Chapter 32: Contest

Passing through the villa’s garden leads to the training ground.

The training ground has been revamped. Its surface layer covers over two hundred square meters featuring a fully equipped gym, meditation room, massage room, rest area, and a standard swimming pool that seems long unused.

Underground lies another level over a thousand square meters in size with a ceiling nearly five meters high.

It’s a vast empty space with floors made of large, high-strength alloy plates and walls and ceilings fitted with crystal lights for illumination.

This is a rectangular martial arts arena.

The team of four entered the arena. Ren Mian spoke, “Xinghuo, Zhonglin, start warming up. Get ready for a sparring match.”

Zhonglin immediately began stretching his limbs, muscles in motion.

Ji Xinghuo instead started running around the arena.

His pace increased gradually, running two laps in a few minutes, warming up and stimulating his star power until his body began to heat up.

“Alright.”

Ren Mian called them back.

Zhonglin, full of anticipation, asked, “Sister Ren, how should I fight? How much strength should I use?”

“Go all out, but don’t aim to kill,” Ren Mian instructed. “Try to simulate an actual combat scenario and exhibit your true capabilities.” Then, turning to Xinghuo, “Xinghuo, any questions?”

“None.” Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

He was eager as well, having not fought a prepared battle since becoming an Extrahuman. The shooting of Ji Zongbang was an unexpected event.

His actual strength was still unknown to him.

Zhonglin was a strong opponent, a perfect test to gauge his own capabilities.

Ren Mian nodded, “Then get ready.”

Zhonglin reached out his hand for a shake, a serious expression on his face, “Brother Xinghuo, don’t blame me if I hit too hard. It’s Sister Ren’s directive.”

Ji Xinghuo smiled slightly.

Without uttering harsh words, his determination and confidence were palpable to everyone present, suggesting that he had everything under control.

Zhonglin’s face grew solemn, and Jiangnan Caiyi’s eyes showed surprise.

They didn’t know Ji Xinghuo was only a junior Extrahuman, but Ren Mian, aware of this fact, was all the more eager to see his performance.

A junior facing a senior Extrahuman.

Furthermore, the fight was confined to a specific area, a scenario quite disadvantageous for a ranger.

Zhonglin, holding a long spear, moved to one end of the arena and raised his spear, “Be careful. My ‘Magma Spear’ is a one-star superpower weapon, forged with ‘Magma Fire Lizard’ materials, carrying high-temperature destructive capabilities.”

Ji Xinghuo stood at the other end, his gaze lingering on the spear in Zhonglin’s hand.

A superpower weapon!

Common weapons and equipment ranged in value from several hundred to tens of thousands and were considered “standard.”

Weapons using top-grade materials and manufacturing techniques to maximize material performance were “premium” grade.

Ji Xinghuo’s “Yi Wind” compound bow was of such premium, one-star quality.

His armor, made of composite tungsten steel, was two-star premium.

His electric arrows were three-star premium.

His other weapons, the flat-head goose-wing knife and tactical knife, were simply standard.

Beyond premium lies the “superpower” level, incorporating extraterrestrial materials and capable of superpowers, far surpassing the premium in might.

Premium and superpower each have three star levels.

One star is the lowest; three stars are the highest.

A one-star superpower weapon costs at least three million Asia dollars. If it reaches three stars, it might be worth tens or hundreds of millions.

Above superpower is the “Apocalyptic” level, but globally there are only a few of such items.

“Yi Wind compound bow, premium one-star,” Ji Xinghuo following Zhonglin’s lead, briefly introduced his weapon.

There was a considerable gap between their weapons.

Yet, this was meant to emulate real combat where the enemy wouldn’t switch to a similar weapon just because they had a significant advantage.

Both warriors stood thirty meters apart at each end of the arena.

The arena fell silent.

“Begin!”

At Ren Mian’s shout, Ji Xinghuo immediately loosed an arrow.

The small size of the arena meant he had to act quickly or lose any chance of victory once Zhonglin closed the distance, his only path to win.

Zhonglin, with his extensive combat experience, knew his best strategy was to get close.

He bent his knees, and with explosive power, shot forward like a rocket.

At the same time, his body swelled like an inflatable balloon, growing by a size and over two meters tall, straining and bursting his clothes, his muscles emanating a blue-green light, turning his skin green and his hair frizzy like floating fungal strings, giving him a large mushroom-shaped head.

It looked slightly comical, but the explosive power was real!

With each step, Zhonglin shook half the arena, charging at Ji Xinghuo like a wild giant.

He had just taken three steps when the arrow struck.

Snap!

Zhonglin’s spear flicked up powerfully yet with feather-like finesse, cleverly deflecting the arrow.

Integrating a spinning magnetic field, Ji Xinghuo’s strength surged, and the pulling weight of his bow increased to 108 kilograms or about 240 pounds!

This arrow was a straight-feather willow leaf, very fast and powerfully shot.

Though Zhonglin deflected it, his charge was slightly delayed. Yet in just three steps, he had covered ten meters, reducing the distance by a third.

As he took his fourth step, the next arrow followed.

This arrow was sharply angled, aimed directly at the chest—a hard spot for the spear to defend.

Zhonglin twisted his spear in front to deflect the arrow.

Even though he slowed slightly from his initial charge, he closed in a few more meters, now only about fifteen meters away from Ji Xinghuo—a proximity that for a senior Extrahuman meant being virtually within striking distance, just a few strides away.

The third arrow aimed for Zhonglin’s knee, but with a swift sidestep, he dodged and continued his charge.

The final ten meters, Ji Xinghuo fired two more arrows.

Neither hit Zhonglin, but they prevented him from reaching full speed, significantly reducing his explosive momentum.

Now within five meters of Ji Xinghuo, Zhonglin had swelled to over two and a half meters, resembling a real green giant!

The sixty-plus kilogram Magma Spear in his hands felt as light as a straw.

The spear glowed red-hot, giving off waves of heat.

Zhonglin thrust it simply, its tip breaking the air with a sonic screech, aimed directly at Ji Xinghuo’s throat.

Had it struck, without pulling back, Ji Xinghuo would have undoubtedly died.

Yet, Ji Xinghuo’s face showed no panic, a spark like lightning flashing in his eyes, his right foot stomping down, breaking the sole of his shoe, the electricity instantly spreading along the metallic floor, electrifying the entire arena’s surface.

In the Star Realm, buildings don’t consider insulation because there are no circuits or electrical devices.

This arena was no exception.

Standing further away, Ren Mian and Jiangnan Caiyi felt nothing; their shoes were intact, while Zhonglin, his body having burst his shoes earlier, was standing barefoot on the floor.

Instantly, Zhonglin’s movements froze, his entire body numb from the electric shock.

“Damn it!”

Zhonglin let out a strange yell.

The spear, driven by inertia, continued towards Ji Xinghuo, but he had anticipated this. With his spinning magnetic field activated, his speed and explosive power increased, and he dodged the spear tip with a swift movement.

Instead of sidestepping, he moved closer to Zhonglin.

The two were almost face to face.

Any other ranger would have discarded their bow for close combat, drawing a goose-wing knife for a direct attack.

Ji Xinghuo did not do this. As he closed in on Zhonglin, he already had another arrow—worth ten thousand Asia dollars—nocked on his bow.

With the spinning magnetic field at full operation, he pinched the tail of the arrow with two fingers, causing it to deform and produce current. Amplified by the spinning magnetic field, the entire arrow lit up, visible electric arcs jumping along the shaft, the air filled with the smell of scorched odor.

Zhonglin saw everything but was paralyzed, his reaction severely impaired.

He could do nothing.

Ji Xinghuo was nearly pressing the arrow tip against Zhonglin’s forehead, like a gun ready to fire with just a release.

At such close range, Zhonglin had no way to dodge.

“Stop!”

Ren Mian quickly cried out.

Ji Xinghuo immediately ceased the spinning magnetic field, the fully drawn bowstring slowly retracting, the electric arcs on the arrow vanishing.

The electric paralysis on Zhonglin faded instantly, but he took no chances, a layer of black scales emerging from his face to his neck, as hard and glossy as metal, covering even his eyelids.

Only when he saw Ji Xinghuo move away the compound bow did the black scales gradually recede.

“Phew…”

Zhonglin’s body returned to its normal size.

He glanced at the metallic floor, still visibly shaken by the electric shock; it was an unpleasant sensation. He couldn’t help asking, “What kind of ability is this?”

Ji Xinghuo, not one to lie, simply said, “Spinning magnetic field.”

Even without his explanation, careful observation would reveal it was a spinning magnetic field. Without using it, defeating Zhonglin would have been too difficult.

“Damn!” Zhonglin’s eyes widened. “You said you were a ranger, right? How did you turn into a magnet maniac?”

Ji Xinghuo chuckled. “There’s no conflict.”

Zhonglin was at a loss for words.

“Brilliant, brilliant!”

Ren Mian and Jiangnan Caiyi approached.

Ren Mian clapped softly, complimenting, “Xinghuo, you’re much stronger than I expected. A magnetic field maniac, haven’t seen that role for a long time.” Her eyes brightened, finally understanding why Ji Xinghuo’s senses were so sharp—it was due to magnetic field induction.

“It’s my first time seeing this too,” Jiangnan Caiyi said curiously. “Earth’s mightiest professional template, truly as legendary as they say!”

“My carefully selected teammate couldn’t be just an ordinary ranger,” Ren Mian was quite proud of her judgment.

“Sister Ren, I won this match, right?” Ji Xinghuo asked.

“It doesn’t count that way.”

“Even if you had shot that arrow, I wouldn’t have died,” Zhonglin argued before Ren Mian could reply, “Your arrow might not have penetrated my ‘Tungsten Dragon Scales.’ I also have ‘Fungal Giant,’ which gives me strong regenerative powers, allowing me to withstand three or four arrows.”

“As long as I endure your one arrow, you would have lost.”

“I’m a ninth-level martial artist, just short of the master qualifier match. You couldn’t even handle one strike from me…”

Zhonglin was quite frustrated, having not been able to demonstrate even a third of his abilities before the fight was halted.

Ji Xinghuo was taken aback.

Tungsten Dragon Scales, Fungal Giant!

Both were over-limit abilities, especially the Fungal Giant, a very rare transformative ability that, once activated, endowed the user with all the capabilities of a true fungal giant.

His strength surged dramatically, and his regenerative and physical powers were extremely exaggerated, allowing him to enter a berserk state!

Tungsten Dragon Scales’ defensive capability was also formidable, with the ability derived from “Tungsten Dragon,” as hard as the metal tungsten, nearly impervious to blades.

Moreover, during the battle, Zhonglin also displayed “Subtlety” and “Star Strength.”

Thus, his spear skills were extremely sophisticated, stronger than a pure martial artist.

Ji Xinghuo admitted that if the two had fought to the death without activating his “All-encompassing Forest,” he likely could not have killed Zhonglin.

“Shall we call it a draw?” he suggested.

Just as Zhonglin was about to agree, Ren Mian suddenly chuckled lightly, “Xinghuo is a junior Extrahuman who merged with his abilities less than two months ago.” This was what Ji Xinghuo had told her last night.

Jiangnan Caiyi’s pupils shook.

Clang!

“How is that possible?”

Zhonglin’s Magma Spear fell to the ground as he looked at Ji Xinghuo as if seeing a monster, dazed for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “I concede! I lost this match!”