Chapter 172 - 171: Multi-stage Transformation

Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Multi-stage Transformation

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—

Giant echoes reverberated through the urban cluster.

Under Fang Can’s fist, the Martial Artist’s body was torn apart like a rag.

He smashed through building after building, carving a long trench in the ground before his momentum finally halted.

’My... my arm is broken.’

An intense wave of pain shot up from his arm, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

The flesh and blood at the point of impact had been reduced to a pulp. His bones were shattered, covered in a spiderweb of cracks.

In mid-air, Fang Can flipped gracefully and landed lightly atop a city tower.

Looking down at the Martial Artist before him, he remarked coolly, ’A combat power of ninety-two hundred really is something. I’m surprised a single blow didn’t kill you.’

In response to those words, veins bulged on the Martial Artist’s forehead. His skin turned a light red as his blood surged, but inwardly, he gave a bitter smile.

He had just used his last-resort, life-risking Cultivation Technique to forcibly boost his power from 4,100 to 9,200, yet he still barely survived that one punch.

Furthermore, this state wouldn’t last long. He could hold on for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, at most, before he would die from his own blood bursting from his vessels.

It seemed that every thirty-percent increase in power provided a significant boost that was impossible to overcome, even by risking one’s life.

His gaze shifted to the distance, where two figures stood hundreds of meters away, one to the left and one to the right.

The Martial Artist on the left had been pierced through the heart by a black-and-gold, dragon-patterned longspear. He was pinned firmly to the ground, all signs of life gone.

As for the man on the right, he was kneeling with a vacant look in his eyes. His consciousness had been obliterated by the youth’s Heart Image, and it would be several minutes before he could recover his senses.

In a single exchange, one was dead, one was injured, and one had suffered a mental collapse. The gap between the two sides was plain to see.

"Enough nonsense. If you want to fight, then let’s fight," the Martial Artist snorted, not even bothering to beg for mercy.

At worst, he would just be kicked out of the grand competition and lose this precious opportunity.

If he was afraid of even that, he might as well go home and plant potatoes.

As he spoke, he tensed his muscles, forcing the shattered bones back into place. He then gestured for Fang Can to proceed with his bruised, purple arms.

"Oh? Ready to fight to the death? You’ve got guts," Fang Can said softly. "In that case, I’ll show you a little respect."

As he spoke, intricate golden patterns surfaced on his skin.

After his body’s transformation was complete, Fang Can’s blood had turned a brilliant gold.

With the eruption of his Evil Tiger Devouring Body, the blood flowing through his major arteries appeared on his skin like magnificent patterns.

The number above Fang Can’s head began to skyrocket, much to the dazed youth’s astonishment.

[10,205 → 20,410 → 35,145!]

"Thir... thirty-five thousand!!!" The Martial Artist’s eyes widened in disbelief. The gap between them was now even greater.

’Did this guy activate a life-risking Cultivation Technique, too?’ the Martial Artist wondered, staring at the youth covered in fine golden lines.

Cracking his neck gently, Fang Can gave the stunned youth a wicked grin. "Oh, right. I forgot to mention something. This form that boosts my numbers? It’s not my only one."

As he finished speaking, Fang Can slowly raised his right fist, meeting his opponent’s despairing gaze.

BOOM!!!

The ground trembled violently as a massive cloud of dust and smoke shot into the sky.

Where the Martial Artist had been standing just moments before, a crater more than three meters wide, as if from a bombing, instantly appeared.

In the center of the crater, Fang Can retracted his right arm. Below him, the Martial Artist’s body had been reduced to scattered chunks of flesh.

Flicking the filth from his hand, Fang Can turned and slapped the head of the mentally collapsed Martial Artist, causing it to explode. He then pulled the longspear from the other man’s chest.

He looked at the black-gold inlaid spear in his hand, which was patterned with red dragon markings. It had now turned into a piece of ordinary metal.

Aside from the hardness of its material, its original properties of high temperature and increased weight had vanished.

Slinging the longspear over his back, Fang Can strode north. Another battle was waiting for him there.

But long after Fang Can had left, the gazes of the spectators remained fixed on the spot.

The three Martial Artists ranked 98th, 82nd, and 75th on the Hidden Dragon List had been crushed with no resistance at all.

And that combat power of Fang Can’s... was it just some random number he pulled out of his ass? Others risked their lives and couldn’t even break ten thousand, yet a single one of his power-ups took him to thirty-five thousand.

And this wasn’t even his only power-up; he could increase it even further?

’It seems the boy hasn’t been wasting his time these past few days.’

Liu Qingmeng raised her head in satisfaction, but when she saw the delighted look on her Disciple’s face beside her, she was rendered speechless.

’Sigh, to think I ended up with such a love-struck Disciple. This is just embarrassing. It looks like she’ll need me to personally whip her into shape.’

Meanwhile, the members of his "harem" were fanatically cheering him on, while also looking speechlessly at their companions.

As for the common folk from the various nations, many had become fans simply because of Fang Can’s good looks.

Compared to the other "power-focused" Martial Artists on the Hidden Dragon List, Fang Can, who was also a heartthrob, truly stood out from the crowd.

When it came to attracting fans, looks certainly played their part.

They had only heard about how amazing Fang Can was on the Celestial Secret List, but seeing him in person, they realized his looks were even more devastating than his combat power, completely overwhelming the other muscle-bound hulks with Transcendent Bodies.

Right then and there, some followers with wavering loyalties chose to "unfollow" their previous idols and immediately "refollow" Fang Can.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield of the international grand competition, the various Martial Artists who had entered were making different choices.

On the Great Chu Imperial City battlefield, a young woman in white found a quiet corner, preparing to enter seclusion to focus on breaking through to the First Turn Realm.

She looked toward the top of the Twin Imperial Towers in the distance.

Standing atop the left tower was Xiang Longtao, his arms crossed as he gazed down upon the entire city from a height of nearly a thousand meters.

The number gleaming above his head showcased his tyrannical power: 13,070!

Just as the shaman had blessed, his terrifying, two-and-a-half-meter-tall body contained the power of a great dragon.

Beside him, a 3.6-meter-long Eight-Treasure Dragon-Turning Spear was planted.

This massive longspear had a dragon’s head for its point, a dragon’s tongue for its tip, a scaled shaft, and a dragon’s tail for its pommel. Eight jewels were inlaid from end to end. It was none other than the national treasure of Great Chu, a Fourth Turn Sacrificial Artifact.

However, here on Fangcun Mountain, its Spiritual Qi was also being suppressed, rendering it an ordinary, albeit durable, weapon, just like Fang Can’s Xuanhong.

’I need to break through. Only by reaching the First Turn will I have a chance of controlling these two monsters,’ the young woman in white sighed to herself.

As time went on, more and more people would break through to the First Turn.

And the first thing those people would do after their breakthrough would be to take the opportunity to gang up on Fang Can and Xiang Longtao.

After all, it was clear to anyone with eyes that if those two were allowed to successfully break through to the First Turn, the championship title would surely go to one of them.

Therefore, they had to be constantly hunted and killed, denied even the slightest chance to break through.