Chapter 360: Cure For The Sickness of Arrogance
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Guan Dongyang was speechless at his setback, "How... How come?"
Although his attack was powerful and covered a large range, it was spread too thin across a large space, and therefore gave Wang Tong ample time to absorb his energy.
Wang Tong had discovered that the secret of Mastery's technique was to finetune the vibration frequency of soul energy to that of the arcane power to control the unseen power that filled up the world. From this discovery, Wang Tong drew three basic conclusions about the mastery's power: first, the higher the soul energy, the more arcane power could be brought under control; second, the key to unlocking the power, once the resonance was established, was those cryptic hand signs; and third, the Martians were fond of fire, and hence the arcane energy he had summoned attained a fire attribute.
Wang Tong conceded that this unique technique was superior to the traditional GN force in terms of attack power. However, its defects were also very obvious.
As the ground exploded under Wang Tong's feet, Wang Tong suddenly disappeared from the arena, and half a second later, reappeared right in front of Guan Dongyang. Guan Dongyang was fast to react. However, his physical strength and speed was not even a fraction of Wang Tong's.
Before Guan Dongyang was able to defend himself effectively, Wang Tong kicked in his side, and the Martian immediately collapsed to the ground. By then, Wang Tong had already gotten a number on his opponent. Based on the meager GN force the Martian had offered throughout the fight, Wang Tong wagered that although Guan Dongyang's Mastery attack was powerful, his physical conditioning was inadequate.
Silence fell into the arena as the audience waited for Guan Dongyang to stand up. However, he never did.
"The winner is Wang Tong!"
There was no doubt that Guan Dongyang's performance was historical, as he had introduced a revolutionary technique to the world. However, he had lost the match for no explicable reason.
Standing on the crumbled floor and walls of the arena, Wang Tong smiled satisfyingly.
Han Linu was stupefied by Wang Tong's victory as he murmured to himself, "What...What happened?"
"Is he made of Adamantine Alloy?"
This was the first time that the arena called in the repair crew to patch up the facility. However powerful Guan Dongyang's attack had been, he was still defeated by a no account.
Zhang Mi, the journalist, was elated by the outcome, and a bold headline appeared in her mind, "The Bane of the Fire God."
As if annoyed by the smug look on Wang Tong's face, Li Ruoer pouted her lips and grunted lightly. Li Ruoer's bitterness was loud and clear to Hu Yangxuan; he knew that the Enchantress was jealous.
"Li Ruoer, do you know what Wang Tong's expertise is?"
Li Ruoer was caught off guard by the question, then she shook her head.
"Curing the sickness of arrogance." Without sparing the enchantress a glance, Hu Yangxuan sauntered out of the arena.
Ever since the tournament progressed to the playoff matches, all the fighters, except for the Magnificent Five, no longer held back their power, as they were all eager to prove themselves in front of the world.
In contrast, the heir of the great houses had by far only used a fraction of their full strength. But even so, the power at display was already impressive. This was particularly true about the only two female seeded players—Heidi and Li Ruoer.
The other two seeded fighters—Li Xin and Zhang Buyu, had also demonstrated their incredible abilities. With his Thunder Blade, Li Xin had been invincible. His sword attacks were infused with thunder attributes, which would paralyze his opponents upon contact.
So far, Zhang Buyu from the Templar's inner court was able to finish off each one of his opponents with a single strike, regardless of the type of opponent he was faced with. After enduring so many fights, there was not a single scratch that could be found on his body, all thanks to his incredible sword techniques.
Although no one was certain as to who would be the winner should the two fighters pit against the Magnificent Five, time would offer the answer eventually.
In addition to these renowned fighters, another previously unknown fighter had come to light, and he was Wang Tong. His name became popular ever since he had unexpectedly defeated Guan Dongyang, the second strongest fighter from the Mars.
Some METAL enthusiast had uploaded the sorry condition of the battleground to the internet, and the video immediately went viral. Not only the structure was damaged, but some parts of the arena had also been scorched by the intense heat, becoming crystallized. It was hard to imagine how Wag Tong had survived such a deadly bombardment.
Soon, a reporter from the ETV had published an article detailing the background of the dark horse Wang Tong.
The article had indicated that he was not only a METAL fighter, but also the champion of this year's Fleet combat tournament. He had defeated not only the Perfect Commander Flash but also demolished the confidence of the notorious Ivantian player KKK. Ever since he joined the METAL combat, he had made his way to the playoff with ease and finished off the Puppet Master Han Linu. While faced with the second-seeded fighter of his section, Wang Tong had displayed unimaginable power and incredible skills.
If there had been any doubts regarding the strength of Guan Dongyang, the crumbled arena had cleared all of them. However, the same destructive energy that had almost demolished a building had barely scratched Wang Tong.
Ever since the beginning of the tournament, all fighters except for a handful of overpowered fighters had sustained injuries to some degree. However, there was not a single scratch on Wang Tong even after his fight against the strong fighters from the Mastery.
People couldn't help but wonder what was behind Wang Tong's winning streak.
Even if it were true that Guan Dongyang had overlooked his physical training, his level six soul energy would have made him a nightmare for any fighter.
All clues pointed to the same conclusion—Wang Tong was a much more powerful fighter than any of his opponents.
After Zhang Mi had published her in-depth analysis about Wang Tong, the article became highly referenced by other newspapers.
Zhang Mi had been following Wang Tong for a while, and the more she observed, the less she found she knew about this mysterious fighter. However, Zhang Mi was very certain that Wang Tong was very powerful. Otherwise, he wouldn't become the leader of the influential student group, the S club.
This tournament had provided an opportunity for the S Club members to meet with each other. There were many student groups such as the S club in different academies. However, almost all of them had served as a promotion club for one or more of the great houses. The S Club's rise to power spoke loudly of the ordinary students' desire to be recognized. No one wanted to forever live under other peoples' shadows.
Another great aspect of the S Club was its openness. The members shared their experiences freely, and never tried to hide anything from fellow club members. The transparency had nurtured a healthy club culture, which reinforced its reputation.
The S-Club covered many subjects. Not only did it have branches set up for METAL and Fleet combat, but it also had members from the Information Warfare and Heavy METAL.
Although Li Ruoer signing up in the club was a part of her scheme, her action had, although unintentionally, helped the S Club to spread its influence to the S Class Academies.
Wang Tong never cared about the fame of the club. To him, what was the most precious about the club was the relationship he had built with his fellow club members. Wang Tong's sentiment was shared by all the other S-Club members, as they found the club activities had filled the void during their dull and tedious school life.
Slowly, the S-Club had become the most prominent student club in the confederation, although its leader was still oblivious to how popular he had become.
Each one of Wang Tong's victory tugged at the heartstrings of thousands of club members. Their leader's victory had empowered them and given them a sense of belonging. Although the members of the S Club were from different schools with different backgrounds, they were united under one banner like one family.
Despite the overwrought efforts of Li Shiming and his sister to win over the public's hearts, the brother and sister pair would never have achieved as much recognition and approval of their classmates as Wang Tong did. As the heir of House Li, no ordinary students would find Li Shiming as approachable as Wang Tong.
As Zhang Mi's article gained popularity, she was assigned to follow up with Wang Tong and the S Club. She knew that for Wang Tong to maintain his fame, he would need to continue winning battles.