Qi and Blood at 101 Calories! A Hundred-Win Streak Mission!
Deep within the Qi Sea Dantian, the invisible yet indestructible wall collapsed with a deafening roar.
Chen Fan could hear the crisp echo of the shackles of life breaking.
The Liquid-Mercury Qi and Blood, forged and compressed to the extreme by three times the gravity and the Star Power, did not violently surge in all directions the moment it was freed from its restraints. Instead, it spread and expanded towards a wider void with a heavy, steady, yet unstoppable momentum.
101 cards.
Chen Fan did not use any instruments, but he clearly and with absolute certainty perceived this value.
This is an instinctive response to the absolute control one has over one's own power.
It's just one more card.
But Chen Fan felt that the whole world had changed.
He slowly retracted his right fist, which had been hovering in mid-air, and gently clenched his five fingers.
The air was instantly crushed in the palm, producing a muffled sonic boom.
"Is this... the feeling of breaking free from the shackles of Qi and Blood?"
Chen Fan stood there, muttering to himself.
He finally understood Gu Ci's words completely.
Both Quasi-Martial Artists, the Blood Wolf with 100 calories was utterly weak and vulnerable compared to his 101 calories of Star Qi and Blood.
A dimensional reduction attack, nothing more.
The deathly silence that had lasted for half a minute in the underground arena was finally ignited.
The rebound after being suppressed to the extreme transformed into a sonic storm powerful enough to overturn the entire underground dome.
"Ahh!"
"Blood Wolf is dead! Blood Wolf was killed with a single punch!"
"A miracle! This is a fucking miracle!"
Thousands of madmen, gamblers, and gangsters who had spent years teetering on the edge of life and death were now completely engulfed in irrational madness.
They tore at their hair, frantically hurling valuable communicators, bottles, and even handfuls of Federation Credits into the air.
No one paid any attention to the Blood Wolf had died outside the arena.
Here, losers don't even deserve pity.
All eyes, all the fervor, all the awe, were focused on the nine-year-old child in the center of the Octagon Cage, dressed in a white Training Uniform, whose breathing was perfectly steady.
The host's knees buckled, and he knelt directly on the high-hanging commentary platform.
He gripped the microphone tightly with both hands, roaring with all his might through a voice that was completely torn, hoarse, and cracking:
Ten consecutive wins!
"One punch! Just one punch! He destroyed our strongest gatekeeper!"
Ladies and gentlemen! Remember this night! Remember this code name!
"Let us greet the new king of the Bloodstained Cage —137—with our wildest shouts!"
"137!"
"137!"
"137!"
The unified roars transformed into tangible sound waves, reverberating through the underground space and causing dust to fall from the edges of the stands.
Top floor, VIP lounge.
Zhang Bao stared intently at the child's figure below.
Blood Wolf is dead.
The one who had torn apart a Qi-Blood Realm Anomalous Beast with his bare hands was turned into a rain of blood by a nine-year-old child using the most basic straight punch.
Zhang Bao's mind replayed the devastating blow he had just received, and he felt a chill run from his tailbone straight to the top of his head, freezing the blood in his entire body.
He stiffly turned his neck to look at Gu Ci, who was sitting on the shadowy sofa.
Gu Ci still held the amber-colored glass of aged liquor.
He didn't look at the frenzied crowd below, nor at the gruesome death of the Blood Wolf. His eyes, which had been lifeless for ten years, remained fixed on Chen Fan.
The moment I sensed that Chen Fan's Qi and Blood had broken through the barrier and undergone a qualitative change.
On Gu Ci's perpetually expressionless face, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
It was a fleeting arc.
He was satisfied.
"Mr... Mr. Gu..." Zhang Bao swallowed hard, his voice hoarse, "Young Master, he..."
Gu Ci ignored him, simply downed the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp, and casually placed the empty glass on the table, making a crisp clinking sound.
Soon, the iron gate of the Octagon Cage was opened by several trembling staff members.
They lowered their heads, not even daring to look Chen Fan in the eye, as if facing an ancient ferocious beast that might devour them at any moment, respectfully leading Chen Fan towards the exclusive passage to the top floor.
The passageway door opened.
Chen Fan entered the VIP room.
His white Training Uniform remained spotless, without a trace of blood.
His handsome face showed no trace of the ferocity that followed killing, nor the arrogance that came from being worshipped by thousands. He was as calm as if he had just taken a walk downstairs.
Zhang Bao suddenly stood up straight and strode forward to meet him.
This powerful figure who held sway over the underworld of East Sea City bowed at a ninety-degree angle without hesitation, his posture humbled to the dust.
"Young Master, you are truly amazing!"
Zhang Bao's voice was filled with heartfelt awe, "Today, I have truly broadened my horizons. Mr. Gu's teaching is excellent, and the young master is a prodigy. It is an honor for Blood Wolf to die at your hands!"
Chen Fan glanced at Zhang Bao but said nothing.
He had no interest in the flattery of such underground forces.
His gaze went straight past Zhang Bao and landed on Gu Ci on the sofa.
Gu Ci stood up, his gray robe fluttering even without wind.
He completely ignored Zhang Bao, who was still bowing, and walked up to Chen Fan, his lifeless gaze sweeping over him.
"It's broken?"
Gu Ci's voice remained hoarse and cold.
"It's broken." Chen Fan nodded, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. "101 calories."
Gu Ci nodded slightly.
How are you feeling?
Chen Fan raised his hand, looked at his fair palm, and then clenched it tightly.
"Very strong." Chen Fan raised his head, a flame igniting in his bright eyes. "But, it's far from enough."
Having witnessed the scenery of 101 calories, he longed even more for the peak Qi and Blood of 110 calories that Gu Ci had mentioned.
Zhang Bao, listening nearby, was terrified.
101 cards?
Has it broken the 100-calorie limit for Quasi-Martial Artists?
Although he wasn't a top-tier expert, he understood what breaking free of his shackles meant.
Gu Ci looked at the flames in Chen Fan's eyes and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"If you feel it's not enough, then continue."
Gu Ci turned around, his gaze passing through the one-way glass, looking down at the underground arena below, still filled with bloodshed and frenzy.
"A ten-game winning streak is just to make you bleed, to get you used to this kind of life-or-death struggle with no bottom line."
Gu Ci's voice wasn't loud, but it reached Chen Fan and Zhang Bao's ears clearly, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.
"For the next month, you don't need to go anywhere; you can just stay here."
Gu Ci turned his head, stared intently into Chen Fan's eyes, and announced the next task, word by word:
"I want you to achieve a hundred consecutive victories against the Quasi-Martial Artist Realm in this cage."
The words had barely left his mouth.
A deathly silence fell over the VIP room.
Zhang Bao suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide open, his face filled with disbelief.
A hundred-game winning streak?!
Since its establishment, the Bloodstained Cage has witnessed countless desperate criminals slaughter each other. Here, there are no rules, no referees, only carnage!
Here, a ten-game winning streak is all it takes to become king.
100-game winning streak?
In the entire Bloodstained Cage, only two or three players have achieved a winning streak of over 100!
Zhang Bao opened his mouth, wanting to dissuade him, but when he met Gu Ci's cold gaze, all his words were stuck in his throat.
He turned to look at Chen Fan.
He expected to see fear, hesitation, or at least a hint of doubt on the child's face.
However, he was wrong.
Chen Fan showed no fear whatsoever; instead, a smile appeared on his lips.
"Good."