Please be my partner.

On the floating platform, elegantly dressed hosts gave passionate performances, while professional martial artists on the judging panel provided detailed explanations.

"Next up is the head of the Shenlong-ryu Martial Arts Hall... Melen!"

The audience erupted in cheers and applause. Although Mellen has not played many times so far, he has always been able to defeat his opponents cleanly and decisively with overwhelming strength. Coupled with his charming appearance, he has gained a large number of fans during this period.

"...And his opponent was the powerful psychic warrior... Bernard!"

An even louder cheer followed. Bernard was a contestant who had fought his way up from the preliminary rounds, a rare and powerful super martial artist, and had a professional team behind him. Naturally, he had far more attention and fans than Mellen.

In fact, given Bernard's status and the power behind him, it would have been easy for him to skip the preliminary rounds and go directly to the city-level competition. However, he did not do so because fighting his way up from the bottom was a strategy to attract popularity.

Bernard is the kind of martial artist who has signed a contract with a large company and has a targeted training program. He's just waiting to attract enough fans before he starts selling products.

Wearing a clean and tidy martial arts uniform, Mellen walked calmly toward the ring.

Bernard walked on the other side, a warm smile on his face, and occasionally greeted and interacted with the audience. Whenever he turned to a certain direction, even more enthusiastic cheers would come from the stands there.

On the ring, Mellen looked at his last opponent and couldn't help but scrutinize him closely.

Because he obtained his qualification directly, Mellen only needed to defeat five or six opponents to get his ticket to the Holy Martial City.

Even though these opponents were all strong individuals who had fought their way through the rigorous selection process, none of them were a match for Mellen.

The only thing that really caught Mellen's attention was Bernard, a super martial artist, whom he was encountering for the first time.

Bernard greeted him warmly, "Mr. Mellen, I've watched your games, and there's no doubt you're very strong. I hope we can have a great fight today."

Despite this, Mellen could clearly sense that Bernard wasn't as friendly as he appeared; his expressions and words at this moment were mostly feigned.

Of course, it wouldn't be accurate to call it malicious; it was more like a calm reaction.

Mellen nodded slightly, then gestured to the referee.

After Bernard confirmed, the referee said, "Then let's enjoy a wonderful duel between these two powerful martial artists!"

A virtual countdown appeared in the sky, and the moment the numbers reached zero, wisps of blue light flashed in Bernard's eyes.

Bernard's superpower is telekinesis, a highly versatile and powerful superpower.

Bernard suddenly shifted from extreme stillness to extreme motion. With the aid of his telekinesis, his speed far exceeded his own limits. This was the super martial art that combined superpowers and martial arts.

In almost a flash, Bernard appeared before Mellen, leaving a trail of afterimages. He brought his five fingers together and thrust them straight at Mellen's chest, uttering the clear words: "Superspeed Saber!"

Mellen dodged the attack in the blink of an eye, and at the same time took a step back, thus getting out of Bernard's pursuit range.

At this point, the judges began their rapid explanation: "Here it comes! This is Bernard's most frequently used first-strike technique... the Speed ​​Saber! It possesses an extreme speed that surpasses vision and makes it impossible for opponents to react."

"That's right. According to statistics, in more than 80% of the fifty-plus battles in the preliminary rounds, Bernard's opponents were unable to react to this move and were defeated in one blow."

"Look! Mellen is no pushover either. He easily dodged the attack and cut off Bernard's follow-up pursuit by retreating."

"Melen didn't show the overwhelming power he had in the previous battle. It seems Bernard put a lot of pressure on him!"

"This is going to be interesting. Bernard will probably have to unleash even more of his superpowers!"

"..."

A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.

This brief exchange was enough for Bernard to abandon his underestimation of Bernard. He did not pursue, but said seriously, "Merlen, you are indeed a formidable opponent. Well then, I'll show you some of my true skills!"

Bernard suddenly leaped high into the air. Such a move would normally be extremely easy to expose a weakness in a martial arts battle, but Bernard was different. With his Nen ability, he could change direction in the air at any time, or even fly briefly. If his opponent attacked rashly because of this, he would fall into his trap.

Mellen didn't make a move, just quietly watched Bernard perform.

Bernard made an exaggerated charging motion in mid-air, then shouted, "Megaton Impact!"

"Boom!~"

As Bernard's fist slammed into the ground, a wall formed by concentrated psychic energy also collapsed, shattering bricks and stones within a ten-meter radius and sending dust billowing up.

As Mellen retreated from the attack range, a strange look appeared on his face, because in his opinion, the spectacular effect of this attack far outweighed its destructive power.

It's like... well, the standard superhero landing pose.

His attack missed, but Bernard didn't stop. He stood up, raised his leg, crackling with electricity, and then slammed it down: "Thunder Stomp!"

A large burst of crisscrossing lightning flashed toward Mellen.

Mellen threw a punch, shattering the lightning. He looked at Bernard's pants. This move must have generated static electricity through specific psychic friction. In addition, Bernard's pants were made of special materials, which made it easier to generate and store electrical energy, thus achieving such an effect.

However, this move, though seemingly flashy, only provides temporary paralysis, but it is still effective enough in a martial arts battle.

By this point, Murren had a basic understanding of superweapons: applying superpowers in a more scientific way.

For example, the moves Bernard used were actually combinations of Nen abilities in specific ways, which are like fixed formulas. Anyone with the same superpowers can use the same moves as long as they have these 'formulas'.

Just as Mellen was deep in thought, Bernard suddenly burst into laughter: "As expected of my formidable opponent, be careful, Mellen, because the power of the move I'm about to unleash is so great that even I am terrified!"

"Missile elbow strike!"

"Gale Slash!"

"The Sky-Piercing Giant Axe!"

"Earthfire Mountain-Shattering Strike!"

"..."

Bernard's flashy maneuvers, switching between wind, electricity, and fire, drew cheers from the audience, while the judges and hosts provided passionate commentary.

However, Mellen was increasingly speechless because all these moves were the same, with flashiness far outweighing their actual effect. If this were used to make a movie, the special effects costs would probably be saved.

Mellen was taken aback for a moment, realizing that Bernard might actually be planning to develop in this direction, and at the same time, it seemed like a good path for Mellen as well.

After roughly figuring out what this so-called super weapon was, Mellen stopped holding back. Taking advantage of Bernard's focus on the attack, he struck the latter's neck with a palm strike, and Bernard collapsed to the ground without uttering a sound.

This abrupt turn of events left the cheering audience, as well as the eloquent judges and hosts, completely dumbfounded.

One of the judges suddenly exclaimed, "This is too unexpected! It's really too unexpected! It seems that Mellen's previous evasive maneuvers weren't entirely suppressed; they were also meant to lull Bernard into a false sense of security and find an opening! When Bernard became complacent and exhausted, he was to deliver the fatal blow!"

Other judges and hosts chimed in, "That's right, it seems Bernard ultimately suffered from a lack of experience in matches!"

"Mellen's timing was also excellent, his shot was clean and decisive, and he executed it in one smooth motion!"

"This was a fantastic battle; both sides presented us with..."

"..."

Instead of the usual post-battle praise and criticism, the judges and host fully affirmed both sides of the battle, expressed regret for Bernard's defeat, and believed that he had a bright future.

Mellen didn't care about Bernard's crisis management. He stepped off the ring, and Mellen immediately handed him a clean towel.

Although he wasn't sweating, Mellen still took the towel and wiped himself.

The next steps were simple: the ten members of Nora City who qualified for the World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament, including Mellen, made an appearance to receive awards from the tournament organizers and cheers from the audience.

Mellen could clearly feel that traces of his legend were gradually taking shape from nothing.

However, its current level of development is too low to provide him with any power boost. Of course, this is also related to Mellen's own size.

In less than a month, the dogs that went out to "hunt" brought him a considerable amount of "other self" power. It can be said that since he became a legend, his strength has been advancing by leaps and bounds every moment.

Finally, the organizers announced that the official tournament in Holy Martial City would begin in one month.

The reason it took so long was mainly due to the inconvenience of the journey and the need for a certain amount of time to build momentum.

It's worth mentioning that the event organizers provide dedicated transportation to get the finalists to Shengwu City, although the finalists can also choose to go on their own.

However, since the first World Martial Arts Tournament, there has never been a time when all the contestants gathered together; there have always been some who encountered unexpected events.

Mellen naturally followed the official route. Although the official route wasn't necessarily absolutely safe, it was at least much better than other conventional modes of transportation, and most importantly, it didn't require him to worry too much.

Meanwhile, Mei and Eugene Dong could also accompany him, since Meiren would need some errands once they arrived in Holy Martial City; he couldn't do everything himself.

Moreover, Mellen also promised to guide the two in their martial arts training.

The official departure time for Nora City is ten days before the start of the game.

Just when Mellen thought he would get through the next twenty days peacefully, Rolanda came to visit again.

Upon meeting Mellen, Rolanda went straight to the point: "Mr. Mellen, I have already reported your previous cooperation proposal to my father. He is very interested, but he and the elders of the family still have some doubts about what you claim to be able to offer us. If you can prove it, I believe this cooperation will be very pleasant, and the Greenwood family will do its best to meet your requirements."

Mellen laughed and said, "Oh? I wonder, how am I supposed to prove it?"

Rolanda laughed and said, "Don't worry, it won't take you too long."

After a pause, Rolanda continued, "But about two hundred kilometers west of Nora City, there is a ruin where a mutated plant has been born. If Mr. Mellen can bring back some of the roots of the mutated plant, I believe the family will recognize your abilities."

Mellen remained noncommittal, then asked, "Tell me, what exactly is the situation?"

Rolanda organized her thoughts and said, "That mutated plant is very special. It possesses rare mental abilities and can control other life forms for its own use. In addition, there is a powerful mutated life form in that ruin, which is truly more powerful than a martial arts grandmaster."

"But Mr. Mellen, please rest assured that you do not need to confront that mutated life form head-on. We will help you distract it temporarily. You only need to bring back the roots of the mutated plant during this time."

Mellen's focus wasn't on the mutated plant, but rather on asking, "A mutated life form that surpasses a martial arts grandmaster? Tell me more."

Rolanda paused for a moment, but she quickly recalled the information she had seen earlier and said, "It was a giant shelled worm, at least fifty meters long, with a hard shell and sharp serrations. Due to its structure, any part of its shell could be ejected at any time and turned into a sharp blade. In addition, the tenacious vitality unique to mutated life forms made it almost impossible to kill it in close combat."

"At the same time, the crustacean worm has the ability to burrow. Although its sensory abilities are weak, it has a strong sense of danger. Once it is locked onto by a long-range, high-powered weapon, it will immediately burrow underground to escape."

"If we use large-scale weapons, it will easily destroy the mutated plants, which is why they are so difficult to deal with."

Mellen laughed and said, "That's really interesting. In that case, I'll take the task."

What prompted Mellen to take on this task, besides the cooperation from the Greenwood family, was mainly the beetle itself.

Regarding this individual who surpasses even the Martial Saint, Mellen felt that perhaps some unexpected gains could be made.

As for the mutated plant, which possesses the boundless artistic conception and the boundless sacred body, Mellen doesn't have much need for it, and besides, he doesn't know if that thing will still be effective for him now.

Seeing that Mellen agreed so readily, Rolanda swallowed back many of her attempts to win him over and quickly said, "It's wonderful that Mr. Mellen has agreed."

"Given the uncertainty of the timing, if Mr. Mellen misses the official departure time for the Nora City Martial Arts Tournament, our Greenwood family is willing to unconditionally escort Mr. Mellen to Holy Martial City after the mission is completed."

Mellen didn't care.

Chapter 661 Unexpected Harvest

Three days later, Mellen followed Rolanda to the mission location assigned by the Greenwood family.

This is a huge urban ruin, and even though only ruins remain now, one can still vaguely see its former prosperity.

Rolanda didn't need to come along, after all, she was a rich girl and there was no need for her to take risks. However, for some reason, Rolanda insisted on coming.

Soon the group made contact with the Greenwood family's team, which had been stationed outside the ruined city. The team's commander was a middle-aged officer with a perpetually cold face. He was neither enthusiastic nor hostile towards Murren's arrival, and acted in a businesslike manner.

Rolanda said, "Lieutenant Colonel Thomas, I am only here to accompany you and do not represent the family. You are still the supreme commander here, so please do not worry about my presence."

Thomas remained noncommittal, then turned and said coldly, "Come with me, we need to come up with a detailed plan."

Inside the military tent, several soldiers with serious expressions were engaged in a heated discussion, which was not interrupted even when Thomas led Melen and the others in.

On the round table in the middle of the military tent, a three-dimensional map was being projected, showing the image of a ruined city.

Thomas clapped his hands and gave a brief introduction to everyone. The soldiers were only slightly surprised after learning Rolanda's identity, but they didn't care about Mellen, even after learning that he was a martial arts master.

After the introduction, Thomas left Mellen and the others aside and joined the discussion on the plan.

After a moment, perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, Rolanda whispered to Mellen, "Mr. Mellen, please don't mind him. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas was just trying to perfect the plan and minimize casualties."

Mellen naturally understood this.

A victory that could defeat 10,000 while suffering 500 casualties on its own, and killing 3,000 enemies, would be a glorious triumph in any era.

However, the five hundred who died in the victorious team were, to the five hundred who survived, comrades-in-arms who had spent their days and nights together, brothers who had shared life and death, and their significance could not be measured by a cold string of numbers.

After listening for a while, Mellen shook his head slightly. The battle plan they were talking about, which was gradually taking shape, could indeed minimize casualties, but it was taking too long. The preliminary preparations alone would take more than ten days, and there were various inducements and arrangements involved. If there was any mistake, all the previous efforts could be wasted.

An officer noticed Mellen shaking his head, but aside from a hint of indifference in his eyes, he didn't say anything more.

Mellen clicked his tongue and said, "Actually, I have a plan that can help you reduce casualties. Would you like to hear it?"

The discussion stopped, and Thomas turned around, looking coldly at Mellen, and said, "This is the military, you'd better put away your act."

"Or are you going to just watch your soldiers go to their deaths?" said Murren with a smile.

After a moment of silence, Thomas said in a deep voice, "Tell me your plan."

"It's simple," Mellen said. "You guys figure out a way to lure the beetle out."

Thomas's gaze grew even colder, and the officers scoffed.

"...Then, I'll deal with it."

The laughter abruptly ceased, and the tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared at Mellen with shock and astonishment, wondering if he had gone mad.