The grand assembly felt like a fiercely paced roulette wheel; before people could fully recover from Lü Dongbin’s battle with Caesar, the top young martial artists had finally met face-to-face.
"I wonder if I should call this bad luck or good fortune?" Brooks drew the broad battle-saber from his waist without hesitation, its surface shimmering appealingly under the sunlight.
"More bad luck, I’d say?" Yang Lie gently waved his arms, smoothing the agitated heat from the air. "At least between you and me, one of us has definitively lost the chance to fight Qin Fen at this assembly."
Brooks grinned, nodding in complete agreement. Aside from the anomaly known as Xue Tian, within the Saturn Base military division, while everyone privately considered themselves the strongest, before any actual clash, they all understood they were essentially equals; victory or defeat depended almost entirely on their performance on the day, truly needing fate’s dice roll to favor one over the other.
"It is indeed a slight regret not to face Qin Fen here at the grand assembly." Brooks lightly swung his great-saber a few times in the air, flicking away all the loose sand that hadn't yet settled. "But it’s not a regret that will keep me awake. At worst, I’ll just find Old Qin for a match after the assembly concludes."
"You couldn't be more right. Why don't you forfeit this match then?" Yang Lie smiled as he looked at Brooks.
"Why shouldn't you forfeit?" Brooks retorted to his friend without the slightest courtesy. "A bout under these circumstances, within this atmosphere—how could that possibly be the same?"
"Indeed." Yang Lie tilted his head back, gazing at the boundless azure above. The clouds in the sky had long since been utterly dissipated by the previous clashes and surges of aura from the combatants.
The Grand Assembly! Beyond the chance to spar with the world's masters, the very atmosphere here served as a spiritual baptism for any martial artist.
"Since neither of us is willing to yield," Yang Lie shrugged, slowly settling into the stance of the Dragon Fist, "then let’s settle this with fists and feet instead."
"Good!"
Brooks raised his battle-saber high over his head, supporting the spine of the blade with his left hand, adopting a low archery stance as he fixed his gaze upon the Ice Dragon King Yang Lie, who was already beginning his transformation into the New Human form.
Muscles churned, mixing with the flow of blood; for a moment, it was as if thousands of rushing rivers surged within Yang Lie. A layer of keratinous material rapidly spread across his smooth skin! Icy qi began to radiate outward from his core, causing the temperature of the sweltering arena to plummet repeatedly.
"This is..."
"Heavens, what kind of change is this?"
"Is this a bio-beast? It looks nothing like the rumors!"
Those watching the contest via the network stared in stunned disbelief at the rapid metamorphosis of Ice Dragon King Yang Lie’s body, a change that had already surpassed the common understanding of the theories they held.
The New Human! In this world, aside from a small circle of the absolute elite who vaguely knew something, ordinary people had no clue that Lin Liqiang was collaborating with Inzarota, leading countless top biologists and pharmaceutical experts in a super-experiment set to massively propel the future of humanity.
"This is a New Human?" Zhang Hao leaned back, legs crossed, almost reclining on the ground, his scarlet eyes blazing with surprise at the novel sight. "What a shame. Such a group of geniuses should be pursuing the path to invincibility as Insect Martial Artists, but instead, they're researching this New Human concept. It’s truly a waste."
The New Human transformation took longer than Qin Fen had anticipated—a full one-and-a-half seconds passed before Yang Lie completely finished his Ice Dragon lineage transformation.
Yang Lie, previously standing just over six feet tall, swelled to a height of two meters. His slender physique was now covered in a layer of near-scale keratin. This appearance, which was barely humanoid, did not possess the ugliness often associated with Insect Martial Artists; rather, it exuded a bizarre kind of aesthetic beauty.
It did not perfectly resemble the mythical dragon form, yet the aura it carried made everything blur before the eyes, as if reality itself had become unstable—as if the being facing Brooks was not a man, but a dragon from myth and legend!
The expressions of the Martial Arts Masters were far graver than those of the general audience watching online. In a mere second and a half, Yang Lie’s sheer power was almost beyond description! It wasn't just the strength of his qi flow; it was his physical body!
Every Martial Arts Master’s body was already powerful to a degree that could only be called monstrous. Yet, Yang Lie's physique gave these Masters the sensation of being monsters among monsters!
Even at the level of strength Yang Lie had attained, they deduced that no one should possess such a perversely powerful body! Every Master arrived at the same conclusion.
Song Wendong's brow twitched unexpectedly, and a drop of surprised admiration escaped the corner of his eye.
Shangguan Shengyu’s cherry lips parted slightly, a thoughtful expression overlaying her features as her gaze shifted back toward Du Peng.
The matter of the New Human was something the Divine Beast Martial Artists could absolutely not keep secret. However, none of them had expected the New Human project could reach such a startling stage.
"Seniors," Yang Lie slowly turned his head toward the Divine Beast Martial Artists seated high above. "This is the New Human transformation! I am honored to be among the first of these New Humans. I am even more pleased that, even without the aid of the Super Nano-Battle Suit, I can unleash my full power in any space without being constrained by differing dimensional environments..."
The bodies of several Divine Beast Martial Artists subtly jolted. Xuanwu, who had remained in a deep slumber, suddenly opened his eyes, which shot out beams of light as sharp as swords.
Unrestricted by space! Free to exert complete power! Compared to the simple enhancement of combat strength the New Human offered, the new information Yang Lie revealed was far more compelling to the Divine Beast Martial Artists.
Rumor had it that successfully evolved Insect Martial Artists could also achieve freedom from spatial constraints. But, did any true completed form of an Insect Martial Artist currently exist? Little Pluto Hades might be a completed form, but his transformation into an Insect Martial Artist brought severe homicidal tendencies that ran completely counter to his own martial path; evolving into an Insect Martial Artist would likely cause a catastrophic drop in power.
Even if the evolution didn't cause a drop in power, Zhang Hao's character made all the Divine Beasts deeply suspicious. None could guarantee that if their bodies were given over to Zhang Hao's Creation process, he wouldn't tamper with things halfway through.
The Dragon Hall! Though established only recently, Qin Fen's martial path defined the nature of the Dragon Hall: it would never engage in any underhanded behavior.
After their brief moment of shock, the Divine Beast Martial Artists returned to their initial impassive expressions, as if their previous astonishment had never occurred. No one could guess what thoughts were churning beneath the surface.
Qin Fen surveyed the Divine Beast Martial Artists nearby, a faint smile playing on his lips. If Lin Liqiang’s success rate had been slightly higher, and if a New Human evolutionary path suited one of the Divine Beast Martial Artists, Qin Fen suspected Lin Liqiang would soon be conducting trials on one of them.
When martial power reaches the level of the Divine Beast Martial Artists, Qin Fen clearly understood their mindset: external force, internal mastery, or being a pure human—none of these things mattered to them. Any power entering their bodies would inevitably be forged into their own purest strength.
The bell signaling the start of the fight rang out from the sky. Brooks channeled his power through his feet, causing the scattered sand beneath him to instantly harden like iron. His battle-saber roared, unleashing a blade-light that shone across all directions. Even the spectators watching remotely were momentarily blinded and forced to shield their eyes. The Martial Arts Masters instinctively raised their hands to block the flying streaks of light; these flashes carried genuine lethal force, and failure to block them risked blinding injury!
Sky Cleaver!
A sheet of blade-light, like the combined assault of a thousand Sky-Rumbling Laser Cannons, or perhaps a giant fan crafted from pure light, instantly snapped open.
This attack was incredibly fast; even the minds of the Martial Arts Masters couldn't keep pace with its trajectory.
The instant Brooks attacked, Yang Lie inwardly cursed, Not good! Sky Cleaver concentrated Brooks' entire essence, spirit, and might; his swordsmanship had truly reached perfection! In that single instant, he maximized his power to its absolute limit!
The New Human existed for a reason, and there must be advantages! Especially since Yang Lie's was one of the strongest Dragon lineages. His enhanced body and reaction time allowed him to simply close his eyes, refusing to look at the peerless strike. He executed a Dragon Shroud maneuver while simultaneously driving his feet into the ground, charging straight toward Brooks through the blade-light.
Pffft! Amidst the radiance, a surge of vital blood exploded. Yang Lie had met Sky Cleaver head-on. The Martial Arts Masters present couldn't discern the details of the ensuing exchange.
Bang!
On the ground of pulverized sand lay a thick arm, drenched in blood. Yang Lie’s right fist was stopped three inches from Brooks' lower jaw. His left shoulder sprayed blood in sputtering jets.
The victor was decided! Yang Lie had traded a severed limb for victory.
The crowd stared dumbfounded at the scene. No one expected such fierce brutality between two good brothers. Yang Lie’s entire half-shoulder had been cleaved away!
They were fighting for their lives!
"What a pity," Brooks looked at the smile on Yang Lie’s face and gently shook his head. "What a pity."
"Indeed," Yang Lie ignored the wound on his arm, which was already beginning to writhe and regenerate. He slowly straightened his body, looking at Brooks. "A pity I am not your mortal enemy."
"Yes, and a pity you are a New Human," Brooks couldn't help but praise. "The New Human definitely has its unique edge. Your reaction speed was beyond what I anticipated."
"True, but it's a greater pity that I am not your mortal enemy."
"Yes." A sheen of sweat covered Brooks' face. Although it was just one strike, the expenditure for that single blow was equivalent to ten thousand cuts. "If you were my sworn enemy, the one who just won... might not have been you."
"Right. Your Sky Cleaver struck preemptively; its speed caught me completely off guard. If you were my mortal enemy, I might have been cut down just then. Martial arts competition and a life-or-death struggle are still somewhat different." Yang Lie patted his regenerating, robust arm, smiling as he looked toward Qin Fen. "I hope next time, the draw pairs me with you."
"If there is a next time," the Azure Dragon of Jupiter said faintly, gazing at the ravaged arena. "Jupiter will not host it again."
Several Divine Beast Martial Artists offered wry, embarrassed smiles. The destructive power of this assembly had been too immense. Brooks’ strike had only severed Yang Lie’s arm, but only true experts understood that if all the sand on the ground were cleared away, they would see the terrifying, deep score-mark etched beneath—how deep that single slash actually went would likely require a laser measuring device to quantify. For more details on what happens next, please log on to Jimao for more chapters, support the author, and read legitimate copies!