Chapter 153 - 133: Ultimate Fighting Competition, Professional Division Begins

Chapter 153: Chapter 133: Ultimate Fighting Competition, Professional Division Begins

Time flowed on. Although Zhang Ji’s strength was already utterly dominant, he didn’t grow complacent.

He spent four days practicing [Waterfall], a Flowing Water Sect fighting technique, until he had formed nine crystals. He then synthesized them with the one he already had.

The ten [Waterfall] fighting crystals combined to become [Violent Waterfall Strike]. The effect was still the same—transforming a current of water into a crashing waterfall—but the waterfall was larger, the water more concentrated, and the destructive power far greater.

After that, Zhang Ji paid it no more mind.

He felt the technique didn’t boost his power as much as he had anticipated.

For the rest of his time, he began to delve into the *Tathagata Divine Palm* and enhance his [True Solar Flame].

By now, his stats had solidly reached A+.

His primal energy and Spirit were more than sufficient, and his Control was far beyond what was required.

As a result, learning technique-based fighting skills came much more easily.

After just over three days of arduous training, he obtained his first essence of [Flower-Blooming Buddha: Annihilation].

At this rate, Zhang Ji was confident he could master one form of the Tathagata Divine Palm in about forty days.

[Sole Honored One] would probably take fifty to sixty days.

After obtaining the essence, Zhang Ji felt a distinct difference when he executed the same Palm Skill again.

His spiritual intent resonated with his primal energy, releasing an effect far more powerful than before.

This "intent" wasn’t some esoteric concept; it was a manifestation of emotion.

And emotion, in turn, was the external expression of one’s Spirit.

It was like how when a person became angry, hormones spurred them to punch with greater force.

When the intent and emotion were aligned, the spirit particles became more active, forming a sort of Force Field that made the destructive effects even more dramatic.

These martial arts were not some mystical discipline relying purely on experience.

....

As the new year approached, ordinary people felt little change, but the martial arts world was buzzing with excitement.

The Ultimate Fighting tournament, organized by the World Martial Arts Association, was about to begin.

Public promotions had officially launched in December.

The total prize pool was one trillion Romance Coins!

All professional fighters who participated would have their food and lodging covered, and there were prizes for achieving a rank.

In the vast, boundless landscape of Antarctica, a massive, sprawling complex of buildings was rising from the ice.

「December 20th.」

Zhang Ji had already arrived in Antarctica.

He sat in a helicopter, looking down at everything below.

Construction teams from both the Roman Country and Dragon Country were busy building below.

The venue for the Ultimate Fighting tournament was incredibly vast, even larger than the entire city of Lanz.

And Lanz was a world-class metropolis with a population of eighty million.

To be even larger than that was a testament to its immense scale.

According to the initial plan devised by Zhang Ji and Elaven, this place would eventually become the world’s capital.

The current construction was just the first phase, intended to host the Ultimate Fighting tournament.

It would be expanded further in the future.

This city of combat could only be built because modern technology was so advanced—with extensive automation—and because entire nations were pouring their resources into the project.

Zhang Ji casually took out two vermilion fruits. He handed one to the heavily bundled Zhou Hao beside him and said, "Don’t take such big bites. Eat it slowly."

He, however, polished his off in just two or three bites, making sure to save the pit.

Zhang Ji had previously tasked Robby with developing a Growth Potion for the vermilion fruits. In the environment of the "Ark of Hope," it guaranteed a harvest every twenty days. Aside from the few fruits he had given Robby’s team for research, he now had six left.

He could also foresee that he wouldn’t be short on them in the future.

It was also worth noting that Robby had helped Zhang Ji refine the Ice Soul Lotus into an Alchemy Potion, which gave his Spirit attribute a significant boost.

For the current Zhang Ji, the effect was comparable to cultivating an Excellent-grade, Spirit-type fighting crystal.

Robby was still researching a corresponding Growth Potion for the Ice Soul Lotus.

Different plants required different growth hormones; to accelerate their growth successfully, one had to thoroughly research the plant’s composition.

Zhou Hao took a small bite of the vermilion fruit. The moment he swallowed, he felt a warm current surge through his entire body, instantly making him feel hot.

The discomfort he had been feeling from the cold vanished completely.

"Is this place not suitable for habitation?" Zhou Hao asked Zhang Ji.

"Only for ordinary people," Zhang Ji said, shaking his head.

The low temperatures here were certainly a major, even fatal, problem for ordinary people, but they didn’t have much of an effect on martial artists, especially those from the Solid Body Sect.

Anyone at the professional Sixth Rank or higher wouldn’t necessarily get frostbite even if they were stark naked.

They could even use this environment to further temper their will and strengthen their bodies.

Zhang Ji planned to bring all professional fighters who wished to advance further to this city, allowing them to interact and grow together.

A dragon does not dwell with snakes.

If a group of professional fighters lived among ordinary people, their fighting spirit would be worn down.

It was also detrimental to the development of martial arts.

As for why he was doing this?

Zhang Ji knew very well that his own wisdom and resources were limited.

Thus, the power of an entire civilization was the key to his own rapid growth.

It was just like the Alchemy Potions he consumed, or the Shen Xi AI he used to deduce Cultivation Techniques.

To let countless intellects collide and become the fuel for his growth—that was what he truly needed.

The helicopter now hovered over a newly constructed road.

The road was enclosed by a thick, advanced tempered glass canopy, impervious to the wind and snow. Vehicles traveled back and forth inside. Most of their passengers were on their way to the Supreme Capital for the Ultimate Fighting tournament, though a few were simply tourists.

Although the tournament hadn’t officially begun, any competitor who arrived early this month would have all their living expenses covered by the World Martial Arts Association.

Arriving early also gave them a chance to acclimate to the environment.

In fact, some fighters had already sparred in the arenas.

The fighting venues were also divided into many different zones.

There was the Professional Group, the Transcendent Group, and the Ascension Group. There were also various terrains with themes like Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind, in addition to environments like forests, cities, and deserts.

Most interestingly, outside of these regular arenas, a colossal circular field had been set aside.

It had a radius of a full thirty kilometers and was simply cordoned off.

No terrain or other structures had been built within it.

Its sole purpose was for the battles of the supreme.

Of course, even though they had let their imaginations run wild and sectioned off such a massive area, for someone like Zhang Ji, it was still a little small.

A Saint King Level fighter at a full sprint could cross the entire arena in about ten seconds.

An arena ten times this size might just be large enough for them to warm up properly.

Nevertheless, Zhang Ji nodded in satisfaction.

He found the "report card" submitted by Orlando and Liu Hetong acceptable enough.

After all, it was the first-ever tournament. Everything felt a bit rushed, so achieving this much was already impressive.

They just had to strive to do better next time.

-----------------

「January 1st.」

「Supreme Capital.」

The newly built city was buzzing with an incredible energy.

Massive viewing screens were set up everywhere indoors, live-streaming matches between fighters from all over the world.

The entire tournament was scheduled to last for over a month.

Within that month, each group was allocated ten days of competition.

You didn’t need to place high; as long as you competed and won a match, you received prize money.

Coupled with the fact that travel, food, and lodging were all covered for participants, the event attracted countless fighters, even those who just came to exchange pointers.

Heavy snow fell outside, but inside the arena, the atmosphere was scorching hot.

The Professional Group’s matches had begun. An AI had randomly drawn opponents and arenas for every participant.

Many members of the Five Elements Sect were competing this time.

Hudson and Shen Han were also among them.

Even Gu Jie was one of the participants.

A nine-year-old professional fighter.

He could be considered a genius.

The referees consisted of several veteran Transcendent Level fighters from the Roman Country and old Grandmasters from Dragon Country, with Ma Rui being one of them.

Robby and Zhang Ji were sitting in a private suite, along with Liu Hetong, Orlando, Kratos, and others.

Aside from friends like Robby and Kratos, the rest of the group constituted Zhang Ji’s core leadership circle.

At this moment, they were watching Gu Jie’s match.

Zhang Ji had taught Gu Jie the *Little Five Elements Fist* and the *Iron Body Skill*.

With massive resources poured into him, plus a specially modified alchemical heart, he could cultivate both techniques simultaneously without any burden.

Gu Jie was also eager to prove his worth. His diligence was no less than Zhang Ji’s; he would train whenever he had a spare moment, completely uninterested in the games and toys that fascinated other children his age.

He was now a professional First Rank fighter, and not far from reaching the Second Rank.

Gu Jie’s opponent was a professional Second Rank fighter. In their struggle, Gu Jie displayed the profound foundation of someone from a major Sect.

He easily dismantled his opponent’s various moves, relying purely on technique to knock him off the stage in just thirty exchanges.

He was fighting an opponent a rank higher and still won with ease.

Zhang Ji couldn’t help but smile.

’Even though I haven’t really taught Gu Jie much, seeing him perform so exceptionally well still makes me happy as his teacher.’

History seemed to have come full circle. Zhang Ji wondered, ’Did Li Long wear the same expression back then, watching me easily defeat my own opponents in the ring?’

Zhang Ji beckoned, and Liu Hetong and Orlando stepped forward almost simultaneously.

"Have they arrived?" Zhang Ji asked.

Liu Hetong knew exactly who Zhang Ji was asking about. He said, "The four of them have accepted the invitation, but so far, only Tran Nash and Cyril Donovan have arrived. Of the other two, Ferguson has not replied, and Giles Booker said he needs to look after his brood of monkeys and will only arrive for the main tournament."

"We’ve already inquired. Ferguson said he would come," Orlando added.

The two were clearly competing with each other under the surface.

Zhang Ji paid them no mind. As long as the results were good, that was all that mattered.

He looked thoughtful. ’I wonder if Ferguson has broken through to A-rank yet.’

’Ferguson’s talent is indeed extraordinary, and according to his background, he should be on the verge of a breakthrough.’

’But that final step isn’t so easy to take.’

’It doesn’t matter, though. Even if he breaks through, he’s no match for me.’

’Tran, on the other hand...’

"Do we have a camera on Tran?" Zhang Ji asked.

"Yes! I’ll pull it up for you now," said Orlando.

In the next moment, the screen showed a small, white-haired old man sitting in the audience, holding a little girl and smiling broadly.

Almost instantly, Tran’s gaze turned towards the surveillance camera.

In the next instant, a surging wave of spirit particles reached the suite where Zhang Ji was.

With a mere thought, Zhang Ji used his own spirit particles to form a shield, blocking Tran’s.

The two had completed their first exchange.

Tran then smiled at the camera before turning his head back down to dote on Melia.

A smile played on Zhang Ji’s lips. "Telekinesis, is it? Now that’s interesting."

’It’s confirmed. Tran has broken through to A-rank.’

’And he has a special superpower. His use of spirit particles is quite unique; he clearly has his own exclusive skills.’

This made Zhang Ji look forward to his performance with some anticipation.