201: Chapter 201 A Utter Defeat!

Meanwhile, on the other side, Noel also looked at another person behind him.

"Seta, you go this round."

Seta was the strongest among them besides him.

Hearing this, Seta nodded. His body, composed entirely of energy, fluctuated slightly. He twisted his body as if stretching his muscles and bones, then floated toward the arena.

...

Cui Jingming was standing below the stage, tilting his head back to pour potion into his mouth.

As the potion entered his throat, the wounds on his body began to heal slowly, and his stamina recovered bit by bit.

He held his breath, staring at the two figures that had just appeared above the arena.

The most eye-catching one was the member of the Beast-Eared Clan with leopard ears.

The opponent had a lean build. Just standing there quietly, he gave off an intense sense of pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Cui Jingming lowered his head and looked at the prompt box floating in front of him.

The first round's choice, Melee Mode, had been successfully passed.

The second round was the Initiative Selection. Three options spun in front of him, slowing down until they stopped. At that moment, Cui Jingming's heart sank.

Luck wasn't on his side this time; it wasn't him.

Nor was it that energy being.

He looked up at the Leopard-eared Man.

The other party noticed his gaze and glanced down at him from above. There was no extra emotion in his eyes, as if he were looking at an insect.

Then, he reached out and tapped the air in front of him a few times.

In the next second, Cui Jingming felt a change in his body.

A massive force surged from within him, like something exploding inside his body. The feeling was impossible to describe in words.

He could clearly feel the various stats in his body climbing frantically.

The four stats were growing wildly.

The climb continued for a long time.

By the time he regained his senses, that power had settled firmly within him, as if it had belonged to him all along.

Cui Jingming clenched his fist, feeling the unfamiliar power within him.

It was strong.

Ridiculously strong.

He even felt that he could crush his former self with one hand now...

But this feeling didn't make him happy; instead, it made him even more uneasy.

A-rank?

Cui Jingming swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing several times.

With the previous fox-eared member of the Beast-Eared Clan, he had the advantage of suppressing the opponent's strength and only barely won after risking his life.

Now this one...

Cui Jingming took a deep breath, not letting himself think further.

But his hands shook uncontrollably.

In the next second, a white light flashed before his eyes.

The two of them had already appeared in front of him. The three stood in a triangular formation, looking at each other from dozens of meters away.

[Seventh Assessment: arena Competition, Eighth Round, Begin]

...

Cui Jingming and Seta quickly exchanged a glance, both knowing the other opponent would be difficult to deal with.

A new alliance was formed just like that.

In the next instant, the two moved almost simultaneously. One gripped his greatsword while the other surged with energy, charging toward the Leopard-eared Man.

But at the very moment they moved.

Cui Jingming only felt an afterimage flash before his eyes, so fast he couldn't react at all.

Before he could even see what it was, he took a heavy blow to the abdomen.

At that moment, he was completely stunned.

Then, he was sent flying backward, his body tumbling uncontrollably through the air, the wind whistling in his ears.

"Bang!"

His back slammed hard against the transparent, invisible glass at the edge of the arena, making him feel as if his whole body were falling apart.

"Argh!"

Cui Jingming fell from the air and crashed onto the ground, an involuntary groan escaping his lips.

Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he hurriedly pushed himself off the ground. One hand clutched his abdomen while the other held his greatsword across his chest in a defensive posture.

It hurt too much.

The force of that strike was absurdly powerful. If his current strength hadn't been forcibly boosted by a large margin, that hit might have killed him instantly.

He panted heavily and looked up.

Then, he froze.

Seta of the Star-Gazing Clan was currently being suppressed and beaten by the Leopard-eared Man.

No, it wasn't just being suppressed; he was being completely crushed.

The Leopard-eared Man held a short blade. His movements were as fast as lightning, and every strike could cut through Seta's energy-composed body.

Seta tried to dodge, but he couldn't escape at all.

He wanted to counterattack, but the opponent's movements were too fast—so fast he couldn't keep up.

He could only watch helplessly as the short blade sliced through his body again and again.

That body of energy was now like a piece of modeling clay, being constantly sliced by the opponent. With every cut, energy fragments scattered and then dissipated into the air.

Seta's energy body grew dimmer and thinner.

Seeing this, Cui Jingming ignored his pain. Gritting his teeth, he stood up. The blood and energy in his body surged once more. He pushed off the ground with force and charged forward.

He couldn't let his partner be eliminated; otherwise, if he were left alone, he definitely wouldn't last long.

He rushed into close quarters.

Cui Jingming leaped up, gripping his greatsword with both hands, pouring all his strength into it as he slashed down fiercely at the Leopard-eared Man.

However, the opponent simply sidestepped with a light, airy movement, easily dodging the blow.

Then the short blade thrust forward, heading straight for his chest.

Cui Jingming's ruthlessness flared up. Gritting his teeth, he didn't bother to block or dodge. With a twist of his wrist, he swung his greatsword upward in a fierce slash.

Lacking strength, he could only resort to desperation and ruthlessness.

With a squelch, the short blade pierced directly into his chest, and blood sprayed out.

However, his greatsword strike hit nothing but air.

Cui Jingming's eyes went dull as he stared blankly at the opponent.

He hadn't expected the gap in their strength to be so vast.

On the other side, Seta, having gained a moment to breathe, didn't stay idle. His energy body suddenly expanded, growing larger and larger like a giant net, attempting to envelop the Leopard-eared Man.

But in the next instant, the opponent's short blade pierced directly into its core node.

Seta's attack was instantly crushed. The expanded energy body, like a deflated balloon, rapidly shriveled.

Even though the two had joined forces, they were still being one-sidedly crushed by the opponent.

Only a minute had passed.

Seta's energy body crumbled and dissipated, and he was teleported off the arena.

On the field, only Cui Jingming and the Leopard-eared Man remained.

Cui Jingming panted heavily, unwilling to just give up like this.

Gritting his teeth, he gripped his greatsword and charged forward to fight once more.

An afterimage flashed before his eyes.

In the next instant.

A white light flashed.

...

When his vision cleared again, those familiar faces were already surrounding him.

Healing spells were constantly being cast on him, with one beam of light after another falling upon him.