As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 174 The Triumph of Will

Hou Zhijian now holds an absolute advantage in physical strength.

However, this advantage is not enough to directly translate into victory.

Enraged, the opponent launched a relentless bombardment. The "Balmongk's Fang," wreathed in crimson flames, resembled a raging whip of thorns, whistling past the scattered "Great Rock Turtle" from unbelievable angles, lashing Hou Zhijian's body time and again.

Each lash leaves a shocking red mark on his body from the serpent's fangs, which come from ancient times.

In the second five minutes, Hou Zhijian was completely overwhelmed by the storm.

Even after summoning the real "Giant Sword", it almost never managed to unleash a single effective attack.

His only powerful slash was blocked by the "Shield of Silence," which not only failed to harm his opponent but also caused the "Shield of Silence" to spray out eerie blue ice crystals, almost freezing his entire arm.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the opponent unleashed the core skill of "Balmunk's Fang," completely shattering the "Great Rock Turtle's" ability to reassemble.

It wasn't until the third five-minute period that Hou Zhijian saw a glimmer of hope.

In previous competitions, opponents who could finish off their opponents in an average of five minutes have finally revealed their fatal flaw of insufficient physical strength.

In order to cope with the unpredictable and cunning tactics of the Kuangtie team, the opponents had to expend more mental energy during the game to calculate the traps that Hou Zhijian might set, which further increased their mental burden.

As a result, in the late game when it comes to "fighting for health," the opponent's vision goes black, and their limbs feel as heavy as if they were filled with cement. The once menacing "Balmongk's Fang" and the indestructible "Shield of Silence" become dim and disordered at a visible speed.

Only now did Hou Zhijian demonstrate his abundant physical strength, tenacious will, and rock-solid defense as a sparring partner without cards.

He was trained by Xiong Tieshan earlier than the Xiong brothers.

He put in more effort than Chu Zhifeng in daily training.

Limited by his talent, he was destined not to become a pure cardless master.

But during his long sparring career, amidst rounds of relentless bombardment, he gradually developed a tougher, more resilient ability to withstand blows than Chu Zhifeng.

The attacks he suffered in the second five minutes left him with a crisscrossing, shocking, and gruesome wound.

But his bright eyes were not obscured by blood or disturbed by pain; they remained firmly locked onto his opponent.

The "Great Rock Turtle" was torn to pieces, and its remnant soul ripples transformed into panicked spiritual networks, fleeing back into the depths of the sealing card.

Hou Zhijian focused intently on manipulating the "Giant Sword," entering "armed mode," transforming his right arm into a giant sword, and launching the fiercest counterattack.

Even though his right arm was attacked by the "Shield of Silence," with his fingers and forearm covered in dark blue ice crystals, the chill cut into his blood vessels and nerves like a dagger.

He didn't slow down even for half a second, maintaining the speed at which he wielded the greatsword.

Instead, he used the freezing ability of the "Shield of Silence" to freeze his own wounds, preventing the scalding blood from flowing out of his riddled body.

Even so, Hou Zhijian did not have the slightest advantage on the field.

The fierce battle between the two sides lasted until the very last second of the third five-minute period.

Just a second before this, neither the audience nor the commentators dared to be sure which of the two bloodied and battered men would emerge victorious, walking down the stage that was almost set ablaze with blood.

The opponent finally exhausted his last bit of energy, and as the guardian spirit dissipated, he collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.

Hou Zhijian brandished his right arm, now frozen and a deep blue, and let out a chilling roar. The packed stands remained silent for a full three seconds. The audience rubbed their eyes frantically, confirming the unbelievable result, before erupting into thunderous applause.

Yesterday's sparring match between Kuangtie's team and his partner proved their strength and showed that their team is not just about using underhanded tactics.

Next, Xiong Rulong also encountered a fierce battle.

Considering the threat of the "red-eyed oil mackerel," the opponent cautiously chose to sacrifice some flexibility and wore a pair of specially made ice climbing boots to enhance traction.

Xiong Rulong did indeed summon the "Red-Eyed Oil Mackerel".

Unfortunately, in just two weeks, he could only master a limited number of new tactics, and it seemed impossible for him to come up with something new every time.

Both sides have practically revealed their cards.

It all comes down to hard power.

Although the opponent sacrificed some flexibility, their overall strength still surpassed Xiong Rulong's.

Xiong Rulong could only rely on his robust physique, honed by his cardless playstyle, to grit his teeth and withstand his opponent's fluid and relentless onslaught.

The match also dragged on for nearly ten minutes.

The opponent held an absolute advantage on the field and perfectly controlled the rhythm of offense and defense, but inevitably consumed a lot of physical and mental energy. After using the core skill, waves of black tide appeared in front of him, requiring a few seconds of cooldown.

Only at this moment did Xiong Rulong take advantage of the cooldown period after his opponent used his core skill, when his observation, perception, and attention were at their lowest, to quietly release his second guardian spirit, an ordinary "crystal slime".

The superhuman creature, with its extremely sticky texture, lay sprawled on the arena like a semi-transparent sludge, perfectly blending with the copious amounts of oil sprayed by the "Red-Eyed Oil Mackerel" and the pool of blood from Xiong Rulong.

If this move is used at the very beginning of the match, the opponent will definitely notice it.

With just a little trickery, whether it's flames of several hundred degrees or ice spikes with a freezing effect, the cowardly "Crystal Slime" can be driven away.

But with the game at this stage, both sides fought to the last man.

The opponent never expected that Xiong Rulong could be so patient, and stepped right into the transparent trap of the "crystal slime".

The "crystal slime" contracted violently, binding the opponent's feet together.

Although the opponent managed to break free of the "crystal slime" by exerting force with both legs within just three seconds.

But a mere three seconds of opening was enough for Xiong Rulong, covered in blood, to pounce like a ravenous tiger and bite down hard on his thigh and lumbar spine.

Immediately following was another blood-splattering, fiery, and exhilarating dive takedown, even more stunning than the first day of the competition!

These two victories seem to validate what Xiong Ruyue said last night.

This earned the audience the loudest applause for the Kuangtie team.

However, even the most supportive fans of the Kuangtie team couldn't imagine that they could win the third match.

Because the youngest player in the Kuangtie team, Xiong Chenghu, will be facing Carlos, the "Golden Boy" from the Shattered Star Club, who was the runner-up in the previous Dawn Cup!

(End of this chapter)