Herculean Tree Apes were docile creatures, but they were strongly territorial. They would never allow anyone to intrude onto their land!
Whenever there were intruders, they would first issue warnings to prevent the intruders from continuing any further. However, if the intruders were to retaliate, the apes would attack in full force, beating back their opponents until they were at their last breaths. Only then, would the apes toss the intruders out of their territory.
Something worth noting, however, was that the greater the number of intruders, the stronger the apes would attack. Due to this, those who were slightly more experienced would opt to clear the Demon Forest alone in order to avoid stirring up a fuss with the apes.
Since the surrounding Herculean Tree Apes had been lured away by the Golden Sun Class students, Luo Feng could finally let down his guard.
Woosh!
Using the opportunity presented to him, Luo Feng sped up his movement and soared ahead.
Along the way, Luo Feng occasionally came across other Herculean Tree Apes. However, with his agile movement, he was able to maneuver past them while maintaining breakneck speeds.
Sometime later, the majority had finally caught up into the Demon Forest, and it had caused quite the commotion. When that happened, cries of agony could be heard from the students, and piercing roars could be heard from the Herculean Tree Apes!
As Luo Feng proceeded, the number of students he encountered had decreased. By Luo Feng’s rough estimates, at least half of the students had been wiped out within the Demon Forest.
An hour later, Luo Feng’s field of vision widened, and with a hurrah, Luo Feng had made his way out of the woods.
A barren canyon now laid in front of him. It was desolate, and there was not a single ounce of flora to be found. The canyon’s entrance was shaped like a gourd, and beside the entrance, stood a bunch of students clothed in Golden Sun Class uniforms.
“Eh? It’s another Silver Moon Class student…”
“I can’t believe that someone else aside from Bing Ruolan was able to break out of the Demon Forest this quickly.”
“Clearing the Demon Forest isn’t that big of a deal. The true challenge lies in the Giant Wood Valley and the Wangchuan River. I dare say that this Silver Moon Class student will fail to clear the Giant Wood Valley…”
Upon hearing the noise that Luo Feng had made, everyone turned their heads to the source of the noise. Once they noticed Luo Feng’s uniform, a trace of surprise appeared on their faces.
Despite that, Luo Feng did not pay attention to their looks and charged directly into the valley.
This was the Roaming King Tournament’s second stage, the Giant Wood Valley!