Chapter 503 - 410: Elimination Round, Wu Yun Takes the Stage

Wu Yun looked at the incredibly excited Bai Yue beside him and shouted, "So? It’s even better than you imagined, isn’t it!"

Before coming to the Capital City, Wu Yun had asked Bai Yue to join him for the Titan Game finals. At the time, Bai Yue had been reluctant, wondering what was so interesting about a bunch of musclemen. Plus, she had already made plans to visit Lei Lei.

However, seeing as it was Wu Yun’s business, Bai Yue decided to come along with him anyway, postponing her plans with Lei Lei for the time being.

"It really is! Much more interesting than I imagined! And seeing a competitor from our own country win... the feeling is just indescribable. It’s like something’s building up in my chest, and I just want to scream!" Bai Yue’s face was flushed under the lights.

"Ah Yun, what made you think of organizing a competition show like this?" Bai Yue asked curiously.

"Don’t you think today’s beauty standards are a little warped? All the women now seem to like those pretty-boy types, or stars with a more androgynous look!"

Wu Yun frowned. "Take the ’Poop-Scooping Boys’ look, for instance. Sure, it’s popular with young girls and boys, but I believe a man—even a boy—should have some masculinity!"

Bai Yue burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. "Hahaha! ’Poop-Scooping Boys’! You actually called them that! If the crazy fangirls of TFBOYS found out you said that, they’d probably swarm your Weibo and take it down!"

Wu Yun shrugged. "I don’t care. I’m not a celebrity who has to worry about his reputation. While a person’s looks don’t determine their character, their outward appearance is one expression of it."

"I can only start by influencing people from the outside in. If, in the process, I can slowly correct some of the country’s warped beauty standards, that would be for the best."

Just then, the arena lights flared, and the referee began to announce the contestants for Group B’s entry.

There were no contestants from Huaxia in Group B, so Wu Yun just watched casually while chatting with Bai Yue.

Soon, a contestant from the Little Days distinguished himself from the rest, but his overall time was nowhere near as dominant as Zhang Ye’s, who had been in a league of his own.

During the intermission, the song being played live suddenly switched to "Until the End of the World," the very one Wu Yun had sung at the freshman welcome party.

The theme song from *Slam Dunk* is a very high-energy track, and since the anime was a massive hit in Huaxia, many sports fans in the audience couldn’t help but sing along.

The next four rounds were completed in succession. Unfortunately, Huang Zhong, competing in Group C, made several mistakes due to nerves and failed to advance.

Li Wei in the final group, Group F, however, managed a nail-biting third-place finish, successfully qualifying for the next round.

The elimination rounds were over, and only a little more than an hour had passed since the athletes had first made their entrance.

The crowd’s enthusiasm hadn’t waned in the slightest as the host began to explain the rules for the next stage: the qualifying round. "The qualifying round will be split into two heats! Contestants from Groups A, B, and C will be in one heat, and contestants from Groups D, E, and F will be in the other!"

"Once again, we’ll take the top four from each heat. The final eight contestants will advance to the semifinals!"

The arena layout had already begun to change during the brief intermission. By the time the host finished his announcement, the lights in the center of the stadium suddenly blazed to life.

The crowd, both in the stadium and watching the livestream, let out a collective gasp.

The arena floor was completely transformed. Twelve large wooden gates had appeared beneath the original steel framework, arranged in opposing pairs.

A massive, square wooden beam was suspended from the highest point of the steel structure.

Below, a small pillar stood with a rope connecting it to the steel structure above. An iron plate was mounted on the pillar at about abdomen height, making it look like some sort of trigger mechanism.

And in the distance, the large iron balls wrapped in chains remained.

"Here are the rules for the qualifying round! Contestants will drag an iron ball with a large sledgehammer to the designated spot. They must then repeatedly strike the trigger mechanism until the battering ram above is released! Finally, they will pull the battering ram to smash through their gate! The first person to break open their gate and pull the switch wins!"

It was another incredibly difficult challenge. This innovative new event immediately sent a jolt of excitement through the audience.

"This is so hype! Makes me want to go down there and give it a shot!"

"The guy above me, you probably couldn’t even drag the giant iron ball. You’d be eliminated at the first stage!"

"Bullshit, anyone with hands could do that! It’s *only* 150 kilograms!"

"Yeah, right! *Only* 150 kilos. Back in the day, my grandpa used to carry three or four hundred pounds for dozens of miles on mountain roads!"

"Yeah, right. Online, everyone deadlifts 300 kilos and benches 200. A scrub like me who only benches a hundred-something doesn’t even dare to speak up!"

For a moment, the live comments descended into chaos. Seeing that the competition was about to start, many viewers who were there for the main event opted to turn off the comment overlay.

"Contestants for the first heat of the qualifying round, to the floor!"

Zhang Ye chalked his hands and stood in lane one, casually stretching his muscles.

After his astonishing performance in the first round, all eyes were on Zhang Ye, and the big screen generously gave him plenty of camera time.

In the recreation hall of a fire station, a crowd of firefighters in blue training uniforms sat with their eyes glued to the LCD TV in the middle of the room.

"That kid Zhang Ye is incredible! He’s really doing our station proud!" an older man said with an admiring expression.

"Damn right. Looks like all his killer training sessions are finally paying off!" a teammate beside him said with a grin. "I heard he got a 500,000 prize for winning the nationals! That’s his down payment on a house sorted!"