Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 826 Uchiha Sasuke's Counterattack!

The battle continues on the arena.

Aruheng looked at Sasuke charging forward again, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes: "Brother Sasuke, why insist? You have great talent, but you are no match for me now."

"Cut the nonsense!"

Sasuke's roar exploded like thunder. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and the black electricity in his palm suddenly surged. The crackling electricity tore through the air, radiating a chilling sense of oppression.

"The word 'admit defeat' doesn't exist in the Uchiha dictionary! Even if I have to fight with all my might today, I will never back down an inch!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Sasuke shot out like an arrow, his soul power intertwined with black electricity, leaving a deep blue afterimage behind him.

"Yin·Qianniao!"

With a low shout from Sasuke, the electricity in his palm condensed into a sharp spear, its tip aimed directly at Aruheng's chest. This attack poured most of his remaining soul power into it, attempting to break through the opponent's impenetrable blood and qi defenses.

Faced with this seemingly inevitable attack, Aruheng remained as calm as a mountain.

His cultivation of the innate secret technique was nearing completion, and his physical body, tempered by qi and blood, had become far more durable than ordinary battle armor, comparable to a weakened version of a four-word battle armor.

He slightly turned his body, easily avoiding Sasuke's attack trajectory, and at the same time extended his right hand, accurately grabbing Sasuke's wrist.

The black electric current exploded in Aruheng's palm, but it could only leave a few fine scorch marks on the skin's surface, unable to penetrate the thick barrier of qi and blood.

"Since you insist on not admitting defeat, then I will use my strongest strength to show you the difference between us."

Aruheng's tone became serious, and the golden-red blood energy around his body suddenly erupted. The blood energy that was originally surrounding his body instantly condensed into a substance, like a set of burning armor. The temperature inside the arena's protective shield rose sharply, and the stone slabs on the ground even began to glow with a faint red light.

The next instant, Aruheng released Sasuke's wrist and swung his right fist heavily.

This punch contained no fancy techniques, yet it contained the power of his life's cultivation, the wind from the punch howling as if it could shatter mountains.

Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. He could only barely muster the remaining soul power to condense a defensive barrier in front of him.

"boom!"

The moment the fist collided with the barrier, the defensive barrier shattered like glass, and the enormous impact spread through Sasuke's body.

He felt as if he had been hit by a runaway soul-guided train, his body flying backward uncontrollably and crashing heavily into the energy shield of the arena with a dull thud.

"Wow!"

Sasuke's body was bounced back by the protective barrier and crashed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood that stained the stone slab in front of him.

He struggled to get up, but found that his soul power was almost exhausted, his blood and qi were churning, and he even had little strength to lift his hand.

Aruheng slowly walked up to Sasuke, looking down at his kneeling opponent, his eyes filled with even more regret:
"Brother Sasuke, this battle should end. You are indeed very strong. To have developed your original spirit to such a level at such a young age is enough to prove your talent."

"However, your physical fitness is ultimately a weakness. After you join our Body Sect, I will have my teacher select some top-tier body-forging methods for you. At that time, your strength will surely reach a new level."

As he spoke, Aruheng slowly raised his fist, which was as big as a casserole dish, with a faint golden-red aura swirling around it—this punch would not kill Sasuke, but it could completely end the battle.

"Yu..."

Just as the fist was about to land, a barely perceptible whisper suddenly came from Sasuke's mouth.

Aruheng's ears twitched slightly, his raised fist paused in mid-air, and he looked down at Sasuke with some confusion: "Brother Sasuke, what do you want to say?"

"Uchiha Body Slam!"

Sasuke suddenly looked up, a resolute glint in his eyes. His previously weak body suddenly erupted with astonishing power, and the black electricity around his body surged again, enveloping him like a fine electric net.

He suddenly leaped up from his kneeling position and pounced on Aruheng with lightning speed, his right arm tightly gripping the other's abdomen.

"drink!"

With a deafening roar from Sasuke, his arms suddenly exerted force, his muscles bulging from extreme tension, and he actually managed to lift up Aruheng, who was much taller and heavier than him!
Immediately afterwards, he pushed off with both feet, carrying Aruheng's body as he sprinted toward the edge of the ring. The speed was so fast that Aruheng didn't have time to react.

Aruheng's body suddenly trembled, and he subconsciously tried to unleash his blood and qi to break free from the restraints. But at that moment, a faint but unusually cunning black current suddenly entered Sasuke's body from his arm, spreading out like a leech.

This electric current not only hindered the flow of his qi and blood, but also temporarily imprisoned his soul power, causing his power, which was about to erupt, to instantly become stagnant.

"what?!"

Aruheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and a storm raged in his heart.

He suddenly realized that the black current invading his body was exactly the same as the Yin Chidori that Sasuke had used before—only this time the current was more condensed and focused on the meridians in his body, which was obviously a backup plan that Sasuke had prepared in advance!
"Look closely, this is the power of the Uchiha!"

Sasuke Uchiha's low growl rang in Aruheng's ears. He locked Aruheng's body tightly with one arm, grabbed the other's arm with the other hand, and shot out toward the edge of the arena with astonishing explosive force.

Aruheng was extremely anxious. He tried to mobilize his qi and blood to disrupt the electric current in his body, but the innate secret technique was not yet fully mastered and there were still weak points in his meridians. The black current happened to be stuck at the key point of his qi and blood circulation, causing his body to stiffen briefly.

He could clearly feel that the distance between himself and the edge of the arena was rapidly decreasing, while Sasuke's power had not weakened at all, clearly indicating that he had exhausted his last bit of soul power.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Aruheng's back slammed into the energy shield of the arena.

Logically, the rebound force of the shield should push both of them back into the ring.

"Zizi~"

But at that moment, the black electricity on Sasuke's body suddenly surged, and with the special interference of electricity on energy, it managed to tear a tiny gap in the shield! Immediately afterwards, Sasuke adjusted his body position, turned Aruheng's body downwards, and took him through the gap, falling down towards the bottom of the arena.

"Boom-"

Another dull thud echoed throughout the arena as Aruheng and Uchiha Sasuke simultaneously crashed to the ground below the ring.

Because Sasuke deliberately adjusted his posture during the fall, Aruheng was the first to land, his back slamming heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Sasuke, taking advantage of Aruheng's cushioning, rolled to absorb the impact upon landing. Although he coughed up blood from the impact, he managed to remain conscious.

The arena fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on the two men below the ring. Qian Gu Dong Feng on the podium stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The referee had already rushed to the bottom of the ring. He carefully examined the two men's condition, checked the rules of the martial arts contest for marriage, and finally raised his right hand, loudly announcing:

"According to the tournament rules, a contestant is defeated if they fall off the ring! In this match, contestant Aruheng touched the ground first, so the winner is—Uchiha Sasuke!"

The referee's voice echoed like thunder in the stadium, and the once silent stands erupted into deafening cheers.

On the platform, Fors looked at the result below the arena and a smug smile appeared on her lips. She turned to look at Qian Gu Dongfeng beside her and said with a hint of teasing, "Tower Master, it seems that I have won this bet."

Qian Gu Dongfeng's expression was complicated, but he could only nod with a wry smile: "A bet is a bet. I will support Speaker Nan Fusheng in his bid for the next Federal Speaker, as agreed."

……

Below the arena.

Hearing the referee's announcement, Aruheng finally came to his senses, his eyes still filled with disbelief that he had actually lost!
After a moment, he finally accepted reality, slowly sat up from the ground, and gave a wry smile: "Brother Sasuke, you won. I didn't expect you to be not only exceptionally talented, but also so meticulous. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."

Sasuke leaned against the wall, panting heavily, but a proud smile appeared on his face: "I've said it before, the word 'admitting defeat' doesn't exist in the Uchiha dictionary."

"Then I wonder if you'd be interested in joining the Body Sect?" Aruheng asked tentatively.

"Not interested," Sasuke said as always.

"Alright." Aruheng had already anticipated Sasuke's reaction, so he didn't press the matter further and simply sighed softly.

He slowly stood up, dusted himself off, and looked solemnly at Sasuke, his tone sincere:
"Since that's the case, I won't insist. But if one day you change your mind and want to join a sect to seek better development, then I hope you will give priority to our Body Sect. The doors of the Body Sect are always open to talents like you."

After saying this, Aruheng stopped and walked towards the players' passage as if nothing had happened.

Sasuke's previous Uchiha slam, while somewhat unexpected, could only control him at best, not break through his defenses.

However, when Aruheng arrived at the entrance to the contestant passage, he was surprised to find two familiar figures already standing there, quietly waiting. They were none other than the master craftsman Zhenhua and his mentor Muye.

Upon seeing the two of them, Aruheng's previously somewhat disappointed expression turned into one of embarrassment. He subconsciously scratched his shiny bald head, his voice tinged with apology:

"Uncle Zhenhua, teacher, what brings you here to watch my match today? I'm sorry to disappoint you, I lost to my opponent today."

"Fool!"

As soon as Aruheng finished speaking, Muye immediately stepped forward, raised his hand, and slammed a powerful dunk on Aruheng's bald head. The force was so great that Aruheng couldn't help but groan.

Mu Ye's face was full of disappointment, and his tone was stern: "If you hadn't been careless in the competition and let your opponent seize the opportunity, how could you have ended up with such a defeat? You have almost completely disgraced our Body Sect."

"Ah." Aruheng covered his bald head, which was hurting from the beating, and looked a little aggrieved. His voice lowered as he tried to defend himself: "Teacher, it's not entirely my fault."

"That Uchiha Sasuke is really strong, especially his Uchiha slam at the end, which completely controlled me and left me with no chance to resist. It's not that I was careless, it's just that my opponent was too troublesome."

Upon hearing this, Makino's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes growing even more stern: "So! Even now, you still dare to talk back to your teacher?"

"It seems you haven't realized your mistake! From today onwards, you will stay obediently within the Blacksmith's Association and are not allowed to go anywhere else. Don't even think about stepping out of the association's gates until you have cultivated the Innate Secret Technique to the Great Perfection!"

"No, teacher!"

Upon hearing Mu Ye's words, Aruheng was immediately shocked. The grievance on his face instantly turned into panic. He quickly stepped forward and pleaded urgently:
"It's incredibly difficult to master the innate secret techniques. If I stay in the association forever, when will I ever be able to leave? Teacher, please give me another chance. I promise I won't lose in the next competition!"

However, Mu Ye was heartless. He glanced coldly at Aruheng, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"Stop talking nonsense, there's no room for discussion on this. Your temperament is so impetuous now, if you're not tempered, you'll definitely suffer even greater setbacks in the future. This confinement is for your own good."

"No!"

Seeing that his cries and pleas were all in vain, Aruheng knew that the teacher was truly angry this time, and immediately let out a series of desperate howls, which contrasted sharply with the cheers that could be faintly heard from outside the passage.

……

The competitive atmosphere of the tournament did not diminish in the slightest due to Aruheng's defeat; on the contrary, it became even more intense throughout the arena as the qualifying spots for the fifth group were decided.

When the referee announced in a clear and loud voice that "the player who advances from Group 5 is Uchiha Sasuke," a long and continuous murmur of discussion erupted from the audience.

Some were amazed by Sasuke's stunning performance of defeating a stronger opponent, while others were heartbroken by Aruheng's narrow defeat. These mixed emotions pushed the excitement of the match to a new peak.

However, the tournament did not stop after this key match. According to the tournament rules, although the winners of Group 5 have been determined, the remaining four ranking matches within the group still need to be played in order.

After all, even if a participating Soul Master fails to advance to the next round, as long as they can achieve a higher ranking within their group, the Spirit Pagoda will still provide generous rewards based on their final ranking.

With the referee announcing "the match is over" after the final qualifying match of Group 5, it was time for Group 6 to start their match.

(End of this chapter)