Chapter 399: Heir of the Legend
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Despite the injury, Lie Jian knotted his face as he punched at Zhang Buyu with the full might he could muster. Having lost his blade, Zhang Buyu was practically defenseless at the moment.
The two were so close, and the blow came so suddenly, that Zhang Buyu didn't even have a fraction of a second to react. His GN defense was quickly overwhelmed by the flame, and menacing fire poison started to invade his system.
The blow sent the young Templar's body flying like a kite with its string cut, until he hit the energy barrier and thudded back to the ground.
The other three inner court disciples gasped and jumped out of their seats in surprise. Lie Jian's attack lacked any appreciation for technical finesse, and was overwhelmingly powerful.
Lie Jian licked the blood off his knuckles as he savored the feeling of striking an opponent down.
In Lie Jian's world, strength always trumped over skills.
Lie Jian posed as he pointed a finger at the sky; a cue for his fans to start their worshiping.
"LIE JIAN! LIE JIAN! LIE JIAN..."
"LIE JIAN! LIE JIAN! LIE JIAN..."
Lie Jian cupped his ears, willing his fans to shout louder. Soon, he reasoned, his name would be hailed across the entire Confederation.
The list of combatants making it into the semi-final was fresh out of the oven: Li Shiming, Patroclus, Wang Tong, and Lie Jian.
This was perhaps the most competitive semi-final the public had ever seen, and anything was possible. By then, no event in the entire Confederation was more important than the tournament.
Some people argued that perhaps the only year which the world had seen a roster of stronger combatants was three hundred years ago, during the time of Li Feng and Rilangalos.
Since Li Shiming and Patroclus had still held back their power during their last fight, their following fights were bound to be even more exciting to watch.
The semi-final was to start in three days. Meanwhile, in light of the few close calls of public safety catastrophe, the tournament committee decided to use those three days to beef up the security measures.
However, the potential danger had spurred more ticket sales, as everyone wanted to experience the thrill of being so close to the great power. Soon, all semi-final tickets were sold out. The number of audiences for this year's semi-final was over ten times more than last year.
The first match of the tournament would be between Wang Tong and Li Shiming.
"Boss, you kick a*s! I don't think you will have any problem handling Li Lame Shiming." Karl announced.
"We already know that Lame-Li is as lame in the bed as he is on the stage. Haha!" Hu Yangxuan laughed out loud.
Since Wang Tong had already made a miracle by making it to the semi-final, he was not burdened by the desire for the title of champion. However, Wang Tong had his motivation of winning the fight: Ma Xiaoru. He needed to prove to Ma Xiaoru that she had made the right choice.
"OK guys, stop giving him pressure. Do your best Wang Tong." Zhou Sisi said.
"Can't say that I'm sold on my victory yet, but I won't be defeated that easily either." Wang Tong held Ma Xiaoru's hand and announced with conviction.
"Do your best. I don't care if you are the champion or not" Ma Xiaoru blushed as she spoke.
"You are too soft on him. Better let him know of your expectation earlier on! Haha." Zhou Sisi jested without any jealous undertone. Zhou Sisi had come to terms with the fact that Ma Xiaoru would be a much better girlfriend for Wang Tong than herself.
After a few hours of chitchatting, the group left Wang Tong's room. Everyone knew that Wang Tong needed to rest to face the formidable opponent, Li Shiming.
Wang Tong and Wang Ben fist pumped a goodbye like two bros before the latter left without saying a word. But, the simple gesture spoke louder than any words.
Although Wang Tong knew that the journey ahead was treacherous, having his friends around had given him courage and determination to press forward until the end.
After everyone had left the room, Wang Tong about turned and leered at Ma Xiaoru. Ma Xiaoru knew what he was thinking, so she rebutted, "You have a match. We can't do it."
"Haha! Babe, don't be afraid. Haven't you forgot about Karmamudra? You see, I haven't fully recovered from last match and I need your help."
"Oh? How?" Ma Xiaoru was taken back by the news and lowered her guard.
"Ah-Ha!" Wang Tong grabbed Ma Xiaoru's arm and threw her onto the bed. "Of course, I'm not injured. But you can still help me! Haha!"
"You—" Ma Xiaoru was cut short by Wang Tong's fiery kisses, and then the two rolled around on the bed, hands all over each other.
Soon, the air in the room was sweetened by the caressing, kissing, and groping. The two's soul energy also intertwined with each other, effectively enhancing Wang Tong's flow of soul energy.
That night, Ma Xiaoru let Wang Tong enjoy her ripe fruit until the last drop of juice.
Meanwhile, inside Li Shiming's dark room, he sat cross-legged on the floor while cultivating the Tactics of Vayu. The closer it got to the semi-final, the calmer he felt.
Li Shiming was convinced that Wang Tong must die at his hands. He had come to terms with the fact that only he was capable of doing away with Wang Tong. Also, he wanted to do so to send a message to whoever was pulling the strings behind the scene: only an heir of House Li could inherit the power of the Blade Warrior.
By then, anger inside Li Shiming had burned away any sense of reason in his mind. He believed that only the blood of his enemy could wash away the humiliation.
Inside Patroclus's room, the Ivantian Prince was arranging a flower bouquet. Zhang Jin watched as a tapestry of colors appeared right in front of her eyes, each petal seeming to tell a different story.
"You are in a good mood."
"Of course," Patroclus said quietly; still busy with the flowers.
"You were kind of a d*ck, you know? Heidi is a girl, and you punched her in the face. That's a bit too much, don't you think?" Zhang Jin questioned him indignantly.
Patroclus smiled and said, "I already held back my power. There is no difference between a man and a woman on the battlefield."
Zhang Jin shocked her head and said, "What if one day you would have to fight me?"
Patroclus paused and then said, "That will never happen."
Zhang Jin didn't press on; she knew Patroclus was right. He could prevent that from happening like nipping the bud off the branches.
Inside a hospital, Lie Jian was receiving treatment on his damaged right hand. Although he was the only injured combatant, with the help of advanced Ivantian medic equipment, the doctors should be able to patch him up in time.
Suddenly someone knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
"Master, we have finally found some clues, but—"
Lie Jian furrowed his brow "But what?"
"But, it was not Wang Tong. He was seen watching Einherjar Wannabe's show a few weeks ago."
"Hum... Does Patroclus know of this?"
"Hard to say... Oh, and we have heard rumors that Patroclus seems to be convinced that Wang Tong is the heir of the Blade Warrior. So far, Li Shiming has been silent on it."
Lie Jian was shocked by the news. He waved a hand as the man in black slowly backed out of the room.
"Oh, for f*uck sake! I knew something was not right! They think I don't exist? B*astards!" Lie Jian was infuriated on being treated as irrelevant. He gritted his teeth and swore that he would avenge this humiliation.