Chapter 520 - Quarter Final

Coiling Fire Dragon Strike

Fire Spear Sweep

Blazing Spear Pierce

Mountain Crushing Spear Strike

Gong Yunru used so many of his family's fire spear skills that he had reached very high mastery of, and yet nothing seemed to work against Adam, who had barely moved from where he had stood.

Seemingly without effort, he found the weakness in every single one of his attacks that he would use to create an opening, then counter with a simple strike of his own.

It was humiliating for the famed Gong Yunru, who was seen as one of the most likely to come out on top in the regional tournament and also the hope of his quite capable cultivation family.

However, the angrier he became, the sloppier his attacks became in the all-seeing eyes of Adam, making it even easier to poke holes in them, and counter with basic attacks of his own,

To your average onlooker, it would be confusing to see the man, who was wielding a spear engulfed in flames and was unleashing powerful attacks, be defeated by his comparatively less impressive opponent.

But to the Branch Master who was overseeing 4 battles at once, he was amazed by how skilled and perceptive Adam was, to the point that he could defeat a more powerful opponent effortlessly.

After a few minutes, and after all the other three matches that were taking place simultaneously had finished, everyone could clearly see that Gong Yunru was beginning to falter and all the cheering for him had halted.

He was panting and sweating profusely, as he leant on his spear that he dug into the ground while trying his best to catch his breath and regain his composure.

After a few minutes of unleashing powerful attacks towards Adam, not even thinking about conserving his energy while attacking wildly out of frustration, Gong Yunru was quite heavily fatigued.

And along with that, he had also suffered quite a few attacks from Adam, who fought passively, only countering the attacks that were initially launched towards him.

"Why don't you just jump off the stage and end this battle? I have already seen enough of your spear skills," Adam suggested, no longer interested in Gong Yunru as an opponent.

Not only had Adam seen and learnt everything there was from his opponent, but also from the 6 others that were also battling in the arena on the 3 other stages.

For him to be able to observe so many individuals, learn from them and also utterly defeat his own opponent, required incredible sensory capabilities, mental strength and perceptivity.

"Shut up, asshole. I won't lose to you," he roared as he rushed towards Adam in a final desperate attempt to take him down.

However, it was to no avail and the attack that he streamed the last of his energy into, was easily avoided by Adam who then kicked him with incredible force, launching the worn out cultivator off the stage.

But pitying him, Adam caught him before he slammed onto the hard marble ground that would have increased to his injuries and also gave him a piece of advice.

"Listen here, kid. Never underestimate your opponent or treat someone differently based on your preconceptions. That will restrict your progress and make you come across as an ignorant fool, while cultivating isn't about fame and getting people's respect. You should be focused on improving as an individual and chasing whatever purpose you have," Adam advised him as he placed on the ground and walked off back towards the waiting area.

Everyone was amazed by their battle that they never expected to turn out like that, while Gong Yunru who had been defeated weirdly felt good as he struggled to get up despite the fatigued state he was in.

"Hey! Liao Wei. I will never forget this match and will one day avenge my loss," he called out, but not out of malicious intent.

He seemed to have changed and become more competitive, seeking strength, rather than notoriety.

Adam merely chuckled to himself, foreseeing the amusing exchange that the actual Liao Wei was likely to have with Gong Yunru in the future, as he made his way to the waiting area.

The Branch Master swiftly got his subordinates to clear up the stages and handle the injured, including Gong Yunru who was offered medical attention.

Gong Yunru declined the offer and staggered out of the arena, using his spear as a crutch, but he didn't feel shame. Instead, he felt the burning desire to grow and improve, that Adam was glad he was able to instil into him.

"Now then. The next battles will commence now," announced the Branch Manager, who was still replaying Adam's battle within his mind in amazement.

Adam sat in the waiting area sat as close as he could to the arena to continue to observe the battles that took place, hoping to learn from as many of them as he could, and time flew by quickly.

A few had approached him and tried to pry into who he was, but Adam just ignored them or asked them to leave him alone as he focused on the battles that took place.

Then over a few hours, he had a few more battles that he took part in, each time using the same weapon as his opponent and mimicking their moves, or crushing their attempts of attacking him by finding their weaknesses.

Still only using the power of an early Advanced Cultivator, he made it to the quarter-final and had been dubbed the Black Horse of the regional tournament that had skills to overcome any gap in power.

And that title wasn't exaggerated, with him being able to face cultivators that were much more powerful than him in terms of brute force and raw power.

On the stage facing against his opponent, Adam was calm and confident just like had had always been and it was the start of the quarter-final. 

Now the weak had been weeded out and the end of the regional tournament was nearing....