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Chapter 33: I'm Joining The Contest!
Suddenly, around the contest arena, the demons erupted in deafening cheers. Tang San felt like he had stepped into a throng of beasts.
A colossal giant strode into the inner ring, standing at a towering four meters in height, exuding a wild aura that only emphasized his immense strength. His entire body seemed to be covered in black fur, and he was naked save for a pair of leather shorts.
On his chest, white fur formed a large V-shaped pattern.
Tang San could tell that this was a bear demon, but he didn’t really know what kind and he couldn’t tell just based on appearance.
"This is the Berserk Bear clan, one of the most powerful in combat among bear demons. Actually, they’re second only to the royal bear clan. They are naturally endowed with massive strength, and they naturally reach the sixth order as they mature," Gui Gui muttered softly.
The Berserk Bear clan. Tang San committed this to memory. Adult sixth-order demons. These demon clans are indeed formidable!
The Berserk Bear demon stood at the very center of the arena. He let out a roar toward the sky, and the powerful sound wave drowned out all the surrounding cheers.
"At least a seventh-order demon," Wang Yanfeng whispered.
This was clearly an elite member of the Berserk Bear clan.
"The Collision Contest, same old rules. The point of impact is this circle under my feet. The circle's edge is the starting point for measuring after the collision. Whoever is closer to the edge is the victor," the Berserk Bear clan's strongman declared in a deep voice.
Only then did Tang San notice a circle with a diameter of about three meters beneath his feet. This meant both parties would accelerate towards each other, and collide within the circle. Whoever was sent flying farther after the collision would be the loser.
This also meant that whoever was faster and entered deeper into the circle would have a slight advantage.
In other words, this was not only a contest of strength but also of speed.
"Third-order people can now sign up. Whoever wins ten consecutive matches or has no more challengers will be today's victor," the Berserk Bear announced with a wave of his hand, starting the Collision Contest.
Tang San asked Wang Yanfeng, "Teacher, in the Collision Contest, can we use techniques during the collision? Can we use innate abilities to attack the opponent?"
"Of course. The demons value martial prowess above all. The Collision Contest may be the simplest form of competition, but as long as you have the skills, any ability can be used, and any means can be employed for victory. The rule of the demons has always been to only look at the victory, not how you achieved it."
Tang San nodded in approval, pondered momentarily, and asked, "Teacher, can I sign up?"
"Hmm?" Wang Yanfeng was taken aback, and Gui Gui instantly turned to look at Tang San.
"You... want to sign up?" Gui Gui's pitch rose slightly.
"I want to try. There's money to be won," Tang San said, pointing to the winner's rewards on a table in the distance.
Wang Yanfeng looked at Gui Gui, who frowned slightly and said, "Vassals can also participate. But generally speaking, it's hard to compare with the demons. Moreover, they don’t have any scruples even toward each other, so you can imagine what they’re like when they fight vassals. If you get killed, nobody will bat an eye. Do you really want to try?"
Tang San nodded. "I want to give it a go. Teacher, I am fairly confident. Even if I don't win, I shouldn't lose too badly."
Wang Yanfeng had a good understanding of his abilities, so he shook his head. "I know you’re good, but in terms of sheer strength, you..."
Tang San replied without hesitation, "I’ll use skill to overcome strength. Since you say that the Collision Contest only cares about the outcome, not the process, then I think I have a chance to win."
He would have never considered joining the Collision Contest if not for his encounter with Mei Gongzi today. Before he had the means to protect himself, it was best to keep a low profile.
However, after seeing Mei Gongzi today, his heart was filled with a fighting will. Time waited for no one. He could no longer afford to cultivate in a leisurely manner. Even if it meant taking risks, he had to become stronger faster. Only then could he have a chance to get close to Mei Gongzi and protect her.
Gui Gui whispered, "Isn't that too risky? Whether you win or lose, it's really not a wise thing to do."
Tang San pulled out a piece of cloth from under his shirt. He folded the fabric into a triangle, covered his face, and tied it behind his head. His face was mostly concealed.
"Teacher, Aunt Gui, I will return alone after the competition. You don't have to worry about me. This way, I won't be exposed," Tang San said.
Wang Yanfeng thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead, but be careful. Are you planning to enter the battles of the third or fourth order? If it's the third order, you can hide your strength better and you probably won't be discovered."
Tang San replied, "I will be going for the fourth order. The rewards are better there. Teacher, I'm off."
With these words, he crouched down and disappeared into the crowd behind him.
"Are you really letting him participate?" Gui Gui asked incredulously, looking at Wang Yanfeng. "And what about the fourth order? Does he really have the strength of a fourth-order demon?"
Wang Yanfeng nodded and said, "Tang San honestly defies common sense. He might be only nine, but he is much more mature than my other students. Even though he has only studied with me for a year, he always gives me the impression that whatever he does, he does with certainty. He must have his own plan."
Over the past year, he had been teaching Tang San and the other four all manners of knowledge, so it wasn’t like Tang San knew everything. However, it was thanks to what Tang San had taught him that his own strength had significantly improved, and he was now on the verge of breaking through to the fifth order.
All this in just one year!
He could never have imagined something like that. Thus, his feelings for Tang San and the other four children naturally differed.
He was also aware of Tang San's advancement to the fourth order. Nine years old at the fourth order! Except for the demon races naturally born at higher levels, he couldn’t think of any race that had such an advancement speed. Obviously, he had never seen a nine-year-old Wind Wolf reach the fourth order either. Tang San, a human child with the Wind Wolf Transformation, actually surpassed the Wind Wolf clan’s own younglings.
For a vassal race, such a situation was by and large impossible, which showed just how extraordinary Tang San's talent was.
Even Wang Yanfeng himself did not fully understand the extent of his disciple's strength. Recently, Tang San had hardly participated in practical combat classes. Today, with Tang San actively requesting to join the Collision Contest, which did not necessarily pose a great danger to him, Wang Yanfeng wanted to see just how far Tang San could go.
Tang San weaved through the crowd, having just figured out the reward rules of the big contest. No matter the level of the competition, a single victory would earn an aetherhorn coin. This didn’t mean much for a rich demon clan, but to a vassal like him, this reward was simply astronomical.
Thus, when he reached the registration area, he noticed several humans and members of other vassal races signing up. They were all aiming to win a battle and secure an aetherhorn coin.
Only the final champion could obtain the naturae coin in each level of the competition. The higher the order, the greater the reward in naturae coins. In addition, the winners could actually choose naturae coins that matched their elemental attributes.
However, the main reason for Tang San's participation in the contest wasn't actually the aetherhorn coins and not even the naturae coins. More importantly, he wanted to seize the opportunity to absorb the bloodline powers of other demon races, transforming them into bloodline imprints. This would enhance his cultivation of the Mysterious Heaven Technique and also grant him a number of other abilities.
Different skills had different uses, and the innate abilities of other demon races had their own power. The more abilities he had, the stronger his control would naturally become.
For instance, the Wind Blade brought by his Wind Wolf bloodline was around the fourth order in power right now. At the same time, the Leopard Flash of the Flash Leopard race was only at the third order, barely reaching the fourth order. After all, Zhu Jiaxin had been seriously injured when he had encountered Tang San, and his bloodline power had been weakened.
These bloodline imprints could evolve by devouring more of the same type of ability, which Tang San was perfectly sure of after experimenting on the Wind Wolves.
Therefore, his primary purpose in participating was to devour the bloodline powers of his opponents and hopefully leave this arena much stronger than he had entered it.
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