Contest

After passing through the villa garden, they reached the training grounds.

This training ground had been renovated. The ground floor contained a workout room of over two hundred square meters, furnished with a full range of equipment. Beside it were a meditation room, massage room, and lounge, as well as a standard swimming pool, though it looked like no one had used it in a long time.

There was another floor underground, covering over a thousand square meters and nearly five meters high.

It was completely empty. The floor was paved with large, high-strength alloy plates, and crystal lights had been installed on the walls and ceiling for illumination.

It was a rectangular Martial Arts Arena.

All four team members entered the Martial Arts Arena. Ren Mian said, "Xinghuo, Zhonglin, warm up and get ready to spar."

Chi Zhonglin immediately began stretching his limbs, every muscle in his body moving.

Ji Xinghuo, however, started jogging around the Martial Arts Arena.

His pace gradually quickened. Within a few minutes, he had run two laps, mobilizing both his stamina and Stellar Force. His body warmed slightly as he entered his rhythm.

"Alright."

Ren Mian called the two of them back.

Chi Zhonglin asked expectantly, "Ren-jie, how should I fight? How much strength should I use?"

"Go all out, but don't try to kill each other." Ren Mian instructed, "Try to simulate real combat and bring out the strength you should have." Then she looked at Xinghuo. "Xinghuo, do you have any objections?"

"No." Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

In truth, he was looking forward to it as well. Since becoming an Aberrant, he had never fought a prepared battle. Shooting Ji Zongbang had been an unexpected incident.

He did not know how strong he truly was.

Chi Zhonglin was very strong, making him the perfect touchstone to see what Ji Xinghuo could do.

Ren Mian nodded. "Then get ready."

Chi Zhonglin reached out and shook Ji Xinghuo's hand. His expression turned serious. "Brother Xinghuo, don't blame me if I hit too hard later. Ren-jie ordered it."

Ji Xinghuo smiled faintly.

Though he did not say anything harsh, all three people present could sense his resolve and confidence, as if everything were already under his control.

Chi Zhonglin's expression grew more solemn, while surprise appeared in Jiangnan Caiyi's eyes.

They did not know that Ji Xinghuo was only an Elementary Esper. Only Ren Mian, who knew this, looked forward even more to seeing what kind of performance he could deliver.

An Elementary Esper against an Advanced Esper.

Moreover, they were fighting within a limited space. The environment was quite unfavorable for a Ranger.

Holding his long spear, Chi Zhonglin walked to one end of the Martial Arts Arena. He raised the spear toward Ji Xinghuo and said, "Be careful. My Lava Gun is a one-star Supernatural weapon. A Lava Fire Lizard Ability Seed was incorporated into it during forging, allowing it to inflict high-temperature damage."

Ji Xinghuo stood at the other end of the Martial Arts Arena. Hearing Chi Zhonglin's words, he gave the spear in his hand a few extra looks.

It was actually a Supernatural weapon! Common weapons and equipment, worth anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of Asia Yuan, were all considered "ordinary" grade.

Weapons and equipment made from top-tier materials and manufacturing techniques, fully bringing out the material's properties, were considered "premium" grade.

The Yi Feng compound bow in Ji Xinghuo's hands belonged to this category, premium one-star.

The composite Tao Steel Light Armor he wore was premium two-star.

Capacitor Arrows counted as premium three-star.

His Flat-Head Goose-Wing Saber and tactical knife were merely ordinary grade.

Above premium came "Supernatural" grade. These were forged with Ability Seed materials and possessed supernatural effects, making them far more powerful than premium weapons.

Both premium and Supernatural grades were further divided into three stars.

One star was the lowest, and three stars the highest.

A one-star Supernatural weapon cost at least three million Asia Yuan. A three-star Supernatural weapon could be worth tens of millions, or even over a hundred million.

Above Supernatural was "Apocalypse" grade, but there were only a few such items in the entire world.

"Yi Feng compound bow, premium one-star." Ji Xinghuo copied Chi Zhonglin and briefly introduced his own weapon.

There was quite a gap between their weapons.

However, this was meant to simulate real combat. Enemies would never switch to similarly matched weapons just because they held a weapon advantage.

The two stood at opposite ends of the Martial Arts Arena, over thirty meters apart.

The Martial Arts Arena fell silent.

"Begin!"

Ren Mian gave a sharp cry.

Almost the instant she spoke, Ji Xinghuo fired an arrow.

The Martial Arts Arena was too small. He had to seize the initiative, or once Chi Zhonglin got close, winning would become nearly impossible.

Chi Zhonglin had extremely rich combat experience and naturally understood that getting into close range was his only path to victory.

He bent his knees, and power erupted from his legs. His entire body shot forward like a rocket.

At the same time, his body swelled as though inflated, instantly growing larger. He became over two meters tall, bursting apart his clothes. His muscles glowed with shifting blue-green light, turning his entire body green. His hair fluffed out like flowing fungal filaments, transforming into an enormous mushroom-shaped hairstyle.

It looked somewhat comical, but the explosive strength was undeniably real!

Every step Chi Zhonglin took made half the Martial Arts Arena tremble, like a rampaging giant charging at Ji Xinghuo.

Just as he took his third step, the arrow arrived.

Smack! Chi Zhonglin flicked up his spear. His strength was as mighty as a mountain, yet his technique was as light as a feather, deftly knocking aside the arrow.

Fusing Rotating Magnetic Field had greatly increased Ji Xinghuo's strength. The draw weight of his compound bow had also been raised to 108 kilograms, equivalent to 240 pounds! This was another straight-fletched Willow Leaf Arrow, incredibly fast and powerful.

Chi Zhonglin knocked aside the arrow, and his charge inevitably slowed, stalling for a brief instant. Even so, he had covered ten meters in just three steps, closing one-third of the distance between himself and Ji Xinghuo.

As he took his fourth step, the second arrow followed close behind.

This arrow came from a tricky angle, aimed directly at his chest. Neither high nor low, it targeted the area most difficult for a spear to defend.

Chi Zhonglin spun his spear horizontally before him and deflected the arrow.

Although his rising speed slowed by another degree, he closed several more meters. Only about fifteen meters remained between him and Ji Xinghuo. To an Advanced Esper, that was practically point-blank range—two or three great strides were enough to reach him.

The third arrow flew at Chi Zhonglin's knee. He merely shifted slightly to the side and dodged it, then continued charging toward Ji Xinghuo.

In the final ten meters, Ji Xinghuo fired two more arrows.

Neither injured Chi Zhonglin, but they prevented him from charging at full force, cutting his burst speed dramatically.

Chi Zhonglin had already rushed within five meters of Ji Xinghuo. His body had expanded to more than two and a half meters tall, like a genuine green giant!

The Lava Gun, weighing over sixty kilograms, was as light as a straw in his hands.

The spear shaft glowed red, radiating waves of heat.

Chi Zhonglin thrust with a simple strike. The spear tip pierced the air with a shriek like a Sound Burst, shooting straight for Ji Xinghuo's throat.

If that spear struck and he did not hold back, Ji Xinghuo would surely die.

Yet Ji Xinghuo showed no panic at all. A spark like lightning flashed in his eyes. He stomped his right foot, crushing through the sole of his shoe. Electric current instantly spread through the metal floor, and in an instant, the entire Martial Arts Arena floor was electrified.

There were no circuits or electrical appliances in the Star Realm, so buildings did not need to consider insulation.

The same was true of this Martial Arts Arena.

Ren Mian and Jiangnan Caiyi, watching from farther away, felt nothing. Their shoes were intact. But Chi Zhonglin had long since crushed his own shoes after his body expanded, and his bare feet were on the ground.

Immediately, Chi Zhonglin's movements froze as electricity numbed his entire body.

"Fuck!"

Chi Zhonglin let out a strange cry.

His spear continued stabbing toward Ji Xinghuo under inertia, but Ji Xinghuo had anticipated it. With Rotating Magnetic Field activated, his speed and explosive power were even greater. He dodged the spear tip in a flash.

He did not dodge to the side. Instead, he closed in on Chi Zhonglin.

They were almost face-to-face.

Any other Ranger would have discarded their bow upon entering close combat, drawn their Goose-Wing Saber, and started hacking.

Ji Xinghuo did not do that. As he closed in on Chi Zhonglin, he had already nocked an arrow onto his compound bow—and it was a Capacitor Arrow worth ten thousand Asia Yuan.

Rotating Magnetic Field spun at full force. He pinched the arrow's tail between two fingers of his right hand, deforming it to generate an electric current. Amplified by Rotating Magnetic Field, the entire arrow lit up. Visible arcs of electricity danced along the shaft, filling the air with the smell of scorching.

Chi Zhonglin saw the entire process, but his body was paralyzed and his reactions had slowed drastically.

There was nothing he could do.

Ji Xinghuo practically pressed the arrowhead against Chi Zhonglin's forehead like a gun. All he had to do was release it, and he could fire a devastating arrow.

At such close range, there was no way Chi Zhonglin could dodge.

"Stop!"

Ren Mian hurriedly called out.

Ji Xinghuo immediately stopped Rotating Magnetic Field. The fully drawn bowstring slowly relaxed, and the arcs on the Capacitor Arrow vanished.

The numbness from Electric Shock immediately faded from Chi Zhonglin's body, but he did not dare lower his guard. A layer of jet-black scales emerged from his face to his neck, metallically hard and lustrous, even covering his eyelids.

Only after Ji Xinghuo moved away the compound bow did the jet-black scales gradually recede.

"Whew..."

Chi Zhonglin's body shrank back to its normal size.

He glanced at the metal floor, lingering fear still on his face. Being shocked felt awful. He could not help asking, "What ability is that?"

Ji Xinghuo was not trying to hide it and answered honestly, "Rotating Magnetic Field."

Even if he did not say it, anyone who observed carefully could tell it was Rotating Magnetic Field, unless he simply never used it. But without Rotating Magnetic Field, defeating Chi Zhonglin would be far too difficult.

"Holy shit!" Chi Zhonglin's eyes widened. "Didn't you say you were a Ranger? How did you become a Magnetic Field Maniac too?"

Ji Xinghuo smiled. "Those don't conflict."

Chi Zhonglin had no response.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Ren Mian and Jiangnan Caiyi walked over.

Ren Mian clapped lightly and praised, "Xinghuo, you're much stronger than I expected. A Magnetic Field Maniac... I haven't seen that class in a long time." Understanding dawned in her eyes. She finally knew why Ji Xinghuo's perception was so powerful—it was Magnetic Field Induction.

"It's my first time seeing one too." Jiangnan Caiyi looked intensely curious. "The strongest Class Template on Earth truly lives up to its reputation!"

"How could a teammate I carefully selected be an ordinary Ranger?" Ren Mian was quite pleased with her own judgment.

"Ren-jie, I won this match, right?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"How can you count it like that?"

"Even if you'd fired that arrow, I wouldn't have died." Before Ren Mian could answer, Chi Zhonglin began shouting, "Your arrow might not have pierced my Tungsten Dragon Scales. I also have Fungus Giant, which gives me powerful self-healing. Even if you shot through me three or four times, I'd be fine."

"As long as I survived that arrow, you would've lost."

"I'm Martial Arts Rank 9. I only need to pass the rank certification match to become a Spear Master. You couldn't even take one strike from me..."

Chi Zhonglin was extremely frustrated. The battle had been stopped before he could even use thirty percent of his strength.

Ji Xinghuo was startled.

Tungsten Dragon Scales, Fungus Giant! Both were Super-Limit abilities, especially Fungus Giant, an extremely rare transformation-type ability. Once activated, it granted all the abilities of a Fungus Giant.

His strength surged dramatically, he possessed outrageously powerful self-healing and stamina, and he could even enter a berserk state! Tungsten Dragon Scales also had terrifying defensive power. This ability from the Tungsten Dragon was as hard as tungsten metal, nearly impervious to blades and bullets.

Furthermore, Chi Zhonglin had displayed See the Minute and Star Force in battle.

That was why his spear technique was so superb, even stronger than that of a pure Martial Artist.

Ji Xinghuo admitted that if they fought to the death, then without activating Myriad Aspects of the Universe, it would be almost impossible for him to kill Chi Zhonglin.

"Should we call it a draw?" he suggested.

Chi Zhonglin was about to agree when Ren Mian suddenly chuckled. "Xinghuo is an Elementary Esper. He has been fusing abilities for less than two months." Ji Xinghuo had told her this the previous night.

Jiangnan Caiyi's pupils trembled.

Clang!

"How is that possible?"

The Lava Gun fell from Chi Zhonglin's hand. He stared at Ji Xinghuo as though looking at a monster. After standing there stunned for several seconds, he suddenly said, "I concede! I lost this match!"