Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Battle Against Guan Zhi

Ugh...

As the crowd watched Xu Forest get blasted off the Martial Arts Arena in a single blow, a wave of boos erupted from the stands. He had been so arrogant on stage, but in the end, he couldn’t even take one punch. Everyone was now more certain than ever that this Xu Forest was a total clown, just there for laughs. That Shen Haoran, on the other hand, was truly ferocious. It seemed the rumors were true—his combat strength didn’t match his apparent power level. After all, even if Xu Forest was an idiot, he was still a Tier Five Spirit General, yet he couldn’t block a single attack from Shen Haoran, who was only a Tier Four Spirit General!

Shen Haoran glanced indifferently at Xu Forest down below, who was seeing stars. Shaking his head lightly, he turned and walked off the Martial Arts Arena.

"Shen Haoran wins!"

The referee only snapped out of his daze and hurriedly made the announcement after Shen Haoran had already stepped off the Martial Arts Arena.

"Hee hee, I thought you were going to teach that Xu Forest a proper lesson!" Shui Ruolan said with a giggle as Shen Haoran approached.

Shen Haoran glared at Shui Ruolan and asked, "You knew what he was like all along, didn’t you?"

"Of course," Shui Ruolan said, playfully sticking her tongue out at Shen Haoran. "He wanted to join the Yao Sect and even demanded some kind of position. We sent him packing, and then he started bad-mouthing you. So, I figured I’d give you a chance to teach him a lesson!"

Hearing this, Shen Haoran rolled his eyes at Shui Ruolan and shook his head helplessly. ’I never knew she had such a mischievous side.’

"Oh, look at the time! My match is about to start, I have to go!" Seeing Shen Haoran put on a stern, teacher-like expression, Shui Ruolan knew a lecture was coming. She quickly let out an awkward laugh and scurried away!

Watching her retreating figure, Shen Haoran’s lips moved, but he didn’t call out. Instead, he just chuckled. "That girl..."

After Shui Ruolan left, the battles on the Martial Arts Arenas continued. Shen Haoran fought several more times, and each match ended the same way: with a single, decisive blow.

"Shen Haoran wins!"

On the stage, Shen Haoran once again defeated his opponent. The referee’s voice rang out, sounding almost numb. Whenever Shen Haoran fought, the referee didn’t even have time to catch his breath. He’d announce, "The match begins!" and immediately have to follow it with, "Shen Haoran wins!" There wasn’t even a moment’s rest in between!

"Is this guy a freak of nature? I could understand one-shotting weaker opponents, but stronger ones too? Even a Tier Six Spirit General was defeated in a single blow. Aren’t battles across Levels supposed to be incredibly difficult? I’m sure not seeing it!" It wasn’t just the referee. The disciples in the stands were also staring at Shen Haoran like he was a monster.

"He’s on a nine-win streak, isn’t he? Only the top ten on the Dragon and Tiger List have managed a record like that. Could his strength really be on par with them? But he’s only a Tier Four Spirit General!"

"Not necessarily. There aren’t that many experts assigned to Martial Arts Arena Number Eight. A ten-win streak would probably just be good luck!"

"Heh, are you blind? Haven’t you seen him end every single match with just one blow? No one has even managed to make him get serious yet. That guy is hiding his true power!"

"As expected from the man who dared to challenge Ouyang Chen, number one on the Dragon and Tiger List. He’s a total badass!"

Hearing the crowd’s admiration, Guan Zhi, who stood below the Martial Arts Arena, stared at Shen Haoran with a grim expression, making no effort to hide the venomous hatred in his eyes.

’Hmph, he’s just lucky. Just you wait until I face you. I’ll make you wish you were dead!’ Guan Zhi seethed under his breath.

"Hm?" Guan Zhi glanced over and noticed a Martial Artist standing beside him. The man was clutching his bamboo slip and staring at Shen Haoran with a miserable look on his face, muttering, "It’s over... Why did I have to get matched with that freak? I was hoping to raise my rank, too. My luck is the worst!"

Hearing this, Guan Zhi glanced at the bamboo slip in the disciple’s hand. The number "230" was carved on it. That meant this man was Shen Haoran’s next opponent.

At the sight of this, an idea flashed in Guan Zhi’s mind. He turned to the disciple and said, "You don’t want to fight him, do you?"

The disciple turned around. "Of course not!" he said to Guan Zhi. "That guy is a freak. His strength is probably on par with the top ten on the Dragon and Tiger List. Who could possibly beat him?"

"Hmph. He’s just a posturing clown," Guan Zhi snorted coldly. "He’s not worthy of being compared to the experts in the top ten of the Dragon and Tiger List!"

The disciple looked at Guan Zhi’s grim face, and a chill went through him. Only then did he recognize the man—it was Guan Zhi, the chief Alchemist of the Chen Alliance!

"Hmph. Since you don’t want to face him, let’s switch slips," Guan Zhi said coldly, staring at the disciple. "I will let you see for yourself that he is nothing but a grandstander."

Hearing this, the disciple’s face lit up. "Really?" he exclaimed.

"Obviously!" Guan Zhi snapped impatiently.

"Thank you, Young Master Guan!" the disciple cried out happily, immediately swapping slips with him. Holding Guan Zhi’s bamboo slip, the disciple let out a huge sigh of relief.

’Hmph. This time, I’ll be the one to face you.’ Guan Zhi looked at the number 230 slip in his hand and gave a sinister smile.

After a few more matches, it was Shen Haoran’s turn again. "The next match: Shen Haoran versus..." The referee trailed off, pausing as he was about to announce the opponent.

"Who’s his opponent this time?"

"I don’t know. Why did he stop reading?" The crowd stared intently at the Martial Arts Arena. They were eager to see who Shen Haoran’s next opponent would be, and whether he could finally achieve his tenth consecutive victory!

"Shen Haoran versus Guan Zhi!"

After a moment, the referee, with a strange expression on his face, looked down at Guan Zhi and announced the name loudly.

As the referee’s voice faded, the entire arena erupted with cries of shock.

"Guan Zhi! It’s actually Guan Zhi!"

"I remember Guan Zhi lost to Shen Haoran during the last Alchemy competition. Is he trying to settle the score in the martial tournament?"

"That must be it. I remember Guan Zhi is an expert ranked in the top twenty of the Dragon and Tiger List. Looks like he’s planning to settle old and new grudges all at once!"

"Heh heh, now this is going to be a good show. I heard that after Guan Zhi lost the Chen Alliance’s alchemy supply lines, Ouyang Chen personally ’cut off his lifeline.’ Guan Zhi definitely blames Shen Haoran for that. There’s no way he’s going to let him off easy!"

"Oh, then this is really going to be a good show!"

While the stands buzzed with discussion, Shen Haoran stood on the Martial Arts Arena, frowning at Guan Zhi. ’I remember he was supposed to be in one of the later brackets,’ he thought. ’We shouldn’t be facing each other this early.’

But after a brief moment of surprise, Shen Haoran put it out of his mind. ’It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. Guan Zhi will just be slightly more troublesome, that’s all.’ Such was his confidence—an absolute faith in his own power!

Seeing that both Shen Haoran and Guan Zhi were in position, a gong sounded, and the referee’s voice rang out. "The match... begins!"