I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 249
"Looks like he has gone mad from being driven into a corner. But that's good as well. Although he has an impressive physique, cultivating nine powers is the same as destroying his own future. Now would be a good chance to teach him a lesson and make him restart his cultivation from scratch. He might still have a chance to rise in the future instead of wasting his physique away like this."
"Let's see if he can even survive Lin Yang's challenge."
...
"Are you saying that your victory against me is certain?" asked Lin Yang with a frown.
"Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" said Xiang Shaoyun with a shrug.
"You're courting death!" Lin Yang shouted as he erupted with power and flooded the ring with a boundless flame power. Unfortunately, Xiang Shaoyun moved in advance before he could attack.
Overlord's Nine Nether Steps.
Moving like the wind stage, flawless mastery.
As he drew from his wind star, the yin devil wind's power started coursing through his body. With his exquisite footwork and footwork intent, he transformed into wind and instantly appeared beside Lin Yang.
Seven Scorching Sun Claws!
No longer hiding anything, he converged Yun Flame's power around his palms and clawed at Lin Yang. The might of the Seven Scorching Sun claws had increased substantially after he had gained the teachings of the gravekeeper elder. The attack was clean and efficient, each motion flowing smoothly and erupting with abundant power as it shot towards Lin Yang's vitals.
Lin Yang had not expected Xiang Shaoyun's attack to come so quickly. Its speed was already comparable to a fourth-stage Emperor. Before he could even react, red bloomed from his body.
Chapter 598: Step Suppression
Lin Yang was having a terrible time. He had thought that he could defeat Xiang Shaoyun easily. But when Xiang Shaoyun attacked, he couldn't even react before he was hit. The claw attack sliced his undefended arm, tearing his flesh apart and leaving wounds deep enough to show his bone. Before he could even do anything with his dagger, it left his grip.
Xiang Shaoyun's other hand reached for Lin Yang's neck. Before Lin Yang could do anything, Xiang Shaoyun grabbed his neck, digging in his five fingers. So long as Lin Yang tried anything, he would be immediately killed. One should never doubt Xiang Shaoyun's ability to kill in this situation, or one would suffer gravely for it.
Looking at Lin Yang coldly, Xiang Shaoyun declared, "You lost."
Lin Yang met Xiang Shaoyun's gaze with indignation, his eyes filled with fury. He wanted to put his life on the line and try resisting, but when he sensed the forceful grip on his neck, his fury slowly vanished. A chill then crept up his spine, reaching deep into his marrow. It was the sensation that he was hovering on the edge of life and death. He no longer dared to resist.
He even lost the courage to meet Xiang Shaoyun's gaze, and his presence dispersed. With great difficulty, he said, "I-I lose."
He was sure that a single word of disobedience would get him killed. Sure, killing was prohibited in the academy, but what if an accident happened? Lin Yang did not dare to joke around with his life.
The crowd was completely dumbfounded by what just happened. They had never imagined that the battle would end so quickly. Only a single move was used, and this expert on the Serpent Fowl List's top 100 was defeated. Was there a scheme at play?
One ought to know that during Xiang Shaoyun's previous five battles, he had won each of them with great difficulty. Lin Yang was obviously much stronger than the previous opponents, and the crowd found it hard to believe that Lin Yang would be defeated so quickly. Only after Lin Yang transferred 200,000 contribution points to Xiang Shaoyun did an uproar erupt among the crowd.
"What happened? Lin Yang was defeated? How is that possible?"
"Xiang Shaoyun's speed was so fast. I couldn't even see what he did! Is that his actual speed? That must be the case. Lin Yang had been too careless!"
"That's probably the case. Xiang Shaoyun had attacked unexpectedly and gained a major upper hand over his opponent."
"What do you know? Xiang Shaoyun is obviously pretending to be weak to catch his opponent by surprise. He has fooled all of us. His true strength is definitely terrifying. The academy wouldn't have allowed the experts on the Jiao Luan List to challenge him otherwise."
...
Xiang Shaoyun ignored all the discussions and asked, "Who's next?"
After visiting the Book Pavilion, he had realized he had too few contribution points. Only by gathering more contribution points would he be able to read more ancient texts.
"Zhao Ritian, your turn," said Di Shang, standing in the corner.
"Sure, but remember what you promised me," said the other person, his voice tinged with a slight arrogance.
"Don't worry. So long as you can defeat Xiang Shaoyun, I will be able to convince my brother. You will receive an answer you're pleased with," said Di Shang.
"Good. Let me kick Xiang Shaoyun away on your behalf then," Zhao Ritian conceitedly said as he started walking on empty air and heading toward the ring.
Once Zhao Ritian landed on the ring, he said, "I, Zhao Ritian, shall be your challenger."
He ranked in the top 50 on the Serpent Fowl List and had recently advanced into second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm. He hadn't gotten the chance to climb higher in the ranking list before Di Shang invited him over to provide support.
These genius disciples were all capable of fighting those two or three stages higher. Thus, Zhao Ritian's combat prowess was most likely above Lin Yang's. Although he had joined the Di Alliance, he was not required to obey Di Shang with his strength, even if Di Shang was Di Lin's elder brother. Therefore, Di Shang had to agree to a few conditions to receive his help.
Xiang Shaoyun lifted his brow and asked, "Do you have 200,000 contribution points?"
"Hehe, I won't embarrass myself by coming without the points. Bring it on. Let me witness how impressive a nine-star physique is," said Zhao Ritian with a sneer.
"Sure. Open your eyes wide and witness me," said Xiang Shaoyun. Instead of attacking unexpectedly as he had in his previous battle, he stepped forward and faced Zhao Ritian head on.
Abruptly, an inconceivable presence swept out of his body as the projections of a roaring dragon and a roaring tiger appeared behind him. In his head, his filthless soul emanated waves of spiritual presence. The two presences combined and crashed down upon Zhao Ritian.
Immediately, Zhao Ritian felt an intense pressure. The arrogance on his face vanished as he erupted with all his strength to withstand the suppression. No matter what, he was a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. He could completely ignore the suppression of a regular fourth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.
However, the sensation Xiang Shaoyun gave him was the same as a late-stage Emperor's, or even a peak Emperor's. Zhao Ritian had a hard time dealing with the suppression. Xiang Shaoyun advanced leisurely, but with each step he took, the pressure Zhao Ritian faced became stronger.
"Get out of my face!" Zhao Ritian roared as his seven stars started shining brightly and erupted with full strength. A boundless power surged into the sky, attempting to repel the pressure Xiang Shaoyun was emanating.
Xiang Shaoyun did not seem to care. He took his next step, stepping on empty air. Next, an indescribable power appeared and crashed down at Zhao Ritian. That one step completely suppressed Zhao Ritian's eruption of strength.
"Not possible! Die!" Zhao Ritian was overwhelmed with shock, and he roared and threw a punch at Xiang Shaoyun with all his might.
Reverse Sun!
Strands of extreme yang energy gathered on his fist, surrounding it with a dreadful power akin to the sun. Fist intent further powered his punch, pushing his punch's might to its limit. Just with this attack, entering the top 10 on the Serpent Fowl List was entirely possible for Zhao Ritian.
However, Xiang Shaoyun also ignored this attack and took another step forward. Thunderclaps rumbled as a w
ave of buzzing silver lightning spread out from him. And with that step, Zhao Ritian's attack crumbled apart.
The crowd opened their eyes wide in shock.
Chapter 599: Too Strong
The punch Zhao Ritian threw was extremely dreadful. Not many people present were confident they could withstand the attack. And yet Xiang Shaoyun had destroyed it in a manner nobody had expected. With that odd step he took, he stomped the punch into nothingness.
That was an exceedingly overbearing display of power from Xiang Shaoyun, especially the lightning power that had appeared. It seemed to be just as powerful as an actual mutated lightning bolt. Zhao Ritian retreated, and a flaming sword appeared in his hand. He attacked once again with another one of his trump cards, trying to defeat Xiang Shaoyun with a single move.
"You dare look down on me? Let me show you my actual strength!" Zhao Ritian roared while withstanding Xiang Shaoyun's pressure. Clumps of flame appeared on his body, turning his entire body red. Power akin to a volcanic explosion surged out of his seven stars, pushing his strength to the peak.
Crimson Flame Slaughtering Sword!
When he swung his sword, the veins on both his arms became visible, as if they were going to pop out of his skin. A flame attack tinged with the power of blood shot toward Xiang Shaoyun from an extremely tricky angle. The attack pressured the people around the ring, causing their expressions to turn grave.
Many of them weren't confident they could survive the attack. Zhao Ritian's attack was comparable to the attack of a peak fourth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. In fact, it even reached a level comparable to a regular fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator.
However, Xiang Shaoyun, who was hovering in midair, did not even bat an eye. The projections of the tiger and the dragon behind him grew clearer as his lightning bone rippled with lightning power, causing dark clouds to gather in the sky. Silver lightning bolts rained down.
Xiang Shaoyun took his third step. The entire world shook as a heavy rain of silver lightning bolts flooded the ring with so much lightning that it seemed like a silver ocean had formed. A total of 81 silver lightning bolts dropped, each possessing a might beyond one's imagination.
Each bolt was as thick as a bucket and rained down loudly like a roaring silver dragon. The sight was etched deeply into the hearts of everyone present, causing them so much pressure they could no longer breathe.
Zhao Ritian was supposed to be strong enough to withstand the silver lightning bolts. However, Xiang Shaoyun's steps seemed to contain an indescribable power that made it seem like each step had landed in Zhao Ritian's very heart. Zhao Ritian felt terrible as Xiang Shaoyun's unrivaled pressure crashed down at his willpower.
He clenched his teeth tightly as he withstood the suppression exerted on him. He could not allow himself to fall. Unfortunately, with a berserk rain of lightning falling on him, he couldn't spare the attention to deal with the pressure. Ultimately, his presence crumbled, and everything seemed to fall apart.
Rumble! Rumble!
Lightning flooded the ring, causing the flame from earlier to seem inferior. After a while, all the powers on the ring dispersed, and the graceful figure hovering in midair attracted everyone's eyes. He seemed to have just completed his final step, his foot landing on Zhao Ritian's chest, stomping him into the ring's surface.
If it wasn't for the fact that the ring was constructed of durable materials, the crash would have cracked it into pieces. Not only was Zhao Ritian being stepped on by Xiang Shaoyun, but his clothes had also been reduced to rags. He only had an armor covering his body, and he coughed blood without end, looking incredibly sorry.
Everyone's eyes were wide open in shock, and everyone seemed to have lost the ability to talk. With just a few steps, someone as strong as Zhao Ritian was defeated? The same thought appeared in everyone's minds, This Xiang Shaoyun is way too strong, isn't he?
Xiang Shaoyun then removed his foot and looked at Zhao Ritian, who was badly injured. He said, "It's your defeat. Hand over your contribution points and leave. I'm continuing with my next match. Don't get in the way."
The words infuriated Zhao Ritian so much he coughed even more blood. Not only had he been defeated, but he was viewed with such contempt. How could he accept it? However, it no longer mattered how he felt. He had no choice but to take everything thrown his way. After all, he had indeed been defeated. There was nothing he could say.
Xiang Shaoyun's strength had far surpassed his expectation. Before even entering the Dragon Ascension Realm, Xiang Shaoyun could completely crush him, Zhao Ritian, an Emperor capable of punching above his weight. The thought made him rather sullen. As for Di Shang, he was still in the corner, looking at the defeated Zhao Ritian with a ghastly expression as if someone had slapped his face.
Not even Zhao Ritian can deal with that dog? Looks like I have to think of something else after my brother leaves seclusion. We can't let Xiang Shaoyun keep growing, Di Shang thought before leaving gloomily.
Due to Zhao Ritian's defeat, their previous agreement was naturally void. After transferring the contribution points over, Zhao Ritian staggered off the ring. When he failed to find Di Shang, he cursed inwardly, What an ungrateful bastard!
On the ring, Xiang Shaoyun looked somewhat exhausted. However, his battle intent was still high as he shouted, "The next challenger needs to prepare a bet of 500,000 contribution points!"
He had no choice but to increase the bet. After all, this was much more tiring for him as the defender than for the challengers. He deserved to earn more contribution points. In any case, his challengers would only grow stronger, and they would most definitely be wealthy. When the people present saw that Xiang Shaoyun was intending to continue fighting, they hissed in shock.
"Is he actually a human or not? He's continuing? Is he still hiding his strength?"
"Wasn't it said that cultivating nine different powers would result in a lack of combat prowess? What in the world happened earlier then?"
"No wonder the academy allowed those on the Jiao Luan List to challenge him as well. It turns out the academy actually knows his strength very well. Looks like those not on the Jiao Luan List will have a hard time taking him down."
"True. And the moment he enters the Dragon Ascension Realm, he can probably enter the Dragon Phoenix List immediately. Looks like we can never underestimate anyone with a nine-star physique."
...
With the increased stakes, no new challengers appeared for a while. Xiang Shaoyun did not mind and directly sat down cross-legged on the ring to recover his strength. After summoning the lightning bolts, he had absorbed some silver lightning energy. As a result, his draconic aura had been further refined. It wouldn't be long before he fully formed his draconic aura to enter the Dragon Ascension Realm.
Li Li, who was standing among the crowd, smiled and muttered, "I really want to defeat this fellow personally, but I think I should keep watching and see how many other trump cards he has."
Before Xiang Shaoyun could sit for long, someone shouted, "Xiang Shaoyun, I'll fight you!"
Chapter 600: Suppressing a Breakthrough Opportunity
Xiang Shaoyun fought three more battles, winning all of them easily. All three battles were against the geniuses on the Serpent Fowl List. One of them was in the top 10 while the other two were in the top 50. There were two main reasons they had appeared. They wanted to test their own strength and take advantage of Xiang Shaoyun's exhaustion from his repeated battles.
Unfortunately for them, Xiang Shaoyun had reached a level where he could endlessly regenerate his energy. Any energy exhaustion wouldn't take long to recover. In fact, his cultivation base was also growing with each fight. A freak like him could only be defeated by an expert capable of dealing an overwhelming fatal blow to him in one go.
As Xiang Shaoyun revealed his combat prowess, the entire academy was shocked. Many geniuses on the Jiao Luang List were tempted to challenge him as well. But at this time, Xiang Shaoyun suddenly foun
d that he was ready for a breakthrough. He found it wholly unexpected, and he wasn't prepared to break through yet.
After the repeated battles, he had actually completely formed his draconic aura. His cultivation base stirred, reaching the point that he could barely suppress it anymore. An ethereal nine-colored dragon swayed about behind him, looking incredibly mighty and extraordinary.
The people around the ring noticed it as well, and their faces were covered with mixed emotions at their realization. Many of them were Dragon Ascension Realm cultivators themselves. Thus, they were clear what Xiang Shaoyun's current condition signified.
They became too embarrassed to continue challenging him in this situation, or they would look too much like a scoundrel, and their reputation in the academy would suffer. They knew that the moment Xiang Shaoyun entered the Dragon Ascension Realm, not even those on the Jiao Luan List could be his opponents anymore.
However, Xiang Shaoyun did not seize the opportunity to break through. Instead, he suppressed his draconic aura, compressing it and reducing its completion to 95 percent. In doing so, the dragon behind him became more solid, but he had also forcefully changed the timing of his breakthrough.
The onlookers gasped in alarm when they noticed what Xiang Shaoyun did. They were all shocked at his courage.
"That Xiang Shaoyun actually suppressed his breakthrough? What is he doing? A lost opportunity can't be regained easily!"
"What a freak! He was actually able to hold himself back? He is obviously trying to further purify his draconic aura. That way, during his eventual breakthrough, his foundations will be much more solid, and the process will be much smoother. This frame of mind is remarkable."
"Looks like there is a reason for his strength. We need to learn more from him."
"You know what? I'm done watching. I need to focus on cultivation. This is giving me way too much stress."