Chapter 160: [The Prodigy Tang Mubai] (Double Chapter)

"Xiaobai, be very careful later. Xu Zhaolong's attacks are lethal or crippling."

In the spectator stands, Lin Huafeng called out to Tang Mubai as he stood up, offering a warning.

"Understood."

Tang Mubai nodded, patted his little cousin's head, and walked toward the arena.

Xu Zhaolong earned the moniker "Fatal Blade" because the martial art he practiced, the tier-three technique *Fatal Saber*, featured ruthless strikes that left no room for mercy.

Once his blade was drawn, it meant either death or severe injury.

Despite lacking elemental enhancements, his techniques were more formidable than average tier-four martial arts.

The most crucial factor among them was speed!

Every strike of the *Fatal Saber* was lethal. While his tricky and vicious moves were secondary, blinding speed was the fundamental core. The moment his blade slashed forward, before the blade light could even be seen, the opponent had already been hit.

How could anyone fight against that?

Although the tournament rules forbade taking lives, no one could say anything if an arm or a leg was hacked off.

Fearing that Tang Mubai might become arrogant due to his consecutive wins over the past few days, Lin Huafeng had deliberately issued the warning, but Tang Mubai was already well-prepared.

Possessing true combat prowess that surpassed ordinary Grandmasters, if he were going to become arrogant, he would have done so long ago.

Xu Zhaolong's blade was lethal, but it had to hit him first.

Stepping onto the arena.

The slender-figured Xu Zhaolong narrowed his eyes, sizing up Tang Mubai.

The alloy combat saber in his hand was unsharpened, yet it radiated a dangerous aura.

Tang Mubai also sensed a trace of a threat.

Yes, just a trace, nothing more.

Even so, Tang Mubai did not let his guard down. After all, the strength he had displayed thus far was limited to extraordinary archery and superb lightness skills.

The moment the referee shouted the start of the match, he swiftly nocked an arrow, aimed toward the sky, and released it.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

The first wave of three rapid shots tore through the air and vanished from sight.

"Hah!——"

Xu Zhaolong swung his alloy combat saber, revolving it around his body to release waves of blade qi that swept across the arena, blocking the approaching arrows.

At the same time, executing his footwork, he darted toward Tang Mubai like a flying shadow.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*

Standing motionless, Tang Mubai continued to rapidly shoot three more arrows.

Following the second wave came the third.

However, this time, the third wave was not aimed into the sky, but straight at Xu Zhaolong.

Yet, a second before reaching Xu Zhaolong, they abruptly swerved and changed direction.

They ambushed Xu Zhaolong from behind, both sides, overhead, and underneath his feet.

*Swish! Swish!*

Xu Zhaolong brandished his alloy combat saber, deflecting and snapping two of the arrows.

The third arrow bypassed his defense, struck his lower leg, and exploded into a burst of internal energy, causing him to stumble. His body leaped off the ground directly into the air, charging toward Tang Mubai from above. Overlooking him, he brought his saber down in a fierce downward slash.

In this single strike, his momentum, aura, and vital blood all erupted simultaneously.

The terrifying force resembled the crushing weight of Mount Tai, intending to pound Tang Mubai into a pulp of flesh.

An invisible pressure followed closely behind, locking onto Tang Mubai.

However, sensing it in advance, Tang Mubai did not wait for Xu Zhaolong's Grandmaster-level pressure to envelop him. He shifted rapidly, flashing away like lightning to the other side of the arena, creating distance between them.

Once they were over a dozen meters apart, he once again nocked an arrow and loosed it into the air.

*Swish! Swish!*

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

Xu Zhaolong's blade qi raged, deflecting arrow after arrow.

He resumed his footwork, charging at Tang Mubai once more.

The alloy combat saber in his hand spun into dazzling blades of light, swift as lightning, sealing off Tang Mubai's surroundings and leaving him no path of retreat.

Tang Mubai simply chose not to dodge. He stood right where he was, watching Xu Zhaolong draw closer and closer.

Driving his perception, which was maxed out at 20, to its absolute limit, he tracked Xu Zhaolong's blade qi and attack trajectories.

As Xu Zhaolong closed in and slashed his blade directly at him, Tang Mubai suddenly tilted his body at a forty-five-degree angle, brushing parallel past the incoming blade qi, and thrust his tightly clenched fists forward at the exact right moment.

*Bang!*

Without any罡氣 (qi armor) reinforcement, relying purely on raw strength, he smashed a head-on blow into Xu Zhaolong's chest.

Amidst a sharp *crack*, Xu Zhaolong's grim face instantly flushed red.

Before he could react, Tang Mubai's second punch slammed into his chest once again.

The exact same spot, the exact same force: five thousand pounds of brute strength!

*Bang!*

*Crack~*

The sound of ribs snapping was crystal clear this time. If the previous blow had caused fractures, this one completely shattered them.

The ultimate strike of the *Tiger Roaring Fist*, "Tiger Burst," imbued with five thousand pounds of immense force.

Xu Zhaolong's "Protective Qi Armor" could not withstand it at all.

He wanted to counterattack, but Tang Mubai gave him no chance.

*Bang!* *Bang!* *Bang!*

Punch after punch followed in rapid succession, each one fiercer than the last.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone present, Tang Mubai erupted with a speed even faster than Xu Zhaolong's swordplay. While beating Xu Zhaolong to the point where he lost all ability to counterattack, he relentlessly drove him backward.

An unknown number of ribs were shattered, and countless amounts of roiling vital blood were spewed out.

His wide-open mouth spat out gushes of congested blood continuously.

A considerable amount splattered onto Tang Mubai's face, but Tang Mubai acted as if he didn't even notice. With lightning-fast punches, he battered Xu Zhaolong all the way from the center of the arena to the edge, sending him flying completely off the stage and down into the sand pit.

The massive venue plunged into a dead silence, utterly shocked and speechless.

For a long time...

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"

"He won! Tang Mubai actually won! Tang Mubai actually beat Xu Zhaolong!!"

"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable! If I remember correctly, Tang Mubai's vital blood realm is Professional Third Grade, right? And Xu Zhaolong is a Grandmaster Third Grade, isn't he? A Professional Third Grade beating a Grandmaster Third Grade—good heavens, what kind of monster is this?!"

"An upset across ranks! This is a true cross-rank victory! Tang Mubai is so cool, from now on he's my idol! My life mentor!"

"Too fast, too fast. Tang Mubai's final burst, his punching speed was terrifyingly fast. My camera couldn't even capture his fist speed."

"Not just that, Tang Mubai's reflex capacity is also top-tier! Xu Zhaolong's final slash—I dare say even Grandmaster-level martial artists of the same realm might not be able to dodge it, yet Tang Mubai dodged it! Based on that alone, Tang Mubai surpasses the vast majority of martial artists!"

"Who would have thought that Tang Mubai not only has extraordinary archery, but also superhuman reflexes?"

"..."

Exclamations, words of agreement, and cheers filled the air.

The crowd at the scene discussed endlessly, finding it hard to believe that Tang Mubai had defeated Xu Zhaolong while feeling utterly ecstatic.

It wasn't just the crowd in the plaza; people watching the broadcast on televisions at home let out gasps of shock at this very moment as well.

Xu Zhaolong, a Grandmaster Third Grade, had actually lost to Tang Mubai, a Professional Third Grade.

Such occurrences weren't entirely unheard of in the past, but those victories almost always relied on the power of precious artifacts, spiritual treasures, or secret arts.

Yet Tang Mubai had relied solely on his superior reflex capacity and unrivaled punching speed to beat Xu Zhaolong so badly that the latter didn't even have time to release his pressure before being knocked off the arena.

The two situations were entirely incomparable.

Of course, if it were a life-or-death battle, the outcome would be a different story.

Putting everything else aside, Tang Mubai simply couldn't resist Grandmaster-level pressure and would only be able to run.

A Grandmaster-level warrior looking to kill a Professional-level warrior wouldn't waste time exchanging blows; they would release their pressure instantly.

Tang Mubai was only able to catch Xu Zhaolong off guard and defeat him because they were on the arena.

Most people present understood this point.

However, even so, the strength Tang Mubai displayed left everyone in awe.

Lightness skills, archery, reflexes, and fist techniques were all superior to Professional martial artists...

No, he was stronger than the vast majority of *Elite* martial artists!

Such a person, as long as his vital blood realm kept pace, possessed limitless future potential!

Most importantly, Tang Mubai was only eighteen years old this year.

That made it even rarer.

A genius!

If prior to this moment, many people in Red Leaf City paid attention to Tang Mubai and knew he was quite skilled at archery, making him a minor local figure, then from this moment onward, Tang Mubai had truly made a name for himself—the name of a genius!

Busybodies who compiled the "Youth Group Top 10" list would rightfully include Tang Mubai as a well-deserved member.

An explanation was even provided for why Tang Mubai's vital blood realm was the lowest.

Archery, fist techniques, lightness skills, and reflexes—to put it bluntly, these all belonged to a form of talent.

Before awakening, they were entirely unremarkable. Once awakened, it was like a soaring dragon.

Envying it was useless because it was innate; even with hard work later in life, it was difficult to achieve.

Vital blood was different. There was no such thing as innate strength when it came to vital blood—at least not among humans.

Everyone's vital blood had to be cultivated honestly and diligently through hard work.

Those with wealthy families and access to abundant resources improved their vital blood quickly.

Conversely, it was slow.

Many people had investigated Tang Mubai's background. His father had led a mercenary group beyond the borders and was completely wiped out. He was left with an elderly person to care for the family, and their only restaurant had almost gone out of business.

Being able to reach Professional Third Grade purely on his own was already quite impressive!

No one would suspect that Tang Mubai was intentionally concealing his vital blood realm.

Even if someone deliberately restrained it, they wouldn't be able to hide thousands of calo of vital blood.

And this was precisely what Tang Mubai wanted!

Archery, punching speed, movement techniques, lightness skills, and reflex capacity—all of these could be exposed gradually.

Because there were plausible explanations, most people could accept them.

Only vital blood could not!

If his vital blood suddenly increased by hundreds or thousands of calos, there was definitely something wrong.

It couldn't be brushed off simply by claiming he ate a few spiritual herbs or medicinal plants.

The reason was simple: the more turbulent the energy contained in spiritual herbs and medicinal plants, the more difficult the absorption process became.

If one wasn't careful, they would literally burst to death from the overload!

Tang Mubai had increased his vital blood by thousands of calos in just over a month without suffering any ill effects.

If this secret were exposed, countless people would want to find out why!

Before becoming a true Grandmaster, Tang Mubai could only bide his time in forbearance.

Fortunately, he wasn't far from reaching ten thousand calos of vital blood.

Winning first place in this tournament, learning the tier-four martial arts *Nine Wolves Saber* and *Fierce Heart Fist* to perfection to compensate for his shortcomings in blade and fist techniques, and heading beyond the borders to hunt fierce beasts and giant insects...

The remaining two thousand plus calos of vital blood would be very easy to fill.

And by then...

*Huh!?*

Abruptly, Tang Mubai's heart skipped a beat as he sensed an intent to kill locking onto him.

Recovering his wits instantly, he turned around to look at the direction the murderous intent was coming from.

Entering his field of vision, he saw Xu Zhaolong standing in the sand pit, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring straight at him with icy eyes.

In his blazing gaze, cold and fierce killing intent was unmasked and undisguised.

"Is he enraged out of humiliation?"

Tang Mubai remained calm on the surface while sneering inwardly.

Clearly, being knocked off the arena had driven Xu Zhaolong's humiliation and hatred to its peak.

The more the audience cheered for Tang Mubai, the angrier Xu Zhaolong became, wishing he could tear Tang Mubai apart!

In short, Xu Zhaolong wanted Tang Mubai dead!

If not for the tournament restrictions and the presence of Grandmaster-level experts from the Governor's Mansion and the Martial Arts Association right at the venue, Xu Zhaolong would have already made a move!

Even though he restrained himself, the unmasked killing intent still caused quite a few people at the scene to break out in a cold sweat for Tang Mubai.

Being targeted by a Grandmaster-level martial artist was no laughing matter.

Of course, while some were worried, others found it amusing.

"Is he trying to court death?" Di Xiaochuan muttered with secret amusement, "I bet ninety-nine percent that 'Grandmaster Hong' killed Han Pindao last night to stand up for Tang Mubai!"

"Xu Zhaolong is enraged out of humiliation. Tang Mubai beat him, and he can't swallow this pride," Liu Tianxiu sighed, "With 'Grandmaster Hong' around, if he really tries to make a move on Tang Mubai, he's going to die a very ugly death."

"Then go remind him," Kong Lingxia sneered, "Better yet, lure that 'Grandmaster Hong' out."

"What? You still want to have a life-or-death battle with 'Grandmaster Hong'?" Di Xiaochuan turned his head to look at him with a playful expression.

Kong Lingxia ignored him, his face merely turning gloomy as his eyes flickered.

...

"Xiaobai, Xu Zhaolong has developed killing intent toward you."

The moment Tang Mubai returned to his seat, Lin Huafeng spoke by his side with a worried expression.

"Ah? Then... what should we do?" Fang Shuixian panicked upon hearing this.

"What do you mean, what should we do?" The little cousin was utterly bewildered, not understanding, "Didn't big brother win? Why do we need to be scared?"

"That's right, big brother won, there's nothing to be afraid of." Tang Mubai pinched the little girl's nose, offering a slight shake of his head to Fang Shuixian and Lin Huafeng to reassure them.

"I can beat him once, and I can beat him a second time."

"But..."

"There are no buts, Uncle Lin, you can rest easy!"

Pausing for a moment, Tang Mubai continued, "Besides, Uncle Lin, did you forget? First place in the youth group comes with a 'Vajra Ring' in addition to the prize money and martial arts manuals. Once I get the 'Vajra Ring', what can Xu Zhaolong possibly do to me? If I really can't beat him, can't I run?"

"Right, right, I forgot about the first-place reward. With the 'Vajra Ring', given Xiaobai's strength, taking first place in the youth group is absolute!" Fang Shuixian said happily upon hearing this.

Hearing this, Lin Huafeng nodded as well, smiling, "I almost forgot about the 'Vajra Ring'. With the 'Vajra Ring' in hand, Xu Zhaolong indeed won't be able to do anything to you. However, getting the 'Vajra Ring' won't happen instantly; at the very least, we have to wait until tomorrow morning. Tonight, I'll go stay at your place. If Xu Zhaolong dares to come, even though I might not be able to beat him, I can stall him!"

"---Alright, then I'll trouble Uncle Lin."

Tang Mubai hesitated for half a second before nodding in gratitude.

If he refused Lin Huafeng's kindness, it would only hurt the man's feelings.

Knowing there was danger and still insisting on helping him—this kind of favor was no longer a trivial matter. Tang Mubai could only find an opportunity to repay it slowly in the future.

Fang Shuixian was quite pleased and expressed a wave of gratitude toward Lin Huafeng.

After the matches ended that evening, Lin Huafeng accompanied Tang Mubai, the little cousin, and Fang Shuixian back to the mercenary group's quarters.

They kept watch through the night, but Xu Zhaolong did not show up.

When they woke up the next morning, Lin Huafeng and Fang Shuixian let out collective breaths of relief.

The final showdown of the youth group tournament would take place this morning.

Tang Mubai stepped onto the arena in the very first round.

His opponent was Huang Jingrong, fellow member of the "Youth Group Top 10"!

Perhaps aware of Tang Mubai's formidable strength, this short-haired, spirited and heroic young beauty showed no mercy the moment the match began.

Two unsharpened sun-and-moon rings were controlled like a pair of coiling dragons, roaring and hissing as one orbited around her body for defense while the other shot outward to attack Tang Mubai.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~*

A piercing gale accompanied by roaring sounds rushed toward Tang Mubai.

*Swish! Swish!*

Tang Mubai dodged left and right, evading the attack, and then darted toward Huang Jingrong like lightning.

The bow and arrows in his hand loosed three arrows in a fraction of a second.

*Bang!*

The first arrow exploded, shattering Huang Jingrong's defense.

*Clack!*

The second arrow exploded, striking Huang Jingrong squarely in the chest. Protected by her "Protective Qi Armor," her clothes were not shredded, but the sheer impact drove her staggering backward, her face turning pale.

*Boom!*

The third arrow exploded. Huang Jingrong was pushed back even faster, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. Unable to control her momentum, she was forced all the way to the edge of the arena before managing to halt herself.

Unfortunately, Tang Mubai had already closed in on her by then, and with a gentle kick, he sent her flying off the arena.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

Huang Jingrong was defeated!