Chapter 33: All for one
A guy in the corner muttered, "This clown… what kind of defensive body technique does that stage 6 brat think he has?,. I'll beat him to a pulp"
Another extra hissed with a sharp khh! "He wants to die. He's all mine, I'll murder him!!!"
A muscular cultivator cracked his knuckles, the sound echoing like crk-crk-crk, and he growled, "He's either crazy or stupid. Just let me pound hem"
A young female whispered, "Wait… his voice… what was that earlier?"
"Probably a trick."
"No, that sound wasn't even normal…"
The entire arena floor vibrated as people unconsciously stepped closer or adjusted their weapons. The murmur of irritation and disbelief rolled across the arena's cultivators.
Yin Zhe didn't respond to any of their reactions. He didn't bother to argue or explain. Yin Zhe just stood there with that cheap grin on his face, his hands were relaxed to his sides, while waiting for someone to make the first move on him.
The pressure in the arena climbed. A boy in the back yelled, "Since you want to fight everyone, then don't blame us when you die without knowing how you died!"
An impatient guy from Yin Zhe's left side spat, "I'll break that fake's defensive body first!"
A noble looking contestant lifted his sword and pointed it directly at Yin Zhe, shouting through clenched teeth, "Don't beg for mercy when we smash your bones into Pieces!. Be ready to rest in pieces"
Yin Zhe breathed out slowly through his nose with a soft "hmph", out of relief that he finally had their attention. His heartbeat didn't even speed up. He looked at them like he was waiting for them to finish venting.
The system continued to hum faintly inside him, feeding on the reactions around him.
Yin Zhe just stood there with that same relaxed face, the lazy grin still sitting on his lips like he had no fear at all. He looked around the arena again, but this time with a more clearer expression, and he could feel the change in the atmosphere. Yin zhe knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew exactly why he could afford to do it. The truth was simple: nobody in this arena had the cultivation level to break through the protection offered by his Jade Skin technique. Not a single contestant here had stepped into the Qi realm.
He let that knowledge sit comfortably in his chest as he straightened his shoulders a little more. The knowledge Only gave him more confidence. His thoughts were almost too calm for the noise around him. "They're all Root Awakening… some are you to the ninth stage but still Root Awakening realm. Not one of them reached the threshold. Then why should I be scared? Hmph… this might actually be fun."
Yin Zhe couldn't help the small "pfft"sound that slipped out of his nose as he smirked. He had to hold back the urge to laugh because he knew if he laughed here they would lose their minds. "It would be the last straw that breaks the camel's back" The whole arena was full of people puffing their chests out and pretending they were the next great genius, but compared to the simple defensive skill he was running through his body, they were like children poking a stone wall.
Meanwhile, in the other nineteen arenas, there were rumors of geniuses who had indeed reached the Qi realm. "Maybe one or two monstrous talents hiding in those groups. But here?. In this particular arena?. No." Yin Zhe looked around again, letting his eyes drift over each person one by one, and he felt comfortable. Confident.
The Root Awakening realm had ten stages, and yes, plenty of them here were at the peak of stage nine, eight and seven. But that didn't matter to him. Not while his Jade Skin skill ran throughout his flesh like his flesh was very hard, his veins glowed faintly when he pushed more essence through it. He gave the ground a small tap with his foot, making a soft thump. That vibrated through the stone floor, just to remind himself.
After listening to what Yin Zhe had said, the entire arena turned to look at him with eyes that were almost painful to witness. Every face looked at him with white eyes that carried the same expression. confusion mixed with disbelief, blended with the kind of pity one might feel for someone about to make a very stupid mistake. Even the description sounded like a receipt. They stared at him like he was the only idiot in a room full of people who still had their senses intact.
A tall boy in the back even whispered loud enough for others to hear, "Is he serious? This fool wants everyone to fight him? All at the same time?. He even called it all for one"
Another boy near the front snorted with a sharp "hmph!" and slapped the side of his leg like he had just heard the funniest joke of the year. "This one… this one clearly wants to die!. Hahaha"
A few others nodded in agreement, their eyes still fixed on Yin Zhe. Some tilted their heads, while others scratched their hair, and some even laughed under their breath with small hehehe sounds, but all of them shared the same message in their gaze: "This guy is crazy. He doesn't know what he's doing. It's best to ignore him"
Even the lead judge of the 07th arena, Enforcer Wu Tiao, couldn't stop himself from reacting to the situation. He stood above the crowd While Floating with his spiritual essence. his arms crossed behind his back, and robes fluttering lightly from the wind generated by the barrier. His face had been calm at first, but the moment Yin Zhe had yelled stop!! earlier, he felt something that made his heart skip a beat.
Wu Tiao's hand reached up and s
slowly face-palmed himself.
"Ahh… this idiot…" he muttered quietly, dragging his hand down his face while releasing a long, slow sigh that sounded like whioeeezzz.
But something else entirely bothered him. Something that made his brows tighten and his eyes narrow. During the moment Yin Zhe had screamed "STOP," back then Enforcer Wu Tiao had felt something, it was an aura. A one second sharp and forceful aura that did not belong to someone in the Root Awakening realm. It was unmistakable. For a split second, he had sensed the pressure of a Qi Refining realm cultivator. It wasn't that strong, it was for a brief moment.
He had spent years judging these competitions every year. He knew the difference between a misread aura, and a actual cultivation presence. And that feeling... "That feeling had Felt real."
Wu Tiao stared down at Yin Zhe again, but this time he squinted his eyes like he was trying to peel off the boy's skin with his intense gaze. But at the end, all he saw… was a kid. A kid standing at the peak of the sixth stage of the Root Awakening realm. To him it was a kid who looked like the only reason he wasn't shivering was because he didn't understand what danger he was in.
Wu Tiao frowned harder. "Did my senses trick me?. Impossible… unless… unless this brat is hiding something… but with stage six cultivation? No. No, that makes no sense. Then what did I feel back then?"