Zhuge Wen's face turned dark. What kind of people were these? Zhang Ergou had only won a few matches.
The spectators were already changing their tune, and it was too soon for that.
However, his dissatisfaction did not attract anyone's attention. The discussion below became more intense, but it was all about how Zhang Ergou had brutally defeated Zhuge Wen.
This situation had become one-sided since Zhang Ergou won his third match.
Although these inner disciples were all cultivators, and their perception of cultivation gaps was deeply ingrained, they couldn't help but be perplexed by Zhang Ergou, this anomaly.
Every time they made a guess, Zhang Ergou's performance would slap them in the face. These inner disciples had learned their lesson this time.
They no longer discussed the outcome of whether Zhang Ergou would win or lose.
Zhuge Wen naturally had no way to deal with such discussions, and his resentment towards Zhang Ergou only deepened.
"Hmph! Let you kid be arrogant for a while longer. Soon these short-sighted fellows will know who the real winner is."
Zhuge Wen thought to himself.
He looked at Zhang Ergou's face, which became even more gloomy.
Zhang Ergou naturally heard the discussions at the scene, but he had long been immune to such chatter.
After several major battles over two days, these people had said everything imaginable. If he were to take everything they said to heart, he would surely be exhausted.
Zhang Ergou ignored them and adjusted his state to its optimal condition.
Today, he had already fought two matches. Although he had one-sidedly crushed his opponents, Zhang Ergou's physical condition had still been somewhat depleted.
Wearing armor weighing twenty thousand catties, Zhang Ergou had defeated three Golden Core early-stage cultivators solely with his physical strength and speed. If the inner elders and disciples knew this, they would probably drop their jaws in disbelief.
Despite winning three consecutive matches, Zhang Ergou did not relax his vigilance. Everyone had their own unique skills, and it was possible that someone might catch him off guard.
Furthermore, he was now facing Zhuge Wen, with whom he had a deep enmity, so he absolutely could not let his guard down.
Looking at the way his opponent was glaring at him as if he wanted to devour him, it was clear that Zhuge Wen had no good intentions.
In an instant, both of them moved almost simultaneously, no longer holding back.
However, their movements were completely opposite. Zhang Ergou rushed towards Zhuge Wen, while Zhuge Wen aimed to create distance between himself and Zhang Ergou.
Having watched several of Zhang Ergou's matches, Zhuge Wen knew that Zhang Ergou's peculiar techniques only took effect when he was close to the enemy.
Therefore, from the very beginning, he kept a close eye on Zhang Ergou, observing his movements.
As soon as he noticed anything amiss, he would quickly deploy his counter-measures.
As expected, Zhang Ergou intended to close in on him from the start. How could Zhuge Wen let him have his way so easily?
He pushed his speed to its limit, retreating desperately. While retreating, his hand seals continued to form.
Suddenly, a water dragon appeared out of thin air, blocking Zhang Ergou's path. It turned out that Zhuge Wen was a water-element spiritual root cultivator.
If he could use spiritual energy, he would not be flustered by water-element techniques at all. His spiritual fire combined with the Fire Spirit Fist could not be easily resisted by mere water vapor.
However, Chiyu had explicitly warned him when he descended the mountain: if he did not enter the top eighty, he was not allowed to use spiritual power. This greatly limited his options.
The water dragon was extremely agile, perfectly blocking Zhang Ergou's path and spitting out water arrows from its mouth.
The water arrows were incredibly fast, and they were about to pierce through Zhang Ergou's body.
"Ah! Will Zhang Ergou be hit?"
A disciple couldn't help but exclaim.
They hadn't noticed that from looking down on Zhang Ergou at first, they had now become somewhat concerned for him.
Even some timid female disciples couldn't help but cover their eyes with their hands, fearing they would witness Zhang Ergou being pierced by the water arrows.
Just as the crowd expected, the water arrows did indeed pass through Zhang Ergou's body, but they caused no sound, not even a whisper.
"Afterimage?" a disciple exclaimed in surprise. When everyone looked closely again, the body that had been pierced by the water arrows was slowly dissipating.
Although Zhang Ergou's speed in the previous three matches was extremely fast, leaving behind afterimages due to his speed, this was the first time he had produced such substantial, tangible afterimages.
While the crowd was astonished, they carefully searched for Zhang Ergou.
Just as the surrounding disciples were deceived by Zhang Ergou's afterimage, Zhuge Wen was naturally fooled as well.
By the time he realized and searched for Zhang Ergou, it was already too late.
"Why are you so fast?"
Zhuge Wen looked at the handsome, devilish face that was suddenly so close, his shock beyond words.
He was so astonished that he forgot to even move his hands.
"Why should I tell you?" Zhang Ergou smiled faintly and punched Zhuge Wen's spiritual energy shield.
As Zhuge Wen had expected, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Zhang Ergou followed up with several more punches, and Zhuge Wen was involuntarily sent flying backward.
"Damn it, Zhang Ergou's speed is too insane! I thought he was blocked by that water dragon Zhuge Wen conjured!"
"I thought so too, but reality slapped us hard in the face."
"It seems our understanding of Zhang Ergou still needs a lot of improvement."
The discerning eyes of the inner disciples were naturally far superior to those of the outer disciples. They didn't just watch for entertainment.
Anyone who appeared on this battle stage in the future could become their opponent, so these disciples silently took note of their opponents' signature moves while watching.
Zhang Ergou's appearance naturally made these inner disciples tense. He was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he possessed the strength to challenge early-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Moreover, his combat techniques were extremely peculiar. With just a simple punch, he made an early-stage Golden Core cultivator bleed. Such strange techniques had now become a shadow hanging over the hearts of many inner disciples.
What surprised them even more today was that Zhang Ergou not only possessed peculiar fist techniques but also terrifying speed.
The afterimages left by his speed had not only deceived the watching disciples but also his opponent, Zhuge Wen.
The horror of it was self-evident.
The subsequent events became much simpler. Zhuge Wen, already suffering from internal injuries, became a target to be beaten.
Bang!
Bang!
Zhuge Wen felt as if his internal organs were about to be smashed out. What was this kid going crazy about? I've already lost the ability to fight back, why isn't he stopping?
"I surrender..."
Unable to bear Zhang Ergou's torment any longer, Zhuge Wen saw Zhang Ergou reach out to grab his legs again and quickly raised his hands.
Seeing Zhuge Wen surrender, Zhang Ergou had no choice but to stop. If he continued to attack at this point, he would surely be criticized.
He stopped angrily, took a step back, and watched Zhuge Wen drag his heavy body off the stage step by step.
Turning around, he also prepared to leave the stage.
"What, you're leaving after just bullying someone?"
A cold snort rang out. Zhang Ergou looked up and saw a person with a fierce, sinister face standing opposite him.