Shackles of Humanity

The bald man’s opponent was a somewhat lanky young man. Before the match even began, he was so scared that he kept backing away, completely lacking the courage to fight. Naturally, it was a total rout; the bald man sent him flying with a single tiger pounce.

In an adjacent ring, a youth of sixteen or seventeen wielded a long spear, its movements creating a fierce wind. He forced a tall, black young man back step-by-step, clearly holding the upper hand.

The competition didn’t restrict the use of weapons. The black young man drew the large cleaver from his back. Although he was constantly retreating, his steps were steady. His cleaver wasn’t as long as his opponent’s weapon, but its advantage lay in its raw power and momentum, which always allowed him to parry the incoming spear tip.

Visually, their match was quite a spectacle. One was nimble, the other was steady. The eyes of many spectators were drawn to them, all of them secretly pondering how they would counter such techniques.

Seeing that his prolonged assault was fruitless, the young man grew impatient. He intensified his spear forms, unleashing a flurry of continuous thrusts. The black youth opposite him held his breath and calmly blocked them with his cleaver. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! Four sharp clashes of metal rang throughout the arena.

"Nice!" the audience cheered in unison.

Luo Kai, however, found it utterly boring to watch. This kind of rigid, by-the-book fighting was uninteresting. In comparison, that bald man was actually not bad. He was imitating a tiger’s pounce and a leopard’s dash—techniques he seemed to have developed himself. He had a lot of room for future growth.

His judgment was spot on. In no time, the bald man defeated three people in a row. All his opponents crumbled in a single blow, and the first contestant for the winner’s bracket was decided.

Normally, having advanced to the winner’s bracket, the bald man could have gone down to rest. But he showed no intention of leaving, instead roaring at the contestants’ area: "Next!"

Unfortunately, the next one was Luo Kai. He walked into the arena, leaped lightly onto the ring, and flashed a smile at the bald man. "Let’s go."

The bald man seemed to be infected by Luo Kai’s smile and grinned back. "Be careful. Sometimes I can’t hold back my power."

The moment Luo Kai stepped into the ring, the clamor from the audience immediately died down. The men’s expressions turned complicated, while the women looked completely smitten. It was simply because Luo Kai was now breathtakingly handsome. After recovering from his injuries this time, he had undergone another change. His physique was like a finely carved sculpture, exuding masculine power, and his features increasingly aligned with the golden ratio of human aesthetic ideals.

The improvement in his Spiritual Power also caused him to unconsciously exude a unique charm with every movement. It was an otherworldly aura, as if his level of existence had become different from others, making lower-level beings feel an unconscious sense of inadequacy.

Furthermore, Spiritual Power was an omnipotent force that produced different effects according to his every thought. If he wanted to blend in with the crowd, no one would notice him. But the moment he decided to reveal his edge, he would naturally become the center of everyone’s attention.

Everyone on the main platform turned to look, even Duke Yiven, who had been feigning sleep with his eyes narrowed. His small eyes glinted with a sharp light, his thoughts unreadable.

Among the team from Jinlan Sports School, Yue Han was also in a daze. ’How did this guy get so handsome after getting younger!’

...

On the ring, the bald man stared at him blankly and said, "You’re so good-looking. What if I accidentally hurt you?"

Now it was Luo Kai’s turn to be a bit stunned. He smiled and said, "Come on. It’s fine if I get hurt. I wouldn’t mind a few more scars, actually."

"Oh, then be careful. This is something I came up with myself. It’s really strong!"

The bald man crouched on the ground, head leaning forward and haunches raised, just like a fierce tiger preparing to hunt.

Luo Kai stood his ground, quietly waiting for him to attack. But after a long wait, the man remained in the same posture, his large face covered in sweat, not daring to move an inch.

What the bald man didn’t know was that the tiger-pounce-leopard-dash technique he had comprehended was heavily reliant on Qi Mechanism. With Luo Kai’s current Power, even though he was just standing there casually, his entire being was already in a combat state where mind and body were one. No matter how his opponent attacked, a powerful counterattack would be waiting.

Luo Kai thought for a moment and understood. ’It’s because the gap between us is simply too vast; otherwise, the strategy of letting the opponent strike first wouldn’t work.’

"I’ll make the first move, then," Luo Kai said as he slowly walked toward him.

But the bald man still didn’t dare to move. Not until Luo Kai grabbed him by the neck and tossed him out of the ring. He lay on the ground in a daze for a moment before patting his butt and getting up. His gaze toward Luo Kai on the stage was filled with Fear. He had grown up among wild beasts and possessed an extremely sharp Spiritual Sense. In front of this handsome, smiling young man, he felt like a rabbit under a tiger’s claws, completely powerless to resist, without even daring to have the thought of resisting.

Luo Kai hadn’t expected the bald man to be so sensitive. ’He’s certainly promising material; his future achievements should be limitless.’

Everyone in the arena was bewildered. Due to the existence of challenge matches, shady tactics like deliberately throwing a fight, which might happen in regular competitions, were pointless here. Could it be that this handsome young man knew Magic?

Luo Kai’s next two matches were just as unremarkable. He seemed to simply take a few casual steps and appear behind his opponents before grabbing them by the scruff of the neck and tossing them out of the ring.

After winning three matches in a row, Luo Kai jumped off the ring and returned to the spectator area. He had no interest in becoming the ring’s champion. Xiaoxue’s prophecy had left him feeling uneasy, and he was distracted, periodically scanning the audience for any potential enemies.

...

The competition grew increasingly fierce, even resulting in deaths and injuries. When the power gap between two opponents wasn’t large, the only way to secure victory was to fight with their lives on the line. This was unavoidable.

By noon, a Martial Artist finally took the stage. He was a Martial Artist from the military. He instantly won three matches in a row right after appearing, and his methods were ruthless. All who lost to him ended up spitting blood with broken bones. No one dared to challenge him in his ring.

Following him, two more military Martial Artists appeared, and they each took over a ring as well.

Everyone was displeased with the military contestants’ tyranny, but there was nothing they could do. In truth, the gap between a First Rank Martial Artist and a regular Body Technique Cultivator isn’t that large. However, the military Martial Artists were all seasoned killers with vast combat experience and exceptional mental fortitude. These two factors were crucial in deciding victory or defeat. With superior mental fortitude, one could unleash extraordinary combat power—even a nimble rabbit could fight an eagle.

Generally, the Body Techniques tournament would last for two days, but accidents could happen. For example, today, three of the five rings were firmly occupied, which would significantly shorten the competition’s duration.

Hao Fei walked over, dejected. He had lost all three of his matches and didn’t even have a chance to get ranked in the winner’s bracket. He muttered, "Such bad luck. All three of my opponents were tough guys. Brother Luo, you have to teach them a good lesson for me later."

What surprised Luo Kai was that Xiaoxue also went up to compete. And she was actually challenging a tall military Martial Artist. She held a Fine Steel Long Sword, her movements nimble and swift. She launched a rapid assault the moment she got on stage. A weapon could largely compensate for a lack of Power and better utilize a person’s agility. For a moment, she even forced the opposing Martial Artist into a steady retreat.

Now her opponent didn’t dare to be careless. He hastily drew the Military Dagger from his leg, and they began to fight in earnest.

Xiaoxue’s Sword Technique wasn’t actually that sophisticated, but she had a kind of precognitive Ability that always allowed her to react before her opponent attacked. Even facing a Martial Artist, she didn’t fall behind in the slightest.

The battle between the two instantly captured everyone’s attention. One was a delicate, petite young girl, the other a ferocious warrior from the army. The stark contrast created a visual tension that was impossible to ignore.

On the main platform, several High-level Martial Artists gradually noticed something odd. Fang Hong chuckled and said, "Excellent! I didn’t expect our Xingma Kingdom to produce another combat genius!"

"Indeed. Some people are born for battle. Once they enter a combat state, they become far more sensitive than others and are better able to pick up on details."

They all thought Xiaoxue possessed a natural talent for combat, unaware that it stemmed from her extraordinary precognitive Ability.

After a while, Xiaoxue’s movements clearly slowed, and her pale forehead was covered in beads of sweat. Her precognitive Ability allowed her to react in advance, making her better at defense, but her offense was somewhat lacking. In the end, she leaped down from the stage, conceding defeat.

Seeing Xiaoxue return, panting, Luo Kai took a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Wipe your sweat."

Xiaoxue gave a shy smile, took the handkerchief, and wiped her sweat. Then, she wrote a few words in the notebook she carried with her: "Thank you. Your handkerchief smells so nice."

Of course, a rough guy like Luo Kai wouldn’t carry a handkerchief. This one had been pressed on him by Lu Qing. The competition below was still raging, but he suddenly felt an urgent desire to go home.