Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 249 Defending the Challenge
"Old Zhao! Two more bowls of mutton offal soup, extra chili! And ten more flatbreads!"

"Okay! Sir, please wait a moment!"

The restaurants in the south of the city were bustling with activity, and the makeshift stoves set up at the entrances were steaming hot.

The owner, Old Zhao, beamed with joy, his iron ladle flying as the mutton offal soup in the pot simmered with an enticing aroma.

The shop, which would normally be deserted by this time, is now packed from dawn until closing late at night. Every seat is taken, and even the doorway is filled with diners who are enjoying their meals. Most of them are locals and tourists who have come to see the excitement.

The earthenware jar under the chopping board, filled with copper coins, was heavy and needed to be emptied several times a day.

"Goodness, this martial arts tournament is even more exciting than the New Year!" an old man smacked his lips while eating a flatbread.

"How long has it been since our Jinyang City has been this bustling with activity?"

“That’s right!” A man dressed as a porter wiped the grease from his mouth.

"There are more jobs available at the docks now! Those tough guys from out of town come with their families and servants, and they spend money on everything from food and clothing to daily necessities. Even us poor folks can earn a little more money to make ends meet!"

The benefits are real and tangible.

Inns were fully booked, rental prices had increased several times over, and even shacks outside the city were in high demand.

Taverns, restaurants, clothing stores, weapon shops, blacksmith shops, pharmacies... any business even remotely related to these industries was booming.

Countless temporary stalls have sprung up along the streets, selling snacks, herbs, liniments, and even fabricated lists of "the greatest heroes in the world," with shouts of vendors rising and falling.

The entire city seemed to have turned into a giant money-making machine, with the clinking of copper coins ringing out incessantly.

After the sun rose and set several times, the five-day preliminary test quickly came to a successful conclusion.

When the morning light of the sixth day once again bathed the Fenhe River venue, the atmosphere was completely different.

The initial hustle and bustle and chaos subsided, replaced by a more refined sense of tension.

Of the more than 3,000 martial artists, 1,764 remained. Of these nearly 2,000, only 100 would be selected, making the competition extremely fierce. Almost all eyes were fixed on the nine land arenas and one water arena.

The intermediate test, the battle to defend the title, is about to begin! The rules are more direct: whoever steps onto any arena, captures the flag, and successfully defends the title for one hour becomes the champion and advances directly to the final top 100! This means that not only must one possess exceptional strength, but also endurance, unwavering willpower, and the wisdom to cope with a series of challenges!
"Boom--!"

The drums sound again! The bugle calls pierce the sky!

Xun Yu's clear voice echoed throughout the hall: "The preliminary examination, the ten-way competition, shall begin!"

"Start"

Those two words were like igniting a powder keg!

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"

Almost the instant the words were spoken, dozens of figures shot out like arrows from different directions toward their chosen arenas! Seizing the initiative was crucial! The earlier someone stepped onto the stage, the more likely they were to claim the arena flag.

The Jia-character arena, being the closest to the main viewing platform and boasting the most prominent location, naturally became the first focal point for many powerful individuals to compete for! Dozens of figures rushed down to the arena almost simultaneously!
However, an even faster black shadow, like a black whirlwind rising from the ground, arrived first despite being behind! Dian Wei!

He completely ignored the people around him, his burly body exuding a suffocating sense of oppression, and stepped onto the nearly ten-foot-high arena in one step!
He drew the pair of short iron halberds from his back with a backhand motion; the cold blades reflected a dazzling glint in the sunlight.

He flashed to the center of the arena, picked up the short arena flag from the ground with his twin halberds and inserted it into his back. His face was expressionless, like that of a ferocious beast, and a fierce aura of "this path is blocked" spread throughout the entire arena.

Two others were a step behind him, one wielding a spear and the other a pair of swords. Seeing that Dian Wei had already put away the arena flag and feeling the invisible pressure, they involuntarily stopped in their tracks below the arena, looking at each other with a hint of hesitation and fear in their eyes.

The brutal scene of Dian Wei defeating Liu Mang with his first halberd strike five days ago is still vivid in my mind!
"The first defender of the Jia-class arena is Dian Wei of Chenliu!"

Upon seeing that the flag had been claimed, the referee loudly announced the name.

After a brief silence, someone in the crowd finally couldn't contain themselves any longer.

A wielder with a chain spear shouted, "I'll take you on!"

He believed that his agility and unpredictable weaponry might be able to counter Dian Wei's fierce and powerful nature.

He nimbly flipped onto the platform, flicked his chain spear, and the spearhead, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, arced strangely, bypassing Dian Wei's front and aiming straight for his left rib opening! The angle was tricky, and the speed was extremely fast!

Dian Wei didn't even turn his head.

Just as the spear tip was about to reach him, Dian Wei's right hand wielded his short halberd like a black lightning bolt, slashing upwards! Just like five days ago, there were no fancy moves, only pure speed and power! The halberd blade tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek!

"Sizzle—Pfft!"

The soft cord of the chain spear locked onto the halberd blade. Dian Wei pulled hard, and his left-hand short halberd lashed out, delivering a solid iron fist to the man he had pulled flying.

"Ah—!" A shrill scream ripped through the sky! The martial artist was carried away by the immense force like a rag doll, crashing off the stage, coughing up blood and convulsing uncontrollably.

The whole process took less than three breaths!
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd below the arena! The martial artists who had initially intended to challenge the opponent turned deathly pale and involuntarily retreated.

Dian Wei slowly withdrew his fist, still silently leaning on his halberd. His ferocity, which regarded human life as worthless, completely intimidated the Jia-class arena! For a moment, no one dared to step onto the stage!

There are ten arenas, but the Jia-character arena is too tough. They want to see if there are any softer arenas among the others.

On the Gengzi Arena, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao went up together, choosing to join forces to defend the arena.

Regardless of who advances to the finals, the remaining player will still have a chance to compete again. They have come a long way, so they have chosen the safest approach. Zhou Cang wields a thick-backed ring-pommel sword, fighting steadily and methodically. His swordsmanship is wide and sweeping, seemingly clumsy, yet his defense is impenetrable.

Pei Yuanshao wielded an iron spear and fought fiercely. He moved around Zhou Cang, constantly thrusting and sweeping, forcing the martial artists who kept rushing onto the stage to retreat or die on the spot.

The warrior wielding two whips approached Zhou Cang, but could not break through his defenses. He had already exhausted a great deal of energy in order to break through Pei Yuanshao's iron spear, and now his breathing was becoming disordered.

A glint flashed in Zhou Cang's eyes. Seizing the opportunity, he swung his ring-pommel sword horizontally! The sword light was like a bolt of lightning, carrying a heavy wind pressure!
"Clang! Clang!" Two loud sounds rang out! The double whips were violently swung away!

Taking advantage of the situation, Zhou Cang stepped closer and slammed his sword hilt into the opponent's chest at the Tanzhong acupoint, as if it were a hammer!

"Ugh!" The whip-wielding warrior groaned, staggering backward, his face deathly pale. His breath was instantly cut off, and he couldn't muster any strength.

Zhou Cang did not move much, conserving his strength, and clasped his hands in a deep voice, saying, "Thank you for your concession."

The double-whip martial artist, realizing he was no longer able to fight, wisely chose an opening to flip himself off the stage.

He left the arena, but the fight showed no signs of abating.

Pei Yuanshao held the iron-spined spear, his body was slashed in several places, and blood seeped out, which further aroused his ferocity!
"Come and fight!" Pei Yuanshao roared, and began an even more desperate fighting style!
The martial artists were shocked by their opponent's fearlessness and instinctively withdrew their stances to defend themselves.

Just as the old force was exhausted and the new force had not yet arisen, Pei Yuanshao's iron spear shot out from below like a venomous snake emerging from its hole!

"Thud!" The spear tip slashed fiercely across the thighs of several martial artists!

"Ah—!" The excruciating pain caused these martial artists to scream in agony.

Pei Yuanshao, panting heavily, wiped the blood from his face and glared fiercely at everyone, like a wounded lone wolf.

His fighting style has a distinctly bloody flavor, it's experience gleaned from piles of corpses, it relies on that reckless ferocity and the ruthlessness to win at the cost of injury.

While this fighting style is effective, it is also prone to injury and poses a great risk in a long battle to defend the title. It seems that he has already decided to send Zhou Cang to the finals.

If either of them makes it into the top 100, then they can both live with dignity from now on!

While the battle on the land was raging, the water battleground in the middle of the Fen River also began its first battle since its construction.

The defender of the title is naturally Gan Ning.

However, he did not go directly to the water arena. Instead, he defeated several challengers on the land arena to establish his dominance before coming to the water arena.

Water is his true battlefield!

The huge water platform undulated gently with the waves of the Fen River.

Gan Ning leaped onto the platform, feeling the familiar swaying beneath his feet. He took a deep breath of the watery air and a cheerful smile spread across his face.

He took off the slightly cumbersome brocade robe, revealing the tight-fitting water jacket underneath. Bright rooster feathers were stuck in his hair, and a long knife and copper bells hung at his waist. He looked sharp and flamboyant.

"The flag of the Ren-character arena has changed hands, and Gan Ning is now the champion of the Water Arena!" The referee glanced at Gan Ning with some surprise, and then announced loudly.

The unique environment of the water arena deterred many skilled land fighters, so for a long time, no one dared to step forward.

When everyone felt hopeless after seeing Lu Lei's several arenas, they finally turned their attention here.

Suddenly, the water fight became lively.

Gan Ning was like a king on the water, agile and using the force of the water to his advantage, turning the shaking of the water arena into an aid to his attack.

Many challengers couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes before being subdued by his precise and ruthless joint locks, either painfully admitting defeat or being simply thrown into the river.

Below the water cannon, many speedboats were patrolling, responsible for rescuing those who had fallen into the water, which saved a lot of trouble.

Gan Ning's defense of the title turned out to be the cleanest and most decisive of the ten challenges.

Meanwhile, on Lu Lei's side...

Dian Wei and Xu Chu held the arena as securely as a rock.

Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao also managed to defend the arena by working together.

With these three arenas proving unconquerable and Gan Ning of the water arena added to the list, the martial artists present were left with only the remaining six land arenas as options.

In these six arenas, the flags changed hands repeatedly, and none of them lasted for more than an hour.

Time passes gradually.

When the first drumbeat signaled a successful defense, Dian Wei from the Jia-Zi arena was the first to advance to the finals.

Xu Chu then followed closely behind.

Then Zhou Cang successfully defended his title.

Each successful defense of the arena sounded like a death knell, making the battles for the remaining six arenas even more intense.

Only seven of the ten champion spots remain.
"Water Arena successfully defends its title, Bajun Ganning advances to the finals!"

Six now!
Shouts of battle erupted everywhere!
(End of this chapter)