As Lin Mu observed the third prince, he started to recognize a few things about him.
There was Immortal Qi emanating from Feng Baxing's body but was restrained within the two meter area around him.
'His immortal Qi is swirling around him in a protective manner… just like the wind.' Lin Mu thought to himself, having picked on the skill that the man was using.
Lin Mu reckoned this was a defensive skill the man might be using. Though he didn't know if it was being actively used by him, or was there due to the armor he was wearing.
'No wait… considering the stability of the immortal Qi, it is likely to be from an Immortal tool… thus it should be the Armor itself.' Lin Mu determined.
After all, constantly keeping a skill active like this would also result in a loss of Qi which was not a good thing to do just before a match. Even if Feng Baxing might have a large store of Immortal Qi, displaying a skill like this was not the optimum choice as it would alert the more sensitive cultivators.
Thus Lin Mu guessed that it might just be due to the armor he was wearing. But just as Lin Mu was thinking all this, another person climbed onto the platform.
"Tian Ning! He's finally here too!" The people recognized the new arrival.
Lin Mu's attention snapped to the person who was to be his opponent.
If Third Prince Feng Baxing was the definition of a cold looking prince then Tian Ning was the opposite of him.
Tian Ning was a tall dark, bulky man that was wearing an open vest that barely covered his torso. His bulging muscles stretched the vest taut while his arms that were covered in tattoos trembled with power.
Blue arcs of electricity could be seen emitting from the tattoo from time to time, while an aura of pure power rose from the man. His dark skin contrasted with the light of the electricity, only making him look more menacing.
Tian Ning's hair was long and stiff, clumping together in locks of hair that had turned into spikes. Sparks of electricity jumped across the hair tips as well, making it seem a bit strange.
Looking at the man's appearance though, Lin Mu was reminded of another companion of his.
'Jing Luo…' Lin Mu couldn't help but match the two men's builds and the appearance from when he had first met Jing Luo.
The wild look of Jing Luo was similar to that of Tian Ning, except for the fact that he was wearing clothes made out of crude materials. Tian Ning on the other hand was wearing a simple vest and stretchable pants.
Tough looking at Tian Ning's body gave another thought to Lin Mu.
'Is Tian Ning also a body cultivator?' Lin Mu wondered and tried to sense the Vitality within the man. "Hmm… While he does have higher vitality than the usual, he doesn't have Immortal essence. He's a pure Qi cultivator." He determined.
It was something that was in the favor of Lin Mu, thus he was pleased by it.
"Who's the last remaining contestant?" the people in the crowd chatted.
"There's just one person left now… Daoist Mu Lin." They spoke.
"Why hasn't he arrived yet? There's just ten minutes left."
Hearing the chatter, Lin Mu walked forward knowing it was enough for now.
'Time for me to head up too…' Lin Mu thought before climbing up on the platform.
"It's the expert negotiator Mu Lin!" The audience seemed to have a new title for Lin Mu evidently.
Lin Mu raised a brow in surprise, but didn't mind it much. It was nothing bad after all.
"So you are Daoist Mu Lin, huh." Tian Ning spoke seeing that his opponent was there too now.
"Yes, Daoist Tian Ning." Lin Mu replied to the man.
"You've managed to come this far with your cultivation base… Guess you're hiding more than just your negotiation skills." Tian Ning replied.
"Oh?" Lin Mu wondered where the man was getting at.
"I saw you in the Spatial Plan before." Tian Ning replied.
"I'm flattered that Daoist Tian Ning deemed it worthy to watch my battle." Lin Mu replied politely.
"I don't care about whatever talking skills you might have… I just what to see how you fight!" Tian Ning said with a crude grin.
"Of course. I'll be giving it my all." Lin Mu wasn't one to back down from a challenge like this.
"We'll see." Tian Ning said before sensing a gaze on him. "And you too, Third Prince."
Lin Mu followed the man's gaze and saw that Feng Baxing had actually been looking toward him.
"I look forward to defeating you in the final match." Tian Ning said with great confidence.
"Humph…" Feng Baxing didn't respond to the man though and simply harrumphed before turning away.
It was clear that he had no intention of talking to the man.
"Still the same as ever." Tian Ning muttered making Lin Mu intrigued.
"You've met the Third Prince before?" Lin Mu inquired.
"Met him? I've fought with him too." Tian Ning said much to Lin Mu's surprise.
"In the previous tournament?" Lin Mu asked.
"No… in another place." Tian Ning replied. "It was a celebratory banquet a few years ago. We fought to a standstill back then." He said much to Lin Mu's surprise.
"That's impressive." Lin Mu said, really finding it so.
'If he really could fight the Third prince to a standstill, he's really strong.' Lin Mu's opinion of Tian Ning just rose to another level. 'I might really have to go all out against Tian Ning perhaps.' He reckoned.
"All contestants are here, thus we shall be starting the round!" An announcement was heard.
~SHUA~
A formation screen appeared in the sky, showing the scene of the platform.
"Step into the gate now!" The elder overseeing the match ordered.
"Here we go…" Lin Mu muttered as he walked into the gate alongside the others.
The moment he stepped in, he felt the teleportation start and he was soon in the Teleportation Channel.
