"What is he doing?? And why are you laughing?" Eland yelled at Darek.
He was utterly stunned by what Desper did.
He wasn't the only one— all the spectators were astonished except for Darek and the Sect Leader.
"Don't you understand? He is preparing for the final fight. He knows that he can't win against Alric without at least getting injured," Darek's teeth were visible under his grin. "He has never gotten an injury during the competition. He is preparing himself for the pain."
"Oh Desper... Even with that, it is still not enough to win against Alric. Please, entertain me." Darek's face was red from excitement.
Next to him, Eland wore a disgusted look as he stared at Darek.
…
On the platform, Desper felt intense pain coming from his left hand.
"Aghrrr… That is so painful," he screamed.
In front of him, Soren was still stunned.
"I don't know what you are thinking, but this is the end," he lunged at Desper.
He went again with his punches toward Desper's head.
Despite the pain, Desper could still evade his attacks.
He didn't need to block them; tilting his head and moving his body was enough.
He tried to move the fingers of his left hand, but as he thought, he couldn't.
The necklace made it feel as if he had lost his hand.
Desper endured the pain for a while to familiarize himself with it during the fight
Soren was even more tired and slower.
'It is time to end this.'
Desper murmured inwardly as he raised his sword. He evaded the incoming attack from Soren's gauntlets.
Then, with no more hesitation, Desper thrust his blade into Soren's neck.
The blue circle faded, and Desper felt the pain disappearing from his hand, and he could move it again.
The crowd erupted with cheers.
"Whaoooooooooo… did you see that? He was toying with him," one of them exclaimed.
"Yeah, that was amazing. So, he really wasn't cheating."
"He is so mad. Why did he strike his own hand with the sword?"
"Maybe he was mocking his opponent, as if he was saying *I don't need both hands to beat you.*"
There were many questions, many screams, and many cheers.
"Does anyone know his name?"
"I know. His name is Desper," one wearing the sect's uniform said. "I saw him training with Eland and Darek in the Training Yard. They were calling him Desper."
"What?! Training with Eland and Darek?! Is that why they are here? No wonder he is that strong."
"Desper."
"Desper."
Many screamed with Desper's name.
…
On the first platform, Alric gritted his teeth while hearing the cheers for Desper.
His eyes were red from anger, looking at Desper.
On the other hand, the Third Elder was calm.
'This Desper is fast and strong, but still not on the same level as my son. I think I was worried for nothing.' The Third Elder sighed in relief.
The Sect Leader observed everything in silence. No one knew what he was thinking.
…
After the fight ended, the Fifth Elder approached Desper.
"Congratulations, kid. You have won the Concentrated Red Stones Liquid. You will receive it after the competition ends. Now, follow me," the Fifth Elder said.
Desper nodded as he followed the Fifth Elder to the second platform.
When Desper reached the second platform, he saw Alric standing next to his father.
Alric was looking at Desper with bloody eyes.
'What is going on with this kid?' Desper wondered.
Desper noticed the fights on the second platform hadn't finished yet.
The two disciples who were fighting were muscle cultivators like Soren.
One of them was holding an axe while the other was wielding a hammer.
Unlike Desper's fight, their fight was fierce. Each clash of their weapons made a dreadful sound.
Desper felt a shiver running through his body. He was sure that one of these attacks was enough to crash his bones.
After a while, the one with the hammer found an opening and struck his opponent on the head, ending the fight.
Desper held his head, as if he were the one who had been struck.
The blue circle beneath them faded.
After The loser stepped out of the platform, the Ninth Elder declared.
"Now, we will start the final stage of the competition. The winner will be rewarded with the Purifying Pill."
He held a cup with three small black sticks inside.
"Two of these sticks have blue tips, and one has a red tip. Each of you will draw a stick. The two who draw the blue ones will fight, and the one with the red one will face the winner," he explained.
"Now, come and draw."
The Ninth Elder raised his hand, so no one could see what was inside the cup.
Desper decided to go first.
He nodded toward the Ninth Elder and raised his arm to draw a stick.
He looked at the stick in his hand, and to his surprise, it had a red tip which meant he didn't need to fight first.
'That is better. Alric's opponent is a muscle cultivator like him; I hope he will exhaust him,' Desper said in his mind.
The Ninth Elder lowered his arm because there was no need to continue the drawing process.
Desper and the Elders stepped back, leaving enough space for the two fighters.
The blue circle appeared, and the fight started.
Desper's eyes widened because, as quickly as the fight started, it ended.
Alric rushed at his opponent, wanting not to waste any time.
He slashed his spear from one side with high speed.
His opponent raised his hammer to block it, but it was useless. The hammer couldn't stop the spear.
The spear proceeded on its way, hitting his opponent's chest.
Just like that, the blue circle disappeared.
'tsk…. Did you really thought you could block his spear!" Desper scoffed in his mind.
Alric held his spear and pointed it at Desper.
"You are next," he growled in a deep, menacing voice.
Desper looked him in the eyes, and didn't respond to his provocation.
Then he turned to the Elders.
"Excuse me, Elders. But can I get another sword?" he asked.
"Is there anything wrong with your sword?" the Fifth Elder inquired.
"No, I just need another one to win this fight," Desper replied simply.
"HAHAHA… Win this fight? Kid, are you dreaming or something?" the Third Elder mocked with a smirk.
"Yes, you can get another sword," the Fifth Elder accepted.
Desper nodded, then went to the weapons holder beside the Ranking Board and picked another wooden sword.
He returned to the second platform and walked toward Alric.
With no one else around, Desper felt a vibration from his necklace as the blue circle appeared under his feet.
This time, Alric wasn't in a rush to attack; he simply stood in place staring at Desper.
"I just want to know, who are you? And from where did you appear?" Alric asked, his voice calm but sharp.
"Does it matter? Would you let me win if I told you?" Desper replied indifferently. "Just put in your mind that I'm here for the Purifying Pill."
"Keep dreaming."
Alric didn't hold back anymore; he launched at Desper with rapid speed.
'So fast,' Desper thought as he stepped aside.
He barely evaded the spear.
All of Alric's opponents had tried to block his spear, but Desper knew it was useless, so he chose to evade.
Desper didn't try to attack the distance because even though the spear was weak at close range, Desper was much slower and weaker than Alric.
'The only way to win is to use my advantage of being an organs cultivator and another trick,' Desper said in his mind.
With no hesitation, Desper threw one of his swords at Alric like an arrow.
Alric didn't expect something like that. Who would ever throw his sword while fighting?! It was like suicide.
Because of Alric's astonishment, and because the distance between them wasn't that long, the flying sword didn't miss its target.
Alric was surprised by this attack. He tried to dodge it, but it was too late; the sword hit his left shoulder.
"Aghrr…" Alric held his shoulder in pain.
'Tskk… It would have been better if it had hit his neck,' Desper sighed. 'Anyway, I didn't expect it to be that easy.'
"Is that why you asked for another sword?" Alric asked in anger.
"What do you think?" Desper smiled.
"I will kill you." Alric was furious with that smile.
He wanted to show off his strength in the first stage. He wanted the entire sect to speak his name in admiration. But everything got destroyed by a single man whose name he didn't even know before the competition.
He attacked Desper with all of his might. Everyone could feel the anger in every attack.
Despite the injury on his shoulder, Alric was still too fast.
Desper was focusing on the movement of his shoulders, so he could barely evade the attacks before they reached him.
'Tsk… I will lose like that,' Desper scoffed.
'Without my training with Eland, I would have lost in the first attack.'
Another slash came from the spear.
Desper held the sword with both hands, putting it in the spear's way.
He didn't intend to block it, but to slow it down, so he had just enough time to avoid it.
For the next ten minutes, Desper did the same thing: focusing on the movement of Alric's shoulders, slowing the spear with his sword, then stepping away from its path.
'Even he's so exhausted from the first stage, he is still too fast'
"STOP RUNNING!" Alric screamed at Desper.
He was getting angrier and angrier, to the point that he lost his accuracy.
Desper felt the pressure ease.
'That is how you are going to lose, kid,' Desper smiled.
"Alric! Calm yourself."
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the blue circle.
The Third Elder had a worried expression on his face as he yelled.
Alric stopped attacking. Staring at Desper, he calmed himself down.
'Tskk…' Desper was annoyed.