Chapter 50: One Against Thirty

When Long Zhan’s body was flung back, Wu Tian saw a glaring crimson number appear above his head: -2. Witnessing this, Wu Tian was speechless—Long Zhan had actually been struck by a critical hit, rebounded by the Black Bear Armor’s skill “Defensive Armor,” losing half his health in an instant. Wu Tian had to admit, Long Zhan’s luck was truly something else.

The audience around the arena was stunned silent by the sight.

“What the hell? What just happened? Wu Tian didn’t even move, so why was Long Zhan sent flying? Looks like he even took damage from his own attack!” some of the disciples exclaimed in confusion.

“It looked like, for a split second, a defensive shield rose up in front of Wu Tian, and Long Zhan was bounced off of it.”

“…”

As the crowd buzzed with speculation, Long Zhan seethed with anger. He’d expected Wu Tian to be defeated in an instant, yet he himself had been sent flying by his own attack.

“Referee, I protest! This bastard is cheating—he’s using some sort of talisman array or magical artifact!” Long Zhan shouted furiously toward the referee at the side of the arena.

The referee shook his head and replied, “As long as no external help is involved, it’s permitted to use tools. Therefore, your protest is invalid!”

Hearing his protest dismissed, Long Zhan grew even more furious. He glared maliciously at Wu Tian. “Wu Tian, if you have any guts, stop using such cheap tricks and fight me openly!”

“Aren’t I fighting you openly now? Of course, if you insist on saying that, there’s nothing I can do,” Wu Tian replied with a shrug.

“Damn it! Even if you’re cheating, I’ll still trample you under my feet today!” Long Zhan gripped his longsword tightly and closed the distance to Wu Tian.

But as he rushed up to Wu Tian, Long Zhan suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze wary as he glanced around Wu Tian, afraid the previous scene would repeat itself.

Swish! Instead of engaging in close combat, Long Zhan swung his sword, sending a blade of energy hurtling forward.

With a muffled thud, Wu Tian’s Black Dragon Saber appeared in his hand, easily blocking the sword energy. As it dissipated, Long Zhan instantly appeared behind Wu Tian.

“Wu Tian, die!” Long Zhan’s sword thrust viciously toward Wu Tian’s neck.

A contemptuous smile curled at Wu Tian’s lips. Though Long Zhan had reached the eighth rank of Martial Master, Wu Tian had already attained the first rank of Martial Spirit—the two were not even on the same plane. In Wu Tian’s eyes, Long Zhan’s attacks were nothing but child’s play.

“Overestimating yourself! Then lie down for me!” Wu Tian sneered, swinging the Black Dragon Saber in a swift backhanded strike at Long Zhan.

Long Zhan’s face changed instantly—Wu Tian’s speed was simply too fast. He hadn’t even had time to finish his own attack and could only switch to defense.

Boom! With a deafening crash, Long Zhan raised his longsword to block, but Wu Tian’s Black Dragon Saber, infused with violent true energy, slammed down upon it. The clash of their energies set off a fierce explosion, sending Long Zhan flying yet again.

Thud, thud, thud… After being blasted away, Long Zhan’s body bounced several times along the ground before finally coming to a stop. He looked utterly disheveled, gasping heavily for breath.

“Whoa!” A collective gasp of amazement erupted around the arena.

If Long Zhan’s earlier rebounded attack could have been chalked up to cheating, this time Wu Tian’s counterattack was pure skill and strength—which left the other disciples in utter shock.

“Unbelievable… He repelled Long Zhan in a single blow! Just how high must his cultivation be?” some of the disciples stammered in disbelief.

“Long Zhan is already at the eighth rank of Martial Master. Could Wu Tian have reached the ninth rank?” others stared in astonishment.

“That useless Wu Tian… When did he regain his strength? And he’s even stronger than before!”

Everyone was filled with shock and questions. Now, in their eyes, Wu Tian was no longer the cripple with a shattered dantian, but a powerhouse—a figure they all looked up to.

Liu Qingxu could not remain seated. Eyes wide, she stared at Wu Tian in the center of the arena and blurted out, “Such violent true energy! Wu Tian’s cultivation is definitely at the tenth rank of Martial Master, maybe even higher. It seems he’s not only recovered his strength, but surpassed his former self! Remarkable, for a disciple from a branch division to have such talent—his gifts rival those of our main headquarters’ best young talents!”

“Truly astonishing. Judging from what just happened, Wu Tian is now the strongest in the arena,” Sect Master Ye said with a nod, surprised but convinced.

…

Having been repelled by Wu Tian once more, Long Zhan felt the sting of internal injuries. His eyes were wide with shock. “Wu Tian, why… why are you so strong? Your dantian was shattered—how can this be?!”

“There’s no why—because you’re too weak,” Wu Tian replied with a cold smirk.

“No! Impossible! I am not the weak one, Wu Tian—you’re the cripple! Why are you always stronger than me? I’ll defeat you today, no matter what it takes!” Long Zhan bellowed, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

He then stood and shouted to the other disciples on the arena, “All of you, listen up! Whoever helps me take down this useless Wu Tian today will be my brother from now on. I swear by the True God, once we enter the headquarters of Qitian Sect, I will never let my brothers suffer—I will help you all reach the pinnacle of strength!”

At once, the fighting on the arena ground to a halt. Long Zhan’s own followers, of course, rallied to his side. Out of the thirty-eight people present, nearly half were already with Long Zhan. The rest had been neutral, but upon hearing Long Zhan’s promise, they too stopped fighting.

“I, Long Zhan, never mistreat my brothers! But if anyone chooses to oppose me, don’t blame me for being ruthless! Those who would stand with me, step forward!” Long Zhan brandished his longsword, shouting.

Immediately, a dozen of Long Zhan’s loyal followers joined him. Some of the neutral disciples glanced at each other—after all, while Wu Tian now seemed to match Long Zhan in strength, the numbers were overwhelmingly on Long Zhan’s side. So, a portion of the neutral disciples also walked over to Long Zhan.

“Damn! Boss, what should we do now? That bastard Long Zhan has so many people on his side—more than half have joined him,” Niu Wuji muttered as he walked over. Long Zhan’s shamelessness was infuriating; now he was staging a gang-up.

“So what if they have numbers? It just saves me the trouble—easier to settle everything at once!” Wu Tian flexed his wrist, a look of anticipation on his face. He could hardly wait to claim first place.

Seeing the vast majority now on his side, Long Zhan was elated. He shouted, full of excitement, “Brothers, now’s your chance—let’s go! Take Wu Tian down together!”

“A bunch of overconfident fools. Since that’s how you want it, I’ll just deal with you all at once!” Wu Tian gripped the Black Dragon Saber, took a deep breath, and poured all his true energy into the weapon, which seemed to emit a dragon’s roar.

“First form of the Black Dragon Saber Technique—Winds Rise and Clouds Surge!”