Chapter 126 - 120: It Really Works, Absorbing the Power of Lightning, Annihilation!

Chapter 126: Chapter 120: It Really Works, Absorbing the Power of Lightning, Annihilation!

In the Martial Arts Hall, the eyes of the spectating students lit up as they saw Xu Cheng walk in. He wore a snug black martial arts suit that accentuated his tall, lean build. With his hands in his pockets and a cold, aloof expression, his strides were unhurried. Upon entering the hall, his gaze swept lightly over his surroundings, as if the surrounding clamor had nothing to do with him.

"Xu Cheng is here!"

"We’re in for a good show now. Do you guys think he’ll challenge Ji Zhixing?"

"Very likely. Right now, who among the capable students in the elite class doesn’t want to defeat Ji Zhixing?"

"Then who do you think is stronger between him and Ji Zhixing?"

"Hard to say."

"If it were before, I definitely would have thought Xu Cheng was stronger. Xu Cheng’s Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique is a four-star lightning-attribute genetic ability with absurdly high power. Plus, he’s already on a thirty-two win streak. Almost none of his opponents could withstand more than a few moves from him."

"But now..."

"I really didn’t understand the staff technique Ji Zhixing just used. Was that really a Tier-2 Five-Star Staff Technique?"

"I actually think that no matter how strong Ji Zhixing’s staff technique is, it won’t be enough. Xu Cheng’s Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique allows for long-range attacks and is incredibly fast. No matter how formidable Ji Zhixing’s staff technique is, how many bolts of lightning can he block?"

Discussions echoed from all directions. Everyone buzzed with excitement, waiting to see what would happen next.

On the other side, upon entering the Martial Arts Hall and hearing the students’ chatter, Xu Cheng raised an eyebrow.

"Ji Zhixing is here?" he murmured.

He followed the crowd’s gaze and immediately spotted Ji Zhixing standing on the arena stage. Ji Zhixing was dressed in well-fitted casual clothes, holding a pale blue long rod, standing right in the center. Xu Cheng’s gaze lingered on Ji Zhixing for a moment before he walked straight through the crowd toward the arena.

"He’s really going for it!"

Seeing Xu Cheng head toward Ji Zhixing, the crowd automatically parted to make way, all eyes fixed on him. Reaching the edge of the stage, a flash of electricity sparked under Xu Cheng’s feet as he leaped up onto the arena.

"Ji Zhixing." He stood opposite Ji Zhixing, a faint smile on his face. "I’m Xu Cheng from Elite Class One. What do you say? Care for a match with me?"

His tone sounded polite, but his eyes were filled with eagerness. Just as Du Zhan wanted to fight Ji Zhixing, Xu Cheng was no exception. He simply hadn’t had the chance before. Bumping into him here suited his intentions perfectly.

"Don’t worry," Xu Cheng added. "If you just finished a battle, I can let you rest up before we fight."

"No need." Ji Zhixing looked at Xu Cheng opposite him, a hint of delight appearing on his face as well.

He had just been pondering whether Xu Cheng’s Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique would be effective for his needs, considering whether he should take the initiative to seek Xu Cheng out for a fight. To his surprise, Xu Cheng came up to him on his own accord.

"I didn’t expend much effort just now, so your timing is perfect," Ji Zhixing said. "Let’s start right away. I’ve been wanting to test out your lightning technique anyway."

Below the arena, Han Hai—who had just been knocked down by Ji Zhixing in a mere two strikes—darkened slightly upon hearing those words. He felt indignant at the claim of not expending much effort, but thinking back to his own performance, he found himself completely unable to refute it. He truly had been defeated by Ji Zhixing with just two swings.

"Is Xu Cheng really going to fight Ji Zhixing?"

"This is going to be amazing!"

Meanwhile, the other students in the Martial Arts Hall grew increasingly thrilled seeing Xu Cheng step onto the arena to challenge Ji Zhixing, and the latter accepting. Some hurriedly pulled out their phones to contact their friends, urging them to come over immediately. Others opened their cameras, preparing to record the battle and post it on the forums.

"Alright!"

On the stage, Xu Cheng looked at Ji Zhixing and took a few steps back to create some distance between them. Taking a deep breath, he raised his right hand, where purple electricity began to dance. At first, the arcs were faint, resembling tiny purple sparks. But they quickly spread, extending from his fingers to his palm, then his wrist, and up his forearm.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

A dense, crackling sound of electrical currents rang out. The purple arcs leaped and intertwined around his right hand, gradually converging into a thick bolt of lightning.

Xu Cheng raised his head, his gaze locked onto Ji Zhixing. "Watch out."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he fiercely swung his right hand forward. A purple bolt of lightning shot out from his palm, blasting straight toward Ji Zhixing. The lightning was incredibly fast, arriving in front of Ji Zhixing almost the instant Xu Cheng swung his hand, accompanied by an ear-piercing shriek as it tore through the air.

"Vortex!"

Ji Zhixing’s expression turned serious. Instead of dodging, he gripped his rod with both hands and executed the Vortex stance of the Nine-layered Tide Staff Technique. The long rod spun rapidly in front of him, churning the surrounding air to form a visible cyclone. The cyclone rotated at an extreme speed, emitting a low hum as it acted like an invisible maelstrom.

The purple lightning blasted by Xu Cheng crashed into the cyclone and was instantly torn and shredded layer by layer by the rotational force. However, Ji Zhixing deliberately let a small portion of the lightning slip through, allowing it to strike his body.

"Five-Colored Spiritual Light!"

"Body of Bedrock!"

The moment the electric arcs landed, he willed it, and a layer of Five-Colored Spiritual Light condensed over the surface of his body. Simultaneously, beneath the spiritual light, he activated his Body of Bedrock. An ashen-white layer of keratin surfaced from under his skin, covering his entire body like a thick suit of stone armor.

CRACK!

The residual lightning struck the Five-Colored Spiritual Light with a crisp blast. The spiritual light circulated rapidly, its five colors flashing alternately, absorbing and converting every shattered spark that landed on him. Very quickly, the genetic source power he had consumed to use his abilities was mostly replenished.

His Five-Colored Spiritual Light ability could not only defend against attacks of various attributes but also absorb those elemental forces and convert them into his own genetic source power to restore himself.

"Furthermore..." Ji Zhixing took a deep breath.

He could sense that at the exact moment the lightning was absorbed by the Five-Colored Spiritual Light, the phantom of the Five-Colored Willow Mutant Tree in his genetic aperture trembled slightly, as if stimulated by some strange force. The sensation was faint, but undeniably present.

"I didn’t expect Xu Cheng’s lightning power to actually work on me!" he thought, a wave of joy welling up in his heart.

For his Five-Colored Willow Mutant Tree gene to evolve into the Thunder-Silence Willow Mutant Tree gene, it needed to absorb lightning-attribute power. However, it also had strict requirements regarding the quality of the lightning. Ordinary household electricity, for instance, wouldn’t suffice. He hadn’t expected Xu Cheng’s Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique to genuinely be effective for him.

"Again!" Ji Zhixing raised his head and looked at Xu Cheng opposite him, his eyes shining with an eagerness he could hardly contain.

Seeing Ji Zhixing shatter half of his lightning with merely a staff technique and then take the other half head-on with his body, Xu Cheng’s expression changed slightly.

"What kind of ability is this?" Xu Cheng wondered, though his hands didn’t stop moving. "Let’s see how many bolts of my lightning you can take!"

With a cold snort, he swung both hands. One purple bolt after another shot out from his palms, pouring toward Ji Zhixing like a torrential downpour.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

Explosions of lightning rang out densely across the arena, the purple arcs illuminating the entire stage. Facing the overwhelming barrage of lightning crashing down on him, Ji Zhixing’s expression remained unchanged. Gripping his rod with both hands, he unleashed Vortex once again.

The long rod spun before him, the cyclone growing larger and faster. Bolt after bolt plunged into the cyclone, only to be torn and shredded by the rotational force. However, just like before, Ji Zhixing didn’t destroy the lightning entirely; he left a portion of every bolt intact, allowing them to repeatedly strike his body.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The sound of exploding lightning continuously echoed from Ji Zhixing’s body. The Five-Colored Spiritual Light flowed rapidly, its five hues flashing in turn as it absorbed and converted the arcs of electricity one by one. With every absorption, a fraction of his depleted genetic source power was restored. With every absorption, the phantom of the Five-Colored Willow Mutant Tree in his genetic aperture trembled gently, taking in the power contained within the lightning.

Yet, after absorbing the lightning’s power, the glow radiating from the Five-Colored Willow Mutant Tree’s phantom did not grow stronger; instead, it slowly began to dim. It was a peculiar sensation, as if the Five-Colored Willow Mutant Tree gene were undergoing some kind of trial, on the verge of plunging into absolute silence.

"This is exactly the effect I want!" Ji Zhixing thought, his excitement mounting, his gaze toward Xu Cheng growing increasingly friendly.

If he had viewed Xu Cheng as just an ordinary opponent before, he now looked at him like a walking power bank.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Xu Cheng had unleashed who-knew-how-many bolts of the Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique. The electrical glow around his hands grew weaker, and his breathing became ragged. His genetic source power was nearly entirely depleted, yet Ji Zhixing stood there, as steady as Mount Tai.

"This guy..." Xu Cheng muttered.

With an unpredictable expression, he halted his movements and stared fixedly at Ji Zhixing, specifically at the Five-Colored Spiritual Light enveloping him. He finally understood. This time, he had met his natural counter. A true nemesis.

He had never imagined that Ji Zhixing’s staff technique would be so astonishing—that it could precisely obliterate every single bolt of his Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique. Moreover, Ji Zhixing was able to destroy just a portion of each strike, deliberately letting the remnants hit him. At the same time, the layer of Five-Colored Spiritual Light on Ji Zhixing’s body was exceptionally resilient, seemingly capable of decomposing and absorbing his lightning.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing Xu Cheng stop, Ji Zhixing paused slightly and asked, "Aren’t we going to continue?"

Xu Cheng’s mouth twitched at the thought of continuing.

Although his Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique packed immense power, it also consumed a massive amount of energy. Firing bolt after bolt continuously for several minutes had nearly drained his genetic source power completely. If they kept fighting, he would collapse from exhaustion even without Ji Zhixing lifting a finger.

"I concede this battle," Xu Cheng stated without further explanation.

He then turned, leaped off the stage, and walked straight out of the Martial Arts Hall without another word. His figure quickly disappeared into the crowd, his hurried footsteps making it clear he didn’t want to stay there a second longer.

Seeing Xu Cheng leave, the spectating students below the arena instantly erupted into an uproar.

"Xu Cheng lost? He lost to Ji Zhixing?"

"What just happened? Did any of you understand that battle?"

"Is Ji Zhixing really that strong? Xu Cheng’s Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique couldn’t even deal the slightest damage to him?"

"Who was it that said Ji Zhixing was weak and only relied on luck before? You call this kind of strength weak?"

"What do you guys think that five-colored glow on his body is? It can actually absorb lightning? That’s too overpowered, isn’t it?"

"I just recorded the battle between Ji Zhixing and Xu Cheng. I’m posting it to the forums right now."

"I recorded it too! This is definitely the most spectacular fight of the day!"

Below the stage, discussions rose and fell, building into a tidal wave of noise as everyone animatedly debated the battle that had just occurred. Some marveled at Ji Zhixing’s staff technique, while others were curious about the Five-Colored Spiritual Light covering him. But without exception, everyone began to reevaluate Ji Zhixing’s strength.

Before this, many believed that Ji Zhixing’s first-place ranking on the points leaderboard was purely a stroke of luck. But after today’s battle, no one would dare say that anymore.

Xu Cheng—the holder of a thirty-two win streak, a wielder of the four-star Purple Thunder-Attracting Technique, and universally acknowledged as one of the elite class’s top experts. A person like him couldn’t even lay a scratch on Ji Zhixing and had been forced to concede simply by having his source power completely drained.

Could anyone still call that luck?