As time went by, the resting area gradually became crowded. The fact that these people could stand out from the three thousand disciples was enough to prove their individual strength. Their performances were all observed by the higher-ups, and it was at this moment that they were noticed by the core figures at the top of the sect for the first time. Regardless of whether they could make it into the top one hundred in the end, they would receive special cultivation from the sect.
An hour later, the three hundredth disciple stepped into the resting area, which meant the first round of selection matches had officially concluded. Just as Jiang Yu thought they were entering a half-time break, he didn't expect Ning Fengzhi to directly announce the start of the second selection ceremony. They weren't even given a moment to catch their breath.
The rules for the second round were also very simple. After Ning Fengzhi finished explaining, sturdy men in armor carried iron models of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda onto the square. There were only one hundred iron pagodas.
Among the remaining three hundred disciples, whoever could possess a pagoda within an hour would successfully secure a spot as a partner. Moreover, once they picked up the iron pagoda, they could not let go. If it were snatched away by someone else, they would be considered eliminated, and it would be useless even if they snatched it back later. Furthermore, there was no Spirit Power limit in this round, granting much more freedom than the previous round. The seemingly simple rules, in reality, harbored great danger. The remaining contestants would undoubtedly fight with all their might for the pagodas, as no one at this stage would want to back down. Even if you managed to snatch a pagoda, you would surely be besieged by the others. For this entire hour, everyone would be locked in endless conflict. The critical point was that there was no rest time for them to recover their Spirit Power. By this point in the competition, everyone's Spirit Power was clearly almost depleted. It could be said that the gap between everyone was not that large. After all, the disciples who made it to the top three hundred were powerful in terms of Spirit Martial quality and combat skills.
Seeing the iron pagodas right in front of them, many contestants hesitated, standing still and observing. They weren't foolish. They understood the principle of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered." Whoever went up first would definitely be attacked by others. However, not everyone in this world lacks courage; at crucial moments, someone will always take the lead.
Seeing that no one dared to step forward, Jiang Yu walked out of the crowd and headed straight towards where the iron pagodas were placed. "Who is this person?" Discussions immediately erupted. "I don't know if he's brave or foolish, daring to go up first. Is he not afraid of being ganged up on?" "Whether he's foolish or not, I don't know. But he certainly has the capital for pride. He is Jiang Yu, our sect's first prodigy with Innate Full Spirit Power, and also Sword Douluo's personal disciple. It's said that even the elder* considers his swordsmanship talent inferior to Jiang Yu's." "That's too exaggerated!" someone questioned. "Elder Jian is recognized as the number one swordsman on the continent. Even the Title Douluo in the Spirit Hall known as Sword King humbly concedes defeat and dares not contend with Elder Jian." "This Jiang Yu, apart from being handsome, doesn't seem all that talented. Perhaps he's just a pretty face." It's understandable that they doubted him; after all, there are many who look good but are useless. Apart from winning first place in last year's Rookie Competition, Jiang Yu had no other famous achievements. Moreover, the Rookie Competition didn't hold much weight, covering only newly joined disciples. Its value wasn't high. If one were to make an analogy, the Rookie Competition was merely the scale of a county-level gaming challenge. Its scope of influence was quite limited.
Jiang Yu casually picked up an iron pagoda from the platform and placed it on his palm. Only then did he realize that although the small pagoda wasn't large, it still had some weight, likely at least twenty catties. This weight might not be much for an adult, but don't forget that many of these contestants were still children; for them, the weight of the iron pagoda was definitely a challenge. Within an hour, they had to constantly hold this pagoda and deal with challenges from other contestants. It could be said that even a genius like Jiang Yu felt some pressure. In such a situation, those who successfully obtained a spot would undoubtedly be the crème de la crème among the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Jiang Yu couldn't help but admire Ning Fengzhi's rules; he was indeed one of the most renowned wise men on the continent.
Not long after Jiang Yu obtained the iron pagoda, someone charged towards him, clearly intending to snatch it. Jiang Yu had the utmost contempt for such people. They lacked the courage to come forward earlier but now rushed to snatch it. "I want the iron pagoda in your hand." The young man appeared robust and fierce-looking, much like Gian from Doraemon. After speaking, he released his Spirit, which was a large black elephant, with a circle of yellow Spirit Rings tightly encircling it, emitting a dazzling glow. It was obvious he was a Power-type Spirit Master. "If you know what's good for you, hand it over." "Idiot!" Jiang Yu didn't say much, just threw a punch, sending the man flying dozens of feet away. Although he didn't look particularly robust, he possessed considerable strength. Remember, Jiang Yu had consumed a lot of nourishing Spirit Beast meat and precious medicinal herbs since childhood, and the milk he drank was from Bibi Dong. The milk from a Title Douluo had a very significant, albeit invisible, effect on improving Jiang Yu's physique. Coupled with his cultivation of Primordial Violet Qi, his strength at this moment likely exceeded a thousand catties. Even if the Spirit Master from before was fully on guard, he might not have been able to withstand Jiang Yu's attack.
"Whoa, this is too fierce!" A disciple who recognized the Black Elephant Spirit Master looked at Jiang Yu in disbelief. He knew the Black Elephant Spirit Master's strength but never imagined he couldn't even withstand a single blow from Jiang Yu. Only now did he believe that Sword Douluo's words might be true and not just his elder's modesty. This Jiang Yu was like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex; anyone who witnessed his strength dared not rashly challenge him.
"I missed my chance during the Rookie Competition before. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to have a match with you." Just as everyone else was hesitating, a handsome young man in a black cloak walked out from the crowd. He arrogantly said to Jiang Yu, "Xiao Fan, Spirit: Cold Ice Cold Fire, Level sixteen Agile Attack type Battle Spirit Master. Please guide me." "Xiao Fan!" Jiang Yu had a deep impression of this person. He had a chance to spar with him during the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's Rookie Competition, but Xiao Fan had some issues then and withdrew from the competition. However, he later learned about Xiao Fan's situation from others. Xiao Fan possessed an extremely rare Mutated Spirit. Originally, his Spirit was just a common flame, but it successfully evolved into an exotic fire possessing the power of ice. However, precisely because of this, Xiao Fan's family brought immense trouble upon themselves. The Xiao family was originally one of the three major families in a remote small city of the Heaven Dou Empire. Xiao Fan's talent was seen as a threat by the other two major families, so they formed an alliance and annihilated the Xiao family. Only Xiao Fan and his adopted sister, Xiao Meir, escaped. After several twists and turns, they joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Due to their exceptional talent, Xiao Fan and Xiao Meir quickly became core disciples of the sect.