Chapter 646

Chapter 646: Bicu’s Heroes

The fire wall blocked the way, and Yun Ye stopped in front of it.

The rules of the game were clear: no flying, no passing through walls, and no climbing over dead ends. They had to rely solely on physical strength, without using the Three Major Techniques, and they could not harm the citizens.

What category did the fire wall fall under?

Answer: It was a temporary wall.

They could not pass through or directly climb over it; they had to go around.

Though the rules were not explicitly stated, their quick thinking naturally anticipated various possibilities, so there would be no undefined situations.

"Ha ha! President, you’ve been stopped! Obviously, going forward unchallenged always leads to more difficulties."

Xie Jinglun’s voice came from a distance. He had taken another route, encountering fewer obstacles, and had already leaped into the city streets.

At this first step, he was temporarily in the lead, but he couldn’t afford to relax. Not to mention that Tiankai, like a ghost, was sprinting with Spirit Law, putting immense pressure on him; the president’s abilities were deep and unfathomable. Such small skirmishes could only buy limited time; it was impossible to rely on them for a clear victory.

"Vice captain, the other two have already run off. Aren’t we going to chase them?!"

"The captain is waiting at the back! We handle this one first! His clothes are not suited for movement; he clearly isn’t good at close combat. As long as we cut off that strange moving magic, the reward will be ours! Get to work!"

"Oh, oh, oh! The reward belongs to our Silverlight Corps!"

Suddenly, four silver-skinned beings erupted from the fire wall, wrapped in silver light. This humanoid race, known as the Silver Spirits, could naturally absorb light to forge it into silver energy, called Silver Glory Battle Qi, which greatly enhanced their physical abilities. The entire race was made up of warriors.

The four Silver Spirits moved in perfect sync, almost merging into four beams of light, confidently launching their attacks.

Four against one, and they were up against a uniquely dressed mage! They would surely claim the divine reward!

"Full of fighting spirit, but still far from enough!"

Yun Ye suddenly looked up and smiled at the four. Their attacks all landed at that moment, then…

All missed!

The four abruptly left their spots, their faces changing dramatically.

"Afterimage?"

"What incredible speed! When did he leave an afterimage?"

"Oh no! He’s getting away!"

Several people instinctively turned to look where Yun Ye had gone.

But another strange thing occurred; the flow of time seemed to slow down. They clearly saw the young man in the magnificent robe walking away, each of his steps appearing leisurely, while everything around him moved at a glacial pace—not just people, but even the leaves and dust!

They could only watch helplessly as the target moved further away; their bodies could not keep up!

"Vice captain! This isn’t a slowing magic; our minds are affected, entering his realm. We need to think fast to match his speed! Only with incredible speed can we catch him, hurry!"

A mage began constructing a Law Formation. With their thoughts accelerated, their spell-casting became faster as well; they directly used enhancement magic to envelop the vice captain behind them.

"Roar!"

Blood surged!

With a rugged appearance and a towering figure, the silver-skinned man, muscles rippling and covered in scattered star-like patterns, felt a tremendous increase in strength. He let out a mighty roar, "What useless fools! Let me handle this!"

As the vice captain, he certainly sensed the strangeness of this divine game. Even with the promise of rewards, he let his subordinates test the waters first.

In a brief moment, he noticed that this child from the fallen elven clan showed no fighting spirit and had no intention of striking back.

Since there would be no counterattack, it was time for Vice Captain to seize the opportunity!

"Incredible speed—release!!!"

A massive silver light erupted, shimmering across a radius of hundreds of meters, creating a silver domain, as the silver light Vice Captain’s figure suddenly vanished.

Boom!

After the explosion of force, he reappeared behind Yun Ye, delivering a kick aimed directly at Yun Ye’s head!

This was a lightning-fast strike; evading it would require an incredible speed. The speed the child had just shown was nowhere near enough!

However, the silver light Vice Captain did not expect that the child would not even look back. He swiftly shifted his body, and the powerful kick just barely missed him.

Vice Captain’s foot crashed heavily into the ground, creating a pit several meters wide, with stones flying everywhere!

This large pit did not affect the boy; before it appeared, he seemed to slide forward with no friction, moving out of the impact zone with ease.

"This level of alertness and reaction ability is that of a master!"

The silver light Vice Captain’s expression turned sour. He had thought he could easily bully a mage and claim the rewards, but this game was clearly not that simple. The three contestants were all strong opponents, able to move at terrifying speeds without unleashing their battle qi, and they possessed combat instincts and reflexes comparable to his!

This was troublesome!

Weaker opponents would never be able to dodge his incredible speed kick, a signature move of the Silver Spirits that had defeated countless foes, reaching the pinnacle of mastery!

Though his skill was not as good as Captain’s, he was still a notable figure in Bicu City. For his opponent to avoid his attack so effortlessly, that had to be someone at the Captain level.

It was now impossible for him to claim all the rewards; he could only try to restrain the boy as much as possible to increase his assist score!

"Incredible speed—full burst!"

The silver light Vice Captain transformed once again into a silver flash, frantically pursuing Yun Ye ahead, his speed now exceeding that of sound.

In this world, the speed of sound had shifted to around six hundred meters per second. This speed, when compared to the average standards of Zixue Academy prodigies, was already foundational for the Mortal Realm, which was quite decent.

After all, the three of them could not use the Three Major Techniques and had to rely solely on their physical foundations. Without extraordinary powers, speeding up would be immensely difficult.

If they had not been continuously training their bodies since enrollment and learning minute techniques from the basics, even with their naturally exceptional physique, they could not possibly achieve speeds of hundreds of meters per second without awakening their true potential.

Unfortunately, Yun Ye was an exception.

He had mastered his body to an extraordinary level, his control over it on a energetic scale, and he was not an ordinary physical being.

Once again, he easily dodged the silver light Vice Captain’s attack, and at the very moment the Vice Captain missed, Yun Ye placed a hand on his abdomen.

In the next instant, the silver light Vice Captain found everything before him turning upside down, a strong sensation of weightlessness engulfing him, and he flew backward several hundred meters, embedding himself into a wall.

The most terrifying part was that after this experience, he felt no injuries at all; not even a hint of pain remained—just a strange force binding him to the wall, and he had to exert effort to free himself!

"What kind of monster is this? This technique is entirely beyond the realm of mortals!!!"

The silver light Vice Captain remained dazed, his powers dissipating completely.

He had never even heard of skills at this level; such things had never appeared in myths or legends. Even in tales of heroes, this type of mastery was unfathomable and unrealistic for mere mortals, perhaps just a reflection of his narrow understanding.

Maybe this was the hidden power beneath the myths, only to be understood at a certain level, and he, as a weaker opponent, was unworthy of comprehension?

The strongest realms of swordsmanship, fist techniques, and other combat methods were said to be at the extraordinary level. Perhaps today, he had indeed witnessed the presence of such a realm…

In all of Bicu City, there wasn’t a single presence at this level; it was purely a myth. However, if one looked beyond Bicu City, there were several individuals recognized as having reached the Extraordinary Level of mastery in swordsmanship. Therefore, people generally believed that the Extraordinary Level existed but was too mysterious to grasp.

“Vice Captain! Vice Captain, are you okay? You were defeated? How is that possible? You are one of the strongest fighters in our Silver Light Corps, second only to Captain and Ador!”

“Yes! That boy just used some magic and sent the Vice Captain flying so far! What a sneaky little person!”

“Vice Captain, let’s take a shortcut together! We don’t need to show that little guy any mercy!”

Watching the boy in the blue robe disappear into the distance, many comrades rushed over in concern, shouting and asking how he was doing.

His face was bruised and pale, and he finally shouted, “Everyone, shut up! That boy’s strength is unfathomable! He didn’t strike me with magic; it was pure Physical Techniques! Do you fools not understand how terrifying it is to be sent flying hundreds of meters without a scratch?”

“He mastered Physical Techniques at the Extraordinary Level! What good does having many of you do?!”

His roar left many members of the team stunned.

Physical Techniques at the Extraordinary Level?

The Vice Captain must be crazy!

This was a realm only a few individuals in the world could grasp. Every master of this level was exceptionally talented, having defeated heroes and honed their skills to perfection to reach this unparalleled state, regarded as the pinnacle of martial mastery. How could an unknown person possibly reach the Extraordinary Level?

Seeing the team’s reaction, Silver Light Vice Captain felt bitter. He knew his words lacked credibility. Only those who had truly trained could understand how difficult it was to make any progress at all. Let alone reaching the Extraordinary Level, none among them could even be called a master.

Defeating this minor character and claiming it was the Extraordinary Level?

Silver Light Vice Captain could already imagine the reactions of true masters if he ever voiced that statement. Even if he were incredibly sincere, the responses would likely be:

“Yes, you might indeed be telling the truth.”

“But isn’t there a possibility that you are just too weak to comprehend how terrifying the Extraordinary Level really is?”

It was stifling.

Not only did the people around him start to doubt, but he began to question himself as well. Had he truly overestimated the boy? Perhaps this level of skill was trivial compared to the existence of the Extraordinary Level, merely a result of his own inadequacy giving rise to a false perception?

Unable to find an answer, he waved his hand. “Chase after him! His strength is unfathomable; even if he’s not at the Extraordinary Level, he is beyond our ability to handle. But in Bicu City, where many experts exist, he will surely show his abilities. Compared to this illusory divine game, his martial skills are far more real; even gleaning a glimpse of them is worth a lifetime of study!”

“Indeed, even the Vice Captain was defeated without any uncertainty; that’s something only Captain could achieve. Witnessing a battle of Captain-level strength is already a grand event. I feel a little excited myself. Next time we face him, I will prepare a grand magic attack.” A voice suddenly rang out; it belonged to a panda man holding a magic wand, with bright black-ringed panda eyes.

“Black and White Mage!”

The many members of the Silver Spirits shouted.

…

Yun Ye walked a little further when he was stopped by a group of muscular men wielding great swords. Previously it was the Silver Spirits; now it was the Arno Clan.

The Arno Clan is a native term translating to "Red Leaf Minotaurs."

These Minotaurs sported red, leaf-like horns, resembling leaves with only veins but no flesh; they were filled with red battle qi.

“We, the Storm Mercenary Corps, are the best in the world!”

“This path is closed!”

The Minotaurs roared, shaking the air around them.

“Cowards, come face me!”

Leading the charge was Storm Captain, exuding a strong sense of pressure, who took a few steps to the center of the street, hoisting his great sword and shouting.

“He’s here!”

“Storm Captain’s signature attack, the Wrath of the Bull King! Breaking through Silver Light’s defenses earlier was nothing; now there’s no way to escape!”

“Storm Captain is a master-level warrior! How can such tender skin endure close combat with those tough bull folks?”

The surrounding mercenaries brightened at the prospect of an exciting spectacle.

The Wrath of the Bull King, more accurately known as the Bull’s Roar, is a racial provocation ability that can instantly ignite the enemy’s anger, making them lose their reason and engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat with the Minotaurs.

The physical advantage of the Minotaurs goes without saying; if one cannot resist the Bull’s Roar ability, they are likely to be smashed into Flesh by a single sword strike!

Then…

They saw the boy in the blue robe flicker, gracefully leaping past Storm Captain, completely unaffected by the Bull’s Roar.

“Kid… you dare to underestimate me?!”

Storm Captain’s eyes widened in fury, blood-red rage spreading, as a whirlwind of battle qi twisted around his body. In the brief moment Yun Ye passed him, he felt an overwhelming anger; this kid clearly disregarded him—how despicable!

He unleashed his battle qi, intending to turn and strike Yun Ye’s back, but it was too slow; he couldn’t keep up. Yun Ye was already far ahead, merging into the crowd of the Storm Mercenary Corps.

The crowd naturally parted for him, and it seemed as though he was about to slip through.

“Block him!”

Storm Captain bellowed in anger, the will of the Bull King compelled all team members to activate their battle qi.

A swirling mass of energy united them, forming an impenetrable barrier in the mercenary corps’ area; not even a fly could escape.

Yun Ye was halted, his speed drastically reduced, but he did not stop his steps, eyeing the battle qi before him.

This situation was clearly not an insurmountable wall; he could break through.

“Our battle qi is unbreakable; let’s see where you run!”

Seeing Yun Ye enveloped by the energy and slowing down, Storm Captain approached calmly, gathering his chaotic battle qi.

This was the calm before the storm; everyone watching could feel the tension brewing from Storm Captain’s anger and instinctively took a step back.

They wished to intervene and score some points, but with Storm Captain present, they lacked the courage to provoke him, feeling regretful as their chance to change their fate slipped away.

Yun Ye, however, did not look back, continuing his steady approach toward the end of the street. The energy binding him seemed to weaken, and his previously reduced pace returned to a rapid stride.

“Have you all not eaten? You can’t even trap a caged bird! Focus up, or I’ll smash you little rascals into the ground!”

Storm Captain’s expression darkened suddenly.

“Wait… Boss… it’s not that we aren’t trying hard; he’s disappearing! It’s like we went from grabbing his arm to holding just a finger; we can’t put any strength into it at all!”

Vice Captain exerted all his strength, his face flushing red, veins bulging, steam rising, and muscles straining against their armor.

But it was all for naught. Yun Ye continued to speed up, becoming an afterimage as he crossed several barriers formed by battle qi.

Realizing Yun Ye was about to escape, Storm Captain could no longer hold back. He leaped high, raising his great sword above his head:

“Red Rage Bull King Execution!”

The extreme whirlwind seemed to echo like thunder, stirring the clouds and drawing the attention of all experts throughout Bicu City.

The sheer terror of this attack was well acknowledged; when the great execution was unleashed, it was like a hurricane sweeping through!

“Is this really the Storm Corps’ Captain spoken of in rumors? So this is the level of his power…”

The silver-haired female swordswoman stood on the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the gathering of Storm.

She could see the positions of the three contestants but was still pondering which one to intercept. Now, it seemed she didn’t need to think any longer; someone had already taken on the delaying task for her. Compared to the other two, the success rate of stopping the boy in the blue robe before her was much higher.

“Wow, looks like the little bull has pulled out his ultimate move. I wonder if it will work on this person…”

“He shows no hint of panic at all.”

A man in a magic robe, adorned with dozens of magical stones, stood at the city gate watching the match, yawning. He considered himself the big boss, guarding the final barrier.

Since it was a game created by an unknown deity, the contestants surely possessed strength. The possibility of anyone else in Bicu City successfully intercepting them was zero!

Thus, he had come directly to the city gate. If others couldn’t block them, then there would surely be contestants attempting to come through the gate; he could simply wait for them.

“Super Reperformance Ritual.”

“Eternal Crown.”

“Fairy’s Song.”

“Triple Acceleration Field.”

“Triple Deceleration Field.”

The blonde man was a Mage, skilled at preparing ahead of time. One by one, his spells were set up.

Given his strength, he hadn’t been this serious in a long time. However, he had to act with gravity; just the earlier display of power that disregarded Bicu City’s defenses and seized full control of the city had made this a serious matter. He knew such supreme realms offered no second chances.

…

“It’s still ineffective against battle qi! Who is this person?!”

The Silver Light Vice Captain shouted from his crouch on the rooftop, his confidence almost overwhelming. After all, the opponent was the Storm Corps Captain!

Bicu World lacked the spirit energy of heaven and earth and magic elements. The only power came from life forms generating energy within themselves.

Those with a high degree of concentration and the ability to release it externally were called magic power.

Those with high quality, capable of significantly enhancing the physical body but unable to stray too far from it, were referred to as battle qi.

The essence of cultivation was to continuously enhance these two forms of energy while studying their properties, accumulating knowledge on how to use both powers.

This was the foundation of martial skills and magic.

In theory, one could categorize energy levels or skill realms into eight tiers: First Stage, Second Stage, Intermediate, Advanced, Top-tier, Master, Grandmaster, and Extraordinary, or simply as first or second stages if simplified.

The Silver Light Vice Captain considered himself quite strong, having a notable presence in Bicu City, but his overall level was merely that of a top-tier warrior. He was still far from those truly outstanding beings.

Bicu City was merely an emerging city, gradually forming due to the unique True Spirit that flowed from here.

It belonged neither to any country nor any faction; it was a purely neutral city.

In terms of strength and foundation, it was far inferior to those ancient powers; top-tier energy-level warriors were already incredibly strong.

A Captain like his, who only possessed master-level techniques, was already a premier figure in Bicu City, renowned!

However, the Storm Corps Captain was one of the few master-level warriors in Bicu City; his status and weight could not be simply equated; he was one of Bicu City’s faces.

A person of such rank could leap into the storm; how frightening their power could be! In his view, no one could be taken lightly…

Yet, this contestant remained unfazed, not even turning his head. This was an extraordinary confidence; even a fool could feel the commotion!

“What a wonderful power! It can crush everything!”

“This is my goal, the peak of a warrior!”

The Storm Captain’s attack caused an uproar throughout the city, with many eyes gleaming with admiration.

Such great power was enough to form an army alone; who wouldn’t desire it?

“Red Rage Bull King Execution!”

The Storm Captain’s frantic roar echoed, as his great sword seemed ready to cleave mountains, swallowing everything before it whole, utterly disregarding the safety of his teammates and bystanders. Everything in its path was torn apart, completely enveloping Yun Ye.

Stop the contestant?

Wouldn’t it be better to simply eliminate him for more points!

“The first contestant is out!”

Everyone watching the video across the city briefly thought this.

Unfortunately,

This thought did not include the Storm Captain himself.

The moment he swung his sword, he felt something was off; he didn’t have the sensation of a successful strike. It was as if it were an illusion, as if someone was flowing with the Storm downstream.

“Oh, oh, oh! Long live Captain!”

“We are the first, we’ve taken the lead!”

“I wonder what rewards we could earn from defeating the contestant; they must be terrifying, divine rewards! A single one would be a priceless treasure for us mortals!”

Many teammates cheered with excitement.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. That opponent is probably a master-level Storm Mage; my battle qi didn’t directly resolve him!”

The Storm Captain was pulled back to reality, his tone serious as he halted the cheers of the crowd.

The joyful faces froze.

Huh?

What?

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Coughing suddenly echoed amidst the dust stirred up by the Storm.

All the teammates turned pale, gripping their great swords once more. Could it be that they hadn’t actually died? This was the Captain’s ultimate move! How could one survive a direct hit?

“Wait… I’m not dead?!”

“Yes, what is going on? I distinctly remember being swallowed by the Storm. Did the Captain hold back?!”

“No… no! Although it sounds ridiculous, this may be divine protection. Just now, I saw another version of myself disappear completely, and has everyone noticed? We are no longer qualified for assistance!”

Voices rose one after another. The Storm Captain’s expression shifted, and with a swing of his sword, the Storm immediately cleared the mist.

Before them stood many teammates and townsfolk who should have been dead, all alive and well. One even passed his hand through a wall, proving his point.

They hadn’t died, but they had been eliminated, unable to touch anything further.