Dark Moon Era

Chapter 191: I Challenge All Of You (3 in 1)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Who would care about Tang Ling amidst the cheers?

There were several warriors beside Tang Ling who heard him and they showed sympathy him, but asking for an explanation at this kind of timing was a little immature of him. A friend dying on the battlefield was a common occurrence for warriors, especially in a cruel battlefield like this.

Listening to the cheers that enveloped the sky and land while watching the show that Clyne and Aber put up, Tang Ling sneered at all of them with a cold chuckle. He told Christina, “Take care of Vian.” He then strode forward to the Patrol Ground.

Clyne arrived at Aber’s side where two other Purple Moon Warriors were using a warcry to deliver the victory announcement. They told stories about how great Aber was during the battle and his valiance when facing the enemies, and how he defended the enemies’ onslaught and gained the right to negotiate.

Aber was all smiles, but his eyes were fixed on Tang Ling. Even though Andrew had messed up the plan, this kid returned to the Hope Barrier in the end and as long as he remained in Safety Sector No. 17, there would be no chance for him to escape.

The most regretful thing was that Aber could no longer claim the credit for himself because having Tang Ling back at the Hope Barrier would be a disastrous outcome. This particular consequence would clash with the forces hiding in the dark.

Aber would need to borrow the strength from his family and the other alliance. With that thought in mind, he looked at Andrew begrudgingly. The bastard of the family had tried to snatch the credit from him and ruin his plans.

One thing worth noting was that for the sake of the plan, Aber had asked his mother to custom make the faulty tactical movement disk. He even requested his mother to reach out to a certain ally just to get contact with a general of the Underground race, all to put Tang Ling in a certain death situation.

“And that is how Lord Aber seized the enemy’s captain and forced the Underground race to cease fire, hence granting us the right to negotiate.” The Purple Moon Warriors ended their story on a high note, their faces full of respect and gratitude.

Those who heard the Purple Moon Warriors felt a little humbled by the story. They learned that the Purple Moon Warriors did not achieve a great victory but negotiated their way to a temporary peace.

However, on second thought, the disastrous outcome was stopped by the Agnes family, particularly the grandfather and grandson together. Aber also led the Purple Moon Warriors deep into the enemy’s territory, so even though they had to negotiate to reach an accord, it granted the Hope Barrier much needed peace and the window to recover.

In this era, one should not demand too much since achieving harmony was probably the best outcome. Therefore, the cheers got louder.

Clyne also reached Aber in perfect timing. He spread his arms and wanted to hug his grandson tightly.

The grand show was reaching its finale, but it was at that moment, an irritating discord echoed throughout the Hope Barrier.

“I want an explanation.”

Everyone was stunned as a loud and arrogant voice with a tinge of sorrow and anger interrupted their celebration.

What the hell happened? It was time for songs about heroism and celebration, yet someone was demanding an explanation. What kind of explanation?

The people started to search for the source of the voice, then they noticed at the highest point of the Hope Barrier on an observatory, stood a young man.

He was not tall and was somewhat skinny. His black hair was wet and his battle uniform was torn coupled with injuries on his body. Despite not being in good shape, he stood straight. His hand gripped the loudspeaker that the camps used to announce incoming enemies. He looked calm and fearless. Under his foot were a few observatory officers that were tied up, grunting in muffled voices.

“Arrest him,” Aber instructed after a quick glance at Tang Ling.

Several warriors emerged from the crowd and strode towards the newcomer.

With contempt and disdain apparent on his face, Tang Ling continued, “So, all you got was a negotiation, am I right? What exactly are the negotiated terms? Let me guess: temporary peace between both sides?

“Such peace won’t even last for a week. Why? Think about it. The enemy’s main forces have amassed and broken through the tactical passages. Does the Hope Barrier still have what it takes to maintain the peace? Think! The tactical passages have fallen and with the enemy’s forces gathered, how can the Purple Moon Warriors go back down there and defend the line?

“Is this what you call war credits? This is a goddamned disgusting betrayal! I believe that in the near future, the Underground race will build their own fortress beside the Hope Barrier and coexist with the Hope Barrier just to share the Universal Source Rock.

“After that, the people will happily realize that the Underground race is walking on the streets of Safety Sector No. 17, eating and drinking wine with everyone! What a beautiful scene it will be, living in harmony with the enemy!”

His voice was irritating and his words were depressing, but it made a lot of sense. The cheers were stuck in everyone’s throats, and they felt as if they had just been slapped in the face.

“This is betrayal in the name of war, get it? Does anyone care to know who betrayed us? And now he wants to arrest me? How shameful is he? Look at my injuries. I’m also a warrior who came back from the underground, and this is how you treat a warrior who put his life on the line?”

The few warriors who were on their way to the observatory were moved by what Tang Ling said.

Arrest him? Even though there was no confirmation about what he just said, he was indeed one of the warriors who had just came back.

The warriors looked at Aber who was deeply shaken. Tang Ling had shared the truth. It was very similar to the terms that he had negotiated with the Underground race!

Should Tang Ling be arrested? His words directly affected the Agnes family. Anyone who was not an idiot would understand the hint that lay in his words.

If Aber disregarded the consequences and arrested Tang Ling, the show that the Agnes family put up would be ruined as it would make the whole family look guilty.

When Aber failed to reach a decision, his grandfather, Clyne, stared at him with a profound gaze as though he was to blame for all this. He whispered, “Are you still planning to keep it a secret?”

At the same time, complicated emotions started to take over everyone’s thoughts. Although it was not easy to verify what Tang Ling said at the moment, what had the Purple Moon Warriors achieved in this battle? It seemed like what the young man said was correct.

The two Purple Moon Warriors had avoided the details when they announced the victor. They had skipped the part about the enemy’s force remaining in the tactical passages and Sector R being taken. They also had not mentioned how many enemies were killed.

In reference to that, the young man seemed to be telling the truth!

Everyone else was shaken since they, too, were warriors and they knew war intimately. If it really was temporary peace, it was not the time for celebration. They should seize the moment and gather whatever they had to prepare for another war, a war much harder than the one before deep in the underground.

They would need to eliminate the enemies that occupied Sector R and take over the tactical passages. However, no one dared to suggest so.

Where was the castellan? Where were the speaker and deputy speaker of the Parliament? Where were the senators? Why did the Agnes family lead the Purple Moon Warriors to battle in the first place?

Anyone who was not an idiot would understand the real situation in the safety sector.

Distress started to spread in the people’s hearts, but to leave Safety Sector No. 17 was a joke! Life had taught the people many experiences and one of them was to survive. As long as they could breathe, they could live alive.

“So, is an explanation that hard? Why are you forcing everyone to look so sour?” Tang Ling stood in the rain with a foot on the edge of the observatory.

“Madness!” Yang Kong was speechless except for that word that rung in his head.

“He’s deranged.” Some of them in the crowd shared the same thought too.

What explanation was that important? Would Tang Ling consider a retreat after all this? He was bringing all those dark secrets under the light and would not stop until he got what he sought.

The Agnes family could go all shameless on him, but Tang Ling did not care. The worse it got, the better it was to him. All he wanted was a chance, an opportunity to send Vian off and let her rest in peace. He also needed a chance to lay low and gather more goodwill. He needed a chance to kill.

“What explanation do you seek?” After Aber revealed the truth to Clyne in a whisper, he was forced to stand up to stop Tang Ling.

Compared to Aber, Clyne was the truly cunning one. He did not care about all this farce that Tang Ling was putting on. He believed Aber was still too young to handle this, but he obtained something very important from his grandson and had to deal with it right away. He told Aber, “Stall him.”

Stall him? Aber was confused. Should they not use the Agnes family’s remaining advantage to label Tang Ling as a madman who was spewing nonsense just so they could arrest him?

However, Aber did not dare disobey Clyne’s order. It was a brazen fact that he ought to seize all the credits for himself but failed, so he still had to rely on his family.

Tang Ling expected the stall, so he looked at Aber with a disdainful gaze. “What explanation? How can a bastard like you not know? You’ve lived for 20 over years and all you’ve learned is to play dumb? Look at that! My friend, my squadmate, a beautiful girl died because of a bastard’s scheme. Even though this bastard’s scheme was messed up by another bastard, she’s still dead. Now, do you know what explanation I’m asking for?” Tang Ling wiped the rain off his face and stepped on the edge of the observatory.

“What are you blabbering about? I offer my condolences for your friend’s death, but war is cruel. Every day, a warrior dies on the battlefield. There are rules and order in the Hope Barrier, and if you suspect that your friend died because of a scheme, there’s a court martial for that. If everyone starts to throw a tantrum just because of suspicion, the Hope Barrier will be nothing but a big fat joke!

“I need you to calm down. Your friend needs a proper burial. Take him away.” Aber sucked in a deep breath and turned a deaf ear to Tang Ling calling him a bastard. He gave a perfect reason to reject Tang Ling.

The other warriors received the order and strode towards the observatory.

Tang Ling did not care. When the warriors were behind him and trying to arrest him, he dished out a few kicks and kicked them off the observatory.

“Are you challenging Safety Sector No. 17 with your insolent actions?” Aber raised a brow.

“No, I’m just thinking that my position is rather low! Let me ask you this, Aber. If you die because of some bloody conspiracy today, will the respectful Clyne Agnes wait for the court martial to start the trial?”

Clyne did not answer. Instead, he glanced at Tang Ling coldly. He then turned to his communication device and whispered something into it.

“I guessed as much. I suppose even the Purple Moon Warriors here won’t ask for an explanation if a friend of yours died because of some conspiracy, let alone you, Aber. You’ll wait for the so-called court martial to get things right, but based on what I’ve heard, it wasn’t like that. Aren’t the Purple Moon Warriors given a special right called the right to duel? It allows you to directly challenge your enemy, doesn’t it? And I suppose this particular right is also given to a class 1 noble aside from the Purple Moon Warriors. That is why I said that my position is too low.”

No one answered him. Even Aber was rendered speechless by the shock. What did Tang Ling mean by saying all that? Was he starting to complain about the ranking system? How should he reply?

The Fierce Dragon Squad remained under the rain. Some of them started to try to patch Amir up on the spot, but it was futile. All they could do was barely keep him alive. Vian’s body was lying in the center among them.

The scene made them look helpless and pitiful, but every one of them was looking at Tang Ling, wondering what he was trying to do to uphold justice for Vian.

“So,” Tang Ling roared as he ripped his battle uniform away, revealing the dozen of wounds on his body. They were eye-catching even under the rain, “I, Tang Ling, have decided to fight for proper identity and position. Who am I? I’m just a New Moon Warrior in the First Reserved Camp who’s the last on the ranking list.

“I now officially declare that I’m challenging everyone in the ranking list of the First Reserved Camp! I’ll continue fighting for first place, and if that isn’t enough, I’ll continue to challenge the Purple Moon Warriors so that I have the right to duel!

“The right to challenge is a holy act. Who dares reject me?” Tang Ling drew his longsword from his back and pointed it toward the First Reserved Camp.

“This is madness!” Yang Kong was panic-stricken. Was Tang Ling that powerful to challenge the whole First Reserved Camp? What was he trying to do? Give Vian a proper explanation?

“That little madman! Haha!” Further away from the battlefield ruins on top of a little hill, Su Yao was holding the communication device, and when he heard what Tang Ling said, he laughed out loud.

The man beside him snatched the device away. “Hey, Old Su, let me listen too!”

“This is madness.” At the top of the Hope Barrier, several other figures who were prepared for something shared the same thought at the same time. Nonetheless, the sense of familiarity felt so close to their hearts.

Aber frowned. What the hell is all this? Fine, Grandfather wanted to stall, didn’t he? Tang Ling’s challenge is just the thing I need. Let this moron have this way. It’d be best if he’s beaten to death.

Aber might detest Andrew as a bastard of the family, but he had to admit that he was quite powerful, let alone Andrew’s dog, Hank. If he had a death wish, no one could stop him.

Andrew looked paler that instant while Hank stood beside him and held his hand tightly. Hank said, “He won’t make it.”

“Let’s hope so.” Andrew’s mood was bleak since his return from the underground. He was not Aber. He had no assets at his disposal. All he had was either success or failure.

Success meant heaven; failure spelled hell. He was already in hell, so nothing else mattered.

Isn’t life like this? A thought to draw the line between heaven and hell?

The fire of envy grew beyond his control as the injustice and greed pushed him straight to hell.

******

The right to challenge was indeed holy.

At least among the Purple Moon Warriors, every reserved camp promoted the idea of challenging each other, and in order to encourage it, it was given a sacred meaning. Therefore, the one who incited the challenge would be protected until the end of the challenge.

All that was left was either to accept or reject the challenge.

However, under the watch of these many pairs of eyes, rejection was impossible because the traditional idea that was rooted deep in the First Reserved Camp was honor!

Losing honor would be equivalent to losing everything: future, reputation, training, and even resources. It would be crueler than death.

Of course, there were only a few who could reject Tang Ling’s challenge though most people would think otherwise. They were the rest of the Fierce Dragon Squad.

Tang Ling jumped down from the observatory and walked to the center of the crowd.

A dozen of steel boxes were piled up as a makeshift ring in the center. The crowd made way so the ring was in the center.

Tang Ling calmly leaped up into the ring and turned to his friends behind him. “Let Vian stay behind me. Let her watch me.” He sheathed his sword behind him and said, “This is the line. No one can approach Vian. I’ll be beside her forever this time.”

Yu quietly carried Vian and put her down behind Tang Ling who looked at Vian’s pale but calm face with a faint smile. He said in the softest way possible, “Watch me. This is my tribute to you.”

Tang Ling looked up and yelled loudly, “Let’s start with the second to last!”

Standing beneath the ring, Andy said, “I concede.”

“Third to last.”

“I concede,” Christina said while weeping.

“Fourth to last.”

No one answered. Tang Ling’s heart clenched and he dared not turn about. He said ironically, “I’m sorry. She’s…not here anymore.”

“Fifth to last.”

A senior, who shared the same cave dorm with the Fierce Dragon Squad, walked up to the ring nervously.

“My condolences, but as a fellow New Moon Warrior, I won’t hold back!” the senior said before he bowed. He then dashed towards Tang Ling.

Tang Ling did not look at the senior. He did not even clear his sight from the rainwater.

Shuah!

He thrust a kick out. Although it was just a kick, it was so fast that many elite warriors missed the strike. All they saw were afterimages.

Bang!

The tip of the kick swept the senior’s thigh mercilessly, throwing him off balance. He then fell from the ring.

Impressive! Tang Ling was actually this powerful!

More than 50 New Moon Warriors of the First Reserved Camp were shocked! Regular people and warriors, even the elites, could be forgiven if they did not understand what had happened, but the New Moon Warriors of the First Reserved Camp and the Purple Moon Warriors who watched from the crowd, it would be a joke if they did not notice what happened.

The speed of the kick could only be delivered by the best of the First Reserved Camp! It must also be coupled with a mighty force and the strongest reflexes to sweep over the precise point!

Was Tang Ling really last on the ranking list?!

Under their astonished gazes, he remained calm as he called, “Sixth to last.”

Another senior stepped up without saying anything, he would be an idiot if he failed to understand what Tang Ling just did, he would also be a fool if he said something like “Let’s give it our best.”

He bowed and raced towards Tang Ling.

A punch. All it took was a punch. There was no extra movement. A precise punch with sufficient strength was all it took to throw the senior off the ring.

“Thank you,” the senior murmured softly. He knew Tang Ling had held back. Otherwise, the punch would have broken his bones.

“Seventh to last!” Tang Ling said loudly.

“I concede,” Orston replied loudly.

“Eighth to last.” No one answered again.

Tang Ling looked a little sour. He smiled in irony and turned around.

Amir was temporarily patched up, but given who he was, he would never receive a high cell regeneration drug.

If…if…only I didn’t betray everyone, if…if we are still friends…

Bitterness filled Amir’s heart. He believed that if he had not betrayed Tang Ling, Tang Ling would have gone all out and created miracles with his own hands to get the required drugs to heal him.

However, there were no ifs in life.

Vian was lying behind Tang Ling and until her death, he failed to get close to her. Whose fault was that? Amir seemed to have figured something out, but it was obviously too late.

“I…cough…concede.” Amir mustered all his strength to spew out the few words.

“Umm. Remember that. Stay alive if you are still a man.” Tang Ling turned away. His heart ached so painfully that he could barely breathe, but mistakes had to be punished. He could not be soft-hearted anymore for Vian’s sake.

“Ninth to last.”

The last senior who shared the same cave dorm as them stepped up. Again, it only took a single punch to defeat him.

“Tenth to last.”

“I concede,” Yu said softly.

It was only a minute since the challenge started and Tang Ling had skyrocketed from the last place by challenging nine individuals at once. Astonished expressions filled the place even though six out of nine of them gave up.

However, he still defeated three more New Moon Warriors with merely two punches and a kick!

Was it a joke? If it was, it was not funny. The three seniors that he defeated were not just any John Does. They were elite New Moon Warriors of the First Reserved Camp.

Had Tang Ling been this powerful before? Everyone shared the same thought.

How powerful were his punches? How many kilograms of force did each punch deliver? Or should it be measured by bull units? How fast was he? Was it the fastest that a New Moon Warrior could ever be? Were his reflexes the best out of all? What was his ability? Had he shown them his full potential?

The thoughts scattered messily in everyone’s minds, and they inevitably thought of something—what was Tang Ling’s secret?

Expressionlessly, Tang Ling stood under the rain and called out, “Next!”

Chapter 192: Challenge Part 1 (3 in 1)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Next!”

Tang Ling was a fighting machine under the rain. He never gave the challenger a window to react. Swiftly, all he delivered was a simple punch and kick before he moved on to the next one.

How many had he beaten? 10? 20?

The accurate number was 21. To be exact, 21 New Moon Warriors excluding the six from the Fierce Dragon Squad!

Were 21 geniuses truly defeated by a punch and a kick?!

It was until the 82nd New Moon Warrior that Tang Ling dished out an extra punch to throw him out of the ring.

The 82nd New Moon Warrior had been accepted into the First Reserved Camp last year with the result of first place. Everyone thought highly of him as a genius because he rose to the 87th place in less than a year. Some even assumed that he hid his strength, waiting for an appropriate timing to show off so that he could climb higher in the ranks.

Now? He was a complete joke in front of Tang Ling. He was indeed a genius, one who received two punches from Tang Ling instead of the usual one.

Many looked dismal as they watched the challenge. No one believed that Tang Ling had incited the challenge just for fun. Every one of his punches and kicks contained strength and speed that were so powerful that they easily overpowered his opponents.

“It’s fine. There’s actually another line that divides the New Moon Warriors in the First Reserved Camp. The first 55 and the last 55 were on two different levels,” said an onlooking elite warrior softly to the other warrior beside him.

It was rather unbelievable. How could a 15-year-old teenager be so strong? There must be a reason.

In fact, if Tang Ling could not cross the line separating the 55, even if he was stronger than others, there would be a limit to how far he could go.

“What do you mean?” The listening warrior was obviously less knowledgeable.

“In simple terms, the first 55 New Moon Warriors are qualified to become Purple Moon Warriors because they have surpassed the lowest standards of the Warriors. All they are doing in the camp is accumulating strength.

“The last 55 don’t have the qualifications and as long as they don’t qualify, there will be a line between them.” The elite warrior seemed well-informed since his answers were precise and serious.

While he was explaining, Tang Ling had called out “next” two times in a row. Subsequently, two more New Moon Warriors were defeated.

The warrior listening to the explanation was further confused. While he was astonished by Tang Ling’s performance, he asked, “Isn’t that too much of an exaggeration? I know there’s a standard to qualify as a Purple Moon Warrior, but if the standard is, let’s say 3,000 kg of force, then what is the difference between 2,999 kg and 3,000 kg?”

Although it made sense, the elite warrior sneered at him. Once upon a time, the elite warrior had shared the same thought and hoped to qualify as a Purple Moon Warrior. However, reality had slapped him in the face hard. He realized that the differences between a commoner and a Purple Moon Warrior were bigger than he could ever imagine.

“Do you know about the extreme value? As a matter of fact, in order to qualify as a Purple Moon Warrior, you have to reach the extreme value before passing the genetic locks. As for how many extreme values there are, I don’t know, but if you haven’t reached the potential of the extreme value, your strength will be forever stuck.

“Let me explain it in your case. If you say that 3,000 kg is an extreme value, assuming you don’t have the potential to reach it, your strength will never surpass 2,900 kg, but once you go over 3,000 kg, in the upcoming days, your strength will skyrocket but still be within a limit such as 500 kg or whatnot.

“Think about it. How much of a difference has it made? It’s true that after the surge, the power-up will grow slower and more difficult, but what if there are some geniuses who can break through the second extreme value? How much of a difference would it make then?

“Some extremely powerful New Moon Warriors in the First Reserved Camp have reached the third extreme value or even higher based on what I know. The last 55 are always newbies, but once they get into the first 55, every single rank is as different as heaven and earth.” said the elite warrior as he sighed.

The difference between a genius and a commoner was huge. Those who were accepted into the First Reserved Camp were all geniuses who could at least go beyond the first extreme value.

Some geniuses would never reach a bottleneck as they would only become stronger and stronger like Hank.

However, no one knew about Tang Ling or his so-called extreme value. All he did was eat, fight, and train and he would grow stronger and stronger because he had a Perfect Genetic Chain after all.

“Next.” Tang Ling continued his challenge. He was no longer counting how many men he had defeated. All he remembered was his goal.

Fatigue? It was non-existent! He liked the suffering and relished the bitterness while his heart hurt like being sliced by a thousand blades. Therefore, the pain on his body was nothing when compared to that agony.

Under such a condition, he was using the limit of his body to endure the pain from the vicious beast meat that he ate, disregarding the cost and consequences. Since fighting continuous battles would only exhaust him greatly, he should seize the moment and grow stronger. That way, he would not have to care about the digestion either.

The New Moon Warrior that ranked 62nd place stepped into the ring. “I think I should introduce myself first. I’m We…”

“Skip the chatter. Bring it on.” Tang Ling stopped the senior from introducing himself since he had no time to waste anymore. Was an introduction that important?

It seemed like Tang Ling’s impatience upset the senior, so he did not want to comply and declared loudly, “I’m just warning you that I have accumulated enough to qualify as a Purple Moon Warrior. I was planning to make an entrance to rise in the ranks, but now it seems like I have to use your challenge to show off.”

Right after his voice subsided, a heated discussion broke out beneath the ring. It was quite shocking for a New Moon Warrior in the lower 55 ranks to reach Purple Moon Warrior standards.

One had to give it to this New Moon Warrior for having the patience to accumulate his strength to this extent. Would he be able to end Tang Ling’s legend?

Tang Ling did not react differently. He just acknowledged by grunting and said while waving his hand, “Let’s just start.”

Was there any worse insult than this? Even after revealing his trump card, the New Moon Warrior was treated with this level of disdain. Infuriated, he dashed towards Tang Ling. Alas, he was too slow, but his punch was stronger than the others. What about his reflexes?

Tang Ling finally got a little serious, and his Precise Instinct finally came into play. When the senior’s punch was less than 5 mm from touching him, Tang Ling slightly moved his body sideways, dodging the punch in the nick of time. The senior missed.

In fact, Tang Ling did not even need to use his Precise Instinct to move away as he was able to react in less than a second. Even using his battle instinct alone, his speed would be enough to predict the punch and dodge it easily.

The senior’s punch was too weak because he was restrained by the modern combat techniques, so he failed to learn how to transform combat techniques into muscle memory. That was why he could not break free from the restraints of his lessons and attack based on the situation.

However, the scene was something refreshing to the spectators since they had gotten used to Tang Ling beating his opponent quickly.

“Look! Tang Ling has started to dodge, meaning that the New Moon Warrior must have surpassed him in strength. Otherwise, he could have just taken the punch head-on.”

“No, I think the New Moon Warrior is also faster than him. Tang Ling really did just dodge.”

“I think otherwise. Have you seen what Tang Ling did in the bloody cage back in the first exam? What’s his forte? He has an ability similar to prediction! He should have activated it to dodge the punch.”

“Hmm. Prediction, eh? This battle is going to be interesting. All those fights before this were too boring. Nevertheless, it clearly states that this New Moon Warrior is strong, but it also proves that Tang Ling reached the qualification to break through as a Purple Moon Warrior in a short time.”

Heated banter exploded among the crowd, but Tang Ling turned a deaf ear to all the discussion.

He had never reached the so-called limit, so he knew he was growing silently, and if one day he reached his bottleneck and broke through it, would it bring any benefit to his strength such as gaining a new ability?

Tang Ling never took the Precise Instinct as his ability. It was more of an instinct that he was born with. The so-called ability should be a talent or something similar like Anthony’s lightning and the black line that Worf manipulated.

Let’s play with this guy for a bit. Let’s push him to his limit and see whether he will reveal his ability.

Therefore, Tang Ling did not attack. He once again showed off his so-called prediction ability that he displayed during the bloody cage exam.

Miss, miss, miss, miss… 15 seconds after the battle started, the senior punched every part of Tang Ling’s body 27 times and kicked him 16 times. No one would doubt the speed of someone who was qualified as a Purple Moon Warrior. However, it was still useless because all the attacks missed as the senior wasted his strength on a series of futile attacks.

Is he insulting me? The senior was completely angry because only he knew how insulting it was to miss. Tang Ling was dodging his attacks with minimal movements, not even taking an extra step.

This bloody bastard! Rage was burning fiercely in his head. Although the senior also had a trump card, he intended to keep it because he wanted to utilize Tang Ling’s incident at its climax to carve a name for himself.

Not only had he planned to stomp on Tang Ling, but he even wanted to challenge another New Moon Warrior who was around 30th placing. He should then use his trump card, not now.

“Don’t force me!” the senior shouted. He punched even faster and each blow left a strong wind in its trail.

At the same time, someone in the crowd spotted the problem. “Is his predictive ability that powerful? Is he using another kind of ability instead?”

The shout came from an elite warrior and his words attracted suspicion from the others. Prediction should be a type of instinct that would depend on the user’s capability, yet Tang Ling was able to use it repeatedly in such a short period of time to an accurate extent.

This kind of ability…

“This is definitely not predictive ability. Prediction requires a great amount of spirit to utilize. It’s something like the sixth sense, but Tang Ling’s eyes and expression clearly show that he’s not using his spirit at all.” Finally, the Purple Moon Warriors paid closer attention to the fight.

It was a little different from what Tang Ling displayed back in the bloody cage exam. More precisely, back then, it seemed like he reacted more with prediction, but now it was more like calculation. Tang Ling calculated the angle, power, and speed of the punches and dodged them perfectly. It might also be a kind of instinct that he cultivated through long hours of battle.

The Purple Moon Warriors were a lot more knowledgeable than common warriors when it came to judging the situation.

However, no one knew that back in the bloody cage, Tang Ling had been holding his Precise Instinct back, and later in that battle, he purposely made mistakes to deceive everyone so that no one would relate it to a type of battle simulation ability.

This time around, Tang Ling did not bother to hide his ability anymore. He decided to send Vian off in a grand way, so he no longer kept his emotions under control. A man in this world either lived a dull life or a grand, amazing life.

His growth was exponential because he loved to torture himself and dance along the fine life of line and death.

The Purple Moon Warrior was right. Tang Ling did not use any predictive ability. All he relied on was his battle instinct that he had tempered through many battles.

“Everyone knows Tang Ling has a secret. This ability of his…I don’t think it’s prediction either. Prediction relies on spirit and feeling, so it has a chance of missing, but Tang Ling never missed,” another Purple Moon Warrior, whose eyes had been half-closed, analyzed when he was awoken by the battle.

In fact, the battle underground should also be a show, so the Purple Moon Warrior believed and this ‘show’ exhausted him a lot.

The battle between New Moon Warriors never interested him, but when Tang Ling showed off his predictive ability, it piqued his interest. Even though all he wanted was to spot the difference between a normal New Moon Warrior and a New Moon Warrior that was qualified to break through to become a Purple Moon Warrior, Tang Ling once again stole the limelight from his opponent.

His goal was met when the angry senior finally showed something different.

Wind? Is that wind?

The breeze that Tang Ling felt was unlike Andy’s, whose speed of movement was naturally faster than normal people, like a Horan Mountain goat that was skilled at running.

The senior did not possess the advantage of speed in any part of his body except for his punches, from which the wind originated. As his punches got quicker and reached a certain speed, his blows were able to gather the wind and got stronger with each strike.

Slowly but surely, when the punches grazed Tang Ling’s skin, it started to hurt and the wind somehow started to materialize.

“Is that it?” A tinge of seriousness flashed over Tang Ling’s eyes as he also felt like the wind had reached a certain limit. His Precise Instinct came into play instinctively and formed a series of images in his head.

The speed of the senior’s punches subtly increased with each strike. Before the wind from the punches could dissipate, the next punch added more wind to the previous, hence enhancing it all together.

Eventually, when the wind accumulated, it would be as destructive as a high-speed projectile that could leave a storm in its trail and damage its targets.

So, is this his talent? The wind element? If he isn’t sensitive about the wind, he couldn’t have felt the subtle increase of accumulation in the air.

Can I do it as well? A crazy thought appeared in his mind next. He tried to mimic the senior’s move even though he did not possess any sensitivity towards the air. Instead, he relied solely on his Precise Instinct to calculate.

Was the Precise Instinct only useful at providing precision? No, it was an ability that could see through one’s true nature!

Tang Ling was used to multi-tasking with his brain. While he was thinking about the matter, his Precise Instinct calculated that the damaging wind would take form in the senior’s punch in the next 1.8 seconds and that the punch was going for his abdomen.

He had at least 37 ways to dodge the punch and the easiest would be stepping aside, but he did not plan to move at all as another crazy thought popped up in his head. He wanted to feel the damage from the accumulated wind of the punch!

Would it be like the winter wind which would hurt and bite by simply blowing at one’s face? The damage from the wind must be closely related to speed, but the other important reason would be the continuous accumulation in a short period of time.

The senior used the change in the speed of his punches to accumulate air, toying with the air between his fists. What kind of damage could he inflict on Tang Ling?

His Precise Instinct was unable to calculate the damage yet, so Tang Ling wanted to feel it for himself. Was his abdomen a weak point? No, Tang Ling would never leave any part of his body unguarded. He coiled his abdomen and clenched his fists.

Muscles were the best line of defense of the body from external attacks. If his tightened abdomen muscles failed to withstand the wind blade, his punch could simply break it. The wind could be dissipated by enough strength from the opposite direction.

The senior’s face turned red. It seemed like accumulating the wind was his limit as he revealed his trump card. He dished out another punch at Tang Ling’s face as a cover and kicked Tang Ling’s chest. The other punch went for Tang Ling’s right arm in a perfect arch.

The attacks came from three directions at the same time. Although they could be avoided, the accumulated wind from the punches flew towards Tang Ling’s abdomen as expected.

“A wind blade?” said a Purple Moon Warrior calmly. Wind talent was very common, and controlling the airflow to unleash a wind blade was just a branching ability of it.

It was obvious that the senior’s control of wind was still at an early stage because he had to dish out a total of 76 punches to barely create a wind blade.

However, given his age and since he was not yet a Purple Moon Warrior, before he could unlock the first genetic lock to become more sensitive toward the air, being able to achieve this level of control was considered good enough.

“Hmm, a wind blade eh? But the tactic was put into good use,” said another Purple Moon Warrior calmly.

The wind blade that was accumulated in 76 punches could not be considered a killer move. If Tang Ling could see through it, he would have a lot of ways to disrupt and negate the wind blade.

The key to facing a person with abnormal abilities or a very powerful battle instinct like Tang Ling would be to use the formless wind blade as the fourth attack, locking down all possible retreat options. It would be the best way to catch Tang Ling off guard.

Which one should he dodge? It seemed a little too difficult even though Tang Ling’s performance up until now was astounding. However, in the Purple Moon Warrior’s view, dodging all four of the attacks was not something even Tang Ling could do.

Could he? Of course, he could. He came up with many ways with his calculation, including facing the attacks with counterattacks of his own, but he wanted to feel the wind blade.

He dodged the left punch, the right kick, and then the right punch!

Tang Ling’s body bent over and twisted. The perfect control of his body attracted cheers from the crowd who had their eyes fixed on him.

“Did he dodge it?” asked a Purple Moon Warrior.

“You…” The senior felt defeated because everyone saw Tang Ling simply bend backward to dodge all three of the attacks together and he could have easily broken the fourth. Was it that hard to bend his upper body backward? It might be impossible for a normal person, but with Tang Ling’s control over his body, it was a piece of cake.

However, another astonishing scene caught everyone off guard: Tang Ling twisted his body back and withstood the wind blade with his abdomen!

Anyone with experience in battle would not do such an absurd thing, yet Tang Ling…

Swash!

The wind blade flew towards Tang Ling’s abdomen at lightning speed and Tang Ling’s abdomen was contracted to its limit. His solid abs showed off his perfect body line and gave him a sense of power.

A cut appeared on his abs before his punch hammered the air. While his skin was cut, his muscles were not affected. If he had not dissipated the wind blade with his punch, his abs could have suffered a cut that was 1 cm deep.

Given that his defense was nothing stellar, he would have easily fallen in front of a king beast’s attack, let alone a mutated beast.

It was a natural disadvantage of humans since their power and defense were not on the same level as beasts. Nevertheless, the power that he felt from the wind blade was decent.

“I did it!” The senior was exhilarated for a moment. He had forgotten the ambition that he had before stepping in the ring. Being able to land a cut on Tang Ling had become his biggest comfort.

“He did it on purpose,” said the Purple Moon Warrior. Although it was difficult to accept this, he had to accept what he saw. Why though? Why did Tang Ling want to test the strength of the wind blade with his own body?

However, Tang Ling would never provide the answer to the question. He looked up calmly at the senior and declared, “This ends now.”

As he spoke, Tang Ling attacked for the first time in this match. It was a very simple and straightforward punch, but the speed was so fast that the senior could barely react.

The senior was able to raise his punch to meet Tang Ling’s right fist before he took the hit.

Bang!

Fists met and flew apart. The senior faltered backward after the quick clash.

“He is quicker than before!” The senior looked pale, but on the other hand, Tang Ling said without a change of expression, “Again.”

Shuah!

The wind whistled with Tang Ling’s punch which was faster than the one before. The senior wanted to block it, but he realized that his hand that had smashed into Tang Ling’s earlier on was in pain and he could no longer curl it.

As he faltered backward nervously, he could not dodge it. The punch landed on his shoulder, and he felt like he had been hammered. Still, he held back and remained in the ring. A bigger wave of insult rose in his heart as he shouted, “You obviously can…”

You obviously can attack me and match my attacks, so why did you dodge all of them? Are you toying with me? Are you putting on a show?

Before he could finish speaking his mind, Tang Ling turned and a perfect roundhouse kick landed on the senior’s back, sending him flying from the ring.

As a matter of fact, the senior could have lasted a little longer in the ring, but he got carried away by the messy thoughts in his mind. He did not even react to Tang Ling’s final kick. Until he felt the ground beneath him, he was still drowned in the insult. The sense of defeat was obvious and felt unbearable.

So, was this the difference in strength? Was there also an uncrossable line between geniuses?

“Next.” Tang Ling stood where he was and started the next challenge. He was waiting for the next opponent that could match his strength so that he could test the power of the wind blade.

He was not confident about learning it instantly, so he wanted to test it out no matter how many times he might take. A man would never mind getting stronger. At least, not Tang Ling for he desired power greatly.

The warrior, who had just received the lesson about extreme values, asked the elite warrior beside him again, “What do you think, bro?”

“I…don’t know. He is really powerful.” The elite warrior gulped nervously. Regardless of whether they were the first or the last 55, they were not a problem for Tang Ling anymore.

He was a monster! How long had he been in the First Reserved Camp? Three months? Yet, he was able to grow so fast and reach the first limit!

It should not have just been a mere accumulation. At least, he should have gone through the first surge of power!

Judging from the speed, the power, and the reflexes Tang Ling displayed, he was far stronger than the senior who tried to control the wind. In the face of absolute power, talent without reaching a certain level was a farce.

“But I feel like reaching the top 20 is his limit,” the elite warrior provided a very conservative number as a confirmation after a quick thought.

The geniuses in the First Reserved Camp were not just divided by their gifts, but time was also a factor! How long had they been accumulating their strength? Even if Tang Ling was amazingly outstanding, he could not beat time. In such a short period of time, he could not slip through time and attain such an explosive power surge.

“Hmmm, yeah, top 20 should be the limit,” the elite warrior repeated again.

This time, the warrior beside him did not say anything. He had a feeling that Tang Ling might just create a miracle again.

It was only less than 5 minutes and Tang Ling had beaten the man in 62nd place.

No one expected No. 62 to be a Purple Moon Warrior qualifier, but it would also mean that all the upcoming battles were pretty much in the bag for Tang Ling.

“Next.”

Tang Ling started to beat his opponent in a flash once more without any delay at all. If one punch could not seal the deal, two punches would do, or at most, three to five punches.

One after another, the geniuses of the First Reserved Camp fell from the ring.

******

The rain got lighter with the breeze.

Su Yao and the man beside him fixed their gazes on the small screen of the communication device in delight.

“Old Su, you grew up with the leader. Was he that powerful at his age?” the man who had tossed the butterfly knife earlier asked in curiosity.

On the screen, Tang Ling had beaten the man in 57th place, and it was only 8 minutes and 46 seconds in.

“Him? No, he was still playing with dirt at that kid’s age.” Su Yao laughed disdainfully. That person was not a match for Tang Ling as the latter was far more superior.

“No way. Is it that much of a difference?” The man dared not believe it. In his eyes, his leader was a man who made the impossible possible, a miracle worker, so achieving the impossible was no surprise for him.

Still, a man like him…How did he fail? Why would he have failed in such a miserable way?

The man quietened down. He quit smoking a long time ago since the hobby was costly. Having gone undercover for many years, he was now poor.

Su Yao did not care about the man’s emotions as he looked further away at the Hope Barrier under the rain. He said in a heavy tone, “The difference is because of the resources. Back then, that guy couldn’t even afford vegetables. No food was on the plate and the lousiest quality of meat made him constipated. What else?” He smiled.

The past was nostalgic. Who would have thought the godlike man would have cried so miserably when taking a shit?

“Constipated?” The man’s face twitched as he thought that he really should not imagine the scene. It would ruin the image of the leader in his mind, so he shifted the topic. “So what? Does Tang Ling enjoy a lot more resources than the leader?”

“A lot? Not really. It’s no match for his growth either, yet it almost made me bankrupt. He’s just 15 years old, the age at which he can start training, yet he uses vicious beast meat as snacks. It’s not that much actually…”

“Yeah, not that ‘much’.” The man looked sour, but when he thought of something else, it was really not much for Tang Ling. The boy was considered pitiful from a certain perspective.

Would the resources that Tang Ling consumed be enough to support him to fight his way from the last place to the first?