"How can anyone fight this?!"
Xu Si, sitting in the audience, couldn't help but cover his face and sigh.
Though it wasn't the same timeline, it was the same place. Feng Baobao was slumped in the audience, mumbling, "It's over! It's over! Zhang Chulan lost!"
A certain gossip-averse person had already left Dragon Tiger Mountain, and no one was using Listening Wind. The audience had no idea what the two fighters were talking about.
"This is ridiculous! Grandmaster, sharpening the knife almost wore it down to nothing!"
Zhang Chulan muttered as he got up from the ground. His speed had been faster just now, but even so, he had still been countered.
"Brother Red, time's running out! This is my final move—Little White Snake!"
White electric arcs once again flickered around Zhang Chulan, gathering into a long, snake-like form of Qi that coiled around him.
"Go!"
The Little White Snake shot toward Lin Jiu at a speed even faster than Zhang Chulan's full-power mode.
Lin Jiu had plenty of time to dodge, but he didn't. With 22 points of stamina and his soul energy as protection, the attacks that Zhang Lingyu could barely withstand were no threat to him. Taking this hit and then leaving was all part of the plan!
...
"Baobao, quick, look!" someone shouted.
Hearing this, Feng Baobao squirmed up from her spot by the railing and looked toward the arena. The Little White Snake crashed into Lin Jiu, who made no effort to dodge.
As the white light dispersed, Lin Jiu lay on the ground, his body covered in scorch marks.
"Zhang Chulan is so powerful! I can't beat him!" he groaned.
The referee glanced at Lin Jiu, who was "unable to get up," and declared, "Zhang Chulan wins!"
"Wait, what…?"
The audience didn't understand why Lin Jiu hadn't dodged the attack. Still, Zhang Chulan's performance, especially after activating full power mode, had earned their respect. Even the blue-haired guy, who had been a die-hard fan of Zhang Chulan from the beginning, admitted that when Zhang Chulan went all out, the three of them were no match for him.
"Brother Red, you're not…"
Zhang Chulan, joy evident in his eyes, glanced toward the audience. Then he remembered that Lin Jiu had taken his Little White Snake head-on just to throw the match.
He quickly turned around mid-sentence, only to see Lin Jiu, who had been downed, casually walking out of the arena. As Lin Jiu dusted off his clothes, it became clear he was completely fine. Zhang Chulan's face twisted into a wry smile.
"What the hell, that guy's fine! This is rigged, absolutely rigged!"
"Why does that line sound strangely familiar?"
"I'm reporting this!"
"His acting's way better than Feng Baobao's!"
The audience, who had also noticed Lin Jiu walking away like nothing had happened, were suddenly filled with frustration and discontent.
"No wonder that was an ultimate move—it took out 10% of my HP!"
Lin Jiu checked his health bar after taking the hit from the Little White Snake and couldn't help but marvel. He wasn't boasting either; after all, Little White Snake was a technique where Zhang Chulan sacrificed the power of the Yang Five Thunder to trade for speed and tracking ability. Even so, it had still managed to take 10% of his health.
"People are already starting to leave the mountain, and we've been setting up defenses since the second round. But we still haven't seen a single sign of any Quanxing members! Do you think they're too scared to show up because there are too many experts on Dragon Tiger Mountain?" Lu Linglong, who had been helping set up defenses since the second round, said as she watched the Raten Taishou come to a close, with no sign of Quanxing.
"Who knows what that bunch of lunatics is thinking…"
Zhi Jinhua replied.
Meanwhile, the Quanxing Outcast, who had already infiltrated the mountain in small groups, had gathered.
"That guy is still on Dragon Tiger Mountain. If we make a move, a lot of sect members are going to die, aren't they?"
From the beginning, Xia He and her group had been keeping an eye on Lin Jiu, one of the contestants. If he had left the mountain after the tournament, they would've breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't want to face Lin Jiu, who, in their eyes, was even more like a Quanxing member than they were.
Shen Chong sighed, "He went easy in that last match. So, he must've made some sort of deal with the Old Celestial Master, and that's probably why he hasn't left Dragon Tiger Mountain yet. We'd better avoid him!"
Lin Jiu had just left the Old Celestial Master's place, having received a reward from him—a scroll of the skill [Quiet Insight], which was valued as highly as a copy of the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art. The scroll had already been notarized by the Reincarnation Paradise, and Lin Jiu could learn it once he returned.
Just as Lin Jiu had anticipated, [Quiet Insight] was indeed a skill designed to assist in mental cultivation.
[Quiet Insight Scroll]
Type: Passive Enhancement Skill Scroll
Effect: Upon use, grants the special enhancement skill—Quiet Insight.
Description: Derived from the Daoist technique of Serene Meditation, this special method was improved by the Daoist Tongtian.
During the post-match ceremony, the Old Celestial Master used some unknown means to ensure that the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art ended up in Zhang Lingyu's hands. The other contractors didn't think this lowered the difficulty of obtaining one of the Eight Mysterious Techniques at all. They knew all too well how terrifying the Old Celestial Master could be when he left the mountain.
Of course, there were always those who would take risks. Some believed that if they could snatch the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art and return to the Reincarnation Paradise, what could the Old Celestial Master possibly do then?
"Heaven Communicating Talisman Art… Dispatch Of Detained Spirits, Feng Hou Qi-Men…"
As for the Dispatch Of Detained Spirits, Lin Jiu was waiting to see if the Wang family would take the bait. And as for Feng Hou Qi-Me, that had been picked up by Baron, who showed up just to stir things up. Killing him might yield it from a loot box.
As for the Heaven Communicating Talisman Art in Zhang Lingyu's hands, not only did it come with the crazed Lu Jin, but also the Old Celestial Master. Unless someone's brain had been kicked by a donkey, no one would dare to mess with them.
Unfortunately, aside from the Eight Mysterious Techniques, the rest of the sects' skills were either rewards from side quests or hidden missions, or they could be found in loot boxes dropped by sect disciples. Taking them by force wasn't something Reincarnation Paradise would validate.
The only skill Lin Jiu had in hand was a copy of Mysterious Mechanism Converts All Art, and without comparing it to the Eight Mysterious Techniques, he had no way of knowing if it was special because it was a knowledge-based skill or if the other secret techniques could also be taken back with him.
As the light outside the window gradually dimmed and the moon hung high in the sky, night descended.
Zhang Chulan was already preparing to undergo the Celestial Master Transmission process. Lin Jiu stood up and stretched. There were still quite a few Outcast on Dragon Tiger Mountain tonight, and up until now, Lin Jiu had only acquired less than 10% of the Source of the World.
As the saying goes, "Even a mosquito is still meat." Just because the Quanxing cannon fodder provided a small amount of Source of the World, it didn't mean Lin Jiu could ignore them. He wasn't that extravagant yet. With a bit of luck, killing a few more significant characters would surely improve his situation.
The four Quanxing Sorcerers suddenly felt a chill down their spines, as if someone was thinking about them.
Lin Jiu pushed open the door and saw several Outcast in the process of transforming their appearances.
"Well, well, isn't this the guy who went easy in the finals? We didn't get to see a good show earlier, so why don't you show us what you've got—uh, ahhh!"
One of the Outcast, still transforming, was making mocking remarks when, in the next moment, a sword mark appeared on his throat. Even though his throat had been slit, the searing pain that tore through his soul shot straight to his brain. He died in agony.
"The Raten Taishou was truly unsatisfying!"
Lin Jiu muttered these words as he reaped 0.2% of the Source of the World and then lunged at the remaining Quanxing Outcast.
After absorbing the residual soul energy from the Outcast's death, the soul energy inside Lin Jiu's body became highly active. His silver-gray eyes gleamed in the moonlight, creating a strikingly beautiful image. But to the Quanxing Outcast, those eyes were cold and merciless!