Chapter 2116 — The Risk Is Worth It

"Good!" Old Master Zhao nodded, turned the dial on the device to the mid Earth rank, and then said with a blank face, "Stand firm. We are about to infuse true qi and activate the device!"

"Ready," Wei Zhao said.

"Let us begin!" As soon as Old Master Zhao finished speaking, he placed his palm on the device's true qi intake port. Old Master Yu, Old Master You, and Old Master Tang likewise placed their palms in turn and began circulating their true qi at the same time. The energy bar on the device shot to the preset mid Earth rank in an instant, then stopped climbing. In the next moment, a giant arm burst out from the device. With a resounding boom, it struck Wei Zhao square in the chest and sent him flying!

Wei Zhao made no attempt to resist, for he knew that the harder one resisted, the more grievous the injury. Better to fly with the force of the blow and shed part of the pressure, so that even if he was hurt, it would not be too severe.

That strike indeed carried the might of the mid Earth rank. The devices of the ancient sects were truly peculiar; Wei Zhao marveled inwardly again and again.

Though the blow left him with some internal injuries, his life was not in danger. After landing, Wei Zhao rose to his feet to show that he was still alive, and by the rules of the contest, that counted as having passed the mid Earth rank endurance test.

Without a word, Wei Zhao walked briskly back to the side of Han Tianba and Han Xiaopo, closed his eyes, and entered the jade pendant space, where he began circulating the second layer of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to heal his wounds swiftly. He had to admit that the healing speed of the second layer was far faster than that of the first.

"Leader, how are you..." Han Xiaopo was about to ask, but Han Tianba raised a hand to stop him.

"Xiaopo, do not disturb Mr. Lin. Mr. Lin is resting," Han Tianba said.

Though Wei Zhao appeared unharmed on the surface after that mid Earth rank blow, Han Tianba knew that Wei Zhao was merely an expert at the peak of the early Earth rank. Whether he himself could have withstood that strike was uncertain.

"Hidden Han family, current endurance grade: mid Earth rank! Next contestant, take the stage!" Old Master Zhao was not in the least surprised that Wei Zhao could withstand a mid Earth rank blow. In his mind, he had already classified Wei Zhao's strength as the peak of the late Earth rank, so for someone of that caliber, taking a mid Earth rank strike should pose no great difficulty.

"Peak of the mid Earth rank!" The one who spoke was a junior of the Hidden You family. Before stepping up, he swallowed a pill, a kind that stimulated the body's latent potential, similar to the strength elixirs of the martial world. The contest forbade the use of treasures and devices, but it never said pills could not be taken, so the Hidden You family had gained an advantage.

The pill could instantly raise the body's endurance to its utmost limit, but its side effects were equally obvious. Fail to withstand the blow, and one might be crippled, unable to care for oneself for the rest of one's life.

Of course, this member of the You family was not a core member but the retainer type, lured by lavish promises. If he won this match or placed in the top three, he would naturally receive rewards—Meridian-Opening Pills and Lesser Restoration Pills had all been prepared. Put plainly, even if he were beaten into a helpless cripple, he could be restored, and he would receive other spiritual medicines besides.

But if he failed to enter the top three, he would get nothing. Put plainly, it was a gamble. The peak of the mid Earth rank was already the absolute limit of his limits; he was himself merely a mid Earth rank expert, and it was already quite good for him to withstand a blow from an expert of the same grade. Though the strike was not a martial technique but pure true qi, raising it by one grade was still his limit.

After all, not everyone was Wei Zhao, able to take blows above his grade and heal himself afterward.

In this You family member's eyes, if he could withstand the peak of the mid Earth rank challenge, his only rivals at present were the contestants of the Golden Bell Sect and the Fire Wolf Gang. Even if both were stronger than he, he could still place in the top three, and this risk would be worth it.

"Good!" Old Master Zhao nodded upon hearing this and set the dial on the device to the peak of the mid Earth rank. Still with a blank face, he said, "Stand firm. We are about to infuse true qi and activate the device!"

"Ready," the You family member said.

"Let us begin!" With that, Old Master Zhao again placed his palm on the device's true qi intake port, and Old Master Yu, Old Master You, and Old Master Tang likewise placed their palms in turn and circulated their true qi together. The energy bar on the device shot to the preset peak of the mid Earth rank in an instant, and the giant arm burst out from the device once more. Amid a resounding boom, it sent the Hidden You family member flying, exactly as it had Wei Zhao before.

"Pff..." After landing, the Hidden You family member let out a miserable cry and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Yet he did not die. He struggled stubbornly to his feet and, pale-faced, limped back toward the You family's camp.

"Take this!" Old Master You produced an ordinary healing pill and gave it to the Hidden You family member.

The Hidden You family member did not hesitate and swallowed it at once. The pill could only stabilize his injuries. He knew well that the Lesser Restoration Pill and the Meridian-Opening Pill would be given only after the results were decided, and the heaven-and-earth spiritual medicines could be collected only after returning home. So he was in no hurry. Sitting to one side, he closed his eyes and began circulating his qi to suppress his wounds...

"Hidden You family, current endurance grade: peak of the mid Earth rank! Next contestant, please take the stage!" Seeing that the Hidden You family member had not died, Old Master Zhao made the announcement. In this sort of contest, so long as one did not die on the spot, it counted as a victory, no matter how badly one was hurt.

"The Hidden Yu family chooses to forfeit!" The one who took the stage was a member of the Yu family. At this point in the contest, neither the Fire Wolf Gang nor the Golden Bell Sect had yet sent out their contestants, and the mark had already been pushed to the peak of the mid Earth rank. The Hidden Yu family member judged that he lacked such endurance, and under the hint of the Yu family's patriarch, wisely chose to forfeit. Going up would have been in vain otherwise.

"The Fire Wolf Gang chooses the late Earth rank!" This time it was not a member of the Fire Wolf Gang who spoke, but An Mingyue. And the one who stepped onto the stage was still a dull-eyed, somewhat wooden-looking member, who, once on stage, simply stood there motionless.

"Good!" Old Master Zhao nodded again upon hearing this and set the dial on the device to the late Earth rank.

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