I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 308 - 297: Madman

In the Dean’s office, Lv Yuantian stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the plaza not far away. The array had been activated, and Cultivators were already arriving one after another.

"Sir, it has been done as you instructed," Shan Lin said respectfully.

"How is the viewership?"

Shan Lin hesitated for a moment. "Well... it’s not great. The viewership is less than a tenth of what the Empress, Celestial King, or Dragon King get. The most famous one is Ge Mang, but he’s just a key figure in the Empress Faction."

"One-tenth, you say? Heh, I suppose that’s a passable start."

Shan Lin couldn’t figure out Lv Yuantian’s true intentions. Broadcasting a fight from the Battle Space to the entire academy using a large-scale Array Technique was a privilege typically reserved for only the most exceptional Cultivators. Although the Dean had the final say, this time, the two opponents hardly seemed outstanding enough.

Lv Yuantian gazed quietly at the plaza outside, a grave look in his eyes.

"Ge Mang, this is a big stage. Don’t you dare embarrass yourself. Forget the Empress, *we* won’t let you off the hook!"

Moo WuZheng said with a laugh. All the Five-Star Monarchs of the Empress Faction had arrived: Moo WuZheng, Mingyue, Ling Huo, and Wua Qingfeng. The battle itself wasn’t a big deal, but the fact that it was being broadcast publicly to the entire academy was another matter entirely.

Ge Mang gave a cold smile but said nothing. He had lost count of how many life-and-death situations he had faced, let alone something like this.

His fight against Master wasn’t for glory, nor did he need the fame. It was simply the obsession that drove him as a Sword Cultivator.

"Moo WuZheng, stop trying to stir things up. Let Ge Mang have a moment of peace."

Wua Qingfeng said, a certain debonair flair to his manner.

Within the array on the Cultivation Academy’s plaza, a giant figure materialized. It was Ge Mang, who had just entered the Battle Space.

Ge Mang sat down quietly, cross-legged, and awaited his opponent’s arrival.

Time ticked by, second by second, and the number of Cultivators in the plaza grew. Most were just there for the spectacle, and the majority were below the Thirtieth Layer, with only a small number from the Thirtieth to Fortieth Layers.

Suddenly, Ge Mang’s eyes snapped open. He slowly rose to his feet. His opponent had appeared.

Master had appeared.

Ge Mang drew his sword. ’It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way!’

In that moment, he was utterly certain that he had made the right choice.

SHING...

Ge Mang pointed his sword at Master. The battle had begun.

FWOOSH...

Elemental Power flared from Ge Mang’s body. His twenty-something layers of Elemental Power were nothing remarkable, but the aura emanating from him was a completely different story.

An aura with an intensely concussive force surged toward Wang Meng like a cavalry charge.

As one of the Five-Star Monarchs, Ge Mang possessed a talent far beyond the reach of ordinary Cultivators. His Elemental Power was innately imbued with the power of the "Tiger Charge."

An opponent with insufficient willpower could be crushed by this Tiger Charge alone, allowing him to seize the initiative from the very start.

To put it bluntly, it was the Power of Heart Spirit, and had nothing to do with Elemental Power.

Ge Mang had unleashed this Tiger Charge with his full strength. He wanted to see if the opponent he had chosen could withstand it.

For an existence like Ge Mang, everyone knew his signature techniques. No one expected him to open with such a powerful deterrent attack.

BOOM...

The power of the Tiger Charge swept directly over Master. His body trembled visibly... but he didn’t counterattack?

’Is that it?’

Ge Mang was also stunned. ’Does this person really not understand Heart Spirit Attacks at all?’

’As an expert, even if you can’t perform a Heart Spirit Attack, you should at least know how to resist one. To just take my Tiger Charge head-on like that... isn’t that just asking to die?’

After a moment’s pause, Wang Meng’s sword slowly rose to point at Ge Mang.

BOOM...

A tyrannical aura, like the roar of a dragon, surged murderously toward Ge Mang.

What Ge Mang felt was a surging power as immense as a mountain. He trembled—with excitement. He had never expected to find such an opponent.

His Heart Spirit lashed out continuously, trying to offset the tyrannical Heart Spirit Attack.

Suddenly, Ge Mang staggered, stumbling back five steps.

An uproar swept through the crowd. Ge Mang had actually failed to evade the Heart Spirit Attack from Master.

Ge Mang’s face flushed red before returning to normal as he took a deep breath. He had thought that by continuously using Tiger Charge he could neutralize his opponent’s attack, but it hadn’t worked. If he hadn’t reacted in time, he would have suffered a major blow right from the start.

’Not only does my opponent know how to use a Heart Spirit Attack, he’s incredibly strong.’

Wang Meng watched Ge Mang quietly. ’So this is how the Heart Spirit can be used for offense.’

’I like this kind of domineering power!’

"The name of my sword is Tiger Fang!" Ge Mang announced, his gaze fixed on his opponent. Across from him, Master slowly raised his own sword.

KILL—

Ge Mang moved in a flash. His level of Elemental Power only affected the might of his Sword Technique, not his own performance. He charged forward like a ferocious tiger, his body and Sword Momentum merging into one. Ge Mang was unleashing the full potential of his Metal of the Five Elements constitution.

Tiger Fang Slash!

The sword lanced out, like a tiger pouncing on its prey. All avenues of escape were cut off, leaving only the feeling of that fatal blade closing in.

The most fearsome part about Ge Mang was his mind-seizing onslaught. He was the Empress Faction’s ferocious tiger.

Master dodged.

"That’s undoubtedly the most unwise choice. When fighting Ge Mang, you have to suppress him. You can’t let him get into a frenzy."

The one who knew Ge Mang so well was clearly an enemy—an expert from the Dragon King Faction.

In the plaza, members of the Dragon King Faction and Celestial King Faction had also arrived. They were curious to see if Ge Mang had made any progress in the last year or so.

Tiger Fang was a true tiger’s fang, seeming to be on the verge of devouring Wang Meng at any moment.

"Master’s Seven-Star Step is pretty good."

"Too bad. A well-known movement technique like the Seven-Star Step has its limits. I thought there might be a surprise after he withstood the Tiger Charge."

"Maybe he has a trump card."

Meanwhile, the members of the Empress Faction were starting to relax.

"Once Ge Mang gets into a frenzy, he’s probably unbeatable below the Fortieth Layer. Didn’t anyone tell Master he needs to fight offense with offense?"

Moo WuZheng pursed his lips. ’This is going to be too easy of a win.’

"Moo WuZheng, care to make a bet with me?" Mingyue said suddenly.

Moo WuZheng was taken aback. "Seriously? You make bets?"

Mingyue opened her star-like eyes. "If Master wins, you have to shut your mouth and not speak for a month."

Ling Huo and Wua Qingfeng exchanged a look. Moo WuZheng, however, was delighted. "And if Ge Mang wins, you have to go on a date with me!"

Mingyue shot Moo WuZheng a cold glance but didn’t object. This made Moo WuZheng ecstatic; it was the first time he had ever rooted so hard for Ge Mang to win.

’Brother, hurry up and take that kid down! My happiness is riding on you!’

Ling Huo and Wua Qingfeng were completely dumbfounded. What had gotten into Mingyue? If not for Ge Mang’s little spectacle, they would never have wasted their time coming to watch this.

On the Dueling Platform, Master’s Seven-Star Step was exquisite. However, as everyone could see, he was already stretched thin against Ge Mang’s Tiger Fang Attack. If Ge Mang were to use his full Elemental Power, Master would have been dead long ago. But even without relying on his advantage in Elemental Power, Ge Mang’s advantage in Skill Technique was obvious.

Their levels were completely different. It was total suppression.

Ge Mang pushed his Tiger Fang Sword to its absolute limit. He had completely grasped his opponent’s footwork. Thrilled, he charged up a strike and chopped down, his Sword Qi carrying the roar of a ferocious tiger.

BOOM...

The Seven-Star Step could not evade this. Master had no more room to retreat. It was the precise moment when his move was spent and his energy had yet to recover.

KILL...

Ge Mang’s sword thrust out to kill, but he suddenly felt a sense of void, as if his power had been misapplied. He abruptly retracted his sword and retreated explosively.

Wang Meng’s counterattack missed its mark. It was the first time anyone had broken through his Void of the Five Elements.

When a Sword Technique reaches the point of no return, a warrior must follow through, even if they know it’s a trap. Yet, Ge Mang had managed to pull back in time.

SHICK...

A gash opened on Ge Mang’s chest, a hair’s breadth away from being fatal. Who would have thought that Ge Mang, who had held the advantage the entire time, had nearly fallen into a trap? Ge Mang knew what had saved him from that last sword strike—it was instinct. The instinct of a battle-hardened veteran.

From the moment he first saw his opponent, Ge Mang felt as if he had found a kindred spirit. He didn’t care about reputation, ascension, or even his Sect. His life, his very existence, was contained within his sword.

This was a kind of madness, a kind of obsession!

Ge Mang threw his head back and let out a long roar, his eyes filled with madness as they suddenly became blood-red.

Shan Lin was accompanying the Dean, watching the battle from on high, his heart filled with unease. No matter how he looked at it, this seemed like a completely failed showcase. A fight of this level wasn’t worth broadcasting at all; it was tarnishing the reputation of Starlight Cultivation Academy.

’I really don’t know what the Dean is thinking,’ but Shan Lin didn’t dare say it out loud. He could only wait.

Lv Yuantian’s face showed neither joy nor sorrow. He simply watched in silence.

Ge Mang’s berserker state.

It was an ability Ge Mang had acquired through countless life-and-death struggles, another form of suggestion from the Heart Spirit. Only in this state could Ge Mang unleash his true power.

The Tiger Fang Sword began to burn as it swept mightily toward Master.

Both its speed and power had increased. Master’s Curved Sword Qi began to counterattack; this was the signature technique that had made him famous.

Seeing the Curved Sword Qi only made Ge Mang more excited. The stronger the opponent, the more thrilling the fight. The Tiger Fang in his hand roared as it met the attack. Master’s Curved Sword Qi was strong and fast, but Ge Mang’s Tiger Fang Sword Qi was more ruthless, more ferocious. You could kill Ge Mang, but you could never make him yield.

This was Ge Mang of the Tiger Fang Sword.

For the first time since his winning streak began, Master’s seemingly invincible Curved Sword Qi was unceremoniously crushed by Ge Mang.

Just then, a piercing Double Arc Sword Qi shot forward.

Ge Mang’s blood-red eyes lit up. With a backhand swing, his Tiger Fang Sword struck out like a bolt from the blue.

The bizarre Double Arc Sword Qi twisted and met the strike head-on. BOOM...

The collision exploded, scattering energy across the sky.

The Double Arc Sword Qi had been completely seen through.

This time, Master was well and truly finished. His only trump card had been completely deciphered.

"This is getting really boring. Why was Ge Mang even interested in someone like this?"

"Heh, for a Cultivator below the Thirtieth Layer, his skill is acceptable. But to show it off publicly like this is just embarrassing."

"I wonder who’s pulling the strings here. Was this all to build up Ge Mang’s prestige? They should have at least picked a stronger opponent. From the Dragon King Faction or the Celestial King Faction... even if it was just for show, they could have at least found someone from their own camp."

The surrounding crowd chuckled. The Double Arc Sword Qi was a presentable move, but no one had ever heard of a person being considered an expert worthy of the main stage just for knowing one Sword Technique. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)