From the start of the battle, Fang Lin already knew that he had to blitz Saber Demon in order to win. He saw Saber Demon having the Knight Piece. With the addition of the King's limitation, Fang Lin knew that two of his moves will be dispelled. With the skills of his opponent, Fang Lin was sure Saber Demon will only disperse moves that can be considered to be power moves.
"Then if it's like that, then I will blitz with you with powerful moves!" Luckily for Fang Lin, he had an arsenal of powerful moves to use.
Just after the proctor announced the start of the Match, Fang Lin immediately used the combination of the Mountain-Bashing Boar, Death Wolf and his Pure Yang Essence. Just as he expected, Saber Demon immediately used one of the boons of the Knight.
Fang Lin stared in wonder at the glowing orb that collided at his right hand. To his immense surprise, the essences he painstakingly combined all disappeared, along with the power stored on his attack. What made him more impressed was the fact that he experienced no backlash from his attack disappearing.
"So this is how an attack is dispelled huh." Fang Lin thought to himself. He realized that the chess pieces might have been a part of another ability of one of the Elders in the God Continent Branch. "Well whatever, time for my second attack."
After Fang Lin's match with Ling Tian, he found out to his great luck, the complete manual of Ling Tian's Million Hand Sword Arts inside his storage! Fang Lin was not sure on how it appeared there. Fang Lin remembered that Ling Tian did not leave any kind of item when he left.
It was as if this manual left Ling Tian out of his own volition, and just appeared on his storage.
Fang Lin, being the shameless person he is, did not act shy as he started to read the manual. To his chagrin however, he found it extremely hard to understand the manual. Fang Lin then shook his head as he realized something.
The upgrade in his bloodline must have made him lose affinity with weapons. Of course he can still use them, but understanding various techniques from them will be way slower than a normal practitioner.
In Fang Lin's case, he could only barely summon ten sharp weapons after 6 months of scrutinizing it. And only one of those can be a sword. The remaining 9 must be small weapons like knives of picks.
But even though it was just this few, Fang Lin was able to amp its lethality by infusing his qi on it. His qi must not be underestimated. It had been tinged with traces of his Earth Grade Insight. This made his qi exceptionally active and vigorous.
This made his qi more dangerous against those with the same cultivation level as him.
His sword and knives vibrated intensely as he sent them stabbing towards Saber Demon.
"Woosh."
The attack, just like his first one, was also dispelled.
"Ok, now that you cannot use more boons, it's time for me to test it." Fang Lin thought as he sent his right foot down the stage.
That stomp of his summoned a tornado made up and ice and fire qi. It swallowed up Saber Demon, immediately defeating him.
Fang Lin licked his lips as he relished the name of his attack.
"First Step: Convection Twister!"
This attack of Fang Lin was derived from his Dual Step Arts.
If Ling Tian's 9 Sword Stances Art was his sword stances based on his experiences, Fang Lin's Dual Step Arts were powered by Fang Lin's insights!
Each step he makes summons an ability related to a duality insight that Fang Lin comprehended. The number of steps he can make depends on his current cultivation base.
With his suppressed cultivation, Fang Lin felt that he could make at most 3 steps. He just used his first step, just to see its power.
Just as Fang Lin expected, his First Step worked like he expected it. By using the principle of convection, Fang Lin was able to make the usually conflicting ice and fire qi to form one intense attack.
Instead of the usual up and down motion, Fang Lin made it so that the convection currents rotate sideways, turning the mixture of the qi into a tornado. This kind of rotation increases the impact speed of the ice and fire qi.
Once an enemy was hit by this attack, they will be assaulted by the ice and fire qi. The ice qi will slow down the qi flow, while the fire qi will sear the organs and flesh.
Saber Demon staying alive after that attack could be considered to be his great luck.
"Tsk." Fang Lin clicked his tongue as he realized that his original body's Yin-Yang Perpetual Ice-Fire Wheel still beats his Convection Twister in terms of power, stability and lifespan.
Well that should have been expected from a Dual Mark.
Fang Lin looked at the proctor, who smiled upon seeing Fang Lin demonstrating his might. He raised his voice as he said,
"Winner: Fang Lin of the Immortal Continent Branch!"
Applauses and cheers rang out from the disciples of the Immortal Continent Branch while stares and serious gazes came from the God Continent Branch.
Fang Lin nodded, satisfied that at least he made himself look good in front of everyone.
"How about that master? You should be proud of what I did! I demand some reward later!" Fang Lin thought to himself as she started speaking to the proctor.
"Can I proceed on my other matches without using any pieces?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The proctor's eyes widened as he realized what Fang Lin wanted. "Don't tell me you want to throw away your King Piece and fight later without any pieces?"
"That's right." Fang Lin said while making his expression look dignified. "I want to fight with my whole power here. Why should I rely on these trifling things?"
Fang Lin heard shocked gasps and worried murmurs among the crowd after hearing his decision. Fang Lin ignored that as he thought to himself,
"Since I want to show-off, then I will win this battle stage without any pieces!"
"Fine, since you want that, then I shall allow that." The proctor waved his hands, and the King Piece that Fang Lin held disappeared.
Fang Lin took that as the cue to get off the stage. As for Saber Demon, his barely conscious body had already been brought away.
"Oh my Big Bro, so you had something like that saved huh." Shi Poyun muttered as fighting intent filled his eyes. "Don't be confident Big Bro, I'll show you something later too!"
After Fang Lin left the stage, he already heard the proctor announcing the names of the next fighters.
"Li Min, Immortal Continent Branch versus Princess Lilliana, God Continent Branch."
Cheers rang from the opposing crowd as Li Min and Princess Lilliana stepped on the stage.
"Princess?" Fang Lin looked back as the tried to see the appearance of Princess Lilliana. He sighed in disappointment when he saw her wearing a mask. Her robes however could not hide her perfect curves, silky white skin and luscious black hair. Fang Lin immediately salivated as he realized her curves were comparable to Xiao Ya's!
"Damn! I must face her later!" Fang Lin thought with determination as he watched the match intently.
Before the proctor could start the match, Li Min looked at the proctor as he flicked his Pawn Piece towards him.
"Proctor, just like what Fang Lin did earlier, I am throwing my piece away now. Just like him, I do not want to use such trifling things to win." Li Min said all this while looking even more dignified than Fang Lin!
"Tch. Trying to steal my spotlight!" Fang Lin thought crossly as he looked at Princess Lilliana. There is no visible reaction from her as she stared forward with her mask on.
"Are you sure?" The proctor asked gravely. "You might regret it later."
"I am sure!" Li Min said proudly.
"Fine. Suit yourself." The proctor sounded pitying toward Li Min, as if he made the worst decision on his life. Fang Lin frowned after seeing this.
"Hahaha!" Everyone from the God Continent Branch laughed hysterically after Li Min made his decision. Li Min of course was incensed by this. He looked at them as he roared,
"What right do you have to insult my honorable decision?"
"Honorable decision? More like a funeral march!" One of the laughing spectators jeered after seeing Li Min's indignant look. "Do you know what Piece Princess Lilliana had? It's the Queen Piece!"
"So what?" Li Min imperiously replied. "I think I can still manage her."
"Manage? Do you know the cultivation base of Princess Lilliana? She is a Hal-Step Mana Core Practitioner, with Space-Time as specialty!"
Li Min paled after hearing this. Since Princess Lilliana had the Queen Piece, that meant Li Min will receive one full-powered attack from a Half-Step Mana Core Practitioner!
With his current cultivation base suppressed at the lowest part of the Second Stage, surviving her attack seems impossible!
"Erm proctor… I can still get my Piece back right?"
"Hmph. Match Start!" The proctor ignored Li Min's pleas as he started the match already.
"Activate." Princess Lilliana muttered in a low voice as she raised her Queen Piece. The piece let out a glow which covered the princess' body.
"...….."
The surroundings trembled as Fang Lin felt that Princess Lilliana seems to be gathering large amounts of mana.
"Her power is space-time? Then she might be trying to use a space-time spell now!" Fang Lin thought to himself as he saw Li Min gripping his spear tightly.
Li Min let out a roar as he dashed towards the princess, trying to cut her down before she chants her spell.
But his efforts were sadly too late.
"Fallen Star!"
A huge rip appeared above the princess. A moment later, and a large flaming rock came out of it. The rock was as large as a person, with its surface glowing red from the heat. Fang Lin's eyes widened as the realized that that rock was a freaking meteor!
Li Min's small stature was of no significance to the meteor!
"Pop!" The meteor collided with Li Min, blasting him out of the stage. The meteor continued barreling down, hitting the ground beside the stage.
"Boom!"
The resulting explosion almost blinded everyone who saw it. Fang Lin shook his eyes as he tried to clear his vision.
Once he felt that he can see better, he looked at the results of the match.
Li Min laid down 20 meters away, with his body scorched and twitching. He was barely alive, as shown by the weak rising movements of his chest.
As for Princess Lilliana, she was still at the stage, completely unscathed from the explosion that happened.
As for the ground that the meteor hit, there was now a large crater on it! It was also slightly flaming probably due to the impact. As for the shrapnels of the meteor, they pierced the trees nearby, managing to cut them all down. All in all, it was a scene of devastation!
Fang Lin swallowed audibly, as he realized that Li Min was lucky to be alive!
Fang Lin then cried inwardly as he thought to himself,
"I should not have thrown my King Piece away!!!!!"
From the start of the battle, Fang Lin already knew that he had to blitz Saber Demon in order to win. He saw Saber Demon having the Knight Piece. With the addition of the King's limitation, Fang Lin knew that two of his moves will be dispelled. With the skills of his opponent, Fang Lin was sure Saber Demon will only disperse moves that can be considered to be power moves.
"Then if it's like that, then I will blitz with you with powerful moves!" Luckily for Fang Lin, he had an arsenal of powerful moves to use.
Just after the proctor announced the start of the Match, Fang Lin immediately used the combination of the Mountain-Bashing Boar, Death Wolf and his Pure Yang Essence. Just as he expected, Saber Demon immediately used one of the boons of the Knight.
Fang Lin stared in wonder at the glowing orb that collided at his right hand. To his immense surprise, the essences he painstakingly combined all disappeared, along with the power stored on his attack. What made him more impressed was the fact that he experienced no backlash from his attack disappearing.
"So this is how an attack is dispelled huh." Fang Lin thought to himself. He realized that the chess pieces might have been a part of another ability of one of the Elders in the God Continent Branch. "Well whatever, time for my second attack."
After Fang Lin's match with Ling Tian, he found out to his great luck, the complete manual of Ling Tian's Million Hand Sword Arts inside his storage! Fang Lin was not sure on how it appeared there. Fang Lin remembered that Ling Tian did not leave any kind of item when he left.
It was as if this manual left Ling Tian out of his own volition, and just appeared on his storage.
Fang Lin, being the shameless person he is, did not act shy as he started to read the manual. To his chagrin however, he found it extremely hard to understand the manual. Fang Lin then shook his head as he realized something.
The upgrade in his bloodline must have made him lose affinity with weapons. Of course he can still use them, but understanding various techniques from them will be way slower than a normal practitioner.
In Fang Lin's case, he could only barely summon ten sharp weapons after 6 months of scrutinizing it. And only one of those can be a sword. The remaining 9 must be small weapons like knives of picks.
But even though it was just this few, Fang Lin was able to amp its lethality by infusing his qi on it. His qi must not be underestimated. It had been tinged with traces of his Earth Grade Insight. This made his qi exceptionally active and vigorous.
This made his qi more dangerous against those with the same cultivation level as him.
His sword and knives vibrated intensely as he sent them stabbing towards Saber Demon.
"Woosh."
The attack, just like his first one, was also dispelled.
"Ok, now that you cannot use more boons, it's time for me to test it." Fang Lin thought as he sent his right foot down the stage.
That stomp of his summoned a tornado made up and ice and fire qi. It swallowed up Saber Demon, immediately defeating him.
Fang Lin licked his lips as he relished the name of his attack.
"First Step: Convection Twister!"
This attack of Fang Lin was derived from his Dual Step Arts.
If Ling Tian's 9 Sword Stances Art was his sword stances based on his experiences, Fang Lin's Dual Step Arts were powered by Fang Lin's insights!
Each step he makes summons an ability related to a duality insight that Fang Lin comprehended. The number of steps he can make depends on his current cultivation base.
With his suppressed cultivation, Fang Lin felt that he could make at most 3 steps. He just used his first step, just to see its power.
Just as Fang Lin expected, his First Step worked like he expected it. By using the principle of convection, Fang Lin was able to make the usually conflicting ice and fire qi to form one intense attack.
Instead of the usual up and down motion, Fang Lin made it so that the convection currents rotate sideways, turning the mixture of the qi into a tornado. This kind of rotation increases the impact speed of the ice and fire qi.
Once an enemy was hit by this attack, they will be assaulted by the ice and fire qi. The ice qi will slow down the qi flow, while the fire qi will sear the organs and flesh.
Saber Demon staying alive after that attack could be considered to be his great luck.
"Tsk." Fang Lin clicked his tongue as he realized that his original body's Yin-Yang Perpetual Ice-Fire Wheel still beats his Convection Twister in terms of power, stability and lifespan.
Well that should have been expected from a Dual Mark.
Fang Lin looked at the proctor, who smiled upon seeing Fang Lin demonstrating his might. He raised his voice as he said,
"Winner: Fang Lin of the Immortal Continent Branch!"
Applauses and cheers rang out from the disciples of the Immortal Continent Branch while stares and serious gazes came from the God Continent Branch.
Fang Lin nodded, satisfied that at least he made himself look good in front of everyone.
"How about that master? You should be proud of what I did! I demand some reward later!" Fang Lin thought to himself as she started speaking to the proctor.
"Can I proceed on my other matches without using any pieces?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" The proctor's eyes widened as he realized what Fang Lin wanted. "Don't tell me you want to throw away your King Piece and fight later without any pieces?"
"That's right." Fang Lin said while making his expression look dignified. "I want to fight with my whole power here. Why should I rely on these trifling things?"
Fang Lin heard shocked gasps and worried murmurs among the crowd after hearing his decision. Fang Lin ignored that as he thought to himself,
"Since I want to show-off, then I will win this battle stage without any pieces!"
"Fine, since you want that, then I shall allow that." The proctor waved his hands, and the King Piece that Fang Lin held disappeared.
Fang Lin took that as the cue to get off the stage. As for Saber Demon, his barely conscious body had already been brought away.
"Oh my Big Bro, so you had something like that saved huh." Shi Poyun muttered as fighting intent filled his eyes. "Don't be confident Big Bro, I'll show you something later too!"
After Fang Lin left the stage, he already heard the proctor announcing the names of the next fighters.
"Li Min, Immortal Continent Branch versus Princess Lilliana, God Continent Branch."
Cheers rang from the opposing crowd as Li Min and Princess Lilliana stepped on the stage.
"Princess?" Fang Lin looked back as the tried to see the appearance of Princess Lilliana. He sighed in disappointment when he saw her wearing a mask. Her robes however could not hide her perfect curves, silky white skin and luscious black hair. Fang Lin immediately salivated as he realized her curves were comparable to Xiao Ya's!
"Damn! I must face her later!" Fang Lin thought with determination as he watched the match intently.
Before the proctor could start the match, Li Min looked at the proctor as he flicked his Pawn Piece towards him.
"Proctor, just like what Fang Lin did earlier, I am throwing my piece away now. Just like him, I do not want to use such trifling things to win." Li Min said all this while looking even more dignified than Fang Lin!
"Tch. Trying to steal my spotlight!" Fang Lin thought crossly as he looked at Princess Lilliana. There is no visible reaction from her as she stared forward with her mask on.
"Are you sure?" The proctor asked gravely. "You might regret it later."
"I am sure!" Li Min said proudly.
"Fine. Suit yourself." The proctor sounded pitying toward Li Min, as if he made the worst decision on his life. Fang Lin frowned after seeing this.
"Hahaha!" Everyone from the God Continent Branch laughed hysterically after Li Min made his decision. Li Min of course was incensed by this. He looked at them as he roared,
"What right do you have to insult my honorable decision?"
"Honorable decision? More like a funeral march!" One of the laughing spectators jeered after seeing Li Min's indignant look. "Do you know what Piece Princess Lilliana had? It's the Queen Piece!"
"So what?" Li Min imperiously replied. "I think I can still manage her."
"Manage? Do you know the cultivation base of Princess Lilliana? She is a Hal-Step Mana Core Practitioner, with Space-Time as specialty!"
Li Min paled after hearing this. Since Princess Lilliana had the Queen Piece, that meant Li Min will receive one full-powered attack from a Half-Step Mana Core Practitioner!
With his current cultivation base suppressed at the lowest part of the Second Stage, surviving her attack seems impossible!
"Erm proctor… I can still get my Piece back right?"
"Hmph. Match Start!" The proctor ignored Li Min's pleas as he started the match already.
"Activate." Princess Lilliana muttered in a low voice as she raised her Queen Piece. The piece let out a glow which covered the princess' body.
"...….."
The surroundings trembled as Fang Lin felt that Princess Lilliana seems to be gathering large amounts of mana.
"Her power is space-time? Then she might be trying to use a space-time spell now!" Fang Lin thought to himself as he saw Li Min gripping his spear tightly.
Li Min let out a roar as he dashed towards the princess, trying to cut her down before she chants her spell.
But his efforts were sadly too late.
"Fallen Star!"
A huge rip appeared above the princess. A moment later, and a large flaming rock came out of it. The rock was as large as a person, with its surface glowing red from the heat. Fang Lin's eyes widened as the realized that that rock was a freaking meteor!
Li Min's small stature was of no significance to the meteor!
"Pop!" The meteor collided with Li Min, blasting him out of the stage. The meteor continued barreling down, hitting the ground beside the stage.
"Boom!"
The resulting explosion almost blinded everyone who saw it. Fang Lin shook his eyes as he tried to clear his vision.
Once he felt that he can see better, he looked at the results of the match.
Li Min laid down 20 meters away, with his body scorched and twitching. He was barely alive, as shown by the weak rising movements of his chest.
As for Princess Lilliana, she was still at the stage, completely unscathed from the explosion that happened.
As for the ground that the meteor hit, there was now a large crater on it! It was also slightly flaming probably due to the impact. As for the shrapnels of the meteor, they pierced the trees nearby, managing to cut them all down. All in all, it was a scene of devastation!
Fang Lin swallowed audibly, as he realized that Li Min was lucky to be alive!
Fang Lin then cried inwardly as he thought to himself,
"I should not have thrown my King Piece away!!!!!"
