Chapter 70 - 61: I Want to Check the Cards
"That’s right! Bet on Zhao Hao! It’s easy money, a sure win!"
Although the audience acknowledged Lin Yi’s talent and future potential.
In this seemingly lopsided duel of strength and Experience, they almost unanimously favored Zhao Hao.
The spectators picked up their communicators and quickly placed bets on the Thunder Arena’s official app. On the screen, the amount wagered on Zhao Hao skyrocketed.
「Half an hour passed in a flash.」
The host’s powerful voice once again boomed through the arena:
"The break is over! Will the two contestants please enter the ring!"
"ROAR!"
Amidst another eruption of cheers from the crowd,
Zhao Hao let out a vicious grin. He strode onto the stage with a powerful gait, carrying a thick-backed, mountain-cleaving long saber. The tip of his blade scraped along the ground, creating a piercing sound and an intimidating presence.
On the other side, Lin Yi, with a calm expression, walked up with a steady pace, holding the Owl Dragon Long Spear.
"Will both contestants please bow to each other as a sign of respect!" the host shouted.
Lin Yi followed proper etiquette, clasping his fists and giving Zhao Hao a slight bow.
Zhao Hao casually clasped his fists in return, the gesture clearly perfunctory.
In the instant they passed by each other,
Zhao Hao’s cold and menacing voice slithered into Lin Yi’s ear like a viper:
"Kid, Lin Yi, is it? Listen up. This isn’t some playground at your school. People die here! Fists and feet have no eyes, and blades are even more merciless! If you don’t want to lose an arm or a leg, or even your life, then know what’s good for you. Concede and get the hell out of here! Don’t ask for humiliation!"
Lin Yi’s gaze didn’t waver in the slightest, as if he hadn’t heard the threat at all. His face remained perfectly calm, and he gave no response.
The host quickly reiterated the Rules of the ring: an unrestricted duel where any means could be used to defeat an opponent, except for firearms. However, attacking an opponent after they had surrendered was strictly forbidden.
After explaining the Rules, the host quickly stepped off the stage.
The very moment his feet crossed the boundary of the ring—
"Let the match—BEGIN!!!"
The declaration, like the toll of a great bell, rang out across the arena.
"DIE!"
A savage light flared in Zhao Hao’s eyes. He let out a beastly roar and, without any probing attacks, lunged at Lin Yi like a ferocious tiger descending a mountain. The floor of the ring boomed under his feet as he charged forward, saber raised!
The long saber tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aimed straight for Lin Yi’s face!
His face was filled with excitement.
’I know Lin Yi is a genius,’ he thought. ’Maybe in the future, he’ll become someone I have to look up to, an existence I can never touch.’
’But right now!’
’I’m going to defeat him.’
’No matter how brilliantly Lin Yi shines in the future,’
’the fact that I once defeated him will never change!’
’This will be a monument in the story of my life!’
However, just as Zhao Hao’s long saber was about to strike home, in that critical instant,
Lin Yi, who had been standing as still as a pine tree, had a sudden change in his eyes!
Those calm pupils instantly turned bone-chillingly cold, and a sharp, tangible killing intent erupted from him!
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Lin Yi advanced instead of retreating. He sidestepped like a phantom, narrowly avoiding the blade’s edge by a hair’s breadth!
At the same time, the muscles in his right arm tensed instantly. A torrent of Qi and Blood Power surged forth, pouring into his long spear!
He didn’t choose the most fatal option—a direct thrust—worried he might run the man straight through on the spot.
Instead, he wielded the dark Owl Dragon Long Spear like a heavy iron staff, sweeping it horizontally towards Zhao Hao’s waist with the force of a thunderbolt!
The sweep was as fast as lightning, its momentum like a rolling thunderclap!
"What?!"
Zhao Hao’s savage grin froze on his face, replaced by utter horror!
He felt an unimaginably terrifying force, overwhelming and immense, crashing down upon him!
The strength of the blow far exceeded his estimations!
He hurriedly gripped his saber with both hands and held it sideways, attempting to block the earth-shattering strike!
CLANG! CRACK!
The piercing sound of metal clashing exploded!
Zhao Hao felt an irresistible force slam into the body of his saber. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger instantly split open, splattering blood!
His prideful strength and his thick-backed long saber were like paper-mâché before this brutish power!
The long saber was knocked from his grasp, sent spinning until it slammed into the protective ropes at the edge of the ring!
And Lin Yi’s spear, its momentum unbroken, solidly swept across Zhao Hao’s chest!
CRUNCH!
The sickening crack of breaking bones was clearly audible!
Zhao Hao’s eyes bulged as he violently coughed up blood. His body, like a broken sack, flew through the air in an arc, sailing over the ring ropes and crashing heavily onto the hard ground several meters away.
He tumbled several more times before coming to a stop.
Leaving a glaring trail of blood behind him.
He lay limp on the ground, his body curled up in agony. He couldn’t even scream, only able to produce pained, rasping gasps.
Silence!
A deathly silence!
The audience, who had been madly cheering for Zhao Hao just a second ago, seemed to have been collectively choked. The fanatical expressions on their faces froze, their eyes wide and round, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.
In an instant, the vast arena became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
No one could believe their eyes!
Zhao Hao, the infamous "Tiger Descending the Mountain" with thirty consecutive wins... had actually lost?
And he’d lost so cleanly? So decisively?
So... utterly crushed?!
In just one move!
A single exchange!
The ruthless man renowned for his rich combat experience had been swept away like trash by a student who had just stepped into the ring?!
Lin Yi slowly retracted his spear and stood, the tip pointing diagonally at the ground, unstained by even a single drop of blood.
His expression was calm, showing no joy in his victory.
This result was entirely within his expectations.
Zhao Hao had clearly focused on the Refinement of his upper limb bones. Being at the First Grade Middle Stage meant the total number of bones he had refined couldn’t exceed forty, and his Qi and Blood limit was at most a little over two hundred cal.
But Lin Yi’s Qi and Blood value had already reached a staggering 227 cal!
This wasn’t just a difference of twenty-odd cal of Qi and Blood.
More importantly, Lin Yi had performed Refinement on his torso bones!
The torso bones are the central core for the circulation of Qi and Blood in the human body. The Refinement of the torso bones brings about a qualitative leap in the efficiency of mobilizing Qi and Blood and in explosive power!
To put it another way:
Zhao Hao, having refined his upper limb bones, might be able to unleash 10 kilograms of force by mobilizing 1 cal of Qi and Blood.
But Lin Yi, having refined his torso bones, could unleash a terrifying force of nearly 20 kilograms by mobilizing that same 1 cal of Qi and Blood!
Compounded, it was absolute domination through sheer power!
Lin Yi didn’t even need to use any sophisticated spear techniques.
Simply using brute force to overcome finesse was more than enough to end the fight easily.
"Cough... cough, cough..."
Sprawled on the ground, Zhao Hao struggled to lift his head, his face twisted from the excruciating pain in his chest.
He stared intently at the nonchalant Lin Yi on the stage, his eyes filled with unwillingness, humiliation, and a maddened disbelief.
He used every ounce of his strength to roar, his voice raw and ragged, at the judge’s table and the entire audience:
"No! Impossible! We’re both at the First Grade Middle Stage; the difference in power can’t be this huge! He... he definitely concealed his true realm! He broke the Rules! He cheated! I demand... I demand an immediate inspection of his Qi and Blood value!"
This shrill accusation was like a Giant Stone dropped into a calm lake!
After a brief, deathly silence, the audience erupted!
"That’s right! That power is too ridiculous!"
"Something’s definitely wrong! How can a First Grade Middle Stage one-shot someone of the same rank?"
"Check him! You have to check him! The arena must be fair!"
"Lin Yi! Give us an explanation!"
A wave of furious accusations instantly swept through the entire venue.
The core principle of the arena matches is fairness!
Even if Lin Yi was a genius from Yang City and a star of hope for the future, if he broke the rules, it would absolutely not be tolerated!
The audience felt they had been deceived, and their emotions ran high.
Over by the contestant passageway,
Manager Wang saw the out-of-control scene, and his forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat. The back of his shirt was soaked through.
He whipped his head around to look at Zhang Quan beside him, his tone filled with sharp suspicion:
"Brother Zhang! What... what is going on?! Brother Lin... did he really hide his realm? This... this is a serious violation of our Thunder Arena’s ironclad rules! How could you... how could you let him fight like this?!"
His gaze toward Zhang Quan was filled with accusation.
