Chapter 20: Wang the Emperor Suffers Defeat

“Crack!” Wang Teng’s fist, wreathed in searing heat, slammed into the armor—but Zhou Hao didn’t budge an inch; instead, Wang Teng’s fist went numb.

“That’s all Itachi’ve got?” Zhou Hao grabbed Wang Teng’s wrist, and suddenly, several stone spikes erupted from his armor, lancing straight at Wang Teng.

“Repulsion Charm—Repel!” Wang Teng realized his mistake, frantically channeling spell energy to shove the opponent away, retreating rapidly.

With his other hand, he formed a spell seal: “Binding Charm—Seal!”

Several spell runes surfaced from thin air, coiling like chains around Zhou Hao’s limbs.

But Zhou Hao’s spiritual energy surged violently; the ground erupted in massive boulders that blocked the runes and hurtled toward Wang Teng.

“Damn it!” Wang Teng dodged sideways, barely avoiding the boulders—he was about to counterattack when Zhou Hao was already upon him, armored fist swinging straight for his face.

He barely raised his arm to block—*crack*—the spell runes on his arm shattered, and he was flung backward, crashing hard into the barrier rope.

Before Wang Teng could catch his breath, Zhou Hao slapped the ground: “Stone Prison!”

Four stone walls erupted around Wang Teng, trapping him in the center, while rubble continued to rain down from above.

Watching this, Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi below the stage tensed up.

“What the hell!” Wang Teng’s eyes turned bloodshot; his spiritual energy burned wildly, his aura exploding outward.

“Eight Secret Charms, Five Elements Secret Charm—Fire Element Charm—Scorch Heaven!”

Flames erupted again around Wang Teng, surging several feet higher—dark red flames laced with golden runes warped the air inside the stone prison.

He thrust his arms wide; a tidal wave of fire slammed into the surrounding stone walls.

*Boom!* The walls instantly cracked with blackened fissures, then collapsed into rubble.

As the Stone Prison shattered, Wang Teng seized the moment, shooting out of the debris like an arrow: “Corrode Heart Charm—Decay!”

Several black runes flew from Wang Teng’s palm, wrapping around Zhou Hao’s armor—wherever they touched, the hardened rock armor began to rust.

Zhou Hao’s expression finally changed—he could feel his armor’s spiritual energy draining rapidly, and he frantically pushed back with spiritual energy: “Purify!”

Earth-yellow spiritual energy flowed over the armor’s surface, but the gray-black runes clung like roots, immovable.

“What kind of damn ability is this…” Zhou Hao growled, dropping all restraint—he stomped hard: “Mountain Collapse, Earth Rift!”

A small stone mountain erupted from the center of the arena, hurtling straight at Wang Teng, aiming to crush the spell with sheer force.

Wang Teng had anticipated this; after the Corrode Heart Charm took effect, he retreated instantly, forming another seal: “Wood Element Charm—Tendril Bind!”

The moment the runes struck the ground, thick green vines—each as wide as a bowl—burst from the arena’s ruins, one end wrapping around the base of the stone mountain.

Trying to halt its advance, the other ends lashed toward Zhou Hao’s limbs.

But the moment the vines touched Zhou Hao’s armor, they were violently repelled by a sudden surge of earth-yellow spiritual energy.

"Too late!" Zhou Hao clenched his fist—the vines entwining the stone mountain were suddenly yanked with tremendous force.

Using the vines’ grip on the mountain, Zhou Hao redirected the entire mass, swinging the crumbling rock toward Wang Teng—the vines now became chains binding him.

Wang Teng broke into a cold sweat, severing his connection to the vines—but as he moved to form a new seal, Zhou Hao had already summoned several sharp stone spikes, firing like arrows straight at him.

Wang Teng barely dodged sideways—the spikes grazed his face; *boom!* Half the stone mountain slammed into his back.

Wang Teng spat blood, dropped to one knee under the weight, and the Tendril Bind instantly snapped.

Before he could rise, Zhou Hao stepped on his shoulder—the armor’s weight crushed his knees, sending him crashing face-first onto the arena floor.

Zhou Hao crouched, pressing his palm to Wang Teng’s back; earth-yellow spiritual energy surged in like a tide: “Stone Spirit Lock!”

Wang Teng felt his spiritual energy instantly frozen—he couldn’t even twitch a finger.

He watched helplessly as Zhou Hao raised his armored fist, aiming it straight at the crown of his head—with no strength left to resist.

“Itachi lose.” Zhou Hao’s voice was cold; the fist did not strike.

The referee’s voice rang out at once, declaring Zhou Hao the winner. Zhou Hao withdrew his hand from Wang Teng’s back.

As he rose, the lingering Corrode Heart runes finally vanished—but the rusted marks they left made him frown.

Zhou Hao glanced at the motionless Wang Teng on the ground, said nothing more, and turned toward the arena’s edge.

He’d taken only two steps when Wang Teng’s hoarse voice came from behind: “Next time… I won’t lose.”

Zhou Hao paused, turning to look. Wang Teng lay prone, but his eyes locked onto him with unyielding intensity.

Zhou Hao offered no mockery—only said, “I’ll wait,” then walked off the arena.

After Zhou Hao left, Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi rushed onto the stage to support Wang Teng.

Leaning on Jiang Xia’s shoulder, Wang Teng stared at Zhou Hao’s retreating back, coughed twice, and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva: “That earth turtle… his armor’s damn hard.”

“Still talking trash? Let’s get Itachi down to rest,” Jiang Xia said, exasperated.

As Wang Teng was being helped to the resting area, the referee’s voice echoed across the arena.

“Singles match, second round: First-year student Ye Lingxi versus second-year student Chen Yao.”

No sooner had the referee finished than Chen Yao’s palms ignited two flickering crimson flames as she faced Ye Lingxi: “Little sister Ye, don’t let your senior down, okay?”

“Crimson Twin Serpents!”

Two waves of crimson flame burst from her palms, solidifying into two serpents as thick as an arm, lunging at Ye Lingxi.

Where they passed, the arena’s broken stones blackened from heat.

Ye Lingxi was ready—she raised her hand, and an ice wall erupted before her, its surface covered in fine, intricate facets, perfectly blocking the serpents’ path.

*Boom—*

The serpents slammed into the ice wall, flames splashing—but the wall’s chilling aura forced them to shrink, writhing briefly before dissolving into smoke.

Before Chen Yao could react, Ye Lingxi conjured a bow, drawing three ice arrows simultaneously: “Shadow Pursuit!”

The moment the three arrows flew, they locked onto Chen Yao’s every movement.

Even as Chen Yao twisted to dodge, the arrows adjusted their trajectory, homing in on her vital points.

“Damn it!” Chen Yao’s face paled—she scrambled to summon a fire shield, but as sparks ignited at her fingertips, both arms were struck, icy cold spreading through them, extinguishing the flames instantly.

Ye Lingxi’s gaze sharpened; another ice arrow formed on her bow, and she released it.

The arrow grazed Chen Yao’s hair and embedded itself in the arena pillar behind her—instantly, frost spread across the pillar, and even the surrounding air crystallized into frost.

“Senior, thank Itachi for the match,” Ye Lingxi said, lowering her bow, her voice cool yet polite.

Chen Yao stared at the ice shards on her wrists, feeling the chaos in her spiritual energy—she knew there was no turning back.

She sighed, bowed to Ye Lingxi: “I was careless. Itachi’re stronger than I imagined. I yield.”

“Second match: Ye Lingxi vs. Chen Yao—Ye Lingxi wins!”

The audience erupted in murmurs: “This year’s freshmen are brutal—add that Jiang Xia from yesterday, now two of them have beaten upperclassmen.”

“Yeah, and that Wang Teng? He beat way more seniors than most expected.”