Chapter 98

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Chapter 98: Turning Defeat into Victory

Fang Lie frowned deeply and guessed, "Could he have taken spirit pills? Or used some treasure to restore his Magic?"

"Absolutely not!" Old Bird declared firmly. "I monitored everything. There wasn’t the slightest violation!"

In such competitions, consuming spirit pills or using treasures to restore Magic was forbidden. Otherwise, it would devolve into a contest of wealth—where whoever brought more resources would win—completely undermining the competition’s purpose.

As the item spirit of the Benevolence Token, Old Bird could surveil the entire protective array. Since it confirmed the Burly Man hadn’t cheated using such methods, he truly hadn’t.

Fang Lie pressed, "Then how does he have so much Magic? This third-tier puppet wields two third-tier treasures. He’s unleashed over a hundred blade arcs and Sword Energy! Even *I’d* be drained from that!"

"Controlling puppets requires two things: Magic to fuel movement and divine sense to guide actions," Old Bird explained. "He spends Magic recklessly, almost madly, but hoards his divine sense. His attacks lack precision—that’s why you’ve survived."

Fang Lie’s eyes lit up. "So only his Magic is abnormal?"

"Exactly!" Old Bird said. "His Magic isn’t pure—it resembles power from burning spirit stones!"

"Bastard’s burning stones!" Fang Lie growled.

While mechanical puppets *could* run on spirit stones, doing so was prohibitively expensive and banned in competitions to prevent wealth-based advantages.

Fang Lie, no stranger to cheaters, snapped, "I’ll report him to the Referees!"

"Pointless," Old Bird countered. "You’ve no proof. If he dared cheat openly, he left no traces. He likely pre-charged the puppet’s parts with Spiritual Energy—untraceable but costly."

"They’ll stop at nothing to keep me from the inner gate!" Fang Lie spat.

Old Bird chuckled. "They fear your stubbornness. This is a trap: report him and risk disqualification for false claims, or suffer silently. Either way, you lose."

"Not this time," Fang Lie vowed.

"The Cold Water warrior’s flaw is its added fire-element blade," Old Bird said. "Fire clashes with ice, weakening its ‘Snow Drifts A Thousand Miles’ Dao magic. Track the fire energy to its source—the isolation component at the blade’s hilt. Shatter it with your Soulfire Lance!"

Fang Lie focused, pinpointing the fire’s origin within ten breaths. He launched four Soulfire Lances—one tipped with tongue-tip blood, three with heart blood.

*Clang! Clang!* Metallic cracks echoed, followed by a decisive *snap*.

"Damn it!" the Burly Man roared as an explosion ripped through the blizzard. The Cold Water warrior’s sword arm vanished, its divine scripts shattered. The snowstorm ceased.

Now armless and magic-less, the puppet stood crippled. The Burly Man gaped in disbelief.

Seizing the moment, Fang Lie’s golden wings flashed. He closed the distance instantly—hand-to-hand combat was his domain.

The Burly Man hastily summoned a second-rank bronze mirror, but Fang Lie’s Star-Settling Crown froze it midair. A Flaming Heart Palm struck the man’s chest, snapping ribs and flooding his organs with fire.

The Burly Man flew back, crashing and rolling until he lay dust-covered and shrieking. His skin burned crimson; smoke hissed from his mouth.

"Burns! Mercy!" he wailed, tearing off clothes. "I yield!"

"Confess your cheating," Fang Lie demanded coldly.