Chapter 123: Yesterday’s Formidable Foe, Today’s Small Fry

Chapter 123: Chapter 123: Yesterday’s Formidable Foe, Today’s Small Fry

"Yang Jian, your rank isn’t as high as mine. That means you’re not as strong as I am."

"You’re no match for me."

"I can only say I’m sorry."

Li Ke spoke slowly. His Mandarin was quite fluent, as if he’d lived in Xia Country for a long time.

He was also of mixed heritage, like the woman in the golden robe before him. With his mixed Chinese and Western ancestry, he had strong, striking features.

He had golden hair and a tall, powerful build, standing nearly two meters tall. His thick arms looked like they were forged from steel, and he held a golden great spear.

Tall and handsome, he had a commanding presence.

In response to Li Ke’s words, Lin Qi also spoke slowly:

"I hope your strength is as dazzling as your appearance."

"Thank you!!"

Li Ke thought it was a compliment and thanked him.

Lin Qi just smiled, saying nothing. ’This Li Ke is pretty interesting.’

[The fourth round of the Genius Competition is about to begin!]

[Countdown 3, 2, 1...]

[The match officially begins!]

After the intelligent voice announced the start, Li Ke instantly disappeared from his spot, a blue light seeming to flash in his blue eyes.

His aura exploded forth, like a savanna lion beginning its hunt.

He swung the golden great spear in his hand, raising the long spear high to cut through the air. All his strength converged into a heavy slash that came down with the weight of a mountain.

Lin Qi also disappeared from his spot. Li Ke was ranked 90th on the Red List, a master not to be underestimated.

’But against me now, he’s already obsolete.’

"SWISH~"

Lin Qi’s figure flickered as he swung his black great spear. His aura erupted, and his Qi and Blood surged.

Wielding the great spear, he thrust it forward with the speed of lightning.

It was like a viper striking from its den—swift, precise, and aiming to devour Li Ke whole.

*Drip Water Spear Skill—Drip Water Fall!*

Li Ke used the *Mountain Shattering Spear Technique*, so Lin Qi countered with the *Drip Water Spear Skill*!

"CLANG CLANG~~"

The long spears clashed, their styles completely different.

Li Ke swung his arms. He had a long reach, and his bulging muscles, which looked as if they were carved from granite, were well-proportioned.

His muscles tensed, channeling immense, majestic power into the golden great spear.

Every swing of his spear seemed to carry an unstoppable, crushing force.

"CLANG CLANG~~"

Li Ke swung his long spear and abruptly switched techniques, changing from the *Mountain Shattering Spear Technique* to the *Rock Gun Skill*.

The technique erupted, the shaft of his spear forming a rock-solid barrier that defended against all of Lin Qi’s attacks.

This was the spear technique he was best at.

Facing a storm of spear shadows attacking from all directions, he remained incredibly patient, defending calmly while waiting for an opening to land a fatal blow.

The corners of Lin Qi’s mouth turned up. ’*Rock Gun Skill*? Trying to defend against my techniques?’

’Too naive.’

He was all too familiar with the three spear arts: *Mountain Collapse*, *Drip Water*, and *Rock*.

"CLANG~"

He flexed his wrist to control the long spear, deliberately slowing his rhythm by a beat to create an opening for Li Ke to spot.

Li Ke’s eyes lit up. He fell for it instantly. Breaking his own defensive formation, he launched a counterattack, leaping high into the air to unleash a Killing Technique.

*Rock Gun Skill’s* third Killing Technique—Overlord’s Tripod Lifting.

The instant Lin Qi revealed the opening, he was already gathering power.

As his opponent leaped, he exploded with power, his muscles unleashing terrifying force.

His precise control over his strength converged on the spear. His arm blurred, moving as fast as a phantom.

In an instant, the long spear pierced the air and vanished.

A cold light flashed, like a startled swan taking flight.

*Drip Water Spear Skill’s* third Killing Technique—Startled Swan Flash!

High in the air, Li Ke’s eyes went wide. His body was too slow. He panicked.

’Dodge!!’

All he saw was a cold glint streaking through the sky, thrusting straight toward him.

"PFFT~"

The long spear pierced through his neck, and blood sprayed out.

The fight was over!

"Your strength doesn’t match your looks after all!"

Looking at Li Ke, who had fallen to the ground, Lin Qi teased.

"You..."

Li Ke stared wide-eyed at "Yang Jian" as he faded into the Void.

[Unfortunately, you have died!]

「In his personal space.」

"Damn it!"

Li Ke’s handsome face turned ashen. ’I can’t believe I lost so miserably.’

"Li Ke, Li Ke, how could you be so stupid."

"He tricked you with a single opening."

"BANG BANG!!"

Li Ke angrily slapped his own head.

"That Yang Jian, he completely saw through my spear technique."

"This won’t do. The Black Iron Level Secret Manual is obsolete. I need to learn a new spear technique."

"But before that, I have to win the revival match!" Li Ke muttered to himself.

...

[Yang Jian, congratulations on successfully passing the fourth round. You have been awarded 900,000 Xia Country Coins!]

[Please wait for the fifth round of the competition to begin!]

Lin Qi looked at the panel, his gaze calm. Only the 900,000 Xia Country Coins could make him a little happy.

’Have I become this strong without even realizing it?’

Defeating Li Ke was much easier than he had imagined and didn’t give him a strong sense of accomplishment.

He himself wasn’t sure how strong he was now.

’I need a powerful opponent to test my current strength.’

He practiced his spear techniques in his personal space, quietly waiting for the fifth round to begin.

...

「Meanwhile, in two other arenas.」

Guo Heng looked at the gray text that popped up and shook his head, sighing, "I lost. I have to go to the revival match."

...

In the arena next door.

Jiangtao also let out a heavy breath. "Damn it, I lost too. I have to go to the revival match."

"Maybe only Brother Qi can pass."

...

「In the virtual hall.」

"The fourth round is over, and six more people from our Cang Province have been eliminated!"

Someone pointed at the big screen and shouted.

"Still, that’s not bad. But who on earth is Yang Jian?"

"He’s too strong, he actually advanced again!"

"And he advanced especially fast. His strength is even greater than we imagined," someone exclaimed in awe.

Everyone remembered the name "Yang Jian," an expert who was no less of a genius than Wang Qiufeng or Chen Li.

...

「An hour and a half later, in the Hall Master’s office on the top floor of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.」

Manager Sun reported to Yue Feng, who was sitting in a smart chair.

"Hall Master, the revival match is over!"

"Over 1,400 people were eliminated, and in the end, only 218 participated in the revival match."

"Currently, 128 people are in place, and the fifth round of the Genius Competition has begun!"

Yue Feng nodded. "Then let’s watch the live broadcast too."

Manager Sun asked, "Which match should we watch?"

"Yang Jian!" Yue Feng said with a smile.

"Understood!"

Manager Sun lowered his head to operate his tablet, and soon a large green screen was projected.

The live broadcast showed a spacious arena.

As red pillars of light descended, two figures emerged from them.

Yue Feng laughed after seeing the personal information of one of the figures:

"Looks like our dear student Lin Qi has run out of luck!"

"He’s run into a real expert this round."

After Manager Sun saw the information on both combatants, he also frowned.

"This is going to be a tough match!"

...

[Yang Jian, will you participate in the fifth round of the Genius Competition? (Yes/No)]

[By passing the fifth round, you will receive a reward of 1,200,000 Xia Country Coins.]

Lin Qi, who had been waiting for nearly an hour, didn’t hesitate and chose to participate.

If he passed the fifth round, he would have earned a total of 2 million Xia Country Coins today.

This was undoubtedly a huge sum of money for him.

[Participate!]

The moment he clicked "Participate!", he vanished.

「Meanwhile, in North River Province, a man with a lean and powerful build also chose to enter the fifth round.」

"The fifth round, 1.2 million Xia Country Coins. That’s not a small sum for me either. I have to get it."

"When it comes to strength, aside from the Imperial Capital, Shanghai, and our own North River Province..."

"The Martial Artists from the other provinces are all trash. They’re too weak."

...