Chapter 187 - 104: A Real Man Must Be Able to Be Long or Short

Chapter 187: Chapter 104: A Real Man Must Be Able to Be Long or Short

Lacking a beast-taming Divine Technique like the Demon-Binding Rope, they could only wear down a beast’s will, like falconers taming a hawk. They had to break its spirit until it completely submitted, which only partially replicated the effect of the Demon-Binding Rope.

Most of the Feng Family’s younger generation, even if they managed to subdue a Contracted Beast before reaching the Physical Body Realm, usually ended up with creatures weaker than a common mutt.

As for this Wolf King, it was born with an indomitable pride. Trying to break its spirit was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

And yet, Feng Tianxi had somehow done it. He’d even ridden the Wolf King’s coattails to soar to prominence, defying expectations to become a pillar of the Ninth Prince’s Mansion.

And yet...

Zhao Ci had just crushed it dead. Just like that.

But this was Zhao Ci, the same guy he’d been walking dogs and teasing birds with just three months ago.

He stammered for a moment before managing to spit out three words: "Okay, you’re good!"

Zhao Ci looked toward Zhu Li. "Can you beat Feng Tianxi later?"

"Who do you take me for?"

Zhu Li puffed out her chest and craned her fair, delicate neck. "What’s the difference between this and you chewing up my food and spitting it into my mouth? If I can’t even swallow that... Wait, huh? That doesn’t sound right!"

Her face froze. She couldn’t believe such a disgusting metaphor had popped into her head. Neck still craned defiantly, she shook her fist. "I’m going to roast him so badly his own mother won’t recognize him!"

Zhao Ci raised an eyebrow. "Don’t roast him too hard, though. If he’s seriously injured and falls unconscious, he has the right to postpone the next fight. You need to leave him for Lao Mo!"

"Don’t worry, I know how to hold back."

"You’ve already fought Zhu Yan, but don’t worry, I’ll get even for you."

"Okay..."

Zhu Li suddenly felt that ever since she’d started following this boss, her sense of well-being had gone through the roof.

Zhao Ci, meanwhile, glanced over at Yang Mo and saw the purple text flashing above his head.

[Yang Mo’s Current Wish]: This is how a true man should be. I hope that one day, I can become a hero just like Zhao Ci. Wish Completion Reward: Insight +1000, Transformation Talisman x1.

Zhao Ci’s eyes lit up. He lowered his voice. "Lao Mo! To be honest, you don’t need to be so wound up. I have the ability to act as your safety net. If possible, I’d rather you take this opportunity, while I can still cover for you, to become a true powerhouse as soon as you can."

"..."

Yang Mo was silent for a moment before nodding firmly.

He didn’t let the gratitude show in his gaze, but he had already resolved in his heart to repay this favor to Zhao Ci.

’Throughout his life, the one thing he hated most was being indebted to others.’

’But he detested it even more when others owed him.’

’He’d still use poison later, but he absolutely wasn’t going to just curl up and take a beating!’

「Meanwhile.」

Zhao Ci stood up, leaped back onto the Martial Arts Arena, and cupped his hands toward Zhu Yan, who had been waiting for some time. "After you!"

"After you, Your Highness!"

Zhu Yan gave a slight smile and rapidly increased the distance between himself and Zhao Ci.

He formed a hand seal for a Technique. With every step he took backward, a ball of fire materialized out of thin air.

In the blink of an eye, countless fireballs had appeared on the Martial Arts Arena. Their positions seemed chaotic, yet they also appeared to secretly align with some profound Array.

WHOA!

A wave of gasps erupted from the crowd.

"He’s using the Li Huo Grand Array from the very beginning?"

"Well, this is hardly the full Li Huo Grand Array, is it?"

"You’re right, it isn’t. But there’s no denying it’s derived from it, right? To have grasped the essence of the Li Huo Grand Array at such a young age... once he awakens his Fire Element Divine Treasure, he’ll probably master the complete Array in an instant."

"I hear that with this kind of Grand Array, out of ten thousand flames, only one is real, yet at the same time, none of them are truly fake. They are illusory until they make contact with someone, at which point they become real. So the destructive power is no less than ten thousand real flames, but the energy consumed is only slightly more than casting a single one."

"He’s playing his trump card this early and putting distance between them. Looks like he’s dead set on not engaging the Tenth Prince in close combat."

"To be fair, Zhu Yan’s Swordsmanship is pretty damn good, but if I were in his shoes, there’s no way I’d fight the Tenth Prince up close either. That Flesh Soul of his is just too terrifying."

"The Tenth Prince is being a little too overconfident, just letting him finish forming the Fire Array."

"Yeah! What a shame. Zhu Yan’s Fire Array is incredibly destructive, and his Body Technique is superb. The Tenth Prince is probably in for a world of hurt... Huh?"

The gasps were incessant as hundreds of pairs of eyes suddenly flew wide open.

Because Zhao Ci, seemingly unaffected by the Fire Prison, was striding right through the clusters of fireballs, charging directly toward Zhu Yan.

"Wha—!"

"Th-th-this..."

"Huh?"

Everyone was dumbfounded. Others feared Zhu Yan’s flames as if they were venomous snakes.

So why was Zhao Ci just charging straight into them?

Zhu Yan was also stunned for a moment, but then his expression changed drastically. ’This is bad!’

He had no idea where Zhao Ci found the courage to charge head-on into his flames.

Nor did he know how badly injured Zhao Ci would get.

But he knew one thing very clearly.

If Zhao Ci got close, his own fate would be utterly miserable.

His original plan had been to use the Fire Prison to restrain Zhao Ci and then win in close quarters. But after witnessing the last fight, he had decisively abandoned any thought of melee combat.

Their physical bodies weren’t even in the same league.

He had to rely on his Fire Skills to wear Zhao Ci down until he was forced to forfeit.

He never imagined that before he could even launch his fire assault, Zhao Ci would charge into the flames himself.

’He’s willing to be burned alive just to get close enough to pummel me.’

’What a savage!’

’Run!’

’I have to run!’

In an instant, Zhu Yan had poured True Qi into his legs and begun weaving around the clusters of flames, dodging at high speed.

He was confident that with the advantage his Body Technique gave him, plus the vision-obscuring effect of the fireballs, he would definitely be able to...

"Zhu Yan! Your granddaddy’s here!"

"Wha—?"

The hair on Zhu Yan’s arms stood on end. He couldn’t see Zhao Ci, but he could sense his position through the flames.

’He’s... charging straight for me!’

Cold sweat instantly beaded on his brow.

’How is he able to pinpoint my location?’