Chapter 68: Jesse Liu
“Get out of the way! Move! Once hit by a savage beast like that guy, I am afraid that the impact will jar Zen's bones!”
“Is Zen in a daze? Or does he want to stay rooted and withstand Keith's might directly?”
“Hey, Zen has great strength at the marrow refining level. He would have a promising future. But this time, he is overconfident. It will be a pity if he suffers serious injury or death by Keith's attack.”
Although the strength of the outer disciples at Drizzle Peak was inferior to most, these disciples were knowledgeable. They understood that a disciple with considerable strength at the marrow refining level would have a bright future. That was why they felt sorry for Zen.
Meanwhile, Zen stubbornly stuck to his previous strategy.
A punch. That was all he used.
The seven dragon scales erupted with extraordinary power. This power mingled with Zen's when he punched Keith. The blow landed on Keith's shoulder, which was the sturdiest part of him.
Keith had intended to collide into Zen with his shoulder. He wasn't deterred when he saw that Zen had decided to use his fist as a countermeasure. Confident of his strength, Keith rammed his body into Zen's fist instead of evading.
According to Keith's estimation, once Zen's fist touched his shoulder, Zen's arm would be broken by the force.
However, when Keith's shoulder crashed into Zen's fist, his facial expression changed.
He could feel that there was a greater force, which was much stronger than his, coming from Zen's fist.
If Keith's power was like that of a furious savage beast, momentum vigorous and extremely explosive, then Zen's energy was like that of the sea, boundless and unfathomable.
“Bump!”
At the moment of contact, the greater of the two forces was easy to figure out.
Zen's punch consumed all the impact, and the considerable back-draft transmitted through Keith's body immediately caused Keith to retreat more than a dozen steps.
Keith wanted to stop his body from backtracking but found himself unable to do so. He stumbled back several more steps before falling outside the arena.
Again, Zen won the fight with a punch.
Just a punch.
Zen had proven himself to be more powerful!
The disciples of Drizzle Peak felt as though their hearts were jumping out of their mouths.
Zen's performance today had completely subverted some of their understanding of the world.
It was hard to find a fitting word to describe Zen's performance today. The closest one that any disciple could come up with to explain how they felt upon seeing Zen defeat the two disciples from Vulture Peak was 'enchanting'.
Who would have expected that Keith, who was famous for his strength, would also be beaten by Zen with just one punch? What surprised everyone even more was that Zen didn't have a special knack for fighting. The only special skill Zen possessed was overwhelming strength.
Zen continued to flex his arms as he asked the disciples of Vulture Peak with an indifferent look, “Who's next?”
Although Keith had been beaten with a punch, he was not injured. The stubborn expression on his face showed that he refused to accept his failure. “Wait a minute! I was not ready. I didn't expect you to be so powerful! I want to battle once again!”
“According to the rules of the challenge, a contestant loses when he falls outside the battle ring. Who's next?” said Zen as he shook his head. He had just returned to Drizzle Peak today. He wanted a quick victory to end the fight. So, it was natural that he wouldn't want to give Keith another chance.
Soon afterward, another person from Vulture Peak was dispatched to fight with Zen.
For the past two consecutive rounds, Zen had defeated each opponent with only one punch.
Undoubtedly, this put a great deal of pressure on the outer disciples of Vulture Peak.
Although Zen was at the marrow refining level, his display of strength had earned him some caution and respect from the contestants of Vulture Peak. none of them would despise him.
Zen hadn't defeated Keith by tricks or luck. Instead, he had used his actual strength, which proved that Zen was far more powerful than those at the same level as him.
Soon, the fourth person sent by Vulture Peak walked into the battle ring. He?stared at Zen's every movement prudently.
Unfortunately, Zen did not give him any chance to attack.
Still using only one punch, Zen dispatched the fourth challenger from Vulture Peak by sending him flying out of the arena...
Jubilant, this was what the disciples from Drizzle Peak felt. No words could accurately describe their feelings. All they could do was cheer as if only this reaction could express their excitement.
Hundreds of feet away, two women stood on a small building. They had been watching every fight.
Both of them were elegant, poised, and startlingly beautiful.
“Master Su, you tricked me! You suggested that we should arrange a competition to motivate the outer disciples of your peak, to which I readily agreed. Then, I came over with the most talented outer disciples of Vulture Peak. But what I didn't know was that there is such a genius here...” The woman who had spoken was Mia Mu. She was one of the masters of Vulture Peak.
Actually, the two masters had cleverly arranged this challenge.
To motivate the disciples in their respective peaks and to encourage them to work harder, masters would apply almost all methods they could think of.
A challenge between peaks was a very effective method.
If Drizzle Peak was defeated, it might affect the mood of its outer disciples for a short time. However, it would also help them to understand that they must work harder to catch up.
To achieve this, the disciples needed to understand, through personal experience, that only the weak could be beaten. That was why Master Su accepted the challenge.
Master Su's mouth crumpled as she looked at Zen. “This outer disciple accepted the task of killing blade locusts in the south and then left Drizzle Peak. I didn't expect that he would return in half a month. Besides, his strength has grown incredibly quickly. I am surprised...”
“What? A disciple at the marrow refining level went to kill blade locusts? Did I hear it correctly? However, the strength of this kid is indeed enough for that kind of task,” Mia Mu looked helplessly at the battle ring. “Such a ruthless kid. Every time he defeats his opponent with just a punch! It looks like he is humiliating them.”
Hearing what Mia Mu said, Aura Su's lips lifted in a smug smile. Then she said, “That's because the disciples from your peak are too weak!”
“You are naughty. I am helping you to motivate your disciples. But you are laughing at me! Although Zen is powerful, Vulture Peak is not short of talent. The last one to battle should be Jesse. He is ranked number one at Vulture Peak, and he's already a nature creature. As long as Jesse joins the battle, there is no way that Zen can win,” said Mia Mu.
“A nature creature? Then why is he still an outer disciple?” wondered Master Su with surprise. Generally speaking, many outer disciples were promoted to the status of inner disciples every year. Many of these disciples were half-step into the nature level. It was thus, surprising that a disciple at the nature level had not been promoted.
Mia Mu smiled. “Is it possible that only Drizzle Peak has a genius? Vulture Peak also has talents. Why are you so surprised? Actually, Jesse broke through to the nature level about half a year after he entered Vulture Peak. Before we transfer him to an inner disciple, he is an outer disciple.”
A nature creature? Master Su wasn't sure how she felt about this revelation. On the one hand, she really wanted to see if Zen could defeat a nature creature; while on the other hand, she didn't want Zen to win.
'Alas! Let me see what will happen first.' Aura sighed.
On the other side of the battle ring stood another disciple. This was the fifth disciple sent by Vulture Peak. He should be the strongest outer disciple at Vulture Peak.
And he was Jesse Liu, a nature creature, who was now going to battle Zen.
Jesse didn't have an imposing manner. In fact, his features and his body structure were ordinary. If he walked on the street, people would barely remember what he looked like.
After Jesse Liu entered the battle ring, disciples from Drizzle Peak thought that they were going to win the challenge. Jesse, who was standing in front of them, seemed utterly inferior to the previous disciples sent by Vulture Peak.
But when they saw that Jesse condensed life vitality and formed a hoop in his hand, their expressions changed dramatically.
“A nature creature! This guy is actually a nature creature! Is he an outer disciple?”
“That's unreasonable. Zen is an outer disciple. How can an inner disciple be sent to challenge Zen? This is a violation of the rules! If the other peak sends an inner disciple, we should also send an inner disciple!” said some indignantly.
Many people had turned their eyes to those disciples dressed in black robes. They had been standing close to the arena, watching the matches. Since they were inner disciples of Drizzle Peak, they should have stepped forward for this challenge.
The nature level was a hurdle for ordinary cultivators.
There was a big difference between life energy and life vitality.
Zen used one blow to defeat every challenger from Vulture Peak.
But to fight with someone at the nature level? That was hugely unfair! Only a nature creature should challenge a disciple at the same level. Otherwise, the battle would be too unsporting.
Everyone noticed this gap in Jesse's and Zen's abilities and commented on the underhanded match.
“Jesse is ranked first at Vulture Peak. He has just stepped into the nature level. And there just wasn't enough time to promote him to inner disciple status! Of course, he is still an outer disciple. How is it against the rules? If you can't beat him, then just give up!” Jesse was the biggest hope for Vulture Peak now. Hearing what the disciples from Drizzle Peak said, the remaining disciples from Vulture Peak retorted sarcastically.
The two sides were arguing, and the crowd once again became chaotic.
But the two men in the battle ring completely ignored the riots outside the battle ring.
The hoop in Jesse's hand swirled slowly. He said indifferently, “You are really strong. You have defeated three disciples who are half-step into the nature level. This is something that I have never heard of.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” said Zen as he saluted.
“However, you have humiliated Vulture Peak. Even though I will be suspected of bullying you, as I have the advantage of being a nature creature, I must win the challenge. Otherwise, it will be greatly embarrassing for the outer disciples of Vulture Peak, and there will be no foothold for us in Cloud Sect,” said Jesse in a calm tone. There was no excitement and contempt in his voice. It seemed as though he were having a casual chat.
Zen also smiled calmly. “Please show mercy during the following battle.”
“Relax. I will only make you incapable of resisting. I will not hurt you!”
Jesse Liu smiled lightly before gently tossing the golden hoop that was condensed by his life vitality toward Zen.