Chapter 44

Hanging in mid-air with no support, Xu Dong did his best to protect himself in this critical moment. Facing the imminent fierce attack, Xu Dong couldn't help but let out a fierce roar, instantly activating his innate skill.

The moment the skill was activated, the muscles in Xu Dong's arms rapidly bulged, the lines resembling hard rocks, giving a powerful impression. He was now in an awakened state, with his innate skill's enhancement reaching 75%. He swung the triangular bayonet and thrust it towards the green steel round shield.

The triangular bayonet was entangled by the steel wire that was ejected from the shield's internal mechanism. As it was suddenly activated, a powerful force instantly acted on the steel wire, causing it to vibrate violently, even tilting the green steel round shield. When the hard triangular bayonet hit the green steel round shield, both sides heard a sharp, ear-piercing sound that echoed and dissipated.

A "ding" sound was heard...

The two people at the forefront instantly experienced a brief loss of hearing.

The world before Xu Dong suddenly fell into an eerie silence. He could clearly see that the green steel round shield, with his final blow, was severely deflected. Instead of striking his head as intended, it now hit his chest after tilting.

His chest visibly caved in at a visible speed and then slowly recovered. In that instant, Xu Dong heard the groaning of his bones and the sound of fluid crazily seeping into his chest cavity. At the same time, an indescribable and terrifying pain surged into his heart, and the powerful force sent him flying.

Not knowing what technique the other party used, a dizzying sensation rose along with his blood, bones, and skin, finally affecting his head, making the world spin and stars appear before his eyes.

The steel wire ultimately couldn't withstand the force and snapped. Everyone could see Xu Dong being helplessly flung out, vomiting two large mouthfuls of blood in mid-air, and then heavily landing on the ground, rolling two more times before stopping.

To say that Mad Bull was unscathed would be a joke. When the 175% enhanced force hit, his arm was already completely numb, and he could hardly feel his right hand. This was why he was stunned in such a critical moment.

Mad Bull, like a man waking from a dream, realized that victory was just a step away. Seeing his opponent's condition, he believed the resistance was largely lost. He began to run frantically towards Xu Dong, intending to finish him off and secure the victory, so he could claim the ten gold coins as a reward.

Just as Mad Bull quickly ran to Xu Dong, a clump of mud suddenly splashed up from the ground, shooting towards his eyes. In response to this attack, Mad Bull's body reacted first, barely raising his shield in a defensive posture. However, as soon as he made the move, his heart sank—

The shield blocking his view also obstructed his vision, didn't it?

A splashing sound echoed in his ears, like a large eel sliding through the mud. The next second, Mad Bull felt a bone-chilling cold object extend from the back of his neck and press against his throat. Of course, there was also Xu Dong's heavy, blood-stained breath.

Mad Bull lost!

The veteran Awakened, Mad Bull, lost.

This result made many of the villagers from Nangu Village excited and their faces flushed. The mysterious adventurer's chest heaved, clearly relieved. As the saying goes, some are happy, some are sad. Young Master Yang couldn't accept it and burst out cursing, "Mad Bull, you fool! You are a veteran Awakened with such rich combat experience, and you can't even handle a new Awakened? Have you been living like a dog these past years?"

Xu Dong, panting, said softly, "Mad Bull, thank you for the match."

He didn't dare to let the other party go easily but gradually retreated, fearing that Mad Bull might lash out in anger. Fortunately, Mad Bull only gritted his teeth, seemingly angry at his own carelessness at the last moment, but he still showed a sense of dignity.

After the battle, Xu Dong returned to the side of the arena. He looked quite disheveled, covered in mud, and the heavy blow to his chest made him cough occasionally, sometimes even coughing up blood.

Beijiao Daxiong, who knew about Xu Dong's certain special abilities, approached and asked carefully, "Do you need me to get some food?"

Xu Dong shook his head; he didn't want to reveal this ability to others.

Beijiao Daxiong sighed and said, "I'll go next. You take this time to rest. If you fight two consecutive matches, I'm afraid..."

Before Daxiong could finish, the adventurer interjected, "What's wrong with fighting two consecutive matches? If you can't handle such a challenge, how can you become stronger? Rest for a while, and then you go again."

Hearing the adventurer's blunt voice, Beijiao Daxiong was truly angry, "You're too much. Who are you, and why are you giving orders here?"

The adventurer remained indifferent, "Who I am is none of your business. I have my reasons for doing this. If he doesn't want to, I can leave immediately. Anyway, it's none of my business, and I don't care about your lives."

Beijiao Daxiong, who wasn't one to enjoy quarrels, was so angry that he was about to start a fight when Xu Dong pulled him back, "I have a plan. I'll go next. Keep an eye on the bayonet and don't let him run away at a critical moment."

On the other side, Young Master Yang's curses grew more intense, almost ready to roll up his sleeves and fight. Mad Bull, knowing he was in the wrong, remained silent, which made Young Master Yang find it less and less interesting. Finally, he took a deep breath, "Who's next?"

If it were before Mad Bull's match, the round-faced man or Hanbi might have vied for the chance to please. However, after their battle, they realized that the so-called new Awakened might not be an easy opponent. A slight misstep could result in a loss of both reputation and benefits, which would be a bad deal.

After hesitating for a long time, Hanbi finally responded, "I'll go next."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Young Master Yang said, "You once lost to the bayonet. If you can defeat the opponent today, it will indirectly prove that you are stronger than the bayonet. This opportunity won't come again, so seize it."

Ten minutes quickly passed, and Hanbi entered the arena, closing his eyes to adjust his state.

Xu Dong, having caught his breath and feeling about 80% of his combat strength, also entered the arena.

The adventurer's voice quickly sounded in Xu Dong's ear, "This person is an agile-type Awakened like you, and his Cold Blooded Demon Body Armor ranks higher than Mad Bull's, at 95th place. I suggest you don't hold back in this battle; otherwise, you won't just lose. You will die a very miserable and painful death."

Xu Dong nodded slightly, understanding what to do.

Upon entering the arena, Hanbi had already activated his flesh armor. The armor appeared on his right hand, and unlike what Xu Dong had seen before, this arm's flesh armor was a light purple, evoking the image of frozen pork that had been refrigerated until it was hard.

Hanbi's weapon was a thin, blade-like dagger. The dagger was not only thin but also felt soft and delicate. It could be completely wrapped in a closed hand, giving a sense of unease and fear.

Xu Dong, as usual, used the Insight skill.

Race: Human

Name: Hanbi

Level: 1st Tier 1 Star Awakened

Description: Hanbi has a twelve-year military career as a elite soldier but had an unfortunate fate and did not obtain a divine fruit. After retiring, he entered the Yang family's service and gained the opportunity to understand the power of the flesh armor.

Abilities:

Cold Blooded Demon Body Armor: Through the cold emitted by the Cold Blooded Demon Body Armor, it uses the weapon as a medium to penetrate the enemy without discrimination when causing damage. When the cold accumulates to a certain level, it will cause a slowing or freezing negative effect on the enemy. Each time a slowing or freezing negative effect appears, the total duration is 2 seconds.

Xu Dong's heart tightened. According to Hanbi's ability description, to achieve a slowing or freezing negative effect, the cold must accumulate to a certain concentration. He boldly speculated that this Awakened's combat style likely focused on attack speed.

Given his current state, he was most afraid of such fast opponents. Without a clear advantage, his injuries would become his most fatal weakness. It was no wonder the adventurer advised him to use his full strength.

Thinking about this, Xu Dong felt a strange sensation. Listening to her, it seemed she knew him very well, which was quite odd. He even felt that she must have some ulterior motive, otherwise, the current situation wouldn't make sense.

As for what she might be after, Xu Dong couldn't figure it out for the moment.

While he was distracted, Hanbi had already taken the initiative. His movement speed wasn't as fast as expected, not much different from a new Awakened. He quickly approached, his body bent forward, his eyes sharply focused on Xu Dong, like a leopard in the forest, agile and intensely focused.

Before he even got close, a cold light already slashed out. The blade was so sharp that it seemed to split the air, emitting a piercing whistle. A cold, chilling aura rushed towards Xu Dong, giving him a feeling like suddenly entering an air-conditioned room on a hot summer day.

Xu Dong lightly raised his hand to block, and the two daggers clashed with a "ding." Then their figures crossed.

In the instant they crossed, they quickly exchanged two more attacks, creating a dizzying spectacle.

A piece of tattered cloth flew out, lightly spinning and landing. Xu Dong's arm was cut, but strangely, no blood flowed. Instead, a faint coldness seeped into the wound, like a venomous snake lying in wait.