Chapter 39 - Finals Phase First Match (1/2)

In the midst of the quiet generated by this result's astonishment, Hei, regardless of the audience's reaction, calmly descended from the ring and sat down on the ground where he had left his belongings.

His bare feet were dirty with dirt and dust, and he used his hands to clean his feet before finally putting on his shoes. Then he got up and resumed his spear behind his back, before silently returning to the corridor from where he had come.

When he was no longer visible, the audience finally expressed their reactions. The outer members who were the easiest to impress were loudly applauding because of the surprise; although some were disappointed that Hei had eliminated their friends or family relatives, they couldn't deny the boy's abilities.

However, it was the inner members who had the most complex reactions among those in the audience - some were merely surprised and applauded Hei's talent; others, however, had on their faces twisted expressions with insecurity and fear.

Even if they possessed superior cultivation, could they say they were capable of fighting one vs. five with a stage of difference? It didn't matter that those were outer members. With the talent shown by that boy, what would have happened if he had reached their cultivation stage?

These were the thoughts of many inner members, especially those who were competing for the top 50 rankings. Since only the first 50 inner members were given rewards, the last seats in the top 50 were always the most disputed until the end.

It had to be said, however, that the ranking only concerned those belonging to the younger generation, i.e., those under the age of 25 years old. After all, it didn't make sense to give valuable resources to those who didn't have enough talent. Those over 25 could only use other methods to obtain contribution points and buy the necessary resources out of their own pockets.

With Hei's young age and fighting strength, there was no doubt that he would play an essential role within the sect. In the eyes of the people, the sect leader had a long foresight in acquiring such a talent.

Regarding the elders' reactions, even those were all different.

The sect leader, the third, sixth, and seventh elders were all pleasantly impressed. Especially the sect leader who, despite having confidence in him, couldn't but have a little fear given that she had never seen him fight.

The second and fifth elders, belonging to the same faction, were mentally discussing with each other to plan their faction's future moves - if possible, they will try to take him away from the sect leader's faction or at least prevent them from getting too close.

The first and fourth elders were also talking to each other, but their expressions were the most worried - there was no doubt that with this new talent, the sect leader would acquire power, but at the same time, the overall strength of the sect would also be increased. If they wanted to compete against the other big sects, they had to bite the bullet and leave free rein to sect leader; no matter how much they wanted to manage things, it didn't mean they would put their personal desires to the good of the sect.

After a while, the clamor subsided, and the sect leader gave the signal to let the next group enter. The remaining three rounds ended smoothly but without a sensational win like Hei's. However, this didn't mean that the winners weren't strong, quite the contrary. The winners of the other three rounds showed a skill level that aroused the interest of the inner members, and they won their challenges without too much effort.

Once the preliminary phase was over, it was time to move on to the final phase. The four winners would, therefore, fight in turns according to the rules already cited by the sect leader. In order to leave the last two winners some time to restore their strength, the first challenge would see the winner of the preliminary phase's first two rounds.

In the waiting room, the four finalists were informed of their respective opponents. Hei's first-round opponent was a 21-year-old man with a sturdy build and a shaved head. He was the biggest between them, and he didn't use bladed weapons, but a pair of iron gloves.

When he heard that his opponent was Hei, he smiled and walked over to Hei.

”I heard from the audience's din that you did a good show out there, kid. Unfortunately for you, this time you won't win. If I were you, it would be better to surrender immediately to have more chances against the other two. If you fight with me, you won't come out unscathed.”

Hearing him speak, Hei, who was sitting at one corner of the room, raised his eyes for a moment, and then he lowered them again. He wondered why these people were wasting time provoking him.

Seeing his reaction, the man laughed and turned to leave. However, immediately afterward, he whirled around again and threw a fist covered by his metallic glove against Hei's face. The blow could easily break someone's nose and make it bleed.

But instead of the expected contact, the fist hit the wall shattering part of it. Hei had gotten up and moved sideways, just enough to dodge his fist. Then with a quick snap of the arm, he placed the index and middle fingers of the left hand, with a V pattern, towards his aggressor's eyes.

”If it had been a life and death situation, I would have already blinded you. You may have time to waste, but it's not the same for me. If you want to die, just say it, and I'll make it happen.”

Hei's response was authoritarian and decisive; even if he didn't care about these junk provocations, it didn't mean he wouldn't react if provoked physically.

Hearing the noise produced by the clash with the fist and the wall, the regulation division guards approached to check the situation.

”Participant Hei, participant ZhenKang. I remind you that fighting in here isn't allowed. If you want to come to the hands so much, you can do it outside. Your turn has arrived anyway. ”

The guards' tone was accompanied by a slight hint of intimidation as if they wanted to imply that they would use force on the next violation.

ZhenKang laughed again and went to the corridor to enter the ring, followed by Hei shortly after. For safety, they were accompanied by one of the guards on the way. Although they had threatened to use force, they couldn't injure the two as this time's selection had many expectations.

Upon seeing the prodigy boy who had defeated his enemies in the preliminary phase, the outer members began to cheer for him. The inner members also laid their eyes on him - this time, the fighting would be individual, and they hoped that with stronger opponents, Hei would reveal more of his strength so they could plan any countermeasures.

Like how he did it during the preliminary phase, Hei took off his shoes and put the spear on the ground. Before, he had done it to get more mobility and movement's speed, now instead because he wanted to use his snake fist to the fullest of his current abilities. Now that he had an opponent of a certain level, he could use his strength without holding back. The only thing he hoped was that the shaved man could hold out as long as possible to allow him to exercise for as long as possible.