Chapter 154 - 134: The Warm-Up is Over, the Real Ultimate Fighting Tournament

Chapter 154: Chapter 134: The Warm-Up is Over, the Real Ultimate Fighting Tournament

Days passed, and the excitement for the Ultimate Fighting tournament remained incredibly high.

One by one, contestants competed and were eliminated.

As the Professional Group finals drew near, nations around the world turned their attention to who the champion would be.

Unfortunately, the champion had no connection to the Five Elements Sect, nor to the Dragon Country or the Roman Country.

The winner was a previously unknown man from Yis Country named Beckett Sheffield.

Zhang Ji had a vague impression of him.

One of the novice instructors of the Divine Wind Sect, a professional 9th Dan fighter. His ultimate technique was the (Ordinary Eight-Star) [Tornado Dash Fist].

His victory in the Professional Group was, to a certain extent, due to his home-field advantage.

After all, for the Divine Wind Sect, anywhere with airflow was practically home turf.

The prize money for the Professional Group champion was one billion.

It was an exorbitant amount.

At Lanz’s world-class events, even the Transcendence Group champion only received a prize in the tens of millions.

With this billion in hand, his future would be free of financial worries, and he would have the chance to advance even further.

On January 11th, the Transcendence Group’s martial arts tournament began.

Chen Anhe, Zhou Hao, and others took the stage one after another.

The matches were even more spectacular to watch.

However, Zhang Ji wasn’t constantly watching the competition. he was still training.

His [Flower-Blooming Buddha: Annihilation] had already accumulated seven essences. He was just three short of forming a crystal.

Although technique-type martial crystals didn’t increase attributes, their boost to combat power was undeniable.

The basic form of a player’s combat power was the combination of one Cultivation Technique and one martial technique.

The Transcendence Group tournament progressed quickly. The final champion was a member of the Color Cluster Country’s royal family, someone Zhang Ji didn’t know—a fighter from the [Principle Sect] with a special bloodline.

When his bloodline activated, his body became covered in a keratinous layer, making him look like a lizardman. He grew to over three meters tall, with arms thicker than a normal person’s thighs.

The attribute bonuses from his bloodline were immense.

The prize money for the Transcendence Group champion was even greater.

It was thirty times that of the Professional Group—a staggering thirty billion.

Next, the Ascension Group tournament commenced.

This time, Valua, Ymir, and others all participated.

Orlando, however, stood on the referee’s platform.

After Elaven had severed his limbs, his combat power was greatly reduced. Although Robby had said he could use Alchemy Technology to regenerate them, concocting the corresponding potion would take time. Thus, he had no chance of competing for the Ascension Group title.

A total of one hundred and seventy-five people entered the Ascension Group tournament.

There were, at most, two hundred Ascension-rank fighters in the entire world, and nearly all of them had come.

It was clear that Orlando and the others had indeed done a thorough job promoting the event for Zhang Ji.

The arenas for the Ascension Group were not randomly assigned.

Instead, the fighters were given the opportunity to choose for themselves.

Both sides would select an arena, and then the match would begin.

Zhang Ji was present for the first match.

The two combatants were, on one side, a relatively young-looking fighter from the [Spiritual Intent Sect] named Carlo Sac. He was from Yis Country and belonged to Cyril’s dojo, making him one of Cyril’s disciples.

On the other side was a fighter from the [Earthshaker Sect] who appeared to be middle-aged. His name was Terence, and he was from Ludo.

He was said to be famous in Ludo, some kind of general or the like.

The battle ignited in an instant. The mountainous terrain on Terence’s side trembled violently as countless earth spikes erupted, flying toward Carlo under Terence’s control.

Facing the sky-filling barrage of spikes, Carlo remained calm and composed. He dodged most of the attacks by a hair’s breadth while simultaneously waving his hands to shatter the spikes he couldn’t avoid, rapidly closing the distance to Terence.

Terence raised a hand, and stone walls over a meter thick erupted from the ground, encircling Carlo. At the same time, spikes shot out from the walls’ inner surfaces.

However, Carlo focused his power on a single point and, with a loud RUMBLE, shattered one of the stone walls in an instant and burst out.

Forced into close combat, Terence showed no fear. With a shake of his body, earth enveloped him, armoring him into a stone man as he began to trade blows with Carlo.

The surrounding arena was continuously destroyed. Every other clash created a massive crater several meters in diameter.

Both fighters moved with incredible speed. A swarm of drones in the sky rapidly captured every detail, and only through slow-motion replays could many of the spectators see clearly.

Gu Jie watched the fight beside Zhang Ji, his eyes wide with amazement.

For him, the realm of a Grandmaster was already something to look up to, let alone this realm, which was said to be that of a terrestrial immortal.

"Do you know who will win?" Zhang Ji asked.

"I’m not sure," Gu Jie said, shaking his head.

"Take a guess," Zhang Ji said. "Who do you think will win?"

"The one getting beaten by the stone man," Gu Jie replied after watching for a moment.

He was right. At that moment, Carlo was being completely suppressed by Terence.

As a stone man, Terence could borrow strength from the earth. Each rhythmic tremor of the ground granted him an immense power boost, and Carlo was on the defensive.

Logically, no one would have thought Carlo could win.

At least, a layman unfamiliar with the intricacies of martial arts wouldn’t see it.

"How did you guess?" Zhang Ji asked.

"His composure," Gu Jie said. "Even though he’s being forced back, he’s completely calm. He must have a trump card he hasn’t used yet. And he’s confident that once he uses it, he’ll win. So he’s just waiting for the right opportunity."

’Such keen combat intuition.’

Zhang Ji felt that since Gu Jie had received a new heart and his innate talent had changed, all the hardships he had accumulated in the past had turned into fuel for his growth.

He now possessed a maturity, wisdom, patience, and acuity far beyond his peers!

Less than five seconds after Gu Jie finished speaking, Carlo’s movements changed.

In a flash, he dropped into a slight crouch, swung his right arm forward, and with his index and middle fingers held together, slashed at Terence from a distance.

"SHHIIING~!"

[Spirit Strike: Blade Finger]!

An invisible blade of qi slashed across Terence’s chest, effortlessly breaking through his stone armor, slicing through the flesh, and even severing his bones.

The victor was decided on the spot.

Terence was sent for medical treatment, while Carlo gasped for breath and squatted down, looking exhausted.

It was obvious his Spiritualization training was incomplete. He could only manage a single Spirit Strike, and because his physical body wasn’t strong enough, he had to endure considerable side effects.

Those two fingers were now slightly swollen, clear evidence of internal cellular damage.

Carlo returned to the contestant area. Zhang Ji followed his line of sight and saw the little old man, Cyril, on camera.

The old man didn’t seem very satisfied with Carlo’s performance, wearing a look of disdain.

Cyril had many disciples, four of whom had reached B-rank. Carlo’s Spiritualization training was indeed not the best, so it was normal for him to be looked down on.

The camera’s view shifted, and Zhang Ji also saw Giles, that monkey-like man.

He was actually squatting in the audience stands. The spectators on either side of him looked at this red-furred man with some disgust, as he had always lived in the mountain forests and never bathed.

If it weren’t for this competition, he wouldn’t even be wearing clothes.

The smell coming off him was something an ordinary person definitely couldn’t stand.

"He’s the only one left. I hope he can make it before the tournament is over," Zhang Ji murmured.

The Ultimate Fighting tournament had started a bit early. It seemed Ferguson hadn’t even broken through to A-rank yet, which Zhang Ji found slightly comical.

But he couldn’t possibly postpone the competition just for Ferguson.

If Ferguson was too slow to break through, then that was just too bad.

Even if Ferguson reached A-rank in the future, once everything was planned out, the slice of the pie he’d get would certainly not be as large.

The Ascension Group’s matches shocked the entire world.

Just like Zhang Ji’s demonstration back in the Dragon Country, this tournament, watched by all, finally made the people of the world understand just how terrifying the upper limits of the human body were.

They understood just how powerful these people at the forefront of the evolutionary path truly were.

Countless videos of the daily matches were created and spread, riding the absolute peak of internet traffic.

It attracted endless attention.

The organizers, the World Martial Arts Association and the Dragon Country, also became the focus of this attention.

Many people wondered what the deeper meaning behind this tournament was.

The prize money alone was in the trillions, and when adding the cost of constructing the venues and all other expenses, it was an amount that would make even one of the world’s top five great nations feel the sting.

Was it all just to put on a lively show?

They didn’t understand, or perhaps they didn’t dare to think too deeply, nor could they have imagined the truth.

The imagination of ordinary people is limited by their perception; they cannot conceive of things beyond their own understanding.

Unless, of course, they made wild guesses.

For example, one theory online claimed that the tournament was Zhang Ji’s way of showcasing his power to recruit and cultivate formidable fighters, then using them as a tool to extract benefits from various countries.

This theory was scorned by most netizens, who thought the poster was an idiot.

However, what he said was actually closest to the truth.

It just wasn’t entirely correct.

It wasn’t about showcasing power to threaten nations and extract benefits.

It was about showcasing power, building an alliance, and ruling the world!

On the eighth day of the Ascension Group tournament, a flash of lightning blazed across the sky and arrived at the City of Supremacy.

Ferguson had arrived.

Under immense pressure, he had broken through ahead of schedule, taking that crucial step.

Now, he possessed enough strength to be called a Holy King!

The Ascension Group tournament ended quickly. The champion was the head disciple of Cyril’s dojo, Luca Porzingis.

He could use the Spirit Strike technique five times in a row, which was like a higher-dimensional attack against an ordinary fighter of the same rank.

Perhaps only a fully intact Orlando would have stood a chance against him.

Half of the one trillion in prize money was given to Luca.

His strength was worthy of such a material reward, although he probably wasn’t short on money anyway.

The Ultimate Fighting tournament should have ended there, but the organizers showed no intention of concluding the event.

After the award ceremony, the stirring music continued to fill the entire venue, growing even louder. The image on the large screens above the audience switched from the Ascension Group to a vast, empty field.

There were overhead shots from multiple angles, close-ups, and even satellite imagery.

The live audience was completely bewildered.

"Isn’t it over? What’s going on?"

"Where is this arena? Is there another match?"

"Could it be an exhibition match?"

...

Amidst the countless confused voices, the camera’s view suddenly focused on a man.

The man had short black hair and heroic features. A purple qi haloed his body as he stood silently in the void.

This person was none other than Zhang Ji.

Zhang Ji’s Spirit particles radiated outward, sending an invitation to the four Holy Kings.

At the same time, the four Holy Kings who received the invitation began to move.

Giles, who was in the audience, leaped into the air. While airborne, he clapped his hands, using the resulting blast of violent airflow to propel himself forward like a rocket. The shockwave blew through the stands, forcing many spectators to shut their eyes and leaving their clothes in disarray.

No one would have guessed that such an unkempt, hairy oddball was actually a master fighter.

Tran handed Melia over to Chen Anhe. Melia looked at Gu Jie curiously, seeming to want to greet him.

Seeing this, Tran smiled faintly. His Spirit particles interfered with the surrounding air, and in an instant, his figure shot into the sky, heading straight for Zhang Ji.

Cyril gave some instructions to his disciples and then walked on air. Each step he took vibrated the air countless times, as if he were treading on the void itself. A single stride covered several thousand meters, and he quickly vanished into the distance.

But even faster than Cyril was a streak of lightning.

Wreathed in electromagnetism, Ferguson shot out like a cannonball, overtaking everyone to be the first to arrive on the battlefield.

The four arrived one after another, and the swarms of drones clearly captured the images of these five top-tier fighters, each with their own unique style.

Everyone had a premonition of what was about to happen.

The Professional, Transcendence, and even the Ascension Group tournaments were merely a warm-up.

What came next was the true "Ultimate Fighting" tournament!!!