Infinite Fighting

With the first victory secured, Shen Han took the stage not long after.

Shen Han and Gu Shuangshuang were also competing this time.

However, both Shen Han’s and Gu Shuangshuang’s groups contained masters at Professional Seventh Rank and above.

Shen Han’s strength was around Professional Seventh Rank, just reaching the level of a top-tier fighter.

Gu Shuangshuang was at about the same level of strength.

Shen Han quickly ended his fight, defeating his opponent within five moves.

He showed his opponent some mercy, not instantly knocking them out in one move like Zhang Ji.

A little while later, Gu Shuangshuang also went on stage.

Gu Shuangshuang specialized in Crane Fist. Her form was incredibly agile, and as she moved, several of her actions seemed to defy the laws of physics.

The angle of her attacks was very difficult to predict.

She also let her opponent show off their skills for a bit before defeating them.

The rest of the matches were mostly garbage time.

The strong fighting the weak all ended in quick knockouts, offering nothing to see.

And when the weak fought each other, it was just a bunch of novices pecking at each other.

On the first day of drawings, there wasn’t a single case of one Professional Fifth Rank fighting another Professional Fifth Rank.

You didn’t even have to think about it; the Martial Arts Association had definitely rigged the drawings.

If they didn’t pull some strings behind the scenes and the seeded contestants fought on the first day only to be eliminated, it would probably be a huge loss of face for everyone involved.

After watching for a while, Zhang Ji excused himself and left early.

’There’s really nothing worth watching. It’s better to go back and train.’

Zhang Ji’s early departure was clearly captured by the cameras, and the director even gave him a close-up.

This move instantly cemented Zhang Ji’s reputation for being talented but lacking virtue.

The internet erupted in discussion. Many cursed Zhang Ji for having no martial virtue, while others said he was just young and reckless, arguing that his strength gave him the right to be arrogant.

But Zhang Ji paid no mind to any of this; his only thought was to train.

Inside his room, Zhang Ji’s custom-made training machine hadn’t arrived, so he could only use a mechanical hammer to temper his body.

All in all, the efficiency wasn’t slow.

....

「October 3rd.」

Zhang Ji had just finished his morning fist practice. Steam was rising from his entire body—a sign of sweat evaporating after exercise.

He now possessed nine Iron Shirt crystals, equivalent to an Iron Shirt skill at ninety percent of its full power.

In his fully activated state, the metallic sheen on his skin’s surface became even more pronounced, taking on a brass-like appearance.

Especially when circulating his Breathing Skill, a faint luster seemed to flow across it.

Zhang Ji didn’t know what it would become later, because no one had ever cultivated "Iron Shirt" to this level.

However, he was looking forward to the Grandmaster crystal that would be synthesized from ten "Iron Shirt" crystals.

After breakfast, Zhang Ji and the others from the Five Elements Sect made their way to the venue.

Along the way, many people were already holding up signs for him.

Over three days of competition, Zhang Ji had defeated every opponent he faced with a single strike.

Not one had forced him to use a second move.

His immense strength had attracted many fans who admired power.

Today, Zhang Ji was scheduled to fight the last person in his group stage.

A master from the Lishan Sect, the Professional Fifth Rank fighter.

After the preceding matches ended, it was soon Zhang Ji’s turn.

Once he was on stage, the host began to ramble on.

"Contestant Gao Congyu of the Lishan Sect is a Professional Fifth Rank fighter. It’s said she cultivates the Lishan Sect’s Cuiqing Rune Skill. The Yuan Qi produced by this martial art has distinct advantages in Recovery Power and endurance, while also possessing considerable defensive power... As for contestant Zhang Ji, his strength is plain for all to see. So far, no opponent has been able to make him use a second move. I wonder if contestant Gao Congyu can break that record today..."

"Contestants, exchange salutes!"

Zhang Ji and Gao Congyu clasped their fists in a mutual salute.

Afterward, a faint cyan glow burst from Gao Congyu’s body.

That was the color of the Yuan Qi she cultivated.

This was something that could only be achieved with a certain level of Yuan Qi cultivation.

However, releasing Yuan Qi so freely, as if it cost nothing, was also extremely draining. She was clearly going all-out from the very beginning, likely worried about being instantly defeated by Zhang Ji.

But unfortunately for her...

BANG!

Gao Congyu flew off the ring. A Grandmaster from the Lishan Sect, who had been ready and waiting, caught her. She was spared the miserable fate of Zhang Ji’s previous opponents, allowing her to retain a shred of dignity.

"It seems there is still a considerable gap between contestant Gao Congyu and contestant Zhang Ji..."

The Grandmaster shot Zhang Ji a look of veiled anger, displeased with his disrespectful behavior.

But Zhang Ji couldn’t care less.

After the host announced his victory, Zhang Ji turned and left with an indifferent expression.

In an instant, many people in the arena began to chant Zhang Ji’s name.

This was the reality of this world.

’Martial virtue? Bullshit. Etiquette? Bullshit.’

’As long as you have strength, you can be forgiven for anything you do.’

’As long as you’re strong enough, you’ll have countless followers and admirers.’

....

After the group stage, Zhang Ji successfully advanced to the top 32.

Among these thirty-two people, not a single one was below Professional Fifth Rank.

On paper, the highest-ranked competitor was Wang Pinghong, a Professional Eighth Rank master from the Northern Dao Sect.

However, Zhang Ji was more concerned about two masters from the Southern Dao Sect and the Seven Peaks Alliance.

The Southern Dao Sect had a Daoist named Su Yu. His supremely hard and yang Yuan Qi was terrifying. He’d briefly displayed it in a match, and the moment his opponent’s hand made contact, they were sent flying. Zhang Ji guessed the guy was a practitioner of the Nine Yang True Skill.

The Seven Peaks Alliance had someone named Hu Chang, whose Palm Skill was incredibly powerful. So far, no one had been able to withstand three of his palm strikes.

Speaking of which, Zhang Ji had never actually heard of the Seven Peaks Alliance.

In the version of the game he played, this major power—an alliance formed by sects from seven different mountains—did not exist among the great forces of the Eastern Extreme Country.

The Seven Peaks Alliance was formed by the seven sects of Gao Mountain, Liushan, Mountain Jing, Wangshan, Huang Mountain, Mountain Chi, and Luoshan. These seven mountains were located close to each other, all within the Tanyang Province of the Eastern Extreme Country.

It could be said that they held the status of hegemons within this province.

The seven sects were closely allied. The position of Alliance Leader was rotated, not elected, with each sect taking the seat for a two-year term.

Furthermore, each of these seven sects had a Grandmaster, giving them a respectable standing in the martial arts world.

However, in the eyes of the great sects with legacies stretching back hundreds of years, the Seven Peaks Alliance was looked down upon.

After all, the Seven Peaks Alliance had been established for less than fifty years, and it had never produced a figure at the level of a "Terrestrial Immortal." Tracing back its history, its roots were quite shallow.

「October 5th.」 Zhang Ji fought in the round of 32.

His opponent was a Core Disciple from the Seven Peaks Alliance, a Professional Sixth Rank master.

But against Zhang Ji, he was still defeated in a single move.

Zhang Ji’s Myth continued.

Many people were already looking forward to Zhang Ji one-shotting all his opponents and raising the championship trophy.

Zhang Ji entered the top 16, but Shen Han and Gu Shuangshuang were eliminated.

Shen Han faced a master from the Lishan Sect. After several hundred rounds of combat, he was defeated due to exhaustion.

Gu Shuangshuang, on the other hand, was knocked off the ring by a single palm strike from Hu Chang of the Seven Peaks Alliance.

Now, Zhang Ji was the only one left from the Five Elements Sect.

The Xian Mountain Sect, however, still had two people remaining.

Zhang Ji would face one of them in the next round.

「October 6th.」

In the round of 16, Zhang Ji stood on the stage with his opponent from the Xian Mountain Sect.

"Xian Mountain Sect, Guo Rui!"

Guo Rui greeted Zhang Ji with a smile and a salute.

But Zhang Ji ignored him, only making a token gesture in return.

This was consistent with the persona he’d established, so his rudeness now didn’t cause any misunderstanding.

Among the spectators below, Xiong Mingxu, the Sect Leader of the Xian Mountain Sect, was also present.

He remembered Zhang Ji well.

In his memory, Zhang Ji’s strength was only around the Professional Seventh Rank.

But his True Disciple, Guo Rui, was a genuine Professional Eighth Rank master.

Before this battle, he had instructed Guo Rui not to end the fight too quickly, to be sure to teach Zhang Ji a painful lesson and avenge their sect’s previous disciple.

Meanwhile, Li Long had also given Zhang Ji instructions before the fight.

Li Long’s instruction, however, was for Zhang Ji to hold back a little and not actually kill him.

"Contestant Zhang Ji maintains his usual indifference. It seems that even a fighter like Guo Rui isn’t worth much of his attention. We’ll have to see if he has the strength to back up this arrogance. According to the records, contestant Guo Rui passed the Professional Eighth Rank assessment a year ago. His fighting style is known for being as swift as the wind and as fierce as thunder. He also achieved a good result in the last tournament, reaching the top 8, earning him the respectful title ’God Guo’ from his fans..."

The host’s introductory warm-up ended, and the match officially began.

Then, Zhang Ji moved.

VMMMM! BOOM!

A sound like humming metal rang out. The ground beneath Zhang Ji’s feet cracked, a depression appearing where he had stood. The next instant, he was already upon Guo Rui, throwing a punch.

He had been gathering power even before the match began.

He had been constantly tensing his muscles, continuously accumulating strength, until the moment the match started, when he unleashed it all at once.

Not even the Professional Ninth Rank water monster with its territorial advantage could have taken this blow, let alone the current Guo Rui.

Faced with this attack, Guo Rui couldn’t even dodge.

He could only take it head-on.

All the Yuan Qi in his body surged forth, and his arms glowed with a faint red light as he attempted to block Zhang Ji’s incoming fist.

PFFT! CRACK! BANG! BOOM!

Guo Rui’s Yuan Qi shield was instantly shattered. His arms broke at the midpoint, and Zhang Ji’s fist continued on to smash his sternum. Guo Rui’s entire body was sent flying out of the ring, crashing into the wall beneath the distant spectator stands.

Then, his body slid down the wall. He twitched slightly, and when he opened his mouth, blood gushed out.

If Zhang Ji had aimed for his head, he would be dead.

But this wasn’t much better. Both arms were shattered with comminuted fractures, his sternum was crushed, and his internal organs were severely damaged. A full recovery would not be easy, and he might even be left with permanent side effects. Moreover, it was hard to say if the Xian Mountain Sect would be willing to spend a fortune to treat him.

Injuries like these required a huge amount of resources to heal completely.

"It’s over..."

The host stood stunned on the spot. Even the entire venue seemed to freeze for a moment before coming back to life.

Cheers erupted, and medical personnel rushed to the scene. On the Xian Mountain Sect’s side, Xiong Mingxu’s face was ashen. He clenched and unclenched his fists several times before finally relaxing, forced to swallow his anger.

This was not the place for him to lose his temper.

"Contestant Zhang Ji continues his Myth! Even against a Professional Eighth Rank opponent, one move is all it takes! His strength is more than worthy of his pride!!!"

At this moment, even the host was showing some personal bias.

When you have enough power, the great scholars will argue your case.