They broke into the top twenty-five.
As the other matches concluded, the fifth round of draws began.
Zhou Yan opened his number and was very surprised to find he had a bye this round.
Zhou Yan smiled with satisfaction. If he could avoid fighting, he would. "I really hate fighting and killing," he thought.
"Hmm, this must be related to my luck stat," he mused, realizing his luck attribute wasn't just for show.
Ye Bufan came over to inquire, "What number did you get?"
"Look," Zhou Yan showed him the number.
"You're really lucky, you scoundrel," Ye Bufan said, speechless.
Ye Bufan wasn't worried about the others; he just didn't want to face Zhou Yan too early.
The battles commenced!
After a series of brilliant matches, Ye Bufan, the "mother tyrannosaur" Gu Nianyun, and Zhuge Kaiming all advanced.
Along with several others, the twelve winners, plus Zhou Yan, drew lots again.
This time, another person received a bye.
When it was his turn to draw, Zhou Yan touched his nose helplessly. He had a bye again.
This astonished everyone, and they began to discuss it.
"Holy cow, Zhou Yan has a bye twice? His luck is insane!"
"Who knows? Anyway, no one can figure out his strength. No one has been able to force him to use his full power yet."
"He's not only protected by many senior students but is also buddies with Ye Bufan. This guy is good at making friends."
"He seems like a decent person too. Just don't provoke him."
Many envied Zhou Yan's luck, but luck was also a part of strength. They could only envy him.
Even Ye Bufan was intensely envious. He wished for a bye, but Lady Luck did not favor him.
"Your luck is truly incredible," Ye Bufan said.
"Lady Luck is my wife, are you jealous?" Zhou Yan replied.
The twelve people were to compete for the top six spots. Zhou Yan was automatically assigned to the seventh spot.
The battles became even more exciting. After the previous rounds, many had a clearer understanding of each participant's strength and characteristics, and began to strategize their attacks accordingly.
This led to longer battles between the contestants but also made the fights more thrilling.
Some students couldn't help but cheer when witnessing particularly exciting moments.
Zhou Yan also found that their battles were very beneficial to him, as many of the techniques used were unexpected.
Everyone who managed to get into the four great academies possessed extraordinary intelligence.
The competition for the top six was indeed fierce.
Ye Bufan easily defeated his opponent.
Zhuge Kaiming followed closely behind. His peculiar methods continued to trouble many, with no effective solutions found yet.
His strange formations, the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, were unpredictable and left many helpless.
Gu Nianyun also successfully defeated her opponent. Her saber danced with the ferocity of a tiger, unstoppable.
The other three individuals also had their unique strengths and were not to be underestimated.
No one who reached the top six was ordinary.
The duels for the top seven did not commence immediately.
The six previously defeated participants would draw lots again to determine the eighth, ninth, and tenth places.
Furthermore, the eighth-place finisher would draw lots again to compete against the top seven, potentially advancing to the top four.
After a series of battles, the three remaining spots were filled.
The tenth-place was Wen Zhigang, ninth was Ge Ying, and eighth was Zhong Jingping.
Zhong Jingping, in eighth place, would draw lots again with Zhou Yan and the others.
This round, there were no byes.
Zhou Yan drew number one and would be the first to fight.
Whether it was luck or not, his opponent this time was Zhong Jingping.
The battlefield was a large room filled with various televisions and home appliances. The arena was relatively small, limiting their movement.
Zhong Jingping used twin sabers. Zhou Yan knew he was fast but lacked strength, stamina, and endurance for prolonged fights.
Zhong Jingping was highly wary of Zhou Yan and did not attack first, clearly not underestimating him.
Zhou Yan stood his ground, holding his bronze spear. Seeing that his opponent wouldn't attack, he took the initiative.
His spear thrust out like a dragon emerging from the sea. The immense power caused the entire spear to emit a metallic resonance. Everyone felt the terrifying force emanating from Zhou Yan's spear, amazed by the strength stat required to unleash such power.
Zhong Jingping, known for his agility, dared not confront Zhou Yan's attack directly. After skillfully dodging, Zhou Yan's spear struck a television.
"Crackling!"
The television sparked and split in two. Zhou Yan then kicked a nearby sofa towards his opponent.
Zhong Jingping swung his sabers, reducing the sofa to dust.
But Zhou Yan moved like a phantom, throwing his spear with lightning speed. Zhong Jingping never expected this. The spear pierced his chest and then dissolved into light, disappearing from the room.
Everyone was surprised by how quickly the battle ended. Zhong Jingping, a top-ten contender, didn't last a minute against Zhou Yan.
The others' apprehension towards Zhou Yan deepened considerably.
After being teleported back, Zhong Jingping approached Zhou Yan and extended his hand. "I will strive to become stronger and hope to defeat you next time," he said.
"Very well, I await your challenge," Zhou Yan replied politely.
To face defeat with courage was the mark of a true strong individual.
Everyone applauded, showing their respect.
In the subsequent battles, Ye Bufan also defeated his opponent within a few moves, making it clear that he had not used his full strength in his previous fights.
Gu Nianyun unleashed her "Tyrannosaur Saber Technique" again, defeating her opponent and advancing to the top four.
Zhuge Kaiming also used his usual methods, trapping his opponent in his formations before defeating them.
Among the many teachers observing from afar, Zhang Hongguang said to Teacher Yang Junming, "Old Yang, you had the opportunity to choose Zhuge Kaiming earlier but chose Zhou Yan instead. Yet, in my opinion, Zhou Yan is no match for Zhuge Kaiming."
Yang Junming replied casually, "But I never expected him to reach the top ten in the first place. And yet, hasn't he already made it to the top four?"
"Is that so? While this student does have some exceptional qualities, compared to Ye Bufan, Zhuge Kaiming, and Gu Nianyun, he still seems a bit lacking. I estimate he'll stop at the top four."
Zhang Hongguang was not very optimistic about Zhou Yan and had intended to take Zhou Yan as his student from the beginning.
"Who can predict the future? His current achievements have already surprised me," Yang Junming replied.
The final four had been determined.
The probability of Zhou Yan facing Ye Bufan was quite high.
However, after they drew lots.
Ye Bufan was matched against Gu Nianyun.
Zhou Yan was matched against Zhuge Kaiming.
Seeing the results, Zhang Hongguang was delighted. "Hahaha, I was worried Zhuge Kaiming might face Ye Bufan. Now, there's no need to worry at all. This match is a sure win."