Chapter 175 – Time flies! Three days pass in an instant!

“They’re leaving.” Over a dozen Prodigies from the Xu family watched in silence.

In the distant sky, over eighty thousand examinees from Ghost Mountain City took to the air, resembling a dark cloud. Led by more than ten High-Tier Super-Limit individuals, their momentum was truly astonishing!

“Let’s go!” Lei Meng, hovering in the air, brimming with confidence, let out a hearty laugh.

He was about to lead everyone to rendezvous with Wind Thunder City. Once the two cities merged, their numbers would reach a terrifying two hundred thousand!

Among them, the combined High-Tier Super-Limit individuals from both cities would exceed thirty, with a 4th Revolution Giant Tier powerhouse overseeing them!

The second round could be easily passed!

Amid the dense, swarm-like crowd, Jiang Hao sighed. Although he didn’t want to endure Wind Thunder City’s arrogance, this wasn’t something he could decide. If Ghost Mountain City was leaving… he could only follow the tide.

Beside him, Han Liang wore a grave expression.

“There’s no other way. From now on, we’ll just have to swallow our pride!” Jiang Hao said, adjusting his mindset. His eyes regained their firmness as he comforted himself, thinking it was all for the sake of passing the second round.

Elsewhere.

Shangguan Ying met Shangguan Jianyun. “Big Brother!”

“Xiao Ying, was the first round smooth?” Shangguan Jianyun looked at his younger sister with a gentle expression.

Shangguan Ying nodded. “It went fairly well, though I ended up with that guy Xu Xingchen.” As she spoke, she pursed her lips.

Hearing this, Shangguan Jianyun was taken aback. “You were with Xu Xingchen during the first round?”

Shangguan Ying nodded.

Then, as if recalling something, Shangguan Jianyun asked, “Was there someone named Ye Sheng with Xu Xingchen?”

“How did you know?” This time, it was Shangguan Ying’s turn to be puzzled. Ye Sheng was just an ordinary classmate of hers—why would he catch her brother’s attention?

But since Shangguan Jianyun had asked, she briefly explained that Ye Sheng was her classmate and recounted the events of the first round.

After listening, Shangguan Jianyun frowned slightly. After a moment, he advised, “This Ye Sheng… it’s best if you have less contact with him from now on!”

“Why?!” Shangguan Ying was stunned, completely unable to figure out what Shangguan Jianyun was getting at.

“Let’s go. Don’t ask too much!” Shangguan Jianyun didn’t want to discuss Ye Sheng further. Nowadays… the name Ye Sheng had become a Taboo topic among the High-Tier Super-Limit individuals. No one was willing to bring it up.

As they spoke, the over eighty thousand examinees from Ghost Mountain City flew toward the distant horizon.

…

More than ten minutes later, with the departure of Ghost Mountain City’s tens of thousands of examinees, the gathering place became empty, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

In a distant building,

“Only we’re left now!” The dozen or so Prodigies from the Xu family actually felt a trace of desolate abandonment. Standing there alone, they watched the departing figures of Ghost Mountain City’s tens of thousands of examinees.

Xu Xingchen looked indifferent, pulling out an ice pop to suck on. Feeling the sweet taste in his mouth, his mood immediately improved considerably.

With the surroundings now quiet, Ye Sheng also enjoyed a rare moment of peace. Ignoring the others, he closed his eyes alone, diverting a strand of consciousness into the Nightmare Ghost Realm to continue increasing his Skill Level.

Peak Tier was already within sight!

Perhaps with one more level-up of ‘Heavenly Manifestation,’ he could step into the Peak Tier ranks.

He intended to use these ten days of the second round to Breakthrough as much as possible.

…

Time passed, and three days went by in a flash.

During these three days, too many major events had occurred.

As the second round of free-for-all officially began, it didn’t take long for fierce clashes to erupt between the major cities!

Even the weaker cities had over eighty to ninety thousand examinees. Once two cities engaged in battle, it became a chaotic melee involving nearly two hundred thousand people!

A chaotic battle involving over two hundred thousand people—the intensity of such a scene was unimaginable.

Among them, High-Tier Super-Limit practitioners clashed with earth-shaking force.

There were even 4th Revolution Giant Tier experts who took to the skies, mercilessly suppressing others. Often, with a single move, large swathes of figures would vanish.

High-Tier Super-Limit practitioners tried to intervene, but the gap was too vast. Before they could even get close, they would be blasted apart.

Only those of the same realm—4th Revolution Giant Tier—could block them. The 4th Revolution Giant Tier experts from the two cities would then engage in extremely brutal combat!

Under such large-scale battles, the entire Blood Fiend City was on the verge of being torn apart.

These scenes were incredibly oppressive for the tens of millions of examinees, but for the audience watching the live broadcast from their televisions, it was nothing short of thrilling!

In just three days, the viewership ratings for any television station broadcasting the Federation Grand Examination skyrocketed, breaking records set in recent years.

On the streets of major cities, it truly felt like the entire population had vanished. If someone walked outside, they might not see a single car or person.

Everyone had flocked back to their homes, or crowded into teahouses and bars, which were now booming!

In these teahouses and bars, people stayed up all night every day, their eyes bloodshot as they watched, afraid of missing even a single frame.

They knew that if they missed this, they would have to wait another three years to witness such scenes again.

…

Under the night sky.

In a teahouse in Ghost Mountain City. Even at two or three in the morning, the teahouse was still packed.

Due to the overcrowding, the air inside the small teahouse was particularly stuffy and hot. Despite the owner cranking the air conditioner to its maximum, its loud hum did little to help.

On every table, piles of melon seed and peanut shells towered high, and pots of tea were refilled again and again.

Many middle-aged men abandoned their usual decorum, rolling up their sleeves and standing on tables, shouting.

“Pingliang City has failed… all one hundred and ten thousand examinees have been eliminated!”

The middle-aged man collapsed as if mourning the loss of his parents. He had bet on Pingliang City’s victory in the black market, but the result was a loss.

Beside him, many others wailed in despair, complaining, “It’s all because Pingliang City’s 4th Revolution Giant Tier expert was nothing but a silver spearhead—utterly useless! He couldn’t even defeat the opposing city’s 4th Revolution Giant Tier. Once he lost, Pingliang City’s one hundred and ten thousand examinees collapsed like an avalanche!”

The teahouse was filled with noise and chaos!

Someone whispered, “Um… should we check on Ghost Mountain City’s situation?”

At that moment, an eerie scene unfolded in the teahouse: none of the television screens were broadcasting live footage of Ghost Mountain City. Instead, they had all switched to other cities’ battles.

“No! Watch it yourself if you want to!” the middle-aged man turned and glared at him angrily!

“Yeah, what’s there to watch? They’ve all gone to be someone else’s lackeys. I won’t watch it—it’s too frustrating,” another person slammed the table hard, his palm swelling from the force.

“Indeed, Ghost Mountain City has been utterly humiliated in this Federation Grand Examination!” a middle-aged man, who had brought his own alcohol, was completely drunk, slumped over the table. Even the teahouse owner couldn’t persuade him to stop.

The teahouse owner sighed and said, “Sigh~! Yes, it’s unbearable to watch! Who wants to see their own Juniors become someone else’s lackeys, ordered around like servants?”

That day, he had personally watched as his own son was forced by Fenglei City to go forward as cannon fodder. If he refused, he was shouted at; if he went, what followed was a burst of laughter from behind.

The teahouse owner couldn’t go on, tears welling in his eyes. The thought of the young Juniors from his hometown being treated this way made his heart bleed. Choking back sobs, he said, “If he wants to drink, let him drink!”

“Indeed!”

Everyone fell silent.