Chapter 564: Threatening Boss Fang?

"In the contests before this, we noticed a most peculiar phenomenon, and it happens to be a question that young Master Xiao and I have been burning to ask during our commentary," Mu Donglai began, his voice projecting across the arena. "Level fifty-eight! Our contestant Zhu Yanxiao has actually not yet reached the maximum level! In this current version of the system, sixty is the cap, as the higher updates have not yet been unlocked. This makes him, quite likely, the only competitor to advance to the group stages without a maximized level!"

"What?"

"Holy crap?!"

"I really didn't notice that before..."

A sudden wave of startled exclamations rippled through the audience.

Mu Donglai pressed on, "Could you perhaps enlighten us as to why?"

Zhu Yanxiao replied with a touch of dull simplicity, "Because back then, I didn't have the money to buy proper equipment. Every day I had to move bricks for work, and then I had to go to the martial arts arena to practice my combat techniques. I just never found the time to grind my level to the max."

"Even though the tournament rules forbid equipping any divine relics above level fifty-one, meaning a lower level doesn't hurt your stats too severely, still, this is just too..."

"What does 'max level' mean?" Karl whispered from his seat beside Boss Fang.

"Could it be the ultimate consummation of a certain cultivation realm?" Jessica gasped softly, her eyes wide. "Can it be that this Zhu Yanxiao has been leaping across realms to defeat all his adversaries?!"

"He is a master worthy of respect!" Kelvin remarked solemnly.

"Then what does 'moving bricks' mean...?" Jessica inquired, thoroughly perplexed.

"Cultivating internal energy!" Boss Fang replied, his face twitching slightly.

"Ah..."

"And now... let us once more offer our congratulations to our three contestants!" Mu Donglai turned his torso toward the stage. "Please bestow the awards upon our victors!"

"Oh come on! Why didn't they interview me?!" Jiang Xiaoyue stamped her feet in a fit of pique.

As Gu Tingyun claimed the championship in StarCraft, the grand tournament known as the World's Number One Martial Arts Assembly finally drew its curtains to a close.

A few of the outlanders were evidently left craving for more, the lingering excitement still buzzing in their veins.

Magnificent, sweeping interstellar wars and fiercely contested battles at the very pinnacle of skill—they had never imagined that their journey here would bear witness to scenes so deeply stirring to the soul.

From the Ranger King’s desperate, turn-about counterattack, to the breathtaking, singular stroke of the Black Light Blademaster, and then to the sudden, meteoric rise of the dark horse, Rain of the Forest, not to mention those grand, sweeping space campaigns.

If these people had merely been a gathering of ignorant natives in their eyes before, then now...

Jessica muttered, "I keep feeling that something isn't quite right..."

Kelvin added, "I feel it too..."

Karl questioned, "Do they truly possess such formidable strength?"

The conversation among the few was strictly confined within a minuscule barrier of space, ensuring that their words would naturally escape the ears of outsiders.

With deep suspicion flashing in her eyes, Jessica whispered, "Such battles are indeed magnificent, but isn't using them to make fools of us going a bit too far?!"

Indeed, though it was spectacular, the entire affair was riddled with peculiarities; her sharp intuition told her that there were far too many doubtful points hidden beneath the surface.

And at that very moment, they happened to see the ordinary youth sitting beside them, wearing sunglasses, taking a blissfully satisfied sip of his iced black tea.

The air around them seemed to subtly thicken with an exceedingly dangerous aura.

These outlanders were by no means fools. Though they had been ignorant at the start, awed into submission by the cinematic trailers and the combat of the competitive matches, a deeper look over time was bound to expose the numerous inconsistencies.

"We are, after all, the crusaders of the Divine Pantheon..." A dark, cold sneer curled upon Jessica's lips.

"We won't be fooled so easily by this nonsense!" Karl scoffed.

"Beep!"

Right at that instant, a system prompt chimed in Boss Fang’s mind:

Task: The Path of Competition (Completed)

Task Content: Please host an official competitive tournament. StarCraft and Dungeon & Fighter will unlock ladder ranking and arena tier modes. The top 64 players in the rankings are eligible to participate in this tournament.

Task Rewards: 3 days in the Game Cultivation Room, 1 Divine Weapon Fragment, 1 Lucky Competitive Gift Box (Contains multiple random in-game items from the competitive titles).

"Would you like to claim the rewards?"

"Yes."

Boss Fang was currently focusing his entire mind on inspecting what manner of treasures lay within his rewards.

"Would you like to open the Lucky Competitive Gift Box?"

A surge of excitement rippled through Boss Fang's heart. "Yes!"

Obtained: Demonic Sword Apophis...

Obtained: Summoning Permission for Ghost and God: Phantom Sword Kaya.

Synchronization rate for the game character Soul Bringer (Soul Master Awakening) +4%

Obtained: Summoning Permission for Ghost and God: Ice Saya.

Synchronization rate for the game character Soul Bringer +3%

Obtained: Summoning Permission for Ghost and God: Afterimage of Keiga.

Synchronization rate for the game character Soul Bringer +3%

Obtained...

Before Fang Qi could even finish skimming through the long list of acquisitions that followed, an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

Beside him, Jessica's expression grew colder by the second. Having previously operated under the preconception that these people possessed genuine, terrifying strength, she had interpreted many things in a completely different light. Now that she looked back and reconsidered, the whole display felt increasingly fraudulent.

"These natives! We have undoubtedly been played for fools by these savages!"

Crack!

Karl's face darkened in equal measure, the wine cup in his hand instantly crushed into fine powder.

"Detestable..." Just as Jessica was preparing to say more, a voice suddenly drifted over from her side.

"You lot... haven't you forgotten to give me my wager?"

"???" The three of them instantly turned their cold, piercing glares upon him.

This man actually had the audacity to ask for his winnings?!

Did he truly not know how to spell the word 'death'?!

"What's that look for? Don't tell me you intend to default on your debt?"

"You—!" The group was rendered utterly speechless, their faces practically contorting with rage.

"Since you want your wager so badly, then come with me." Jessica let out a cold snort and swept out of the tournament venue.

"Hmph!" Karl followed closely behind her.

"What's the big deal? Why does collecting a simple wager have to be so troublesome?" Boss Fang scratched his head and tag-along behind them.

Before long, under the guidance of the three, they arrived outside the borders of the Yuanyang City.

Past the city walls, they came to a rather secluded mountain cliff, nestled within a small grove of pines and bamboo.

They were clearly a considerable distance away from Yuanyang City now; in a place like this, no soul would ever know what transpired.

"Should we..." Karl made a swift slicing motion across his throat.

"No need!" A bewitching, seductive smile bloomed on Jessica's face. "It is rare that I have laughed so hard today that I could barely stand straight. How long has it been since I last felt such amusement? I am in an excellent mood today, so we shall let this little native keep his miserable life."

"Taking him back to give him a good, thorough taming wouldn't be half bad, ahahahaha—!"

Kelvin said, "Indeed. I believe we ought to first let this wretched, low-born native understand exactly who we are!"

Faking their identities as Western Domain locals had been far too stifling; not only were they looked down upon everywhere, but even a commoner merely at the Martial King realm dared to ignore them.

At that moment, Fang Qi, finding it strange, was just about to speak.

The few individuals seemed to have finished their discussion and turned around. A wicked, charming smile surfaced in Jessica's eyes, and two golden spiritual runes slowly emerged upon her forehead, looking exceedingly divine and wondrous.

Her entire aura shifted abruptly; if before she merely resembled a Western Domain beauty, she now seemed akin to a golden-haired temptress serpent.

Her slender fingers brushed across Fang Qi's face: "Do you know who we are? Ahehehe..."

A burst of shrill laughter ensued.

The aura of the three individuals skyrocketed abruptly. Just a moment ago, Fang Qi had clearly felt they were merely three ordinary Western Domain martial artists, but in this split second, he discovered that these three actually...

Stood before him like a terrifying, gargantuan mountain peak!

Accompanying the radiance of the golden runes on their foreheads, it was as if three transcendent beings were standing right before Fang Qi!

Boss Fang's expression grew somewhat dazed.

This...!!??

How did you guys suddenly become so formidable?!

Are these still the same three clamoring Western Domain natives who were just sitting beside me?!

Seeing Fang Qi's thoroughly dazed expression, Jessica was immensely satisfied.

"Though I intend to spare your miserable life, you are the very first to make us suffer such indignity for so long! We have no intention of forgiving your transgressions!"

"To think you dared to deceive us, and now you still want your wager?" Jessica laughed so heartily that her body trembled, a small silver dagger held between her fingers. "Should I call you ignorant, or should I call you bold? Do you know what this is? The Cursed Blade, Laca. Every single slash..."

Before her words could finish, Boss Fang, from Lord knows where, pulled out a massive, dark purple demonic sword—the Demonic Sword Apophis!

The three of them stared at the sword Fang Qi had produced out of thin air: "!!??"

.