Chapter 506 - 411: Prizes and the Quarterfinals

Of course, the expression was largely an act.

"Alright, ladies! No need to try again! Please come and collect your gifts!"

Johnson took the two jewelry boxes from a staff member, opened one, and announced, "This is a special gift from the organizers—a Titan crafted from solid gold!"

Though it was only the size of a thumb, it still caused quite a stir.

Online, more and more people expressed their regret for not buying tickets to see the event live.

The two women were absolutely thrilled. The first one chosen from the audience had felt a bit awkward at first, but after receiving the gift, she forgot all about her embarrassment! All that remained was pure excitement.

Afterward, Wu Yun and Johnson posed for a photo with the two women before moving on to the other audience members for the experience.

Subsequently, whether they managed to move the weight or even reach the second stage, everyone received the same little golden Titan statue.

"What a shame!" Johnson said, watching as the strongest man from the audience gave up from exhaustion.

"We thought an audience member might actually complete the challenge, and we had another surprise ready. Looks like we won’t be needing it!"

After all the audience members had their turn, Johnson looked at Wu Yun expectantly. "Wu! Everyone’s dying to see you give it a try!"

"Isn’t that right, folks!?"

As if they had rehearsed, the crowd roared in unison, "Yes!"

Wu Yun shrugged. "Alright, then! I’ll give it a shot!"

Wu Yun’s physical fitness and strength were already top-tier, but what happened next still stunned everyone.

To everyone’s surprise, Wu Yun’s speed was on par with the actual competitors. He finished the challenge with a time that would have tied him for eighth place in the official event.

"Holy shit! That’s President Wu for you! It’s one thing to be rich, but with a body like that? Even rich cougars would be fighting over him!"

"Ah! Hubby! I want you!"

"The person above is a femboy. Case closed."

"Just deliver me to President Wu’s bed! I want to warm it for him!"

-----------------

After that little interlude, the lifting steel structure was dismantled. By the time it was gone, the half-hour intermission was already over.

Now, only three competition stages remained in the arena.

One stage featured two upright, A-frame-like structures. Rods protruded from the flat face of each frame, stacked with custom weight plates and secured at the ends with large, nut-like fasteners.

After an introduction, it was announced that this was the quarterfinal round: "Nuts and Bolts."

The two opponents would have to compete in speed, skill, and strength. The winner would be the first to remove all the weights, pull the structure down until it was flat, and then pull a hanging ring.

Another stage had a large, dam-like trapezoidal structure. On the left and right sides, at about shoulder height, were two silver steel poles, each as thick as a man’s head and about eight or nine meters long.

In the very center, atop the slope, rested a single golden pole. Two vertical plates stood at either end of this pole.

This was for the semifinal round: "Steel Pole Tug-of-War."

Listening to the host’s explanation, the audience learned that this was no longer a solo time trial but a head-to-head competition. First, contestants had to remove the pole on their side. Then, they would both grab the golden pole and engage in a tug-of-war. The winner was the one who could pull the golden pole free and knock over the steel plate behind them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! This massive structure closest to the main platform is our coliseum for the night!"

"The final showdown will challenge our contestants’ conditioning and skill! Their strength and willpower!"

"They’ll sprint from the start to a wooden wall, which they must topple—all half a ton of it—to cross over and advance to the next obstacle!"

"Next, they must push three 150-kilogram boxes up a fixed track to the designated position to reach the third obstacle!"

As the host continued his explanation, the big screen showed footage of the third obstacle.

"For the third obstacle, contestants must climb over six rolling drums, each larger than a train wheel. This will be a major test of coordination, and it’s where we might see the final gaps in performance emerge."

"The fourth obstacle is a six-meter-high wall. Contestants can smash holes in the wall to create handholds and footholds for their climb."

"Once over the wall, they’ll slide straight down, drag our old friend ’the big iron ball’ to the finish line, and use a sledgehammer to smash a stone slab to retrieve the Titan key! Then, they’ll unlock the Gate of the Titans!"

The audience watched as the steel obstacle course rose into place, already bristling with its various mechanisms. The sight of the obstacles alone was enough to make most people give up without even trying!

The host then turned the floor over to Rock Johnson, who flashed his signature expression. "The horn of battle has sounded! Who will become number one and represent Asia in the quest for the title of Titan? We’re about to find~ out!~"

"We now begin the quarterfinals! Will the contestants ranked eighth and seventh please enter stage three!"

The Iranian contestant and the Ah San contestant, having already been briefed by the crew, showed no signs of panic. The Iranian contestant stood up, took a deep breath, and his already powerful pectoral muscles swelled.

Meanwhile, the Ah San contestant, who had long arms and legs, showed off a flexibility that ranked in the top three among these strongmen, likely due to practicing yoga.

He dropped directly into a full split, causing a sensation in the crowd.

After warming up, the two men were led to the starting line by the referee.

"Are you ready!?"

BANG!

Both men sprinted toward the apparatus. The Ah San contestant, using his height and reach advantage, got there a step ahead of the Iranian.

The Ah San contestant quickly began spinning the huge nut on the top-most rod. Before the nut had even fallen off, the Iranian contestant had caught up.

However, the Iranian contestant didn’t go for the top row; instead, he started on the nut on the bottom-most rod.

CLANG! The sound of steel plates hitting the ground echoed through the arena.

Ah San quickly cleared the nut and custom weight plates from the top row, then started on the next one down.

The Iranian contestant, starting from the bottom, actually pulled ahead, having removed more plates.

Seeing this, Ah San removed half the plates on the bottom row, then rushed behind the structure. He braced his feet and tried to pull it flat, but no matter how hard he strained, the apparatus only wobbled slightly.

Now, Ah San was in a full-blown panic. He scrambled back to the front of the structure and frantically started removing plates again.

Because of this delay, the Ah San contestant fell completely behind. The Iranian contestant, having removed all the plates, ran to the back, panting heavily and dripping with sweat, and pulled the rope.

The structure immediately slammed down flat. The Iranian contestant then lunged forward and pulled the golden ring.

Sparks flew!

"The Iranian contestant is the winner!"

The dramatic twists and turns of the match, combined with the passionate live commentary, had the audience roaring with excitement.

The eliminated Ah San contestant walked off the stage dejectedly, but few in the crowd paid him any mind. All eyes were on the victorious Iranian.

"Next up, will the contestants ranked fifth and sixth please take the stage!"

Having learned from the Ah San contestant’s mistake, the next two competitors both made sure to remove every last nut and weight plate.

In the end, the fifth-ranked Kazakh contestant won by a narrow margin, and the Little Days contestant was unfortunately eliminated.

When the two contestants tied for third place walked onto the stage, the entire arena erupted.

Shouts of encouragement and cheers echoed from all sides, converging in the center of the arena.

Even though he’d already been on stage once, Li Wei was still thrilled by the incredible sight of the tens of thousands of people filling the seats around him.

This solidified his resolve. No matter the outcome this time, he would train even harder when he got back and prepare for future professional competitions. He would strive to one day bring glory to his country at an international event.

At the sound of the starting gun, Li Wei shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, rushing under the apparatus.

Drawing on the experience from the first two matches and the strategy he had just discussed with Zhang Ye, he knew he didn’t have to remove all the plates from the top rods. Clearing the bottom layer was enough; leaving one or two on the upper rods wouldn’t be a problem and might even help when it was time to pull the structure down.

So, following the plan, Li Wei engaged his core and began rapidly spinning the nuts.

He didn’t have time to see how his opponent was doing. Amidst the clanging of weight plates, Li Wei worked on, sweat pouring from him like rain.

But unfortunately, due to his shorter stature, the Mongolian contestant pulled ahead of Li Wei while they were working on the upper-level nuts and plates.

To the disappointed sighs of the crowd, Li Wei was regrettably defeated.