Chapter 119: Whoever Steps Up Dies!
VIP Section.
The members of the Li family watched Su Jingxing flee around the arena with Ji Min in hot pursuit, and could not help laughing.
“See? He had the upper hand before. Who would have thought he’d be the one running now?”
“You’re gloating too soon. Even while dodging, this guest retainer of the Lin family still hasn’t used any true qi.”
“Exactly. That ultimate technique of Baldy Ji’s consumes an extraordinary amount of energy. He won’t be able to maintain it for long. Once his true qi is exhausted, it’ll be the end of him.”
“That may be true, but if Baldy Ji catches him, the Lin family’s retainer will certainly die.”
“I agree. I heard Baldy Ji’s ‘Skyward Cannon’ can even kill a third-grade martial artist!”
“Ha! You actually believe his boasting?”
…
Qi Family Section.
“The Skyward Cannon! I never thought Baldy Ji would use his ultimate technique so quickly. He must have been driven into a corner.”
“What else could he do? Stand there and let the Lin family’s retainer hack him to pieces?”
“The Skyward Cannon has enough power, but the Lin family’s retainer is incredibly agile as well. Ji Min can only win if he manages to catch him.”
“...Only if? Second Brother, you actually think so highly of the Lin family’s retainer?”
“Isn’t that obvious? Up to now, he hasn’t even used his true qi! Ji Min, on the other hand, has already resorted to his ultimate technique!”
“Uh... I suppose that’s true.”
…
Wang Family Section.
“What an impressive Skyward Cannon. Ji Min hasn’t used that ultimate technique in nearly ten years. To be forced into bringing it out so quickly this time—the Lin family’s retainer is truly remarkable!”
Wang Tiedao slapped the handsome man’s thigh, his face alight with excitement.
The muscles on the handsome man’s face twitched, but he endured the pain and asked softly, “Brother Dao, is this Skyward Cannon really that powerful?”
“Of course. With this technique, Ji Min once blasted apart a mountain five hundred meters high. Below the third grade, hardly anyone can withstand it.” Wang Tiedao spoke with admiration.
“Ah, it’s that powerful?” the handsome man exclaimed, opening his mouth wide.
Seeing it, Wang Tiedao could not resist pulling him closer and biting down hard.
“Mmm!”
…
Zhou Family Section.
“The Lin family’s retainer is impressive. Once Baldy Ji’s Skyward Cannon gets underway, it won’t stop until one of them is dead. It locks onto its target and keeps pursuing, growing faster all the while. So much time has passed, yet the Lin family’s retainer is still running circles around him. Remarkable!”
“All that means is that Ji Min has finally met his match. He can’t hit him, and he can’t catch him. Now we’ll see how long he can keep this up.”
“The Skyward Cannon can last at most fifteen minutes before he runs out of strength. The Lin family’s retainer only needs to endure that long, and then he can... What the hell? What’s happening?”
An exclamation interrupted their conversation.
Everyone nearby widened their eyes and stared at the arena.
After dodging another charge from Ji Min, Su Jingxing suddenly turned back and appeared behind him. He swung his blade directly at Ji Min’s foot.
Bang!
“Pff—!”
A muffled impact, mixed with the sound of escaping air, suddenly resounded across the arena and spread throughout the entire stadium.
Under the gaze of thousands, Ji Min’s foot took the blow. His entire body shuddered, and the golden protective membrane around him rapidly twisted, rippling like waves across water.
As the ripples gathered—more and more, ever denser—
Crack!
A sharp sound rang across the entire venue.
The protective membrane surrounding Ji Min shattered on the spot, transforming into mist before dispersing into nothingness.
“His weak point has been broken!”
“Baldy Ji’s Golden Body Shield—the weak point has been breached!”
Someone shouted from the VIP seats.
The others quickly recovered from their shock and began talking over one another.
But before the commotion could truly spread, the situation in the arena once again reached its climax.
With Ji Min’s weak point destroyed, the Skyward Cannon state collapsed on the spot.
Seizing the opportunity, Su Jingxing immediately circulated his true qi and poured it into his treasured weapon. He unleashed the Human Origin section of the Three Origins Saber Art, striking Ji Min with three consecutive blades.
Counterwind Severing Slash!
A Thousand Armies Sweeping the River!
Overlord Dragon Severing Slash!
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Each strike was faster than the last, every blade following hard on the heels of the one before it.
With his protective ability gone, Ji Min could no longer defend himself. The blades tore his flesh, drenched him in blood, and shattered his bones.
Finally, amid Ji Min’s furious and horrified roar, his head was severed from his neck and hurled high into the air.
Whoosh—
Blood sprayed across the sky.
Plop!
The fallen head struck the arena floor with a strange sound.
At that single noise, the vast stadium once again fell silent. Not a sound could be heard.
He was dead...
Ji Min was dead!
Su Jingxing had cut off his head in a single strike, leaving him to die with his eyes wide open.
This was not Shi Jinyong. Ji Min, that bald man, was a fourth-grade martial artist.
A genuine fourth-grade expert!
To be slain so quickly by Su Jingxing left everyone present—martial artists and ordinary people alike—in a daze.
The same was true of those watching the broadcast on television and online.
At that moment, they were all plunged into profound shock, unable to pull themselves free.
Fourth grade!
The very pinnacle of power in Qinghe City—a member of that tiny circle of supreme experts—had actually died on the arena today.
The impact was so immense that, even as it stunned everyone, it was almost impossible to believe.
After a long while, the venue finally regained its vitality. The entire stadium erupted.
“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”
“Ahhh! That was incredible, unbelievable, astonishing! Fourth grade! A fourth-grade expert just died like that! Who is this Lin family retainer? What’s his name? What does he look like? Why is he so powerful that he can even kill a fourth-grade expert?”
“Idiot. The Shi family’s honored guest was killed because the Lin family’s retainer discovered and destroyed the weakness in his martial art. Otherwise, how could the Shi family’s expert have died so easily?”
“Exactly. His weak point was actually on the soles of his feet. How did the Lin family’s retainer discover it?”
…
The stands all around erupted into uproar. Everyone seemed intensely excited, shouting at the tops of their lungs.
In the VIP seats, the Qi, Zhou, and Li families, along with Wang Tiedao, likewise sighed in admiration.
They lamented Ji Min’s death and marveled at Su Jingxing’s keen insight.
Ji Min had cultivated the Golden Body Shield for decades, yet no one had ever known where his weak point lay.
Today, Su Jingxing had discovered it—the soles of his feet.
It was fate. His time had come, and he was destined to fall on the arena.
The death of a renowned fourth-grade expert naturally stirred everyone into frenzied cheers.
Even Li Linzhou wore an extremely complicated expression at that moment.
As he gazed at Su Jingxing, his eyes were filled with emotions too tangled to define.
In the waiting areas to either side, Shen Qian, Jiang Tianhao, Xiao Chengyue, and the others shouted excitedly.
Lin Tuotian, meanwhile, threw back his head and laughed aloud, his face flushed red.
By contrast, the Shi family’s section was deathly silent. No one dared utter a word.
Ji Min had died so quickly.
A fourth-grade expert had just died like that!
For the first time, the composure on Shi Jinnian’s face could no longer conceal the terrifying gloom in his expression.
Even Ji Min, a fourth-grade expert, had not been a match for Su Jingxing.
Whom could they send now?
It could be said that against Su Jingxing, anyone below the fourth grade would die the moment they entered the arena.
But they had no choice. They could not simply refuse to send someone.
Li Linzhou had people drag Ji Min’s corpse away, his gaze already fixed on the Shi family.
If Shi Jinnian failed to send out the next combatant, he would have to endure the contempt and scorn of the entire city, as well as...
the covert encirclement and suppression of the four great martial arts families—the Li, Qi, Zhou, and Wang families.