Chapter 52: Rest or Test
Xingluo sat in the waiting area and scrolled through her phone while the final match continued below.
After winning against Lin Xiaotian, watching the remaining fights felt strangely slow. Most contestants relied on abilities she had already seen before, and after surviving the Eternal Night Basin, their attacks lacked any real sense of danger.
She glanced toward Wuxia, who floated beside the railing with an equally bored expression.
"I do not understand why people find this so entertaining," Xingluo said. "Watching from here is nothing like fighting yourself."
Wuxia laughed quietly. "Everyone has different interests, some enjoy fighting, while others prefer watching people get beaten without taking any risk themselves."
Xingluo nodded and returned her attention to the arena just as one contestant was driven out of the ring.
The audience applauded, and the barrier surrounding the final platform lowered as the referee declared the winner.
Xingluo stood and stretched her arms while the last victorious contestant entered the waiting area.
A military officer followed him inside and looked across those who had advanced. "Congratulations on clearing the first combat round."
Xingluo glanced around the room, hundreds of young talents had arrived at the military base that morning, but after Death Eye’s endurance test and the first series of matches, only twenty-five remained.
Several battles had ended without a clear victor. Some contestants had knocked each other unconscious, while others had suffered injuries severe enough that neither side could continue, resulting in both participants being eliminated.
The officer waited for the room to quiet before continuing, "The next round will begin tomorrow morning. Until then, quarters have been assigned to every remaining contestant inside the military compound."
Relief appeared across several faces.
The pressure test, suppression process, and battles had taken up most of the day, leaving even the winners physically and mentally exhausted.
A group of military attendants entered behind the officer and began distributing digital watches containing room numbers, base maps, and temporary access permissions.
"The competition suppressors may now be removed," the officer added. "Report to the stations outside before proceeding to your quarters."
That announcement received an even better reaction, although the suppressors had equalised the competition, wearing one constantly made mana circulation feel slow and unnatural, as though an invisible restraint remained wrapped around the body.
Xingluo followed the other contestants out of the room and stopped beside one of the removal stations.
A military attendant scanned the mark on her wrist before placing a small device over it.
The suppressor broke apart into faint blue particles, and Xingluo immediately felt her Level 86 strength return as mana rushed freely through her body.
She opened and closed her hand several times before releasing a satisfied breath. "That feels much better."
Wuxia nodded. "Be careful. Your body adjusted to the restriction for several hours, so your strength may feel slightly unstable at first."
Xingluo followed the map toward the residential area with the others, but something felt unusual.
Qin Haoran had not approached her once since the match ended, he remained near his followers and left through another corridor without even looking in her direction.
Xingluo watched him disappear before glancing toward Wuxia. "He did not come over to annoy me."
"Your victory probably made him cautious," Wuxia replied. "Before today, he believed you were someone he could pressure whenever he pleased. Now he knows you have changed, but he does not yet understand how much."
Xingluo shrugged and continued walking. "Good. I am too tired to listen to him."
She checked the map on her watch and followed the marked route through several military buildings until she reached a quieter residential block.
Her temporary access opened one of the doors, revealing a small but comfortable room with a bed, private bathroom, desk, and storage cabinet.
Xingluo’s face brightened as she entered. "Finally, somewhere I can sleep."
Wuxia looked around before laughing. "These are captain-grade quarters. If you want to keep living this comfortably, you should win the competition."
Xingluo dropped onto the bed without removing her shoes. "You can lecture me tomorrow. Right now, I only want to lie here."
She took out her phone and found several messages from her mother asking about the competition.
Xingluo quickly replied that everything was going well and that she would be staying inside the military base overnight.
Her mother reminded her to eat properly and avoid unnecessary injuries before finally wishing her good night.
Xingluo smiled faintly and opened the group conversation with Su Lan and Ruan Mei.
Both had sent several messages asking about the competition, while Su Lan had already demanded that Xingluo bring back something expensive after winning.
Xingluo spoke with them for several minutes, telling them about the pressure test and her first match while leaving out anything connected to Qin Haoran.
However, when Su Lan casually asked whether Yun Xia had contacted her, Xingluo’s fingers stopped above the screen.
The earlier ease disappeared from her expression.
She replied that she had heard nothing before quickly wishing them good night and closing the conversation.
Wuxia noticed the change but did not mention Yun Xia directly. "Do not think about it tonight, you still have another round tomorrow."
Xingluo stared at the dark screen for several seconds before setting the phone aside. "I know."
She switched off the room lights and pulled the blanket over herself. The exhaustion accumulated throughout the day quickly settled into her body, and her breathing became steady within minutes.
Wuxia floated near the ceiling and attempted to close his eyes and after several minutes, he opened them again.
He changed position, tried clearing his thoughts, then gave up after failing to sleep for what felt like the hundredth time since becoming a soul.
While Xingluo slept, the military compound remained active, outside the residential block, twenty-five figures dressed in black combat uniforms stood in a silent formation.
Every one of them was an elite second-transition soldier, and unlike the young military candidates from the competition, their calmness came from years of actual field missions.
Dark masks covered the lower halves of their faces, while their weapons and armor carried no visible military insignias.
Death Eye stood before them with his hands behind his back, a faint smile appearing as he looked toward the quarters where the remaining contestants slept.
The bald vice commander stood beside him and rubbed his forehead. "Is this truly necessary? They already completed an endurance test and fought today."
Before Death Eye could answer, another voice came from behind them. "If they want to become real soldiers instead of flowers raised inside protected gardens, then this is only a basic lesson."
The vice commander turned and saw Professor Liang approaching with both hands inside his coat.
"Easy for you to say," the old man replied. "You left the military years ago."
Professor Liang’s expression changed slightly, but the vice commander stopped before finishing the thought.
He looked toward the residential block instead. "Several contestants are heirs of the city’s major families, causing unnecessary injuries will create problems for us."
Professor Liang scoffed. "So what if they are heirs? The beasts outside the walls will not soften their claws after recognising a family insignia."
He stopped beside Death Eye and looked at the soldiers waiting before them. "You understand the situation outside the city better than I do. If those heirs cannot handle one controlled attack, then giving them military positions would be far more dangerous."
The vice commander’s expression tightened, but Death Eye sighed before their argument could continue.
"Enough, both of you."
He looked toward the twenty-five soldiers. "This was my decision, every attacker here is an elite second-transition soldier with complete control over their strength. Nobody will die."
The vice commander still appeared dissatisfied. "And if one of the contestants panics?"
"Then we learn how they react when danger reaches them while they are unprepared," Death Eye replied. "A tournament only shows how someone fights after being given rules, an opponent, and time to prepare."
His grey eyes opened slightly as he looked toward the dark residential building. "Tonight, we see what remains when all of that is taken away."
Professor Liang chuckled, while the vice commander released another tired sigh and finally stopped objecting.
Death Eye turned toward the soldiers. "There are twenty-five contestants and twenty-five of you. Each person has already received a target."
The soldiers remained completely still as the assignments appeared across their wrist displays. "You are permitted to use the strength of an ordinary new second-transition fighter. Test their awareness, judgment, and reaction under an unexpected attack."
His expression became colder. "Anyone who realises this is an assessment must continue treating it as a real threat. Anyone who exposes the operation before the signal will answer to me."
The soldiers saluted together.
Death Eye gave them one final look before smiling. "Go show those chicks how dangerous the night can be."
The black-clad soldiers pulled their masks fully over their faces and a moment later, all twenty-five disappeared into the darkness surrounding the residential complex.