High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 545: Chapter 336: Li Wen Takes the Stage

Ares’s expression was grim, and Raymond recalled the terror of being instantly killed by Barton in a single move.

Demon Hand Hua Sha remained expressionless, as if he had just done something utterly insignificant.

His figure flickered across the chaotic arena like a phantom.

At times, that terrifying demonic hand descended like a colossal mountain. At others, it split into countless demonic claws that tore through space...

Every strike was accompanied by the fall of a genius.

A hulking warrior tried to counter with his strongest Thunder Skill. The demonic hand crushed the lightning with a single clench, and his body burst apart.

A shadow assassin attempted a sneak attack, only to be swatted away by a backhand from the demonic hand. The blow annihilated both the assassin and the pocket of space he was hiding in.

A shield-wielding warrior roared, expanding his Bone Shield to its absolute limit. He struggled for three breaths before the demonic hand pressed both him and his shield deep into the arena floor.

A slaughter!

It was a one-sided, brutally efficient slaughter.

Demon Hand Hua Sha. True to his name, he dominated the entire arena with his pair of demonic hands.

His power didn’t just lie in his terrifying strength.

It was also in his cold, efficient ruthlessness, treating a thousand geniuses of his own rank as if they were nothing more than weeds.

Li Wen stood in the preparation area, his eyes glued to the screen, tracking Hua Sha’s every move.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, analyzing the trajectories of the Laws and the flow of energy within that monstrous demonic hand.

Li Wen analyzed rapidly in his mind, ’Such immense power... He’s condensed at least two superior Laws. The core should be Destruction and some kind of spatial variant... His speed, power, range, and defense have all reached a pinnacle, leaving him with almost no weaknesses. Judging by his aura and energy intensity, his true cultivation is also late-stage Tier One Star Lord.’

His mind raced, comparing his own abilities to the might Hua Sha displayed.

’I might have a slight edge in speed, but a head-on clash with that demonic hand... If I don’t activate Berserk, my current physical body, even boosted by bursts of Primordial Power and Wish Power, would still fall short...’

Li Wen’s brow furrowed for a moment before smoothing out.

An assessment was just an assessment. Until they actually fought, it was all just speculation.

He had yet to use his full strength. He still had trump cards hidden, both at the Primordial Spirit level and with the full power of his Berserk skill.

Hua Sha’s power was undeniable, but that only served to ignite an even fiercer battle lust within Li Wen.

He needed an opponent like this to test himself, to hone his edge.

”I’ll only know after we’ve actually fought...” A sharp glint flashed in Li Wen’s eyes as he muttered to himself, his gaze returning to the screen.

There, Demon Hand Hua Sha’s slaughter continued.

Across the massive arena, the number of survivors was dwindling at an astonishing rate.

Despair and fear permeated the air. Only that lone, demon-god-like figure stood at the center, holding everyone’s fate in his hands.

...

「A few minutes later.」

Demon Hand Hua Sha stood at the center of the hundred-li-wide arena, which was littered with corpses.

His giant, pitch-black, rune-covered hand slowly retracted. The abyssal aura clinging to him was suffocating.

As the final system notification sounded on this massive fragment of a continent, only nine survivors remained besides him. Pale and weakened, they had barely managed to scrape into the top ten.

[First Melee Ended! Advancing: 10. Match MVP: Demon Hand Hua Sha!]

The cold system broadcast echoed through the preparation area and all spectator dimensions.

A brief silence was followed by a tsunami of uproar and gasps of astonishment.

”He’s... he’s too strong! Is this the power of the second-ranked fighter on the master list? He’s just mowing them down!”

”It only took a few moves to clear out nearly half the arena! And those were all top experts in the Saint Realm!”

”The title of Demon Hand is well-deserved!”

”If Hua Sha is this terrifying, then Blood Slaughter Barton, who sits at the top of the list... *hiss*... I can’t even imagine how much stronger he must be.”

”That’s right. Barton hasn’t fought with his full strength in a very long time...”

”I can’t wait! I can’t wait to see Barton fight!”

Inside the preparation area, the geniuses from various factions wore grim expressions.

Hua Sha’s overwhelming power had given them a true taste of just how terrifying the top-tier prodigies were.

Hua Sha himself remained expressionless. His figure transformed into a streak of black light and he teleported directly out of the arena.

His performance undoubtedly pushed everyone’s anticipation for the number one on the master list, Barton, to its absolute peak.

With Hua Sha’s departure, the atmosphere in the preparation area grew tense.

Blood Slaughter Barton was the first to rise.

His indifferent gaze swept across a replay of Hua Sha’s battle before he turned away without the slightest hesitation.

A flash of blood-red light, and he vanished from the spot.

For him, the purpose of his visit had been fulfilled: to confirm that Hua Sha’s strength was worthy of a sliver of his attention.

As for the others? They were merely ants, not worth his time.

Immediately after, the fourth and fifth-ranked geniuses on the master list also departed in streaks of light.

Saphis let out a cold snort. His sinister gaze swept in Li Wen’s direction before he, too, teleported away.

Li Wen didn’t leave right away.

He gathered with Ares, Isabel, Naraku, and the others to discuss Hua Sha’s recent battle.

”Barton was here, too, though he left right after watching Hua Sha,” Ares said grimly. ”He seemed to be paying close attention to you.”

”It doesn’t matter. We’ll face off sooner or later.” Battle lust flashed in Li Wen’s eyes. ”The rankings determine the allocation of the Source Net’s resources, so I can’t afford to lose. I should get back to my cultivation.”

He nodded to his companions, and his figure vanished in a flash of silver light.

「Over the next few days,」 Li Wen fell into a routine.

He would only appear in the preparation area to spectate when one of the top ten geniuses on the master list was scheduled to fight.

All his other time was spent in arduous cultivation within the Time Tower.

Under the 200x accelerated flow of time, the Time Law Dao Seed glowed brilliantly, and his control over his power grew ever more refined.