Chapter 47: Knockout in One Move

At last, it was Wu Tian’s turn to step onto the stage. His first challenger was called Xiao Yi—a disciple Wu Tian knew well, one of Long Zhan’s hangers-on. Xiao Yi’s cultivation was merely at the second level of Martial Master, but it was always this fellow who took the lead in provoking Wu Tian.

This time was no different. Xiao Yi leaped onto the stage, pointed down at Wu Tian, and shouted arrogantly, “Wu Tian, I never expected my opponent would be you, such a useless trash. I’m so lucky to get you in the first round. Brother Long wanted to teach you a lesson, but since I’ve met you first, I’ll stomp you under my feet for him!”

Wu Tian said nothing, only walked slowly onto the stage. Immediately, a wave of boos rose from below.

“Trash Wu Tian, get off the stage! Don’t embarrass yourself!”

“How could you even be allowed to compete? Heaven must be blind!”

“Wu Tian, you only made it through the first trial by luck. Your luck ends here. Brother Xiao, finish him off!”

A chorus of jeers and mocking voices echoed around.

Once, Wu Tian was hailed as Qi Tian Sect’s greatest prodigy, greeted everywhere with flattery and respect, though envy and resentment lurked among them. Now that Wu Tian had been crippled—his meridians shattered, his core destroyed, reduced to what everyone called a waste—those jealous souls naturally seized the chance to kick him while he was down.

Elsewhere, several people watched Wu Tian closely.

“Sect Leader Ye, is that disciple on stage 23 Wu Tian?” asked the master of the two disciples assigned to monitor Wu Tian. The speaker was a beautiful woman named Liu Qingxu, a senior from the main headquarters of Qi Tian Sect in the Imperial City, and one of the judges for this grand competition.

Ye, the sect leader, stroked his beard and nodded, “That is Wu Tian, the sole disciple of Brother Huang.”

Liu Qingxu frowned slightly. She carefully sensed Wu Tian’s presence, but detected no significant fluctuations of true energy. There were only two possible explanations: either Wu Tian was an ordinary person, or his cultivation was masked by some treasure or technique.

Had Liu Qingxu known less about Wu Tian, she might have believed him to be ordinary, but she was aware of his background and realized that his cultivation must be concealed.

“Sect Leader Ye, did Wu Tian truly lose all his cultivation a year and a half ago?” Liu Qingxu remained skeptical; after all, repairing a shattered core was no simple matter.

“He was ambushed by a mysterious assailant,” Ye replied. “His meridians were completely severed, his core utterly destroyed. Even after recovering from the wounds, he could barely stand, let alone cultivate—he couldn’t lift a single stone.”

“So severe… But how could he kill a first-level Martial Spirit assassin just months later? Even if a Martial Lord helped him, it would take years to recover!”

Ye shook his head, his face shadowed with uncertainty. “I can’t explain it. I only know that a few months ago, he left the sect alone to enter the Misty Forest. We all thought he’d never return. Yet, months later, he came out of the forest, changed. Perhaps he encountered some great fortune there.”

Liu Qingxu said nothing, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on Wu Tian, determined to see just how powerful he was now.

…

“Wu Tian, if you kneel down and admit defeat right now, I might be merciful and go easy on you. How about it?” Xiao Yi grinned at Wu Tian across the stage.

“If you kneel and knock your head three times, I promise not to slap your face swollen,” Wu Tian replied calmly, as if speaking of something trivial.

“Hahaha! Brothers, did you hear that? Wu Tian says he’ll slap my face swollen. So scary, I’m trembling with fear!” Xiao Yi clutched his stomach, laughing uproariously, utterly dismissing Wu Tian.

“A useless trash, so arrogant. Brother Xiao is already a second-level Martial Master, and you think you can beat him? You’re asking for humiliation!”

“Once, Wu Tian might have been the sect’s top prodigy, but now he’s its top waste!”

“Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Wu Tian, I can’t wait to see your face slapped swollen, ha ha…”

Xiao Yi’s entourage roared with laughter, mocking Wu Tian’s hubris.

“A bunch of idiots,” Wu Tian sneered, curling his lip.

“What did you say, kid? You dare curse us? Damn it! Brother Xiao, hurry up and beat him down!”

“Brother Xiao, give him a good thrashing—make sure to slap his mouth swollen!”

“Go on! Stomp him into the ground!”

Wu Tian’s words provoked a wave of fury. If not for the judges nearby, many disciples would have rushed up to pummel him themselves.

“Brothers, don’t be impatient,” Xiao Yi called out. “I’ll fulfill your wish right away. Wu Tian, look at yourself—a waste who can’t behave. Since that’s so, let me show you how it feels to be stomped into the ground, ha ha!”

With contempt in his eyes, Xiao Yi clenched his fists, then lunged at Wu Tian like an arrow.

The rules for the stage duel were few; weapons could be chosen, but Xiao Yi felt he needed only one hand to defeat Wu Tian.

“Go! Beat down Wu Tian, that waste!” disciples below shouted, waving their fists, already envisioning Wu Tian lying in agony.

“Trash, you’re dead!” Xiao Yi charged at Wu Tian, his fist inches from Wu Tian’s nose.

Wu Tian smiled coldly and lifted his right hand.

Smack! Boom!

With a crisp slap, Xiao Yi’s body crashed hard onto the ground, face-first. The stone floor beneath him caved in, spidering with cracks. Blood gushed from his mouth as he lay motionless, a swollen handprint clearly visible on his face—the mark left by Wu Tian’s palm.

For a moment, silence enveloped the stage. Almost no one saw what had happened, not even the judge, who stared, stunned, forgetting to announce the result.

“Judge, it’s time to declare the winner,” Wu Tian said, glancing at the dumbfounded referee.

“Oh, yes—the result…” The judge snapped back, realizing he’d just witnessed the fastest duel he’d ever seen—victory settled in an instant. He hurriedly announced, “On stage 23, the match between Xiao Yi and Wu Tian: Wu Tian is victorious!”

The disciples below gaped in astonishment, eyes wide.

“What the… What happened? How did Brother Xiao get slapped to the ground? Did you see what happened?”

“I… I didn’t see it. I thought Brother Xiao’s punch would hit Wu Tian, but why…”

“A second-level Martial Master beaten in one move—how is that possible?”