Stirring the Grass Without Alerting the Snake

The guy had a cold face and remained unmoved even when the girls in the audience screamed like dolphins, as if it had nothing to do with him. In Si Ming's eyes, this was clearly a kind of repressed flirtatiousness, but in the eyes of those girls whose eyes were sparkling, this was a cool and aloof man, another form of domineering CEO, which made them extremely excited.

According to the rules of the Martial Arts School Tournament, both sides can use weapons, but only wooden weapons are allowed. The type of wood doesn't matter; you can use bamboo spears or sandalwood. Of course, most people prefer ironwood because it's sturdy and dense enough to sink directly in water.

At this moment, Ying Zhou was using an ironwood sword, while his opponent was using hidden weapons, or rather, mechanical devices.

There is no legend of the Tang Sect hidden weapons in the Sea Continent. Even if a sect similar to the Tang Sect exists in the world, it is suppressed by the Mohist School's mechanical arts, so they cannot stand out. Compared with the Mohist School's exquisite and ingenious mechanical arts, so-called hidden weapons are all considered second-rate unorthodox methods.

As soon as the match began, Ying Zhou's opponent flicked his sleeve, and two carp emerged from it. In the instant they left his hand, they disintegrated into various hidden weapons, which rained down on Ying Zhou like a meteor shower. They did not attack from the front, but rather surrounded him from all directions, making it look like a barrage of arrows.

However, Ying Zhou remained unmoved, casually slashing out with his sword. The powerful blade energy swept in all directions, deflecting all the hidden weapons with a whoosh.

Instead of launching a close-range attack, he raised his sword, pointed it at his opponent, and said with a disdainful look, "Is this all you've got?"

This statement, which showed utter disregard for the opponent and exuded extreme confidence and domineering attitude, immediately drew screams from female fans.

Si Ming couldn't help but say, "This kid is too flashy. Where did he learn all that?"

Then he received a look from Murong Qing that seemed to say, "Don't you have any self-awareness at all?" So he awkwardly stroked his chin and changed the subject, saying, "But judging from the power of his strike, he's already touched the edge of the Spirit Transformation."

Murong Qing didn't dwell on the matter, echoing, "Judging from his current rate of progress, he'll probably break my record soon and become the youngest Nascent Spirit Transformation."

Si Ming shook his head and said, "His situation is the same as mine. He follows the path of body refinement, focusing on cultivating Jing Essence, while Internal Cultivation is just secondary. Even if he becomes a Spirit Transformation level expert, he is ultimately not a true Qi Refining Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation and will not be officially recognized."

Murong Qing thought about it and realized that it was true. Ying Zhou's Internal Cultivation was only at level nine, far from the minimum standard of level thirteen.

Si Ming added, "But then again, this kid is quite low-key. He's already made a name for himself, but he's never mentioned it to me."

Upon hearing this, Murong Qing smiled slightly, "He probably thinks that such achievements are insignificant in front of you, and only when he obtains truly remarkable honors will he mention them in front of you in order to receive your praise."

Chapter 739 Beating the grass without disturbing the snake

Si Ming couldn't help but ask, "Am I his father?"

Murong Qing countered, "Isn't it a bit too late to ask this now?"

"I feel that 'Big Brother' is closer to my position."

"An elder brother is like a father; there's not much difference between the two."

Si Ming was speechless, and before he could think of a rebuttal, Murong Qing urged again, "Alright, we didn't come here to watch the game, don't forget the important matter."

Si Ming did not object. In his view, the outcome of this battle was already quite clear. Perhaps Ying Zhou's opponent still had some trump cards up his sleeve, but the gap between the two sides was so large that it could not be changed by a few trump cards.

Of course, battles are full of variables and unexpected events can happen. Si Ming couldn't guarantee anything. He estimated that Ying Zhou's chances of winning were only 95%, and he couldn't say that he was guaranteed to win. If he was careless, he could still be defeated unexpectedly.

Moreover, Ying Zhou's opponent was named Yun Haoran. Si Ming found him somewhat familiar. Considering the other party's surname, he thought that he was likely a disciple of the Sword-Forging Manor, or even a cousin of Yun Yinmo. He probably had met him when he was a guest at the Sword-Forging Manor, or perhaps they just looked similar. Given the forging level of the Sword-Forging Manor, they might have some trump card.

Even with his hidden trump card, the chances of defeat were only reduced to 90%, and Si Ming still didn't think he could turn the tide.

The three arrived at the perimeter of the audience section A and began to carry out their plan to alert the enemy. Hongdou stood at the back of the audience, releasing hostility that enveloped the entire area, while Si Ming and Murong Qing stood on either side of the aisle, ready to make their move at any moment.

"Do it!"

They Secret Voice Transmission through telepathy. Hongdou pushed her hands forward, and an invisible aura covered the area, but it was under her control and did not affect the audience seats on either side.

The next moment, the spectators, who had been engrossed in watching the game, began to show signs of annoyance at being disturbed. They looked around but couldn't find anything suspicious, and finally concluded that they were just imagining things, so they turned their attention back to the game.

While it's described as an expression of hostility, most people don't feel a sense of imminent danger. Instead, they feel like they're being watched closely, which can be unsettling. After all, Si Ming and his group don't want to create panic. If the aura they release is too strong and causes an overreaction, a stampede could easily occur.

For fugitives with guilty consciences, this little bit of stimulation is enough to trigger a strong reaction, like a cat whose tail has been stepped on.

Of course, there were also some people who were particularly slow to react, showing no reaction at all, and were completely focused on the game from beginning to end, unmoved by the eyes of outsiders.

"It seems there are no suspects in this area. Move on to the next one."

While Si Ming and the others were inspecting them one by one, the battle on the arena reached its climax. After releasing two carp puppets, Yun Haoran gradually released eight more. These carp-shaped puppets did not all disintegrate into hidden weapons; some were broken down into miniature versions of the eighteen kinds of weapons, including swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks. Moreover, these disintegrated weapons were not used for a single attack. After being deflected by Ying Zhou, they were still controlled by his opponent, spun around, and continued to attack.

This kind of operation is truly astonishing. If this person were using a metal weapon, it could be explained by magnetic manipulation. However, the Martial Arts School Tournament only allows wooden weapons, not metal ones, so magnetic manipulation simply wouldn't work. Could it be that there is wood in the world that can be attracted by a magnet?

Some people in the audience were already shouting "This is cheating!", but the referees remained unmoved. Those who noticed this knew that the other side must have used some special method, since the weapons used by the contestants are checked before they go into the ring, and if there are any violations, they will not be allowed to be brought into the ring. But there was also a group of people who didn't care about any of this and continued to shout "This is cheating!"

Si Ming, who was stirring up trouble, also noticed the commotion, but he only glanced at it before looking away. Although he didn't know what methods this person had used, it wasn't surprising that they could manipulate things with magnetic fields. The idea that magnetism could attract metal was a completely wrong one.

First, not all metals are attracted to magnets. Aluminum, copper, gold, silver, and so on are not attracted to magnets. Magnets can only attract metals that have spontaneous magnetization properties. If the gold bars you bought from the bank are attracted to a magnet, then without a doubt, there is something wrong with your magnet.

Secondly, non-metals can also be attracted by magnets, such as liquefied oxygen, because it is paramagnetic. And there are quite a few substances that are paramagnetic. If the opponent adds paramagnetic substances to the hidden weapon, it does not theoretically violate the rules of the competition.

Ying Zhou was unaware of this knowledge, but he didn't care. He stood firmly in place, casually waving his hand. His wooden sword was as swift as a storm, and his sword energy was as powerful as lightning, forming an impenetrable shield. All hidden weapons that hit it were repelled far away. He appeared quite relaxed and at ease.

However, the deflected hidden weapons would retaliate under invisible control, accumulating more and more until they completely enveloped Ying Zhou like locusts, blurring his figure.

These hidden weapons, taken together, were larger than a person. It was a mystery how Yun Haoran managed to carry so many things on him, as he didn't seem to be carrying that much at all.

To the untrained eye, this scene appeared as if Ying Zhou was pinned to the spot, powerless to retaliate, causing them to tense up. Many women clasped their hands in front of their chests, adopting a posture of prayer.

At this moment, Ying Zhou's unhurried voice came from the arena. "After waiting so long, there are still no new moves. It seems you've truly run out of tricks. All you can do is simply stack numbers. How disappointing."

Yun Haoran's expression changed slightly as he suddenly felt a powerful force erupt from the front. The attacking hidden weapons could not be suppressed at all and were immediately repelled. Ying Zhou followed with his sword, and the surging sword energy cut through the wind and waves, carrying unparalleled power as it slashed towards him.

"Mystic Turtle Transformation!"

Some of the deflected projectiles suddenly retracted, condensing into a thick shield in front of Yun Haoran. Although it immediately shattered and scattered after being struck by the blade's energy, it still slightly slowed Ying Zhou's advance. Yun Haoran immediately used the force to retreat and widen the distance again. Even so, he still couldn't completely avoid it. His chest was still hit by the residual force, leaving a dent in his clothes and causing his ribs to ache slightly.

"Nice props, very clever little gadgets."

Ying Zhou praised it, because he noticed that although the shield hadn't even withstood one of his blows, it neutralized the force of the impact as it disintegrated, leaving each part intact and undamaged.

However, the implication of this praise is that the person is incompetent, even less capable than the props.