Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 423: Chapter 42: Bizarre Challenge (For you, you can call me Brother Ma and reward 50000 more 3/5)_1

Just as Wen Yu was feigning sleep with his eyes half-closed, a massive toll of a bell echoed in the distance. At the same time, a magnificent yet genial Spiritual Fluctuation transmitted into the minds of every professionist in the Eternal Sky City!

”The Sequence Member-Ranking Battle has officially begun!”

As this Spiritual Fluctuation slowly dissipated, countless beams of white light flashed past the perimeter of the skill competition arena—these were all professionists qualified to challenge the Sequence!

The very next moment, white light flickered over the positions from Sequence Number 91 to Sequence Number 100. The professionists holding these Sequence Ranks had already been pulled into the Challenge Space.

...

Seeing this, Wen Yu abruptly swallowed hard.

The fervor of the professionists outside far exceeded his imagination.

According to the rules, while non-Sequence members could challenge those in the Sequence, Sequence members could also challenge each other. For those from Sequence Number 91 to Sequence Number 100, their best option was to challenge those from Sequence Number 81 to Sequence Number 90 before they themselves were challenged. Only then could they extricate themselves from the myriad of waiting challenges.

Unfortunately, the professionists outside were quicker...

It hadn’t even been three seconds when ten more flashes of white light were seen—the challenges had already ended. This might be because the flow of time inside the skill competition arena was different from the outside world. Seeing the professionists sitting in the positions from Sequence Number 91 to Sequence Number 100, Wen Yu’s eye twitched violently.

All ten people had been replaced.

In other words, all ten Challengers had succeeded!

From this, one could see just how inflated the current Sequence rankings were!

...

Then, before these people could even get comfortable, white light flashed again.

The newly promoted professionists from Sequence Number 91 to Sequence Number 100 disappeared once more. At the same time, Sequence Number 87 was also engulfed by a beam of white light.

A newly promoted Sequence member had challenged Sequence Number 87!

Three seconds later...

Another round of old faces was replaced by new ones. Watching the rapidly changing faces below, Wen Yu had a foreboding sense of how tragic the fate of those in the lower Sequence Ranks must be.

With over fifteen thousand people, they had a long series of battles ahead of them.

...

The white light flickered ceaselessly, like countless light bulbs shaking before one’s eyes. Not only did it signify the intense competition of the ranking battle, but it also meant that a large number of professionists were being eliminated.

However, this had nothing to do with those sitting in the top ten of the Sequence.

To challenge the top ten of the Sequence, one had to first reach the top twenty! And the Sequence members ahead of them were not to be trifled with!

In fact, up to that point, the positions of the top fifty in the Sequence had not been replaced even once.

One reason was that many battles were intercepted by those from Sequence Number 91 to Sequence Number 100, so not many new Sequence members reached the front. Another was that the quality of the top fifty in the Sequence was indeed much higher than those ranked lower!

Moreover, there was hesitation among the Sequence members themselves.

The rules of the Ranking Battle allowed for only one challenge per member. If a Sequence member challenged a higher-ranked member and succeeded, that was fine. But should the challenge fail, they would have to passively accept challenges from others and forfeit their opportunity to advance further.

Hence, unless they were stuck in a predicament, the Sequence members sat still, unmoving like statues.

...

The battles below were heating up. Even Kasu, who was usually engrossed in the Bible, couldn’t help but look up, staring at the ever-flashing white light below, his eyes shining, seemingly deep in thought.

Wen Yu was also quite bored. The challenge matches were held in an unknown space, not in the circular arena below. Therefore, Wen Yu couldn’t see the battles at all. He just sat there, idly counting the number of people who had been eliminated!

In just half an hour, more than a thousand people had failed their challenges. Naturally, once their challenge opportunities were exhausted, they were teleported out of the Sequence Member-Ranking Battle.

Even then, Lin Haifeng’s plan had yet to be initiated—the initial stages were too chaotic. He planned to proceed once the situation stabilized a little, as it wouldn’t be too late then.

Abruptly, a voice rang out from above.

”Do you think Lin Haifeng’s plan might work?”

Sitting at the highest point of the entire skill competition arena, Tang Haofei asked Wen Yu from his commanding position.

Wen Yu shook his head.

”I’m not sure. By the way, how many people do you think could break into the top ten of the Sequence?”

Tang Haofei carefully observed the constantly flickering white light below, then slowly shook his head.

”Not many. Their skills aren’t good enough. Those who are truly capable are either being kept hidden by the military, or they don’t care about the title of a Sequence member, or they’re satisfied with obtaining a Sequence title somewhere in the double digits.”

Wen Yu nodded.

Ultimately, there would always be some professionists ’unconcerned with fame and fortune,’ or ’lucky enough to have never needed to enter a large-scale treasure land,’ or those ’with special goals who didn’t want to become Sequence members.’

”Will they pose any threat to your plan?”

”I don’t know.”

Tang Haofei decisively shook his head and added, ”Don’t say ’your plan’; you should say ’our plan.’ If this succeeds, the benefits will be unimaginable!”

Wen Yu was momentarily silent.

...

Wen Yu had guessed Lin Haifeng’s ultimate goal the previous night.

Earlier that day, after receiving the message from Yang Hong, Wen Yu felt more confident in his assessment and had paid a visit to Tang Haofei.

Tang Haofei, it turned out, couldn’t keep a secret...

With just a couple of probing questions from Wen Yu, Tang Haofei had spilled the beans.

By then, everything was crystal clear in Wen Yu’s eyes.

Indeed, if Lin Haifeng’s plan succeeded, it would bring great benefits to Wen Yu.

Lin Haifeng was definitely someone to be wary of. He always had intricate plans, and one could never discern his true endgame. A person like that was too devious! Having been deceived once, Wen Yu was not going to risk being fooled a second time.

...

While Wen Yu was meditating, the chaos of the initial free-for-all below gradually subsided.

Almost an hour later, with fewer than five thousand professionists remaining outside, Lin Haifeng, who had been waiting by the skill competition arena, finally initiated his plan.

”Go! Remember your order!”

As Lin Haifeng gave the order, hundreds of military professionists immediately pinned intricately patterned badges to their chests and proceeded to challenge in sequence.

Amid frequent flashes of white light, ten military professionists directly replaced the bottom ten Sequence members. Eight of these were already military personnel, and the remaining two were swiftly ousted by two powerful military experts.

Then, these new Sequence members, according to the plan, launched challenges against those ranked ahead of them!

In a short time, the entire Sequence spectator stand was enveloped in flashing white light, which spread rapidly towards the top twenty positions!

...

Everything happened so quickly and suddenly that by the time Wen Yu fully registered it, more than sixty of the bottom eighty Sequence members wore identical badges, and the number was still rising...

It’s starting, Wen Yu sighed softly, his expression instantly becoming serious.

Lin Haifeng had made his move; now it all depended on whether ’a certain someone’ would take the bait!

...

”Continue.”

Seeing that eight of the positions from Sequence Number 11 to Sequence Number 20 had been filled by his arranged personnel, Lin Haifeng knew his plan was reaching its climax.

Two beams of white light flashed nearby, and Wen Yu immediately turned his head to look.

Sequence Number 18, a newly promoted Sequence member, directly challenged Sequence Number 10!

As the white light flickered, the figures of Sequence Number 10 and Sequence Number 18 appeared on a platform below.

This time, the flow of time hadn’t quickened. Moreover, the Sequence members positioned higher up could observe the battle on the platform.

The next second, Sequence Number 10 gently raised his right hand and calmly said, ”I admit defeat.”

Then, with a flash of white light, the two were teleported back. The only difference was that their positions were now switched.

...

The next moment, the newly promoted Sequence Number 10 and Sequence Number 9 were once again pulled onto the platform, followed by another surrender. The military professionist, who had charged all the way up with a look of utter despair as if he had nothing left to live for, defeated Fang Bai in just a few minutes and claimed the position of Sequence Number 6. Wen Yu estimated that if Akad hadn’t been ahead of him, this guy could have fought his way to Sequence Number 1!

This pattern of forfeits continued.

”No... their target doesn’t seem to be the top ten Sequence Ranks,” Kasu frowned, looking doubtfully at Fang Bai and Michael, who were being continuously challenged and were immediately admitting defeat. He then looked up and asked Wen Yu,

Wen Yu nodded gently, his face expressionless. Watching Fang Bai and Michael being kicked out of the Sequence Ranks and teleported outside the skill competition arena, he murmured, Now, you won’t be able to resist, will you?