Chapter 130 - 122: Number One in the Elite Class, The Final Transformation of the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey Genes

Chapter 130: Chapter 122: Number One in the Elite Class, The Final Transformation of the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey Genes

Du Zhan looked him up and down and broke into a grin.

"Ji Zhixing, people on the forums and the audience down there are all debating who will win this match." He paused. "What do you think? Who’s going to win?"

"We’ll find out after we fight," Ji Zhixing said calmly.

"Good!" Du Zhan laughed heartily. "Then try taking a hit from my hammer! You managed to block Xu Cheng’s lightning attacks, but I don’t believe you can block my heavy hammer."

He stared at Ji Zhixing, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "Don’t you have a Gigantification ability? Let me see it."

As soon as he spoke, his imposing aura skyrocketed. An invisible, oppressive pressure spread from his body, making the air around the arena feel tangibly heavier.

Du Zhan bent his knees slightly, then pushed off with explosive force.

BOOM!

He shot into the air like a cannonball. Raising his massive hammer high, he swung it straight at Ji Zhixing with a whistling howl that tore through the air. The strike carried tremendous momentum. Wherever the hammerhead passed, the air was compressed into visible ripples.

Watching the giant hammer descend from the sky, a fierce will to fight surged in Ji Zhixing’s eyes. He didn’t dodge.

"Tide Rises!"

Gripping his staff with both hands, he took a step back and swung the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod upward. The shaft let out the low, rumbling sound of ocean tides as it met the massive hammer.

CLANG!

The collision between the staff and the hammer produced a deafening metallic crash. Sparks flew in all directions, and shockwaves rippled outward.

Feeling the majestic force transmitted from Du Zhan’s strike, Ji Zhixing’s arms jolted. He was forced back three consecutive steps before regaining his balance.

"Such tremendous strength!" he thought in surprise.

With the enhancement of his Boulder Physique, his own strength was already massive. Yet, Du Zhan’s hammer strike was even more powerful than he had anticipated.

"It’s most likely some kind of four-star strength-type gene ability," Ji Zhixing guessed.

Generally speaking, most Cultivators who fused with Tier-3 genes could only develop three-star gene abilities. Only a rare few managed to unlock four-star abilities. Du Zhan was clearly one of that minority. It was precisely for this reason that he stood out among the elite class students, securing his spot in the absolute top tier of fighters.

"Again!"

Landing back on his feet after the successful strike, Du Zhan didn’t pause for even a fraction of a second. He hoisted his giant hammer and smashed it down once more.

His hammer technique was incredibly direct, consisting only of simple smashes, sweeps, swings, and chops. Ji Zhixing could tell that Du Zhan’s hammer technique was quite mediocre. He only had basic moves, lacking the sensation of martial intent fusing with the weapon. Clearly, he hadn’t even reached the beginner level of mastery. It was just that his overwhelming strength made every strike so devastatingly heavy, giving off an unblockable aura.

"Gigantification!"

Seeing another hammer hurtling toward him, Ji Zhixing took a deep breath. His chest expanded, and his body abruptly shot upward.

CRACK, CRACK.

His bones popped, and his muscles rapidly swelled and bulged. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a giant standing 2.7 meters tall. At the same time, his Boulder Physique was activated. A grayish-white horny layer surfaced from beneath his skin, covering his entire body.

BOOM!

The next moment, gripping his staff with both hands, he clashed head-on with Du Zhan. The collision of staff and hammer echoed throughout the entire arena.

After using Gigantification, Ji Zhixing’s strength had increased by fifty percent. As this staff strike met Du Zhan’s heavy hammer, both men were immediately knocked back a step.

"Excellent!"

Feeling the brute force transmitted from Ji Zhixing’s long staff, Du Zhan shouted loudly, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. Without a moment’s hesitation, he charged forward again.

Ji Zhixing didn’t hesitate either. Holding his staff with both hands, he met Du Zhan head-on.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The sound of the staff and hammer clashing rang out continuously across the arena. The impacts were as dense as pouring rain, each deafening boom making the audience’s eardrums go numb. The two figures dodged and shifted across the stage. The giant staff and heavy hammer collided endlessly, scattering sparks in all directions like fireworks.

"A very good opponent."

As Ji Zhixing continuously exchanged blows with Du Zhan, a blood-red will to fight gradually welled up in his eyes. The Nine-Tiered Tide Rod flowed freely in his hands. Every stance and strike was seamless and flawless, as if shaped by nature itself.

It wasn’t just the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod. Throughout the battle, he occasionally mixed in moves from the Breaking Army Staff Technique, the Boulder Staff Technique, and even the Tingchao Staff Technique. Although these staff techniques were lower in rank than the Nine-Tiered Tide Rod, their power was nothing to scoff at under the enhancement of his Innate Staff Heart and Staff Soldier Divine Mastery.

The longer he fought, the more exhilarated he became. It wasn’t just him; the phantom of the Staff Soldier Stone Monkey gene inside his Gene Aperture was also trembling continuously, radiating a light that grew thicker and more intense. It was as if the stone monkey was also yearning for battle—craving a thoroughly satisfying showdown.

On the opposite side, Du Zhan, who had always been supremely confident in his own strength, gradually realized that he was being subtly suppressed by Ji Zhixing. Ji Zhixing’s staff techniques, in particular, were not only incredibly powerful but also elusive and unpredictable, often leaving him unable to defend in time.

"This guy..." Du Zhan gritted his teeth and held on, beads of sweat multiplying on his forehead.

After taking a few more of Ji Zhixing’s moves, he took a deep breath.

"I have to use my trump card."

A black light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his aura underwent an abrupt change.

BOOM!

The next moment, his body expanded by a few fractions. His muscles bulged and his veins popped, making him look as though he had transformed into a true Barbaric Bull Demon. Gripping the hammer with both hands, he swung it ruthlessly, aiming straight for Ji Zhixing. The force behind this strike was twenty to thirty percent greater than before, and its speed had also increased significantly.

CLANG!

As their weapons clashed again, Ji Zhixing immediately felt a terrifying force transmitted to him. His body paused for a fraction of a second before he was forced back a step.

"Such terrifying strength!" Ji Zhixing thought, startled.

"Again!"

Without pausing, Du Zhan continued to attack him like a madman. One hammer strike followed another, each one heavier and faster than the last.

"There it is! Du Zhan is using his Mad Bull Transformation!" someone in the audience exclaimed.

"I heard that when Du Zhan uses the Mad Bull Transformation, both his strength and combat awareness increase drastically for a short period."

"If it weren’t for the fact that this move leaves him incredibly weak afterward and doesn’t last long, I feel like it could even be considered a four-star ability!"

"It’s too fierce! Can Ji Zhixing still block it?"

On the arena, feeling the change in Du Zhan, Ji Zhixing took a deep breath.

"So this is Du Zhan’s Mad Bull Transformation? It’s very strong. But I can still hold him off."

He no longer took the initiative to attack. Instead, he gripped his staff with both hands and continuously met Du Zhan’s strikes while retreating. The Nine-Tiered Tide Rod transformed into a series of barriers in his hands, accurately deflecting every single one of Du Zhan’s hammer blows.

Their figures shifted swiftly across the stage. Although Ji Zhixing was constantly retreating, his footwork wasn’t messy in the slightest, allowing him to flawlessly block Du Zhan’s onslaught every time. He was like a solid boulder, remaining entirely unyielding no matter how fiercely the stormy winds and torrential rain battered it.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

After a rapid exchange of over twenty moves, Du Zhan brought his hammer down again, only to be blocked by Ji Zhixing. Then, Du Zhan suddenly stumbled, nearly losing his footing. He hurriedly planted his heavy hammer on the ground for support, panting heavily. His face was deathly pale, the veins on his forehead bulging as sweat poured down like rain.

The side effects of the Mad Bull Transformation were simply too severe. Moreover, after fighting for so long, all the Gene Source Power in his body had been completely depleted.

Du Zhan took a deep breath and looked up at his opponent. Ji Zhixing stood there with a calm expression. His breathing was only slightly labored, and he hadn’t even broken much of a sweat.

"I’ve lost!" Du Zhan declared in a low, hoarse voice. "From now on, you are the number one in the elite class."

Having said that, Du Zhan let out a long sigh, turned around, and walked off the arena. He had mentally prepared himself for this outcome, but he hadn’t expected to actually lose in the end.

Watching Du Zhan leave the stage, Ji Zhixing sighed softly in his heart. Du Zhan was indeed very strong, but ultimately, he had still failed to force out his maximum strength.

Previously, the reason he hadn’t participated right at the start of the selection tournament was that he felt his strength at the time might not be enough to secure first place. Thus, he had waited. He waited until he developed the Super Gigantification ability before entering the competition. In the end, it was quite unexpected that throughout all these matches, no one had been able to force him to use his Super Gigantification ability. Even Du Zhan, whom everyone thought so highly of, couldn’t do it.

"But this is enough."

Ji Zhixing took a deep breath and looked inwardly at the Gene Aperture within his body. He saw that his Staff Soldier Stone Monkey gene was trembling violently. The light radiating from its body was becoming increasingly dense, illuminating almost the entire Gene Aperture.

Clearly, with the conclusion of this battle, it had arrived at the very brink of evolution.