1112 Struggle
An explosive roar louder than any the crowd had unleashed yet blasted across the stadium, shaking it as if it had been hit by powerful battle art. The weaker members in the crowd, those in the Meridian Forging Realm, groaned in discomfort from the power of the crowd, their bones creaking and souls aching.
For this very reason, any cultivator below the Meridian Forging Realm was not allowed to attend the tournament in person, as the atmosphere was far too electric to contain. John completely ignored the sounds coming from the hysterical crowd, instead focusing only on Ji'Han.
The moment the match started, John's aura burst alight like a heavenly bonfire, drowning the arena in his power. Scythe tightly gripped in hand, he prepared to launch towards Ji'Han in an instant.
"Wait," Jill-Ian said calmly, raising his hand in a gesture to stop John before he could react.
John's surging battle lust stalled for an instant, while his eyes narrowed, wondering if JiTIan was trying to pull some sort of trick. Knowing Ji'Han's prideful character, he paused for a moment, but was ready to act at a moment's notice.
As he stood there, John noticed something he had not expected. Ji'Han's armband formation did not activate and restrict his cultivation. Instead, Ji'Han's cultivation remained in the Half-Step World Expansion Realm, surprising John greatly.
'What cultivation speed,' John couldn't help but admit. Since Ji'Han's cultivation would be restricted to his cultivation when he was exactly John's age, this indicated that he had already stepped into the Half-Step World Expansion Realm when he was only nineteen years old.
"You look surprised," Ji'Han scoffed with light mockery.
"l really am surprised," John nodded his head, holding back his urge to start the fight. "You reached the Half-Step World Expansion realm almost over two years ago. And now, after all this time, you're still in the Half-Step World Expansion Realm. Talk about a bright candle burning out too quickly."
John had expected JiTIan to react negatively, as his cultivation and power was the number one point of pride for the youth. Instead, Ji'Han smiled. It was the smile of someone looking down on another, thinking they're nothing but a dumb, uneducated peasant.
"It's true that I've been in the Half-Step World Expansion Realm for over two years," Ji'Han confirmed, "but that was by my own design."
"Your own design?" John repeated questioningly.
"Yes, my own design," Ji'Han said, staring at John with complete calm and confidence. "I purposely kept my cultivation in this realm for one simple reason.
"I see," John nodded, his blood still rushing with nearly uncontainable battle lust. "And the reason is?"
"The reason should be quite obvious," Jill-Ian replied. I wanted to participate in this year's Three Dao Tournament. Had I stepped into the World Expansion Realm, I would have been unable to enter this tournament, and would have missed out on the Ancient Blessings of the Three Dao's reward. The Ancient Blessings is an enticing enough reward to halt my cultivation progress for a year or two."
"I see," John hummed, nodding his head lightly. "That is a good reason I suppose."
Ji'Han smirked, his confident gaze locked onto John like a hawk. "Now that you know the truth of the matter, that I was holding back in each and every fight thus far, are you going to do the smart thing and concede? You should now know that vou have no chance of victory. Either you concede in shame in front of all these people, or I cut you down until what's left of you is hardly recognizable. These are your only two options. This is the price you must pay for attempting to stand against me."
John fell silent for a moment, his face scrunched up in thought. The crowd had fallen silent as well, holding their breath in bated anticipation. Ji'Han's true cultivation speed had shocked them all, and now that the truth was revealed, all felt a sense of hopelessness for John. They had hoped for an amazing fight, but it seemed as though it would become a one-sided slaughter.
"You really like to ramble, don't you?" John replied, his words causing Jill-Ian to frown slightly.
"So, you do not wish to concede, even when your defeat is guaranteed?" Ji'Han asked, a slight smile appearing on his face as if he were hoping for this answer from John. "You might find the truth unfair, but in this matter, you can only blame yourself and your lack of cultivation talent. In the world of cultivation, combat prowess and cultivation speed are equally important.
"Nothing in this world is guaranteed," John scoffed. "Besides, I'm rather happy with my cultivation speed so far. You've probably been cultivating since your early childhood, while I only started five years ago. If anything, your cultivation speed is the one that's lacking."
"Impossible," Ji'Han scoffed dismissively, not believing John's words for a second.
John merely shrugged, not caring at all if he was believed or not.
"Very well," Ji'Han said as his aura flared for a moment, then his cultivation began to slowly drop in power. "If you wish to fight, then I will not give you the honor of fighting against my true power. I will restrict my cultivation to your level, and show to you that this battle was hopeless from the start."
As he spoke, Ji'Han's cultivation dropped from the Half-Step World Expansion Realm to the Late Dao Transformation Realm, a full minor realm higher than John's Middle Dao Transformation cultivation.
"Fuck that!" John roared loudly as his aura reignited, bursting alight with vibrant golden power. At the same time, a draconic roar seemed to echo from within his body, as if a true dragon would emerge from within. The process happened instantly, followed a moment later by space shattering around John as his body sprung to life with devastating lighting.
Boom!
Boom!
Space shattered twice, once at John's location, and once near Ji'Han. Like a god of war, John burst out of the ruined space, his body covered with green draconic scales and golden draconic armor, his scythe slashing out towards Ji'Han's side.
Not expecting the sudden attack, Ji'Han turned and slashed his sword outwards to meet the attack. Scythe and sword collided, followed by Ji'Han soaring backwards through the air, his eyes widening ever so slightly as stared at John.
In that exchange, despite Ji'Han's cultivation still being in the Late Dao Transformation Realm, he had lost out in an exchange of strength against John. While John was a body cultivator, Ji'Han still had an Emperor Grade Variant Body, granting him physical strength far beyond the normal essence cultivation genius.
JiTIan looked at his sword, which still trembled slightly from the lingering power, then looked back to John, who was slowly and steadily walking towards him, his aura steadily growing by the second. In that moment, Ji'Han felt as though a true dragon were walking towards him, its power increasing with each and every step.
"I'm not going to give you an excuse when you lose," John said, his voice low and firm, his scythe held at his side, his footsteps steady.
"Your Half-Step World Expansion cultivation will not buy you victory, it will only buy you time. So, use your full power and struggle as long as you can. Struggle for your father. Struggle for your Sect. Struggle for yourself and struggle for your pride.
But most importantly, struggle for me. Struggle and fight as long as you can, so that I can taste the thrill of true battle for at least a moment. This is the only option you have. This is the price you must pay for attempting to stand against me."
