With a face full of confidence, Boiling Destruction took a massive great sword from his back. He leisurely held it in one hand while posturing with a taunting gaze. Bai Jingshen had already seen his opponent's preferred weapon. However, watching the young elite ready his great sword, Bai Jingshen couldn't help but think about Ra for a second. He quickly pushed the unrelated thoughts away however, as he slowly drew his sword. Although healways wanted to use a variety of weapons, unfortunately he didn't have much time to specifically train anything else yet.
Analyzing his opponent, Bai Jingshen quickly came up with a tactic for this fight. Since Boiling Destruction didn't move, the former emperor decided to probe his attacks at the beginning. Bai Jingshen fell into a light sprint, pleasantly surprised as he realized that even the slightest movement felt easier after completing the Bullet Avoidance Training.
As Bai Jingshen got nearer to his opponent, the Yellow Alliance members took on mocking gazes. Many of the young elites knew a bit about Boiling Destruction's fighting style, but obviously Bai Jingshen hadn't done any research on this topic. The arrogant youngsters were already certain that Bai Jingshen dropped his last bit of chance, totally disregarding that they also didn't know the newcomer's style.
The audience watched with bated breaths as Bai Jingshen got close to his opponent for the first time. Just as the former emperor readied himself for a probing blow, Boiling Destruction let out a low shout. Suddenly the wild redhead's great sword descended on Bai Jingshen's position. The experienced veteran trusted his instincts as he decided to quickly dodge. Stormspear grit his teeth as he watched the great sword impact the ground. To Bai Jingshen's surprise a heatwave rapidly spread out from the massive weapon.
Boiling Destruction laughed loudly as he watched Bai Jingshen awkwardly jump over his attack.
"Look! Not only has he reached the 7th stage of Qi Gathering, he has also trained his familie's Vulcanic Disaster Strikes to the first-step-stage."
"It doesn't look good for the newcomer. He is already in a passive situation."
Bai Jingshen couldn't concentrate on what the audience was discussing, as his opponent directly pressed his advantage. After the first blow Boiling Destruction didn't relent, bringing his sword down again and again. The audience was right. He had just advanced in his family's technique and was now ready to show off. Wild laughter could be heard as Bai Jingshen dodged those heatwaves with his Borde Movement Technique.
"Ha! Who is the dancing monkey now?! Are you really using Borde Techniques? Kid you should go back to school if this is all you can do!"
Laughter could be heard among Boiling Destruction's supporters. They only spurred the young man on to dish out more mocking words. As most of them would never make it on the Rising Genius List, they were happy with seeing the newcomer humiliated. They felt their jealousy lessen when they watched a new genius losing in public. On the other hand, they simply accepted that they will never be able to be comparable to the likes of Boiling Destruction.
After all his real name was Raz Vulcan. He stemmed from a family who are able to hold their own town in the New World. It is said that a long time ago their ancestor developed the Vulcanic Disaster Strikes. Afterwards he changed his name and rose to prominence. Until this day the family uses this martial technique to carve out a place for themselves. How could others compare to this background?
Bai Jingshen was also praising the Vulcanic Disaster Technique in his mind. Although it looked like he was wildly dodging, he was trying to get a feel for the speed and strength of this heatwave. He completely ignored his surroundings, while observing Boiling Destruction's movements. The experienced veteran could tell that his opponent's mocking was slightly overacted. Although he looked overconfident, in reality he did his best to keep up the pressure.
Suddenly the situation changed as Bai Jingshen felt like he got a good grasp over his opponent. Just as the great sword hit the ground once again, Bai Jingshen changed directions. He didn't jump away but crossed above the heatwave. Under the audience's surprised gazes Bai Jingshen appeared before his opponent.
Boiling Destruction however was a young elite himself. He knew his strikes before weren't any real threat and had been waiting for Bai Jingshen to make a mistake. Seeing the latter's sword closing in on his chest, the red-haired man smirked. With reactions one wouldn't expect from the muscular man, his hand shot up, imprisoning Bai Jingshen's sword in a strong grip. He laughed wildly as his great sword was enveloped in flames, racing towards Bai Jingshen's sides.
The former emperor kept his calm mindset and simply let go of his sword. He could have taken it back, but not with the great sword threatening to bisect him. The renewed flame let Bai Jingshen feel the burn wounds that had already accumulated all over his lower body, but he quickly suppressed the pain. The young man let himself fall to the ground at the last moment as the great sword rushed past his head, drawing startled cries from the audience. Not waiting for his opponent to attack him on the ground, Bai Jingshen rapidly drew a knife from his belt and slashed at Boiling Destruction's legs.
The young elite felt a sharp sensation nearing him. His rich experience from battling beasts quickly kicked in, helping him to narrowly dodge to the side. However, he purposely didn't put much distance between himself and Bai Jingshen. Grasping his chance, the young elite ferociously brought down a burning foot on his opponent. The audience screamed in shock and laughter as Raz Vulcan finally landed a serious hit. Bai Jingshen wasn't able to stand up fast enough. The Yellow Alliance cheered as their member would quickly end this match now.
A moment later the venue fell in complete silence, however. No one understood how Bai Jingshen suddenly appeared next to his opponent. Only the likes of Elena or the referee weren't tricked by the Boundless Illusion Steps and could follow Bai Jingshen's movements. Even they were still in awe however, watching these intricate illusions that could fool everyone else present.
Boiling Destruction boke out in cold sweat as he felt a blade aiming for his neck. He really proved that he wasn't all bark and no bite at this time, as he trusted his instincts and jumped forward. Shocked exclamations could be heard from the audience as the young elite escaped narrowly. Only a hair's breadth separates him from his loss right now.
Boiling Dragon hurriedly found his footing again. He was just in time to awkwardly raise his sword and block the knife that came flying at him. Although his instincts told him that something was wrong with this knife, he still used too much strength in a fluster. The knife shattered against his great sword, leaving the young elite's defense wide open.
This time Boiling Destruction couldn't find his bearing fast enough. He was still looking at a Bai Jingshen standing in a throwing position a meter in front of him, as he felt a knife pressed against his neck.
Bai Jingshen's fast breathing sounded near his opponent's ear. In the last few seconds, he had used up a lot of strength by chaining the Boundless Illusion Steps and his Illusionary Attack. He had also noticed that the latter didn't quite have the intended effect. If his opponent weren't in a passive state already, he might have made a better judgement, not overusing his strength against a fake attack. This spoke for Boiling Destruction's mental state, but also showed Bai Jingshen that it was important to strengthen his attacks.
While Bai Jingshen was contemplating his fight just now, the audience sill didn't understand what happened. The turnaround came all of a sudden, taking everyone by surprise. Just now they had still thought Raz would win this fight, but at the next moment Bai Jingshen's knife was pressed against the young elite's neck. Now Bai Jingshen was silently waiting for his opponent to admit defeat.
Under the audiences' eyes Boiling Destruction couldn't help but feel humiliated. A few seconds ago, he was still laughing at his opponent, only to be defeated shortly after. The young man grit his teeth as he began to tremble. His head began to turn read. Bai Jingshen furrowed his brows at his opponent's changes. He turned his gaze towards the referee, signaling him to end this match.
High above everyone's head Elena spectated the fight. Although she was certain Bai Jingshen would win, she was still tense as Raz held the advantage. A light smile crept onto her face after the sudden changes. Behind her Johann Tal noticed the young woman's expression but his face remained stoic as always. He was among the ones waiting for the referee to end the fight, as it was the latter's job in a situation like this. Although the fight would end after one competitor admitted defeat, the referee should declare a winner if one fighter would have died in a real fight.
Johann Tal's face slightly moved for the first time when he observed the referee's demeanor. Obvious hesitance could be felt from this man, as he averted his eyes from Bai Jingshen's gaze.