Chapter 236 Divine Strength.
Sorry, I caught a stomach infection and yesterday I spent my day on the bed or the washroom. I am sorry to have missed the updates I promised but my health has always been an issue of concern. Will try to look after myself better.
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Hao Ren was sitting in the participant stands. While the people from the same group avoided him, the people from the other groups didn't take him seriously. However, none of that affected Hao Ren.
He sat with his eyes closed and waited for the next round. After the resting period passed, the chief inspector said, "Time's up, for the second round, you will face a random opponent, and the winners will be promoted to the next stage."
The people nodded and a couple of guards rushed around the spectator stand with big boxes in his hands. The old inspector said, "Stop."
The guards stopped and the old man said, "The audience before whom the guard is standing, please put your hand inside and take out a ball."
The audience members hesitated but the they picked out a ball as asked of them. Soon, thirty two audience members had selected sixteen pairs of balls. These balls were collected and bought over to the inspector. The old man looked at the first pair and said, "Jian ten, and Zen Five, come to the stage."
The four mini arenas have been merged into one big arena. Hao Ren did not notice when this happened, but it happened. As he was thinking about reading some books on array formation, two participants walked up to the stage. The four old proctors appeared around them and cast a barrier.
The chief said, "You both know the rules, but let me remind you one more time. The battle will stop when one of you has lost the capacity to fight, is dead or admits defeat. The loser will give up his entire blood energy to the winner. Do you understand?"
The two fighters replied with a yes, and Hao Ren leaned back in his seat to watch them fight. The battle began, on one side was a young monk wearing a red kasaya, and the other party held a sword. The contrast between the two was strong, however, their battle prowess was almost the same.
The monk used his hands to block the sword, and the sword tried to find a way through the defense. The first one to make a mistake would pay the price. Hao Ren lost interest after an exchange of hundred blows, and the first one to make a mistake was the young monk. The swordsman was ruthless and stabbed his sword through the young monk's torso.
The monk used his palm to push away the swordsman and said, "I concede."
The chief inspector nodded and said, "The winner is Renshi Kuan."
The people cheered, the fan following of the Warring Peak in the nation was even higher than the royal family. Why? Because the ancestor of the Warring Peak was a full fledged Dao Integration Realm cultivator.
They had the capital to suppress the Royal family if they wanted to but the only reason they choose to not overthrow the crown was because that old undying man was saving all his energy for the troubled times.
Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire
The fights went on and on. After a few matches it was Hao Ren's turn. The chief inspector said, "Zhe twenty four, Sheng Five."
Hao Ren raised his eyebrow and mumbled, 'Someone from the royal camp.'
The young man stood up and appeared on the stage. His opponent was a young man who was holding a long battle halberd. The chief inspector said, "Begin."
The four old proctors raised a barrier, Hao Ren's opponent said, "Owner Hao, I wonder if you share the same resolve as the other participants? Are you willing to die?"
Hao Ren looked at the man and asked, "Who are you?"
Some people in the crowd found it funny, and a few muffled chuckles were heard. The man said, "I am Shen Yufan."
His expression had turned from arrogant to cold after Hao Ren's question. However, the latter calmly replied, "I did not share the same resolve as everyone else. Why should I be prepared to die? Why shouldn't I kill those who wish to harm me? I intend to rise to the top, why should I think about falling down?"
The people were surprised, and Shen Yufan was also left speechless, before he chuckled and asked, "With just your strength? A merchant and a chef, you intend to reach to the peak. Do you think fighting is as easy as chopping chicken?"
Hao Ren thought about it and said, "If you finish talking you will know if it is."
Shen Yufan furrowed his brows and picked up his halberd to charge forward, but within the time that he assumed a fighting stance, Hao Ren had already closened the distance between the two of them.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Shen Yufan was surprised, Hao Ren was faster than him. His weapon was useless in close combat. Just when he was thinking what he should do, Hao Ren's fist made contact with his ribcage. The force of a dragon was so strong that it sent Shen Yufan flying into the barrier.
The golden spirit barrier rippled as Shen Yufan was repelled and fell to the ground. Hao Ren stopped chasing the man and the people were stunned in a daze. Hao Ren's fist left a dent in the armor Shen Yufan was wearing.
The participants from the Sheng group stood up and glared at Hao Ren. The young man was unfazed and looked at the Chief Inspector as he said, "This guy is not going to wake up, and if you delay, the bone shards might puncture his heart, and he would die. Don't blame me for this matter later."
The chief inspector was a man in the Soul Transformation realm, and Hao Ren talked to him without any fear or reverence. The old man narrowed his gaze and said, "Winner, Hao Ren!"
The barrier was removed and Hao Ren went back to his seat. In his mind, Hao Mei's voice sounded, "Did you use your complete strength?"
Hao Ren shook his head and replied, 'No, this is just ten percent of it. I did not wish to kill them so soon. Let us wait for me to come back from the forbidden area and then we will see how to handle them.'
Hao Mei nodded, and the matches continued. Sixteen people qualified for the next round including Hao Ren. The chief inspector said, "The qualified participants will gather at the stadium tomorrow morning and they will fight each other again in two rounds to decide the best four."
Hao Ren stood up and disregarding the looks of the other participants made his way out. He ran into Hu Baihe, who greeted him and asked, "Shall we have some tea?"
Hao Ren nodded and then both went to the same tea house. Hao Mei also came over, the young man made the introductions and asked, "Why did the Princess call me over?"
Hu Baihe smiled and said, "Can you never overlook the main thing?"
Hao Ren smiled faintly but did not speak. Hu Baihe looked around and said, "If you meet any princes, kill them."
Hao Mei furrowed her brows and wanted to say something, when Hao Ren asked, "What will I gain from doing that? The royal family will come after my business, as I told you, I will not kill them."
Hu Baihe shook her head and said, "Senior Brother Mad Blade has assured me that as long as you manage to kill them, the Warring Peak will provide you with protection."
The young man shook his head and replied, "I made my business on my own, I will not allow anyone else to come and take it over. Do you think I am a fool who does not know that in the cover of giving me protection the Warring Peak would be asking me for a cut in the profit?
You might think of me as a loner, but I have connections in the market and every boss who has relied on the protection from the warring peak, is bleeding their hard earned money. With all due respect Your Highness, I do not want to associate with such forces that are beyond my control."
Hu Baihe frowned, she thought of herself being placed in Hao Ren's position. Hao Ren continued, "You wish to have them looked upon as if they are unworthy, if I meet any of them I will defeat them. As for that third Prince, if I meet him, then he will try to kill me and in return I will kill him. Apart from that, I do not want to incur the wrath of the people over me."
Hu Baihe wanted to say something when Hao Mei said, "Your highness, to walk the path and reach the peak, you cannot always use a borrowed knife. Warring Peak favors strength, if they favor you that much, then you should ask them to handle this matter by themselves. I know that you are an upright person, but if you follow to many advices, you will end up becoming what you hate the most."
While the trio was talking, the matter of Hao Ren having divine strength was being discussed by the people. They wanted to come up with ways to deal with him.