As the audience cheered on and shouted from the stand, the noises echoed throughout the level one stadium.
It gave birth to incredible momentum.
At this point, Liu Ming seemed highly confident in himself while looking at Myah. Except, inwardly, he remained vigilant as his thoughts were storming furiously planning the following sequence of action.
'A Mid-stage Rank 1 Wasteland Earth Steed...
'Despite having the same cultivation level as my own War Soul, there shouldn't be much of a problem for me to win this match.
'Since every cultivator and their War Soul are spiritually connected, once I completely suppressed this kid, his War Soul wouldn't be able to contest against my Water-Monkey!'
At this thought, Liu Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement.
Back in the Combat Academy, his talent could only be considered ordinary. But here, at this moment, the mere notion of being able to thrash someone with a C-grade talent makes him incomparably thrilled.
So what if his opponent was just a six-year-old child? So what if his cultivation was two stars higher? So what if his opponent was blind? Nothing matters! As long as he emerged as the winner, he could boast this accomplishment for life.
'Only I will be the victor!'
Forcefully repressed his emotion, Liu Ming's eyes suddenly irradiated with a profound passion as the countdown continued to drop.
<3!>
<2!>
Promptly retreated from the battleground, the referee shouted as a protective barrier emerged from the ground's formation, "Welcome, lady and gentleman, let the long-awaited fight of the day begin!"
<0!>
"It's showtime!!!"
The instant the countdown struck zero, Liu Ming and his War Soul simultaneously departed from the other end of the battlefield, whipping up a small cloud of dust in their previous position.
A man and a monkey lunged forward together at an incredible speed.
It was as if they could thoroughly understand the thought of the other without any communication!
Notwithstanding the accelerated movements, their footsteps were swift and light, barely discernible, with the rest of the sound masked along with the turbulence of the stadium.
Quickly closing in the distance, Liu Ming and his War Soul appeared to be performing a powerful attack combination in the eyes of the audience.
Seeing them approaching closer and closer, Bumpkin was restless and was no longer in high spirit. As for Myah, he was momentarily shocked and stood rooted on the spot. His mind went blank and unable to respond despite sensing the incoming danger.
Unknowingly, this situation fully exposed his vulnerability.
Even when Bumpkin attempts to communicate with Myah via their spiritual bond, he is not reacting, seemingly in a daze.
Intending to buy some time for Myah to snap out of his stupor, Bumpkin promptly stood in front of him and prepared to stop the incoming charge of the opponents.
It raised its forebody skyward and released a tremendous horse cry which echoed throughout the stadium, temporarily overwhelming the other sonances.
Neigh!!!
Deep cracks appeared on the ground with a heavy stomp of Bumpkin's hooves and continued raging outward like a spiderweb.
Spontaneously, fragmented rocks and piles of earth levitated, brownish-yellow radiance shimmering around its body, quickly forming a shield constructed from earth energy with floating stone plates.
Due to Bumpkin's Innate Talent:
The power behind each stomp was intimidating and explosive!
Liu Ming's claw attack and the Water Monkey's fists struck the shield in quick succession. However, just before they could make the next move, something both of them didn't reckon for happened.
Bumpkin's charge forcefully threw both of them shuttling backward!
'How is this possible?!'
Whirling in the air multiple times, Liu Ming kept a distance and quickly steadied himself as his feet touched the ground. His expression became grave upon grasping what had happened.
'Just its innate skill alone was enough to stop our advanced altogether. How terrifying!'
'Isn't its physical strength a little too strong? Or rather, was all Wasteland Earth Steed always this tough?!' Quickly calmed down, Liu Ming glimpsed at the equally shocked Water-Monkey beside him and gave it an order immediately.
...
After its upper hand during the first confrontation, Bumpkin didn't give chase, but instead, it stood and kept guarding in front of Myah, waiting for him to recover.
A moment later, Liu Ming made his move, but this time, he deliberately moved slightly slower behind his War Soul while maintaining a short distance between them.
The plan was simple.
He just needed the Water Monkey to delay Bumpkin for some time, just enough so he could get to the kid. Once that happens, it would be pretty much game over.
—
From the stand, the audience watched the moving images in the projection and was confused about Myah's lack of performance.
He is no different from a fish on the chopping board!
Many watched the fight with a mix of anticipation and anxiety in their eyes, worried. Then, there were also those booed in ridicule and envy,
"If you are scared, then don't come on stage. How boring!"
"Liu Ming! Kill him! Whack him to pieces with your claws!"
"Surely, even if number 47's blind, he could still do something. Leaving everything to his War Soul, how useless can he be? This kid is like, the biggest idiot I have ever seen."
"Well damn, who put this kid here anyway. By the look of it, he just became a One-star Warrior not long ago, too young to be Liu Ming's opponent."
"What a waste for a C-grade talent. If it were me, I would have done much better."
"Haha, has anyone noticed the abnormality? That Wasteland Earth Steed is not bad." Blending in among the clamorous audiences, a crooked man with a pink panty masked his face pondered like a sage as he stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"To be honest, its innate skill was rather powerful, plainly forcing the Water Monkey and Liu Ming back with ease. I'm fascinated!"
"Awesome!"
—
'This child... to zone out before the battle even started. I must give him an earful after this is over.' Mu Suyin calmly observes everything in silence in the waiting area beneath the stadium, seemingly deep in thoughts as she shakes her head softly.
'Seriously, he has much to learn ah.'