Xu Mu watched the flying firewood chopper and caught it with one hand.
"Looks like you're planning to fight me. Alright then, let's get moving!"
Peng Wei stomped his foot on the ground.
With a thunderous rumble, the earth beneath his feet caved in.
His figure transformed into a black shadow as he charged towards Xu Mu.
Swish!
He slashed towards Xu Mu's neck.
Xu Mu merely leaned back slightly, dodging the attack.
The next moment, Peng Wei suddenly crouched low, thrusting towards Xu Mu's crotch.
"Holy crap!"
Xu Mu leaped into the air, planting a foot squarely on Peng Wei's head.
Peng Wei had originally intended to seize the chance to attack Xu Mu's leg, but a violent surge of Gang Qi suddenly erupted within his body.
He lost consciousness on the spot and was slammed face-first into the ground by Xu Mu's foot.
Thud!
The short knife in his hand happened to pierce diagonally through his own waist.
Everyone watching around them was completely stunned.
What just happened?
He crouched to attack a sensitive spot, only to get his head stomped on and eat dirt.
Then the knife in his own hand ended up stabbing through his own body?
Could this get any more dramatic?
"Hey man, you okay?"
Xu Mu asked the prone Peng Wei.
Just then, Jiang Sheng on the high platform immediately shouted, "Quick, get him to the hospital!"
Two people jogged over, helped Peng Wei up, and took him away.
When Jiang Sheng applied to the state for the use of this site, he had anticipated injuries during these fights and had already arranged for medical personnel.
"That kid's luck is really something."
Jiang Sheng laughed as he looked at Xu Mu in the distance.
"Facing a low attack, immediately adjusting his posture to stomp on the head—that kind of reaction isn't something just anyone can do."
Wei Jingzhi glanced at Jiang Sheng.
"You're right about that."
Jiang Sheng nodded to himself, then glanced at Jiang Huihui, noticing she had also let out a sigh of relief.
Xu Mu sat down next to Chen Xuan at this point, his perception sweeping the surroundings. Nearly everyone's conversations fell upon his ears.
Most people thought it was just luck.
"Brother Mu, you're really fierce."
Chen Xuan said to Xu Mu with a smile.
"Just luck."
Xu Mu smiled and handed the firewood chopper back to Chen Xuan.
"Brother Mu, I was facing that guy head-on. Others might not have seen it, but I saw it clearly."
Chen Xuan put the chopper back into the woven bag. "He was already out cold the moment you stepped on his head."
A faint smile appeared on Xu Mu's face. As expected of the male lead.
Just then, the screen high up in the distance displayed the name 'Chen Xuanxuan'.
This was a name Xu Mu had specifically asked Jiang Huihui to change for Chen Xuan earlier. He hadn't expected she'd just add an extra character.
Seeing his opponent holding a long sword, Chen Xuan took out the firewood chopper again and walked towards the combat area.
Chen Xuan's opponent was clearly not a man of many words.
Without uttering a single word, upon hearing the start of the match, he charged forward, sword in hand.
Chen Xuan gripped the chopper tightly and swung it out as his opponent closed in.
The opponent immediately raised his sword to block.
But the next moment.
Crack!
The opponent's long sword shattered instantly. His body convulsed violently from the impact and was sent flying backward.
The spectators around were shocked once more.
Who is this other guy?
"Old Jiang, who is this person?"
Xue Dongsheng suddenly asked.
"Oh, this kid is the grandson of an old friend of mine."
Jiang Sheng came up with a random excuse. He couldn't very well say that this Chen Xuan was originally his granddaughter's fiancé.
Fortunately, very few people knew Chen Xuan's true identity.
Almost no one besides the involved parties knew about the engagement between Jiang Huihui and Chen Xuan.
He wasn't worried about the information leaking.
"This kid isn't weak, though still not as good as my grandson."
Xue Dongsheng looked at Chen Xuan below and said with a smile.
On the other side of the field.
A figure in a black robe looked at Fang Kui beside him. "Xiao Kui, what's wrong? You've seemed down since earlier?"
"It's nothing."
Fang Kui pouted slightly, her cold gaze fixed on the distant Chen Xuan.
...
Soon, the first round ended, eliminating half the participants.
The first round didn't take much time, as there were hardly any evenly matched fights.
They almost all ended within a minute.
Now, the second round was about to begin. This time, they were more likely to encounter skilled opponents.
Xu Mu thought to himself that he didn't need to fight for first place.
Because he still had the ten points from Chinese painting.
However, his ranking couldn't be too low either. It wasn't as if others would score zero in painting.
As long as they participated, they'd probably get some participation points.
On the high platform now.
Several people placed the slips of paper with the winners' names back into the spheres.
This time, they removed the third and fourth boxes, using only the first two.
The second round of fights began.
As Wei Jingzhi drew spheres, names appeared on the large screen behind him.
Xu Mu, Zhao Hui.
"Brother Mu, didn't expect it'd be your turn again so soon."
Chen Xuan said with a smile beside him, then took the firewood chopper out of the woven bag.
Xu Mu took the chopper and walked onto the field.
On the high platform.
Lv Pinlong's grandfather, Lv Chuan, said with a smile, "Zhao Hui is a disciple of our Golden Light Hall. He just reached the Divine Ability realm. We brought him this time to let him experience facing masters."
"Exactly. Our Lingxiao Sect also brought a few extra disciples. Getting to spar with masters from other sects is a great opportunity."
Xue Dongsheng chimed in.
Hearing that Zhao Hui had reached the Divine Ability realm, Jiang Sheng's heart began to race.
If that was the case, didn't that mean Xu Mu was done for?
He sighed deeply. Since Jiang Huihui disliked Lv Pinlong, he could only pin his hopes on Xue Kaixuan now.
"Kid, just surrender. Otherwise, you'll be carried out."
Zhao Hui stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Xu Mu with disdain.
"My future wife is watching up there, and you want me to surrender?"
Xu Mu said loudly.
Hearing this, Jiang Huihui's eyes filled with emotion.
[Favorability +10]
Jiang Xingjun was also staring at Xu Mu below, his eyes gradually narrowing.
"Then, lie down!"
Zhao Hui swung his arm, sending a crescent-shaped golden light arc shooting towards Xu Mu.
The surrounding spectators already knew what was coming next.
Namely, Xu Mu was about to be sent flying.
Xu Mu, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding the chopper, simply took two steps to the left, dodging the attack.
"What?"
Seeing this, Zhao Hui erupted with Qi again, slashing out two more golden arcs consecutively at Xu Mu.
Xu Mu first sidestepped, then retreated two more steps, dodging them again.
Seeing this, everyone around was baffled.
What was going on?
Xu Mu's movements clearly weren't fast, so why did he manage to dodge perfectly every time?
Wei Jingzhi's eyes widened in disbelief. "This kid..."
What others couldn't see, he saw clearly.
The reason for this situation was that Xu Mu had already started reacting the instant Zhao Hui launched his attacks.
That's why it created the illusion of slow movements yet perfect dodges.
"You bastard!"
Golden light points materialized around Zhao Hui's body as he shot towards Xu Mu.
But just as he reached about two meters in front of Xu Mu, he suddenly stopped, looking left and right as if searching for something.
Meanwhile, Xu Mu walked to his side and slammed the flat back of the firewood chopper hard against his chin.
Thump!
Zhao Hui collapsed on the spot, unable to get up.
Everyone around was stunned. What was going on?
Why did Zhao Hui suddenly stand still, letting this Xu Mu hit him?
"Foul play! This is fucking foul play!"
A young man outside the venue shouted.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
