Chapter 348: Chapter 341: Little Tiger’s Strength
"Elder Bai... actually coughed up blood..."
Silence! Absolute silence! The tens of thousands of people in the audience stared with wide eyes, looking in disbelief at the bare-chested youth below who remained in his charging stance. Behind him, a terrifying, straight gouge connected two massive, cracked craters, a clear testament to his power.
CLINK... CLINK...
Two more crisp sounds rang out from mid-air as two shards of armor condensed from Primordial Power shattered and fell to the ground. The white-haired elder’s face was slightly pale, his eyes filled with shock. On his chest, a section of his Elemental Armor was dented and cracked.
’This kid...’
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, the white-haired elder slowly descended, carrying Nie Ning, who had been knocked unconscious by the impact. The force of Little Tiger’s charge had been a great shock. ’Even though I condensed this Elemental Armor on the fly using less than ten percent of my Primordial Power,’ he thought, ’it’s still a Realm Battle Skill that only an Emperor can wield. And yet, that kid broke right through it.’
"Sister Jun Wu, Grandpa Bai, he..."
In the special seating area, Shan Ziyan was the first to snap out of her stupor and looked worriedly at Jun Wu.
Jun Wu shook her head. "It’s nothing. Elder Bai is incredibly powerful; an impact like that can’t truly injure him. He only coughed up blood because it was so sudden. He wasn’t fully prepared and was just shaken by the terrifying force. It’s not a big deal."
Hearing Jun Wu’s confident reply, Shan Ziyan let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "That’s good. But that guy is terrifying. Is he really just a student from a Low-level Lower Empire?"
Jun Wu gave a noncommittal smile, a knowing look in her eyes...
"Heh heh... This is getting interesting."
Seeing the situation on Arena One, Dilaka let out a short laugh, his bored expression finally showing a flicker of interest.
ROAR!!
Having already won, Little Tiger suddenly threw his head back and let out a furious roar. The powerful shockwave blasted the newly settled dust back into the air.
’That fool. He seems to be losing control.’
Seeing Little Tiger’s state, Qing Lei, who was watching from the stands, grew worried. If Little Tiger remained in this rage and didn’t come to his senses, he would have to knock him out and substitute another fighter.
But just as everyone thought Little Tiger wouldn’t regain his senses, a soft exhalation was heard from Arena One.
"Hahhh..."
It turned out the roar had just been a way for Little Tiger to vent his fury. His crimson eyes became clear again. He gave an apologetic smile, scratched his head, and bowed to Elder Bai. "Grandpa Referee, I’m sorry. I got a little carried away just now."
Elder Bai had been about to reprimand Little Tiger, but upon seeing his sincere, simple-minded expression and earnest apology, he simply nodded. "You are very skilled. But remember this for next time: in the Empire’s grand tournament, you stop once victory is clear. If something like this happens again, I will disqualify you immediately. For this match, the winner is Little Tiger of the Xuanling Empire!"
The moment he finished speaking, Elder Bai loudly announced the winner. Only then did everyone on the Peak of the Holy Mark finally snap out of their astonishment.
"Th-that attack just now... a guy like him did that?"
In the Middle-level Empire Region, Liu Feiyan’s jaw dropped as she came to her senses, a look of utter disbelief on her face.
It wasn’t just her. Even Liu Feiyan’s brother, the arrogant young man, was staring at Little Tiger in shock. His expression turned grim. "Ta Shan, if you were to clash with him head-on, what would you say your chances of winning are?"
Ta Shan was the Cangyue Empire’s strongest fighter, a three-meter-tall giant. He thought for a moment before answering slowly, "In a direct clash, I’d probably only have a sixty percent chance of winning. But if I were to use Beastification... I should be able to crush him instantly. Fei Yuan, is he really that strong?"
The man’s name was Liu Feiyuan, Liu Feiyan’s brother. He pursed his lips and grunted. "I admit I didn’t see it at first. These guys have a few tricks up their sleeves. But this alone isn’t enough to earn our respect. Even though they won the first match, it doesn’t make up for the audacity of their earlier words." As he spoke, Liu Feiyuan glanced over at Long Yuan in the special seating area. He noticed that while Long Yuan’s expression had softened slightly, the cold glint in his eyes remained. Clearly, he could also tell that while Little Tiger’s attack was terrifying, it still wasn’t on the level of a fighter from a Middle-class Empire.
"Heh, dumb luck. It had to be dumb luck. I saw that idiot on the other side hesitate mid-charge. Wasn’t he just asking to die?"
In the Low-class Empire region, from the Red Sun Empire’s seating area, Qin Shou wiped the cold sweat from his brow. After a moment’s thought, he quickly found an excuse. He wasn’t entirely wrong, though. Nie Ning of the Kachu Empire had indeed hesitated for a moment during his charge. Only Nie Ning himself knew what had truly happened. As for everyone else, they had been so busy humiliating the Xuanling Empire just moments ago. Now that their opponents had proven their strength, their own faces were burning with shame. This explanation, blaming their opponent’s foolishness, was a welcome excuse to save face.
"Little Tiger, you can now choose to leave the arena to rest and switch with a teammate, or you can continue to fight by yourself. Make your choice."
Elder Bai paid no mind to the discussions in the stands. The moment a person stepped onto the arena, they were an equal! In his eyes, there were only winners and losers!
"I choose..."
Little Tiger was about to say he’d continue fighting alone, but then he recalled what Qing Lei had said about being bold and not holding back. Thinking about Nie Ning’s Martial Artist Realm, Little Tiger realized his opponent’s level was nowhere near high enough to make him use his true strength.
"I choose to challenge all of their remaining contestants by myself. Is that allowed?"
The moment he said this, the entire plaza erupted in an uproar once more...
"Is this kid bragging? He wins one match and suddenly he thinks he’s all that. It just goes to show the kind of people that Empire produces."
"Exactly! You’d better watch yourself, kid. If you lose now, won’t you be the ultimate laughingstock?"
"..."
Elder Bai smiled. "The rules of the Empire’s grand tournament don’t forbid such a choice, and others have done the same in past years. However, they only did so when they were absolutely certain of victory. Are you sure this is what you want to do?"
In truth, after taking that last attack, Elder Bai already knew this dark-skinned youth before him was more than capable of pulling it off. Asking for confirmation was merely a formality.
After all the mockery, the words of the crowd no longer affected Little Tiger in the slightest. He knew there was a simple way to shut them up: let his strength do the talking. So, without a moment’s hesitation, Little Tiger said, "I’m sure!"
Elder Bai nodded and raised his hand. "Everyone, the contestant from the Xuanling Empire has chosen to single-handedly challenge all remaining contestants from the Kachu Empire! Do the contestants of the Kachu Empire accept this challenge? If not, the Xuanling Empire will be declared the winner of this match."
"We accept! Of course we accept!"
The Kachu Empire’s students clamored in response. They might be from a Low-level Middle-tier Empire, but even a Low-class Empire has its pride. How could they simply surrender? Little Tiger’s previous attack was certainly terrifying, but against so many of them at once, the outcome was anyone’s guess.
Once they had spoken, several youths wearing the same Institute Uniform as Yue Nining leaped down from the air. They landed together on Arena One, forming a semi-circle around Little Tiger. Their expressions were hostile, and they all glared at him, looking as if they wanted to obliterate him on the spot.
"Both sides are in position. In that case, the match begins!"
Seeing that both sides were ready, Elder Bai gave the command to start. At his word, the five contestants from the Kachu Empire immediately unleashed their respective Elemental Realms. One after another, gleaming cyan Martial Rings appeared on Arena One, bathing it in light and making it the center of everyone’s attention.
It became the center of attention, though in truth, few people were paying attention to the other arenas anyway. After all, the Xuanling Empire had been the laughingstock from the very beginning, so they naturally drew more attention.
"Everyone, charge! Don’t hold back! Avenge Nie Ning!"
A youth who appeared to be their captain shouted, his face grim, and charged directly at Little Tiger, fighting with the desperation of a cornered animal.
"Go!"
The others needed no further words. They charged right after him, surrounding Little Tiger in a deadly pincer formation. For an ordinary person, the pressure would have been immense. But for Little Tiger, it was like beating up a bunch of kids. Because his Martial Artist Realm was...
"Blast... Fist!"
Primordial Power gathered, and an ochre-colored halo converged on Little Tiger’s right arm. The light solidified as shards of rock rapidly formed a swirling vortex around his fist. At first glance, it looked remarkably similar to the Blast Fist used by Mu Chen, manifesting differently only because of their different Elemental Power Attributes.
Using Primordial Power meant revealing one’s Elemental Realm. To the terrified onlookers, two dazzling blue Martial Rings materialized at Little Tiger’s feet with a sharp *DING!*
"A Second-Ring Martial Sect! How is that possible?!"
The students from the Holy Hall, another participating team from the Xuanling Empire, all turned pale when they saw the Martial Rings at Little Tiger’s feet. Even Imro looked on in astonishment. He was supposed to be the strongest in the Holy Hall; he had advanced to the realm of a First-Ring Martial Sect before the grand tournament. Yet, compared to this boy, he was an entire Ring Level weaker. This couldn’t help but remind him of what Qing Lei had said to him the night before.
’I really shouldn’t have come to see you, because you truly aren’t worthy of my time.’
At this thought, Imro’s expression dimmed. ’That guy, Qing Lei, seems to be their team’s captain, which means he’s probably even stronger... So, within the Xuanling Empire, I really have been nothing more than a frog in a well.’
Beside him, Qin Garden saw Imro’s dejected look, and her own expression grew complicated. She didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved. ’If Little Tiger’s strength shatters Imro’s confidence and he stays in this slump, the Holy Hall won’t last ten rounds in this tournament. But if this pushes him to cast aside his pride and complacency, if he uses this as motivation to strive harder, then they too can bring glory to the Xuanling Empire. One thought leads to heaven, the other to hell. Which path he takes will depend on his own understanding.’
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