Chapter 113: Successfully Advancing to the Finals-Legend of the Netherworld Youth(Master of Cucumbers)

"Don't tell me you're already done for!" Seeing Master Jinghai struggling to rise from the spectator stands, Toshio felt smug once again. "I wanted to show you my remaining nine hundred and ninety-eight unique techniques, but to think you'd go down so quickly—what a disappointment, what a disappointment!"

*Clatter, clatter!*

Brushing off the debris, Master Jinghai stood up from the ground.

"Oh, quite a sturdy one, aren't you?" Seeing Master Jinghai rise as if nothing had happened, Toshio felt a flicker of irritation. This was his most prized move; while not his most powerful, the fact that she could stand up unscathed after being struck by seven different energy waves suggested she was far more formidable than she appeared. If that were the case, he would have to reveal his true strength to defeat this old woman.

However, just as Toshio was deep in thought, Master Jinghai flashed forward, leaping from the stands onto the arena floor. Tossing an object in her hand, she said to him, "Your nose is quite pretty, you know. You might have become a legend even without the makeup!"

"!?"

Seeing the clown nose in Master Jinghai's hand, blood rushed to Toshio's head. He instinctively touched his face, and his expression turned to one of utter horror. *The nose prosthetic... it's gone... that woman? When did she strike?*

"You! You wretch!"

Suddenly stripped of his nose by Master Jinghai, Toshio was overcome with rage. He had never lost face in front of so many people. He hadn't expected to suffer such a naked, blatant humiliation due to his own carelessness. Not only had his proudest technique failed to injure her, but she had even stolen his fake nose while he was attacking. It was utterly shameful!

For this self-proclaimed most powerful, invincible, and beautiful fighter, this was the ultimate insult. Even he, who took pride in his calm and didactic nature, let out a curse on the arena floor for the first time.

He despised those who used foul language from the bottom of his heart; he believed dirty words were the greatest defamation of the word "beauty." For a perfectionist like him, profanity was the most unacceptable thing.

Yet, after being provoked by Master Jinghai, the curse had slipped out of his own mouth. He felt immediate regret, though, strangely, he also felt a sense of relief after venting it.

Looking at the flustered Toshio, Master Jinghai appeared much more natural. Tossing the fake nose onto the stage, she clapped her hands and said, "I've said it before: I am no incarnation of justice. I simply do not show mercy to those I find distasteful." She pointed a finger at him. "And to deal with the likes of you, I don't even need to use spirit energy."

"What!? You damn... old hag!"

Hearing Toshio's venomous attack, Master Jinghai didn't retaliate. Instead, she shrugged her shoulders and began to bounce on the balls of her feet, as if warming up for a match. Her butterfly-like footwork looked light and agile. Throwing a few casual punches as if to loosen her arms, she began to lecture him. "As an heir to the Spirit Wave Fist, one requires a highly resilient body as a foundation. Compared to the unimaginable agony I've endured, your attacks just now were less than nothing."

"You old bag of bones! Stop looking down on me!" His pride wounded, Toshio erupted at Master Jinghai's words. He had never heard such a direct provocation. "I won't even use my demonic energy! I can defeat you with my physical strength alone!" With that, he flexed his entire body, the bulging muscles tearing his clothes apart to reveal a powerful, toned physique. It seemed he had put significant effort into his physical conditioning. "Explosive Steel Body! How about that? I don't know the extent of Sikong Lang's muscle density, but mine is surely not much lower!"

Hearing Toshio's ignorant and laughable words, Master Jinghai stopped her light exercises. She looked at him and gestured with her hand. "All of your moves are mere bluster and superficiality. Let me show you exactly where you've failed. It is true that you may have talent in crafting props and coordinating demonic energy, but if you mistake that for true strength, you are sorely mistaken. Compared to the Undead Sword, you are far, far weaker."

"—Shut your mouth!"

Unable to stand Master Jinghai's repeated taunts, Toshio leaped into the air and brought a fist crashing down toward her. The sheer force of the blow shattered the granite floor of the arena, proving that his punching power was considerable.

Dodging the steel fist, Master Jinghai leaped into the air, raised her arm, and swung a roundhouse punch squarely into Toshio's face, slamming him headfirst into the ground.

As soon as he hit the floor, Master Jinghai landed on his back and stomped down hard. The blow didn't look overly forceful, yet it nearly knocked the wind out of him. The entire audience heard a shrill, pig-like scream erupt from Toshio's throat—a sound so inhuman it seemed as if it had come from something other than a living person. Had Master Jinghai not held back, his spine would have been shattered.

Leaping off his back, Master Jinghai stood with her hands behind her back. She hooked her foot under his chin and kicked him up from the ground. A mouthful of blood sprayed out instantly. Hearing the sickening crunch of bone, it was clear his jaw had been broken—a crisp, haunting sound that made one's skin crawl. Her kick had been merciless.

Before Toshio's body could even hit the ground, Master Jinghai's Spirit Wave Fist rained down upon every inch of his skin. Though she did not use spirit energy, the speed and impact of her blows were absolute. After a volley of strikes as rapid as a machine gun, Toshio’s sturdy body was sent flying, landing with a heavy *thud* before falling completely silent.

"Oops, overdid it," she realized. Master Jinghai hurried over, crouched down, and grabbed Toshio by the hair. Seeing his mangled state—his face swollen like a pig's head and his eyes rolled back—she sighed. He was too fragile; he had fainted after just a few hits. "I wanted to see what you really looked like, but I suppose that's enough." Treating it as a trivial matter, she tossed his head aside, stood up, and brushed off her hands. She turned to Miss Xingmeng, who was still standing there with her mouth agape. "No need to count. He's completely out. Hurry up and announce the results."

Prompted by Master Jinghai, Miss Xingmeng snapped out of her shock. The speed of Master Jinghai's strikes had been so fast that she hadn't even had time to narrate the action. It was astonishing; the energetic clown Toshio had been beaten into a pulp in the blink of an eye. Master Jinghai was truly formidable.

Taking up her microphone, Miss Xingmeng hurriedly announced the result to the crowd. "Due to the fact that the contestant Toshio—the one who was previously disguised as Master Ba—has lost consciousness, the winner of this match is the masked contestant from Team Qin Xiaochuan, Master Jinghai! After five intense duels, Team Qin Xiaochuan has successfully eliminated the entire New World Team and earned their qualification for the finals of this Dark Martial Arts Tournament!"

After a morning of competition, thanks to the efforts of Bai Ying, Fei Yan, and Master Jinghai, Team Qin Xiaochuan had finally fought their way into the finals. Zhang Yang, who had been sent to a different dimension by Master Ba for the second time, had also returned; however, he remained lucky, landing in the same old arena as before. By the time he ran back, the semifinal had already concluded under the light-speed fists of Master Jinghai.

"Next, we invite the champions of the previous tournament, the members of the Sikong Team, to take the stage!"

Upon hearing the announcer Miss Xingmeng's words, the emotions of the entire crowd were ignited.

"Sikong!"

...

Aside from that one name, no other sound could be heard. Unlike the entrance of Team Qin Xiaochuan, the atmosphere in the arena turned electric the moment the afternoon matches began. The team entering was the reigning champion of the Dark Martial Arts Tournament. Including their last victory, the team led by Sikong Lang had won five consecutive tournaments. With five years of fan support and their long-standing fame among the yokai, the Sikong Team received a thunderous response the moment they appeared, bringing the arena to a fever pitch.

As the gate for the Sikong Team opened, Sikong Lang's brother, Sikong Ming, the long-haired, effeminate man, and the silent, heavy-armored masked man stepped onto the battlefield.

"Wait? Where's Sikong Lang? Why didn't he come?"

"Yeah, there are only three of them. Where is the last member of the Sikong Team? We haven't seen him at all!"

"I heard the members of the Dark Elf Team who made it into the semifinals are also very strong!"

...