A One-Minute Showdown

Although Zhao Liang and the others were worried, Lin Zhen had already made up his mind, so they could not say much. They took out their phones and began streaming.

Ye Tiancheng even gave Lin Zhen a thumbs-up. "Lin Zhen, you've got guts. As long as you don't lose too badly in this match, you'll be my buddy from now on. A broken arm is nothing—medical technology can fix that these days. As for twenty million, that's nothing either. Your brother here will help you scrape it together."

Shi Lei nodded as well. "That's what I mean too."

Gao Yan also said, "You're exactly my kind of person. A Martial Artist needs this kind of spirit."

Lin Zhen smiled at his teammates. Clearly, they approved of what he had done.

Perhaps they thought he had no chance of winning, but Lin Zhen knew that if the battle dragged on, he would undoubtedly lose. But if it lasted only one minute, he might not be without a chance.

In fact, Zhang Huai had been Lin Zhen's enemy in his previous life. He had already simulated battles against Zhang Huai countless times in his mind. He knew exactly what Zhang Huai's current strength was, and he had long since made a plan.

He took off his jacket and flung it aside. Wearing a black sleeveless shirt that revealed muscles like steel, Lin Zhen gripped the Black Dragon Spear and prepared for battle.

Zhang Huai stripped off his shirt entirely. Thick black chest hair covered his chest, and combined with his fleshy, vicious-looking face, he was an intimidating sight.

The online streams had already begun, with several posts appearing at once.

"Raging Wind versus Dragon Slayer, Lin Zhen versus Zhang Huai!"

"Level Seven Warrior Lin Zhen of the Demon Hunter Squad arrogantly challenges War General expert Zhang Huai! A one-minute wager match—no complaints if someone dies!"

"Courage and confidence! A leading figure among Ice City's younger generation is about to be born! A one-minute showdown!"

The people recording quickly explained the rules of the one-minute wager match, making it impossible for either side to deny anything afterward.

As soon as the videos went online, they drew countless Martial Artists within mere seconds. The comments flooded the screen, with every kind of opinion being voiced.

But most people still believed Lin Zhen was arrogantly overestimating himself. A Level Seven Warrior challenging a Level One War General was not entirely unprecedented, but the outcomes were always more or less the same: Level Seven Warriors were basically crushed.

Even among the few who had won by chance, every one of them had been a famous genius in history.

Although Lin Zhen had achieved remarkable results from the Customized Potion, he had yet to prove his actual combat strength. No one thought highly of him.

After all, having a high physique and being good in actual combat were completely different matters.

Lin Zhen had no time to look at the internet. All of his attention was focused on Zhang Huai across from him.

"Zhang Huai's strongest offensive method is his blade technique. I know he cultivates the Blood Battle Blade Technique. It was created long ago by one of Dragon Slayer's experts at the God of War Level. It isn't an especially perfect blade technique, but it is fierce and powerful."

"Zhang Huai is currently at the War General Initial Stage, and his temperament is rather aggressive. Since this is a one-minute wager match, he definitely won't waste time. He'll want to defeat me as quickly as possible, so I'm certain he'll use the Blood Battle Blade Technique to launch a fierce assault right from the start. I need to take advantage of my longer weapon and defend with everything I have in the beginning. If I can hold on for thirty seconds, that will count as success. Holding out longer isn't realistic. After all, a War General can use Dark Force, giving them over a thousand pounds of strength. It will be difficult to withstand."

Once he had made up his mind, the battle began.

Just as Lin Zhen had expected, Zhang Huai flashed him a savage grin before suddenly charging forward.

"You little bastard, I'll show you the difference between a Warrior and a War General. Don't be so arrogant in your next life!"

The saber in his hand was also produced by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Its value was on the same level as Lin Zhen's Black Dragon Spear. With a swing of his long saber, he brought it down in a mountain-splitting strike. The blade tore through the air with a piercing howl.

Lin Zhen flicked the Black Dragon Spear in his hand, using the technique of deflection to neutralize and counterattack, meeting Zhang Huai head-on.

A piercing clash of metal rang out. Lin Zhen took two steps back, and his palms went slightly numb.

At the Level Nine Peak of the Warrior realm, one could unleash close to a thousand pounds of force. Anything beyond a thousand pounds counted as General Level.

Zhang Huai was a Level One War General. Although he had only entered the War General realm recently, his physical strength already exceeded a thousand pounds, because War General Martial Artists had internal energy enhancing them.

Lin Zhen's eight hundred pounds of force collided with his opponent's attack. Even with the advantage of a longer weapon, he could only barely hold his ground.

Having succeeded with one strike, Zhang Huai burst into laughter. His long saber flashed with cold light as he launched a frenzied assault on Lin Zhen.

"Lin Zhen's in danger!" Shi Lei and the others grew tense.

Lin Zhen's first exchange had only been a test. After sensing Zhang Huai's strength, he felt reassured. Zhang Huai was powerful, but not impossible to resist.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Zhen poured all his strength into his arms. The long spear in his hands spun like a windmill. He sank his waist and planted his stance, no longer giving an inch!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in every direction, and the scene sounded like a blacksmith's forge. Zhang Huai's saber was more than fierce enough, but it lacked agility. For a time, he could not break through Lin Zhen's defense.

"Little Brat! You're just drinking poison to quench your thirst. You're forcing yourself to hold out on a single breath. Once that breath leaks out, let's see how you keep defending yourself! Yah!"

Zhang Huai became ruthless too, his saber attacks growing fiercer with every strike. Although this consumed a great deal of his own stamina as well, he believed he could definitely last longer than Lin Zhen.

The fight only lasted one minute. He had no intention of dragging it out to the end; that would be an insult to his reputation as a War General expert.

Powerful currents of force immediately swept through the area. Lin Zhen's spear churned up dust, while Zhang Huai's saber whipped up howling winds. The two had locked into a contest of endurance, waiting to see who would collapse first.

Such an explosive battle immediately caused an uproar online.

"This Lin Zhen is pretty good. He's actually holding off a War General head-on."

"Only for now. Can't you see he hasn't even taken a breath? Once this burst of strength passes, he probably won't be able to hold on."

"That's right. He's only a Warrior, after all. Challenging a War General across realms is still too much for him. But Zhang Huai's fierce assault is draining even more stamina. He probably can't keep it up for long either."

"He can hold on long enough to kill Lin Zhen. I bet Zhang Huai will chop Lin Zhen to death within one minute. This post is my proof—if he can't, I'll livestream myself eating shit."

"Waiting for the guy above to eat shit."

More than twenty seconds quickly passed, and Lin Zhen was finally about to lose his breath.

"Hold on for another five seconds!"

Lin Zhen's face turned bright red. Relying purely on his formidable willpower, he forced himself to endure another five seconds.

At last, he took a heavy breath. As he breathed, his spear defense slowed.

"Haha! Kid, you're done for now, aren't you? Die!"

Zhang Huai laughed loudly. This half-minute of fierce attacks had exhausted him greatly as well. Lin Zhen had the advantage while defending, and his longer weapon gave him an edge too, but Zhang Huai was confident he could still endure a little longer. Killing Lin Zhen was right before his eyes.

The long saber drew a streak of blade light like a bolt of white silk as it slashed diagonally down.

"Lin Zhen, watch out!" Zhao Liang and the others shouted anxiously. In their eyes, Lin Zhen would very likely be unable to block this strike.

Lin Zhen truly could not block it, but he still had a trump card.

That was his exceptionally sharp Neural Reaction!

Lin Zhen was a Mind Power Master. His Neural Reaction had always been formidable, and after taking the Gene Potion, his Mental Power had advanced to the Silver Mid Stage. Although he had only just entered the mid stage, his Neural Reaction had actually surpassed that of an ordinary Beginner War General.

At the very least, it was stronger than Zhang Huai's.

Therefore, this slash did not seem difficult to evade in Lin Zhen's eyes. At the instant the blade was about to strike his body, he shifted slightly aside, allowing it to brush past him by a hair's breadth!

"Fuck! That was a coincidence, right?"

Zhang Huai could hardly believe it. His sure-kill strike had missed, causing his movements to slow slightly.

How could Lin Zhen let such an opportunity pass? Though he was somewhat exhausted, he still lashed out with a concealed kick that struck Zhang Huai squarely on the shin.

But Lin Zhen seemed to have no strength left. The kick did not have much destructive power, merely causing pain in Zhang Huai's leg and forcing him back several steps. It enraged him even more and also used up another five or six seconds.

"Kid! Get down! Blood Battle Seven-hit Combo!"

Ignoring the fact that he himself was already at the end of his strength, Zhang Huai used the Blood Battle Blade Technique. His saber launched surprise attacks from every possible angle. Lin Zhen's mind was utterly calm as his body shifted left and right. To him, the enemy's blade light was like bullets in a Neural Reaction test—not impossible to dodge. And Zhang Huai's saber was nowhere near as fast as bullets.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Lin Zhen's body continuously twisted and evaded, occasionally bending at an exaggerated angle. He actually managed to dodge all seven consecutive strikes.

The most dangerous strike even passed right by Lin Zhen's neck, cutting off a lock of his hair, yet leaving him uninjured.

After the seven strikes, Zhang Huai could no longer hold on. He had no choice but to withdraw his saber and take a step back to catch his breath.

Watching that lock of hair drift down through the air, Lin Zhen smiled faintly.

Another dozen or so seconds passed. Less than ten seconds remained before the minute was up.