Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 219 - 186: The Happy Tree Is Amazed by This Business Deal

"Get ready, this is going to be a fierce battle."

Before the match, Wang Jiu earnestly reminded his mount, Shen Qingming.

"Although the opponent obviously hasn't received any formal systematic education, his growth advantage far surpasses that of humans. As a half-human, half-demon, he inherits the wild growth type of the Wolf Demon. The juvenile period is very short, and it only takes 5 years to reach adulthood, and he can maintain vigorous vitality until the age of 30. So you are essentially competing against a mature Cultivator."

"No, you don't have to say it, I can see it too..."

Standing on the other end of the arena, glaring at Shen Qingming with cold, bloodthirsty eyes, was an imposing giant who could never resemble a young man.

Over two meters tall, with well-developed and bulging muscles, broad shoulders, and a thick back. Silver-grey long hair, thick eyebrows, a beard covering half his face, and tusks slightly protruding from his lips... Almost every feature displayed his non-human characteristics. The fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the bulging mass between his legs fully indicated that he had reached adulthood long ago.

This was indeed an unfair competition.

The Cyan Cloud competition requires participants to be under 20 years old to select truly outstanding young talents. It seeks immature Cultivators who can exhaust their potential and showcase their talent.

It is well known that on the Xiangzhou Continent, the rapid growth period for Cultivators is between 10 and 30 years old. After 30, unless one is exceptionally gifted, the progress in cultivation will significantly slow down, and advancement relies mainly on inertia. By the age of forty, even a genius's cultivation speed slows to a negligible extent, and after fifty, a Cultivator's cultivation is fundamentally fixed, making breakthroughs in a lifetime difficult. Daily training is merely for maintenance, with theoretical innovations being the most one can contribute.

This is quite different from the Jiuzhou Era, where a Cultivator's growth period could be extremely long. Even Wang Jiu himself maintained rapid growth for 50 years. As for ordinary people, it was not uncommon to experience a second or third burst of growth after a hundred years, breaking bottlenecks and continuing rapid growth for another ten years...

Compared to Xiangzhou's Cultivators, those half-human half-demons who reach maturity around 5 years old and experience rapid growth in their early years naturally have a significant advantage by the age of 20, in a competition like the Cyan Cloud competition, fairness is questionable.

Fortunately, half-human half-demons are extremely rare on the Xiangzhou Continent, and there can be significant differences between individuals. Offspring from the same parents might have drastically different physical and Divine Sense qualities, making it difficult to apply matured experience in cultivation. Compared to human Cultivators, this is like doing twice the work for half the result.

Otherwise, a 19-year-old half-human half-demon could theoretically possess cultivation levels in the Cloud Flipping Realm's late stage or even the Rain Cover Realm, making participation in the Cyan Cloud competition akin to bullying children—leaving no suspense...

"However, no matter how formidable, once in the arena, you are the actual operator, so just do as you see fit." Shen Qingming now seemed open-minded. Given her Wind-Rising Realm level, reaching the top 16 was only possible because of Wang Jiu's control, so the difficulty and approach are all up to him. Her own intellect isn't enough; thinking about it further is futile anyway.

"Alright, having your authorization makes things easier."

"Wait, I have a very ominous feeling; I want to take back my words!"

"Regret is invalid; the match has already started."

——

After the match officially began, Wang Jiu directly blocked Shen Qingming's voice.

It wasn't out of fear of distraction, but because this battle required full concentration. Remote control necessitated absolute obedience from the mount and complete controllability of the body.

During combat, if Shen Qingming wandered aimlessly in her thoughts, although it wouldn't interfere with the control signals, it would unnecessarily deplete nutrients from the body.

Even considering Shen Qingming's mental faculties, exerting full cognitive efforts wouldn't significantly increase energy consumption. However, in this battle against a half-human half-demon, even the slightest waste must be avoided.

Of course, this isn't because the opponent is so powerful that Wang Jiu has no margin for error, but rather, against a half-human half-demon, the most efficient, highest winning rate approach is to use full force to overwhelm them in their strongest domain.

And for a 19-year-old half-demon, their strongest is undoubtedly the Flesh and Blood Divine Techniques. Only rapid growth in these techniques allows a half-demon at 19 to possess power surpassing human Cultivators.

This is precisely what Wang Jiu targeted. In this battle, he aimed for an unprecedentedly fierce fight, fully leveraging the Immovable Tyrant Body's formidable advantages, to intimidate the half-demon from the outset.

Otherwise, letting the half-demon drag the fight into a prolonged battle would become troublesome. Wolf Demons are renowned for their cunning and resilience, excelling in prolonged fights, they can easily tap into their unyielding tenacity, achieving extraordinary combat endurance beyond normal limits. For Shen Qingming, whose combat power requires overclocking to match the disparity, the longer the fight drags on, the more severe her disadvantage becomes.

Therefore, the moment the referee confirmed both sides' readiness and announced the start of the match, Wang Jiu fully activated the mount, striking preemptively!

On the battlefield, Shen Qingming charged towards Kong Wu like a shooting star, her fists and face showing a crimson hue, while the area surrounding her was instantly distorted by the high temperature!

This is the state where the Qi Blood within the body is boiling to the extreme, almost to the point of burning. In this state, Shen Qingming can exert nearly twice the power of normal overdrive, while the risk is more than ten times higher.

Even the slightest misstep in thought could cause the flow of Qi Blood to stall, immediately triggering a chain reaction, leading to the complete collapse of the physical body. To precisely control the flow of Qi Blood like this, without Rain Cover Realm's level of Divine Sense, it's nearly impossible to achieve.

Wang Jiu's overall strength obviously cannot compare to a Rain Cover Realm Cultivator, but the Sword Spirit's understanding and application of power have long reached a level that commands admiration from the world. As long as Shen Qingming, his mount, doesn't stir up trouble, he has enough confidence to let her dance freely on this aerial tightrope.

The next moment, Wang Jiu had already launched Shen Qingming towards Kong Wu, delivering a straight punch to his chest.

On the other side, the Half-Wolf Demon gazed incredulously at this straightforward petite opponent, unable to comprehend why she would use her weakness to attack his strength. Compared to Half-Demons, humans naturally have a disadvantage in physical strength, but they have unique advantages in Immortal Techniques. The opponents he encountered before invariably complemented their lack of brute strength with exquisite Magic. He never expected to meet an opponent today who acted contrary to such tactics.

However, this suited him perfectly! Someone coming to match brute strength with him was exactly what he wanted! In any case, this arena is absolutely safe, and no matter how earth-shattering the fight, there won't be severe consequences, so why should he worry?

The Half-Wolf Demon wore a cruel smile, crossing his sturdy arms in front of his chest, just waiting to withstand the opponent's first wave of impact before launching a violent counterattack.

With his fully matured body, up against a human girl who seemed as insignificant as specks of dust, he virtually couldn't fathom how he could lose.

Boom!

With a sound akin to muffled thunder, Kong Wu felt a piercing pain in his arms, an overwhelming force that was irresistible spreading through from the point of pain, propelling him to stagger backwards, further and further. When he finally steadied his steps, he found himself standing at the very edge of the arena.

The main competition arena had been modified with Space Magic, extremely vast, from the starting positions of both parties to the edge, it was over a hundred zhang in distance... yet he was sent flying over a hundred zhang by a punch from a little girl!?

At the same time, his arms were now so painful that they wouldn't listen, unable to raise, much less counterattack. Looking down, he saw the flesh and blood were mangled, with even the stark white of bones visible... Shen Qingming's single punch was simply beyond imagination!

Yet at the same time, the Wolf Demon saw too that the backlash Shen Qingming suffered was even more horrifying. Her entire arm twisted to the shoulder, with bone fragments mixing with shattered muscles, blood vessels, and skin, becoming a gruesome rope of flesh and blood.

Predictably, with such a fierce outburst, her mere mortal body would bear worse injuries than a matured Half-Demon's body. At this rate...

Without further thought, the Half-Wolf Demon was horrified to see Shen Qingming dismiss her physical injuries, again charging forward, using her still-intact left arm to deliver a heavy punch!

"Are you crazy!?" Kong Wu exclaimed in surprise, yet he had no choice but to charge forward. Positioned at the edge of the arena, bracing himself would certainly send him flying out; he simply had no other option.

Yet a head-on collision—he could hardly imagine the outcome.

The next moment, an even more violent collision transmitted along the injured arms, and Kong Wu clearly felt his arms were entirely broken, almost flying off. His chest was left wide open, and his entire body was again sent flying backward.

Shen Qingming suffered even more, with her left arm shattered more severely than the right; the aftermath transmitted to her torso, spinning her in the air like a top. The intense rotation exceeded her body's limit, and her left hand severed from the shoulder, the rope-like arm flung away!

Yet, even at this point, Shen Qingming showed no signs of stopping. The moment her feet touched the ground, she exploded forward again, rushing ever onward!

With three successive explosive charges, Shen Qingming's knee joints also shattered, instantly staining her white trousers with blossoming red flowers.

At this point, both of her arms were crippled, her legs half-ruined, yet in her airborne strike, she still possessed an unstoppable force. Despite having lived many years in the wilderness, the Half-Wolf Demon had never encountered such a ferociously domineering opponent, and for a moment, fear uncontrollably burgeoned within him, causing his movements to hesitate a fraction.

How could Wang Jiu let this opportunity slip by?

Although his mount's four limbs were nearly all incapacitated, she still had two rows of sharp fangs! And the opponent's front was exposed, throat completely unguarded!

Everything happened in a flash, in the blink of an eye, Shen Qingming was before the Half-Wolf Demon, charging fiercely, directly into his embrace, aiming for the throat, taking a bite...

"Enough, the match ends here!"

"