I Can Do Anything?

Fatty Wang's cheeks jiggle as he laughs and cheers. "Lin Wei, Lin Wei! Beat that bastard! Hahaha!"

Xuan Wu's face is red, fists clenched.

For the past few minutes since the fights started, Chen Xi has been getting beat.

Out of the four fights, Chen Xi's fight seems to be quickly coming to an end.

They both exchange attacks on a small battlefield.

"Haha, how could you be this weak?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Lin Wei lunges at Chen Xi, sucker punching him. "Take this!"

Chen Xi spits out blood, looking at the audience for a moment. His eyes tremble slightly as he spots his master.

"T-that's right, I'll have to use that thing..."

Chen Xi backs away slightly, and then circulates his qi and blood.

Being in the qi gathering realm, qi cannot extend outside of the body, as it is fickle and unbridled.

But... there is an exception.

Certain techniques involving blood and essence can force the qi to obey for a moment, allowing the qi gathering cultivator to use an out-of-body attack for one move.

Normally, these types of techniques should only be used in life or death situations, but Chen Xi couldn't give a single fuck.

A single move. That is all it will take to defeat the second layer Lin Wei.

But of course it comes at a cost. But Chen Xi's heart is stable, his eyes have never once left his master.

Glancing at his opponent, Chen Xi's childish innocence slowly fades from his gaze, replaced by an odd wisdom.

Lin Wei's fingers start trembling. He feels as if this Chen Xi in front of him isn't the Chen Xi he'd known and bullied since arriving at the sect.

"A bully... you're a bully." Chen Xi states with a cold, emotionless voice.

"Chen Xi, w-what's wrong with you?" Lin Wei stutters, and then he shakes his head, chuckling. "No, what's wrong with me? Am I really afraid of a weakling like you?"

Lin Wei cracks his knuckles, and then he charges at Chen Xi. "In this competition, you were doomed to lose, so why even join? Aha!"

The distance between them is so close... yet so far.

From around Chen Xi, a wind starts building.

But this is no ordinary wind, no, this wind has a particular colour to it—a deep, dark green.

"You've crossed my limits, my boundaries, and now I shall cross yours, begone!" Chen Xi roars, his qi roars alongside him.

"W-what do you mean by that?—"

Lin Wei snickers, already charging his fist.

And then,

he fell.

He just collapsed.

Right then and there.

No loud bangs, no flashy lights, he just fell.

The fact is, Chen Xi remains at the same spot, with the only difference being that his qi is no longer surrounding him, and that tears fall from his eyes.

"M-master! Forgive me!" His choked sobs and wilful tears confuse the stupefied audience for a moment.

"D-did he just defeat Lin Wei..."

"Are you drunk!"

"N-no really, Lin Wei is just lying there!"

"But he was just getting beat moments ago... don't tell me!"

After a few seconds, the audience strongly reacts.

"And why is he crying! Shouldn't he be happy!"

Fatty Wang drops the fried chicken he was holding, his eyes wide.

Xuan Wu is also frozen, he did not expect this outcome.

Fatty Wang's face goes red and then he shouts. "How dare you! Lame Wei!"

A collection of surprise, contempt, and gasps emanate from the audience.

Chen Xi stands there, still crying. "Master, I'm just so sorry!"

Meanwhile, Lin Wei lies there, dazed.

The announcer pauses for a moment, and then decides to announce Chen Xi's victory.

"It seems for stage one, the battle is over, and L—"

"I do not concede!"

Out of nowhere, Lin Wei stands up, his clothes muddied and face bruised.

"C-Chen Xi is a cheater!" He points an accusing finger, his voice piercing through the battleground.

"What is he talking about!"

"Chen Xi cheated? I mean, I kind of agree..."

"Yeah, how could a qi gathering cultivator have that sort of aura..."

"Silence, all of you."

From the middle of the elder stands, an old man arises, he shakily leans on his cane.

He smacks his lips, and then continues, "My disciple, Chen Xi, is not a cheater, he is a pure soul and fought with everything he had."

"Lies!"

Another elder springs up, his brows sharp and defined.

"Lin Wei is my disciple, and he doesn't throw accusations around like nothing! How bold of you, old Xi!"

The audience quiets down, elders are leagues above them after all.

"Y-you! How dare you!" Old Xi shouts, lifting his cane and slamming it onto the marble ground in a show of power.

"How should we settle this then? Huh?" Elder Kong, who was nearby comments.

The announcing crystal sounds for a minute, and then pauses. The sound was of an exhale.

"...Let's see."

Silence dominates the colosseum, not even the sound of rustling paper is heard. Even the other cultivators fighting have paused.

"Chen Xi has sacrificed blood and essence in order to execute a self-sacrificial technique... this violates at least three of the rules."

Chen Xi's old master clenches his teeth, taking in a deep breath. "Fine... I will admit, my disciple may have broken some of the rules, but he still sacrificed blood!"

"Silence, old fart, your shitty disciple broke the rules I have created, how arrogant." The crystal announces.

"Pfft...!"

The sound echoes through the silent stadium.

Fatty Wang struggles to hold his laugh in, earning a death glare from Old Xi, which causes him to gulp nervously.

"Furthermore, the tears of this child reek of exploitation, tell me Old Xi, did you force the poor child to overexert himself?"

Old Xi argues. "N-no, I told him not to use it!"

"Okay, sit down, we have no time for this." By a certain pressure, Old Xi is forced to sit down, along with the other elders.

Xuan Wu watches the confrontation with absolute confusion. "Do... do they not want to preserve any dignity for their elders? Do they just not care? And all this time I've believed cultivators revered face above all, guess I was wrong.

Old Xi's face is very red, he reeks of humiliation.

Chen Xi continues sobbing, pounding the sandy ground with his fist. "Damn it, damn it, I've failed you master! My cultivation, wuwuwu..."

Lin Wei takes a deep breath, walking up to Chen Xi.

"Do you... do you concede?" He asks with uncertainty.

"I can't believe this, no, I can't!"

"Chen Xi, do you concede or not!"

"I can't fight anymore, I'm a failure!"

Chen Xi stands up in a fit of rage and runs out of the battlefield, and out of the stadium.

The blue crystal shines and announces the first victory.

"For stage one, Lin Wei has attained victory, and Chen Xi lost by forfeit and cheating."

The audience perks up, cheering gladly.

Xuan Wu slumps in defeat.

"How is this fair? Just how shit is my luck."

Fatty Wang jumps up and down, shaking the seats and waving his fists. "Gold, gold, gold, all of the gold is for me!"

He chuckles and pats Xuan Wu's back. "Do not worry, brother, there are still more battles to go."

Xuan Wu's face is green. "But... but usually the underestimated and pitiful character always wins..."

The rest of the battles continue, with stage three already being completed right after stage one.

...