C253 Lee Zi's Battle Instant Kill
With a total of 256 battles, thirteen rounds would suffice to conclude the conflict.
Thirteen rounds could comfortably fit within a single day.
The initial battles were undoubtedly the center of attention.
Many prodigies from noble families were aware that these formidable counterparts from the government were a force to be reckoned with, but only the aftermath of the battles would reveal the truth.
Hence, the twenty upcoming battles were garnering significant interest.
Chu Yi wasn't particularly concerned about these confrontations; no matter how strong these individuals were, they posed no threat to him.
Nonetheless, he found them intriguing.
He had time on his hands, after all.
Chu Yi took a moment to survey the scene before focusing on the 17th arena.
While twenty battles were concurrently underway, with the forty combatants' strengths nearly indistinguishable, subtle differences remained.
Specifically, the government's representative on the 17th arena was likely the most formidable.
Certainly, all participants were either at the Elementary or Intermediate Gold level. Merely judging by their realms, it was impossible to discern who held the upper hand. But with Chu Yi's perceptive abilities, he could sense the subtle, yet telling, aura emanating from the individual.
An aura is quite enigmatic.
Typically, one's aura can be indicative of their strength.
Exceptions exist, of course, such as certain techniques designed to enhance one's aura for intimidation. Chu Yi was confident that the government wouldn't endorse such frivolous practices among its elite.
Thus, by sensing their auras, Chu Yi could approximate the combatants' capabilities.
In reality, the differences in strength among these government elites were negligible.
They were all more or less on the same level, with any disparities being marginal at best.
Observing one was enough to gauge the approximate strength of the others.
Each arena was overseen by a High Order Diamond guardian.
This wasn't out of concern for the arenas' integrity during the clashes; the Fairmoor government wouldn't fret over such trivial expenses.
Their concern was that if these formidable beings were to clash, they might unleash powerful moves. Should any of them lose control, the resulting damage could be catastrophic and unacceptable. These individuals from the Aristocratic Alliance are part of humanity, the future pillars and support of the human race. Whether from the aristocratic families or the government, no one wants to see them harmed.
Once these geniuses fully unleash their power, they are comparable to Diamonds, a level of strength ordinary people simply cannot contain. And so, the battle commenced. The clashes on the twenty arenas erupted in an instant. Fierce auras surged, intertwining across the platforms, representing the pinnacle of human capability. By the third round, most geniuses had already been eliminated, with even the most exceptional unable to advance.
Those who remained were the true prodigies, including some of the most extraordinary among them, with strength on par with Diamonds. Diamonds signify the apex of human combat power, a tier where War Gods seldom tread, marking the near pinnacle of one's strength.
Chu Yi watched the prodigies of the Aristocratic Alliance with a trace of admiration. Indeed, these individuals were impressive. Despite only being at the Gold Elementary or middle levels, they stood apart from the geniuses he had seen before, who had barely reached such stages and lacked in strength and other areas. Thus, even at their utmost potential, geniuses at the Gold Elementary level could only hope to match those at the High Order or peak of Gold.
The gap between them and the Genius Level beings he was witnessing was significant. "What a shame..." Chu Yi murmured, exhaling softly. Lee Zi, at his side, paused briefly but soon grasped the nature of Chu Yi's lament.
"It's truly a shame."
"The geniuses from the aristocratic families have put in a tremendous effort. Reaching their current status surely hasn't been easy."
Had they solely depended on resources, they might not have stood a chance against even a High Order Gold.
But now, they're on par with Diamond!
This is likely the pinnacle of their abilities.
To attain this level, an endless supply of resources is essential, but so is their own rigorous training.
Without it, the greatest of talents would be wasted.
These aristocratic geniuses have indeed worked hard and achieved much, but sadly, they've come up against an even more formidable force.
In truth, the elite geniuses emerging from the government, while stronger than those from the aristocratic families, have a finite level of power.
Their near-overwhelming dominance in battles against the aristocratic geniuses is a direct result of their training methods.
Combat.
Yes, relentless combat!
Chu Yi could sense the intense aura of bloodshed emanating from these government geniuses. This wasn't something you'd acquire from slaying a mere one or two Demonic Beasts.
"Besides, aside from Demonic Beasts, I'd wager these geniuses have taken quite a few human lives as well..."
Merely killing Demonic Beasts wouldn't result in such a profound sense of murderous intent.
Clearly, they've killed before.
Naturally, they must have only killed bad people, and particularly powerful ones at that.
"The end is near..."
The battle has been raging for a mere ten minutes, yet the outcome is already clear.
It's evident that the geniuses from the aristocratic families are significantly outmatched by the government's elite geniuses!
With twenty arenas in action and many onlookers, there's no room for foul play.
The outcome of the battle is the epitome of fairness.
And the final tally? Sixteen victories for the government elites—a near total rout.
The aristocrats had braced themselves for an embarrassing defeat, but they never anticipated a loss so devastating!
Out of the twenty arenas, only four claimed victory for the aristocratic families.
Previously, they had estimated that the government's chances of winning were about sixty percent, perhaps slightly more. This meant that out of the twenty contestants in the arena, approximately thirteen elite government geniuses were expected to emerge victorious, with the remaining seven hailing from the Noble Families. Yet, the outcome was a stark contradiction to their predictions!
"This, this, this..." Many patriarchs from the aristocratic families were present, predominantly from Fairmoor. Although the majority of the eliminated students were from noble families in other regions, they were all part of the Aristocratic Alliance. The elimination of their members did not sit well with the Fairmoor aristocrats.
The second round of the competition quickly commenced, and it was Lee Zi's turn to enter the fray. Lee Zi's entrance didn't stir much interest. Despite being one of the exceedingly few female cultivators, she wasn't the only one; there were, in fact, over fifty female geniuses among the contestants. Lee Zi didn't stand out much from the other female geniuses, except for her striking beauty. But for these geniuses, appearance was secondary to what truly mattered: strength. Strength was the essential cornerstone.
Lee Zi approached the arena with ease, and upon seeing her opponent, Chu Yi breathed a sigh of relief. Her adversary was of very average strength, ranking in the middle or even lower tier among the 256 elite government geniuses. Their strength was likely on par with those who had just reached Diamond Level. With such a level of strength, Lee Zi could easily triumph without unleashing the full potential of her battle body.
The battle began. While the opponent's strength was deemed average among the geniuses present, it's important to remember that the 512 geniuses gathered here represented the crème de la crème of the Adirang Region. Apart from a select few extraordinary geniuses who had already secured their spots in the national war, all the other top contenders were in attendance. Thus, this "average" strength was actually quite formidable when compared to the rest.
The opponent showed no leniency, despite Lee Zi's beauty—a testament to the rigorous training within the military.
In their eyes, victory was the only thing that mattered, the end result the sole focus, rendering all else irrelevant.
The technique employed by the opponent was a common one, taught by the government to the military. Common as it may have been, its power was truly fearsome, far surpassing the techniques of lesser-known families.
In a flash, a barrage of fist shadows enveloped Lee Zi. The opponent was clearly intent on using brute force to overpower Lee Zi.
Under normal circumstances, his strategy would not be misguided. After all, Lee Zi was merely at Silver Peak level—a level hardly worth noting.
Among the 256 geniuses, Lee Zi's standing was near the bottom. While one's level doesn't solely dictate strength, it certainly accounts for a great deal.
To that formidable genius, Lee Zi, a mere Silver, wasn't worth the time. Crushing him with overwhelming force seemed like the most logical approach. At most, it would cost a bit of energy, without impacting the next day's battle in the slightest.
However, that genius failed to realize that Lee Zi was a far more daunting presence!
In an instant, the multitude of fist shadows reached Lee Zi. Undoubtedly, the sky-filling assault left Lee Zi with no room to evade, but it also diluted the power of each individual strike.
Had Lee Zi been just another typical Silver Peak genius, even the dispersed punches would have been enough to knock him out of the competition. But alas...
Bang—a punch was unleashed!
This was Lee Zi's retort. Let the sky swarm with punches; I need only one!
And it was this single, simple punch whose might was beyond imagination!
Instantly, the government genius's face contorted with shock. He realized his error, but there was no opportunity for a second step.
The force behind Lee Zi's punch was on par with the most extraordinary among the 256 geniuses. In a fair fight, he was unmatched, and now, in this context...
An explosive impact!
There was no other outcome. The government genius was sent hurtling through the air, crashing down hard beside the arena.
At that moment, everyone was frozen in shock.
The fight had only just started, and in the previous round, even the quickest combatant had taken over a minute to conclude their battle.
Yet, Lee Zi's match was over in mere seconds!
It was an outright instant knockout!
