Chapter 101: The Little Guy's Scheme

Driven by his yearning for life and longing for his family and friends, he summoned his courage once more and began to frantically slam his body and head against the ground. "Come on, I can take it! I can take it! It doesn't hurt at all, not at all! No pain, no pain, no pain..."

The agony continued, and the matches on the arena were underway simultaneously. After bandaging his wounds, Fei Yan looked down at Death Spirit Sword. Seemingly unable to tolerate Death Spirit Sword's dawdling, Fei Yan opened his mouth and urged him, "Hurry up and throw the dice! I told you, it's more than enough for me to handle all of you!"

Glancing up at Fei Yan, Death Spirit Sword didn't reply. With a casual flick of his wrist, he threw the dice. Having been proven wrong twice already, he had no intention of being mocked by this little runt again. Watching the dice roll to a stop on the ground, two names faced upward, revealing the next matchup: Tiny versus White Shadow.

"Hmph!" Seeing the result, Fei Yan snorted in dissatisfaction and turned to walk off the stage. After two rounds of fighting, although he still had the strength to continue, he couldn't very well object since he had agreed to the rules. With a gloomy expression, he stepped down and found a secluded spot to sit.

Seeing the outcome of Death Spirit Sword's throw, White Shadow and Tiny raised no objections. They stepped onto the arena, taking their positions to the left and right of the referee. Standing silently on the stage, the two opponents simply gazed at each other without saying a word.

"The third match of the semifinals: White Shadow from Team Qin Xiaochuan versus Tiny from the New World Team. The match begins!"

Without a word, both fighters drew their weapons simultaneously and began to swing them.

White Shadow still wielded his iron-cleaving whip. Looking at his lifeless, extremely short opponent, he flicked his wrist, sending the Rose Whip darting toward Tiny. Seeing the whip, Tiny casually swung his fishing rod. Despite his diminutive stature, Tiny's movements were incredibly swift and deft. The silver thread on his rod danced through the air, completely blocking White Shadow's whip. The two soft weapons intertwined in midair.

"Both fighters have drawn similar weapons, and their dazzling offense is truly a sight to behold!" Watching the silky, fluid attacks of the two on stage, Miss Xingmeng exclaimed to the packed audience. "Both are using whip-like weapons for their assaults. It's hard to imagine how such flexible weapons can be controlled, yet both fighters not only wield their weapons' attributes flawlessly but also successfully parry their opponent's strikes. Their weapons are now rapidly intertwining, sparking intense collisions in the space between them. It's absolutely spectacular, an impenetrable defense! And the speed at which they swing is simply blinding; it's making my eyes spin! Truly magnificent!"

'What is this guy doing? He's not using his real skills,' White Shadow wondered, feeling puzzled as he looked at Tiny. From the moment he stepped onto the stage, the guy had been lifeless and listless, and his fishing rod was only used for defense, rarely initiating an attack. What was he thinking?

"Please keep attacking while you listen to me," Tiny said, swinging his fishing rod and closing in on White Shadow, whispering softly, "There's something I need to ask of you! Please, you must agree to it!"

"!? "

"Don't stop, please keep attacking!" Seeing White Shadow pull back his whip, Tiny quickly flicked his fishing line forward, and the two whips tangled once more. "I am a puppet doll abandoned in the Demon Realm. Because I yearned for the light, I followed Lord Ba and the others to the Mortal Realm, hoping to gain the right to live under the sun. I entered this martial arts tournament that can grant any wish. But through my interactions with Lord Ba and Death Spirit Sword, I realized they merely treat us as tools to satisfy their desire for fame and status. Black Demon Sha and Brother Monkey were the same, exploited by that scoundrel Death Spirit Sword, which cost them their lives. It's utterly despicable! After seeing their true colors, I refuse to be used by them anymore. Although I crave the light and long to stay in the mortal world forever, I simply cannot bring myself to kill for selfish desires. I just can't!" Looking at White Shadow, Tiny's eyes revealed a pleading gaze. "So, please kill me! End my suffering! I beg you!"

"......"

Seeing that White Shadow didn't answer, Tiny tiptoed and caught up, flicking the fishing line from his rod. He said to White Shadow, "The moment I launch my next attack, I will make a mistake. That will be my signal. Please, end my suffering at that moment! I beg you!"

"...I understand." Looking into Tiny's pleading eyes, White Shadow didn't continue his assault. Instead, he pulled his whip back and guarded his chest. "Even if you have lost faith in your companions, as long as there is light in your heart, you will always see the true light. Just like me. Though I was pulled out of the Demon Realm and reborn in the Mortal Realm, accepting and facing everything before me and striving to live on—that is the greatest proof of all!"

"You're truly a good person!......"

Hearing White Shadow's words, a joyful expression spread across Tiny's face. At this moment, the speed of White Shadow's whip seemed to slow down, lacking its previous fierce momentum. However, having seemingly made up his mind to let White Shadow kill him, Tiny stumbled slightly while dodging the Rose Whip, losing his balance and pitching forward. Seeing Tiny in danger, White Shadow hastily retracted his whip.

"Ugh......"

"Ah!?"

'Now!'

Sensing White Shadow pull back his attack, Tiny's expression suddenly shifted. He lunged forward with lightning speed, swinging his razor-sharp fishing line and slashing it across White Shadow's arms. The sharp line carved deep wounds into both of White Shadow's arms. Having landed his strike, Tiny smugly stepped aside and reeled in his fishing rod. Looking at White Shadow, who was crouching on the ground clutching his arms, a sly and wicked smile of triumph spread across his face. "Hahahahaha! You really are too kind, White Shadow!"

It turned out that to easily defeat his opponent, that entire story and his demeanor upon stepping onto the stage were all an act. He had played the part so convincingly that even the ever-cautious White Shadow was deceived by his acting. The yearning for light, the deception by Death Spirit Sword—it was all just a ploy to evoke White Shadow's sympathy.

White Shadow had indeed been too deeply influenced by humans. He seemed to have forgotten that mercy toward the enemy is the greatest cruelty to oneself—the cruelest and only rule for survival in the Demon Realm.

With the tendons in both arms severed, White Shadow quickly retrieved the herbal seeds that staunch blood from behind his head. Using his demonic power, he catalyzed them into fruit, crushed them, and applied the pulp to the wounds on his arms.

Watching White Shadow's movements, Tiny seemed to have other plans. He didn't step forward to stop him. Standing a short distance away, the little runt smugly swung his fishing line in the air. "To trust others so easily, you're truly foolish! Having died once in the Demon Realm and still trusting people so readily? You've truly spent too much time with humans and forgotten the laws of survival in the Demon Realm. Hahahahaha!" After swinging his fishing rod in the air, Tiny continued, "I just squeezed out a few tears, and you believed me so easily. It's laughable! But pity and compassion—such luxuries are nothing but a joke for us creatures of the Demon Realm! Just like you! Hahahahaha!"

"......"

"We are witnessing an astonishing reversal on the arena! Tiny, who initially seemed distracted, has actually exploited White Shadow's sympathy to expose a fatal flaw, causing White Shadow to lose the initiative in an instant. The wounds on his arms might hinder his performance, and it remains to be seen if he can still wield his whip effectively. However, the rapidly flowing blood seems to have been stopped by White Shadow! Truly astonishing! Tiny's outstanding acting has turned the tide of the entire match. Moving just a few tears upon stepping onto the stage to touch White Shadow's heart, he swiftly seized his opponent's opening! How will the disadvantaged and injured White Shadow mount a counterattack from the brink of defeat? Let's wait and see!"

Seeing White Shadow still crouching on the ground without moving, Tiny dropped his smile and swung his fishing rod, lashing out at White Shadow again. Seeming to harbor immense hatred toward White Shadow, Tiny swung his fishing line with all his might, striking at White Shadow without the slightest sound of tearing air.

Having already reconnected his severed tendons, White Shadow flipped backward to dodge Tiny's fishing line attack. It was not yet suitable for him to continue swinging his arms vigorously; if he exerted too much force before the wounds fully healed, the newly reconnected tendons would tear open again, making them difficult to heal. Thus, pursued by Tiny, White Shadow began to dodge around the arena to buy time.

It seemed Tiny had deliberately cornered him near the edge of the arena. During another backward flip, the pants on White Shadow's thigh were suddenly slashed open by something sharp. Looking at the cut on his thigh, a shocked expression appeared on White Shadow's face. This... this was the fishing line!

Looking at the glints of light reflecting off the surroundings of the arena under the sunlight, the entire fighting stage was now crisscrossed with sharp fishing lines. These fine threads were extremely concealed; without the glinting light, they would be nearly impossible for the naked eye to detect. Besides their exceptional stealth, the sharpness of the threads far exceeded his imagination. With just a light brush against them, his thigh was deeply slashed, as if struck by a sharp sword. Blood instantly soaked his pant leg, dripping down from the hem.