Chapter 129: Referee! He's Cheating!
Boom!
Amid a chorus of gasps, the red-armored warrior with four wings kicked the yellow-armored warrior with two wings down from the sky. Under the complex gazes of the Jia Ma Empire's upper echelon, he sent the yellow-armored Dou Wang crashing down onto the Royal Training Arena.
Bang!
As the heavily wounded and exhausted Yao Bai fell from the air, Yuan Bao's crimson wings burst into their final blaze of light. With one last dive, he accelerated downward and caught up to the falling Yao Bai. With a heavy stomp, he slammed him into the arena floor, kicking up a cloud of dust!
As the dust settled, the stone tiles beneath their feet were left cracked and shattered. Yuan Bao's four crimson wings faded and folded tightly against his back. Looking down at the severely injured and unconscious Yao Bai, Yuan Bao couldn't help but admit—Yao Bai still had the pride of a Dou Wang. He would rather lose in an aerial duel than survive disgracefully on the ground.
"I guess… this round barely counts as my win, huh?" Yuan Bao looked up at the imperial viewing platform and flashed a radiant smile at the Jia Ma royalty as the remnants of his Dou Qi armor faded away.
Since this was the first time engaging in aerial combat like this, Yuan Bao didn't have much gear suited to such battles. As a result, he couldn't fully take advantage of his strengths as a Weapon Refiner. In the end, it cost him two Tier 4 Magic Cores and nearly all his Dou Qi to bring down the four-star Dou Wang, Yao Bai.
The loss of two Tier 4 Magic Cores was a major hit. These high-grade cores regenerate extremely slowly and are typically only used by high-tier alchemists and Weapon Refiners—to refine pills or to power advanced Dou Devices. Worse still, magic cores can't be reused; the Weapon Refiners' Guild lacks the technology to recycle them.
If this had been a friendly sparring match, Yuan Bao would never have used the magic cores so recklessly. But this wasn't just a spar—it was a demonstration match. One that showcased the terrifying flight control capabilities of the Four-Leaf Feather Sheath Wings and their potential to be powered by replaceable energy sources like magic cores.
And since this was about testing the system's limits, sacrificing two Tier 4 Magic Cores wasn't wasteful—it was part of the investment.
"..."
On the platform, Yao Ye and Yao Yue both looked down at Yuan Bao, who was still smiling brightly on the arena stage. Yao Yue looked like she was about to cry, while Yao Ye remained calm.
This time, Jia Xingtian didn't offer any commentary. He simply gave Yuan Bao a long look, then turned his gaze to Hulei and the others atop the city wall. They had all now seen the peak flight control capabilities of the Four-Leaf Feather Sheath Wings. Apart from a slightly weaker defense compared to Dou Qi wings, they were superior in every other regard. But was that really a weakness? Yao Bai had realized the Four-Leaf Feather Sheath Wings were a potential target—but could he even catch them?
Yao Bai's Dou Wang wings could only match the Feather Sheath Wings in straight-line speed. But the Feather Sheath Wings allowed Yuan Bao to perform unpredictable, physics-defying maneuvers. Air combat wasn't like ground combat—if Yuan Bao flipped and spun midair, Yao Bai would instantly be left trying to defend his back.
Unlike Yao Yue, who only saw Yuan Bao "cheating," Jia Xingtian understood the bigger picture.
It was obvious Yuan Bao was testing the limits of the Four-Leaf Feather Sheath Wings. In other words, the Jia Ma Weapon Refiners' Guild had reached the stage where their flying Dou Devices could function at the Dou Ling level. And perhaps in the future, they could reach the Dou Wang or even Dou Huang level. That alone deeply satisfied Jia Xingtian.
If the Feather Sheath Wings were this powerful at the Dou Ling stage... what would they look like at the Dou Wang stage? Jia Xingtian was genuinely excited.
"...First match—Yuan Bao of the Weapon Refiners' Guild, victory!"
Yao Ye watched Yuan Bao silently for a moment, then calmly announced the result. As the princess of Jia Ma and its future Empress, she wasn't someone who couldn't accept defeat. But watching a Dou Ling obliterate a Dou Wang in aerial combat had shaken her long-held beliefs—it left her momentarily stunned.
From the empire's standpoint, the stronger the Weapon Refiners' Guild became, the stronger the Jia Ma Empire would be.
At the edge of the arena, two guards at the Da Dou Shi level finally snapped back to reality. They stepped forward to lift the unconscious Yao Bai off the battlefield, glancing up at Yao Ye as they awaited orders.
Both guards wore regal silver armor, radiating imperial authority. However, one wore standard-issue refined iron, while the other was equipped with actual Dou Device armor.
"The second match—Yao Chen, you're up."
Yao Ye spoke flatly from above. A glint of approval flickered in Jia Xingtian's eyes. This time, even Yao Yue held her tongue—realizing just how serious the situation was.
"At your command!"
The silver-armored warrior named Yao Chen stepped onto the arena with firm steps, resting his hand on the sword at his waist as he waited for his opponent from the Weapon Refiners' Guild to appear.
Yao Chen, member of the Jia Ma royal family. Two-star Da Dou Shi.
"Didn't think the royal family would actually play fair."
Yuan Bao muttered to himself as he unfolded his wings and flew backward toward the city wall.
The Jia Ma royal family had prepared two opponents for Jiang Lin—one, a nine-star Da Dou Shi with Tier 3 armor; the other, Yao Chen, a two-star Da Dou Shi with standard-issue gear.
Perhaps Yuan Bao's overwhelming performance had convinced the royal family not to make things difficult for Jiang Lin anymore.
Clang!
Jiang Lin smiled slightly. From his storage ring, he drew the Crimson-Scale Fist Gauntlets. Recently, he had taken the time to forge a standard version of the Deliberate Strike Fist Gauntlets to pay a fine to the Weapon Refiners' Guild. The pair in his hands now was a refined, half-step Xuan-grade version—his personal creation, which he named the Crimson-Scale Fist Gauntlets.
He had foregone heavy armor and instead took out only wrist and leg guards. Then, from atop the thirty-meter city wall, he took a running start.
In front of everyone's shocked eyes, his Dou Qi erupted and thunder roared beneath his feet. His figure turned into a blur, dashing across the wall. As he reached the edge, he launched into a powerful leap over ten meters high—seemingly about to fall.
Screech!
Suddenly, an eagle's cry rang out. Everyone saw a streak of blue-purple light diving rapidly from Mount Imperial. Just two or three meters before Jiang Lin hit the ground, the light flashed beneath him, catching him midair and rising in an instant, kicking up a gust across the already-damaged arena!
Crack!
Jiang Lin landed steadily on the back of the Storm Eagle. In front of the entire crowd, he pulled out his Black Feather Heavy Bow.
Below, Yao Chen looked up, staring dumbfounded at the enormous, exaggerated bow now aimed at him from atop a flying magical beast.
"..."
Everyone on the city wall: "..."
The Jia Ma royals: "..."
At that moment, Yao Yue whispered, "...Isn't this... a little much?"
(END CHAPTER)
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