novelraw Chapter 237 230: Stepping Forward
Chapter 237 230: Stepping Forward
Chris's voice echoed through the arena, and the venue instantly fell silent.
From the moment the two officially engaged to the end of the fight, less than three seconds had actually passed.
Dong Wanming practiced the Assassin's Path, and his move, "Dawn," was designed to concentrate his entire being into a single, instantaneous burst. It was an all-or-nothing attack, ensuring the fight would be brief.
However, that wasn't how it looked to the audience. Through the screens, what they could perceive was extremely limited. They only saw the two make a move, then they clashed, and Dong Wanming was sent flying, collapsing to the ground, severely injured and unconscious.
From their perspective, both fighters had only used a single move from start to finish.
Before, they thought Chris was just boasting, but now, the truth was laid bare before them.
Powerful, terrifying, and overwhelmingly oppressive.
Donghua's top Martial Artist truly couldn't even last ten seconds!
Meanwhile, the Donghua contestants' seating area was also shrouded in silence.
They perceived much more, yet even they hadn't anticipated this outcome.
The instant Dong Wanming unleashed everything and momentarily broke free from his opponent's magnetic field, they could all feel a tremendous will about to erupt from within him. It was like a butterfly struggling to escape its chrysalis, on the verge of a new life once it broke free.
They thought that such a powerful strike would at least give him the strength to contend with his opponent.
But his opponent had simply snuffed out that state with an even greater, more immense power.
It was a blatant, undisguised crush of pure power.
The power his opponent could command had already surpassed the scope of a top-tier Martial Artist, truly possessing the characteristics of the Saint Awakening Level.
Perhaps he could be considered a half-Saint Awakening.
No wonder he was the Starry Sky Country's trump card. Unless a true Saint Awakening appeared, who could possibly defeat such an existence?
The medical team quickly rushed onto the stage to check Dong Wanming's injuries.
His ribs were shattered and his internal organs displaced, but for a top-tier Martial Artist, these were not fatal injuries.
During the treatment, Dong Wanming briefly regained consciousness. He grabbed the medic's arm and whispered a few words in their ear.
After Dong Wanming was carried off the stage, the medic found a staff member and relayed the information to the Donghua contestants' area.
"According to Dong Wanming, the opponent's ability is low temperature. Without Saint Awakening Level magnetic field power to resist his magnetic field's erosion, it's difficult to last more than ten seconds. The longer the fight is drawn out, the more obviously the body is weakened by the cold."
"Furthermore, when the opponent unleashes his burst, a victim's neural responses drop to their absolute limit, causing their thoughts to freeze and their five senses to fail. Dong Wanming said when it happened to him, he felt like he was sealed in amber, unable to even move. The move's duration doesn't seem long, though—similar to a brief Heart's Desire Bursting Out. Just before being struck, Dong Wanming had already broken free from that state. We currently don't know if this was because his opponent was intentionally holding back; it's possible the duration and the number of uses can be extended."
"If someone has a secret technique that can control and raise their body temperature, it might produce a different result."
The staff member said to the Martial Artists in the Donghua seating area.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
A formidable physique, an all-encompassing low-temperature debuff, and an instantaneous burst that could snuff out even Dong Wanming's strongest technique—this wasn't something that could be countered simply by manipulating one's body temperature.
It required an equal level of power.
And right now, the only one among them who possessed that kind of power, Zhang Zhizhen, was still unconscious.
"What, is no one else brave enough to come on stage?"
Chris said from the stage, his expression calm.
"I'll go."
Just then, a man stood up. He was tall and powerfully built, but his face was gentle and scholarly, and he had a disposition as smooth as jade.
This man was Jiang Shenghe, from the Northern Martial Arts Realm. He was an outstanding disciple of the Changhe Martial Arts School and had ranked sixth in the Northern Martial Arts Realm's tournament.
Everyone immediately turned to look at him.
"The Martial Dao I cultivate is related to qi and blood, grand momentum, and intent. I'll give it a shot."
"We Martial Artists do not fear a challenge. Though this is just a competition, the very fate of the entire Donghua Martial Arts Realm is at stake."
"The road ahead is difficult and fraught with thorns, but it is not yet time for us to shrink back. I will go and scout the path for everyone."
Jiang Shenghe said with a smile as he walked toward the ring.
Everyone frowned. They knew that with Jiang Shenghe's strength, he was no match for his opponent. Just as he said, he was "scouting the path" to see if he could find a better way to deal with Chris.
Three seconds into the fight, Jiang Shenghe was also struck in the chest by Chris's palm, suffering a heavy defeat.
In the next match, Tan Junze, the successor of the Earth Demon Sect from the Northern Martial Arts Realm and fourth place in the northern tournament, took the stage. This time, he lasted two moves, a total of five seconds.
The one who lasted the longest was Yang Guhong of the Nine Dragons Sect, one of the Southern Eight Sects, who had taken the place of the Dizang Sect's Jiang Jiushan in the top eight. With his freakishly tough physique, he tanked three of his opponent's moves. Although he was ultimately knocked off the stage with severe injuries, he was still able to sit in the contestants' area and watch the matches. Even Chris, on stage, was slightly surprised by this.
Three matches, and not a single one lasted more than ten seconds. Yang Guhong, who held out the longest, only managed a little over seven seconds.
The audience was silent, the atmosphere deathly still. No one was cheering or shouting encouragement anymore, because the matches were over so quickly they didn't even have time to.
The morale that had been building up plummeted during these few fights. Chris's overwhelming power even drove the audience into a state of despair.
One could only imagine how the reputation of the Donghua Martial Arts Realm would plummet in the eyes of the public if the remaining fighters couldn't escape this ten-second curse.
However, through this probing, they had managed to gather a good deal of intelligence.
The opponent's "Ice Amber" attack could only maintain the frozen state for about one second, after which there was a wind-up of roughly one second before the next. As for the number of uses, there appeared to be no limit so far.
"This guy is too damn tough! His abilities are far from a true Saint Awakening, but with the low-temperature debuff, the brief paralysis, and his formidable physique, he's impossible to deal with unless you can match his power. You'd have to withstand the first Ice Amber burst and then seize that one-second window to defeat him. Otherwise, the longer it drags on, the lower your chances of victory!"
"Old Dong went up too early. He's probably the only one here who can achieve that level of burst. If he'd figured out our opponent's secrets, he would've had a chance. It's a shame he didn't know the opponent's true depth back then."
From the contestants' area, Yang Guhong spoke with a grim expression, feeling utterly stifled. The sensation of being crushed by his opponent's power was not a pleasant one.
"No. It's not just Dong Wanming who can reach that level."
Just then, a figure slowly stood up.
The figure was tall and strong, with a cold face. Below each of his earlobes was a semicircular notch.
Ji Yunzhou of the Seven Spirits Sect.
His eyes were fixed on Chris on the stage as he spoke calmly.
"Since the intelligence gathering is more or less complete, leave this guy to me. After this match, though, you'll have to worry about the remaining opponents."