Chapter 610 - 606: Fighting a First Grade Contestant
Chapter 610: Chapter 606: Fighting a First Grade Contestant
The red-robed elder announced the names of the combatants.
"First match: Qin Yuan of Longxing County versus Han Yu of Jinling County."
"Second match: Lin Qingyin of Celestial Wave County versus Zhao Ting of Celestial Fire County."
"Third match: Chu Jinghong of Cangwu County versus Liu Yuan of Longjing County."
...
Match after match began.
Offstage, the faces of the contestants with Second Grade Cultivation grew uglier and uglier as the matchups were announced.
Just as the audience had predicted, the Martial Arts Assembly did not pit the eight contestants with First Grade Cultivation against each other.
Every match pitted a First Grade against a Second Grade. They were given no opportunity to luckily advance to the next round by facing another Second Grade contestant.
Those eight First Grade contestants were like eight insurmountable mountains, and these Second Grade Cultivation contestants were the challengers destined to fall while trying to climb them.
"Fourth match: Zhen Feixuan of Brahma Heaven County versus Zhou Yuan of Chifeng County."
The red-robed elder’s voice continued to ring out.
Zhou Yuan, whose name had just been called, was a young man with a resolute face. The moment he heard his name, his expression turned extremely grim.
He gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on the heavy Iron Spear in his hand, and strode onto the Battle Platform.
Across from him, Zhen Feixuan was already standing there, her white martial attire fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, her expression as calm as still water.
The red-robed elder glanced at the two, retreated to the edge of the high platform, and said flatly, "Begin."
The moment his voice fell, Zhou Yuan made the first move.
He took a step forward, the surface of the platform shaking violently beneath his foot. His Iron Spear whistled through the air like a black bolt of lightning, thrusting straight for Zhen Feixuan’s throat.
The thrust was astonishingly fast. The spear tip pulsed with a nearly-solid light, leaving a clear white trace in the air. Its power was already extremely close to that of a First-Breakthrough Martial Artist.
However, Zhen Feixuan merely sidestepped slightly, and the sharp thrust grazed past her ear without even touching a single strand of hair on her forehead.
In the next instant, she drew the Soft Sword from her waist. As she channeled her Inner Qi into it, the flexible blade straightened and flicked lightly against the spear’s shaft.
"DING—"
With a crisp sound, Zhou Yuan felt an immense, irresistible force travel up the spear shaft, instantly numbing his entire right arm. The Iron Spear flew from his grasp and landed with a CLANG several yards away on the platform.
"Zhen Feixuan of Brahma Heaven County is victorious."
The red-robed elder’s calm voice rang out.
Zhou Yuan looked down at his empty right hand, then looked up at Zhen Feixuan. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing.
He bent down, picked up his Iron Spear, turned, and walked off the Battle Platform.
In the audience stands, discussions rose and fell.
"As expected, the gap between First Grade and Second Grade is just too vast. The Second Grade contestants have no chance of winning."
"It’s a pity. Fang Han’s Swordsmanship is extremely profound, but his Cultivation is only at the Late Stage of Second Grade. He’s bound to be eliminated in this round."
Amidst the discussions, the matches on the platform proceeded one after another.
First Grade versus Second Grade. The results were completely without suspense.
Some of the Second Grade Cultivation contestants fought with all their might, trying to create a miracle. Others, knowing they were outmatched, were still unwilling to concede easily.
But no matter how hard they tried, there was only one outcome: defeat.
On the faces of the few remaining Second Grade contestants, the last glimmer of hope was finally extinguished.
They looked at each other, seeing the same disappointment in one another’s eyes.
Eight First Grade contestants against eight Second Grade contestants. This arrangement meant that not a single one of them would make it into the top eight.
Even Fang Han, the strongest among them, was no exception.
"Seventh match: Lie Yang of Celestial Fire County versus Fang Han of Qingyang County."
The red-robed elder’s voice echoed through the venue, reaching everyone’s ears clearly.
In the audience, the buzz of conversation suddenly surged.
"Lie Yang? So Fang Han’s opponent is a First Grade contestant after all!"
"Facing a First Grade contestant, Fang Han’s journey ends here!"
"In the end, his Cultivation is holding him back!"
"In terms of Martial Technique mastery, Fang Han might not be any worse than the eight First Grade contestants. But it’s a shame his Cultivation is such a disadvantage."
Offstage, Fang Han’s expression was calm as he strode toward the Battle Platform.
Across from him, a crimson figure mounted the platform at the same time.
It was a young man who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. He had a tall, straight posture, a cold and stern face, and long black hair that whipped about in the wind.
He wore crimson martial attire, looking like a ball of burning flame. A scorching heatwave radiated from his body, making even the surrounding air seem to grow hotter.
He was Lie Yang, a True Inheritor of the Blazing Flame Sect, an Overlord-level Influence in Celestial Fire County.
"Fang Han of Qingyang County?"
Lie Yang’s gaze fell upon Fang Han, his fiery eyes filled with a condescending scrutiny.
"It’s surprising enough that you’ve made it this far. However, your journey in the Martial Arts Assembly ends here."
His voice carried a matter-of-fact certainty, as if stating an indisputable fact.
Fang Han didn’t reply. He simply raised his right hand slowly and placed it on the hilt of his Cloud Splitting Sword.
The red-robed elder glanced at the two, retreated to the edge of the high platform, and stated flatly:
"Begin."
The instant his voice fell—
Lie Yang moved.
He took a step, and the platform shook violently beneath him. A scorching heatwave erupted from him, spreading rapidly in all directions.
He threw a punch.
This punch contained terrifying power comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist. Infused with a scorching Fist Intent that seemed capable of incinerating everything, it shot toward Fang Han like a burning meteor!
Before the fist arrived, the scorching heatwave had already washed over Fang Han, blowing the hair on his forehead back.
The fine dust on the platform was swept up by the force of the punch. In mid-air, it was ignited by the scorching Qi Force, turning into tiny sparks that vanished into the air.
The might of this punch made even the offstage contestants with First Grade Cultivation narrow their eyes.
Gasps rippled through the audience.
"What a powerful Fist Technique!"
"The power of Lie Yang’s punch is enough to severely injure an ordinary First-Breakthrough Martial Artist in one blow!"
"Fang Han is in danger!"
Facing this earth-shattering punch, Fang Han’s eyes remained calm.
The Cloud Splitting Sword left its sheath. Inner Qi from his Late-Stage Second Grade Cultivation and three hundred thousand jin of physical strength poured into the blade.
He executed the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique. The dark cyan blade shimmered with a profound light as he slashed out.
The sword light, like a rainbow imbued with a world-tearing Wind Sword Intent, met the scorching Fist Gang that carried the Fist Intent.
"BOOM—!!!"
Fist and sword collided, unleashing an earth-shattering roar!
A visible shockwave erupted from the point of impact, spreading rapidly outwards. It kicked up the fine dust on the platform, forming a murky ripple in mid-air.
The shockwave was so fierce that even the contestants standing offstage couldn’t help but take several steps back.
Lie Yang’s forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, his punch forcibly stopped in its tracks.
He looked up, and for the first time, a look of disbelief appeared in his fiery eyes.
’Fang Han... actually blocked it?’
Offstage, the expressions of the First Grade contestants also changed at the same time.
"What?!"
Someone couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.
"Combat power comparable to a First-Breakthrough Martial Artist... that wasn’t even Fang Han’s limit?!"
"He can actually... unleash combat power comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist?!"
"Late-Stage Second Grade Cultivation unleashing power comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist... How many Minor Realms is that? Four... five Minor Realms!"
"And that’s crossing the boundaries between Great Realms three times... How is that possible?!"
In the audience, a brief, dead silence was followed by a deafening uproar!
"Fang Han actually blocked it!"
"Isn’t he Late Stage of Second Grade? How can he unleash power comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist?"
"Unleashing power comparable to a Second Breakthrough Martial Artist from a Late-Stage Second Grade Cultivation, that’s a leap of five full Minor Realms! And it includes crossing the boundaries of three Great Realms... This is simply unheard of!"
"No wonder he’s looked so relaxed this whole time. So... this is his true strength!"
"This Fang Han’s mastery of Martial Techniques... it’s absolutely stunning!"
Lie Yang stared at the white-robed figure standing with his sword, the composure and disdain on his face completely gone.
His gaze grew unprecedentedly solemn, and a dangerous light flickered in his fiery eyes.
"I underestimated you."
He spoke, his voice low and hoarse, laced with an irrepressible shock.
"I didn’t expect... that you were still hiding your strength. I admit you are worthy of being my opponent."
Fang Han said nothing, merely standing with his sword, gazing calmly at Lie Yang.
Lie Yang took a deep breath, and the Inner Qi in his body erupted once more.
This time, he held nothing back.
Crimson Inner Qi surged from his body like tangible flames, making him look like a deity emerging from a blazing inferno.
He punched with both fists. Two scorching Fist Gangs, imbued with Fist Intent, shot out like two roaring fire dragons, one from the left and one from the right, sealing off all of Fang Han’s escape routes.
Wherever the Fist Gangs passed, the air scorched and distorted, emitting a hissing sound.
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed. He activated his Wind God Step at full power.
Like a true gust of wind, he drifted through the gap between the two Fist Gangs.
At the same time, his Cloud Splitting Sword slashed out horizontally toward Lie Yang’s waist. The sword light was fierce, carrying a world-tearing sharpness.
Lie Yang’s pupils shrank. He spun rapidly, retracted his fists, and met the sword’s edge with an elbow strike.
"CLANG—!!"
A deafening clash of metal rang out.
Both of them swayed, each sliding back several yards.
Lie Yang stabilized himself and glanced down at the faint white mark on his right arm—a trace left by the sword’s wind.
If not for the excellent quality of the Arm Guard on his arm, that slash would have likely broken through his defense.
"Again!"
Lie Yang growled, the fighting spirit in his eyes burning even brighter.
Not daring to hold back in the slightest, he pushed his Cultivation to its absolute limit, unleashing a barrage of punches on Fang Han like a violent storm.
The Fist Gangs were scorching hot. Each punch carried the terrifying, Mountain-Splitting Stone-Shattering power, burning the air with a sizzling sound and leaving scorched black marks on the platform.