My SSS-Rank Innate skill: Infinite Adaptation core

Taking advantage of the opening, Bai Chen leaped high into the air. Mana condensed around his blade as he swung it forward.

”Wind Blades!”

Multiple sharp blades of wind shot out from his sword and slammed into the bald man, blasting him backward across the platform.

The bald man staggered for a moment as the wind blades sliced across his body, leaving multiple shallow cuts. Pain flared across his skin, but instead of slowing him down, it only fueled his rage.

Gripping his spear tightly, he fixed his eyes on Bai Chen and roared.

”You little shit!!”

Without any hesitation, he charged straight forward in a blind fury.

Seeing the opening, the tall man immediately moved to intercept from the side, swinging his large sword with the intention of forcing the bald man off balance and creating another chance for Bai Chen to strike.

However, the bald man was not as reckless as he appeared.

Just as the tall man’s sword was about to reach him, the bald man’s eyes flicked sideways and a cold sneer formed on his lips.

”Do you think I’m dumb, you idiot?!”

His stance shifted abruptly. The trajectory of his spear twisted in an irregular, almost unpredictable motion — so sudden that even Bai Chen failed to fully track it.

In the next instant, the spear’s butt slammed into the tall man’s chest with explosive force, sending him flying backward with a painful cry.

Yet the attack did not end there.

Without losing momentum, the bald man’s movements flowed seamlessly into another strike. His spear shot forward like a viper, aiming directly at Bai Chen.

Bai Chen tried to twist his body aside at the last moment, but he was a fraction too slow.

Schlick—!

The sharp tip of the spear tore through his left arm, carving a deep, burning line across flesh and muscle.

”Urrrghhhhhh!”

Bai Chen screamed as searing pain shot through his body. The bald man was already closing the distance, leaving him almost no room to breathe.

Clenching his teeth and forcibly suppressing the pain, Bai Chen poured the last of his focus into a single skill.

”WINDLOCK!!”

Several tiny, high-speed wind blades shot out from his sword and struck the bald man at multiple vital points across his body.

”Ughh...!”

The moment the blades landed, the bald man’s body stiffened. His limbs locked in place as if invisible chains had bound them. He could no longer move his arms or legs — his mana flow had been forcibly disrupted.

Bai Chen immediately jumped back, clutching his wounded arm tightly as bloodless pain continued to throb through it.

”Senior Brother!! Finish him now!! He won’t be able to move for ten seconds—DO IT QUICKLY!!”

The tall man, who had just forced himself back to his feet, heard the urgent shout. Without wasting a single breath, he charged forward with his large sword raised high.

Although Bai Chen’s skill was already beginning to weaken — the bald man’s aura was rapidly recovering and his body was starting to twitch — it was still a fraction too late for him.

Slash!

The tall man’s sword descended cleanly, severing the bald man’s head before he could break free of the lock.

The formation’s light immediately swallowed the body, ejecting the eliminated contestant from the platform.

”Huf... huf... huf... Fuck! That bastard was really strong,” the tall man muttered between heavy breaths as he turned to look at Bai Chen.

Bai Chen was down on one knee, tightly gripping his injured arm. Although the formation prevented actual bleeding, the pain remained sharp and real.

”What did you do to him?” the tall man asked while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Still breathing heavily, Bai Chen managed a strained reply.

”Huf... you should know... that this old one is not only a warrior, but also a rather capable miracle doctor because of which this old one knows lot of detailed and critical information about the human body. That’s how I was able to immobilize him.

That was this old one’s special skill—Windlock. It temporarily locks the opponent’s mana flow, paralyzing them for a short time.”

He took another breath before continuing.

”Even this old one didn’t expect it to work so effectively against someone at that level... but it still managed to hold him for a few critical seconds. Thanks to Senior Brother’s help, we were able to finish him.”

The tall man stared at him for a moment... then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

”Hahaha! You’re one hell of a guy, shorty!”

He grinned widely and pointed a thumb at himself.

”You can call me Tank. That’s what my friends call me.”

”Alright, Senior Brother Tank!” Bai Chen said with a grin, still suppressing the lingering pain in his arm.

Although the wound itself appeared relatively simple, the formation prevented the natural recovery that a King Realm body would normally provide. The pain remained sharp and persistent.

With that, Bai Chen had secured a reliable partner. From then on, the two of them carefully avoided unnecessary battles and focused solely on surviving until the end of the round.

Several more hours passed.

From the overall situation, the first round was clearly approaching its conclusion. Platforms 1 and 5 were already down to around fifty contestants each, while Platforms 2 and 3 had fewer than thirty remaining.

Most of the stronger contestants had already secured more than enough kills and were now resting calmly, while the weaker ones continued to fight among themselves for the final spots.

Fortunately, Rieka, Asia, and Bai Chen — along with his partner Tank — had all managed to survive so far.

It was already past noon, yet the audience remained fully invested in the tournament.

What truly had the crowd buzzing, however, was the situation on Platform 4— the platform where Nova stood.

While the other platforms were steadily approaching their final twenty winners, Platform 4 still had nearly two hundred contestants remaining.

And surprisingly... every single one of them was above level 1300.

”Hey... what the hell is going on with Platform 4?”

”Yeah! Why isn’t anyone moving?!”

”The other platforms are almost finished, but that one still has around two hundred people left!”

High above, the powerful figures already understood what was happening and showed little reaction. That silence, however, only made the audience even more curious.

In the VIP section, Jenna frowned as she watched her son sitting lazily in the middle of the platform while the surrounding contestants remained equally still.

”What’s going on? Why are they all behaving like that?”

Nyxara seized the opportunity to explain to her mother-in-law.

”It’s actually quite simple. Look carefully — Platform 4 is filled with strong contestants. It’s rather unfortunate for them.

Although there are stronger individuals scattered across the other platforms, this one is packed with fighters of similar levels.”

”No one wants to take the risk of starting a fight. If they do... they might be the ones eliminated.”

”Then why isn’t Nova moving?” Jenna asked curiously.

Nyxara let out a soft chuckle. The sound was so clear and pleasant that several nearby heads instinctively turned toward her.

”Husband is simply bored,” she said with a small smile. ”Since no one else is moving... he might decide to make things interesting himself.”

”Is that so...” Jenna murmured.

At that exact moment, Nova slowly rose to his feet.

Using Omnivision, Nova quickly confirmed that Rieka, Asia, and Bai Chen were all in positions where they would easily pass the first round. With that settled, he slowly rose to his feet and scanned the platform around him.

Even now, not a single person was moving.

From the stands, the growing frustration of the audience could clearly be heard as curses and complaints filled the air.

Nova let out a quiet sigh.

He hadn’t planned on drawing attention, but if things continued like this, these people might drag the round all the way into the night.

The audience was already growing restless... and he had no intention of letting the first round become that dull.

With no better option left, he decided to make things interesting himself.

**

Thanks for reading...