Chapter Sixty: Beauty, Take My Punch
Li Jie’s superpower was immense strength, but the “Super Strength” skill Cheng Feng already possessed surpassed his opponent’s. Having learned the true extent of his adversary’s abilities, Cheng Feng quickly lost his initial fervor, his fighting spirit plummeting, and disappointment clearly written on his face.
Oblivious to this, Li Jie burst out laughing, channeling even more force into his spirit blade in an attempt to simply overpower Cheng Feng in the most direct manner.
“How about that? Under my Mountain-Crushing Force, you can’t even move, can you?”
Cheng Feng: “...”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”
Cheng Feng: “...”
“You’d better surrender now, or you’ll suffer needlessly!”
Cheng Feng: “...”
“Impressive willpower. Fine, I’ll get serious now—this fight is over!”
Cheng Feng: “...”
Suddenly, the blade in Cheng Feng’s hand crackled with arcs of lightning, and the power of thunder surged along his opponent’s spirit blade.
Li Jie’s smug expression froze, and in the next instant, he was convulsed by a powerful electric shock.
Bang!
Without hesitation, Cheng Feng followed up with a kick, unleashing his full superhuman strength and sending Li Jie flying mercilessly off the stage.
The referee at the edge of the ring was momentarily stunned. That fast?
Once he registered the fight’s conclusion, he promptly announced, “The winner: Contestant Number 22, Cheng Feng!”
Cheng Feng hadn’t expected his first match to end so easily, which made something else clear—these elimination rounds really were like a contest of the fittest, where all the weaker participants would be weeded out today.
Below the stage, the defeated and humiliated Li Jie lay on the ground, gritting his teeth. “How despicable! Turns out you’re a big shot! You had that harmless look at first, made me drop my guard—so sneaky!”
Cheng Feng, expressionless, replied, “Shall we fight again?”
“Ah? N-no need, big shot—good luck! I’m outta here.” Li Jie scurried off.
Cheng Feng casually dismissed his spirit blade and left the stage, returning to the waiting area to rest and conserve his energy for the next match.
Seeing his lackluster mood, Liu Shiyu offered praise, “That was impressive. You knocked out your opponent in one round, while the fights on the other four stages are still ongoing.”
Cheng Feng took the seat beside her. “Just luck. This opponent was pretty average, probably just joined the association.”
“Looks like my judgment was correct.” Liu Shiyu smiled sweetly. “With your current strength, as long as you play it safe, advancing to tomorrow’s main event shouldn’t be a problem.”
“So the real strong opponents are waiting for me tomorrow?” Cheng Feng looked at her, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. “You seem rather experienced.”
“Of course. Before I was an elite member, I competed in the tournament three years ago. I made it through all five elimination rounds that year.” Liu Shiyu explained, “Compared to today, the real challenges come in the main event tomorrow. That’s when you’ll face truly formidable opponents.”
“I see.”
Even though Liu Shiyu made the elimination rounds sound simple, Cheng Feng didn’t allow himself to relax too much. There was always a chance of meeting a tough opponent even today, and overconfidence leading to a careless defeat would be a costly mistake—after all, each contestant only had one chance.
Soon, the other four rings finished their matches, and the first elimination round was over.
The victors left the stage to wait for their next bout, while the defeated didn’t have to exit; those seriously injured were sent to the hospital, while the lightly wounded could choose to remain and watch the matches as spectators. After all, the opportunity to witness more battles between the strong was rare.
[Second Elimination Round]
[Stage One: Contestant 14 (—) vs. Contestant 102 (—)]
[Stage Two: Contestant 30 (Ye Lin) vs. Contestant 45 (—)]
[Stage Three: Contestant 22 (Cheng Feng) vs. Contestant 99 (Xiao Xue)]
[Stage Four: Contestant 25 (—) vs. Contestant 48 (—)]
[Stage Five: Contestant 50 (—) vs. Contestant 74 (—)]
“It’s my turn.” His gaze fell on the third line of the big screen. As number 22, Cheng Feng quickly spotted his number and rose to head for Stage Three.
On Stage Three, his opponent and the referee were already waiting. Unexpectedly, this time his opponent was a striking beauty in a white t-shirt and black skirt—long tea-colored hair, a stunning figure, exuding charm and grace in every movement. Simply standing there, she drew the heated gazes of several lecherous spectators below.
“I can’t believe our association has such a gorgeous woman.”
“Who knows how strong she is, but wow, that figure is incredible.”
“I know her—her superpower is practically unbeatable.”
“So her opponent’s in trouble, huh?”
There was a lively discussion below, but most spectators were more interested in the upcoming battle, watching with eager anticipation.
Xiao Xue stood poised on the ring, her beautiful eyes lighting up as she saw Cheng Feng stride up. “Well, well, you’re quite handsome,” she remarked.
Cheng Feng’s expression didn’t change. He flexed his fingers, a flash of silver appearing as he summoned Raikiri.
He glanced at the referee. “I’m ready. Can we begin?”
“Don’t be in such a rush. Aren’t you going to chat? Exchange contacts?” Xiao Xue flirted.
Cheng Feng frowned. “Do you have something in your eye?”
Xiao Xue: “...”
The referee off to the side: “...”
She had never met anyone so oblivious. Taking a breath, Xiao Xue put on an ambiguous smile. “Handsome, I’m not that strong, so please go easy on me, okay?”
Cheng Feng replied matter-of-factly, “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.”
Xiao Xue was secretly delighted—so he wasn’t that dense after all.
The referee coughed, then stepped back to the edge of the ring and announced, “Are both contestants ready? Then—begin!”
“Here I come, handsome.” With a flash of purple light in her delicate hand, Xiao Xue produced a spirit whip glowing with violet energy.
A whip?
Cheng Feng was startled. He had assumed all demon hunters used swords; this was only the second time he’d seen a weapon other than a spirit blade—the last had been Gu Yan’s twin pistols.
Whoosh!
Xiao Xue’s attack came swiftly. The purple whip sliced through the air, lashing toward Cheng Feng. It was fast, a blur of violet, but to Cheng Feng’s dynamic vision, it seemed too slow.
He dodged easily to the side.
But before the whip could hit the ground, it abruptly changed direction, snapping at him from the side.
Cheng Feng swung his blade, but the whip, as if imbued with life, coiled several times and wrapped around Raikiri, the tip striking his wrist.
Instantly, a surge of spiritual energy invaded Cheng Feng’s body through the strike.
As his expression shifted slightly, Xiao Xue revealed a triumphant smile. “I win!”
What’s going on? Cheng Feng frowned, waiting for her explanation. After all, in situations like this, the opponent or villain usually couldn’t resist explaining their ability.
Sure enough, Xiao Xue grinned cunningly. “Caught you, didn’t I? My superpower is Enchantment. Anyone struck by my whip falls unconditionally in love with me and will do anything for me.”
She had watched Cheng Feng defeat his first-round opponent in a single move—he was far stronger than she was. So, she’d devised a little ploy on stage to lower his guard with some flattery. As long as she managed to land a single blow with her whip, victory would be hers.
And everything had gone according to plan—Cheng Feng had indeed been struck.
“Handsome, you really are my type. After the match, I wouldn’t mind going on a date with you.” Xiao Xue’s voice was honeyed and cunning. “Now, please leave the ring.”
Cheng Feng: “???”
Seeing his confused expression, Xiao Xue blinked in surprise. Why wasn’t he moving? He should be under her spell.
Cheng Feng quickly understood the reason, and replied mercilessly, “Sorry, but you’re the one who’s leaving the stage.”
He gave Raikiri a sharp tug, pulling the spirit whip taut. Xiao Xue, still gripping the whip, was jerked forward.
A heavy punch flew straight at her!