CHAPTER 289 - A PROMISE AND A BRAWL
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
It wasn’t until twenty-nine seconds that the space in front of the Gravity Room warped, and You XiaoMo finally appeared in front of everyone. As soon as he was out, he collapsed to the ground, panting.
He had used up all his soul force, almost overtaxing himself. He didn’t have the strength to move even a finger anymore. He was happy about being able to break the record and even lasting over thirty minutes. As for his image, he seemed to have lost most of it.
Then, someone walked in front of him. You XiaoMo raised his head, panting. It was Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao bent down to help him up. If it wasn’t for the audience and You XiaoMo’s disapproval of such actions, he would’ve picked him up directly. Though he was often rather domineering towards his lover, he would still occasionally respect his wishes.
Under Ling Xiao’s support, You XiaoMo stood on shaky legs. After a beat, the entire palace rang out with applause like thunder. Amongst them, BaiLi XiaoYu and Jiang XiaoFeng clapped the hardest, as if they were the ones to claim first place.
The Fifth Elder stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction. He waited until the clapping died down before stepping forwards, smiling as he said, “You XiaoMo is first place in the second competition. Since he broke the record, we will award him six points. His total is twenty. Joint second place goes to Chai Zheng and Qing Qiu, third place is Teng ZiXin, fourth is Tong YueXu…”
Hearing the Fifth Elder’s announcements, You XiaoMo couldn’t prevent the excitement from showing on his face. He had finally managed to gain a stable position in the top three. He was certain that even if he didn’t manage to get a high score in the third round, he could still keep his place in the top three.
This result was something many people hadn’t expected. Though they knew You XiaoMo would do well, they hadn’t thought he would break two records in one go. One, being Teng ZiXin’s record, the other being the Gravity Room’s record.
The Fifth Elder continued to speak, “The third round will occur in the afternoon. The place is the arena. This round will be important as well, so I hope that everyone can attend in their best state. Alright, you’re all dismissed.”
After the competition was over, no one was preparing to stay much longer. The third round would be in the afternoon in a few hours, so the crowd dispersed bit by bit.
You XiaoMo left the palace with Ling Xiao’s support. When they arrived at a place with less people, Ling Xiao suddenly bent down and picked him up.
“Wait,” You XiaoMo nervously looked around. There were few people in this area, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t see BaiLi XiaoYu or Jiang XiaoFeng.
Ling Xiao smiled, eyes curving, “Are you that afraid of others knowing about our relationship?”
You XiaoMo shrunk a little into himself. Though he had accepted the reality of their relationship, he was still a little awkward with the idea of letting others know.
Ling Xiao teased the other as he walked, “No matter if its practitioners or mages, cultivation requires a free, open spirit. Only then can you become the crème de la crème. Having too many worries like you do now will make it harder for you to breakthrough.”
You XiaoMo half anxiously, half doubtingly asked, “You aren’t tricking me, right? Is it that serious?”
Ling Xiao glanced down at him from above, asking, “You think what I said was illogical?”
You XiaoMo rubbed his nose. “Not really.”
Though he wasn’t originally from this world, he had noticed, after being here for so long, that cultivation did have something to do with the state of mind. If one had a peaceful state of mind, cultivation would be quicker.
After a bit of hesitation, You XiaoMo then asked, “But even if so, what do you want me to to do about it? Go and announce to everyone that we’re a couple?”
Ling Xiao rubbed his chin. “If you want to, I have no objections.”
You XiaoMo immediately stared daggers at him.
Ling Xiao chuckled, saying, “Alright, in reality, there’s no need to be so drastic. In the future, just stop introducing us as friends.”
You XiaoMo instantly went red, whispering, “I, I’ll try.”
Ling Xiao suddenly lowered his head, whispering into his ear in a low tone, “If it’s possible, I would prefer it if you could introduce me as your husband. What say you, my dear wife?”
You XiaoMo’s entire face flushed, stuttering at Ling Xiao, “Who, who, who…who the hell are you calling your wife? Don’t say nonsense.”
The corner of Ling Xiao’s lips twitched up. “Is there another apart from you?”
You XiaoMo mumbled, “But I’m a guy.” How could a guy be called a wife? That was a title for women.
Ling Xiao looked him over, the hint of a smile in his gaze, saying, “Why can’t a guy like you be called wife? Do you think you can manage to penetrate someone else?”
You XiaoMo’s eye twitched. That one word in the last sentence was a little too explicit. How Ling Xiao managed to say things like that was beyond him and not something he could keep up with. However, this was about his pride as a man, so he couldn’t back down.
“If you lie down, I can also… do that to you,” You XiaoMo said without much confidence. He knew that with his strength, he had no way of pinning Ling Xiao down, but he had to retort; he was a man, too.
“Alright then, let’s go and try it out now, and see if you can ‘do that’ to me.” Ling Xiao grinned and sped up as the words left his mouth.
You XiaoMo was dumbfounded and didn’t manage to react until Ling Xiao had walked quite a distance, hurriedly saying, “Wait, wait, I just finished a competition, so I’m exhausted. Can we do this another day?”
If he wanted to top Ling Xiao under these circumstances, he didn’t think he had any chance of success. But, he was unwilling to let go of this opportunity.
Ling Xiao smiled gently. “Nope! You have to hit the steel while it’s hot!”
You XiaoMo felt like coughing up blood. Don’t think I don’t see the anticipation in your eyes. Then, he said in defeat, “Then never mind, I don’t want to do it.”
Ling Xiao smiled down at him, saying, “Really?”
You XiaoMo hesitated again, taking a while to mull over it. In the end, he couldn’t help but ask in a compromising tone, “I have a competition in the afternoon, can you really not switch a day?”
Ling Xiao felt like he was injuring himself from the effort it took to hold himself back, but eventually agreed with great reluctance. You XiaoMo almost cheered, but, knowing how Ling Xiao felt, kept his joy to himself as he planned out how he would finally get to top. He hadn’t realized that imagination and reality were very different yet.
After returning to their building, You XiaoMo was carried up the stairs by Ling Xiao to get rest.
His soul force replenished rather quickly. Barely half an hour later and it was mostly restored.
After that, he went to BaiLi XiaoYu to ask after the contents of the third round.
The third round was rather violent, testing the offensive capabilities of mages. Everyone would stand in one ring and fight. The last five standing would obtain points from one to five. If Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng and the others wanted to turn the tides, they had to work hard in this round.
In the afternoon, You XiaoMo and the others arrived at the arena in a timely fashion. Before the competition started, You XiaoMo was rather nervous. The third round wasn’t nearly as tame as the previous rounds. It was a real fight that he had to participate in personally; he couldn’t use his contracted demon beasts.
You XiaoMo couldn’t help but cling to Ling Xiao and ask for comfort.
Ling Xiao said, “You only need two points to assure your place in the top three.”
You XiaoMo replied, “Then what if I can’t?”
Ling Xiao responded, “Then you can wait for your mentor to come back and deal with you.”
You XiaoMo: “…”
As You XiaoMo prepared to enter the stage, Qing Qiu suddenly came to stand in front of him.
You XiaoMo watched her cautiously. He hadn’t forgotten what Jiang XiaoFeng said that morning. If it was true, he really wasn’t sure how to face her. Should he just reject her directly? But she might not be into him like that. If he didn’t reject her, then Ling Xiao’s jealousy would be able to drown him.
Qing Qiu said, “Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng are preparing to gang up on you.”
You XiaoMo replied, “And?” He had guessed as much.
Qing Qiu twisted the strands of hair beside her neck, smiling. “I rather like you. If I help you, can you give me a chance?”
You XiaoMo felt nervous sweat beading. Jiang XiaoFeng was right. Qing Qiu really did like him. But, before he could answer, a burning gaze landed on him.
You XiaoMo gave her an apologetic look, “Sorry, but I already have someone I like.”
Qing Qiu fell silent. “Then that’s too bad.”
She left as soon as she finished speaking, not bringing up the proposed cooperation. Seems like there was no chance for that anymore. She was rather emotional. Even if they couldn’t be lovers, they could still be friends.
Then, Tong YueXu walked over, saying, “I’ll help you.”
You XiaoMo looked at him with gratefulness.
After entering the arena, Tong YueXu stood with him. Opposite them, stood Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng and their followers. Qing Qiu also had quite a few helpers. The rest were loners. After two rounds of elimination, no more than fifty people were still present, but everyone had great ability.
The Fifth Elder declared the competition to be in motion and tension immediately rose in the ring.
You XiaoMo saw TengZiXin and Chai Zheng look over at him simultaneously. Though he had managed to get good scores in the previous two rounds, the third round was equally as important, as the Fifth Elder had said, because he could be overtaken by those behind him at any time.
He knew, Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng would love nothing more than to kick him out the ring right this moment.
A low ringing noise erupted from the stage along with the pulse of a strong soul force from each contestant. The invisible vortex of spiritual energy was like a dragon rising from its slumber.
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CHAPTER 290 - COOPERATION
On top of the enormous competitive stage, the air had distorted from a tempest of soul force .
There were a few participants who were the most eye-catching in the midst of the majestic and overbearing pressure of soul force – specifically Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng, Qing Qiu and an unknown participant who was quite strong.
Although Teng ZiXin’s level was lower than the rest, she had cultivated high level soul and skill training techniques. This alone was enough to enable her to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest.
Soon enough, the stalemate on the stage was swiftly broken by a single participant.
The first to make a move was a female mage who took the initiative to attack the people around her. This resulted in a chain reaction, triggering an unceasing bombardment of violent soul force all around. The situation was in complete chaos, and some people practically cut a sorry figure as they fled in disarray.
Teng ZiXin and her group did not stay their hand, and they released a violent soul force that continued to bombard the other participants. Within moments, a group of participants were eliminated as they were swept off the competition stage.
You XiaoMo noticed that even as Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng were clearing up the other participants, they were also deliberately moving in his direction. Evidently, they were planning on getting rid of the other participants before dealing with him.
Tong YueXu had also discovered this, and could not help but look at You XiaoMo in worry, “They are preparing to co-operate with each other to deal with you. Do you have any plans?”
You XiaoMo instantly replied, “None for the time being… …”
Tong YueXu fell silent for a moment, “… …I think we could strike first and gain the upper hand.”
You XiaoMo was surprised and asked, “Who do we strike first to gain the advantage?”
Tong YueXu replied, “Although Teng ZiXin has cultivated high level skill training manuals, her level is the lowest amongst the few. We can start by dealing with her.”
You XiaoMo’s eyes lit up, “Are you suggesting… …a sneak attack?”
Tong YueXu nodded, “Correct. She’s now dealing with other people, and has probably used up a fair bit of her soul force. Our sneak attack definitely has an eighty percent chance of success.”
You XiaoMo suddenly shook his head, “No, Teng ZiXin has something which allows her to restore her soul force.”
Tong YueXu was somewhat taken aback, but he did not ask how You XiaoMo knew Teng ZiXin had such a thing. After some thought, he said, “Chai Zheng has Zhong JingShan and other helpers, so the probability of our sneak attack working on him is low. If it’s like this, then we can only try our best to rope other people in.”
The Tong Family was one of the Four Big Clans in Yan City, but their rules differed from that of the Teng and Chai Families. They had very strict requirements for their future generations. Even if the Tong Family had influence in the academy, it was compulsory for every child of the Tong Family to learn to be independent, be it in the academy or in other areas. This was the main reason why Tong YueXu was always self-dependent when he entered the academy.
You XiaoMo asked, “If we beat Teng ZiXin and the rest, we would still have to kick our allies down in the end, right?”
Tong YueXu said, “… …There are five places.”
You XiaoMo replied, “Then we can only rope in three people.”
Tong YueXu momentarily fell silent, “Actually, there’s no need to stress yourself out over this matter. We can rope in… …that person and his friends.”
You XiaoMo followed the direction his finger was pointing at and looked over. It was the mage who was quite strong and was able to stand on par with Teng ZiXin and the others.
As You XiaoMo was not quite good at negotiating with others, Tong YueXu took the field. That person only hesitated for a while before he agreed. He had probably understood the current situation. Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng’s cooperation would probably result in him being forced off the stage by the two if he could not find others to co-operate with. In addition, he also had two friends to look after.
“I am Feng ChiYun, how are the two of you thinking of dealing with them? I’ve heard that Qing Qiu and Chai Zheng are a little friendly with each other. If the three of them work together, it would be extremely detrimental to us.” The man bluntly cut to the chase.
This straightforward style made You XiaoMo give him a once-over. His imposing manner seemed to imply that he was a fairly outstanding person, but You XiaoMo didn’t expect that he would be so obscure and unknown.
Tong YueXu said, “Indeed, however, the other participants are no pushovers too. We should wait until the end. I believe that by that time, they would have lost a fair bit of people. That would be a good chance for us to make a move.”
Feng ChiYun showed his approval by nodding, and soon said, “I agree with this. But they have three people, and the strength of all three is quite high. How are we going to assign them out?”
You XiaoMo raised his hand and said, “I can deal with Chai Zheng.”
The two were not surprised. You XiaoMo’s strength was the real deal. His level may look low, but in actual fact, his fighting strength was indomitable. Chai Zheng may be a high-grade level six mage, but he may not necessarily be the winner.
Feng ChiYun said, “Then leave Qing Qiu to me.”
Tong YueXu clasped his hands and gently smiled, “Many thanks to the both of you.”
“Have you guys finished talking?” Feng ChiYun’s two friends had been helping them block the attacks from others to give them time to talk. However, they could not hold on any longer, and were sounding very anxious.
Feng ChiYun rushed over. Without saying anything further, he gave the opponent a single strike. That person was caught off guard, and blasted off the competition stage in a flash.
You XiaoMo gave a low cry of surprise. As expected, Feng ChiYun had been holding back to some extent.
Tong YueXu and You XiaoMo proceeded to rush out together, and separately headed towards Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng respectively. The fighting was gradually drawing to a close and there were only less than half of the participants remaining on the stage. Now was the time to determine victory or defeat.
Chai Zheng saw You XiaoMo dashing towards him and a sinister gleam suddenly flashed across his eyes. To think You XiaoMo actually delivered himself over, and he didn’t even have to expend the effort to look for You XiaoMo, very well.
Chai Zheng rapidly formed a hand seal without waiting for You XiaoMo to reach him. In a split second, the soul force in his body exploded out. The boundless soul force immediately coalesced into the form of a fierce and grand incorporeal tiger that roared in You XiaoMo’s direction.
When he felt Chai Zheng’s strength, You XiaoMo screeched to a stop. A portion of his soul force rushed out from the space between his eyebrows, and rapidly formed into a fist, whistling towards Chai Zheng’s fierce tiger and smashing into its head.
The two’s soul force collided, and the shockwaves caused the surrounding space to nearly deform.
Be it You XiaoMo’s fist or Chai Zheng’s fierce tiger, both crumbled in an instant. The first bout of them crossing fists could be considered to be a tie.
However, both parties knew that each did not utilize their full strength.
Chai Zheng was not surprised when he saw that You XiaoMo had defeated his tiger, and said to Zhong JingShan behind him, “We’ll take him on together. You stall him and I’ll give him a fatal blow.”
Zhong JingShan looked at You XiaoMo with chilly eyes, and immediately nodded, “Okay.”
Then he stopped talking and started to form hand seals. Chai Zheng retreated behind him, and seemed to be preparing to unleash some kind of killing move.
You XiaoMo gave an ‘eek’ in surprise, and his gaze moved from Chai Zheng to Zhong JingShan. He had a vague impression of this man, but as his attention in the first two rounds was concentrated on the others, You XiaoMo did not take much note of him.
When he finished forming his hand seals, Zhong JingShan sinisterly laughed, “You XiaoMo, try taking on my strike!”
As he finished speaking, a turbulent wave of soul force erupted from Zhong JingShan in an instant, and took the shape of an incorporeal python that carried a brutal killing intent. The python howled in fury and ferociously swept towards You XiaoMo.
You XiaoMo raised an eyebrow and turned his hand over to form hand seals. A portion of his soul force rapidly condensed at his fingertip, and the radiance of the soul force grew brighter and brighter. Just as the python was about to rush over, the soul force at his finger tip shot out like a laser, and happened to hit the inside of the python’s mouth.
“Bang!”
There was not even a hint of a deadlock as the whole python collapsed in a flash.
The formless gale caused Zhong JingShan to involuntarily take a few steps back. His face instantly paled and the chill in his eyes had been replaced with deep horror. He was not even able to go one bout with You XiaoMo, and his defeat had been so clear-cut. Even the rest of the people did not expect this scene.
The audience burst into shouts of alarm, some people looked toward them with dismay. Those supporting Chai Zheng and Zhong JingShan could not help but look at each other -disbelief clearly seen in each other’s eyes.
Chai Zheng had been preparing to display his skill training technique, and his eyelid twitched when he witnessed this. He had thought that Zhong JingShan would have been able to last a few bouts with You XiaoMo, but he didn’t expect that he wouldn’t even be able to last a single bout. However, he still needed more time to complete the hand seals for his technique.
You XiaoMo grinned at Chai Zheng and then dashed over.
Zhong JingShan could not even last twenty five minutes in the gravity room, and he alone tried to stop You XiaoMo? What could this be called except a pipe dream?!
Chai Zheng did not wish to directly engage You XiaoMo. He still remembered Teng ZiXin telling him that half a year ago, You XiaoMo had exchanged his points for a high-grade high level skill training manual. Although she did not know if he had successfully managed to cultivate the technique, it was always wise to play safe and be more cautious.
You XiaoMo laughed, “Chai Zheng, what’s with you? Did you forget to bring your courage when you went out?”
Hearing this, Chai Zheng’s face darkened in anger.
However, a white shadow suddenly flew between them.
You XiaoMo did not expect this, and hurriedly came to a halt. With a closer look, he realized that it was none other than Teng ZiXin. He immediately looked in Tong YueXu’s direction, and found that he had actually been hampered by a man and a woman. He did not recognize the man, but the woman was that Hai Lan.
The combined strength of the two was inferior to Tong YueXu, but if they really wanted to hamper Tong YueXu, he would not be able to quickly break away from them. It appeared that Teng ZiXin had already made some plans.
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CHAPTER 291 - TO ADMIT DEFEAT
“Chai Zheng, we’ll attack together!” Teng ZiXin did not even look back as she said to Chai Zheng.
Chai Zheng immediately agreed. He became more confident with the support of Teng ZiXin. One went left and the other went right as they rapidly surrounded You XiaoMo.
The audience excitedly watched this scene play before their eyes.
Though it was a little despicable for two people to take on one, and would cause a loss of the two’s dignity, it was a competition and this sort of situation was commonly seen. In addition, in order to triumph, they would probably still have done the same even if their actions did not conform to their status.
Teng ZiXin said with contempt, “It’s only been half a year, I don’t believe that you have cultivated the Sumeru Seal.”
You XiaoMo calmly replied, “Why don’t you see for yourself? Even without using the Sumeru Seal, I can still send you flying.”
Teng ZiXin coldly snorted, “You can only take advantage of the time now to flaunt your prattling.”
When she finished speaking, she and Chai Zheng started their attack. Two sets of majestic and boundless soul force poured out in torrential storms. In a split second, it swept to the horizon, bringing with it a dreadful pressure. As they had cultivated skill training manuals, this pressure was much greater than others of the same level.
The whispering of the audience suddenly halted. The two’s vigor was too tremendous. Even those below the stage were able to feel their souls trembling from the pressure.
You XiaoMo did not hold back too. An incomparable soul force that was more majestic than the two’s violently rushed out from the space between his eyebrows. His vigor was extremely alarming, in the face of Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng’s soul force, it was not even the slightest bit inferior in any aspects.
Apprehensiveness flashed through Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng’s eyes, and the two quickly shared a glance as their hands immediately formed two simple hand seals. An invisible soul force instantly whistled towards You XiaoMo.
You XiaoMo swung his sleeve, and an intense wave of soul force violently shot out, and collided with Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng’s soul force. The violent impact created a peal of powerful gales, and the very air almost seemed to be tearing apart. The participants who were fighting nearby were caught off guard, and were abruptly pushed back a few meters.
After ten seconds, the gales finally stopped.
You XiaoMo had only taken one step back. In contrast, Teng ZiXin and Chai Zheng took two to three steps back before they could stop themselves.
Though it was a seemingly minor action, it had illustrated a problem.
That was, You XiaoMo was on par with the two. Not only that, he was even able to get the upper hand. Once they realized this point, the whispering of the audience grew louder and louder.
With an ashen face, Teng ZiXin told Chai Zheng, “I’ll stall him, you’ll attack.”
Chai Zheng nodded and promptly retreated behind her to being forming hand seals. The hand seals were more complicated and not as simple as the previous ones, thus he needed some time.
Seeing this, You XiaoMo immediately guessed their intention. It seemed like they had intended to finish the part that Zhong JingShan could not finish just now. You XiaoMo could not help but speculate – could Chai Zheng’s killing move be that great?
In any case, he could not relax his guard.
Facing Teng ZiXin who fiercely swept towards him, You XiaoMo took a few steps back, formed several simple hand seals and once again condensed soul force at his fingertip. This skill training technique was more ordinary, and was known was the Resonance Finger. The old geezer had taught him this, but the technique was not very lethal as it was too simple.
It was acceptable to use this to deal with Zhong JingShan. But as his opponent had changed to Teng ZiXin, this attack did not deal much damage and was only somewhat passable. However, it was still enough to bring her to a stop.
You XiaoMo took the opportunity to dash to her.
His head-butting posture suddenly caused Teng ZiXin’s face to pale slightly, and she released her soul force to build an invisible wall in front of her.
When You XiaoMo saw this, not only did he not stop, he put on more speed. In the next second, he knocked into Teng ZiXin. The two forces brutally tore at each other, and with a ‘bang’, the wall broke.
Teng ZiXin’s eyes bulged in surprise.
You XiaoMo darted to her front and sent a punch over.
As they were very close, Teng ZiXin only had time to build a simple defense.
Facing You XiaoMo’s blow which contained most of his strength, Teng ZiXin was sent flying by that vast soul force. Just as You XiaoMo wanted to pursue and attack to take the win, he heard the sound of Chai Zheng shouting. Turning his head, he saw that the hand seal had been impressively completed. An extremely majestic and boundless soul force was gathered in Chai Zheng’s palm and it caused the surrounding air to faintly warp.
When he saw You XiaoMo looking over, Chai Zheng viciously smiled, “You XiaoMo, today’s the day you die! Take this, the Great Compassion Babel Palm!”
In the wake of his roar, the soul force in Chai Zheng’s palm instantly transformed into a handprint approximately one zhang large. With a ‘bang’, it violently swept towards You XiaoMo. Wherever the handprint passed, the stone tiles cracked into chunks of broken rock.
t/n: Zhang is an ancient Chinese unit of measurement, approximately 3.3 meters or 10.63 feet.
You XiaoMo immediately retreated to the edge of the competition stage.
At the same time, his hand rapidly moved. Each and every hand seal was incomparable complex as they quickly appeared between his ten fingers. The whole process was not the least bit jerky, and was completed within a few breaths.
Nearby, Teng ZiXin who had just recovered her balance saw this scene. Her eyes suddenly widened, and a hint of incredulity could be seen in them.
“How can it be? Why is his speed so fast?”
With the completion of You XiaoMo’s hand seals, soul force that was more forceful and powerful than Chai Zheng’s slowly wound between his palms. A soul pressure that made one feel fear engulfed the entire competition stage in a flash.
The faces of those who were fighting paled when felt this pressure, and one after another, they retreated to a safe distance. Only then did they look in You XiaoMo’s direction.
They could only see that a golden-colored seal was whirling and spinning between You XiaoMo’s palms. Yet, that astounding pressure was emitting from that seal which was half the size of a palm.
Not only were the participants shocked, the audience were aghast and gasping in disbelief as they looked upon this scene. Such a horrifying skill training technique, was this from the skill training manual that Teng ZiXin wanted to get from You XiaoMo?
You XiaoMo toothily smiled at Chai Zheng who stood opposite him. Chai Zheng seized with terror. When You XiaoMo finished his hand seals, he immediately pushed the Golden Seal within his palms out, and the seal slammed into Chai Zheng’s Great Compassion Babel Palm.
The seemingly small soul seal that faced off against an incomparably huge Great Compassion Babel Palm was like a small boat rolling in the gigantic waves. However, looks were deceiving. Invisible soul force swept out from the point where the Golden Seal smashed into the Great Compassion Babel Palm and the resulting shockwaves turned the stone slates into dust. In the blink of an eye, the intact competition stage was filled with criss-crossing gorges as far as the eye could see.
Just at this moment when the two forces were equally matched, a blinding aureate radiance bloomed from the small Golden Seal. The devastating soul force fiercely drilled into Chai Zheng’s Great Compassion Babel Palm. One crack, two cracks, three cracks. The cracks grew and when the Great Compassion Babel Palm was covered with cracks, it instantly broke into pieces with a loud ‘bang’.
However, things were not over yet. The remaining soul force in the Golden Seal stilled for a second before it violently swept towards the fearful-looking Chai Zheng.
After Chai Zheng released the Great Compassion Babel Palm, his internal soul force reserves had dropped by ninety percent. If he was hit by You XiaoMo’s Golden Sumeru Seal, he would probably be dealt a debilitating injury. Chai Zheng had also realized this, thus he immediately shrieked in alarm, “I admit defeat!”
At his shout, an Elder who was at the edge of the competition stage stepped in to deal with the situation.
A force hit the Golden Seal just as it was about to slam into Chai Zheng. The Golden Seal released a humming sound before it dissipated a few moments later.
You XiaoMo’s Golden Seal had depleted eighty percent of his reserves. As he did not cast it often, it was lacking in strength and thus was easily dissipated. But the aftershocks of the Golden Seal were still heading towards Chai Zheng, whose face had instantly paled.
A minute later, the situation on the competition stage had finally cleared up.
The spectators witnessing this scene were instantly huffing and puffing.
Looking at the pallid Chai Zheng, the Elder who had stepped in calmly said, “Since you’ve admitted your defeat, then you should step down.”
The competition had one rule – if the participant voluntarily surrendered, the Elders around the stage would step in. This was considered as a measure to protect the participants.
With unwillingness written all over his face, Chai Zheng walked down from the competition stage.
He did not gain a single point as he had voluntarily surrendered.
Although You XiaoMo was not able to inflict serious damage on Chai Zheng, this situation still made him feel very satisfied.
You XiaoMo was panting. After getting rid of Chai Zheng, the only one left was Teng ZiXin. However, one Golden Seal had taken up eighty percent of his soul force reserves. There were less than thirty percent remaining. It was a little difficult if he had to deal with Teng ZiXin who still had ample soul force, unless he used his spiritual water.
“XiaoMo, watch out!” At this time, Tong YueXu’s anxious voice suddenly sounded.
Even before he raised his head, You XiaoMo felt a strong soul force attacking from his left. He subconsciously dodged, but was a little slow, and his shoulder was grazed by that soul force. A ‘ka-cha’ sound rang out as his shoulder bone broke into pieces. An unbearable and piercing pain spread throughout his body in an instant, nearly causing him to screech in pain.
When he fell down, You XiaoMo could not refrain from cursing loudly. He did not even need to guess who it was that had dared to perform a sneak attack on him. It was apparent that he really had overestimated Teng ZiXin, who knew that she was such a despicable person?
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t/n: Resonance Finger is 灵犀指, more widely known as LingXi Finger, which is where you gather spiritual energy into your fingers and use it to do stuff like shoot it out as a bullet or catch a sword between your fingers. 灵犀 (literally spirit rhino) refers to a rhino’s horn, which was thought to be able to sense emotions and resonate with others spiritually, and therefore used to describe empathy and understanding. 指 is just finger.
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CHAPTER 292 - COERCION
In the nick of time, You XiaoMo prevented himself from falling on his face with his knees.
But hitting them against the floor so hard was really painful, and his tears nearly soared out.
The sneak attacker Teng ZiXin, was not satisfied when she saw this, and even wanted to continue attacking You XiaoMo. However she lost her chance as Tong YueXu had already shaken off the two people hampering him, and was blocking her way to You XiaoMo.
“Teng ZiXin, you’re so despicable!” Tong YueXu gravely said.
Teng ZiXin gave a cold snort, “Battle royales have always been like this. Or did you assume that others would show mercy to you? Tong YueXu, you would be naïve to expect this!”
Tong YueXu said, “Since you’ve said as such, then don’t blame me for not showing mercy.”
Teng ZiXin sneered, “You really think too highly of yourself, Tong YueXu! You are not my match regardless of what happens.”
Tong YueXu calmly replied, “Whether that’s true or not, we’ll only know after we compete.”
When he finished speaking, he assumed a ready-to-attack stance. Just as he was about to make a move, You XiaoMo unexpectedly stopped him.
“Wait!” You XiaoMo endured the pain as he stood up.
Tong YueXu guardedly peered at Teng ZiXin before he walked to You XiaoMo’s side. As he supported You XiaoMo’s arm, he asked with worry, “How are you? Is the injury serious?”
You XiaoMo shook his head, “It’s of no importance, I can still hold on for a while.”
To tell the truth, You XiaoMo was slightly afraid of pain, because he seldom got injured since his childhood. Although it was hard for him to withstand pain, he did not want to see Teng ZiXin’s proud and superior-looking face, and he wanted to let her know the consequences of sneak attacking him.
Seeing that he was looking awful and yet was clenching his teeth, Tong YueXu probably understood his insistence and did not say anything else. He just circuitously asked, “Do you need my help?”
You XiaoMo immediately replied, “Yes!”
Tong YueXu said, “How do you want me to help?”
You XiaoMo replied, “You just need to stand at the side and keep an eye on Teng ZiXin’s every move. Don’t let her wound me again!”
Tong YueXu said, “… …Okay!”
He assumed that You XiaoMo wanted him to stand at the side to watch Teng ZiXin, and prevent her from having another chance to perform another sneak attack.
You XiaoMo pulled his arm away from Tong YueXu who was supporting him, and walked two steps forward. Then he pretended to touch his magic bag. In actual fact, he took a small bottle of spiritual water from his dimension, which only had five drops of spiritual water inside. Raising his head, he drank all of the spiritual water.
This competition did not stipulate that participants could not use other means to restore their soul force. You XiaoMo dared to openly drink his spiritual water since he took advantage of this loophole.
Upon seeing this, Teng ZiXin’s eyes flashed twice.
You XiaoMo threw the empty bottle into his magic bag, looked at Teng ZiXin and grinned, “I remember that there was a day where someone easily lifted my magic bag as I came out from Shifu’s courtyard. There happened to be a small bottle of spiritual water inside, did Teng-shizhi happen to have seen it?”
Teng ZiXin’s expression chilled, “On that day, I left earlier than you. How would I… …”
When she said that, Teng ZiXin trailed off as her expression suddenly changed, and she could not continue her sentence.
You XiaoMo let loose an extremely proud smile, “Aiya, I did not say when it was, and Teng-shizhi actually knew what I was talking about.”
He did not clearly state what he was implying, but people who use their heads would know what it meant once they heard it.
Hearing their conversation clearly, Tong YueXu’s eyes widened a little, and he looked at Teng ZiXin with incredulity. He knew that You XiaoMo’s magic bag had been stolen. With his intelligence, he probably understood the truth from these few sentences.
You XiaoMo abruptly lowered his voice, “In all likelihood, you haven’t finished that bottle of spiritual water yet right? Now…do you dare to use it in front of everyone?”
Teng ZiXin’s face showed fear and anger. Although he hit the mark, she was not stupid enough to step into his provocation, “I do not understand what you are saying one bit. You must be dreaming if you’re trying to stall for time!”
She immediately molded a hand seal as she finished speaking, thinking of taking advantage of the time before You XiaoMo’s soul force had fully recovered to attack him.
In front of her, a majestic and powerful soul force rapidly condensed into a large palm. Teng ZiXin lighty tsk and the large palm swept towards You XiaoMo.
Feeling the oppressive aura emitting from the large palm, You XiaoMo lifted his hand. A solid and thick spiritual barrier instantly condensed at his palm. In an instant, the large palm smashed into the spiritual barrier.
“Bang!”
The two attacks collided, and invisible soul fluctuations rapidly spread out from their point of contact. The fluctuations created a hurricane that cut into the ground, shattering the stone tiles and sending the fragments flying around. Some of the spectators who were at the edge of the competition stage were frightened into letting out loud cries of alarm as they fled away.
You XiaoMo glanced at Teng ZiXin opposite him. Suddenly, his hands covertly formed a few hand seals, gathering a wave of soul force at his fingertip. Availing himself of the time before the hurricane had yet to disperse, he shot the soul force at his fingertip out.
Two fingers of soul force shot through the soul hurricane, mixing into it. It was too late for Teng ZiXin when she discovered this. Her hastily built defense barrier was broken through, and the remaining soul force hit her right shoulder. Blood was immediately seen.
Teng ZiXin was frightened and angry as she clutched her injured shoulder.
After ten seconds, the soul storm finally dispersed, and the situation on the competition stage was revealed at last.
The spectators surrounding the stage let out sounds of confusion. Why was Teng ZiXin’s shoulder also injured after just a blink of the eye?
At this moment, Feng ChiYun’s side had distinguished the winners from the losers. Despite Qing Qiu’s strength being pretty good, against the experienced Feng ChiYun, she was not match at all. She was soon at a disadvantage, and was forced down the competition stage by Feng ChiYun.
Teng ZiXin’s two helpers were injured by Tong YueXu, and had lost half of their fighting strength. Therefore, there was only one Zhong JingShan left on Teng ZiXin’s side. Unfortunately one Zhong JingShan was not much help at all.
The situation had reversed in an instant.
You XiaoMo said, “Do you admit defeat or not?”
Teng ZiXin pursed her lips and remained silent.
You XiaoMo smirked, “If you don’t admit defeat, I’ll just beat you until you do so.”
The implication was that he did not plan to strike Teng ZiXin off the competition stage. Instead, he wanted her to take the initiative to throw the towel in. It need not be said that this move was quite malicious. Compared to being knocked out of the stage, it would be an even greater blow to make a proud person voluntarily surrender.
Zhong JingShan recalled that he had helped Chai Zheng scheme against You XiaoMo. He did not know if You XiaoMo would hold a grudge. He took the initiative to jump off the competition stage for fear of dealing with You XiaoMo. Looking at the situation on the stage, they did not have a chance of winning at all. Rather than standing on top in humiliation, it would be better to simply give up.
Unfortunately, Teng ZiXin was unable to follow Zhong JinShan’s example and simply give up.
You XiaoMo did not find that surprising. It was even better for him if Teng ZiXin did not admit defeat, as he would have a reason to beat her up.
Hai Lan then hastily walked over to Teng ZiXin and whispered, “ZiXin, we have already lost. It’s more advantageous to admit defeat now.”
Teng ZiXin darkly glanced at Feng ChiYun who was about to walk over, and bitterly looked at You XiaoMo, before she finally decided to give up. If she continued to fight, she would be the one to lose out. However, it was impossible for her to take the initiative to surrender.
Thinking of this, Teng ZiXin turned and walked away.
You XiaoMo immediately threw out a burst of soul force.
Teng ZiXin’s expression slightly changed, and she had no choice but to dodge to one side. After she found her footing, she angrily stared at You XiaoMo, “You XiaoMo, don’t think that I’m afraid of you.”
You XiaoMo happily laughed, “Of course you’re not afraid of me. You, Missy Teng, have always been fearless. No matter when, there’s always a ‘I alone am superior and aloof’ expression on your face. How can you be afraid of a small potato like me?”
Hai Lan was furious as she listened to his nonsense, “You XiaoMo, we have already admitted defeat. Don’t you dare go too far! Have some shame, you’re still a man!”
You XiaoMo was surprised, “Did you guys say that you admit defeat just now?”
Dumbstruck, Hai Lan was unable to form a reply.
You XiaoMo continued, “What can just turning around represent? How could I know if she was preparing to concoct a killing move, or trying to make me lower my guard in order to perform another sneak attack on me? As a precaution, it’s only natural that I am obliged to strike first and gain the upper hand.”
In the time they took to exchange words, Feng ChiYun and his friends had already blocked off the retreat of Teng ZiXin and her group.
Unless they took the initiative to surrender now, Teng ZiXin and her group could only continue to fight on.
Teng ZiXin glanced around with an extremely gloomy complexion.
Although Feng ChiYun and his friends had used up a lot of their soul force, Teng ZiXin and Hai Lan also did not have much soul force left in their reserves/running on fumes. If they really started fighting, their chances of victory were less than thirty percent.
“You XiaoMo, you win, I surrender!” Teng ZiXin bitterly spat this sentence out. Then, along with Hai Lan and her other helper, she left the competition stage.
Their departure marked the end of the battle royale.
Under the efforts of You XiaoMo and his group, Teng ZiXin, Chai Zheng and Qing Qiu who had the strength to contend with the top three people, were finally and unexpectedly wiped-out.
Immediately, You XiaoMo excitedly beckoned Feng ChiYun and the rest over, “Quickly come over here, let’s distribute the scores for the five places.”
The audience was taken aback. That’s right! There could be high and low scores for the five places. But what was You XiaoMo trying to do that made him so excited?
It was not only just the audience who were bewildered. Even Tong YueXu and the rest did not understand what You XiaoMo was trying to do.
Off the stage, Ling Xiao looked at You XiaoMo with surprisingly bright eyes.