The time rewinds to the beginning of the tournament—
a certain boy had already drawn the clan heads' attention.
While most contestants charged toward the main heirs, Tianlan instead slipped away in the opposite direction, as if erasing his very presence.
Though he successfully avoided the notice of the other participants, there was no way such a trick could fool the clan heads.
The Magus Clan Head Cang Song spoke first:
"This boy's stealth is impressive. But… it's not quite the same as yours, is it, Shadow?"
From a corner, a dark silhouette replied in a low voice:
"Indeed. His concealment still has many flaws, but for his age, it's remarkable.
But who is he? A member of another assassin family, perhaps?"
The Sword Saint Clan Head Yao Feng stroked his chin:
"Or perhaps it's a skill he learned from years of surviving in the wild. I've met people like that on my travels."
The Fist King Clan Head Zhen Yue laughed:
"Hah! Does he plan to sneak through the whole round unseen?"
The Beast King Clan Head Kuang Chen added:
"Even if he gets through this round like that, it won't matter. Without real strength, he'll be eliminated later anyway."
The Crimson Lotus Clan Head Hong Jin, taking a puff from her pipe, smiled:
"Maybe he never planned to win at all. Perhaps he just came for the free meals—after all, the tournament covers food and lodging~"
Just as Tianlan thought his plan was going smoothly, something unexpected happened.
A gorilla-like giant suddenly lunged toward him!
The man leapt high, both fists raised, and came crashing down with a roar.
Boom! The ground quaked violently—had Tianlan reacted a moment later, he would have been crushed.
Tianlan shouted,
"Gorilla?!!"
The man bellowed back furiously:
"I'm no damn gorilla! I'm the great warrior—Kong!!!"
The clan heads' viewing stand erupted in murmurs.
Cang Song frowned:
"…Can gorillas participate?"
The Spear God Clan Head Ting Qiang chuckled wryly:
"He just looks like one… right?"
Hong Jin gave a soft hum:
"Not surprising, is it? We've got beast-like folks among us too."
The Beast King Clan Head glared at her coldly.
Zhen Yue asked:
"Didn't expect anyone other than the heirs to notice that boy. Who is this gorilla supposed to be?"
The Bow God Clan Head summarized:
"Seems the kid's clever little plan just fell apart."
The Sword Saint murmured:
"Now then, what will you do next, boy? Don't tell me you plan to…"
In truth, Grila's discovery of Tianlan was no coincidence.
The day before the match, Tianlan had seen him in the cafeteria.
Tianlan, muttering to himself, had said in surprise:
"Gorillas can participate too???"
Unfortunately, Grila overheard it—
and from that moment, bore a grudge in silence.
He swore that if they ever met in battle, he'd make that brat pay for the insult.
On the field, Grila roared as his fists flew.
"Kong—PUNCH!!"
A barrage of heavy blows exploded forward, wind pressure surging.
Tianlan dodged frantically, shouting as he tried to bargain:
"M-Mr. Gorilla! You're magnanimous, right? Pretend you didn't see me—
I'll offer you a bunch of delicious bananas later!"
Veins bulged on Grila's face; his attacks grew even fiercer.
Tianlan kept retreating and pleading:
"Three bunches! Three! One basket! A whole basket!"
But Grila ignored him entirely, pounding the ground in fury.
Tianlan cried out between dodges:
"Stop! Stop! Please! What's wrong with you? Aren't gorillas supposed to love bananas?! Why don't you want any?!"
Gradually, his movements slowed, his body faltering under exhaustion.
Grila leapt high, spinning midair, and roared:
"Kong—KICK!!"
The kick slammed into him.
Even with his arms crossed in defense, Tianlan was blasted backward two meters and crashed hard into the ground.
"Ughh… that hurt… Damn it… no choice then…"
Grila lifted one hand, gesturing mockingly for him to get up.
But Tianlan suddenly turned tail and ran at full speed, leaving the bewildered "gorilla" frozen for a few seconds—
then Grila's roar thundered across the arena:
"You coward! Get back here and fight me like a man!!"
Cang Song burst out laughing:
"Haha! Looks like the kid hasn't given up on his plan after all."
Kuang Chen snorted:
"Let's see how long he can keep running."
Ting Qiang analyzed:
"So far, that gorilla's slower than the boy… perhaps he still has a chance?"
The chase continued.
Grila slammed his fists into the ground, scattering shards of stone, then hurled the debris furiously as he ran.
Tianlan barely deflected most of them, but the earlier kick had left him injured.
Pain shot through his leg—he stumbled and fell.
"Ahh! Not good!"
Looking up, he saw Grila closing in.
"This ends now!"
Boom! A flurry of punches crashed down.
Tianlan tried desperately to dodge, but his injured leg slowed him; all he could do was defend and endure.
He was like a lamb before the slaughter—utterly helpless.
The Beast King Clan Head shook his head:
"Told you—caught at last. It's over."
The Sword Saint frowned:
"Strange… why isn't he fighting back? He's fast, and clearly not weak."
Zhen Yue muttered:
"Maybe he's never fought another person before. Maybe… he's never even been in a real fight."
By now, Tianlan was battered and staggering.
Grila raised his fist for the final blow—
Then, just as it was about to fall, the Magus Clan Head's voice thundered across the field:
"One hundred confirmed! One-Tenth round, complete—cease all combat! Congratulations to those who've passed the first stage!"
At that very moment, Xuan Ye had just defeated the 101st contestant,
and the Magus Clan Head promptly ended the round.
The timing was almost as if done just to save Tianlan.
Grila froze, growling in frustration before reluctantly lowering his fist and walking away.
The Beast King Clan Head grumbled:
"That brat's so damn lucky! Couldn't you have waited one more second to announce it?"
Cang Song spread his hands innocently:
"If I'd waited any longer, we'd have only ninety-nine left—that'd be a rule violation. And we can't have people questioning our professionalism, can we?"
Lying on the ground, bruised and aching, Tianlan let out a weak laugh:
"Ha… lucky me… A second later and I'd be done for."