Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Senior Brother, Can't You See the Strength Gap?
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No more hesitations, just start mocking!
Hatred Hundred Percent!
"You rodents, always skulking about, I am a disciple of Misty Peak, a cultivation prodigy that comes once in a thousand years, your sword techniques are trivial matters to me!"
Li Xiaobai said indifferently.
Chen Tao moved too fast, his eyes could not keep up with the opponent's motions, let alone dodge them, so he could only continue mocking to lure the opponent into close combat.
Hopefully the helmet can hold up a bit longer.
"What nonsense, this Li Xiaobai is truly a disciple of Misty Peak, his arrogance is just like they were all cast from the same mold!"
"Too arrogant!"
"Senior Brother Chen, finish him off quickly and let this kid have a taste of reality!"
The audience below was also furious, Li Xiaobai didn't even have a ranking yet he dares to be so presumptuous, it really made people angry.
"Junior brother, you're quite good at talking big, let your senior brother beat you into a cripple first, then we'll see if Misty Peak can still be as insolent!"
Chen Tao's whisper reached his ears, it was clear he was very angry, his mockery was effective.
"Muscle Flaccidity!"
Li Xiaobai's face showed joy, this chance that came knocking at the door must be seized, Chen Tao was right beside him, as long as he could stall for time, victory would be his.
The Sword Qi crisscrossed, sending sparks flying above his head.
His clothing was slashed with sword marks, and strands of blood flitted out, but fortunately his defensive power was sufficient, it was just a superficial wound.
[Attribute Points +5...]
[Attribute Points +5...]
No question about it, just keep adding to defense, the longer he could hold out, the greater his chances of winning became.
"Senior brother, you're weak."
Li Xiaobai simply closed his eyes, since he couldn't see the opponent anyway, it might be better not to look, and this act of closing his eyes was even more mocking than words.
Chen Tao's temples bulged with veins as Sword Qi swept across the arena, densely enveloping Li Xiaobai.
But soon, he realized something was amiss; his body's strength was rapidly draining away. His Dantian was still filled with Spiritual Energy, but he felt like he was about to collapse.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, he quickly distanced himself, retreating explosively to the other side of the arena, his eyes wide and vigilant as if facing a great enemy.
The audience below was confused; just moments ago the situation was greatly in his favor, so why did Chen Tao suddenly withdraw from the fight?
"What's going on? Why did Chen Tao retreat, did anyone understand what happened?"
"That commentator just now, come out and explain!"
"Hehe, didn't you understand? In this fight, Senior Brother Chen has already won. The disciple from Misty Peak is all show with no substance, utterly defenseless against Senior Brother Chen's sword technique. Senior Brother Chen is kind-hearted, he wants to teach him that there are always people better than oneself, and one should not be too arrogant."
"After cultivating for so many years, can't you even see the gap in their strength?"
"So that's it, you see how relaxed Senior Brother Chen looks, indeed it so!"
"Senior Brother Chen is mighty!"
After a brief silence, the disciples below once again cheered in unison. They never thought Chen Tao, who was modest in appearance, would have such a good character; truly an outstanding disciple among the younger generation.
But Chen Tao had no interest in the thoughts of the crowd below; at this moment, he was sweating profusely, his calves were cramping, and his limbs were weak.
If he had not retreated from the fight in time, he probably would have fallen by now.
Damn, what kind of sinister Cultivation Technique is this that even brief contact can weaken him so drastically, and also inexplicably enrage him; could it be poison?
The Sect didn't shy away from using poison, but because they typically prided themselves on being righteous, they looked down on the use of poison. This disciple from Misty Peak was actually so treacherous.
"Kid, nice moves, if I hadn't noticed your tricks in time, I might have really fallen into your hands."
Chen Tao's face was somewhat fierce.
Li Xiaobai's expression remained calm, though he was somewhat nervous inside.
The other party had actually moved away on his own and hadn't completely lost his ability to resist.
He had to find a way to cause continuous damage with Muscle Flaccidity, it was still necessary to keep mocking.
"Senior Brother Chen, your strength is mediocre, you're no match for me, step down."
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"The disciples of Misty Peak are invincible. I didn't want you to lose too badly, which is why I haven't made a move. Can Senior Brother not see the gap in our strength?"
Li Xiaobai stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, speaking indifferently.
As soon as these words came out, the arena fell silent for a moment before the disciples below erupted into a cacophony of curses.
"Damn it, that's just shameless. You can't even touch the hem of his garment, yet you dare to spout such nonsense!"
"Naive child, Senior Brother Chen, quickly take him down! Such a person isn't worth your mercy!"
"Misty Peak is full of arrogant fools!"
"Knock him off the stage!"
Chen Tao's face darkened, his heart ablaze with anger.
In his view, Li Xiaobai's Muscle Flaccidity was a kind of poison. Through these despicable tricks, he had taken some small advantages and had become delusional.
He had a bottle of Detoxification Pill, obtained during his early travels, refined by an Elixir Master. He had no opportunity to use it until now.
He tilted his head back and swallowed two Detoxification Pills. This elixir could cure all strange poisons; a mundane poison pill that merely caused weakness was nothing at all.
"Arrogant fool, you are ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Xingye Sword Technique, Star Morphing!"
Chen Tao's stance firmed as he forcibly circulated the spiritual energy within his body; his figure suddenly vanished from the stage.
In the blink of an eye, the sword qi turned into a giant net that slowly enshrouded Li Xiaobai.
Feeling the tightening sword net closing in, Li Xiaobai's heart filled with joy. Once again, he activated Muscle Flaccidity, and the attribute values on his system interface oscillated continuously.
Although Chen Tao's attacks only added five attribute points each time, the advantage lay in the speed of his attacks and the numerous quantities of sword qi.
In just a short time, the attribute points easily broke a hundred.
He added them all to his defense, making Chen Tao's sword qi incapable of harming him in the slightest.
[Ding! Skill Comprehended: Sword Qi.]
[Ding! Continuous damage detected, Sword Qi upgraded: Rainbow Penetrating Sword.]
Rainbow Penetrating Sword: Unsheath the sword, and strike down your opponent with invisible sword Qi.
At the same time, the fluctuation of the attribute points on the system interface grew smaller, clearly showing that Muscle Flaccidity was taking effect, and Chen Tao was exhausted.
[Attribute Points +1...]
Chen Tao's figure reappeared, his body in a state of extreme weakness.
With a clang, the longsword dropped from his hand, and he collapsed to the ground, sprawled out.
From beginning to end, he couldn't understand how Li Xiaobai had defeated him. He was clueless about the poison technique his opponent had used and when it was deployed—it was too mysterious.
"Senior Brother Chen, I told you that you were no match for me, yet you wouldn't believe it."
Li Xiaobai, nonchalant as ever, picked up Chen Tao and threw him off the ring.
"This round, Li Xiaobai wins!"
Below the stage, there was dead silence; no cheers or applause, everyone was petrified, their mouths agape in disbelief.
What had happened on the stage exceeded their comprehension. If it weren't for the referees watching over the match on the stage, they would have suspected they were watching a play.
The defeat had come too suddenly, without the slightest warning.
At that moment, Chen Tao's eyes were devoid of spirit, carried away by people, his body limp to the point of severity, and without a few days of recuperation, he wouldn't recover.
"Hehe, thank you all for coming. I am Li Xiaobai of Misty Peak, and I speak for myself."
Li Xiaobai, cheerful as could be, walked through the crowd. Having won the first round of the competition, he felt prestigious, at least having made it through one round without disgracing Misty Peak.
System interface:
[Defense: Mortal Flesh (325/1000) Upgradeable.]
[Skill: Sword Qi Mastery.]
Having comprehended another skill, Li Xiaobai's mood was buoyant, ready to meet up with the senior sisters.
Suddenly, someone patted him on the shoulder. Turning back, he saw it was Lin Feng, the Inner Sect Disciple who had caused trouble before.
"Junior Brother, quite cocky, aren't we?"
"Senior Brother, what guidance do you have to offer?"