ăInside the Spirit Martial Eternity arena.ă
Many in the crowd recognized Mu Chen, Chu Shengâs opponent.
"Hey, isnât that Mu Chen? The guy who got wrecked by the Evil Giant Mushroom last time?"
"It really is him. Todayâs getting interesting. Mu Chen hasnât been online since he got destroyed by that goddamn mushroom."
"Last time it was a giant mushroom, this time a giant cockroach. Is the system targeting Mu Chen? Hahaha!"
"Jokes aside, though, Mu Chen is genuinely skilled. If he hadnât run into the Evil Giant Mushroom last time, he wouldâve broken the win-streak record for the Fourth-Grade Early Stage."
"Hold on!"
"Hey, check out Mu Chenâs match record! This is his first fight today, and heâs queued up for the Fourth-Grade Late Stage bracket!"
"Fourth-Grade Late Stage? Holy shit! How long has it been? Heâs already at the Fourth-Grade Late Stage!"
"A great fortuitous encounter! Mu Chen must have come across some incredible opportunity!"
The crowdâs attention quickly shifted to Mu Chenâs display of power.
Meanwhile, the three-second invincibility period in the arena expired...
The battle began!
Inside the arena, Mu Chen, filled with rage, unleashed his full aura from the very start!
A long spear materialized in his hand. This time, he wasted no words. With a single leap, he shot forward like a fiery meteor.
Mu Chenâs Speed was immense. The tip of his spear scraped against the arenaâs black stone floor, leaving a trail of sparks as the distance between them closed rapidly.
"Fuck you, you giant cockroach! Just die!"
"Burning Hundred-Slit Stab!"
Mu Chen brandished his long spear, his Spear Intent locking onto Chu Sheng.
The Burning Hundred-Slit Stab was a Spear Technique Mu Chen had recently mastered. It not only integrated his Great Success Spear Intent but also incorporated the Fire Realm he had newly comprehended. He was opening with his ultimate move!
In an instant, crimson spear afterimages rained down like a furious storm, bombarding the spot where Chu Sheng stood.
"RAAAH... One! Two! Three! Four..."
"Ninety-eight! Ninety-nine! One hundred!"
In just ten seconds, Mu Chen had stabbed at Chu Shengâs position a full hundred times. Each thrust seethed with scorching heat and his Spear Intent.
Beneath the sky-filling torrent of spear shadows, Chu Shengâs figure was completely engulfed.
At last, having vented his fury, a panting Mu Chen came to a stop and stared at where the giant cockroach had been.
âDamn it. Of all the forms he couldâve chosen, he had to pick something so bizarre.â
âLetâs see you survive that!â
In his opinion, that giant cockroach should have been stabbed into paste by now.
âEven that Evil Giant Mushroom wouldâve been skewered! Not even a Martial Artist at the Peak of Fourth-Grade could have possibly withstood that hundred-hit combo!â
The spear shadows dissipated. The spot where Chu Sheng had been was empty.
Mu Chen froze. âDid I... stab him to death? Did he turn into a flash of system light?â
âRight, a hundred stabs was probably overkill. The giant cockroach was likely dead after the first one... Itâs all that damn mushroomâs fault for getting me so worked up.â
Mu Chen shook his head, withdrew his spear, and looked toward the spectator stands, ready to receive the crowdâs praise and adulation.
However, the cheers he expected never came. Mu Chen realized that the entire crowd was silent, staring at him with bizarre expressions.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âWas I too cruel just now?â
Being stared at by so many people with such strange expressions made Mu Chenâs skin crawl.
The next second, his heart suddenly lurched.
âWait!â
âWhy havenât I heard the systemâs victory notification? Donât tell me... that giant cockroach isnât dead yet?â
âImpossible! My Spear Intent was locked onto it. Thereâs no way it could have dodged!â
Mu Chen began to panic and frantically scanned his surroundings.
Nothing in front, nothing behind, nothing to the left or right. His heart skipped a beat. He looked upânothing in the air either.
The vast arena seemed to be empty, save for him.
âWhat the hell is going on?!!â
Mu Chen was growing frantic. The gazes from the crowd grew even more peculiar, and he could even see some people smirking mockingly.
The laughter swelled as the stands grew rowdy, until finally, someone couldnât hold it in any longer and called out:
"Haha, this is killing me."
"Buddy, you might wanna look behind you."
âBehind me?â
Mu Chen whipped around. There was nothing there.
Suddenly, he froze.
He felt a tickle on his neck. Then, he saw two black antennae extend past his cheeks.
âDonât tell me... itâs on my back?â
An image flashed through Mu Chenâs mind: a fifty-centimeter-long giant cockroach, clinging silently to his back this whole time, while he, completely oblivious, searched everywhere like a clown.
âAnd those hundred stabs just now... were they all just hitting empty air?â
Most guys arenât afraid of cockroaches, but that changes when one flies onto youâespecially a super-sized one!
A chill shot up Mu Chenâs spine, straight to the crown of his head.
He looked at the two Double Ponytail Antenna and cautiously turned his head... only to find a horrifying cockroach face pressed right against his own.
"HOLY SHIT!!"
He screamed and jumped back reflexively, leaping a full three meters into the air.
In that exact moment, the two antennae struck like lightning, piercing Mu Chenâs temples.
Mu Chenâs eyes rolled back. He fell to the ground, twitched twice, and then vanished in a flash of white light.
...
[Ding! You are victorious. Congratulations on your 16-win streak.]
[Matching you with your next opponent...]
The systemâs cold voice rang in Chu Shengâs ears.
The moment Mu Chen had lunged with his first thrust, Chu Sheng had used Instant Teleportation to land on his back. He then just clung to his opponentâs shoulder and watched him furiously stab the air over a hundred times, until the guy wore himself out...
âThis poor kidâs eyesight isnât so great, is it.â
âMy Soul-devouring Demon Spike was transformed into these two antennae in the game; theyâre incredibly sharp. Too bad I canât absorb real Qi Blood in this game.â
ăMeanwhile.ă
The crowd in the stands also heard the system broadcast.
[Congratulations to âHavocSpitfirePong13â on your victory. You are now on a 16-win streak.]
"Itâs over?"
"No way, this is a total farce. Mu Chen, a Fourth-Grade Late Stage expert, just bit the dust like that?"
"One of the top ten masters from the Jingda Second Year class? Is that all heâs got? What a complete clown..."
"Honestly, I almost feel sorry for Mu Chen. First, he gets humiliated by the Evil Giant Mushroom, and now he finally makes a comeback only to be toyed with by a giant cockroach... If I were him, Iâd probably just uninstall the game."
"Hahaha, no way! I want to see what other bizarre opponent he runs into next!"
"But speaking of which, that giant cockroach is pretty something. I didnât even see how it got behind Mu Chen."
"Heh, I was recording. Iâll just check the replay in slow motion later."
Amid the crowdâs chatter, Chu Sheng faced his next opponent, another expert at the Fourth-Grade Late Stage.
This time, Chu Sheng didnât bother with any flashy tricks. He scored an instant kill with "Soul-Bursting Flame Feather Plus Edition"!
Soon, Chu Shengâs record climbed to...
A seventeen-win streak!
An eighteen-win streak...
His opponents included several experts at the Peak of Fourth-Grade, but they were all instantly defeated by Chu Sheng. Being invincible within oneâs own realm was just that simple.
Finally, the system even matched Chu Sheng against a Fifth-Grade Early Stage opponent. This was a jump of an entire Grand Realm, but even that opponent didnât last three minutes.
[Congratulations to âHavocSpitfirePong13â on your victory. You are now on a 30-win streak.]
A thirty-win streak!!!