Chapter 2116 — The Risk Is Worth It
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"Good!" Old Master Zhao nodded, turned the dial on the device to the mid Earth rank, and then said with a blank face, "Stand firm. We are about to infuse true qi and activate the device!"
"Ready," Wei Zhao said.
"Let us begin!" As soon as Old Master Zhao finished speaking, he placed his palm on the device's true qi intake port. Old Master Yu, Old Master You, and Old Master Tang likewise placed their palms in turn and began circulating their true qi at the same time. The energy bar on the device shot to the preset mid Earth rank in an instant, then stopped climbing. In the next moment, a giant arm burst out from the device. With a resounding boom, it struck Wei Zhao square in the chest and sent him flying!
Wei Zhao made no attempt to resist, for he knew that the harder one resisted, the more grievous the injury. Better to fly with the force of the blow and shed part of the pressure, so that even if he was hurt, it would not be too severe.
That strike indeed carried the might of the mid Earth rank. The devices of the ancient sects were truly peculiar; Wei Zhao marveled inwardly again and again.
Though the blow left him with some internal injuries, his life was not in danger. After landing, Wei Zhao rose to his feet to show that he was still alive, and by the rules of the contest, that counted as having passed the mid Earth rank endurance test.
Without a word, Wei Zhao walked briskly back to the side of Han Tianba and Han Xiaohu, closed his eyes, and entered the jade pendant space, where he began circulating the second layer of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art to heal his wounds swiftly. He had to admit that the healing speed of the second layer was far faster than that of the first.
"Leader, how are you..." Han Xiaohu was about to ask, but Han Tianba raised a hand to stop him.
"Xiaopo, do not disturb Mr. Lin. Mr. Lin is resting," Han Tianba said.
Though Wei Zhao appeared unharmed on the surface after that mid Earth rank blow, Han Tianba knew that Wei Zhao was merely an expert at the peak of the early Earth rank. Whether he himself could have withstood that strike was uncertain.
"Hidden Han family, current endurance grade: mid Earth rank! Next contestant, take the stage!" Old Master Zhao was not in the least surprised that Wei Zhao could withstand a mid Earth rank blow. In his mind, he had already classified Wei Zhao's strength as the peak of the late Earth rank, so for someone of that caliber, taking a mid Earth rank strike should pose no great difficulty.
"Peak of the mid Earth rank!" The one who spoke was a junior of the Hidden You family. Before stepping up, he swallowed a pill, a kind that stimulated the body's latent potential, similar to the strength elixirs of the martial world. The contest forbade the use of treasures and devices, but it never said pills could not be taken, so the Hidden You family had gained an advantage.
The pill could instantly raise the body's endurance to its utmost limit, but its side effects were equally obvious. Fail to withstand the blow, and one might be crippled, unable to care for oneself for the rest of one's life.
Of course, this member of the You family was not a core member but the retainer type, lured by lavish promises. If he won this match or placed in the top three, he would naturally receive rewards—Meridian-Opening Pills and Lesser Restoration Pills had all been prepared. Put plainly, even if he were beaten into a helpless cripple, he could be restored, and he would receive other spiritual medicines besides.
But if he failed to enter the top three, he would get nothing. Put plainly, it was a gamble. The peak of the mid Earth rank was already the absolute limit of his limits; he was himself merely a mid Earth rank expert, and it was already quite good for him to withstand a blow from an expert of the same grade. Though the strike was not a martial technique but pure true qi, raising it by one grade was still his limit.