Chapter 342: Polar Magnetic Slash

Chapter 342: Polar Magnetic Slash

At this moment, Kalina had lost all her glamour from the banquet. Most of her body was exposed, charred and blackened with burn marks, and a penetrating wound on her chest and abdomen bled, the blood dripping down her thigh to the ground.

As a Magnetic Maniac, her injuries were not fatal, and she was quickly recovering.

Moreover, she had regained consciousness.

Hearing Ji Xinghuo's words, Kalina glared at him, her eyes filled with anger and resentment, but she refused to admit defeat.

She struggled desperately, but found that she couldn't muster any strength in her body.

The power in Ji Xinghuo's hand was terrifyingly strong, like an unyielding pair of clamps that couldn't be shaken, continuously emitting high-voltage currents into her body, suppressing her stellar power and muscles.

Kalina was like a fish on a hook, at the mercy of her captor. Ji Xinghuo could end her life with a mere exertion of force.

But she refused to yield.

She stared fixedly at Ji Xinghuo, her face contorting with rage, gritting her teeth but remaining silent.

Witnessing this scene, many of the spectating guests felt a pang of sympathy.

An alien from the American Federation wanted to intervene to rescue her, but was constrained by the challenge rules. Unless one party conceded, outsiders were not allowed to interfere.

Otherwise, both the intervener and Kalina herself would be disgraced.

Even before the fight began, many had been recording, and speaking up to plead for mercy would still be considered impudent.

Ji Xinghuo gradually applied more force.

Kalina's body convulsed uncontrollably, her expression twisted in agony, clearly enduring excruciating pain, yet she still refused to speak.

"Mr. Ji!"

As the host, Princess Sophia grew anxious. If Kalina died in the Royal Manor, it would be a stain on both her and the New Roman Empire, and it would undoubtedly spark diplomatic disputes. The Xinxiang Conglomerate backing Kalina would also not let the matter rest.

She hurriedly announced, "The victor has been decided. Please show mercy, Mr. Ji."

Ji Xinghuo turned to look at Sophia and gave a slight nod, still offering some respect to the host.

He had never intended to kill Kalina; he just wanted to teach her a lesson.

"You should be grateful this is happening on Earth. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind adding one more insignificant life to my hands."

Ji Xinghuo locked eyes with Kalina as he spoke, his voice calm and devoid of emotion, yet carrying a deadly threat. "Regardless of your intentions, stay away from Man Ying from now on."

Kalina understood his meaning clearly: No one is allowed to compete with me for a woman, not even if you are a woman yourself.

She reluctantly nodded.

Only then did Ji Xinghuo release her, and Kalina regained her freedom. Her legs nearly gave out, but she steadied herself and endured the pain as she pulled out the spear embedded in her body. Her rotating magnetic field swiftly healed her wounds, and liquid metal surged from within, forming a suit of armor that covered her exposed body.

Within just over ten seconds, Kalina had regained her combat prowess.

She looked at Ji Xinghuo before her, her eyes filled with complex emotions. This battle was nothing like what she had envisioned.

There had been no grappling, no probing.

Kalina had made numerous assumptions and devised tactics beforehand, yet none of them had been of any use.

Ji Xinghuo had overwhelmed her with absolute strength, ending the fight in less than ten seconds.

"Next time you challenge a stronger opponent, be sure to assess them clearly," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile before turning to leave.

"Yo..."

Kalina felt deeply humiliated, but having just been beaten so soundly, she lacked the courage to speak.

As she watched Ji Xinghuo's retreating back, she suddenly realized that he had remained in the same spot from start to finish, never moving beyond a one-meter radius. In this exchange, he had neither utilized his speed nor displayed his shooting abilities.

During the banquet, when Kalina had issued her challenge, she had claimed that she believed Ji Xinghuo relied only on his flight speed and shooting skills.

Now, without employing either of those advantages, he had effortlessly defeated her.

He had done it on purpose! Kalina felt her face burning, this blow more painful than the spear piercing her body. Her years of pride had been shattered.

She flipped the skin on her wrist, retrieving a chip from within.

"This is the information for the Polar Magnetic Slash."

Kalina tossed the chip to Ji Xinghuo, then took off into the night sky, flying out of the manor without a backward glance.

Every additional minute she spent here felt like torture.

Ji Xinghuo caught the chip and examined it. It was an ordinary storage chip, and Kalina wouldn't dare to try deceiving him with false information.

He felt the weight of scorching gazes on his hand.

Information about a Starfall mutant's ability, even if it didn't match one's own, held immense appeal to the aliens present. Under everyone's attentive gaze, Ji Xinghuo slipped the chip into his pocket.

"My friends, let the banquet continue!" Sophia declared loudly.

Su Ziyu approached with a smile, "I recorded your fight with Kalina earlier. Do you want to watch it?"

"There's nothing to see." Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

Kalina had come prepared, intending to reclaim her top spot on the Tower. She had arranged for her teammates to record the fight, planning to upload the video as proof of her strength to ADC. But she never anticipated such a crushing defeat.

While the aliens from the American Federation naturally wouldn't release the video, there were others present, and within minutes, the less-than-ten-second fight had spread like a virus across the global network.

"Kalina really lost big this time," Su Ziyu said, somewhat gloatingly.

"I told you she was asking for humiliation," Zhao Manying whispered.

Su Ziyu nodded, marveling, "Your strength, Ji Xinghuo, is truly astonishing. Even as a Legend, if I were to fight you, I doubt I'd have even a 10% chance of winning."

He was both shocked and awestruck.

In fact, it wasn't just Su Ziyu who felt this way. All the Legends present today felt threatened by the display of power they had witnessed.

They couldn't believe that a Super Alien could be so overwhelmingly powerful, surpassing the realm of what they could comprehend.

ADC's comment, "First under the Heavenly King," now seemed entirely accurate and without exaggeration.

Ji Xinghuo lounged on the sofa, his arms spread out as he replied to Su Ziyu, "If I didn't have the strength, how could I dare to make a wagered challenge against Li Xuan?"

"That's true..." Su Ziyu nodded.

Zhao Manying, who had been playing with her phone, suddenly spoke up, "Xinghuo, your odds have dropped."

"Let me see."

Ji Xinghuo leaned closer to her, and they saw that the odds for his duel with Li Xuan had dropped from the original 18-to-1 to 16-to-1. Clearly, the video of his fight with Kalina had made an impact, and the odds would continue to fall.

"Let it drop," Ji Xinghuo said nonchalantly. "Anyway, we've already placed most of our bets."

Ever since he arrived in Ivan City, Zhao Manying's team had been executing their plan.

The two of them had bet a total of 10 billion yuan, divided into over two thousand smaller bets ranging from 3 to 8 million each. These bets had been placed at different times with dozens of bookmakers run by companies from various countries, and they had already completed over 90% of their planned wagers.

"You placed bets on yourself?" Su Ziyu guessed.

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

Su Ziyu was surprised. After all, the vast majority of people didn't think Ji Xinghuo had a chance. In the online polls, Ji Xinghuo only had a 3% support rate, and Su Ziyu himself didn't believe that Ji Xinghuo could win against Li Xuan.

As a Legend, Su Ziyu was well aware of the power of a Heavenly King.

However, Ji Xinghuo had faith in himself, and after a moment's thought, Su Ziyu suddenly said, "I think I'll go place a few hundred million bets myself."

"Who are you betting on?" An Yitian asked from the side.

"Of course, I'm betting on Ji Xinghuo." Su Ziyu smiled, "It's not a huge amount of money anyway. Think of it as a way to support Ji Xinghuo. If he wins, it'll be a huge profit."

"Brother, we'll bet on Ji Xinghuo too," An Zhisu, usually quiet and introverted, suddenly spoke up.

"Okay, let's bet 3 billion yuan," An Yitian agreed without hesitation, turning to Ji Xinghuo with a smile, "This time, we're counting on you to make us all rich."

"Congratulations on your newfound wealth."

Ji Xinghuo raised his glass and took a sip.

Even with the current odds, a 3 billion bet would yield a profit of nearly 50 billion, which was still a huge fortune for a Legend and would greatly aid their cultivation.

"It won't make us rich," An Yitian sighed, "It's not like we're betting on etherium crystals. A few hundred billion will only buy some cultivation resources. As for the truly top-tier treasures, even with a few thousand billion, you still couldn't buy them. Otherwise, Li Xuan wouldn't have been forced into this wagered duel."

"That's true..." Su Ziyu also felt the weight of those words.

Legends rarely lacked money.

Especially those on the Legend Ranking, for whom money had become insignificant.

What they truly sought were exotic species, expansion curios, apocalyptic-level weapons and equipment, and etherium crystals.

As the banquet drew to a close, Su Ziyu finally broached the topic that had been on his mind, "Xinghuo, if you win against Li Xuan, what do you plan to do with the 'Absolute Hit' in your possession?"

Ji Xinghuo was not surprised.

Ever since they met today, Su Ziyu had been particularly friendly, and it was obvious that he was interested in the Absolute Hit.

Every alien present at the banquet tonight would want it.

Even Princess Sophia, who had organized this shooting exchange, likely did so to get closer to Ji Xinghuo and gain an advantage when negotiating for the Absolute Hit.

Su Ziyu looked disappointed but didn't press further.

After the banquet, Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying returned to their guest room to rest. Following a refreshing wash, the two snuggled up together, and Zhao Manying looked up and said, "Xinghuo, your Absolute Hit will attract more and more inquiries. You should make plans soon."

"I know."

Ji Xinghuo nodded. In truth, he hadn't figured it out yet either.

Neither he nor Manying needed the Absolute Hit, so the best option was to trade it for an equivalent Starfall mutant.

But opportunities for such high-level trades were rare.

"Let's worry about it after I win against Li Xuan," Ji Xinghuo said, putting the thought aside for now as he took out the chip that Kalina had given him and read its contents on his phone.

There wasn't much information on the chip.

It mainly introduced the "Polar Magnetic Slash," a Starfall mutant ability. By synchronizing one's magnetic field with the planet's magnetic field, one could increase magnetic potential energy to an extremely high level and then release it in an instant, accompanied by a super-high-temperature current for a devastating strike.

The attack of the Polar Magnetic Slash would be even more lethal if delivered through a bladed weapon.

It could also be released without a weapon, although the power would be slightly diminished.

The chip didn't provide specifics on its strength, likely because even Kalina's source didn't have clear information.

She had obtained this insider information from the Xinxiang Conglomerate.

According to the chip, this Starfall mutant ability could be found in the True Dragon Empire's eastern region, in a vast ocean called the "East Emperor Sea." This ocean was home to countless islands, the largest of which was comparable in size to the entire planet Earth, or possibly even bigger.

One of the islands was ruled by the "Whale Dragon Family," and every few years, they would produce a stable supply of the Polar Magnetic Slash ability.

"East Emperor Sea, Whale Dragon Family."

Ji Xinghuo clicked his tongue in surprise.

Just from the name, one could tell that the Whale Dragon Family was part of the ruling class of the True Dragon Empire, pure-blooded True Dragonfolk.

The status and strength of the True Dragon Families depended on the purity of their True Dragon bloodline.

There was very little information about Whale Dragons on Earth, and it was possible that no one had ever seen one. Aside from the name, there were no photos or descriptions available.

The National Star Realm Department also had no additional information.

Zhao Manying finished reading the information and shook her head. "The True Dragon Empire is so vast. This East Emperor Sea is probably at least a million kilometers away."

It was just a guess, as the true extent of the True Dragon Empire's territory remained a mystery to Earthlings.

Anyway, the Orion Arm's 26th Star Domain in the Star Realm mostly fell under the rule of the True Dragon Empire.

The entire Star Realm consisted of 45 Star Domains, corresponding to 45 galactic star regions.

Roughly speaking, the True Dragon Empire ruled over one forty-fifth of the Star Realm and an equivalent portion of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Distance wasn't the issue, however.

The real challenge lay in entering the True Dragon Empire to reach the East Emperor Sea and the potential encounters with powerful members of the True Dragon Empire along the way, which could easily lead to trouble.

Moreover, once they arrived at the Whale Dragon Family's island, how would they obtain the Polar Magnetic Slash ability?

"Trade for it using the Absolute Hit?"

The idea suddenly occurred to Ji Xinghuo. "Never mind, I'll consider it after I reach the Legend realm." He removed the chip and stopped thinking about it, shifting his attention to the breathtaking beauty in his arms.

The room soon filled with amorous vibes.

The next day, Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying slept in and only got up after the sun had risen high in the sky. After a leisurely lunch with Princess Sophia, who insisted on seeing them off, they finally bid farewell to the Royal Hunting Ground and returned to Ivan City.

In the afternoon, Ji Xinghuo headed to the headquarters of the Global Marathon's organizing committee to confirm his registration, collect his number, and receive his gear.

Then, he continued sightseeing in Ivan City with Zhao Manying.

However, their luck wasn't so good that day, as they were recognized several times, attracting crowds of onlookers.

Ji Xinghuo had no choice but to fly away with Zhao Manying, cutting their sightseeing short.

That night, Ji Xinghuo rested up and even went to the hotel's training room for a running session, returning to his room only late at night.

July 25th.

Today was the day of the Global Marathon.

Ji Xinghuo arrived at the starting point alone, on the eastern shore of the Bosporus Strait. The place was already packed with people, and the race track on the departure street had been cleared, with spectators crowding both sides.

When Ji Xinghuo descended from the sky and landed at the starting point of the Global Marathon, the numerous journalists and audience members present didn't recognize him.

Suddenly, someone shouted, "That's Ji Xinghuo! I've seen him before!"

Instantly, all lenses turned towards Ji Xinghuo, and the live broadcast cut to him, transmitting the scene globally.

The host exclaimed excitedly, "Ji Xinghuo has arrived!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end