After the chaotic scene settled, the inspection process naturally sped up. The average strength of the over fifty participants hovered around the mid-fourth level, which meant that Ouyang Ye could only be considered a mid-to-lower tier player. Ouyang Duanhua, in contrast, was the sole sixth level ability user. Originally, this would have made him the center of attention right from his appearance, but now, all the spotlight was stolen by the three question marks beside Ouyang Ye's name.
It was common knowledge that an ability user's future achievements depended not only on diligence and effort but also on talent. The level of talent was the decisive factor. No matter how powerful Ouyang Duanhua was, his future potential would top out at an S-level ability user. But as for Ouyang Ye, the future was uncertain.
As a result, before the competition even began, the odds offered by the betting companies, which were initially 1:90, plummeted drastically. They only stabilized at 1:7.9. This, in a way, gave the young Ouyang Master plenty of respect. However, he wasn't pleased in the slightest. He jabbed his fingers heavily and left an extremely arrogant messageâ*You fuckers, I bet all my assets on my own victory, and you guys lower the odds! Do you know how many billions I will lose?*
Netizens swarmed in, opening up sarcastic comments, and someone even suggested he should participate in a trash-talking competition, where he would undoubtedly clinch the championship.
Ouyang Ye felt vexed at the sight. Thus, he seized the opportunity before the competition to verbally spar with the masses for a few hundred rounds, which made him feel much better. Just when he was about to switch off his brain device, he suddenly noticed that Young Master Qi, who rarely went online, had mentioned him and left a messageâ*Don't disgrace me.*
*Ahma! The imperial decree has arrived! This humble subject receives the decree!* He immediately replied with this message and sent a few suck-up emoticons.
Netizens seemed to have grabbed onto a massive handle to ridicule. They started saying that the two were a perfect match, with one being weak and the other an idiot. The trending list gradually deviated, turning into a scandal list that exposed their disreputable romantic history. Ouyang Ye was already too lazy to pay attention. He waved at the VIP lounge on the third floor and then obediently queued up to wait for the draw.
Yan Bo always loved gossip. He whispered, "This Young Master Ouyang is indeed a classic example of a person asking for a beating. Being so arrogant before the competition even starts, I wonder how he'll clean up the mess if he loses. And that Qi Ze, he's as gentle as a little lamb in front of you but gives orders in front of him. It reminds me of an old sayingâ'One thing is controlled by another.' Look at their interaction. Actually, it's quite interesting."
Yan Junyu's gaze lingered on Qi Ze's personal webpage, not moving away for a long time. That was because his profile picture wasn't a self-portrait but a stone tablet carved with five ancient characters. Four of them he had just seen on Ouyang Ye's sword handle.
His heart inexplicably raced for two beats, then quickly returned to normal, as if the intense palpitations were only an illusion. He turned on his brain device and secretly followed Qi Ze.
"Eh? Why are you following him? Don't tell me you suddenly developed an interest in him?" Yan Bo asked in surprise.
Yan Junyu closed the screen of the brain device and spoke calmly, "The participants have already finished drawing lots. You should go and act as an off-field advisor now."
Yan Bo wanted to ask more, but seeing that everything was ready below, he had to get up and leave his seat.
The on-site host, aiming at the microphone, said, "Unfortunately, Ouyang Ye and Ouyang Duanhua were not placed in the same group. The eagerly anticipated battle of the century is unknown when it will be staged. But it's alright, there are already a few contestants who have encountered their sworn enemies early on. Who wins or loses, let's invite the experts off-field to predict." The microphone was passed to Yan Bo, who had rushed over in a hurry. He immediately started speaking non-stop.
Meanwhile, Ouyang Ye stood below and did some warm-up exercises. Although he hadn't been grouped with Ouyang Duanhua, he drew the unfortunate first number for the first group. He would soon be on the stage, and his opponent was a fifth-level beginner earth ability user, one of Ouyang Duanhua's cronies. The opponent wore a sullen expression, his eyes filled with murderous intent. Without a doubt, in order to suppress his rise, Ouyang Duanhua planned to use this competition to take action.
The two stepped onto the dueling platform amidst cheers and mockery from the crowd. The cheers were naturally for the earth ability user. After all, he had been well-known for some time and had a large number of fans. The mocking, on the other hand, was for Ouyang Ye. His title as a waste was well-known. He started practicing physical arts only in the last two years, and his ability only burst forth two months ago. No one knew the level of his strength, but his foul mouth was a certainty.
"Looks like the bias of the audience is quite clear. Then let's look forward to the battle of the two. This is also a good opportunity to understand the true strength of Young Master Ouyang." The host said with a chuckle.
The contestants below couldn't help but fix their gaze on the stage. Ouyang Duanhua stepped forward to get a clearer view. Li Yu had protected Ouyang Ye too well, so he still hadn't been able to understand the other's true capabilities.
On the stage, Ouyang Ye fixed his gaze on the earth ability user for a moment and confirmed, "Are you Tang Mingzhou? Were you there when Ouyang Duanhua injured Qi Ze at that time?"
Tang Mingzhou sneered contemptuously, "It's me. So, you want to avenge your little lover?"
"Your sister's little lover! He's my ancestor, and also your ancestor!" Ouyang Ye drew Wind Forest and Fire Sea and slashed a flaming wind blade over. He didn't hold back, directly using a killing move. Anyway, the three question marks had already pushed him into the limelight. Hiding his ability now would be tantamount to seeking death.
"Oh, starting a fight without a declaration of war, Young Master Ouyang's fighting style is indeed the same as his speaking style, which is very hooligan-like." The host couldn't help but tease a few words, causing a chorus of boos from below.
Tang Mingzhou was clearly well-prepared. His body was instantly covered with a thick layer of rock, blocking the fatal strike. The rock, baked red by the high temperature, was hit by the wind blade, shattering into pieces, revealing the bloody skin underneath. Just one move had injured him, proving that Young Master Ouyang was indeed not weak.
Tang Mingzhou not only didn't retreat, but instead launched a counterattack. Two agile figures immediately tangled together.
The host looked at Yan Bo beside him and asked, "Young Master Ouyang has a weapon, while Tang Mingzhou is fighting bare-handed. Isn't this unfair?"
Yan Bo shook his head, "Earth ability users have very strong defensive capabilities and are not weak in attack either. They are all-around players. When fighting with them, not carrying a weapon is the one who will suffer. Moreover, it's known that primary attribute weapons only have a boost of one to three percent, which is almost negligible for the improvement of an ability user's strength. So, neither of them has an advantage. It's all a matter of personal strength and fighting skills. Moreover, many ability users are accustomed to transforming their abilities into weapons, such as the vine whips of wood ability users, the ice spikes of ice ability users, let alone the countless sword lights and blade shadows of metal ability users, which are simply impossible to defend against. Therefore, whether to wear a weapon in the competition or not is entirely up to the participants' habits, with no mandatory regulations."
"I see. I've heard that the boost of a tenth-level attribute weapon is as high as fifty percent. That is to say, possessing a tenth-level attribute weapon is like two people fighting together, with power that can continuously stack. That is a real killing weapon! Young Master Yan has a tenth-level attribute weapon in his hands. Is that true?" The host probably thought the result of the competition was already decided, so he started to gossip.
"Tenth-level attribute weapons are legendary divine weapons. Even I have never seen one." Yan Bo was about to change the topic when he heard a loud bang from the stage. He saw Ouyang Ye slash ten times in a row, each strike hitting the same spot, and it broke through Tang Mingzhou's airtight defense, causing his body's rock to completely fall off.
The audience gasped in unison. But Tang Mingzhou wasn't panicked at all. He quickly dodged another wind-fire blade and reassembled his defensive layer. He stomped his foot slightly, summoning one earth spike after another, appearing continuously on Ouyang Ye's path of attack. There were countless rocks falling from the sky, disrupting his vision and actions. Ouyang Ye almost had nowhere to step and could only rely on his intuition to dodge. He was soon also injured. Without the guidance of a master, all his fighting skills were learned from the frenzied beasts. The more a frenzied beast bled, the fiercer its attacks became. They only knew how to advance, not to retreat.
Thus, the injured Ouyang Ye also became a crazy beast, smashing all the earth spikes and charging at Tang Mingzhou without hesitation. His eyes, red with the will to fight, had his momentum rising nonstop. The ability inside his body seemed inexhaustible, continuously slashing out a storm wrapped in flames.
The stage was splattered with flying debris, and the flames soared up to the sky. The two figures were almost out of sight. The battle started with such intensity, causing the audience to gasp in amazement.
Yan Bo hadn't expected Young Master Ouyang's fighting style to be like this, as if he didn't care about his life, only knowing how to attack, attack, attack, and not defending at all. No, his defense was also an attack, making it even more difficult to handle.
Yan Junyu had always been very concerned about this battle, so he paid close attention throughout. But for some reason, what he cared more about was Ouyang Ye's frequent glances at the third-floor lounge. Who was sitting there? Qi Ze? Thinking this, he couldn't help but look up, but only saw a layer of gorgeous curtains. The lounge was equipped with a huge holographic screen, which could see more clearly than anyone else. Why would they need to stand on the balcony?
He retracted his gaze and looked back at the field again, but his mind couldn't concentrate.
Just at this moment, the intense battle on the stage suddenly came to a halt. Ouyang Ye's two feet were deeply embedded in the ground, unable to be pulled out no matter what. And Tang Mingzhou suddenly disappeared, no one knew where he had gone.
"Earth is the best battlefield for earth ability users. When fighting them, it's best to always pay attention to your feet. Of course, if you can fly, you don't have to worry about that." Yan Bo declared, "Young Master Ouyang has lost. If he can't pull his feet out within half a second, the lurking Tang Mingzhou will deliver a fatal blow."
However, Ouyang Ye didn't struggle as he had imagined, but instead stabbed his sword fiercely into the ground and then frantically drew out the wind and fire elements in the air. The two elements could strengthen each other's power when they intersected, and when they came together, they immediately rubbed and expanded, producing a terrifying explosive effect.
With a loud bang, the entire venue was blown into pieces. Tang Mingzhou, who was lurking inside, was thrown out by the shock wave, his body covered in blood. Before he could react, Ouyang Ye immediately raised his long sword and swung out the final blow. However, a transparent energy shield suddenly appeared, quickly isolating him from Tang Mingzhou, and the invisible wind blades were all negated, turning into ripples that spread out in circles on the energy shield.
Each contestant would sign a liability waiver before stepping on the stage, stating that they were responsible for their own life and death. But how precious were the lives of ability users? The military would certainly not let them be consumed in meaningless duels, so they equipped them with a signal transmitter. When the life functions dropped to only twenty percent, it would automatically trigger the stage's protective mechanism, isolating the contestants.
Thus, Tang Mingzhou managed to save a life. He stood up while coughing up blood, staring at the opposite with a venomous gaze. Ouyang Ye, however, lowered the long sword and gave an eerie smile.
"Dear viewers, the match has ended after just fifteen minutes. The fourth-level, dual wind and fire ability user Ouyang Ye overwhelmingly defeated the fifth-level earth ability user Tang Mingzhou. There was a big realm difference between the two, and the difference in strength should have been worlds apart, but the result was very surprising. Let me see the odds of their match before the bet. Uh... 1 to 6.8, although it's the ratio after a significant adjustment, those who bet on Ouyang Ye's win can still make a lot of money. Here, I first congratulate the contestant Ouyang Ye on his victory, and also congratulate his supporters."
The audience was silent, occasionally interspersed with a few ecstatic cheers, indicating that someone had made a lot of money.
The camera focused on Tang Mingzhou's blood-stained face, magnifying his vicious and unwilling expression on the public holographic screen. The audience gradually came to their senses and raised their thumbs at him, then fell down one after another. This was a sign of insult. The fame and popularity that Tang Mingzhou had accumulated over a decade were destroyed overnight.
The host continued, "The energy shield on the stage has automatically activated, indicating that Tang Mingzhou is seriously injured, and his life functions may have dropped to the brink of danger. Alright, the medical team has arrived. Contestant Tang Mingzhou will receive proper medical treatment. Please don't worry, fans. Contestant Ouyang Ye is standing straight, although he is also covered in blood, but his mental state is quite good. He raised his sword and pointed it at Tang Mingzhou on the other side of the energy shield, as if he was making threats. Everyone should know, contestant Ouyang Ye's mouth is even more lethal than his ability..."
But before the last sentence was finished, a sudden change occurred on the stage. Tang Mingzhou, who had already lain on the floating stretcher, suddenly started convulsing violently. Then, his body burst into a spray of blood, and in the blink of an eye, he lost his life signs. The floating stretcher was equipped with various medical instruments, which were now emitting a piercing beeping sound and repeating, "After detection, the patient has died. After detection, the patient has died."
The scene was in an uproar. Just a moment ago, Tang Mingzhou was still alive, only suffering from serious external injuries. With a month's rest in the repair cabin, he could recover. How could he die the next moment? What exactly happened just now?
The host was very surprised, while Yan Bo froze for a moment, then said in horror, "Elemental explosion. He died from an elemental explosion. It seems that contestant Ouyang Ye wasn't just making threats. He really wanted contestant Tang Mingzhou's life."
Fortunately, the flying camera had captured everything on the stage and constantly replayed it to find the clues. Ouyang Ye raised his sword and pointed it at Tang Mingzhou, saying word by word, "You, should, die." These three words didn't make a sound, but the mouth shape was crystal clear. Anyone could see it. Then in the next second, all the wounds on Tang Mingzhou's body burst open, blowing himself into a pile of minced meat. Those three words seemed to have transformed into a curse, controlling the death.
"This, this situation seems to be..." The host's throat was stuck with a few words, but he didn't dare to speak for a long time. A fourth-level ability user could achieve that level? He had never heard of it, let alone seen it with his own eyes.
Yan Bo stared at Ouyang Ye on the stage as if he was staring at a monster.
The audience noticed something was amiss and couldn't help but start an uproar. Just as the scene was about to turn chaotic, Yan Junyu picked up the microphone and said solemnly, "This is elemental control. To put it simply, every wound on Tang Mingzhou's body left the wind and fire elemental forces of contestant Ouyang Ye. He could leave them to slowly erode contestant Tang Mingzhou's muscle tissue, causing him to suffer serious injuries without healing; or he could detonate them on the spot, killing contestant Tang Mingzhou. As everyone knows, only ability users above the eighth level can reach such a level. They have completely tamed the elemental forces, making them a part of their own strength, ready to use at any time."
He paused and continued, "Obviously, contestant Ouyang Ye has comprehended this power at the fourth-level. It's necessary to be extra careful when fighting him. Every wind and fire elemental particle in the air will turn into his trump card. What's worse is that the wind aids the fire. Once the wind and fire elements merge, the power produced is almost limitless. I must say, it was a wise move for the betting company to immediately adjust contestant Ouyang Ye's odds. Everyone underestimated his strength."
When these words were finished, the noisy dueling hall had become silent. The audience couldn't have imagined that the most unappreciated Ouyang Ye had comprehended the eighth-level ability user's move at the fourth-level. Only by absorbing elemental forces as a part of oneself could one not waste a single bit of mental energy in a duel, and the damage caused would often double.
When injured by an eighth-level ability user, one had to first ask a mental energy expert to drive the elemental forces in the wound clean before receiving conventional drug treatment. It was precisely because no one could accurately estimate Ouyang Ye's strength, which led to the oversight of Tang Mingzhou's injuries. If a mental energy expert had run up to heal him at that time, the result wouldn't have been so bad.
Those three scarlet question marks now floated in everyone's mind, making them realize beyond a doubt: It wasn't a problem with the machine, but Ouyang Ye's potential had indeed reached an unpredictable level.
There are always up-and-coming talents, each leading the trend for a few hundred years. Was his era coming to an end? Yan Junyu put down the microphone, feeling a sense of emotion.
After being washed over by the huge elemental current, Ouyang Ye felt very uncomfortable. Every meridian in his body was suffering from intense pain, as if it would explode at any moment. But a surge of indescribable magnificence rushed up in his heart. He liked fighting, he liked bleeding, he liked pain, and he liked the feeling of entrusting his life to his sword and moving forward without hesitation.
He didn't know what elemental control was. He only knew what kind of damage his sword would cause to what person, what part. For a moment, his soul seemed to have merged with the body of the sword. In the wind and the flames, the scorching winds, he saw another broader world.
When Tang Mingzhou was taken away by the floating stretcher, a ray of inspiration suddenly flashed in his mind. This ray of inspiration was infinitely magnified through Wind Forest and Fire Sea, then triggered the wind and fire blades he had swung out, instantly taking Tang Mingzhou's life.
It was at this moment that he truly comprehended Young Master Qi's wordsâWind Forest and Fire Sea was not only a weapon but also a part of his body.
What was the difficulty in controlling one's own body? And why did it need to be cultivated to the eighth level? Thinking this, Ouyang Ye slowly turned around and looked at the third-floor lounge, only to find that Young Master Qi had somehow already stood on the balcony, his hands in his pockets, his eyes calmly gazing at him.
"Fighting for you!" He clenched his hand into a fist and pressed it against his heart, saying word by word.
Qi Ze instantly beamed and raised his hands to clap lightly. He knew that Ouyang Ye's cynical attitude was just an act. He also knew that he was actually very diligent and hardworking, but he didn't know that he would be so fierce in battle. He condensed all his beliefs and fighting will on the sword tip, firmly believing that they could definitely lead him to victory. Therefore, he coincidentally matched the sword way, quickly finding his own position.
The two looked at each other from afar, eyes filled with smiles. This scene was captured by the flying camera and projected onto the public holographic screen.
"These two are really a match!" Someone let out a sigh, immediately attracting countless agreements. Some people also protested Ouyang Ye's brutality, believing that he had violated the law and should be severely punished.
But no matter what others said, Ouyang Ye simply ignored it all. After receiving Young Master Qi's affirmation and encouragement, he happily jumped off the stage and went to the lounge to meet him.
The host hurriedly sent two security personnel to stop him and asked Yan Bo at the same time, "Assistant Yan, a person died in the first match. What do you think should be done?"
Yan Bo thought about it, shook his head, and said, "Although the military has taken all precautions, it can't completely avoid death. Therefore, before the contestants get on the stage, they are asked to sign a liability waiver. In other words, no matter what unexpected events happen on the stage, no one is legally responsible."
"But it's obvious that this wasn't an accident. Contestant Ouyang Ye deliberately killed someone." The host said indignantly.
"The liability waiver clearly states that deaths caused during a duel are not the responsibility of the contestants. Tang Mingzhou was injured during the duel, not after the duel. His death could only blame him for being inferior in skill. Before getting on the stage, I hope every contestant has this kind of awareness. The organizer can't absolutely guarantee your safety. What you can rely on is only your own strength." Yan Bo solemnly warned, "Those who are afraid of death should quit the competition as soon as possible."
On the other side, Ouyang Ye faced the obstruction of the staff and the photography of the camera, carelessly admitting, "Yes, I wanted to kill him. Didn't I say that before the match? How they dealt with Qi Ze back then, I would deal with them in the same way. A few ability users bullying a carbon-based person and thinking it's glorious? I can only give them two wordsâscum. Aim for me if you have the ability. Fight with real swords and guns. Whoever dies, it's their own damn bad luck. Why didn't the law punish Ouyang Duanhua when he almost killed Qi Ze back then? Was the school declaration fed to the dogs? Don't bother me with the law from now on. I only believe in my own strength." Finishing his speech, he raised his hand and sent a flying kiss to Qi Ze, who was standing on the balcony.
Qi Ze silently turned his head away, but the corner of his mouth was carrying a smile.