by Tinalynge
Xu Min narrowed his eyes, but he did not move in the slightest. No Qi left his body; the only part of Xu Min which did move was his sword. He slashed horizontally right through the Qi eagle.The energy slowly vanished as the sword greedily absorbed it all.
The eagle was still controlled by the two-star internal expert; where the sword did what it did best, it latched itself onto the strands of Qi and forcefully absorbed the Qi from inside the body of the internal expert.
It did not take long before the internal expert collapsed on the ground. All the energy in the opponent's body had been drained. His eyes were listless and his body limp. The absorption of the Qi invisibly took place, so no one exactly knew what happened. The audience's expectations completely dismantled as the strongest one they thought would be victorious was defeated in one attack. Silence soon followed as everyone was stunned. He should not have been so quickly defeated from having his eagle destroyed, but something happened, something invisible. Nevertheless, no matter what it was, Xu Min released no Qi, no ripples of energy came from him, yet his opponent was still completely drained.
Not only the audience were shocked, everyone on the ground was shocked too. The experts remembered how they had laughed at Xu Min, but now that he had swiftly defeated one of their own, who was to say that he could not defeat two? Perhaps three? His ability was unlimited if he could deal with the two-star Warriors without the need for using his Qi. If this was the case, only the third and fourth-star Warriors were capable of dealing with him. The tournament had a dark horse participating, and this dark horse brought change.
Chapter 50 - The Dark Horse
Silence swept over the arena, everyone’s eyes stared at the defeated Warrior. “He must have lost on purpose; I’m sure that the Alluring Treasure Pavilion paid him to lose! They can afford it, after all!” someone suddenly and loudly interjected. Since the comment was spoken in the silenced arena, everyone heard what was said.
The Yong family's faces filled with anger and veins could be seen throbbing in their foreheads. It was clear that they were forcing themselves to remain calm and unaffected.
Looking up, Xu Min noticed that the speaker satin one of the rows reserved for the weaker families attending the tournament. Xu Min abruptly laughed, a laughter which shocked everyone present.
“You accuse me that I need to pay to win?” he asked with a sinister smile spreading on his lips, “In that case, I challenge your family’s expert. Let us see if your family too has been bribed to win.”
While everyone thought this was a rash decision, three men knew otherwise. Xiao Lei, Han Shi, and Wu Weisheng knew of Xu Min’s hidden strength. They then told their families about Xu Min’s strength they saw at the challengers hall. None of their families though went to other families with the information. Although families might ally from time to time, the families were mainly loyal to themselves. All knowledge they had, they kept for themselves unless they benefitted from sharing it.
Everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage. Many in the audience thought the Yong family conspired the first battle from their riches. This young fighter was different; this man had called them out. If they lost, didn’t that imply they seemed unreliable too?
“You have the guts to challenge me?” An expert exclaimed, walking down the stairs leading to the arena. Unlike the previous expert, this man was without a doubt an external expert. His body was massive with tanned skin and bulging muscles. Looking at his appearance, Xu Min instantly understood that he focused fully on strength; thus, his speed was incredibly slow. The warrior's sloth-like slowness reminded Xu Min of a battle he had fought earlier, remembering how that fight had gone, he could not help but confidently smile.
Entering the arena, the external expert stretched his body, cracked his neck and looked menacingly at Xu Min. Comparing the two fighters, they looked ridiculous. Xu Min was a full two heads shorter than the bulky external expert. Furthermore, his body was small, lean, and agile; his body was swift. It resembled a wolf trying to kill a mouse.
The spectators watched breathlessly. This battle would prove if Xu Min were naturally strong as the Yong family led on or if he was just a young man they had picked up and exaggerated his strength. Everything depended on Xu Min now.
The fight was about to start. As soon as the judge dropped his hand, Xu Min’s big opponent charged forward, with every step the ground shook. If a commoner, unpracticed in cultivation, saw this charge, they would be shocked by the speed. However, many experts felt that this large man was incredibly slow. Avoiding his attacks proved to be the easiest Xu Min had ever done, dodging and evading, he managed to dodge every single attack. The fists aimed towards him never even touched the corner of his clothes.
Everyone on the seats narrowed his or her eyes. Observing the fight, it was evident who was at an advantage and who was at a disadvantage.Although the large external expert was constantly advancing towards Xu Min, due to his snail-like slowness he was unable to reach him, making him at a disadvantage.
Xu Min was considering if he should just stop retreating and attack instead attack. Should he use his sword? Or should he use his fists? Uncertain if he used his sword he could finish the battle early while at the same time increase his strength because adding too much energy would cause his body to explode. The energy he received from his first was already quite a bit, absorbing more could be risky.
‘Fine, let us go with the fists then,’ Xu Min decided, ‘I’ll just use some of the energy I have already absorbed and then suck the next expert dry.’
‘Hey! You should let me deal with him,’ Cao Cao’s voice suddenly resounded in Xu Min’s ear. ‘I owe that Yong family a lot. They gave me plenty of good food, so we cannot afford to lose this tournament. If I see you having problems, then I will personally make sure to step in so that you win.’
Hearing these words and the arrogance behind them, Xu Min couldn’t help but snort. The spectators above and the fighters below noticed the snort, and they assumed it was a sign of disdain for the expert in front of him. Suddenly, all of them believed that the Yong family had not cheated. Perhaps, they truly had found a peerless genius.
Understanding this realization, many of the experts felt pity for the young man. To have such a great talent and then use him this year in the tournament was an unfortunate situation. He was under twenty years of age; thus, he could have joined the competition until another ten years. Nevertheless, he had joined, and only when he was a second-star student. Even if he were talented, he would be destroyed by the third-star Warriors, if not them by young master Tang Jin for sure since he was a four-star Warrior
However, the human being is complex, and though they felt pity, they were secretly pleased with this misfortune as well. The Alluring Treasure Pavilion was already a giant within Ri Chu City without having martial powers due to their money.
If this person truly had the chance to grow and become older and a higher-ranked expert, Then the other presitiges families and experts would have to pay even more respect to the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. No one wanted that.
“Let us see if he can turn this around,” some of the experts in their seats mumbled.
“Perhaps he only knows how to flee,”
“He is slower at defeating this expert than the previous one. They were probably correct about the Yong family paying the expert for losing on purpose.”
“He is so young. Although he might have the advantage, if he cannot utilize his advantage then it doesn’t even matter. He cannot have much experience in battle, so he is going to get beat anyway.”
Many similar words were uttered. These murmurings could be heard by the audience from the experts seating down. No one blinked; rather, everyone looked at the arena, determining whether or not Xu Min could actually win.
The Yong family’s faces soured, their moods fouled, and they could not help but grimace at the negative words about Xu Min that rained down upon them. The only one who seemed serene was Yong Meilin. A gentle smile was o
n her lips and her eyes glued to Xu Min.
Xu Min didn’t even glance at the seats, but he knew that there was at least one person who did not doubt him. This assurance was all he needed deep within in his heart. Having been alone for such a long time, and then just being with Cao Cao, Xu Min was used to not dealing with other people. He didn’t trust humans after Overseer Tian’s infamous betrayal.
Nonetheless, Yong Meilin wasn’t there, not doing anything specific apart from just being around him and he had found that he could relax with her by his side.
A gentle smile appeared on Xu Min’s face. He abruptly came to a standstill. Instead of turning backward, Xu Min rushed forward; his sword was sheathed on his back, and Qi entered his fists. Although Xu Min was not as physically dominant as his opponent, he had speed at his disposal, and he punched his opponent squarely in his opened chest with Xu Min’s Qi enhanced fist.The Qi poured into the opponent and sent a shockwave through his muscle, crushing his heart His opponent staggered backward, a stream of blood ran from his lips.
This man was far older than Xu Min and though he was injured he forcefully managed to stand his ground before he charged forward. Rushing towards Xu Min his fastest speed was like a snail in front of a cheetah. As a result, Xu Min had long since pounced backward far away from the muscular man.
Grinning Xu Min decided he needed to end this fight; he instantly pounced forward again, Qi glistening on his palm. He struck the shoulder, the abdomen, and the solar plexus in rapid succession before he once more retreated and the opponent was propelled backward.
The opponent falling to the ground was shocked to realize he could do nothing to stop the attacks. Additionally, his body had been severely damaged by these attacks. Trying to stand up once more, he fell to his knees and vomited blood. It was clear that he was fully unable even to fight back against the swift Xu Min.
Although everyone wanted to prove and say that Xu Min was not experienced enough, it was apparent he had won this battle. Because it was not a fight to the death, the Judge stopped it after the expert had vomited blood.
“The winner is Xu Min from the Yong family,” he apathetically called out, causing surprise in the audience. When Xu Min had attacked, pouncing only twice had been enough to make this large muscular man submit. With the first expert everyone still had not figured out how Xu Min defeated him and now this?. Silence prevailed once again in the audience; finally, they understood that this young man might equal the others because of his inherent hidden strengths.
Although everyone knew that his power was real and not bought by the Yong family, they started, even more, to desire he would be defeated by the stronger competitors. They couldn’t allow the Yong family to rise too much in the martial arts competition. It would place all of them in an unfortunate position.
Knowing Xu Min’s unstable situation, the patriarch of the Yong family worried. He knew Xu Min would likely be severely injured by the young master of the Tang family or by the three-star Warriors, but he would have to still ask this young man to fight against the higher ranked cultivators. No matter what happened to Xu Min, later on, his time to shine was now, and his rank was what determined by how strong and prestige the Yong family became.
Knowing this, Xu Min stayed on the stage. He owed the Yong family a lot, and if not for anything else, he still would have participated due to his friendship between him and Yong Meilin. Unlike the Yong family patriarch, Xu Min did not think his future would end here. Xu Min exactly knew what his hidden strengths were like, and with Cao Cao around his neck he knew there was a fifty-fifty percent chance of winning. He was not sure how well he could do against the fourth-star ranked Tang Jin, but he did know he would do his best to bring fame for the Yong family. He needed to repay the kindness they had shown him before he had to move on, move on onto the road of revenge.
Chapter 51 - The Might of a Two Star Warrior
Silence surrounded the audience sitting and the experts standing. Everyone stared at Xu Min; they finally understood his strength was authentic. Acknowledging this reality, many of the two-star Warriors hesitated to accept a challenge since they knew they were not stronger than the two opponents who had already been defeated.
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Xu Min pointed at a random cultivator. This cultivator was an internal expert, and as soon as the battle begun, Xu Min once more wielded his Qi devouring sword. Similar to the first match, Xu Min’s third opponent collapsed on the arena’s floor without even putting up a fight. Xu Min’s sword swiftly and efficiently drained all of his energy. Unable to stand up and walk, he needed assistance from the other experts to leave the stage.
A pattern developed. One person Hui Yue actually fought while the next opponent he would use his sword. Thus, he rotated between his sword and his physical strength. It didn’t take long for many of the most skilled experts in the audience to understand Xu Min’s sword had a draining ability. Many experts greedily looked upon Xu Min’s now coveted sword; the older experts restrained themselves from charging down and forcefully stealing the sword from the young man. Their reputations would be tarnished, and they would appear unsightly; especially since they assumed it was a treasure the Alluring Treasure Pavilion had gifted him.
What these families did not know was that even the patriarch of the Yong family was shocked to see this important treasure in the hands of Xu Min. A peerless treasure, helping its owner defeat this many experts without relying on his Qi within.
The fights were quick and short. Xu Min kept on devouring as much energy as he possibly could.When he felt his body filled with energy, then he would use his external attacks and outstanding speed to deal with the rest.
All the two-star experts were swiftly defeated. None of them managed to hit Xu Min even once, let alone touch the corner of his robe. Xu Min defeated them in rapid succession of each other, and he never had to leave the arena. Looking at him, all the spectators were filled with disbelief.
Xu Min had been using some of his Qi here and there, but he never seemed low on Qi, not even when he fought the twenty experts in a row. In front of Xu Min, only six experts remained.
These six experts were Xiao Lei, Han Shi, Wu Weisheng, the young master Wei, young master Tang, young master Shiu and young Master Guo. All of them, apart from young master Tang Jin, were three-star warriors while Tang Jin was a four-star warrior.
Finally, the casual expression on Xu Min’s face turned serious; he knew the easy fights had ended. Although the sword had managed to subdue third-star experts at the Yong family compound, this time, it was different.
These experts in front of him were the sons of influential families within Ri Chu City.
They had been raised far differently than the guards of the Yong family home. The families fed them medicinal pills and gave them anything they needed to enhance their training. They were the best, the most outstanding and dangerous youngsters in the younger generation. These experts should be able to quickly deal with the devouring effect of the sword, understand how it works, and counter its effects.
While Xu Min earnestly looked at the experts in front of him, the Yong family was already satisfied with the results Xu Min had achieved. In the tournament’s history, this was the first time one person defeated twenty opponents in a row. Even a high-ranked fighter without a devouring sword would be limited by his or her Qi and after defeating twenty opponents would be definitely at their limits.
The record-setting young man did not seem to be at his limit at all. There was no sweat on his face, no fatigue in his eyes, and no exhaustion in his movements. He seemed as vigorous as when he first entered the arena. This sight alone shocked the spectators.
The experts on the ground were numb and worried since they were the ones fighting not the audience. After seeing one person getting defeated after another, they felt apprehensive. They all waited for Xu Min to reach his limit while he was fighting, but now looking at this young man he was far from his limit.
Looking at each othe
r, the reality was clear; no one was interested in being the next person in the arena.
“Hahaha,” suddenly a laughter rang out, “don’t tell me that all of you have become scared of a mere two-star Warrior?” a voice mockingly interrogated. Everyone turned their heads to the speaker and Xu Min’s eyes narrowed. It was Tang Jin.
“If not one of you dares to challenge an expert a whole level below you then allow me to demonstrate the large difference between the ranks, as if a two-star Warrior is capable of defeating me.”
“You don’t consider this bullying, do you?” Xiao Lei asked. However, his question only made Tang Jin laugh even more, “Bullying? He just bullied twenty experts; should we just let him do whatever he wishes to do?
True, I might be twice his age and twice his rank, but I will show him that he has been on stage far too long. I will prove to him he is not the only genius around here.”
Hearing these words from Tang Jin, Xiao Lei said no more; but, he and Han Shi and Wu Weisheng all looked dismayed. It was evident they were displeased with what Tang Jin said, yet none of them dared to say more. They were young masters indeed; nonetheless, their families could not afford to insult the Tang family.
