Just then, a lazy voice rang out. "Look at that old face of yours, grinning like a chrysanthemum. Come on, tell me what's got you so happy. Let me share in the joy."
As the dust settled, Lin Hao appeared with his Wind Thunder Twin Wings beating, black lightning covering his entire body. And Lin Hao himself—he was completely fine. There wasn't even a speck of dust on his uniform.
Mo Yu's loud laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by shock and disbelief. The teams from every Wu University were just as stunned. That last strike of Mo Yu's could have instantly killed a Silver Grade Fierce Beast, and even a Gold rank Fierce Beast would have been gravely wounded. Yet Lin Hao was not only unharmed, there wasn't even a speck of dust on him.
"Impossible! That was an Earth Grade Battle Skill. There's no way you could be completely unhurt!" Mo Yu screamed frantically. The principals of the various Wu Universities stared at the black lightning surrounding Lin Hao, their expressions grave. "What exactly is that strange Black Thunder? It blocked Mo Yu's attack without even breaking a sweat."
Lin Hao folded away his Wind Thunder Twin Wings and landed back on the competition platform. "You've had your turn. Isn't it about time for mine?"
"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!!!" Mo Yu was consumed by madness.
He paid no attention to what Lin Hao was saying. He channeled all the Spiritual Power in his body into the Azure Fire Nether Halberd, which suddenly began to tremble. A powerful aura surged from within it. In an instant, the Azure Fire Nether Halberd rapidly grew larger. It was no longer a shade of blue-green, but a pale, deep blue, and faint points of white light shimmered across its surface.
Mo Yu held the Azure Fire Nether Halberd aloft with both hands. "Lin Hao, let's see if you can take this strike too! Hahahaha!" He hurled it toward Lin Hao. Lin Hao sidestepped, dodging the attack. But the Azure Fire Nether Halberd suddenly shot straight into the sky, growing larger and larger as it went. It paused for an instant in midair, then turned and plunged toward Lin Hao.
Lin Hao's eyes narrowed. "Lock-on Skill!" He could feel the Azure Fire Nether Halberd's aura locking onto him. At the edge of the platform, Mo Yu was still laughing loudly. "Hahahaha! Lin Hao, this is my strongest strike—Battle Skill, Azure Fire Flowing Star River Turn! I've used this strike to kill a Gold rank Fierce Beast in one blow. Let's see how you deal with it!"
At the judges' table, Fang Wei looked at Jiang Tianhai. "Mo Yu's attack actually contains Stellar Force. Should we step in?" Jiang Tianhai smiled, completely unruffled. "Old Fang, don't worry. That little brat Lin Hao hasn't even shown one percent of his strength yet."
Fang Wei was astonished all over again. Just how powerful was Lin Hao? He began doing the math in his head. Then he suddenly remembered what he'd said over dinner with Old Jiang before, and his face darkened. He felt as though Old Jiang had played him and he'd lost a hundred million. No, probably even more than that.
Black lightning flared around Lin Hao. He raised his right hand slightly, and all the lightning beside him was drawn into his palm. Then he lifted his right hand high. The Black Lightning in his grasp grew larger and larger, until it became a Black Lightning Orb one meter in diameter. He simply tossed it lightly at the Azure Fire Nether Halberd. The instant the Black Lightning Orb struck it, countless arcs of Black Thunder enveloped the halberd.
The principals of the Wu Universities watched with grim expressions. "Lin Hao's Black Thunder is devouring the Spiritual Power inside the Azure Fire Nether Halberd and making it its own."
The Azure Fire Nether Halberd, wrapped in Black Lightning, shrank smaller and smaller, while the orb grew larger and larger. In less than five seconds, the halberd had returned to its normal size.
Lin Hao clenched his fist.
"Explode!"
Lightning blazed across the sky, and a terrifying shock wave swept over the entire competition arena. Jiang Tianhai's eyes narrowed at the judges' table. "That brat's making a huge racket." He swept his hand out, and an energy barrier several times sturdier than the one the referee had made instantly covered the entire platform.
The explosion raged inside the barrier for more than ten seconds before finally subsiding. When the dust cleared, only three people remained standing on the platform. Everything else was gone. Mo Yu's Azure Fire Nether Halberd had vanished without a trace.
Mo Yu sat on the ground, dazed. "Impossible. Where's my weapon? Impossible. How can he be so strong?" But Lin Hao gave him no chance to wallow in self-doubt. He rushed forward, and Thunder Prison Instant Space Flash burst into action. One punch sent Mo Yu flying into the air. Mo Yu had already used three Martial Arts in quick succession, leaving him with barely a fraction of his Spiritual Power. The blow to his pride was even worse. He was still muttering "impossible" as Lin Hao sent him skyward.
Like his teammate, Mo Yu spent five whole minutes happily soaring through the air. Lin Hao only stopped attacking once Mo Yu was battered and bruised, still muttering "impossible." Just as he had with Mo Yu's teammate, Lin Hao glanced at Mo Yu dangling in his grasp, then flung him off the platform with a look of disgust.
The referee let out a long breath of relief, then hurriedly announced, "I declare that in the first match of the Hundred Schools League quarterfinals, Shancheng Martial University has defeated Modu Martial University and advances to the semifinals." No one cheered. After the referee's announcement, the whole arena fell silent for more than ten seconds.
Someone finally began to clap. One person, then two, then ten, then a hundred. Soon, thunderous applause and cheers rang out from every direction. Lin Xiaorou clapped her adorable little hands and bounced with joy, no longer looking like she'd just been crying her heart out.
Shancheng Martial University's team area.
"As expected of our Great God Lin. Fighting a Gold rank is as easy as eating and drinking."
"Exactly! Now we've finally avenged Mengzi and the others. That felt damn good."
"They were shouting so loud before the match, and now Great God Lin's beaten them into dogs. Hahahaha!"
The Shancheng Martial University team had finally vented their anger. Jiang Weiwei smiled, too.
"Am I imagining it, or did Lin Hao's little brother get even stronger?" Su Xiaorui was full of frustration. What kind of freak was he?
Just as everyone was cheering, a gaunt old man suddenly appeared on the competition platform. He was so small and shriveled that a gust of wind looked as though it could blow him over. "Lin Hao, I have no complaints about you defeating Mo Yu and the others. The strong are respected, and they lost because they weren't good enough. But why did you destroy Mo Yu's Azure Fire Nether Halberd?" The newcomer was Gu Xuanying, Principal of Modu Martial University.
Lin Hao glanced at him indifferently. "What? Can't the Principal of Modu Martial University accept a loss? To me, a competition isn't any different from a real battle, except that you can't take someone's life. Do you expect Fierce Beasts on the battlefield to hand your weapon back so you can fight again?"
"What did you say?" Gu Xuanying's eyes bulged. An oppressive force of Diamond rank swept toward Lin Hao.
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