Did Bubai really have no room to dodge?

  That’s what it looks like. A moth flying right into a spider’s web.

  But when that mist of doom hit Bubai…

  It passed right through, causing the desperado sliding forward like a chess pawn to ripple like water!

  It’s a mirage! Illusory Beast Steps!

  That prepared spell executed at the last second lured the other’s aim astray like a mirage in a desert!

  After getting buffeted by the bitter slash of wind and numbing bite of ice, Bubai didn’t want to wash his face with regurgitated water as well.

  Regurgitated water… who knows how much diseases or other content were mixed in.

  Best tactic? Just don’t let it hit!

  This time, he made the right call.

  Since the enemy misjudged his position due to his illusory clone, Bubai’s speed let him evade the main part of the misty waterfall.

  It’s just that most low-level spell casting had imperfections.

  For water spells, it wasn’t too surprising to have a few stray drops irregularly splashing here and there.

  Without spiritual sense active or his machine mode’s enhanced dynamic vision, it’s hard to keep track of every tiny change in the battlefield.

  His full control over his agile body got himself out, but his windbreaker was like a cape flapping behind...

  Hence, a few stray drops had the fortunate fate of kissing the tail of his windbreaker, boring sizzling holes through it like corrosive acid!

  Water Style: Deadman Mist!

  Whatever this Wu Xiaowei guzzled from that gourd, it was to spew out this corrosive water that was said to be the diluted version of Corpse Dissolving Liquid!

  That’s a contraband that can dissolve flesh and even bones in mere minutes!

  Bubai had yet to test that corrosive liquid on himself, but he was sure getting hit by that mist would be a nasty experience even if his tempered skin possessed proper resistance.

  But no matter how corrosive it was, since he didn’t get hit, it means nothing.

  Oh, the power of illusions. How wonderful. But costly.

  This Illusory Beast Steps was not something to be used lightly, but now, Bubai dared to do so. Why?

  Because this illusion paved the way for the sure killer on the horizon!

  Gravity soon acted upon the blanket of mist, granting its user insight to the fading ghost within...

  But by the time the spell caster realized it was a miss, Bubai had already gotten up close and personal from behind!

  A sword slid free from his pouch and deliver a backstab right to the heart!

  Puff! At the final heartbeat, the other’s body jerked to the side!

  The sword sunk into flesh, but Bubai felt it grind against the rib cage instead of the heart.

  Pity. This water boy’s got good instincts. But…

  What is he going to about the second one?

  A handy knife flipped into Bubai’s hand. Just when he aimed to finish the job, his danger sense blared!

  His eyes darted down and locked onto the source: a hand trying to paste an igniting talisman onto his thigh.

  Bubai recognized that sealing symbol: Zha.

  And that level of complexity represents a Mid-grade Explosive Tag!

  “Bloody hell-”

  BOOM!

  The explosion rocked Bubai’s world, with smoke and flames carrying him out!

  Tumbling out like a rag doll, he clawed his hand on the ground, skidding to a stop.

  Gazing down at what’s left of his burning, tattered rags that did little to conceal the charred skin, Bubai patted out the embers while cursing softly. “Crazy…”

  Even with his overpowered regeneration, the burns stung fiercely, and his ribs throbbed due to the aftermath of the blast.

  Explosive tags were no joke.

  Know that all explosive tags were equivalent to very explosive fire spells condensed and sealed into a talisman.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  A low-grade explosive tag is enough to blow off a mortal’s limbs while a mid-grade blast had enough coverage and explosive force to shatter all the bones of a human!

  These were definitely powerful weapons of war!

  But power came at a price.

  Unlike the more refined high-grade tags that has a delay mechanism installed, all lower tiers of explosive tags detonates almost instantaneously after activation.

  No delay? Sounds great! But here’s the catch.

  Talisman activation requires manual input of Qi.

  For cultivators in the Qi Refinement realm, this can only be done by having direct physical contact with the talisman.

  Holding a bomb and detonating it...

  It goes without saying that it won’t end well for the holder of the explosive tag. Go figure.

  That’s why using explosive tags as a Qi Refiner was considered suicidal behavior!

  Hence, nobody really expected any to be used in this low-end part of the tournament.

  Not the rookie in the last round. Nor did Bubai!

  That’s why he got caught off guard by this saboteur.

  Of course, it wasn’t as bad as it sounds.

  Explosive tags lacked the shrapnel of grenades, greatly reducing their danger.

  Even if Bubai sat through a few more, he’ll probably only lose a layer of skin at most. Painful, yes, but not lethal.

  Though… the same can’t be said for the typical cultivator without tempered bodies.

  Smearing some soot to cover the minor patches opened on his face, Bubai looked at the thinning smoke and furrowed his brows. “This water boy’s got a death wish?”

  Bravery and desperation walked a fine line. And sometimes, the line exploded.

  But Bubai was pretty sure none were stupid enough to blow themselves up on this stage.

  All were gunning for the win just to enjoy wealth and status.

  How can they enjoy that if they’re dead?

  No Sherlock needed here to know this water boy had the confidence to survive!

  Bubai casually popped a Qi Recovery Pill, recharging for the bout…

  “Wei. You’s still alive after that? That constitution of yours is really tougher than you look.”

  Through the thinning smoky haze, Bubai wasn’t too surprised to see the silhouette standing afar at the other side.

  Bubai smirked back despite the pain. “Takes more than that to finish me off. I’m more curious about your condition…”

  Wu Xiaowei laughed darkly. “Wuhaha… Why don’t you come closer and find out?”

  There was no need to because the rest of the fumes thinned out...

  But when Bubai got a clear sight of the water boy tossing aside another finished wine gourd, he was still hit by some shock...

  Aside from the mangled clothes, that Wu Xiaowei was completely unharmed!

  The sword buried through his chest was missing, and even the wound is gone!

  Not only that, the knife he threw out at last moment should’ve lodged into his leg to set the stage for the next bout, but now...

  There’s nothing!

  Bubai’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. What was this sorcery? Did he miss? Impossible.

  He was absolutely sure he felt the familiar resistance of flesh when his blade struck true!

  The damage was definitely done.

  Even if he didn’t take his weapons into account, what about the burns from the close-range detonation?

  Not even a body cultivator at the peak of the late Qi Refinement stage could get off scotch-free from an explosion like that!

  There should be wounds left. How did they all disappear so fast?

  It was like... everything was just an illusion?

  No, that can’t be.

  Even if there was an illusion, his Dreamcatcher Cultivation Art was not for show when it came to mental defense.

  If that failed by any chance...

  As a last resort, his mysterious seed’s auto-defense mechanism might’ve triggered by now…

  What are the chances a Qi Refiner had the talent to cast an illusion spell that could trap a foundation builder with cheats like himself?

  Nada chance.

  Reinforcing this train of thought was the intel he gathered from multiple sources.

  Bubai didn’t remember any intel mentioning this water boy mastering any illusion spells.

  Nor was there a mention of any special physique.

  Then that left the last option. Could it be a pill with miracle-like healing effect?

  If so… what a waste! Only a high-grade elixir or above can achieve such an effect!

  To use such a life-saving treasure here, in this backwater tournament, was obscenely wasteful!

  But even if there’s such elixirs, it’s impossible for a Qi Refiner to own many.

  Otherwise… there’s no need to participate in this tourney for some trivial wealth.

  Crash! The pot smashing at his feet made Bubai jump back into the fight.

  Their eyes locked. One provocative. The other calm.

  Neither will rest until the other falls!

  Time waits for no one.

  Bubai stumbled a few steps before springing into action, starting the cycle anew.

  Crash! Crash! Crash!

  More water-filled pots came smashing at his path…

  Kunai after kunai did well to intercept most and even with a sluggish pace, Bubai nimbly avoided them all while barely changing his direction.

  Mid-run, Bubai even took advantage of every gap in between throws to fire back shurikens!

  But to his surprise, aside from avoiding critical injuries, the other barely bothered dodging, letting a good portion of shurikens leave shallow cuts all over.

  Blood seeped out from the wounds, but the water boy ignored it all just to smash pots like no tomorrow!

  What is this water boy up to? Who knows.

  Bubai only knew it didn’t take long for him to bridge the gap like a book collapsing close!

  Just like last time, this water boy with a one-track mind was ready to summon calamity from his mouth.

  Corpse Dissolver spell again? Not this time!

  Swoosh! A familiar, dented thick blade tore through the air, smashing right at the other’s ugly face!

  See how you will spit stuff in the face of brute force!

  Here, the flexible Wu Xiaowei was finally forced to stop, drop, and... not roll.

  No hero. Just bend back to avoid getting steamrolled.

  It’s all too simple for cultivators to play dodgeball. Still, a dodge still takes time no matter how small!

  That momentary gap in the dodger’s defense was all Bubai needed to say hello to melee range!

  An instantaneous burst of speed to the side followed by a stomp let Bubai take flight, launching himself forward like a rocket!

  A heartbeat after the awkwardly spinning blade flew past…

  Wu Xiaowei snapped back upright and whipped his head around, still wanting to spit out the vile spell he was brewing, only to get kneed hard in the face!

  Fang Bubai Style: Dynamic Entry!

  Crack! Teeth went flying. That face got slapped sideways so hard that Bubai could almost hear the skull giving way…

  Whatever corrosive water spell was brewing, it spat out to the wrong side: far, far away from him.

  Even its caster was sent flying in the same direction like a kite with broken string!

  The ragdoll tumbled across the ground for a few rounds and finally crashed into the arena walls. Thud!

  Bones were definitely broken and what flowed out from that mouth was no longer solely inky black water but also red.

  “Kak. Kek...”

  Coughing blood like he was moments away from dying, the water boy reached into his pouch and pulled out a dirty-brown seed with bloody red veins running all over its shell like branching roots.

  “Is that…” Bubai’s eyes narrowed.

  The seed was swallowed whole before he could even react further…

  Then, Bubai helplessly watched all the wounds on that grotesque, bloody face visibly heal up like his kick never happened!

  All the bleeding cuts similarly patched up as if they never existed.

  Except for looking a bit more pale, it looked as if the seed had injected him with full vitality!

  Seeing the zombie push himself upright like nothing had happened, Bubai cursed inside.

  “Bloody Seed of Pleasure... Tsk.”

  This fight is going to be annoying.