In a split second, the entire competition stage ruptured with countless rifts crisscrossing every corner of the stage. The tattered patterns, swirling and winding, raged wildly across the stage as the giant purple saber descended from the sky.

There was no crashing sound, but the entire stage seemed to have collapsed at the moment. The protective, energy shield on the competition stage disintegrated as well.

The audience watching the competition did not cheer aloud but gasped in surprise instead. The audience who were seated close to the stage were pulverized into powder.

With the competition stage as its center, a massive light orb floated above while the terrifying explosions continued to shake and erupt over the stage.

At least half of the attending audience died within seconds of the explosions. They were blasted into powder which scattered all over, akin to the heavenly maids scattering flowers, amidst the booming noise.

The commentator's voice halted. Such a situation was unprecedented in the history of the Star Dou Battle Network.

There was no doubt that this was a catastrophic incident. The incident caused tremendous harm to the audience who had spent good money to watch the competition. They ended up losing their lives.

Those people had actually paid to watch the competition! Although it was only a simulation, it was definitely not a good feeling to have to pay to experience death. There was no doubt that it was the Star Dou Battle Network's design failure for they had overestimated the resilience of the battle network's competition stage. The stage was instantly destroyed in the massive collision.

Why did this happen?

In the Blood God Battalion.

The group of Blood Gods was stunned from witnessing the scene. They had not expected to witness such a 'spectacular sight' in the competition, much to their surprise.

When Tang Wulin's heart was beating violently, Blood Nine's lips twitched involuntarily. Had the boy already grown to this extent in less than a month?

Even though the Gale Saber Demon Sima Jinchi was an eight-ringed Soul Douluo at present, Blood Nine was quite sure that despite his Title Douluo rank, he might still lose to Sima Jinchi in a battle. On the other hand, Tang Wulin was actually capable of fighting against Sima Jinchi and not lose.

What did the damaged competition stage signify? It signified that the collision between these two people had exceeded the battle network's endurance limit. According to the data reported in the official announcement, the endurance limit of the Star Dou Battle Network's competition stage was equivalent to the full force attack of a three-word battle armor master!

One could only imagine the extent of the collision between Tang Wulin and Sima Jinchi earlier!

The ginormous light orb lasted for half a minute before it gradually faded.

The audience platform that was initially surging with the deafening, cheering sounds had turned into a heap of rubble. Those who were still alive were screaming in pain but there was only a handful of them!

It turned out the center of explosion on the competition stage had sunk more than a hundred meters. Nonetheless, two silhouettes remained in the center.

There were countless saber marks in crisscross patterns on his Dragon Moon battle armor. His hand tightly grasped the Golden Dragon Spear which was stabbed into the ground to support his body.

The Gale Saber Demon Sima Jinchi was not feeling well either. His battle armor was seriously damaged too. He held the Dragon Slaying Saber to prop himself up but the aura remained surging without cessation. It was even more peculiar that a shadow could be seen vaguely behind his back. It was a white giant dragon which appeared a little blurry.

"Haha, so this is how it is! Very well, then. I've finally found it! Hahaha..."

Sima Jinchi suddenly burst out with wild laughter. On the other hand, Tang Wulin could not even utter a word at present.

'Have I lost? Am I going to lose after all?'

Tang Wulin felt a gleam of bitterness rippling through his heart. Sima Jinchi's Swordsoul was truly too powerful. The power of Tang Wulin's Thousand Accusing Fingers had already burst out to its limit, yet it seemed like Sima Jinchi was in a much better condition than he was at present.

He could not figure out why the soul power fluctuation radiating from Sima Jinchi's body was even more intense than before the competition began despite being severely injured. It was utterly repugnant to common sense! Yet, it happened to Sima Jinchi just the same.

"Wait for me!" Sima Jinchi suddenly raised his head. Only half a mask remained on his face to reveal his coarse face. He looked at Tang Wulin with a burning gaze as he mentioned three words to Tang Wulin.

His gaze was fervent. Although Tang Wulin had a firm, persistent willpower, he felt baffled under Sima Jinchi's scrutiny.

Just as he was about to speak, all of a sudden, Sima Jinchi's body turned into a radiance as he vanished from the spot.

What was that? Did he disconnect himself intentionally? Did he withdraw himself from the competition?

Tang Wulin looked at Sima Jinchi, who had vanished without a trace, in a daze. At the same time, he heard the electronic voice, "Number Thirty-Three, victory."

'I've won?'

'Could it be Sima Jinchi was a spent arrow earlier? That's not right! The soul power fluctuation on his body truly existed and was exuding a powerful consciousness. Even Tang Wulin felt that Sima Jinchi had some form of qualitative elevation during the battle. Tang Wulin was genuinely no match for Sima Jinchi after the elevation.

Yet, he gave up the competition. He surrendered for this round and subsequently relinquished the top two ranks of this year's competition.

Tang Wulin had never won in such a manner before, particularly a competition in which he had no idea how he won. All of a sudden, the expression on his face became peculiar. He had planned to spare no effort in fighting initially. In any case, he did not expect to win in such a manner.

In the Blood God Battalion.

Blood One witnessed the scene in bewilderment. Although he demanded that Tang Wulin become the champion, actually, he did not truly wish for it to be true!

It was apparent that Tang Wulin had lost in this competition, but he lost it in a commendable manner. Sima Jinchi had an awe-inspiring reputation and Blood One understood this very well. This person was once considered the number one valiant soldier of the Southern Army Corps. Regardless of the type of battlefield, Sima Jinchi only braced himself with his saber for he despised modern technology. Even so, very few people were capable of defeating him.

However, why did Sima Jinchi admit defeat in this case? Blood One's sources told him that Sima Jinchi was a highly competitive man.

In the Southern Army Corps, Sima Jinchi was feared by everyone. There was utterly no one who was willing to work with him, for his greatest enjoyment was to just fight.

Why then did this person who had the upper hand choose to admit defeat?

The communication system of the competition was broken. Sima Jinchi's final words to Tang Wulin was heard by Wulin alone.

Anyhow, the result of the competition was announced.

Victory to the Golden Dragon King. He had entered the finals!

He had truly won!

In the Southern Army Corps.

Xu Xiaoyan watched the screen before her. 'Surprisingly, the captain managed to defeat the Gale Saber Demon?'

She was in the Southern Army Corps, so she understood a person's behavior in the army very well. Even the generals would take a detour when they saw this person. He had no friends nor family, only his Dragon Slaying Saber.

He spent every day doing nothing but cultivating. He had the military rank of a senior colonel pinned on his shoulders. Yet, in reality, he did not even have a single subordinate. Thus, his military ranks were purely for display.

However, he would be the Southern Army Corps' trump card whenever the grand army warrior competition was held. With the Gale Saber Demon, the army was always triumphant. Below the rank of a Title Douluo, he was a man without peer!

His odds were ranked second and not first in this year's Federal Star Dou Battle Network Challenge because the person who was ranked first was truly extraordinary. However, the person ranked first was not a worthy opponent of Sima Jinchi based on their fighting capacities.

Yet, he had lost. He had lost to the captain of the Shrek Seven Monsters.

He was twice as old as Tang Wulin! Nevertheless, he lost.

Xu Xiaoyan took a deep breath. She felt a gush of warm blood surging in her chest. At this moment, she realized why Yue Zhengyu made up his mind to withstand the pain of the Holy Baptism.

'Has our captain grown to that extent? If we don't quicken our pace to catch up, I'm afraid we'll truly be left behind.'

'No, I can't rest easy anymore. I'll need to become more powerful as well so I won't hamper my comrades' abilities.'

Xu Xiaoyan stood up abruptly. At this very moment, her gaze turned determined. She thought of a place which would be most suitable for her cultivation. The place was not located in the southern region

'It's time for me to leave. Zhengyu, wait for my return!'

The huge room was decorated splendidly in gold and jade, but the decoration made the place feel ancient. It was the precipitation of time and the true secret of nobility.