Chapter 1177

It's also deeply unsportsmanlike: lightly, it causes the opponent to fall into self-doubt; heavily, it renders them useless for life—this is a crushing spiritual blow, and no technique can counter it.

To resist it, you must either be a warrior of the same level possessing warrior will, or someone with a heart so vast they simply don't care.

But how many people in this world can truly care nothing at all?

"Let us congratulate our victor—our Iron Fist!" the referee climbed back onto the stage and raised the dumb warrior's fist, announcing to the entire arena.

The dumb warrior's face broke into an embarrassed, dopey smile.

Below, the usual chorus of sighs persisted; only a few silently recognized the dumb warrior's strength—he was truly formidable, a being no ordinary person could defeat; to beat Iron Fist, one must find a way to nullify his battle will.

Otherwise, you're suppressed the moment you step on stage—but how easy is it to nullify it?

Perhaps only those warriors who have also achieved five consecutive victories possess the power to challenge the dumb warrior.

"Now let us welcome the second five-time victor to the stage."

The crowd erupted in a completely different, fierce cheer—far fewer people dared challenge the second-place warrior, and the referee quickly selected one to ascend.

A fierce battle erupted, but ultimately the second-place warrior edged out the victor.

"Now it's the third five-time victor's turn—this is moving fast," Lin Cheng watched the stage personnel change; at this pace, it would soon be his turn.

My five metal guardians—using this method to defeat opponents, surely many will want to challenge me.

At this moment, an unexpected twist occurred on the arena: the third five-time victor was knocked off the stage by his opponent.

This was truly surprising.

Immediately, the referee announced a new contestant would replace the previous third-place warrior and earn a spot in the finals!

Lin Cheng had barely noticed this match, only glancing briefly at both fighters—he never expected the young challenger on the third stage had defeated the middle-aged warrior.

This young man with the gentle smile has something to him.

Then came the fourth match… the fifth… as expected, all previous five-time victors were no fools—they didn't fall easily.

"Now let us welcome the sixth five-time victor—the blacksmith and his metal guardians." Lin Cheng stepped onto the stage; the crowd's anticipated sighs rose and fell—he didn't care, standing on the platform waiting for his opponent; this time, the sharp-eyed referee selected a fully armored challenger.

Wearing a helmet that revealed only his eyes, clad in the same metal full-body battle armor, his arms and legs entirely sheathed in metal, leaving not a single gap.

On his back rested a two-meter-long cavalry lance.

Before this, Lin Cheng had never seen such a warrior on the ship—he had specifically sought out full plate armor and a cavalry lance to counter him.

"Interesting."

A cavalryman without a horse is just a turtle shell—without momentum, how can he unleash his power?

Or is he relying purely on his overwhelming defense to stall me?

"Are both sides ready?" the referee asked.

"Ready," came a muffled voice from inside the turtle shell.

Lin Cheng said nothing, but his five activated metal guardians signaled they were ready too.

"Then let the match begin!"

The referee declared the match started, but neither side moved at first.

The knight adopted a defensive stance first.

The cavalry lance follows the principle that "one inch longer, one inch stronger," and his thick battle armor provides defense—these little things, no matter how strong, would struggle to shatter his armor with their iron fists.

Meanwhile, he could slowly wear them down.

In every aspect of counterplay, the knight indeed held a natural advantage over the metal guardians.

But to think so would be a grave mistake.

"You've gone to extraordinary lengths to counter me," Lin Cheng sighed.

The warrior inside the knight said nothing—he had prepared all this precisely to counter these metal guardians!

"Too bad your turtle shell seems useless—I already anticipated the possibility of a heavy knight."

The knight suddenly felt a bad premonition—had the opponent already devised a way to defeat him, yet pretended to remain utterly calm?

He was clad in heavy armor; unless subjected to violent impact, he was nearly invulnerable.

He'd see what these little things could possibly do to him.

"It seems you're eager too—then let my little ones send you down." Lin Cheng commanded with his mind; one mechanical servant surged forward, its entire body glowing red, straight toward the knight's chest.

The cavalry sensed something strange about this metal guardian and hastily swung his lance—but the mechanical servant's agility was far beyond what the heavy knight could strike.

As it drew closer, the cavalry clearly saw the metal guardian charging at him was utterly unlike the others—its surface burned a searing red.

The next instant, the mechanical servant slammed into the knight's chest—weak impact, then suddenly, the entire guardian exploded with a thunderous boom.