The Grand Tournament Concludes

This year's crop truly yielded a hidden treasure: a combat genius and a formation-and-puppet genius. Watching the clash between Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling on stage, the host of the Grand Tournament wore a beaming smile on his face.

Though Lei Potian and the others were also quite impressive, compared to Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling at this juncture, they fell rather short.

Lu Yuling, in particular, had reached the realm of clear mind state, and her talent in formations was quite good. Geniuses like Zhuge Xiang and Lu Yuling usually only appeared in the Asura Sect once every few years; he never expected to encounter two in one breath this year.

The fox-shaped puppet was exceptionally swift in speed. In Zhuge Xiang's view, it was not much inferior to the one-star mid-grade Fox Demon from that day. Most importantly, the materials of this puppet were extremely hard, and its resistance to blows was clearly beyond the flesh-and-blood body of that Fox Demon. With such a helper, Zhuge Xiang currently felt as though he were simultaneously facing two genius-level disciples. If not for the cooldown-free and consumption-free state of Explosive Steps, he would have already lost.

Originally, Zhuge Xiang's ultra-high-speed movement and dense attacks left Lu Yuling's body unable to keep up, and she was soon on the verge of losing. However, with the summoning of this mechanical puppet and the influence it exerted, the attacks Zhuge Xiang could land on Lu Yuling naturally dwindled. Under the condition of clear mind state, his attacks lacked density and were very naturally dodged by Lu Yuling...

Twenty seconds was hardly a long stretch of time. With only the final twenty seconds remaining for his Bloodthirsty Technique, Zhuge Xiang's expression turned completely solemn, leaving him no time to ponder so much.

The fox-shaped mechanical puppet was not slow, and coupled with the puppet's own material, its resistance to blows was formidable. If he were to dismantle this mechanical puppet first, the twenty seconds would long since have elapsed. Therefore, he could only set his sights on Lu Yuling, yet the mechanical puppet at her side interfered, leaving very few attacks that he could actually land on her.

It looks like I have to abandon all defense... With thoughts flashing like lightning, his remaining twenty seconds were undeniably brief, and Zhuge Xiang quickly made up his mind. He reached into his robe, pulled out a pill, and held it in his mouth—it was the Healing Pill he had never used before.

Healing Pill: No level requirement, continuously restores HP, restores 10 HP per second, duration 10 seconds.

Deploying Explosive Steps, Zhuge Xiang pounced toward Lu Yuling. The Blood Refinement Saber in his hand transformed into a dense flurry of blade light, sweeping outward. Though Lu Yuling evaded it, under the impetus of Explosive Steps, Zhuge Xiang's dense barrage manifested once more, fully adopting a desperate posture.

The mechanical puppet naturally gave chase, lunging to bite Zhuge Xiang. This siege of Wei to rescue Zhao clearly aimed to force Zhuge Xiang into retreat. However, at this juncture, Zhuge Xiang did not dodge at all, stubbornly enduring the mechanical puppet's strike while his hands maintained not the slightest pause, and the Blood Refinement Saber continued to slash...

"What!? Has Zhuge Xiang gone mad?" Niu Geng widened his eyes. Though he could barely catch a glimpse of Zhuge Xiang's moving shadow, he still saw Zhuge Xiang take the mechanical puppet's blow head-on.

"How ruthless..." Upon seeing Zhuge Xiang's utterly desperate stance, Hua Nongying, Ling Wufeng, and the others widened their eyes slightly as well. Abandoning all defense and paying zero heed to the mechanical puppet's attacks, solely to defeat Lu Yuling—this streak of ruthlessness was genuinely startling. Ruthless to others, yet even more ruthless to himself.

"As expected of a ruthless person." Witnessing this scene, Ji Wuxue was not particularly surprised. When he dueled him, he had already experienced this ruthlessness firsthand. Under the threat to his life, Zhuge Xiang did not think of retreating, but rather of fighting him to the death. Ji Wuxue had already grasped his ruthless streak back then.

The mechanical puppet's attack was still quite powerful. With just a single strike, Zhuge Xiang could feel in his character interface that his HP had dropped by 17 points. Yet Zhuge Xiang paid these matters no mind. To attack, to attack madly—that was the only thing Zhuge Xiang cared about right now...

With an inherent 130 points of HP, 100 points from the Healing Pill, plus the lifesteal effect of the Blood Refinement Saber, Zhuge Xiang was gambling everything on these final twenty seconds. 230 points of HP, coupled with the pooled defense of the Star Chasing Boots and Frost Headband, along with the 50% defense bonus from the Bloodthirsty Technique, should allow him to withstand the mechanical puppet's attacks for twenty seconds, right?

Whoosh whoosh whoosh...

The blade was like blood, the dance like wind. Though Zhuge Xiang had never studied any exquisite blade techniques, all martial arts under heaven could be broken only by speed. When speed reached its absolute peak, even the simplest hack or slash became terrifying.

Zhuge Xiang's desperate ruthlessness caused a strange look to flash in Lu Yuling's eyes. Despite possessing the clear mind state, Zhuge Xiang's ultra-high-speed assaults left her body unable to keep pace with his attack speed. Even with the mechanical puppet, Zhuge Xiang—who had discarded all defense at this moment—suffered no real impact from it...

"What is happening? Why is he still so full of vigor?" She was gambling on whether she could block his blood blade or if he would fall defeated to her mechanical puppet first. Lu Yuling was well aware of this point. However, after persisting for a moment when she herself was nearing her limit, Zhuge Xiang remained full of vitality. This left Lu Yuling astonished and perplexed. Judging by the wounds the mechanical puppet had left upon him, Zhuge Xiang should have long since been unable to hold on by this stage.

"This is..." Amidst her confusion, Lu Yuling noticed the numerous wounds on Zhuge Xiang's body. Though dripping with blood, upon closer inspection, those wounds were actually healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. This caused Lu Yuling to widen her eyes, and she immediately thought of the pill Zhuge Xiang had swallowed moments ago, feeling a sense of helplessness. Where on earth did this fellow acquire so many pills?

Amidst the high-speed movement of Explosive Steps, Zhuge Xiang's tiny action of taking a pill might have gone unnoticed by others, but Lu Yuling's clear mind state could pierce through it. She never imagined that Zhuge Xiang would actually possess a pill with such a formidable healing effect...

Blade after blade came in a dense tempest, followed instantly by the activation of the Frost Headband's slowing effect. Finally, under Zhuge Xiang's fierce offensive, Lu Yuling collapsed; her defense and evasion completely disintegrated under the dense and formidable onslaught.

A blood blade flashed, and Zhuge Xiang's Blood Refinement Saber came to rest directly across Lu Yuling's neck. The ghost face on the Blood Refinement Saber looked grim, and its sharpness made it abundantly clear that with the slightest bit of force, Lu Yuling's beautiful head would be severed.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment. The bodies of both Lu Yuling and Zhuge Xiang halted, and even the movements of the mechanical puppet ceased. The arena's ultra-high-speed, dense combat transitioned from extreme motion to absolute stillness with startling abruptness.

Glancing at the Blood Refinement Saber resting against her neck, Lu Yuling smiled indifferently and conceded defeat. As Lu Yuling conceded, Zhuge Xiang let out a long breath, and immediately, a system prompt rang out in his mind.

"Ding, defeated Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer Lu Yuling across realms, gained 200 experience, gained a Skill Orb."

"Ding, Bloodthirsty Technique effect automatically ended, fallen into weakened state, all attributes decreased by 80%, duration 2 days."

The system prompt caused Zhuge Xiang's eyes to widen slightly. Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer? Lu Yuling had actually reached the Qi Cultivation Realm Fourth Layer? Zhuge Xiang truly had not anticipated this; he had always assumed her cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Realm Third Layer. Yet as the Bloodthirsty Technique faded, an unprecedented fatigue left Zhuge Xiang barely able to stand steady.

His garments were already tattered beyond recognition from the mechanical puppet's attacks, making him look like a beggar. His completely defense-abrogating offensive had left his body covered in wounds, with blood soaking a majority of his frame. Coupled with the onslaught of the weakened state at this moment, compared to Lu Yuling's condition, Zhuge Xiang appeared far more disheveled—he, the victor, actually looked worse off than Lu Yuling.

However, as the host stepped onto the stage and announced that he had claimed first place in the Grand Tournament, the crowd below still unsparingly erupted into cheers for him.

The champion of the Grand Tournament could be said to be the strongest among the hundred thousand disciples of this generation. Emerging from the hundred thousand disciples to stand at the very pinnacle—this was glory. His wounds and his disheveled state were both testaments to his victory. The thrilling battle just now and his fierce tenacity completely conquered everyone; he was a well-deserved first place...

Now that the Grand Tournament had reached this point, it had finally drawn to a complete close. The top ten contestants of the Grand Tournament all stood upon the duel platform, seventeen prizes arrayed before them, a sight that filled the onlookers with envy.

Zhuge Xiang, as the first-place winner, held the highest priority for selection, and he alone was entitled to five items among them. Yet Zhuge Xiang did not rush to choose; instead, he turned his head to ask Lu Yuling what she needed. Lu Yuling stood on ceremony, pointing to a movement technique manual for Soaring Wave Steps, a protective inner armor of first-grade magical treasure rank, and a first-grade magical treasure ring.

"Oh? Isn't the most valuable thing among these the storage belt? Do you not need it?" Seeing what Lu Yuling pointed to, Zhuge Xiang asked in surprise.

Turning her head, Lu Yuling smiled indifferently. "How else do you think my mechanical puppet was so large when I produced it? I already have a storage belt."

"Is that so? Then I won't stand on ceremony." Nodding in sudden realization, Zhuge Xiang took priority in making his selections.

The storage belt was the most practical and precious item, which Zhuge Xiang unceremoniously stowed into his possession. He also collected a certificate, which he pocketed as well; this was a certificate to enhance the grade of a magical treasure, which could be used at the Asura Sect headquarters to find a weapon crafter and upgrade the grade of one magical treasure on his person free of charge.

To speak the truth, the items Zhuge Xiang genuinely needed were indeed limited. Martial arts? Magical treasures? He could loot these himself by defeating opponents. Still, with five prizes available to take, naturally he would not stand on ceremony. Subsequently, Zhuge Xiang selected a magical treasure cloak. After inspecting the rest carefully, he picked out the Yin Gu Pot and a martial art manual for the Five Poisons Palm; Niu Geng had deep research into poisons, making these two items the most appropriate gift for him.

Among these prizes, the Five Poisons Palm and the Yin Gu Pot could be said to hold the least value. Seeing Zhuge Xiang make such choices, the crowd naturally rejoiced. Lu Yuling stowed away the three reward items she had already designated, offering only an indifferent smile without speaking regarding Zhuge Xiang's choices—she was well aware of why Zhuge Xiang chose the Yin Gu Pot and the Five Poisons Palm.

Following this, the others took turns stepping up to select their rewards. Ling Wufeng, placing third, chose two items. Then Lei Potian, his face gloomy, selected one, and the rest took one each. The seventeen prizes were quickly divided up, and the Grand Tournament officially concluded...