Chapter 35 The Grand Competition: First Glimpse of Talent

"Whoa, this kid is finally taking the stage!"

A sudden burst of noise erupted from below the stage.

"Xiao Ming of Heartless Peak—his luck has finally run out!"

"Look quickly, that's Liu Mang from War Demon Peak! I heard he broke through to the Middle Stage of the Golden Core long ago and is a successful Body Cultivator. His Physical Body is incredibly tough, and his pair of Blood Fiend Palms possesses boundless strength; tearing apart Yao Beasts of the same level is no problem for him!"

"Let's see how that Xiao Ming tries to hide now!"

"Exactly, exactly..."

"Senior Brother Liu Mang, give this kid who relies on luck a good lesson!"

The Disciples of War Demon Peak howled with excitement, as if they could already see the scene of Xiao Ming being torn to pieces on the spot.

On the high platform, a hint of smugness appeared on Tu Gang's extremely gloomy face, as if victory was already in his grasp.

One must know that his and Elder Yin Gu's Disciples had either died or been crippled in previous matches when they encountered that brat named Lin Fan, suffering heavy losses. How could they not be furious? Now, it was rare to have something that could make them a bit happier.

Seeing the smug smiles of victory on the two men's faces, Luo Li remained completely indifferent. Comparing physical bodies? Heh... she had personally experienced the physical strength of that Wicked Disciple; he could make her, a Soul Transformation powerhouse, almost unable to get out of bed. One could only imagine how terrifying he was.

Xiao Ming turned a deaf ear to the surrounding clamor and slowly walked onto the arena. His opponent, Liu Mang, was a giant nearly nine feet tall with muscles knotted like an iron tower. He exuded a ferocious Blood Fiend Qi, looking at Xiao Ming like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Kid, meeting me is your bad luck!" Liu Mang gave a cruel laugh and didn't waste words. He kicked off the ground, charging like a cannonball. His fan-like large hand, carrying a fishy wind, clawed directly for Xiao Ming's head! He wanted to end this battle in the most brutal and humiliating way possible!

Excited cries rang out from below, especially from the War Demon Peak and Hall of Discipline areas, as if they had already seen the scene of Xiao Ming's brains bursting out.

However, facing this fierce strike, Xiao Ming simply tilted his body slightly and met it with a casual punch.

“Bang!”

With a dull thud, Liu Mang's charging, ferocious expression suddenly froze. His eyeballs bulged out, a short "ugh" sound escaped his wide-open mouth, and his face gradually twisted. The palm he had extended collided with Xiao Ming's relaxed punch, and his metacarpals instantly shattered. His entire arm seemed to lose its support and hung limp; veins popped on his forehead, and his face was exceptionally distorted.

One move.

No, it couldn't even be considered a move. It was just a seemingly casual punch.

The entire venue fell silent.

Many gazes that were originally filled with ridicule and excitement instantly froze, and many people subconsciously sat up straight. On the high platform, the fingers of Elder Yin Gu, who had been constantly rolling bone beads, paused slightly; the smile on Tu Gang's face froze instantly.

On the arena, Xiao Ming did not stop just because his opponent was dazed by pain. He knew the cruelty of the cultivation world; if his strength were insufficient today, he didn't know what his fate would be. Moreover, his two Revered Masters and these people were already in a life-and-death feud.

He stepped forward slowly and, under the gaze of tens of thousands of horrified eyes, stepped on Liu Mang's chest, pinning him firmly to the blood-stained stone surface of the arena.

"How... how is it possible... how can you be... this strong?" Liu Mang's eyes were filled with endless resentment and despair.

Xiao Ming looked down at him, his gaze as indifferent as if looking at an ant. He then glanced at the several people on the high platform who were staring at him with boiling killing intent, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "Didn't you, War Demon Peak, want my life?"

Before his voice finished, the foot he had on Liu Mang's chest suddenly exerted force, and his whole body glowed with a dark, profound black light! A terrifyingly absolute devouring power erupted!

“Aaaargh—!”

Liu Mang let out a shrill howl that didn't sound human, and his whole body convulsed violently! The Blood Fiend Demonic Qi he had cultivated for years, his life essence, and even his Soul Origin uncontrollably turned into streams of air, frantically surging toward Xiao Ming and being ruthlessly devoured! His body withered at a speed visible to the naked eye; his skin lost its luster, his eyes quickly dimmed, and he finally turned into a terrifying, shriveled corpse with sunken eye sockets and skin clinging to bone!

Silence!

A deathly silence!

In the entire square, one could hear a pin drop!

All the Disciples widened their eyes, looking in disbelief at the shriveled corpse on the arena and the figure standing there indifferently.

“Gulp...” No one knew which few people it was, but the sound of them swallowing hard was exceptionally clear in this dead silence.

"One punch! Just one simple punch? And... what was that devouring power? It didn't even let his Soul go!"

"What kind of Cultivation Technique is this? Unheard of!"

"Overbearing! Too overbearing! It's just a bit frightening!"

Exclamations, gasps, and discussions rose one after another. The gazes of many Disciples gradually shifted from initial shock, horror, and fear to a complex mix of awe, wariness, and even fanaticism! In a demonic Sect, being powerful, eerie, and unscrupulous was the Law of survival! The strength and ruthlessness Xiao Ming displayed perfectly matched their recognition of a "Demonic Path powerhouse"!

But there were also many Disciples whose faces showed greed; they stared fixedly at Xiao Ming as if looking at a walking treasure vault!

"This kind of Demonic Technique is so terrifying... truly unheard of! If I could..."

"Hmph, an ordinary man is innocent, but possessing a jade makes him guilty! What is his cultivation level? Is he worthy of possessing such a Demonic Technique?"

"If I could capture this boy and offer him to the Peak Revered Master..."

Whispers spread through the crowd. Of course, not everyone was like that. More Disciples with ordinary strength and backgrounds, after the initial shock, felt a deep sense of helplessness and relief—relief that they hadn't truly offended this god of slaughter, while carving the thought "do not easily provoke him" into their hearts. Some quick-witted ones began to ponder how to befriend him, or at least not become his enemy.

As for the female Disciples, their reactions were polarized. Some of the more timid ones showed fear, their faces pale. But there were also some bold, pungent, and strength-admiring female cultivators whose beautiful eyes sparkled with light after the brief horror!

"So... so overbearing! This is a true Demonic Path Prodigy!"

"Defeating an enemy with one punch, devouring everything! Such methods... are ten thousand times stronger than those Body Cultivators who only know how to use brute force and fight aggressively!"

"If I could have a night of passion with such a person..." Some female cultivators had slightly red cheeks, their eyes shimmering with water, their legs rubbing together, faces full of longing.

"Who said before that he relied on luck? Truly blind!"

On the high platform, the reactions of several Peak Revered Masters were also varied. Tu Gang's face was ashen, his killing intent almost solidifying, but in the depths of his eyes, was there not also greed for that eerie technique? Elder Yin Gu's fingers rolling the bone beads stopped, his gaze deep and unpredictable. Vice Sect Master Luo Hongyi had the corners of her mouth slightly raised, as if it were within her expectations.

As for Luo Li, though she remained as cold as snow, those alluring peach-blossom eyes were currently scanning the countless gazes below that were filled with greed and covetousness. She thought irritably: 'This Wicked Disciple, to actually be so lacking in restraint, openly displaying this terrifying technique—is he afraid he doesn't have enough trouble?'

Xiao Ming acted as if he hadn't heard the various complex looks from below the arena, or rather, he didn't care at all. He didn't even give the shriveled corpse a second glance, as if he had just casually brushed away a bit of dust.

The Grand Competition continued. In the following rounds, as the advancing Disciples revealed their extraordinary cultivation and strength, the battles became increasingly intense and bloody.

Two of the arenas seemed to have turned into slaughterhouses.

On one side was Lin Fan's arena. He encountered successive obstructions from various peaks, and the battles were exceptionally tragic. Lin Fan fought more bravely as the battles progressed, showing amazing resilience. Although he was wounded many times and his clothes were stained with blood, he always managed to defeat strong enemies by a hair's breadth, and even broke through to the Late Golden Core Stage. His tenacity and eeriness also earned the attention of many Disciples.

On the other side was Xiao Ming's arena. The rhythm of his matches was suffocatingly fast. No matter who it was, as long as they faced him, the result was almost without suspense! Especially the Disciples of War Demon Peak and the Hall of Discipline—all were devoured completely, turning into shriveled corpses! The ruthlessness and decisiveness of his strikes were staggering. Later on, some Disciples who drew him as an opponent grew pale even before stepping onto the stage and directly spoke out to admit defeat!

On the high platform, as the competition progressed, the faces of Tu Gang and Elder Yin Gu had become so gloomy they could almost drip water! Their killing intent toward Lin Fan and Xiao Ming was also completely unconcealed.

After an unknown number of matches, the light on the Heavenly Demon Wheel froze once again.

"Arena A-4, Lin Fan of Qingtian Peak versus Zhang Xiaotian of Yin Yang Peak!"

"Arena A-9, Xiao Ming of Heartless Peak versus Tu Yu of War Demon Peak!"

The whole place instantly erupted in a clamor! The real highlights were here!

Tu Yu! The only son of Tu Gang, the Peak Revered Master of War Demon Peak! A famous playboy in the Sect with significant combat power, his cultivation had reached the Golden Core Peak a few days ago. His methods were ruthless, his resources abundant, and he usually acted lawlessly with no one daring to provoke him!

Tu Yu, currently standing among the War Demon Peak crowd, was hugging a woman with an arrogant expression and a face full of insolence. With a look of disdain, he slowly strode onto the arena.

"Xiao Ming! You trash who relied on a woman to rise! This Young Lord has finally run into you!" Tu Yu pointed at Xiao Ming and shouted arrogantly, "You killed many Disciples of my War Demon Peak; today, this Young Lord will extract your Soul and refine your spirit as a warning to others!"

Xiao Ming looked at the clamoring Tu Yu expressionlessly, his eyes as calm as still water, as if looking at a jumping clown.

In an obscure corner, a pair of beautiful eyes stared fixedly at the arrogantly shouting Tu Yu. She was Chi Lianer, who had just gone through several battles and had already squeezed into the heavenly demon ranking before withdrawing. At this moment, her beautiful eyes no longer held their former charm, only bone-chilling coldness: "Junior Brother Xiao, you must kill him!"

With both sides present on the arena, the match began immediately!

Tu Yu gave a violent shout, and Blood Fiend Qi soared into the sky from around him, several times denser than Liu Mang's! He directly summoned a blood-colored long saber, its blade wrapped in the phantom shadows of wronged Souls letting out shrill howls; it was clearly a high-grade demonic weapon! He swung the saber and slashed, a blood-colored saber aura tearing through the sky, carrying an indelible bloody scent as it cleaved straight toward Xiao Ming's face! From the start, it was a killing move, showing no mercy!

Facing this fierce strike, Xiao Ming's figure flickered like a ghost. He performed the Magic Light Escape and Thousand Demon Phantom Body in sequence, engaging in a struggle with Tu Yu.

For a time, Devilish Qi crisscrossed on the arena, and saber light and ghostly shadows intertwined. Tu Yu was like a mad demon, every saber strike ruthless, forcing Xiao Ming to "seemingly" constantly dodge and block, only occasionally counterattacking. In reality, he was looking for an opportunity, waiting for a fatal blow; he didn't want to expose his full strength too early.

"Hahaha! Trash! Do you only know how to hide?" Seeing this, Tu Yu became even more smug and arrogant, his offensive becoming increasingly fierce while he mocked incessantly.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming's figure suddenly accelerated, fast as lightning! After clashing for several more moves, he caught a gap in Tu Yu's defense, closed in, and punched directly at the wrist holding the saber!

“Crack!” A crisp sound of bone shattering was clearly audible! The blood-colored long saber flew out of his hand!

Tu Yu let out a scream, and before he could react, Xiao Ming's other hand had already gripped his throat like an iron pincer, lifting him off the ground! The terrifying devouring power erupted once again!

“Aaaargh—!” Tu Yu let out a howl like a slaughtered pig, his blood essence and cultivation starting to pour toward Xiao Ming uncontrollably! He felt the descent of death, and fear finally appeared in his eyes!

He roared hoarsely: "Father... save me!!"