Invincible through Touching Corpses

Hearing Lin Xinghai’s question, Zhao Junli once again felt slighted.

This time, however, he remained surprisingly calm. He said nothing and simply launched a stealthy attack.

By now, the entire arena was already covered in thorns, save for a one-meter radius around Lin Xinghai.

At the command of Zhao Junli’s Superpower, countless vines shot toward Lin Xinghai like sharp spikes.

This was one of the few offensive measures Zhao Junli possessed.

Facing an attack from a Hero Ranking expert, Lin Xinghai merely twitched the right hand that held his Alloy Long Spear.

Instantly, dozens of lightning-infused spear glints erupted from Lin Xinghai, radiating in all directions.

In a flash, all the thorns attacking Lin Xinghai were severed. A powerful electric current spread from the cuts, causing every thorn it touched to instantly wither and turn black.

The sheer Attack Power made Zhao Junli’s pupils contract.

This was the first time Lin Xinghai had used the Wind and Thunder Spear Technique in actual combat, and seeing the result, he was quite satisfied.

’As expected of an Earth Level Martial Art,’ he thought. ’Even at just the Minor Success stage, it’s completely beyond what ordinary Martial Arts can do.’

’Of course, the cost is also considerable. That "Thousand Thunder Stab" I just used consumed a full 20 points of Blood Qi Power.’

’Back when I first became a Blood Qi Realm Martial Artist, just two moves of the Wind and Thunder Spear Technique would have probably drained all my Blood Qi Power.’

’But now... while I still can’t afford to waste Blood Qi Power, I can definitely last a few fights using the Wind and Thunder Spear Technique.’

In their first exchange, Lin Xinghai had gained the upper hand with his completely overwhelming Attack Power.

This made Zhao Junli’s expression turn grave, and he instantly changed his strategy.

’I can see that while Lin Xinghai’s Spear Technique is powerful, its cost is equally high,’ he thought. ’My Thorn Superpower, on the other hand, has a relatively low cost compared to other Superpowers. I’ll drag this out. Once his Blood Qi Power runs low, I’ll find an opportunity to land the finishing blow.’

Zhao Junli’s reaction was incredibly fast; he made his decision the moment their initial exchange was over.

Meanwhile, the students below the stage were still gasping in amazement at how Lin Xinghai had completely suppressed his opponent in their very first clash.

But before their gasps had even faded, they saw the thorns covering the arena spring to life, surging toward Lin Xinghai like a tidal wave.

"He’s going all out already?" Yan Sha, who had just stepped off the stage, was surprised.

"No, I think this is the right move," another Hero Ranking member, Kong Haozhong, said with a grim expression.

As someone who also specialized in offense, he could tell at a glance that the Attack Power Lin Xinghai had just unleashed was nearly equal to his own all-out attack.

’And he hasn’t even used his Superpower or Divine Demon Body yet!’

’If Zhao Junli doesn’t go all out now, he probably won’t even get another chance.’

Just as the thought flashed through his mind, a dazzling burst of lightning filled his vision.

Only then did he realize that Lin Xinghai, who had been on the other side of the stage, had crossed the entire arena in that brief instant to appear right in front of Zhao Junli.

In his wake, all the thorny vines lay severed and scorched black by lightning.

The tip of the Alloy Long Spear in Lin Xinghai’s hand was already pressed against his opponent’s throat, having just broken the skin.

But anyone with any knowledge understood: for Lin Xinghai to have broken the skin meant he had already shattered all of his opponent’s defenses, including his Blood Qi Power.

If Lin Xinghai had wanted to, he could have pierced his opponent’s throat in that instant.

Without a doubt, Zhao Junli had lost.

And it had been an instant defeat.

In that moment, Zhao Junli felt only disbelief and a profound sense of humiliation.

But feeling the cold steel of the spear tip and the tingling numbness from the lightning, he didn’t dare move an inch.

When the crowd below finally saw clearly what had happened, an uproar of gasps and exclamations erupted.

They had all considered the possibility that Lin Xinghai might defeat Zhao Junli, but they’d imagined it would be after a hard-fought battle. No one had expected him to win with such ease.

What terrified them even more was that the vast majority of them hadn’t even been able to follow what had just happened.

In other words, if any of them had been up there, they would have been defeated in an instant, without even having time to react.

After the initial uproar, many of the students turned their gazes toward the third-years, particularly those who had already broken through to the Body Shaping Realm.

They hoped to hear from them what exactly had just happened.

But without exception, even these Body Shaping Realm students were just as stunned.

In fact, their shock ran even deeper than that of the other students.

"So fast... How can someone in the Blood Qi Realm have that kind of Speed?" a Body Shaping Realm student muttered.

’That’s almost twice as fast as me.’

"It’s not just his movement Speed, it’s the speed of his spear strikes too."

"I know he’s using the Wind and Thunder Spear Technique, an Earth Level Martial Art famous for its speed and power. But even for Earth Level Martial Arts, the strikes shouldn’t be that fast."

"I could barely even see the trajectory of his spear. If you told me that was a Celestial Level Martial Art, I wouldn’t doubt it," said another Body Shaping Realm student, one who also specialized in agility, his tone filled with disbelief.

Of course, while some in the crowd felt shock, despair, envy, and jealousy, there were naturally others who were overjoyed.

And those overjoyed people were, of course, the members of the Xinghai Squad.

Lin Xinghai’s power had taken them all by surprise, just like everyone else. But for them, it was different: the stronger Lin Xinghai was, the brighter the future of the Xinghai Squad.

This was especially true for Leng Ruchen and Qin Qi. After their initial shock, their joy was even more profound.

Lin Xinghai’s strength was far beyond anything they had anticipated. Previously, they had been willing to join the Xinghai Squad purely for the generous rewards from each mission.

But it would have been hard to say they felt any strong sense of belonging to the squad.

But now, after witnessing the true extent of Lin Xinghai’s power, their perspectives changed in an instant.

Even though Lin Xinghai was only a newly enrolled freshman, his strength was enough to quash any and all dissent. The very fact that he was a freshman made him all the more terrifying.

Most importantly, after today, the voices that mocked them for "leeching off a junior for a meal ticket" would vanish. All that would be left, they figured, would be envy and jealousy.