Eight unusual pressure waves descended like dark clouds upon Ren Yuanhao. Some female spectators, drawn by his elegant and dashing appearance, covered their eyes in fright, silently offering him blessings.
Perhaps their wishes took effect, as the menacing auras were suddenly dispersed by a colossal vortex of energy!
Ren Yuanhao removed half of his earbud, looking at the eight people pushed aside by the vortex. His gaze finally turned slightly stern.
"I told you, I just want to listen to music properly, okay? Do you really want to fight me?"
As soon as Ren Yuanhao spoke, he suddenly extended his right hand, folded his palm, and made a highly provocative gesture!
"It's, it's elemental abilities, isn't it?"
"That's right, and it's the wind element, the most lethal one!"
"Has this kid been hiding his strength all along?"
"No, he just took advantage of our rapid decline in stamina after fighting each other for a while. He waited while we tired ourselves out, so he's just giving us a show of force. They're all paper tigers."
It wasn't just the eight on the stage who thought this way; the spectators did too.
However, the moment they launched their second assault, a fierce wind erupted. The eight individuals were like withered leaves in the wind, collapsing to the ground within ten seconds, most of them completely lacking the strength to even move.
At this moment, instead of cheers, the spectators erupted in disdain.
"What the hell? Isn't that cheating?"
"Exactly, dirty tactics, trash!"
"If you have the guts, win the fight fair and square!"
Ren Yuanhao paid them no mind. After all, these people had never gone head-to-head with eight men possessing 6000 ability indices. They couldn't possibly understand the strength required to fight eight opponents alone.
But if they didn't understand, King Jie Luo did.
A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. At the same time, Ren Yuanhao showed no signs of elation. Instead, he lay on the competition stage, inserting his earbuds.
He felt that watching those guys who couldn't win and could only vent their frustration was quite an experience.
"King, what do you think of the newcomer?" the usually cheerful young doctor asked, now sporting a peculiar, snake-like grin.
Jie Luo didn't answer immediately, falling silent for a moment. "The strongest among abilities, the natural elemental ability, and the most powerful offensive aspect, wind. Interesting."
"It's not easy to get such an evaluation, even from King."
"No, I actually admire his arrogant demeanor more. Just like me back in the day."
...
No one had expected the first tier of combat to end so quickly, nor that the victor would be someone they hadn't favored. What was even more irritating was that this newcomer had resorted to trickery.
Of course, this was merely their wishful thinking.
Shortly after, about ten minutes later, the second tier had also determined its victor.
The winner turned out to be the Puppet Master, who wasn't skilled in close combat.
At this point, Jie Luo cleared his throat and announced, "For the sake of balance, we will have a half-hour break before the final battle."
Upon hearing this, the spectators, who had been holding their bladders throughout the matches, naturally went to relieve themselves in groups. Of course, some also went to buy snacks and seeds. Only Yafir remained seated, looking at Ren Yuanhao with great joy.
However, when the masked man, radiating a strange aura, slowly walked towards Ren Yuanhao, her heart tightened.
Ren Yuanhao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly felt his sky being blocked by something. Opening his eyes, he saw the man whose ability index exceeded 7500.
In fact, if he hadn't been shaken by King's roar, his ability index might have been even higher. But that no longer mattered. At least, among his opponents, none could reach 7000. This was a significant threshold that couldn't be bridged solely by the advantage of ability type.
"Hey, kid, I want to discuss something with you."
The masked man said arrogantly.
Ren Yuanhao blinked, then closed his eyes again, lazily stating, "To discuss something, you need to have a proper attitude. You're so arrogant, and wearing a mask, don't you think that's quite insincere?"
"Sincerity? I'm here to save your life, do I still need to be sincere?"
The masked man snorted coldly, spreading his hands. A bone-chilling aura surged downwards.
"What? You want to make a move on me now? Are you that afraid of me?" Ren Yuanhao still didn't bother opening his eyes.
The masked man sneered, "I originally wanted to persuade you to give up, so you wouldn't lose your life. I didn't expect you to be so arrogant. Fine, I hope you'll make me sweat a bit more later, and entertain me more."
"Don't worry, I won't take your life. Are you done? You can leave now."
Ren Yuanhao turned over, as if searching for the sun.
The masked man swept away his sleeves and turned. Only Yafir noticed the ferocious glint in his eyes, a light as sinister as a ghost's.
Not long after the masked man left, the Puppet Master also walked over.
"Hey newcomer, I want to discuss something with you."
"Why are you guys one by one looking for me? You want to save my life too, right?"
Ren Yuanhao narrowed his eyes and replied coldly.
The Puppet Master added, "No, I want you to take the lead, to help me wear down that man. Then, I'll give you a large sum of money, enough to ensure you're well-fed and clothed for life. Moreover, I can give you this."
He cautiously squatted down and very carefully took out an item.
Ren Yuanhao, initially too lazy to open his eyes and wanting to refuse outright, was suddenly interrupted by the system's chime.
"Ren Yuanhao, it's a fragment of a bamboo slip遗书!"
The system's voice sounded exceptionally excited.
Hearing this, Ren Yuanhao slowly opened his eyes to look. Indeed, in the man's embrace, he saw a very dilapidated bamboo slip hidden.
He feigned disinterest and said in a deep voice, "What use do I have for this broken junk?"
"No use? Hmph, you don't know that this contains a huge secret?"
The Puppet Master lowered his voice again. "You know, the world was originally created from the five elements. Among abilities, there are various types, such as natural, superpower, animal, and so on. Among these, natural system users are very few. Animal systems are almost extinct. And the origin of the five elements has always been the dream of all ability users."
Ren Yuanhao picked at his ear, appearing completely inattentive.
"Get to the point, will you? I'm too lazy to listen to a lecture."
The Puppet Master added, "Do you know what this bamboo slip records?"
"Stop the nonsense, just say it."
Ren Yuanhao had already guessed what he was going to say, but he didn't want to interrupt him.
"This bamboo slip records the existence of an elemental ability nucleus!"