https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-193-News-from-the-Electrostatic-Field/12551000/
Chapter 192: My Sword Has Never Failed Me
Chapter 192: My Sword Has Never Failed Me
Ji Xinghuo had not yet responded when Shi Renzhong anxiously spoke up, "Big brother, this isn't appropriate."
"What's inappropriate about it?"
Shi Daoyuan chastised, "I'm not forcing you. It's a mutually agreeable transaction." He turned to Ji Xinghuo, "Name your price."
Ji Xinghuo pondered for a few seconds.
Sure enough, the relationship between the Shi brothers was as strained as the rumors suggested.
With over twenty years of age difference between them, having not grown up together and sharing only a father, it was natural that they wouldn't share a deep bond. Even if there was one, Renzhong's competitive nature, which had become more apparent as he matured, would have strained their relationship as brothers.
Shi Daoyuan's intention to reclaim the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear from Ji Xinghuo was clear, and he evidently had no plans to hand it over to Renzhong, intending to keep it for himself.
Or perhaps he would use it to curry favor with Shi Hongyi.
This could be a breakthrough in investigating the Shi family!
Ji Xinghuo quickly considered his options, his face expressionless as he said, "I'm not interested in money."
"Young man," Shi Daoyuan said persuasively, "you say that because you don't have enough of it. How about ten billion Asian dollars?"
The breathing of many people around them became heavier.
While everyone present was wealthy, with the competition's superpower users being millionaires, not everyone could match Zhao Manying's annual income of four to five billion.
Some of the assistant coaches and staff members earned only a few hundred thousand Asian dollars a year.
Ten billion was an astronomical sum to them.
However, Ji Xinghuo remained unmoved and countered, "Can ten billion buy the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear?"
A superpower weapon, and one of the best among the three-star superpowers, ranked third on the Spear Ranking, it would never appear on the market, making it difficult to assign a precise value to it.
Perhaps someone might have sold it for a few hundred million.
But to most powerful experts, its value far exceeded ten billion Asian dollars.
"You can't buy it," Shi Daoyuan shook his head, leaving no room for haggling, "but I won't offer a higher price."
Ji Xinghuo smiled, "I don't plan on selling it anyway."
Shi Daoyuan's face immediately fell, realizing that he had been humored all this time.
"I'll give you two options," Ji Xinghuo held up two fingers and said to the brothers, "First, either of you can challenge me at any time. If you win, the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear will be returned to you." He held the spear horizontally, as if it were easily within their grasp.
Renzhong's eyes lit up with hope before furrowing in hesitation.
The pain in his body was a constant reminder of the vast gap in strength between him and Ji Xinghuo, and it had even left a psychological shadow.
Challenging him again would most likely result in another humiliating defeat.
Shi Daoyuan, however, was eager to give it a try.
He had become a superpower user over a decade ago, and while his talent wasn't as remarkable as Renzhong's, he made up for it with his profound star power, currently on the verge of breaking into the legendary realm. As the group's vice president for many years, he had been busy managing the company and rarely displayed his skills in public, which was why he wasn't on the Tower.
Otherwise, he could have easily ranked within the top hundred.
Furthermore, Shi Daoyuan believed that the main reason for Renzhong's loss was Ji Xinghuo's extraordinary martial arts talent, akin to a Martial Arts Master.
With the same profession template and being stronger than Renzhong, he felt he had a chance.
Shi Daoyuan was about to speak up when he noticed Ji Xinghuo's strange expression, as if he were waiting for him to make a move.
He was taken aback and closed his mouth.
"Second," Ji Xinghuo offered another option, "exchange it for superpower strains."
Renzhong immediately asked, "Which strains do you want?"
"Psychokinesis, Overload, Electric Field, Superconducting Magnet, Flight, Acceleration, Titan's Strength, Shadow Clone, Electron Vortex, Clone Twin..." Ji Xinghuo rattled off over a dozen superpower strains, "At least three superlimit strains, and you can have the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear."
Renzhong was seething with anger. Each of these strains was worth hundreds of millions, if not billions, and they were incredibly rare.
A couple of years ago, the club had spent a lot of money and pulled many strings to get their hands on Psychokinesis for Zhao Manying.
The other strains might not be as good as Psychokinesis, but they were equally rare.
No one would be willing to part with them.
"Brother Ji, you must be joking," Renzhong said helplessly.
"I'm not joking," Ji Xinghuo said seriously, "If you don't have superlimit strains that interest me, I'll consider other superlimit artifacts of equivalent value."
The two brothers fell silent.
"Either defeat me or exchange it for superpower strains," Ji Xinghuo emphasized, "Until then, I'll hold onto the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear."
"Alright."
Renzhong nodded, at least there was still hope of getting it back.
"Goodbye," Ji Xinghuo turned to leave.
"I'll walk you out."
Renzhong, having recovered enough to walk properly, insisted on seeing Ji Xinghuo off, despite the complex gazes of those around them.
Carrying the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear, Ji Xinghuo strode out of the martial arts field.
On their way to the parking lot, Renzhong forced a bitter smile, "Brother Ji, you really went all out. It's been a long time since I've been beaten so badly, sigh..."
Ji Xinghuo glanced at him, unsure if he was playing the victim or genuinely acknowledging his defeat, and calmly said, "I barely used any strength."
"Pfft..."
Zhao Cangming couldn't hold back his laughter.
Zhao Manying also stifled a smile, her curved eyes betraying her amusement.
He thought for a moment and said, "This is the drawback of competing in the Superpower League. Your opponents are always fixed, and with clear information, you can research and prepare countermeasures in advance. But in reality, not all enemies will give you the opportunity to prepare, and actual situations are ever-changing."
"Yes." Shi Renzhong nodded.
This statement wasn't exactly novel, as many people had pointed it out before.
However, the superpower users in the professional league were the top experts among their peers, one in a million. As long as they could win against their league opponents, they would generally be able to defeat other superpower users.
The probability of encountering unexpected and unconventional enemies was extremely low.
Ji Xinghuo was one of those rare exceptions.
The higher one's tier, the stronger their abilities, and the more unpredictable their opponents and enemies became. The likelihood of encountering such unpredictable foes increased drastically.
It wasn't that the coaching team of the Imperial Star Club was inadequate; it was that Ji Xinghuo simply defied all logic.
"Brother Ji, I know there's a huge gap between my abilities and yours." Shi Renzhong asked earnestly, "From an opponent's perspective, what do you think is my biggest weakness?"
"You have two fatal flaws." Ji Xinghuo replied.
"Please tell me!"
Ji Xinghuo saw no harm in sharing his insights, as he casually said, "Your speed is too slow, and your combat instincts are too dull."
Due to his slow speed, Shi Renzhong possessed tremendous power but couldn't land a single hit, despite wielding the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear.
His dull combat instincts and poor sense of timing led to his defeat, as he was caught off guard and a single mistake cost him the entire match.
Moreover, there was some doubt about his Martial Arts Master title.
He was probably only a ninth-level master at best.
Ji Xinghuo didn't know how Shi Renzhong had obtained the title, but he suspected that the overall standard of the Master Title Tournament he participated in was relatively low, or perhaps his opponents on the arena knew him and intentionally went easy on him, and the Martial Arts Association turned a blind eye due to Shi Hongyi's influence.
Overall, Shi Renzhong's talent was lacking.
If he hadn't been born into a powerful family, and with his own efforts, he might have been able to climb the Tower, but it would have been after the age of forty, and he definitely wouldn't have ranked among the top three thousand.
Shi Renzhong's expression turned solemn after hearing this.
"Thank you, Brother Ji."
It wasn't until they reached the parking lot, and Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying had boarded their vehicle that Shi Renzhong came back to his senses. He sincerely thanked Ji Xinghuo once again.
Then he turned to Zhao Manying and smiled, "Manying, congratulations on finding a man worthy of you. I wish you both the best."
"Thank you, President Shi." Zhao Manying replied softly.
As the maglev car started and slowly exited the parking lot, they could see Shi Renzhong in the rearview mirror, watching as the two cars drove away until they disappeared from view.
Once they were on the superconducting highway, Zhao Cangming's figure appeared on the in-car projection screen, and he excitedly exclaimed, "Brother-in-law, you're so cool! Damn, especially when you grabbed Shi Renzhong by the neck and slammed him to the ground, it was like you were wringing a chicken's neck! You really took the fight out of him!"
Zhao Cangming jumped around, reliving the thrilling scene.
"Calm down."
Ji Xinghuo chuckled, "I told you, this was a battle with an inevitable outcome. There was nothing to worry about."
"Tsk, tsk. You really showed him who's boss." Zhao Cangming recalled the recent events and was still emotionally charged, "He lost the spar, lost the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear, got beaten up by you, had to see you off, seek your guidance, and even thank you in the end. He's quite a good sport, huh?"
"Hahaha..." Ji Xinghuo burst into laughter.
Indeed, Shi Renzhong had endured humiliation and either had a truly open and honest character or a deep and unfathomable scheme.
"Sigh, I wish I could be that awesome someday." Zhao Cangming sighed with envy.
Zhao Manying glared at him, "That's why I urge you to work harder and be diligent in your cultivation."
"Is this something that can be solved by working harder?" Zhao Cangming frowned, "Sister, I don't have the same talent as you and brother-in-law. No matter how hard I try, I won't be able to catch up..."
"Xinghuo became a superpower user at 22, a year older than you are now. Hard work never hurts."
"Sister, you're comparing me to brother-in-law. That's setting the bar too high for me."
"I'm not saying you have to match Xinghuo, but I want you to be more outstanding."
"Yes, yes, I got it."
As Ji Xinghuo listened to the siblings' conversation, he thought of his own brothers and sisters, and a smile appeared on his face.
Zhao Manying turned off the in-car projection and said softly, "You won the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear, and the Shi family will definitely not let this go. They won't be willing to exchange it for a superpower strain, and they'll surely cause trouble for you in the future. Shi Hongyi himself might even get involved."
"Then it's a good opportunity for me to get close to them." Ji Xinghuo's intention for not selling the Heaven's Fury Azure Blood Spear was precisely for this reason, "Since Shi Renzhong wants to befriend me, I'll give him this chance."
"What if they resort to underhanded methods?" Zhao Manying worried.
Ji Xinghuo patted the Purple Electric Sword by his side and coldly smiled, "The Shi family has their methods, but my sword has never failed me."
(End of Chapter)
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