Chapter 91 - 81: Finals, Sweeping Three

Chapter 91: Chapter 81: Finals, Sweeping Three

Round of sixteen, quarterfinals, semifinals...

With Zhang Ji carrying them, Chen Anhe and Fu Tian made it all the way to the finals.

The Valentine Club had also participated in the competition, but they failed to reach the finals, getting eliminated in the round of sixteen. This meant the grudge match Zhang Ji had been expecting never happened.

Inside the Five Elements Gate Club’s prep room.

Both Chen Anhe and Fu Tian were more or less injured.

Among the Transcendent Level fighters, their strength was second-rate at best. The only reason they’d made it to the finals was because Zhang Ji carried them.

Their previous opponents had completely crushed them. If they hadn’t surrendered quickly, they probably would have ended up with broken arms and legs.

"You’re both in this state. I’ll be the starting fighter. Just wait for me to collect the prize," Zhang Ji said.

Fu Tian was a bit reluctant, but in the end, he still said, "Just be careful. Don’t let your guard down and lose to a weaker opponent."

"Those three are no pushovers. Even if you’re stronger, Zhang Ji, you still need to be cautious," Chen Anhe reminded him.

"Don’t worry. I won’t lose," Zhang Ji said confidently.

’If a high-level fighter loses to a lower-level one, I might as well quit the fighting world altogether,’ he thought.

After the list of starting fighters was submitted, Zhang Ji prepared to enter the arena.

The stadium was already filled with roars from the crowd.

There were fans of Zhang Ji, and fans of his opponents.

The club in the finals was the Purgatory Club. All three of its members were highly-ranked Transcendent Level experts.

Samun Hill, a muscular man just over two meters tall, was currently ranked seventh on the World Fighters Association’s Transcendent Level ladder.

He could withstand sniper bullets with his physical body alone. Besides his defense, his punching power was also terrifying. The semi-public data put it at over 5,000 kilograms, but the actual figure was likely double that.

Trent Martin, a short man at 1.6 meters, ranked fifth on the World Fighters Association’s Transcendent Level ladder.

He was agile, specializing in speed and kicking techniques. Based on Zhang Ji’s judgment, he was likely a fighter from the Divine Wind Sect. When he moved, wind seemed to rise from under his feet, a clear sign of a Divine Wind Sect Body Technique enhancement.

The last one, Granville Polk, stood at 1.8 meters with a well-proportioned build. He was currently ranked first on the Transcendent Level ladder.

He had no particular specialty; he was good in every aspect—defense, endurance, speed, technique, and even Spirit. He also knew Flowing Water Sect fighting techniques.

"Will the starting fighters from both sides please come to the stage to draw for the arena," the announcer said.

Zhang Ji walked onto the high platform, pressed the button, then stopped it. A desert was displayed.

On the other side, the starting fighter Samun drew an image of a raging flood.

"The arenas drawn for this match are: Flash Flood and Desert!" the announcer declared.

"RUMBLE~!"

Once the arena selection was complete, the massive field underground began to transform.

On Zhang Ji’s side, a small desert appeared, its temperature remarkably high.

And on the other side, a flood poured into a mountain forest, flowing into a river that disappeared at the edge of the arena.

Zhang Ji knew at a glance that the organizers were up to something.

This was clearly an arena intentionally set up for his opponents.

Granville excelled at Flowing Water Sect techniques. With this home-field advantage, he could almost be considered a pseudo B-rank.

Therefore, this kind of fighting arena gave his opponent a huge advantage.

However, they obviously hadn’t expected that Zhang Ji also knew Flowing Water Sect techniques—and what’s more, he was a true B-rank.

"The thrilling World Fighting Spring Tournament Grand Finals is about to begin! Will the veteran Purgatory Club continue their championship reign, or will the dark horse, the Five Elements Gate Club, emerge victorious? Let’s wait and see!"

"And now, let’s have the fighters enter the arena!"

From the high platform, Samun leaped down, landing heavily on the arena floor twenty meters below and carving out a crater.

Zhang Ji also leaped lightly, his body landing gracefully and leaving only a faint impression in the sand.

"CLANG~!"

The sound of the bell signaled the official start of the match.

Zhang Ji and Samun arrived at the intersection of the two arenas simultaneously. Samun swung his fist, throwing a straight punch at Zhang Ji.

The punch was incredibly fast, making the air crackle. Zhang Ji didn’t reveal any excessive power. He simply extended his palm, gently guided the fist aside, and followed the motion with a palm strike to Samun’s chest, sending him flying.

While in mid-air, Samun adjusted his posture, rolled upon landing, and got back to his feet before charging at Zhang Ji again.

In terms of pure defense, he was indeed impressive.

A typical C-rank would have been paralyzed for a while after taking a palm strike like that from Zhang Ji.

Seeing Samun charge, Zhang Ji stood his ground as a humming sound emanated from his bones and sinews.

"HMM, HMM~!"

He now had four crystals for his Iron Body Skill.

Combined with his B-rank physical strength, the power of his Overlapping Waves attack far exceeded what it used to be.

Using only C-rank power, Zhang Ji’s current Triple Wave was now comparable to his previous eight-wave attack.

"BOOM~!"

With a single punch, Samun was sent flying even faster than he had charged in, landing directly in the floodwaters.

A few seconds later, he was washed out of the flood, his entire right arm bent at an unnatural angle as he lay on his back.

If the floodwaters hadn’t dissipated most of the force, that punch would have done far more than just break his arm.

"It looks like Samun is down... Ten... Nine... Three... Two... One! Zhang Ji wins! So clean and decisive, just like in his previous matches! His strength is as deep as the abyss; even Samun couldn’t probe its limits. It seems the Purgatory Club has run into a formidable opponent this time..."

Shortly after the announcer finished speaking, Samun was carried off the field by the medical staff.

Two minutes later, the Purgatory Club’s second fighter, Trent Martin, entered the arena.

Trent’s gaze was extremely grave as he looked at Zhang Ji.

As a fighter renowned for his speed, there were several times he hadn’t even been able to clearly see Zhang Ji’s movements—a terrifying realization.

"CLANG~!"

The instant the match bell rang, Trent’s figure vanished.

The high-speed cameras struggled to capture his form. In an instant, Trent was upon Zhang Ji, currents of air swirling around him. The power of wind pushed his speed to a level far beyond others of his rank.

At that moment, his movement speed was likely over 400 kilometers per hour.

Such speed also meant terrifying impact force.

"SHFF~!"

Trent threw a kick.

’If this kick lands, I can eliminate Zhang Ji right then and there,’ Trent thought.

Of course, that was just his delusion.

At that exact moment, Zhang Ji also kicked out.

"WHOOSH~!"

In an instant, a massive amount of air from a dozen-meter radius was sucked dry, all of it Gathering onto Zhang Ji’s leg.

Wind God Kick!!

It condensed and compressed a massive amount of airflow, then unleashed it through a kicking technique.

Once mastered, it was comparable to the detonation of a large, high-yield missile.

"BANG~!"

"BOOM~!"

Their attacks collided. The gathered airflow instantly exploded, and a violent wind blasted outwards. A shockwave radiated from the two fighters, sending surrounding soil and sand flying and creating a circular crater.

In the next instant, Trent was sent flying backward, kicked dozens of meters away by Zhang Ji.

After landing, he rolled several times. His right leg trembled unnaturally, his face contorted in pain. He tried to stand, but couldn’t.

Just before this, Zhang Ji’s True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill had reached three crystals. The powerful boost from his Spirit attribute had allowed him to achieve preliminary mastery of the Wind God Kick ahead of schedule.

Although it was only preliminary mastery, and although Zhang Ji hadn’t used power beyond the Grandmaster Level, this kick was still something Trent could not possibly withstand.

In other words, among all C-ranks, very few could have matched Zhang Ji in that exchange.

"Five... Four... Three... Two... One! Zhang Ji wins again! Even faster than before, with just a single exchange of kicks! In the replay, we can see him rapidly compress the surrounding air to form such a powerful fighting technique. The explosion of air in that instant was comparable to a high-explosive bomb at close range..."

"Zhang Ji!!"

"Five Elements Sect!!"

"Zhang Ji!"

"Five Elements Sect!!"

The cheers rose and fell in waves. Zhang Ji’s strength had earned him their adoration.

Countless fans who had previously supported the Purgatory Club now switched their allegiance to Zhang Ji.

Trent was carried away by the medical staff, and Granville took the stage.

"You’re the strongest fighter I’ve ever seen. Your partners are holding you back. If you were on our side, you wouldn’t have to carry the whole team alone," Granville said.

He was brazenly trying to poach him.

"If I went to your side, you’d only hold me back. As I see it, you’re even worse," Zhang Ji replied coolly.

"Hmph, you arrogant bastard. You’re not invincible. I’ll show you what true cruelty is!" Granville threatened.

"CLANG~!"

As the match began, Granville immediately rushed into the floodwaters. Zhang Ji didn’t stop him, instead allowing him to take advantage of the water.

In the next instant, within the flood, Granville wrapped himself in layers of compressed water armor. Three sharp, long blades formed from water appeared on his fists, making it look as if he were wearing steel claws. The currents of water were constantly spinning, indicating they possessed not only sharpness but also a shearing power.

’A close-quarters Flowing Water Sect technique?’ Zhang Ji murmured to himself.

There were many ways to use the techniques of the Profound Heart Stream. As long as one mastered the corresponding skills, these formless, intangible substances of the world could be manipulated in spectacular ways.

The water surged beneath Granville’s feet, launching him forward. He swung his claws, attacking Zhang Ji from a distance.

Facing this attack, the corners of Zhang Ji’s mouth curled up. His own claws began to glow with a blue light as he swung them to meet Granville’s.

Furious Leopard’s Claw versus Flowing Water Blades.

"CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG~!"

Zhang Ji’s claws were completely unscathed, but the water blades on the front of Granville’s right fist were severed.

His eyes filled with disbelief.

After all, his water blades, compressed to their absolute limit, could slice through steel, yet they had just been shattered by Zhang Ji’s bare claws.

But this was no time to be stunned. Granville quickly created distance and then struck back.

"SHFF~!"

He swung through the air, and the water transformed into three sharp blades that shot out from between his claws.

Zhang Ji brought his fingers together into the shape of a bird’s beak and pecked forward swiftly, shattering the middle water blade. He passed through the gap calmly as the remaining two blades struck the sand dune behind him, slicing it open and leaving two deep gashes.

Granville swung his arms continuously, furiously launching one water blade after another.

Composed and unhurried, Zhang Ji had already reached the edge of the flood.

"Let me teach you what real Flowing Water is!" Zhang Ji announced.

"GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE GURGLE~!"

The furiously rushing floodwaters began to surge violently.

Three crystals from his True Qi Nourishing Spirit Skill, seven refined Spirit essences—he unleashed the fully mastered Waterfall Drop fighting technique!

"BOOM~!"

In an instant, the floodwaters surged dozens of meters into the air, immediately transforming into a waterfall that crashed down violently upon Granville.

The moment it made contact, Granville’s condensed water armor shattered instantly. He was then struck by the immense force and blasted all the way to the edge of the arena.

When the waterfall dissipated, Granville looked as if he had been bludgeoned all over. His clothes were shredded, and he lay paralyzed on the ground, his expression one of someone who had just witnessed the impossible.

Zhang Ji had to stop himself from laughing.

The home-field advantage that the Purgatory Club had prepared for Granville had ended up being used by him instead.

One might say it was a classic case of them being hoisted by their own petard.