Only I Am Wildly Arrogant!

He kicked the lot drawing cylinder to pieces, seized the banner, and declared victory.

The chain of sudden developments left everyone completely dumbfounded.

After so many Wind Cloud Genius Battles, this was the first time anything like this had happened.

Yue Dangkong, president of the Silver Moon Merchant Guild, frowned slightly and turned to look at Luo Jiuxiao in the distance. "City Lord Luo, what kind of stunt is this?"

"I didn't arrange this. He acted on his own. You know what kind of person I am; I wouldn't do anything this outrageous." Luo Jiuxiao was no less surprised than anyone else.

Yue Dangkong did not argue. He had dealt with Luo Jiuxiao for many years and knew that the other man was indeed steady and prudent. He would not send a junior to disrupt the Genius Battle, as that would do the City Lord's Mansion no good at all.

The City Lord's Mansion valued both open and unspoken rules above all else. Only by strictly enforcing the rules could they maximize the ruling authority granted to them by the Seven Heroes Kingdom.

The crowd around them erupted into an uproar.

"What's going on? How did that guy named Fan Lang take the banner?"

"He's way too arrogant! He declared himself the winner before even fighting and wants all these geniuses to take turns challenging him. Who does he think he is, the protagonist of some novel?"

"He must be a madman. Otherwise, he wouldn't do something this stupid. Causing trouble at the Genius Battle—how could the various factions possibly tolerate him? Just wait for the show."

The discussion surged like a tide, their words sharp as blades. Some cursed Fan Lang, some gloated over his misfortune, and some believed he was doomed. Every sort of remark could be heard.

No matter what these people said, hardly anyone believed Fan Lang truly had the ability to crush every genius present. Only a few people were exceptions.

The City Lord's Mansion's section.

Li Yunyan laughed. "He really knows how to make trouble. Isn't he afraid of playing with fire and getting burned?"

She laughed because she had confidence in Fan Lang.

Luo Hongyan, on the other hand, did not laugh, but neither did she deny Fan Lang's ability. Instead, the faint ache in her chest resurfaced, reminding her of how Fan Lang had knocked her off the arena with a single move.

Luo Hongyan's strength was on par with the geniuses participating in the battle. Since Fan Lang could defeat her so easily, he could easily defeat those people as well. His chances of winning were very high, but his methods were simply too arrogant for her to approve of.

"Is there really any need for this? With that kind of strength, he could fight according to the rules. He only needs to face a few opponents. If these geniuses truly take the stage one by one, how many can he defeat? Absurd. Truly absurd."

Luo Hongyan lightly bit her lip, utterly unable to understand Fan Lang's actions.

Monkey was watching as well, his eyes wide as he stared at Fan Lang on the arena. This was a friend he had known for years, yet that friend was getting farther and farther away from him. He was still a weak Mystic Apprentice, while Fan Lang had already become strong enough to represent the City Lord's Mansion in battle and even dared to challenge every genius present.

"Lang Ge, you've already talked such a big game. Don't you dare lose. Your brother can't help you; I can only watch from here," Monkey muttered.

In truth, all of them were outsiders.

The dozen or so participants were the ones directly involved, because Fan Lang had provoked them. Several of the more arrogant ones had already grown angry, hostility appearing in their eyes as they looked at Fan Lang.

On the arena, Fan Lang continued provoking them. "What are you idiots still standing around for? Hurry up and come fight me. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can call it a day. Everyone's busy; no one has time to dawdle here. Once I'm done with you lot, I can go soak in the Ice Fire Pool."

Those words were enough to infuriate anyone. He treated those geniuses like weaklings, and several of them were itching to rush up and teach Fan Lang a lesson.

A system notification suddenly appeared.

The player has triggered an arena mission. Mission name: 'Only I Am Wildly Arrogant.' Mission reward: one random 5-star demon pet and 20,000 Experience Points.

A mission?

Fan Lang checked it discreetly and found the rewards quite good. As for the mission's objective, it was simple and direct: defeat every enemy and become the acknowledged champion.

Victory itself already came with a whole pile of rewards. With the mission rewards added on top, it became even more enticing.

With such a huge commotion on his hands, City Lord Luo Jiuxiao could not simply stand by. Even if Fan Lang was one of his own, he still had to ask about it. He leaped onto the arena and asked, "Fan Lang, what do you mean by this? The rules of the Genius Battle aren't like this."

"We're fighting either way, so what difference does it make how we fight? If someone defeats me, I'll naturally get lost. But if I defeat them, then victory naturally belongs to me. City Lord, there's no need for you to intervene. I can deal with this bunch of trash myself." Fan Lang was unconcerned.

"This way of fighting puts you at a disadvantage."

"City Lord, there's no need to worry. I know what I'm doing. If you want to be arrogant, you need the strength to back it up."

"Well said."

Those three words did not come from Luo Jiuxiao, but from Murong Bai. As the Murong Clan Leader, his words carried great weight, second only to Luo Jiuxiao's.

Murong Bai's gaze was cold, as was his tone. "His proposed method does not violate the rules of the Genius Battle. I can accept it. Anyone who refuses to accept it can go up there. Winners stay, losers leave. It's that simple."

"Fine. Since even the Murong Clan Leader says so, we'll make an exception this year. No matter how they fight, only the strongest will have the last laugh." Luo Jiuxiao stopped interfering and returned to his place.

The new rules were established!

Someone had long since been unable to hold back. As soon as Luo Jiuxiao left, he immediately leaped onto the arena.

It was a sturdy youth. Though he was not very old, his build was remarkably burly. With a flick of his hand, the card in his palm transformed into a heavy long spear.

"Kid, you're really arrogant. You dared to spout such nonsense and look down on everyone! I'll show you what it means to know your place!"

As soon as the Brawny Youth finished speaking, he swung his long spear and charged at Fan Lang. The spear crackled, wrapped in a layer of leaping lightning.

Facing his first opponent of the day, Fan Lang did not hold back much. He directly unleashed seventy to eighty percent of his Mystic Power, stretched out his hand, and clenched it through the air at the Brawny Youth, using the new ability he had only learned over the past two days.

Five-Star Combat Skill: Sky Covering Hand!

Using Mystic Power as a medium, he connected with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, forming a gigantic hand that seized the Brawny Youth like a chick, lifted him high into the air, then slammed him down at full force toward the solid arena.

Smack!

The Brawny Youth's limbs were dislocated, and he vomited blood wildly. The long spear slipped from his hand, and the lightning around it dispersed.

Fan Lang raised his hand, and the gigantic Mystic Power hand mirrored the motion, casually tossing the Brawny Youth off the arena like discarded trash.

Know your place?

This was knowing your place!

With a single move, the battle was decided, so quickly that everyone was left aghast.

"Next."

Fan Lang looked toward the remaining opponents and spoke those three arrogant words. His palm remained outstretched, and the giant Mystic Power hand hovered in midair, swelling continuously like a dark cloud that blotted out the sky, carrying an oppressive presence.

Now, everyone understood why Fan Lang dared to speak so arrogantly.