I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 154 - 152: Explosive Steel Body

What sets Body Cultivators apart from other Cultivators is that they skip the step of converting Life Marks. No matter how proficient you become with Magic, your Life Marks must always be combined to unleash Sword Qi or talismanic arrays. But Body Cultivators are different. They transform Elemental Power into the purest form of strength and speed, giving them an attack frequency that is second to none.

Caught up in the thrill of battle, Suo Ming’s Dual Hammers became a flurry of strikes, raining down a fierce barrage on Jin Zhigang’s head and forcing him to do nothing but evade.

His opponent was a Power Cultivator, so his defense was bound to be somewhat lacking. Suo Ming had no intention of giving him any openings and unleashed his Double Dragon Hammer technique.

The Dual Hammers closed in from both sides, smashing directly toward Jin Zhigang’s head.

BANG...

But Jin Zhigang didn’t even try to dodge, allowing the Dual Hammers to hit their mark. The entire arena fell deathly silent. Even a defensive specialist couldn’t possibly withstand such an attack on a vital point.

Suo Ming was also stunned. But in that moment, Jin Zhigang shot out a kick, sending Suo Ming flying several dozen feet before he could react.

Jin Zhigang spat. "Idiot. You actually held back in the middle of a fight!"

The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples snapped out of their shock and erupted in cheers that shot to the heavens. What was that? That was him just toying with his opponent!

So dominant! Absolutely dominant!

A smile touched the corner of Qiao Qian’s lips. ’This deal was worth every penny.’ This was Jin Zhigang’s dominance. The Hundred Herbs Hall was good at everything, but its presence was too weak. It needed an aggressive powerhouse to boost its morale. That was why, even though Jin Zhigang had demanded an exorbitant price—treatment even better than his own as the Senior—Qiao Qian had still endured it.

Good steel must be used for the blade’s edge.

Jin Zhigang walked over to his axe, pulled the giant weapon from the ground, and lifted it with a single hand. His body was smaller than the axe itself, a stark contrast that made his presence all the more imposing.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples went wild.

"I wonder how many of my axe strikes you can take."

Jin Zhigang wasn’t asking a question; it was a statement of contempt. Mercy and softness were the cowardice of the weak.

’Rookie!’

From that last exchange, Suo Ming knew his opponent’s strength. He was a true master Power Cultivator. For a Power Cultivator to have trained their defense to such a level, one could only imagine how terrifying his offense must be.

Hoisting the giant axe, Jin Zhigang bent his body slightly. BANG...

He vanished!

In an instant, Jin Zhigang was in front of Suo Ming, looking like a Furious Vajra.

"Kill!"

The War Axe came crashing down like Mount Tai.

BOOM...

Suo Ming swiftly brought his Dual Hammers up to block. His body shuddered violently and was instantly sent sliding back several dozen feet. It felt as if every bone in his body had been compressed, and his arms were numb.

Jin Zhigang, however, felt nothing at all. The gap in power between Body Cultivators was just too obvious. Technique was of little use; strength and speed were the deciding factors.

BANG...

The second axe strike. Suo Ming felt his hammers about to be knocked from his grasp. With a furious roar, he desperately held on, but his body was still sent stumbling backward uncontrollably.

Jin Zhigang had no intention of pursuing. A grin spread across his face. "You dare show your face with this level of skill? Thunderlight Hall is destined for shit. Wang Meng, Elder Wang, you’re really slacking. Sending this kind of trash out to die at a time like this."

Jin Zhigang looked provocatively at Wang Meng. He had expected Wang Meng to fight this round, but the guy was still acting like a coward, hiding in his shell.

The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples roared with delight, all of them staring at Wang Meng to see how this "Elder" would face the challenge. ’He’s really something,’ they thought, ’dodging one Hundred Herbs Hall expert after another. Is he just waiting to pick off an easy target?’

"Great Elder Wang, everyone in our Hundred Herbs Hall is an expert! If you’re looking for an easy win, you’re out of luck!"

The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples jeered. During the grand competition, Wang Meng was just another disciple. He couldn’t pull rank as an Elder, so it was perfectly normal for him to be targeted like this.

In the grand competition, the greater one’s fame, the greater the burden.

Not even Ning Zhiquan was an exception, to say nothing of Wang Meng.

In response to the jeers, the Thunderlight Hall side immediately started cursing back without holding anything back. When it came to a battle of insults, the Thunderlight Hall disciples were well-practiced. Wang Meng, however, merely smiled without saying a word.

Suo Ming halted his retreat. "Jin Zhigang, you have to beat me first before you can talk."

Jin Zhigang snorted in contempt. "How many more hits can you take? One? Two?"

BANG...

Jin Zhigang charged forward again. He could have attacked directly mid-charge, but he deliberately paused for a split second before striking, letting everyone see clearly. It was all to display his absolute dominance!

KILLLLLLLLLL—

Chapter 3: Belief!

The ground exploded. One could only imagine the immense power behind that single step. The axe, meanwhile, continued its unstoppable advance toward Suo Ming.

"Dodge it!"

This was a Power Cultivator’s ultimate killing blow. It was impossible to block head-on. Even a Technique Cultivator with a Defense Array would be broken by it.

It was an unblockable attack.

But Suo Ming did not dodge. He met the attack with his Dual Hammers.

CLANG...

All color instantly drained from Suo Ming’s face as his Dual Hammers desperately held back the giant axe.

Jin Zhigang was a little surprised. He had expected that strike to make his opponent drop his hammers. ’Interesting.’

"Kill!"

Jin Zhigang took another step forward, his body twisting fluidly into another strike. He was using the momentum from the previous blow, wasting nothing. Having come from Dao Guang Hall, his attack technique was flawless.

BOOM...

An even more ferocious strike came crashing down. Suo Ming still didn’t dodge. In truth, even if he wanted to, his legs wouldn’t obey.

BOOM...

With this strike, Suo Ming could no longer hold his ground. He lost his balance completely and was sent flying.

Jin Zhigang stood proudly. Being able to take his two-hit combo was decent, but unfortunately, only decent. On the battlefield of the grand competition, that made him nothing more than a minor character.

Jin Zhigang lowered his axe and raised his arm with a shout. The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples went into a frenzy. This was the kind of momentum and passion a Body Cultivator could bring.

Wang Bodang sighed. It was truly a shame. The difference in strength was so great that there was no room for the Holy Light Thorn Stream to even be used. It wasn’t that Suo Ming was weak, but that his opponent was just too strong.

The cheers gradually died down. Jin Zhigang froze. Suo Ming had actually gotten back to his feet, his hands still gripping his hammers tightly.

"I haven’t lost yet!" he declared, but the hammers he raised were trembling slightly.

Jin Zhigang laughed. "You’re asking to die!"

With a BANG from the ground, Jin Zhigang was in front of Suo Ming once more. The giant axe descended in a whirlwind chop. This time it wasn’t a heavy blow, but a combo designed to pull him in.

A heavy blow could easily knock an opponent away, giving them a chance to dissipate the force, but a combo would not.

BANG...

The first axe came down. Suo Ming raised his hammers to block and his body shuddered violently. Before he could recover from the impact, Jin Zhigang’s second axe strike arrived.

He wanted to crush his opponent, mentally and physically. He wanted his current and potential rivals to all know his power, from everyone in Thunderlight Hall, to Hundred Herbs Hall, and even the Beast Hall. He wanted them to tremble at the very sight of him.

This was the power of a Power Cultivator.

BOOM...

Each blow was like a hammer blow to the hearts of all the disciples. Depending on their allegiance, their feelings were different. The Thunderlight Hall disciples felt Suo Ming’s helplessness, like a withered leaf in the wind. The Hundred Herbs Hall disciples, however, felt only power and dominance, reveling in the thrill of the brutal beatdown.

Strength, the ultimate goal pursued by all Cultivators, was so perfectly embodied in a Power Cultivator.

Pure, and brutal!

The three Elders remained expressionless, but Hu Jing was growing anxious. Suo Ming was risking his life. This could get him killed.

Jin Zhigang would slowly raise his axe, then bring it down like a bolt of lightning, fully demonstrating his attack speed and control. His opponent was just a target. He almost wished for a stronger opponent.

As another axe descended, Suo Ming, who seemed to have only enough strength left to parry, suddenly swung his right hammer, forcefully deflecting Jin Zhigang’s giant axe. The axe’s momentum was so great that once swung, Jin Zhigang couldn’t pull it back in time, and it chopped straight into the ground. Suo Ming’s left hammer then smashed toward Jin Zhigang’s face.

THUD...

Everyone was stunned. Jin Zhigang was also taken aback. He wiped his face. ’That fucking counts as an attack?’ To Jin Zhigang, however, this was a huge loss of face. That this kind of trash actually dared to fight back.

"Just die!"

Dodging Suo Ming’s follow-up attack, Jin Zhigang hacked at him with one axe strike after another, as if trying to hammer him into the ground like a nail.

Suo Ming was completely numb. His body had gone numb long ago; he was running on willpower alone.

Holy Light Thorn Stream... he couldn’t remember any of it. All he knew was that he couldn’t give up. His hearing was starting to fail, and his vision was blurring. He was just passively blocking, absorbing the immense force again and again. If he let his breath go for even a second, he would collapse instantly.

Jin Zhigang was speechless. ’This kid really has a death wish. Is it necessary? The gap in strength is obvious. To know it’s futile yet still risk his life—is he out of his mind?’

If Suo Ming died in this state, it would have nothing to do with Jin Zhigang. Cultivators lived by survival of the fittest, and casualties in the grand competition were inevitable.

Jin Zhigang was not one for mercy. Since his opponent was looking for death, he would be happy to oblige!

KILL... KILL KILL KILL... KILL!

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP THUMP...

Every time, Suo Ming’s body looked like it was about to collapse, but he always managed to hang on by the thinnest of margins. It was infuriating to watch. ’Just finish him off in one blow already!’

The Thunderlight Hall side, meanwhile, had fallen completely silent. Hex Ziyuan was already praying in his heart. If it were him, he would have given up long ago. Losing one match was no big deal. The gap in power was so obvious that no one would blame him.

After more than ten axe strikes, Jin Zhigang was getting impatient. At first, it looked dominant, but letting this stalemate drag on was becoming a joke. ’Dammit, why bother? What is he persisting for? He’d be better off saving this energy for the individual matches.’

BOOM...

Jin Zhigang couldn’t take it anymore and kicked Suo Ming away. Suo Ming still subconsciously raised his hammers, completely unable to judge the direction of the attack, and was sent flying. He tumbled across the ground several times, a clear sign that he had no strength left to defend himself as he fell.

But Suo Ming’s hands still held his hammers in a death grip.

Jin Zhigang raised his War Axe again to declare his victory, but this time, the cheers were much weaker. Even Jin Zhigang himself felt it was anticlimactic. He was at a loss, having run into such a moronic opponent.

Suddenly, the cheers grew loud again, but they weren’t from Hundred Herbs Hall. They were from Thunderlight Hall. Suo Ming was getting up to fight again.

His eyes seemed to glow with a white light.

"Big Brother Suo Ming, do you like me?"

"Xiu’Er, I will always protect you!"

"I believe in you!"

But in an instant, that beautiful scene turned into a pool of blood. The words "I believe in you" still seemed to echo in Suo Ming’s ears. ’Believe... Am I worthy of that belief?’

"Boss, I can definitely do it!"

"Haha, I believe in you!"

’Belief...’

’Am I worthy of it?’

Suo Ming’s muscles began to swell, visible to the naked eye. They rippled and bulged, emitting a steel-like glow.

The entire crowd was dumbfounded. ’Is this...?’

A Body Cultivation Skill—Explosive Steel Body!

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