Chapter 15: The Illusionist's Challenge
As the preliminaries concluded, Hamza declared that the first round of the competition was over for the day. "Participants should rest and cultivate to resume their peak condition for tomorrow's finals," he announced. Excitement buzzed through the air as the competitors left the arena, eager for what lay ahead.
In the finals, the older group of Iron Village and the younger group of Stone Dam Village would face Sand Village. The first to fight would be the younger group. Though Arman was the nominal leader, everyone believed that Ali was the true leader of the group. All eyes turned to Ali for instructions as they gathered to discuss their strategy.
A girl from Sand Village's group confidently walked onto the stage, her unusual appearance catching everyone's attention. She had a strange hairstyle that looked like multiple snakes on her head instead of hair. She introduced herself with a smirk, "I am Medusa. Let me widen your horizons, country bumpkins. I will challenge everyone in your group and defeat you in one strike without even moving a finger."
Her arrogant statement enraged the members of Stone Dam Village. "We should gang up on her," someone suggested. "At least we can win one or two matches that way."
Arman agreed, "Four of us will distract her while you, Ali, deliver the decisive strike."
But Ali shook his head. "I alone will be enough to face her. She is just at the peak of the 4th level. Didn't I win against an even stronger opponent yesterday?"
With that, Ali stepped onto the stage, facing Medusa. She licked her lips and taunted, "You will be a good appetizer."
The battle began, and Medusa closed her eyes. The snake-like beings on her head opened their eyes, and someone from Sand Village exclaimed, "It's Medusa's famous technique, an illusion technique. No one below the 5th level can escape her illusions, and even some 5th level warriors may fall into her trap. Ali is done for."
On the battlefield, Ali found himself transported to a strange valley full of snakes. The images were vivid, but something felt off. His instincts told him that this was no ordinary place. Among the swirling snakes, he saw a massive serpent with a human head—Medusa.
"Welcome to my domain," she hissed. "Enjoy the show you will never forget."
She danced around Ali, sending green venomous substance from her mouth. Ali somersaulted, avoiding the contact. The ground where the poison fell started to melt. Medusa continued her barrage of poison attacks, but Ali's swift movements allowed him to evade each strike. Despite this, he felt the relentless pressure of the illusion bearing down on him.
Outside the illusion, both Ali and Medusa stood motionless on the stage. Ali's eyes were closed, and sweat poured down his face as if he were engaged in a great battle.
In the illusion domain, Ali was barely avoiding the barrage of poison attacks, but at some point, he stopped his movements and faced the incoming venom head-on. To Medusa's surprise, the poison disappeared upon contact with Ali.
Circulating his soul cultivation, Ali closed his eyes and realized that everything around him was an illusion. By channeling his virtue qi, he began to disrupt the illusion's hold on him. Medusa noticed something was off, but she smirked. "Even though you understand it is an illusion, there is no way you can escape it unless I let you go."
She slowly approached Ali, a small dagger in her hand. The elders of Stone Dam Village grew nervous, urging Hamza to end the battle. "He might get seriously injured," they argued.
Hamza remained calm. "Ali has cultivated his soul. In front of soul cultivation, any illusion technique has no effect unless the one using the illusion has a stronger soul than Ali."
As Medusa closed in, ready to stab Ali, he suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed her hand holding the dagger. Shocked, Medusa struggled but found herself powerless. Ali's grip was firm, and with a swift strike, he sent her flying out of the arena.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and the elders of Stone Dam Village sighed in relief. Ali had not only demonstrated his strength but also his ability to overcome the most daunting challenges. The path to the finals was now open, and the hope for Stone Dam Village to reclaim their honor burned brighter than ever.