Chapter 396 - 243: Defeat

Chapter 396: Chapter 243: Defeat

But when he saw that the number of available attribute points on his system hadn’t changed, Su Xing could finally confirm it. He was still Tier Six—just an absurdly powerful one.

Lin Tianhan was by no means one of the stronger Tier Eights, but he was a Tier Eight nonetheless. For a Tier Six like him to fight the man to a standstill using only his physical body... Su Xing himself couldn’t fathom the sheer gap in power he had just bridged.

At this point, probably no one would believe him if he said he was Tier Six. After all, who had ever heard of a Tier Six this strong?

"Let’s go."

Su Xing said seriously. Not only had Lin Tianhan not used his full strength, but Su Xing hadn’t gone all out either. After all, he was a Swordsman, yet he had yet to draw his sword.

It wasn’t that Su Xing underestimated his opponent, but rather that he hadn’t known the extent of his own strength at the start. He had fought that way simply because he had a vague feeling that he could handle it.

Now that he had a measure of his own strength, Su Xing had to use his full power and defeat his opponent. Whether it was out of respect or not was irrelevant.

"Elder Lin, I will be using my full strength," Su Xing said seriously.

"Heh..."

Lin Tianhan chuckled. It wasn’t that he thought Su Xing was lying. It was just that the statement reeked of youthful bravado.

Had it been one of them, the old-timers, they wouldn’t waste their breath on such nonsense. They would just strike when the time came.

However,

’Considering Su Xing’s strength,’

’perhaps he really does have a shot at first place.’

Among the few of them, Li Ye was undoubtedly the strongest. He was originally a super-genius from the Cyan Cloud Sect who, for certain reasons, ended up as a wanted fugitive.

After him came Yao Yixiao, whose space-based sequence was also formidable. However, the tight confines of the arena placed some restrictions on him.

Then came the Dragon Gate Master and Lin Tianhan himself. The two of them were comparatively weaker, especially the Dragon Gate Master. He was also a Martial Artist who trained exclusively in the martial arts of the Dragon Gate, but against Su Xing, this was actually his greatest weakness.

’If I can’t win...’

’he might actually have a shot at competing for that Spirit Flower, the one that can grant a new lease on life.’

’Perhaps.’

A word that betrayed Lin Tianhan’s own uncertainty.

But Su Xing’s next move immediately made Lin Tianhan realize that his opponent’s strength had reached a terrifying level.

The Black Sword shot from its sheath!

A sharp ring of steel mingled with an explosive CRACK. Su Xing stomped, shattering the ground beneath him and kicking up a cyclone like a furious tornado. He blurred into motion, appearing before Lin Tianhan in an instant, and thrust his sword straight forward.

Immense power suffused the blade. The Black Sword tore through space itself, creating a black, visible ripple in its wake that appeared before everyone’s eyes.

Faced with Su Xing’s full-powered strike, Lin Tianhan’s heart leaped into his throat. The hair all over his body stood on end, as if he were facing an impossibly powerful foe.

WHOOSH!!!

The dire situation instantly drew out the ferocity hidden deep within Lin Tianhan. He no longer cared about maintaining the air of a senior. In a purely subconscious combat reflex, he ignored the Black Sword descending upon him and smashed his right fist toward Su Xing.

Lin Tianhan was actually trying to trade blow for blow. He was willing to suffer a grievous wound for the chance to heavily injure Su Xing.

This tactic made Su Xing’s eye twitch. It wasn’t that he lacked the courage or daring for such a move, but he and Lin Tianhan weren’t mortal enemies. Besides...

’I thought we agreed to pull our punches!’

As Su Xing was grumbling internally, he suddenly saw Lin Tianhan’s lips move, as if he were saying something. On closer inspection, it looked like a single word. "Explode."

’Explode?’

Su Xing’s mind went blank.

He knew far, far too little about Lin Tianhan. He had spent the last two days holed up in the Scripture Pavilion and Treasure Pavilion and had forgotten to ask Elder Li, Li Longxuan, about the other Sequencers’ abilities. Now, he was paying the price.

However,

Su Xing quickly figured out what Lin Tianhan’s sequence really was.

BOOM!

A powerful burst of energy, seemingly from nowhere, suddenly erupted right on Su Xing!

This was Lin Tianhan’s trump card. His sequence was actually Word Spirit—in other words, the ability to gain power through speech.

He had always used his powerful physique, supplemented by Word Spirit, to mislead others into thinking his sequence was a simple strength-enhancement type. It was all a setup for this one, surefire attack.

"Su, are you all right?"

Lin Tianhan had gotten too caught up in the fight and couldn’t pull his punch at the critical moment. He stared into the smoke, a knot of tension forming in his stomach.

Su Xing was the greatest genius he, Lin Tianhan, had ever seen.

He couldn’t let someone like that get seriously injured because of a momentary slip-up. Otherwise, he would never forgive himself.

"Heh, don’t worry."

From within the smoke, Su Xing’s calm voice drifted out. The massive explosion from Lin Tianhan’s Tier Eight sequence energy had felt like being struck by a hammer. It had been extremely unpleasant, but it was hardly what he’d call a serious injury.

"Continue?"

The smoke cleared. Su Xing stood in the same spot, as if nothing had happened. He looked at Lin Tianhan, but the older man just shook his head and said:

"I am not your match. I concede."

Lin Tianhan said, his lips twisting into a wry grin. That last move had been his trump card. Just moments before, he’d been worried about accidentally hurting Su Xing, but in the end, he couldn’t even manage to scratch him. That realization had completely shattered his will to compete.

"You let me win," Su Xing said, performing a fist-and-palm salute.

It was his first time at this kind of event. He knew he was supposed to make some sort of polite gesture, but he wasn’t sure what, so he just copied the fist-and-palm salute he’d seen in television shows.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Su Xing’s awkward gesture, Lin Tianhan chuckled and shook his head. "Su Xing, you’re far stronger than I ever imagined. That Old Li really struck gold with you."

Lin Tianhan felt no resentment at being defeated by Su Xing. There was no point in it.

Su Xing’s strength was a boon. While Cang City would be the primary beneficiary, special organizations in other regions would also feel the positive impact.

Besides, the two of them held no grudges. When encountering a genius of this caliber, the wisest course of action was to curry favor.

Lin Tianhan conceded. Although many in the audience couldn’t understand why he had suddenly thrown in the towel, they still erupted in thunderous cheers for the victor!

As for the younger brother who looked nearly identical to the Dragon Gate Master, his perpetually calm and detached expression showed a flicker of emotion for the first time.

"Su Xing is victorious!"

The moment the announcer’s voice rang out, it was as if a bomb had gone off in the stands. The crowd surged to its feet, erupting in a frenzy.

"Su Xing! Su Xing! Su Xing!"

So young, yet so powerful! Who wouldn’t want to be in Su Xing’s shoes right now!

Countless people leaped to their feet, excitedly chanting his name as if they were witnessing the rise of a new sun.

"Tsk..."

"Has Su really gotten this strong?"

Li Longxuan muttered to himself. The thought of his own son, Li Yu, who was studying abroad, made him sigh. He had always thought Li Yu was exceptional in every regard, but now, compared to Su Xing, his son seemed to fall short in every way.

It just goes to show, comparisons are deadly.

The other Tier Eight Powerhouses had similarly priceless expressions. None of them had ever imagined Lin Tianhan would lose. Dragon Gate had even arranged for beautiful women to go and comfort Su Xing, worried he would grow resentful after a brutal defeat. It seemed all those preparations were for nothing.

’Being the center of attention... it’s not a bad feeling at all,’ Su Xing thought to himself.