One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
…
Time ticked forward, second by second.
Yet during this entire stretch—
The gymnasium remained utterly silent.
Every gaze was locked onto Zhao Xuan standing atop the arena.
Every pair of eyes was filled with horror and disbelief.
Even the eighth-rank Kings were no exception.
The reason?
Simple.
Because the scene that had just unfolded—
Was far too shocking.
The events of mere moments ago were so unbelievable…
That simply recalling them sent tremors through everyone's hearts.
This battle—
The first half hour had been rather dull.
Zhao Xuan was constantly on the defensive, constantly dodging and avoiding attacks.
But—
In that final minute—
Everything changed.
Within one minute—
Seven!
In just one minute, Zhao Xuan not only reversed the entire battle—
He slaughtered all seven sixth-rank Grandmasters who had been using him as a punching bag.
One.
Single.
Minute.
What kind of concept was that?
An explosive one.
A terrifying one.
A heaven-defying one.
And remember—
Zhao Xuan's cultivation was only Fourth Rank.
He hadn't tempered his limbs.
He hadn't tempered his internal organs.
He was still far from touching true high-level physical refinement.
To put things in perspective:
Forget Zhao Xuan, a mere fourth-ranker.
Even many seventh-rank Sovereigns would struggle to defeat seven cooperating sixth-rank Grandmasters in under a minute.
As countless eyes stared at Zhao Xuan…
Their hearts surged like crashing waves—
Unable to calm for a long time.
Meanwhile—
Zhao Xuan himself spread his arms arrogantly, head tilted back—
Reveling in victory,
Reveling in the stunned gazes coming from every direction.
He could feel it—
A powerful force deep within his mind was rapidly awakening.
This battle had consumed more stamina and mental strength than any fight he'd fought before.
His injuries were more severe than any he had suffered before.
But—
The system rewards this time were actually a bit smaller.
All abilities increased by 500 proficiency…
Except swordsmanship.
His Azure Dragon Fruit proficiency rose an additional 1000 points.
All together—
This brutal battle earned him only around 5000 proficiency points.
"As expected."
This event confirmed Zhao Xuan's earlier suspicion.
"Technique… To improve the Six Forms, to raise their mastery—
They must be used repeatedly in real combat.
Truly understood through battle."
One minute passed.
The gymnasium remained silent for that entire minute—
Until waves of sharp inhalations finally broke it.
"Hssssss—!"
Everyone finally snapped out of their shock.
They looked at Zhao Xuan.
They looked at the seven headless corpses on the arena floor.
A flood of exclamations erupted.
"Monster! This kid is a damn monster!"
"Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!"
"With a fourth-rank body, he slew seven sixth-rank Grandmasters!?
His combat power is already comparable to seventh rank!"
"…"
Kyushu Candidates' Waiting Area
"Holy sht sht sht sht—!!"
"Zhao Xuan is too f*cking terrifying!"
"What the hell?! Is this guy even human!?"
"One minute—
Seven sixth-rank Grandmasters—
What kind of sick joke is this!?"
"Screw it, screw it.
First place in the National Exam?
I'm out. Whoever wants it can go take it!"
"…"
Candidates from all over Kyushu shouted in shock.
Not far away—
The last two foreign contestants fell completely silent.
Both stared at Zhao Xuan with grave expressions—
Neither speaking a word.
In the foreign ability users' seating area—
The same silence.
Everyone gritted their teeth—
Faces dark, eyes cold.
A suffocating pressure hung over them all.
…
After a long moment—
The seventh-rank referee finally spoke again:
"Challenge successful.
National Exam continues.
Zhao Xuan, will you continue challenging?"
Zhao Xuan didn't bother answering.
Instead, he used his actions.
He pulled out the last three bags of mid-tier energy solution—
Along with Monkey King Fruits, Spirit Peak Honey, and piles of spirit herbs.
Then—
ROAR!
He entered Dragon-Man Form again.
Right before everyone's eyes—
He opened his massive maw and tossed every single herb inside.
He did this because—
He long ago discovered that in Dragon-Man Form—
His absorption rate skyrocketed, becoming several times faster.
A few minutes later—
He exited the transformation.
His depleted mental energy had recovered significantly.
His injuries had healed more than halfway.
His chaotic aura stabilized instantly.
Next—
He opened the three bags of energy solution—
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
Drinking them like plain water.
His physique recovered quickly.
By the end—
He had restored around 65% of his peak condition.
Some might think this recovery speed was too broken.
A few minutes—
And he'd returned to two-thirds strength.
But that wasn't the truth.
Because—
This recovery was built entirely on money.
The spirit herbs he devoured were worth at least one to two hundred million.
Even the richest heir wouldn't eat spirit herbs the way he did.
And remember—
He was only a Fourth Rank.
If he needed billions in herbs now…
What about Fifth Rank?
Four or five billion?
…
Back to the matter at hand—
After recovering to around 65%—
Zhao Xuan immediately turned toward the foreign contestants.
He locked eyes with Alexander—
Then shifted to the blond man seated beside him.
"Referee, I wish to continue my challenge.
This time—
I challenge Candidate No. 2, our foreign 'friend.'"
He grinned broadly as he spoke.
"Hmph!"
The blond man stood up instantly.
"Alexander, I'll try to drain his stamina.
Even if he uses herbs, he can't recover to a higher state than before—"
Alexander cut him off sharply:
"No."
He stared deeply at Zhao Xuan.
"Alice is dead.
I won't watch my closest brother die too."
"But—"
"Weakson, listen to me," Alexander interrupted again.
"Don't act recklessly.
Save your life.
With your strength, he cannot kill you before you surrender.
Go up there and give up immediately."
"As for him—
I'll handle him.
He calls himself sixth-rank invincible?
So am I."
With that—
Alexander closed his eyes.
Weakson wanted to argue—
But once Alexander shut his eyes, he swallowed his words.
He turned—
And under tens of thousands of eyes—
Walked toward the arena.
Soon—
He stepped onto the stage.
Then—
Tweet—!
The whistle blew.
The match began.
At the exact moment the whistle sounded—
Tap tap!
Zhao Xuan launched forward like a missile—
Charging straight at Weakson.
He entered Dragon-Man Form mid-charge.
Facing Zhao Xuan's fierce momentum—
Weakson's expression remained cold.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only—
Murderous intent.
"Alexander…
Alice's vengeance isn't yours alone.
I loved her too."
In that moment—
Alice's face—her smile—
Her bloody death under Zhao Xuan's fist—
All flashed through Weakson's mind.
A tsunami of killing intent erupted from him.
Then—
His Devil Fruit ability activated.
Instantly enveloping Zhao Xuan.
Just as Zhao Xuan reached him—
His body suddenly grew several times heavier—
As if a mountain had landed on him.
Especially his arms—
They felt weighed down.
Naturally—
His punching speed slowed drastically.
This gave Weakson the opening he needed.
He jerked his head aside—
Dodging Zhao Xuan's punch.
"Gravity Fruit!
I'm inside a gravity field!"
Zhao Xuan instantly realized what was happening.
His attack changed form—
His missed punch turned into a blade-hand slicing toward Weakson's neck.
Weakson's combat experience was rich.
He ducked instantly—
Gravity assisting his motion—
Dodging again.
At the same time—
He counterpunched toward Zhao Xuan's abdomen.
Zhao Xuan's expression didn't change.
Iron Body!
His abdominal muscles hardened instantly.
Armament Haki coated the area.
BOOM!!
Weakson's blackened fist struck.
BOOM!!!
Zhao Xuan felt like he had been hit by a speeding locomotive.
He was blasted backward.
"What a dense Armament Haki!
A powerful one!
Master-level!
This guy's Armament Haki is definitely master-level!"
Zhao Xuan was surprised—
But Weakson was already charging again.
Gravity intensified with him.
Then—
BOOM!
A second blackened fist came crashing in.
Zhao Xuan didn't retreat.
He counterattacked.
BOOOOOOM!!
Their fists collided.
Zhao Xuan staggered back dozens of steps—
Weakson was blasted away entirely.
Master-level Armament meant nothing.
Not before Zhao Xuan's 24,000 physique and full power.
Weakson crashed to the ground.
He scrambled upright instantly.
But Zhao Xuan was already upon him again—
A fist smashing toward his head.
The gravity field re-engulfed Zhao Xuan—
Slowing him down just enough.
Weakson dodged using Paper Art.
Counterpunched.
Zhao Xuan met the punch—
But Weakson changed tactics, withdrawing mid-strike.
A Rankyaku kick came flying instead.
Under normal gravity—
Zhao Xuan would've dodged easily.
But here—
His speed was drastically reduced.
He sensed the attack—
But couldn't move in time.
BOOM!!
He was blasted away a second time.
Two knockbacks within seconds—
It looked ugly.
But the truth was—
Weakson couldn't hurt him deeply.
Not with Zhao Xuan's Dragon-Man physique.
And his master-level Iron Body.
Zhao Xuan climbed up again—
Gravity still pressing on him—
But his face lit up with wild excitement.
Why?
Because he realized—
Under this multiplied gravity…
Using the Six Forms gave him new understanding.
What did that mean?
It meant—
If he continued fighting like this—
After the battle…
He would gain a massive wave of system proficiency.
Not maybe.
Not likely.
But—
Definitely.
Absolutely.
One hundred percent guaranteed.
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