Starting as dockworkers, they swept through Chongqing.

Chapter 158 Robert Loses Control as He Advances to the Quarterfinals

On the arena, the dull thuds of flesh colliding resounded like the rapid beat of war drums.

After their legs were cleaved together like battle axes, they immediately separated.

Within a few breaths, seven or eight teeth-grinding thuds erupted in the air.

The resounding, heavy impacts caused the audience members who were nearby to instinctively cover their ears.

This intense clash, devoid of any frills and purely based on substance, caused Chloe's face to flush red, and sweat poured down her forehead like a waterfall.

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and a barely concealed look of horror flashed deep in his eyes.

How can this young man's skin and flesh be so firm!

Kolo was secretly surprised. His well-honed sweeping kick felt like he had struck a solid piece of iron covered in thick leather. The recoil made his shinbone ache slightly. It was really difficult to deal with.

Kolo gritted his teeth and was forced to constantly change his tactics, trying to bypass Xilun's frontal defense with tricky angles.

However, this high-intensity, ever-changing rhythm was very difficult for him.

His physical strength had begun to decline precipitously, his leg movements became slightly distorted, and the originally sharp sound of the wind became dull and sluggish.

On the other hand, his dark eyes remained calm as a deep pool, his blood surging with energy, like a giant sea monster that never tires.

In the brief moment when Kolo's old power had just dissipated and new power had yet to emerge, Xilun astutely seized this fleeting opportunity.

He let out a low growl and his figure shot forward like an arrow.

His thick right leg suddenly lifted up, forcefully blocking Chloe's knee as she tried to defend, and then he leaned forward, pressing his entire weight and energy down on her.

Before anyone knew it, Xilun's calloused right hand had transformed into a sharp claw, silently landing on Kolo's chest.

The attacks came one after another, like a tsunami. Kolo was no match for this level of close-quarters combat; he felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a heavy hammer, as if he had been hit by a claw.

He groaned, staggered backward, and finally collapsed onto the soft cushion at the edge of the ring, unable to catch his breath for a long time.

Upon seeing this, the referee immediately went forward to check, then raised his right hand high and loudly announced, "Siren wins!"

Kolo sat on the ground, staring blankly at the blinding spotlight overhead.

I've already lost?

He gave a wry smile, glanced at Xilen who stood there without even a hint of unease, and silently lowered his head.

This young man's victory over Rejesty truly had no element of luck involved.

On the stands, Lei Jiexi clung tightly to the railing, his face ashen.

He had originally hoped that Kolo could force Siren to reveal his true colors, or even defeat him, in order to wash away his humiliation.

But at this moment, he kept thinking to himself, if I go up now, will I have a chance of winning?

After much deliberation, Lei Jiexi realized with despair that the odds of winning were extremely slim.

I didn't expect Siron's skin and flesh to be so strong. Just the leg muscles alone are stronger than Kolo's in terms of resistance to blows.

Moreover, their fierce energy should not be underestimated.

The last shred of hope in Lei Jiexi's heart was finally ruthlessly dispelled. He dejectedly let go of his hand, realizing that even if he fought again, he would definitely not be a match for this person.

Seeing this, the junior student next to him also fell into a long silence, not daring to utter another word.

In the stands a little further away, the man in the suit stared blankly at the playing field.

Although the fight between the two lasted a considerable amount of time in the entire event, it was incredibly efficient compared to other drawn-out matches.

"Is that all?"

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses in surprise and exclaimed, "So fast!"

Upon hearing this, an older man wearing a fur coat grinned and said, "Hey, you didn't watch the match yesterday, did you? It was this young man who played so skillfully."

I heard that the opponent was Rejessie from the Silver Hand Club, and he was defeated in no time. He was utterly pathetic.

I think this young man is good; he can definitely make it to the semifinals.

Rejesty:

'

""

The man in the suit nodded slightly, a shrewd glint in his eyes, and said, "It seems that this Iron Cross Fighting Club can also produce good talent."

He stood up, went straight out to the lobby, and asked the receptionist, "Could you please check the list of participants and results for the Iron Cross Club?"

The receptionist softly said "Okay," glanced at the thick roster, and then looked up with a smile, saying, "There are two people who have already made it to the quarterfinals. One is Xilen, and the other is Robert."

The two men in suits were taken aback by what they heard, while the child next to them looked up and listened attentively.

The man pondered, "This club is impressive; they've produced two promising young players who have made it to the quarterfinals."

Unlike the Silver Hand, where all sixteen teams were eliminated in the round of 16.

He patted the child's head and decided, "Next year, we can let the child try applying there."

As Xiren walked out of the player tunnel, he wiped the sweat from his neck with a towel while secretly assessing the battle he had just fought.

Playing against this Kolo was definitely more difficult than playing against Rejesty yesterday.

One of the key elements is that Reggie has an inherent contempt for this young man who is just starting out.

However, Chloe could see his own information, meaning he knew perfectly well that he had defeated Rejesty, so he paid great attention to it from the very beginning.

This forced Siren to engage in more combat to find weaknesses, but it also allowed him to practice his newly acquired leg fighting skills, ultimately seizing an opportunity to defeat his opponent with a single blow.

Upon arriving in the lobby, Xiren inquired at the front desk and learned that his next match, the quarterfinals, would be held in three days.

He nodded slightly, draped the towel over his shoulder, and turned to leave the venue.

A short while later, a well-dressed, handsome man strode into the hall; it was Robert.

He placed his hands on the bar counter and asked urgently, "Did Xilun win?"

The woman at the front desk checked the records and replied, "They won and have advanced to the quarterfinals."

Upon hearing this, Robert's face instantly darkened to the point of appearing to drip water.

He gritted his teeth, his eyes surging with intense resentment.

Although he won today, it was a very difficult victory, and he has several injuries. It is unlikely that he will win the next match.

Robert turned and went outside. He looked up at the sky. The sky over Saint Laurent was always so gloomy, with thick, leaden clouds that made it hard to breathe.

Why is he always the one who gets outdone by this person?

Why did he have to meet such a gifted person!

He was the eldest son of a baron, a nobleman with noble blood flowing through his veins.

And that Xilun is nothing but a bug that crawled out of the slums, what makes him so special?

Robert felt increasingly distressed as he walked, his jealousy and humiliation gnawing at his reason like venomous snakes.

He walked to a deserted alley corner and suddenly started running wildly as if he had gone mad, his leather shoes splashing mud in the puddles.

He kept his head down and ran until he reached a quiet, desolate little park.

There were puddles of water left over from last night on the ground.

Robert was breathing heavily when his knees buckled and he collapsed to his knees in front of the puddle.

He stared intently at the puddles, the surface reflecting a distorted, pale, and resentful face.

The next moment, the face in the reflection suddenly began to writhe strangely, with hideous bone spurs growing from its forehead and cheeks, and dense black scales emerging from its neck.

Robert shuddered as he heard a faint, yet soul-piercing, whisper in his ear.

"You're not wrong, how could you be wrong—"

The voice seemed to possess an endless allure, like a lover's murmur or a demon's whisper.

"Your father always kept things from you, but trusted his eldest son Ross implicitly, giving him all the resources he could."

Your brother Ross ruthlessly oppressed you with force, trampling your dignity underfoot.

Your mentor, Ryan, is cold and distant towards you, showing no intention of nurturing you further.

Lund also remained silent towards you and did not impart any powerful techniques to you.

"And then there's Xilun—that lowly commoner, who stole all the attention that should have been yours, leaving you in the shadows."

"They're all bullying you. It's not you who's wrong, it's the world."

Robert's eyes gradually lost focus, and the whites of his eyes became covered with scarlet blood vessels.

"Look, how could I harm you? I'm just another version of you."

Accept me, and you will get everything you want, and trample all those who look down on you underfoot.

Robert listened vaguely, seemingly feeling that he had done something wrong, but he no longer wanted to delve into it.

He was stunned for a moment, looking at his monstrous reflection in the water, and suddenly felt a sense of closeness to it.

He slowly raised his hands, and a faint black aura could be seen moving beneath his skin.

It seemed as if an immense power, enough to tear everything apart, was surging from his own palm.

He clenched his fist with confidence, his bones cracking like popping beans.

He secretly thought that if he were to fight Xilun now, he would surely be able to tear him to pieces and achieve victory.

In the depths of his being, that voice reminded him once more: "You can become stronger. You need to plunder and refine the extraordinary characteristics of others to make up for the deficiencies in your own bloodline."

Robert paused, a morbid and insane smile slowly creeping onto his lips as he pondered the wonderful taste of this possibility.

The next morning, a thin mist enveloped the city of Saint Laurent.

Xilun got up early and ran in the street to cleanse himself, wearing simple sportswear.

After running for a while, as they passed the entrance of an alley, an old man carrying a vegetable basket suddenly whispered a warning: "Young man, don't run around. There's a murderer around here."

Xilun stopped, startled, and asked, "Old man, what's going on?"

The old man looked around with lingering fear and said, "I don't know either, I just heard it from others."

-

It seems that last night, some kind of fighter was killed. His death was horribly gruesome; his internal organs were all ripped out, leaving only an empty shell.

Xilun frowned slightly. "They've even removed the internal organs?"

He wondered, how come this method of committing the crime is similar to the methods of those madmen in the Black Death Cult?

But that doesn't seem right. The Black Death usually kills civilians to perform evil rituals. Why would they target a fighter who can fight back?

He composed himself and didn't ask too many questions, but he kept a watchful eye on things.

After finishing his morning exercise nearby, he passed by the competition venue on his way back and went in to ask, "I want to see the list of opponents for the next match."

The staff handed over the roster. Xi Lun glanced at it, and Zi Guang was slightly taken aback. It was Robert.

He quickly scanned Robert's file and discovered that Robert had also defeated two formidable opponents, demonstrating impressive fighting prowess.

Silen pondered to himself that if it came down to hand-to-hand combat, he was absolutely confident that he could defeat Robert.

In his previous impression, Robert's strength was only slightly stronger than Reggie's, and he was not able to break through his defenses at all.

Back in his room at the Golden Rooster Hotel, Xilun ate a hearty breakfast and then sat in the lobby listening to the conversations of others in the restaurant, mostly about the mysterious death of the fighter.

After listening for a while, he got up and left.

He found a quiet little park nearby and began to conduct in-depth simulations based on the practical experience he had gained during this period.

He closed his eyes, his mind replaying the scenes of his fight with Chloe and Reggie.

He began to ponder, gradually evolving his moves, attempting to combine his ruthless claw techniques with his powerful leg techniques.

He demanded that he achieve perfect teamwork, and once a move was launched, it would roar like thunder, continuous and relentless, giving the enemy no chance to breathe.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Xilun moved erratically in the open space.

His movements were a bit clumsy at first, but as his blood and energy continued to flow, he became more and more proficient with practice.

call!

He suddenly swept his leg out, creating a sharp whistling sound. Then, using the momentum, he spun around, his right hand transforming into a claw that tore through the air.

Xilun slowly withdrew his attack, exhaled a long breath, smiled, and felt a surge of joy in his heart.

Their skills have improved even further.

He opened his eyes, and in his pupils, a pale red stream of data flashed by rapidly, indicating that his proficiency in various skills had improved once again.

[Skill: Sea Whale Guidance (Tier 1)]

[Progress: 276/500]

[Skill: Dorok Dark Claw Technique (Expert)]

[Progress: 801/1000]

[Skill: Berello Kick (Proficient)]

[Progress: 14/500]

In his match against Chloe, his Berello kick technique naturally progressed to a more proficient level.

I have benefited a lot from Chloe.

On the third day, Xilun maintained his unwavering routine, practicing diligently in the park every day to continuously hone his improved skills.

Tomorrow is the quarterfinals.

Xilun sat cross-legged on the grass, his breathing long and even, his mind calm and still, neither tense nor feeling any pressure.

He would never allow himself to lose to Robert; such a one-sided battle was merely a stepping stone for him to reach a higher level.

Xilun stood up, ready to rehearse the moves one more time.

Suddenly, he froze, his Far Listening talent being passively triggered in an instant.

With his mind highly focused, an extremely faint rustling sound pierced through the white noise of the wind blowing through the leaves and slowly entered his ears.

The voice carried a suppressed greed and resentment.

Someone is watching me.

Xilun narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, as if he had been stared at by the same sticky gaze when he was buying materials in the lower city a few days ago. Who could it be?

He didn't make a fuss immediately, but pretended to be nonchalant and continued practicing for a while. Then he slowly stopped practicing, picked up his coat from the tree branch, and turned to leave.