Chapter 96 - 95: The Third Round Begins
"What is this?"
Tang Piaomiao asked quizzically, looking at the ’Little Beans’ Tang Yi had produced.
"Here, ten for each of you. You’ll understand once you eat them," Tang Yi said mysteriously, then distributed the ’Little Beans’ in his hand to the three of them.
Each of the three took ten ’Little Beans’. After a moment’s hesitation, they swallowed them all in one go under Tang Yi’s watchful gaze.
"This is..."
After swallowing the Little Beans, Tang Piaomiao, Tang Baijie, and Tang Shu all stared at Tang Yi, their eyes wide with astonishment.
"Well? Are they working?" Tang Yi asked, a little nervously.
Aside from himself, Tang Yi had never given these things to anyone else, so he wasn’t sure if they would be effective for others.
Hearing Tang Yi’s question, Tang Baijie was the first to exclaim in delight, "Of course they are! They’re incredibly effective!"
"I feel like my Power is greater! And my Speed has increased!" Tang Piaomiao added in amazement.
"Mhm, Brother Tang Yi, I was feeling so weak just a moment ago. Now that I’ve eaten these Little Beans, I feel like a lot of my strength has returned!" Tang Shu said thoughtfully and obediently.
After they ate the ’Little Beans’, their Levels didn’t increase at all, but...
It seemed their Power and Speed had both improved!
Moreover, their minds felt clearer, and their thoughts were sharper than before!
Their entire beings had noticeably improved!
Amidst his surprise, Tang Piaomiao threw a test punch into the air!
WHOOSH!
The ordinary punch cut through the air with a powerful crack.
Anyone who had seen Tang Piaomiao fight before would know that this punch was clearly a notch stronger than his previous ones, and its speed was also faster!
Although those ten ’Little Beans’ hadn’t raised their Levels in the slightest, their actual strength had increased by more than just a little!
The three of them all felt the change and were collectively astonished. What kind of medicine had Tang Yi given them?
Could it be...
’This is the legendary Divine Pill?’
"Raising your Level isn’t something you can do in a short amount of time, so I found some Pills that enhance physical conditioning to boost your strength for the upcoming third round of the examination." Seeing that the Full-Attribute Pills were working, Tang Yi dropped the mysterious act and explained to the three of them.
That’s right. What Tang Piaomiao and the others had eaten were the Full-Attribute Pills that Tang Yi had accumulated!
Back when Tang Yi was hunting Demon Beasts in the Wind Moon Forest, he had obtained a considerable number of Attribute Pills.
He had consumed some to increase his own strength, but a portion—around two or three hundred—remained in his system inventory.
Now that he saw the Attribute Pills were effective on Tang Piaomiao and the others, Tang Yi immediately took out all the remaining ones and distributed them among the three according to their strength.
Tang Piaomiao received sixty, Tang Baijie received eighty, and Tang Shu received one hundred.
He had only given them ten each at first because he wasn’t sure if the Attribute Pills would work on others. If they were ineffective, giving out too many would have been a waste.
Giving ten also made the boost more noticeable.
Now that he saw they worked, of course he had to contribute these pills to help Tang Piaomiao and the others increase their strength!
"Pills that enhance physical conditioning!" the three exclaimed in surprise.
These Pills had a similar effect to the Cyan Cloud Pills the Shangguan Family had delivered before; both could increase one’s strength.
But compared to the Cyan Cloud Pills, the Full-Attribute Pills were countless times more valuable!
After all, a Level gained through medicine was much weaker than one earned through personal effort. Furthermore, the Cyan Cloud Pill’s effectiveness was limited, growing weaker the higher one’s Level became.
The Full-Attribute Pills, however, had no such drawback. They enhanced one’s physical conditioning directly. Once a person’s physical state improved, they would undoubtedly be stronger than an opponent of the same Level. Stamina, Explosive Power, and Speed—every aspect would give them an edge, resulting in far more outstanding Combat Power!
Such was the powerful effectiveness of the Full-Attribute Pills.
It was because Tang Yi himself had consumed many Attribute Pills that his Speed and Power had seen such a remarkable improvement, granting a huge bonus to the Martial Techniques and Body Techniques he used.
While the three of them were still in awe, Tang Yi said sternly, "As for where these Pills came from, don’t ask for now. You must also keep this a secret for me and not tell anyone else."
Upon hearing this, Tang Shu immediately and sweetly agreed, "Mhm. I’ll keep it a secret for Brother Tang Yi."
"Don’t worry. I’m not a gossip," Tang Piaomiao said, affecting a mature tone.
"Brother Yi, I won’t say anything either," Tang Baijie promised.
With their assurances, Tang Yi could rest easy. After all, his strength had not yet reached an invincible stage. He wasn’t fully confident he could handle opponents who surpassed the King Level. So, for now, it was best to keep a low profile and avoid revealing his secrets to anyone.
It had taken a great deal of determination for Tang Yi to take out the Attribute Pills. He genuinely wanted to help the members of the Tang Family improve their strength.
"Alright, go ahead and eat these Pills. Then, quickly get used to the changes," Tang Yi instructed.
Hearing his words, the three of them quickly consumed the Attribute Pills they had received, then joyfully began to adapt to their newly strengthened bodies...
...
「The next day.」
The third round of the qualification examination proceeded as scheduled.
Even more spectators showed up today. Unrivaled Square was packed to the brim with a sea of people, even more bustling than the previous two days. Everyone wanted to see who the top talents of Fengyue City’s younger generation were.
There were forty-eight examinees who had advanced from the second round, plus five who were exempt from the preliminaries, making a total of fifty-three people.
And it was these fifty-three individuals who were now the focus of tens of thousands of eyes.
This round was truly a clash of titans.
Seeing even more spectators than on the previous days, Tang Yi couldn’t help but feel that the Saint Martial Continent was indeed a world where the strong were revered. Those with strength would always command the most attention.
Take Tang Shu, for example. Because of her perseverance, she had passed the second round yesterday. When she took the stage today, she was met with thunderous applause and cheers. Everyone who looked at her did so with a gaze full of reverence.
The third round of the qualification examination was a test of actual combat.
The fifty-three participants would compete in a round-robin format, meaning each would fight fifty-two matches. Afterward, they would be ranked by their number of victories.
The more victories, the higher the rank.
Then, based on the rankings, the Chief Examiner would grant qualification spots to the top twenty examinees. These twenty would then proceed to the West Mansion Headquarter to take the final House Entrance Examination.
This round of competition was expected to last three to four days.
In truth, Tang Yi had already made an arrangement with Wang Zongyao to have him look out for the Tang Family disciples.
As long as they made it to the third round, Wang Zongyao would grant them qualification spots even if their rankings were poor.
However, Tang Yi didn’t want these disciples to let their guard down or treat the examination lightly just because they had secured a spot, so he hadn’t told them about the arrangement.
Without being tempered by trials, they would just be flowers in a greenhouse, unable to achieve much in the future.
It was just like those three Tang Family disciples who were eliminated in the first and second rounds. Their cultivation was decent, yet they were still knocked out, failing to measure up to Tang Shu, who was weaker than them. It was truly disappointing.
Tang Yi didn’t bother with them anymore.
An opportunity only comes once. If you miss it, it’s gone for good.