Tianlan slowly stood up, limping toward the exit.
Coming from the opposite direction were several uniformed figures who looked like staff members.
They turned out to be healers—apparently, they had been waiting outside the arena all along, ready to treat the injured the moment the match ended.
No doubt those who had already been eliminated were now under their care.
One of the healers took out a vial of healing potion and sprinkled it over Tianlan's injured leg.
As the liquid touched his skin, another healer immediately cast a healing spell.
Tianlan cried out in pain, "Ow ow ow ow—!!"
But in just a few seconds, the wounds on his leg began to close up before his very eyes.
He blinked in astonishment. "Whoa… it actually healed just like that? Magic is amazing!"
The healers continued tending to the rest of his injuries.
Then, a deep, powerful voice echoed across the arena.
It was the Patriarch of the Mage Family, Cang Song, announcing:
"Congratulations to all who successfully advanced today!
Tonight, take a good rest—plenty of food has been prepared, so please, enjoy yourselves.
The next round—the Jungle Elimination—will take place in seven days. Prepare yourselves well!"
Before long, Tianlan's wounds were completely healed.
He thanked the healers and left the arena.
After enjoying a rich meal and a long bath, Tianlan still felt gloomy.
So he decided to take a walk outside.
After all, it had already been seven days since he arrived in Yaohui City, yet he hadn't really explored it properly.
For the past week, he'd been holed up in the training grounds, focused solely on one thing—survival.
He might have survived the first round, but he knew deep down that it was purely luck.
He muttered under his breath,
"Man, that gorilla was way too strong… I really thought I could make it to the third phase.
And there are ninety-eight more monsters like that? What am I supposed to do next time?
I was planning to just hide until the match ended, but I almost got taken out anyway...
Ugh, pathetic. I trained for a whole week, and I couldn't even land a punch on him."
He sighed and gave a wry smile.
"At this rate, surviving the next round's gonna be even harder… I should start thinking about what to do after I get eliminated."
He wandered aimlessly through the bustling city, mulling over his bleak prospects.
He didn't have a single coin on him—once he was out, he'd lose both food and shelter.
He grumbled to himself,
"Can't win a fight, can't even hide properly… forget it. Maybe I should just find a job or something.
If I get kicked out, at least I won't starve to death."
He spent the rest of the night wandering around, taking note of a few shops that seemed to be hiring.
After returning to his lodging, he ate dinner and went straight to bed.
That night, Tianlan woke up from a nightmare.
In his dream, the gorilla was attacking him again—relentless, ferocious.
Then, in an instant, the gorilla's form twisted and morphed into a massive brown bear.
Its claws slashed down again and again, leaving him battered and broken.
Finally, the bear opened its jaws wide and lunged for his stomach—
"!!"
Tianlan jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding like a drum.
He tried to close his eyes and fall back asleep, but every time he did, that image—the bear's jaws—flashed before him again.
Unable to stand it, he got up and stepped outside to clear his head.
Before he realized it, his feet had carried him back to the training grounds.
He stood there quietly, staring at the empty field.
"Yesterday this place was full of people… tomorrow, how many will still be here?"
He let out a small sigh and gave a helpless smile.
"Well, I'm here anyway… might as well move a little."
So, just like the past few days, he began to throw punches and kicks.
But before long, he stopped.
Something had clicked in his mind.
He closed his eyes, recalling the gorilla's attacks.
He began to move—
Sometimes sidestepping, sometimes ducking low, sometimes springing to the side.
His body weaved and shifted as if fighting an invisible foe.
To an outsider, it looked like he was dodging unseen blows.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and muttered,
"No… this isn't enough. This is just like yesterday all over again."
He shut his eyes once more—this time not to dodge, but to fight back.
Straight punch!
Low sweep!
Uppercut!
Each strike was sharp and fast, but the imagined "gorilla" parried them all effortlessly.
He thought about giving up—but every time he did, that image of the bear tearing into him came back stronger.
So he gritted his teeth and kept going.
Gradually, he began to recall all the techniques he'd ever seen and started imitating them, one by one.
Failing, adjusting, trying again—over and over.
Each time he "lost" to his imaginary foe, he'd change tactics, searching for a new move that might work.
Unbeknownst to him, two pairs of eyes were watching from the shadows.
It was Cang Song, the Magus Clan Head, and Zhen Yue, the Fist Clan Head.
They had just left a social gathering and happened to pass by the training ground.
Spotting Tianlan still training, curiosity led them to stop and watch.
Zhen Yue chuckled softly. "Oh? So he's doing imaginary training? Not bad… he couldn't even attack back then, but now he can at least strike."
Cang Song tilted his head. "Imaginary combat?"
Zhen Yue nodded. "Yeah. He's fighting the opponent in his mind—that gorilla. His movements are rough, but he's got spirit."
The two stood there silently, watching Tianlan's practice.
Zhen Yue could almost see the illusion of the gorilla right before Tianlan.
After a while, he murmured, "That move won't work, you know—"
As if responding to him, Tianlan suddenly staggered back a few steps, as though he'd actually been struck.
Cang Song smiled faintly. "He seems… different now."
Zhen Yue nodded. "Yeah. Something's changed.
But even so, at his current level, surviving the next round will be tough."
Cang Song replied calmly, "Not necessarily. If he plans to stay hidden and avoids the direct heirs and that 'gorilla,' he might just have a chance."
Zhen Yue laughed. "Then it's all up to luck, hahahaha."
The two clan heads turned and left, their laughter fading into the night.
Tianlan, however, remained in the field, immersed in his practice.
He began linking different moves together—his form gradually smoother, his rhythm more fluid.
For the next seven days, he hardly stopped.
Aside from eating, drinking, and sleeping, every waking moment was spent in imaginary battles and technique refinement—
until his body finally gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, falling asleep where he stood.