BOOM!!
The Buddha Grandson's body smashed into the ground dozens of meters away, the impact echoing throughout the stadium.
He had just begun to stagger back to his feet when—
Tap. Tap.
A violent gust swept past.
Zhao Xuan appeared before him once more.
One punch—
A thunderous blow—
BANG!
His fist sank brutally into the man's abdomen.
Pfft!!
The Buddha Grandson was sent flying again.
Zhao Xuan closed in without pause—
Not giving him a single breath,
Not giving him a single chance to speak.
BOOM!!
Another heavy punch crashed down.
"Cough—! Urgh—!!"
His agonized screams tore through the arena as he was launched back yet again.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He was like a human volleyball, punted across the arena repeatedly, unable even to land before Zhao Xuan's next strike hit him.
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"STOP!!"
From the viewing stands—
The Three A Country ambassador finally erupted.
Unable to bear watching his nation's Buddha Grandson being brutalized, he leapt down from the stands, roaring with fury as he shot toward the stage in a streak of light.
But—
Before he could reach the platform—
A golden glow flashed.
An imposing figure blocked his path.
A Jiuzhou Eighth-Tier King.
"Fang Tao!!!"
The ambassador's eyes reddened with rage as he bellowed:
"You dare block me!? If anything happens to Young Master Shalmar, can you bear that responsibility!?"
"Ambassador Chamal."
Fang Tao's expression darkened.
He stared at him coldly.
"Are you threatening me?"
A wave of murderous intent surged from Fang Tao's body.
Chamal's expression wavered.
"Fang Tao, you should understand our Young Lord Shalmar's identity! You know the importance he holds in the eyes of our Buddha Sovereign! If something happens to him today—our Buddha Sovereign will NOT let this go!"
He anxiously pointed toward the stage—
Where Zhao Xuan was still ruthlessly hammering the Buddha Grandson.
"Ambassador Chamal…"
Fang Tao's voice grew colder still.
"Should I take your words to mean that your Three A Country is threatening Jiuzhou?"
Chamal stiffened.
He opened his mouth—
And at that moment—
CRACK!!
The unmistakable sound of breaking bones rang out.
Shalmar's physique was undeniably strong—
It took Zhao Xuan four or five dozen punches to finally shatter his ribs.
Hearing the bone snap—
SWOOSH!
Chamal spun around just in time to see—
Zhao Xuan's fist caving in Shalmar's chest, sending him flying.
BOOM!!
Shalmar hit the ground with earth-shaking force.
The impact pulverized the tiles within ten meters of where he landed.
"Ugh… ah… ahhh…"
He let out two weak groans.
His legs twitched.
His eyes rolled back.
And—
His breath stoppped.
The Buddha Grandson of the Three A Country—
was dead.
His body was riddled with deep, gaping wounds—
Each one perfectly matching the injuries previously seen on his giant Buddha form.
His complexion was ghostly pale—
as though all the blood had drained from his body.
A single word described him:
Miserable.
Silence swept the arena.
And then—
DING!
A system notification rang in Zhao Xuan's mind.
Ding. After a fierce and exhilarating battle, you have gained deeper insights into all your abilities (except swordsmanship). All ability proficiencies +600.
Ding. After battling a foe with Great Grandmaster-level Tekkai, your understanding of Tekkai has reached unprecedented clarity. Tekkai proficiency +2000.
Zhao Xuan's heart throbbed violently.
Holy—
HOLY—
Did he just hear correctly?
Two. Thousand!?
He hurriedly opened his status panel.
[Heaven Rewards Diligence System]
Name: Zhao Xuan
Age: 18
Spirit: 287.23 / 396.35
Physique: 1998.36 / 2412.68
Abilities:
Shave — Master (5463/8000)
Tekkai — Master (7604/8000)
Paper Art — Master (4700/8000)
Moon Walk — Master (5030/8000)
Rankyaku — Master (7163/8000)
Shigan — Master (4135/8000)
Swordsmanship — Master (435/8000)
Observation Haki — Expert (2823/4000)
Armament Haki — Master (4331/80000)
Azure Dragon Fruit — Master (2456/80000)
It was real.
A full +2000 to Tekkai.
Pure ecstasy surged through Zhao Xuan's chest.
His Tekkai had always lagged behind Rankyaku—
but now it had leapt forward, even surpassing it.
Less than 400 more to reach Grandmaster level.
How could he not be overjoyed?
How could he not be thrilled?
But just as he was savoring his breakthrough—
"BRAT!! YOU COURT DEATH!!!"
The Three A Country ambassador erupted in fury.
Though he was an Eighth-Tier King—
Before a Ninth-Tier Emperor, he was no different from an ant.
He had received strict orders from their Buddha Sovereign personally—
Shalmar must be protected at all costs.
Now Shalmar was dead.
Killed in front of his eyes.
If he didn't retaliate—
He would be the one facing death.
With a roar—
He launched himself at Zhao Xuan.
But—
"You think I don't exist!?"
Fang Tao roared.
Like lightning, he intercepted him mid-charge.
Their blows collided—
Both were Eighth-Tier Kings,
but Fang Tao's strength clearly overwhelmed Chamal's.
One punch sent Chamal stumbling backward.
He had just begun to rise—
When Fang Tao appeared before him again.
"If you dare raise your hand against our Jiuzhou examinee again—
don't blame me for what happens next."
Chamal trembled with rage.
He opened his mouth—
but forced it shut.
He swallowed all his hatred and frustration down his throat.
At last—
Under Fang Tao's supervision,
he climbed onto the stage—
Retrieved Shalmar's corpse into his spatial relic—
Then turned to Zhao Xuan with venomous eyes.
"You… good. Very good."
"Hehehe, thank you for the compliment," Zhao Xuan scratched his head with a grin.
"My strength isn't that great. Your so-called Buddha Grandson was just too weak."
"You—!!"
Chamal's face twisted in fury.
"Hmph. Enjoy your arrogance while you still can."
He turned sharply and stormed back to his seat.
Afterward—
Fang Tao gave Zhao Xuan an approving glance and departed as well.
The Seventh-Tier judge finally spoke:
"Challenge successful. The National Examination continues."
He looked at Zhao Xuan.
"Do you wish to keep challenging?"
Zhao Xuan smiled.
"Yes. I'll challenge number six."
He looked at the foreign candidates—
at their stormy, ugly expressions—
And grinned.
"Are you sure?"
The judge sighed.
"You can rest if needed. The exam lasts ten full days. This is only the first. There's no need to exhaust yourself—'A wise man does not stand under a collapsing wall.'"
"Don't worry, Judge. I know my limits."
Zhao Xuan replied confidently.
The previous battle was intense—
and he had used quite a lot of stamina.
But Shalmar's strength was still far below him.
His reserves were huge—
His physique in human form alone exceeded 2400.
A terrifying foundation.
While the judge spoke—
Tap… tap…
Number Six stepped onto the stage.
He looked terrified—
body tense, expression strained.
At least, that's what he wanted everyone to believe.
But—
The instant he stepped onto the platform—
Zhao Xuan's Observation Haki suddenly surged.
A warning.
Which meant—
This trembling foreigner was acting.
His fear was fake.
A trap.
"Pretending to be weak now?
Getting sneaky, are we?"
Zhao Xuan remained calm—
but grew alert.
BEEEP!
The whistle sounded—
And number six did not surrender.
Instead—
He used Shave to rush at Zhao Xuan.
Lightning danced around his body.
A natural-type Logia user—
the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
He appeared instantly before Zhao Xuan.
Lightning gathered in his palm—
forming a blade of pure thunder.
He stabbed toward Zhao Xuan.
It looked dangerous—
but there was no true killing pressure behind it.
Zhao Xuan felt no genuine threat.
"Something's off."
"Is Observation Haki wrong?"
"No. Impossible."
"There's only one explanation—
He's pretending."
"Pathetic. Only weaklings resort to these tricks."
At first, Zhao Xuan had been excited—
Observation Haki only warned him when a genuine threat appeared.
But now?
This guy's act made it obvious—
He was trying too hard to fool him.
A real expert would never stoop to such tactics.
"How boring."
"I won't play along."
Zhao Xuan's gaze sharpened.
Azure Dragon power surged explosively.
Without hesitation—
He entered Dragon-Human mode.
And launched a full-force punch directly at his enemy.
The monkey-haired foreigner paled—
Clearly not expecting Zhao Xuan to go all-out instantly.
He flicked his wrist—
A pitch-black dagger appeared in his grip.
At the moment it materialized—
Zhao Xuan's Observation Haki screamed an urgent warning.
Before he could fully react—
The dagger slashed toward him.
The dagger collided with Zhao Xuan's fist—
And instantly—
A strange sensation spread through his arm.
The Azure Dragon Fruit's power—
rapidly weakened, dissipating.
In that moment—
Zhao Xuan's left fist was forcibly pushed out of Dragon-Human form.
SHING!!
Cold light flashed.
And the dagger sliced open Zhao Xuan's fist—
leaving a deep, bloody gash, exposing faint bone beneath.
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