Chapter 55: Revealing Strength, A Thunderous Staff Strike

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Revealing Strength, A Thunderous Staff Strike

Ji Zhixing looked at the price tag beneath the glass cabinet.

Two hundred thousand Genetic Coins.

His pupils shrank slightly. However, he also understood that this price wasn’t exactly a rip-off. An ordinary tier-one combat suit with a certain level of Defense Power would only cost tens of thousands of Genetic Coins. The Golden Chapter offered zero defense. The reason for its hefty price tag was its low capacity consumption on a Genetic Cultivator. All Genetic Cultivators had a limit to the number of pieces of Genetic Equipment they could refine and use simultaneously. This limit was directly related to one’s individual capacity limit. Since the Golden Chapter occupied so little capacity and was highly sought after by Genetic Cultivators with transformation abilities, it was perfectly normal for it to be more expensive.

"Two hundred thousand..." He rapidly calculated his current funds in his head. Selling the Wind-Cutting Short Saber had netted him ninety-five thousand. Adding that to his original savings of one hundred thousand, he had a total of one hundred ninety-five thousand.

He was still five thousand short.

Moreover, even if he had enough money, it would still sting to spend so many Genetic Coins on a piece of auxiliary equipment that wouldn’t directly boost his combat prowess. Genetic Coins were hard to come by; every single penny needed to be spent where it mattered most.

"But..." Ji Zhixing turned his head and glanced toward the arena on the first floor in the distance. The crowd there was roaring, and the battles were in full swing.

He silently thought to himself, "It would be a different story if I could get this piece of Genetic Equipment for free." His gaze gradually sharpened.

"What do you think?" Noticing Ji Zhixing’s gaze, Zhou Yuan followed his line of sight to the arena downstairs and asked with a smile, "They’re holding a Glory Challenge Match down there. Do you want to give it a try?"

He knew exactly how strong Ji Zhixing was. He had previously mastered a Tier One Two-Star Staff Technique and awakened the Innate Staff Heart talent. Now, he had even developed a stone-skin ability and a gigantification ability. With such strength, he was absolutely among the top-tier of Tier One Cultivators who had fused with a tier-one gene.

"That’s exactly what I’m planning," Ji Zhixing nodded.

"Let’s go, let’s go!" Zhou Yuan grew excited. "I’ll go with you to sign up!"

The two headed downstairs to the registration desk next to the arena. The manager in charge was a middle-aged man around forty, dressed in a crisp uniform. He took Ji Zhixing’s ID card and swiped it on a machine to verify his information.

"Ji Zhixing, eighteen years old, newly graduated from Yu City Third Middle School. Fused gene... Three-inch Stone Monkey?" The manager looked up and gave Ji Zhixing a surprised look. He hadn’t expected this young man standing before him, merely eighteen years old, to have fused with a gene like the Three-inch Stone Monkey. Furthermore, he hadn’t expected someone with such conditions to actually dare to sign up for the challenge match.

"Are you sure you want to register? The entry fee is ten thousand Genetic Coins, non-refundable. If you fail the challenge, the money is gone," the manager reminded him routinely.

"I’m sure," Ji Zhixing nodded calmly.

"Alright." The manager collected the fee and processed Ji Zhixing’s paperwork.

Once Ji Zhixing and Zhou Yuan left, the manager shook his head and whispered instructions to his assistant, "Pass the word down. When this young man challenges later, tell the Defender to go easy on him. He’s a freshly graduated student, probably acting on impulse. Don’t beat him up too badly. Hopefully, he’ll learn a lesson from this," he muttered softly, watching Ji Zhixing’s retreating figure. With conditions like Ji Zhixing’s, he didn’t even need to use his brain to know the kid would be knocked off the stage the moment he stepped on it.

After registering, Ji Zhixing learned that there were three challengers ahead of him in line. He and Zhou Yuan stood on the outskirts of the crowd, quietly watching the battles on stage.

The first challenger was a burly man in his thirties wielding a heavy sword. He lasted less than a minute before the Defender kicked him off the arena.

The second challenger was a nimble woman using Dual Short Swords. She weaved around the stage for two or three minutes, found an opening, and successfully defeated the Defender. However, when she chose to continue and challenge the second Defender, she was stunned by the opponent’s tiger roar and regretfully lost in a very short time.

The third challenger was a middle-aged man wielding a spear. His spearmanship was decent, but he still fell short and was defeated by the Defender.

Out of the three, only one won a single match, only to lose the second. However, none of their injuries were severe, and they were easily healed by a female healer once they stepped down.

He evaluated in his mind, "It seems safety really isn’t an issue."

"Zhixing, it’s your turn!" Once all three had stepped down, Zhou Yuan looked at him excitedly.

Ji Zhixing nodded, straightened his clothes, and strode toward the arena.

Seeing Ji Zhixing step onto the stage, Zhou Yuan immediately pulled out his phone, switched it to video mode, and aimed it at the arena. As he recorded, he figured that posting this video to the class group chat later would definitely cause an uproar. He thought, "But before I send it, I have to ask Zhixing if he agrees to it."

Meanwhile, after Ji Zhixing walked onto the arena, the referee approached him, pointing to the ten Defenders standing in a row below the stage. "Except for the one who just fought, you can choose anyone from among them as your opponent."

Ji Zhixing’s gaze swept over the ten individuals. There were men and women; some wielded sabers, some wielded swords, and some were bare-handed. Finally, his eyes landed on a bald, burly man holding a shield in one hand and a saber in the other. This was the very Defender he had seen right when he first entered the mall.

"I choose him," Ji Zhixing pointed.

The bald, burly man grinned and walked up from below the stage. By this time, a flurry of discussion had already broken out among the audience.

"Why is this guy so young? Did he just graduate from high school?"

"He’s far too young. They’ve both fused with tier-one genes, and this kind of arena match forbids the use of any Genetic Equipment other than weapons. Given how young he is, how much strength could he possibly have? Going up there is basically just throwing money away."

"It’d be one thing if he was spending his own money, but I’m afraid he’s squandering his parents’ money."

"Zhixing should be able to do this, right?" In the crowd, Zhou Yuan suddenly felt a bit nervous after hearing the surrounding murmurs. He knew that the abilities Ji Zhixing had mastered were very strong, but it was also true that Ji Zhixing had just graduated. His actual combat experience certainly couldn’t compare to those veterans who had fought in the wilderness all year round.

"Make your move, kid. I’ll give you a three-move handicap." On the arena, the bald, burly man, who had been instructed beforehand, looked at Ji Zhixing with a chuckle.

"Thank you for the leniency." Ji Zhixing gave a polite bow. Then, he extended his right hand, and his genetic source power surged.

HUM!

The pale blue Tide Listening Rod materialized out of thin air in his hand, its body flowing with a water-like luster.

"Space Shatterer!"

Ji Zhixing stomped his foot and lunged forward. The Tide Listening Rod in his hands emitted a sharp whistle as he executed the Space Shatterer stance of the Breaking Army Staff Technique, smashing it directly toward the burly man. Before the rod even arrived, a suffocating pressure had already rushed over him.

Seeing the momentum of Ji Zhixing’s strike, the smile on the bald man’s face instantly froze. His heart tightened, and a sense that something was wrong welled up inside him. He thought, "This aura..." He hurriedly raised his shield to block, no longer daring to be overconfident.

BANG!

The rod and shield clashed, producing a muffled, thunderous boom. The bald man felt a massive force transmit from his shield, instantly numbing his arm and forcing his body to involuntarily stumble back a step. A flash of shock appeared in his eyes.

"What the hell?" His pupils constricted, and he was filled with disbelief as he thought, "This is a newly graduated student? This kind of strength, this kind of staff momentum..."

The next moment, before the burly man could think any further, Ji Zhixing took several rapid steps forward, bringing the Tide Listening Rod down like a torrential storm. He struck six or seven times in a row, every blow heavy and powerful, forcing the bald man into a continuous retreat. The Defender was reduced to pure passive defense, unable to find a single opportunity to counterattack.

Finally, as the seventh strike fell, a sliver of an opening appeared in the bald man’s defense. A sharp glint flashed in Ji Zhixing’s eyes.

Now!

"Thunderclap!"

With a flick of his wrist, the Tide Listening Rod lunged forward like a Flood Dragon emerging from the sea. It instantly bypassed the defensive gap of the shield, and the tip of the rod, carrying a fierce gale, stopped with pinpoint precision right in front of the bald man’s throat. It was less than an inch away from his skin.

The entire arena fell silent.

The bald man’s body instantly went rigid, cold sweat seeping from his forehead as he didn’t dare to move a muscle. Nobody had expected the young Ji Zhixing to win, let alone win so decisively.

"The challenger wins the first match!" the referee announced loudly.

Ji Zhixing retracted the Tide Listening Rod. His last strike hadn’t pushed forward any further, but even if it had, it wouldn’t have harmed the bald man. The referee had already appeared between them at that moment, raising a hand, ready to stop it at any second.

"Badass!"

"Awesome!"

"Mastering such a staff technique at such a young age, that’s truly impressive!"

"Another one!"

"Keep going!"

Following the referee’s announcement, a wave of cheers erupted from the audience. No one had expected someone as young as Ji Zhixing to actually defeat a veteran Tier One Cultivator.

"You’re a badass, Zhixing!" Zhou Yuan, who was still recording, grew excited as well.

"I’ll take the next match!" At the same time, as the bald man stepped down, a dark-skinned, burly figure walked up onto the arena from below. This was the mall’s rule: the challenger could choose their opponent for the first match, but for all subsequent matches, the mall would decide which Defender would take the stage.

"It’s him?"

Seeing this burly figure step onto the stage, many people in the audience were slightly startled.

"That young man is impressive, but going up against this guy, I reckon he’s probably doomed."

"I think so too. This guy fought once earlier. The woman who won a match using Dual Short Swords was stunned by his tiger roar and knocked off the stage in just a few moves."

"To block his tiger roar, you need strong mental willpower. I wonder if this young man is up to the task."

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Ji Zhixing looked at the burly figure walking up opposite him and quickly formulated a plan in his head. He recalled the details of his earlier observation and thought, "This person excels at tiger-roar type Sonic Attacks. The previous challenger lost her composure from a single shout and was defeated in a few moves.

"However, I possess the stone heart ability, and I’ve mastered three Two-Star Staff Techniques," his mind settled slightly as he continued his thought. "Staff techniques infused with willpower aren’t just powerful; they can also condense a Cultivator’s mental willpower. Having mastered three Two-Star Staff Techniques, my mental willpower is far superior to an ordinary Tier One Cultivator. Coupled with the enhancement of the stone heart ability, I should be able to withstand his tiger roar."

He gripped the Tide Listening Rod tightly and assumed a defensive stance. Facing this kind of attack for the first time, he wasn’t entirely certain of the outcome. Out of caution, he didn’t rush to attack this time. Instead, he held the long staff horizontally in front of him, the tip angled slightly upward, fully prepared to deal with any sudden assault.