Chapter 158 - Zheng Pao

"A-Are they not at their limit yet?" Some of the audiences started to get anxious. "They have been going at it for half an hour now!"

"Well, they are probably drained by now," a man who was smoking from a pipe said as if it was an a-matter-of-fact. "We will get the winner any minute now."

"But they are dragging this too long." A young man who was seated beside the man showed his dissatisfaction. After all that was said and done, watching the same people fight for around half an hour is tiring!

"But aren't they giving us a spectacular show?" The man laughed out, puffing a mouthful of smoke every time he did that. "Just look at the other people," he said as he pointed at the stadium full of people shouting out cheers. "Even the higher-ups seemed to be enjoying this one."

On his signal, everyone turned their attention to where the sect leaders and all elders were seated. They indeed seemed to be interested in this fight more than in others.

"Both of them are good," the man pointed out. "They managed to keep everyone on their toes even with their dragged-on battle."

**

Zheng Pao's breath was sluggish as he tried to catch on to his breath. The fatigue of the match was getting to him. Although he had been proud of his stamina and strength that lasted him to have more than ten fights in a day without a rest, he realized how vain he had been all along.

His evaluation was happening here and now.

A smile crept upon his lips. It was all well. That fatigue meant he was fighting for real, and he was using all of his strength to its fullest. He was enjoying this fight too well to think about anything else.

His physical strength was good, at most better than average. However, there was something else that worried him. His Qi expended like water. He had never exerted this amount of qi in any fight, so he was worried about his qi emptying before his body collapsed.

The rate at which his qi was being used was higher than the rate at which it was being restored.

'This is bad.' A nervous chuckle escaped his mouth. But, he knew he was not the only one in this sorry state. He looked in front of him and saw the young miss from the respectable sect was not good either, maybe a bit better than him, but the difference was not that prominent.

"Don't drop dead before me, young miss," he chuckled as he channeled qi into his sword. He was going to bet everything in this last attack. After this, he would be too drained to hurt a fly.

An Cheng smiled at him. Those were not words of provocation, but challenge. All this time, she had been holding back during the practice matches and training, as she was afraid she might hurt someone. After her match with Le Fang Ling, she was more cautious about using her skills and power around other students.

Well, now there was no need to hold back. This was a match. Right now, she too was drained. She had just enough qi left to give her all in the remaining few attacks. This was a new experience for her.

'This opponent is pretty good,' she thought with a smile. Her mood that had to worsen right before the match had gotten a lot better now.

She inhaled lightly. Her senses focused on every aspect of the battle. Just because this was the end did not mean she could afford to slack off. 

Whoosh~~

A torrent of wind surrounded An Cheng as she concentrated her consciousness in a fixed radius around her. She held her sword right in front of her chest. It was gleaming in bright green color…that was the color of her spiritual energy, the concentration of qi there was enough to give it visibility.

Zheng Pao was a fighter who had earth element-based spiritual roots. Consequently, the two elements were not compatible, for better or worse. He surrounded himself with qi as a defensive barrier. That was something he learned from Pah Jama, the girl who made his taste defeat in a few measly seconds.

He braced his body to accept whatever attack was about to come his way.

"Wind… let's see what destruction you can bring."

At the same time, An Cheng opened her eyes. They were unblinking and emotionless.

'That immense concentration,' Le Zuan thought as he stroked his beard. He had been looking forward to seeing Le Fang Ling fight, but the chances were low, considering she was a new student. 

He could not complain about that. Yet, he had no idea there was someone like An Cheng here either.

Well, she was still a weak calf in front of veterans such as him, but for someone her age, she was far too ahead. What's more, it seemed she was holding back some of her strength. As for whether it was intentional or subconscious, he had no idea.

As for the Zheng Pao kid… Le Zuan sighed. That kid had potential, but the way he had cultivated till now had already limited his cultivation base. The cultivation method he chose was a problem.

Le Zuan had no idea where he learned it from, but it seemed that it could efficiently cultivate only up to the spirit enhancement realm.

Entering the nascent realm or even touching the lower stage of the nascent realm would be hard for him. 

There were always extreme measures for forcing breakthroughs, but they were full of risks.

Even if there were some, he did not care about the boy enough to help him.

If he was someone close, he could have considered. However, Zheng Pao was no one important.

It was the work of fate. As long fate willed it, he would reach newer heights in this world. If not, he would live for some years and die a small-time cultivator.

"Oh," he exclaimed lightly when An Cheng jumped in the air. The climax and also the end of the match had appeared.

'Show me what you can do,' he thought- his intention vague and unclear.